Back in the day...

[Sultan1056]

Tuesday 24th April 1979

47518 York-Selby (1816 York-Kings Cross)
55002 Selby-York (1608 Kings Cross-York)

Friday 24th April 1981

Having endured 47701 out of Aberdeen I woke somewhere south of Edinburgh to the pleasing sound of a Deltic, I quickly went back to sleep now my nightmare was over. I slept very well and next woke in daylight with the sound of jointed track, where were we? It transpired that an earlier train had derailed near Grantham so our train was diverted along the Joint Line via Lincoln. We eventually passed through Peterborough where I observed Deltic 9. It had worked the 2035 service all the way to Peterborough and having worked via the Joint Line it had been removed because it was low on fuel. So I was a little relieved that I hadn’t missed out on a Deltic hauled throughout journey from Aberdeen to KX.

55004 Edinburgh-Kings Cross via Lincoln (2125 Aberdeen-Kings Cross)
55008 Kings Cross-York (1220 Kings Cross-York)

Tuesday 24th April 1984

I can’t remember my reasons for this journey but I picked up my penultimate 45/1 for haulage.

31148 York-Birmingham NS (1000 York-Swansea) Relief
45149 Birmingham NS-York (0940 Poole-Newcastle)

 

[xotGD]

31148 York-Birmingham NS (1000 York-Swansea) Relief

A relief that it made it to New Street without going pop!

 

[Peter Sarf]

A relief that it made it to New Street without going pop!

I can remember a very ailing 31 at Derby bringing its train from the North to take me back to Birmingham. Probably late 1970s.

 

[Sultan1056]

A relief that it made it to New Street without going pop!

Without checking it’s probably one of my highest mileage 31s!

 

[Sultan1056]

Wednesday 25th April 1979

47524 York-Selby (1816 York-Kings Cross)
55006 Selby-York (1608 Kings Cross-York)

Saturday 25th April 1981

55004 York-Peterborough (1810 York-Kings Cross)
55007 Peterborough-York (2000 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)

Monday 25th April 1983

45022 York-Manchester Vic (1925 Scarborough-Liverpool LS)

Friday 25th April 1986

47528 Derby-York (0940 Poole-Newcastle)

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 26th April 1980

This was a “Wrong Move Day”. My plan was to cover the northbound overnight trains from Kings Cross, which were being diverted via Carlisle. I should have taken Deltic 16 to KX where I could have covered all the trains there. Instead I decided to take a risk and go for some additional mileage with Deltic 22. Travelling on the 1814 to KX I would miss the 2000 to Aberdeen but this tended not to be Deltic hauled. The 1814 was also scheduled to miss the 2100 to Edinburgh by a few minutes but with previous experience it would regularly arrive early therefore I decided to take the chance. Travelling south on the 1814 I still had the opportunity to leave the train at Peterborough but as it was running on time I decided to stay on. The train continued leaving Huntingdon in good time, although my first worries were raised near Hitchin when a Deltic passed me on the 2000 to Aberdeen. My arrival into the Cross was early but not early enough as I saw Deltic 12 depart on time with the 2100 to Edinburgh. That left me with one more train, the 2230 which turned out to be an unwanted Peak.

55016 York-Doncaster (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55022 Doncaster-York (1405 Kings Cross-York)
55022 York-Kings Cross (1814 York-Kings Cross)
46035 Kings Cross-York (2230 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)
via Cambridge & Askern

Sunday 26th April 1981

55008 York-Peterborough (1143 York-Kings Cross)
55009 Peterborough-York (1345 Kings Cross-Edinburgh) Relief

Tuesday 26th April 1983

I was returning from a concert in Manchester, I think this was the last time I travelled on the Shrewsbury Mail Train.

86258 Manchester Pic-Stockport (0027 Manchester Pic-Euston)
46045 Stockport-York (2250 Shrewsbury-York)

Tuesday 26th April 1983

43159+43194 York-Newcastle (1600 Kings Cross-Glasgow QS)
47473 Newcastle-York (2105 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)

 

[Sultan1056]

Sunday 27th April 1980

I had agreed to help out with the Class 40 Preservation Society and today was a committee meeting held in the Head of Steam at Huddersfield IIRC. I didn’t have a formal role in the group, I mainly gave support at several Sales Events.

47421 York-Huddersfield (1618 Newcastle-Liverpool LS)
47406 Huddersfield-York (2115 Liverpool LS-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 28th April 1984

47602 York-Scarborough (1324 Llandudno-Scarborough)
45111 Scarborough-York (2115 Scarborough-York)

Monday 28th April 1986

47618 York-Derby (0923 Newcastle-Poole)

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 29th April 1978

A spotting trip to Eastleigh Works Open Day which meant an overnight to KX and the first time I travelled over the Joint Line via Lincoln.

47423 York-Doncaster (1600 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
55017 Doncaster-Kings Cross (2024 Newcastle-Kings Cross)
via Lincoln, Sleaford & Hertford N.

Tuesday 29th April 1980

47181 York-Leeds (1726 Newcastle-Liverpool LS)
47526 Leeds-York (1905 Liverpool LS-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 30th April 1977

DMU York-Sheffield (0718 York-Sheffield)
45022 Sheffield-Birmingham NS (0700 Bradford Exch-Penzance)
45032 Birmingham NS-Cardiff C (0830 Manchester Pic-Cardiff C)
47483 Cardiff C-Swansea (1015 Paddington-Swansea)
43048+43049 Swansea-Bristol Parkway (1400 Swansea-Paddington)
45003 Bristol Parkway-Bristol TM (1223 Manchester Pic-Taunton)
47032 Bristol TM-Gloucester (1430 Paignton-York)
47020 Gloucester-York (1430 Paignton-York)

Sunday 30th April 1978

This spotting trip to Eastleigh Works Open Day involved at quick visit to Cricklewood. 33106 plus a 4TC set was providing a shuttle service between the station and depot. After visiting the works I headed back to London and then onto Ashford & Hither Green.

DMU St Pancras-Cricklewood (0700 St Pancras-Bedford)
DMU Cricklewood-St Pancras
EMU Waterloo-Eastleigh
33106 Eastleigh-Eastleigh MPD
EMU Eastleigh-Waterloo
EMU Waterloo East-Ashford / Ashford-London Bridge / London Bridge-Hither Green / Hither Green-London Bridge / London Bridge-East Croydon / East Croydon-Victoria
47124 Kings Cross-Leeds (1940 Kings Cross-Leeds) Relief
DMU Leeds-York (2115 Liverpool LS-York)

Saturday 30th April 1979

With the new timetable only a couple of weeks away and the introduction of a full HST timetable I managed to get my final daytime visit with a Deltic to Bradford. On my return home the 1809 to York should have called at Selby, however Selby Swingbridge was stuck open after the passage of a boat. IIRC back then it was quite a common occurrence. The train was diverted via Selby Canal Jcn, Selby West, Gascoigne Wood and then onto York.

55014 York-Kings Cross (0612 Newcastle-Kings Cross)
55021 Kings Cross-Bradford Exchange (1245 Kings Cross-Bradford Exchange)
55021 Bradford Exchange-Doncaster (1730 Bradford Exchange-Kings Cross)
55003 Doncaster-York via Selby West (1809 Kings Cross-York)

Wednesday 30th April 1980

55007 York-Selby (1956 York-Kings Cross)
55006 Selby-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

 

[Commoner]

Saturday 30th April 1977

DMU York-Sheffield (0718 York-Sheffield)
45022 Sheffield-Birmingham NS (0700 Bradford Exch-Penzance)
45032 Birmingham NS-Cardiff C (0830 Manchester Pic-Cardiff C)
47483 Cardiff C-Swansea (1015 Paddington-Swansea)
43048+43049 Swansea-Bristol Parkway (1400 Swansea-Paddington)
45003 Bristol Parkway-Bristol TM (1223 Manchester Pic-Taunton)
47032 Bristol TM-Gloucester (1430 Paignton-York)
47020 Gloucester-York (1430 Paignton-York)

Thanks for including the HST details. 43048/49 were delivered to Old Oak on 22/4/77 and had been in passenger service, wrapped around the trailers of 253 016, for just 3 days prior to your journey with them.

 

[Sultan1056]

Thanks for including the HST details. 43048/49 were delivered to Old Oak on 22/4/77 and had been in passenger service, wrapped around the trailers of 253 016, for just 3 days prior to your journey with them.

I remember them being fresh out of the box. And unusually I even took a photograph of the train at Cardiff with my new Zenit-E camera.

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 1st May 1981

This was an unintended move that would unlikely never be repeated because it involved two large minus connections (in the region of 10 minutes) at Doncaster. My fourth different Deltic for the evening even included a diversion via Selby. I believe there had been an engineering problem between York & Leeds.

55008 York-Doncaster (1810 York-Kings Cross)
55004 Doncaster-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)
55004 York-Doncaster (1956 York-Kings Cross)
55014 Doncaster-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)
55010 York-Leeds via Selby (1630 Aberdeen-Leeds)

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 2nd May 1980

40057 York-Dewsbury (2150 York-Shrewsbury)
E50193+50267 Dewsbury-Leeds (2230 Manchester Vic-Leeds)

Saturday 2nd May 1981

Finsbury Park must have been short on motive power turning out a 31 on the 0002 to Newcastle. I was expecting a 46 or 47 so was pleasantly surprised with the 31 spluttering to Newcastle.

31294 Leeds-Doncaster (0050 Leeds-Doncaster)
55022 Doncaster-Leeds (2300 Kings Cross-Bradford Exchange)
55010 Leeds-York (2250 Shrewsbury-York)
31195 York-Newcastle (0002 Kings Cross-Newcastle)
55008 Newcastle-Edinburgh (0705 Newcastle-Edinburgh)
55019 Edinburgh-York (0950 Edinburgh-Plymouth)
55019 York-Edinburgh (0722 Plymouth-Edinburgh)
55004 Edinburgh-Leeds (1630 Aberdeen-Leeds)

Sunday 2nd May 1982

47521 York-Leeds (1908 Newcastle-Liverpool LS)
47524 Leeds-York (1910 Liverpool LS-York)

Friday 2nd May 1986

43143+43144 Derby-York (0700 Plymouth-Newcastle)
via Toton & Doncaster

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 3rd May 1975

46003 York-Sheffield (0702 Newcastle-Poole)
47082 Sheffield-York (1145 Cardiff C-Newcastle)

Saturday 3rd May 1980

The 0050 Leeds-Doncaster was formed of four coaches including two sleeping cars. These would be attached to the Newcastle-KX sleeper at Doncaster. From approximately 2200 it was positioned in the eastbound bay platform 11 at Leeds. Sometime after midnight a Gronk would shunt the stock out onto platform 9 where the train loco would be attached. Tonight the usual 31 was replaced by a rather pleasing required 40.

08501 Leeds Platform 11-Platform 9 (0050 Leeds-Doncaster)
40033 Leeds-Doncaster (0050 Leeds-Doncaster)
55016 Doncaster-Leeds (2300 Kings Cross-Bradford Exchange)
via Wakefield Kirkgate
47209 Leeds-Selby (0300 Leeds-Hull)
46056 Selby-Newcastle (0002 Kings Cross-Newcastle)
55022 Newcastle-Edinburgh (0705 Newcastle-Edinburgh)
55017 Edinburgh-York (0950 Edinburgh-Plymouth)
55021 York-Darlington (1103 Kings Cross-Edinburgh) Relief
55007 Darlington-Kings Cross (1006 Dundee-Kings Cross)
55013 Kings Cross-York (2100 Kings Cross-Edinburgh) via Normanton

Sunday 3rd May 1981

31270 Leeds-Doncaster (0100 Leeds-Doncaster) via Knottingley
55019 Doncaster-Kings Cross (1925 Aberdeen-Kings Cross) via Cambridge
55022 Kings Cross-York (1005 Kings Cross-York)
46026 York-Darlington (1040 Liverpool LS-Newcastle)
55008 Darlington-York (1125 Edinburgh-Plymouth)
55022 York-Grantham (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55014 Grantham-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)

Monday 3rd May 1982

The 33s started to spread their wings further by the use of them on Cardiff-Crewe services. This was the only time that I sampled one to Crewe, although it nearly never made it there. 33011 failed a few miles south of Crewe, however after about 15 minutes the driver somehow resurrected the loco and it continued onto Crewe without assistance.

45117 York-Birmingham NS (0700 Newcastle-Bristol TM)
50046 Birmingham NS-Bristol TM (1023 Manchester Pic-Plymouth)
33007 Bristol TM-Newport (1210 Portsmouth H-Cardiff C)
33011 Newport-Crewe (1510 Cardiff C-Crewe)
86221 Crewe-Manchester Pic (1500 Brighton-Manchester Pic)
47537 Manchester Vic-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 4th May 1979

My first visit to Stockport with a Deltic.

55006 York-Stockport (2150 York-Shrewsbury)

Sunday 4th May 1980

After arriving into Edinburgh on a Sunday morning there was only one Deltic move to take, that being the 1125 Plymouth service. With two Deltics (nos 13 &14) arriving on overnight services from London it seemed most likely that one of them would work the Plymouth service. However I am assuming that there must have been a problem because a 47 was turned out instead. I now had four options open to me; 1) wait all day for a Deltic hauled overnight service; 2) take the 47 south; 3) take the next HST service or; 4) the least worst option, return south via the WCML and S&C. I picked up a new Roarer out of Glasgow and at Leeds an unexpected 31 on a Liverpool-York service.

55014 York-Edinburgh (2230 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)
via Leamside, High Level Bridge & Carlisle
47709 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS (1230 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS)
via Falkirk Grahamston, Cumbernauld & Springburn
81008 Glasgow C-Carlisle (1515 Glasgow C-Nottingham)
47211 Carlisle-Leeds (1515 Glasgow C-Nottingham)
31285 Leeds-York (1910 Liverpool LS-York)

Monday 4th May 1981

55009 York-Peterborough (1045 York-Kings Cross)
55010 Peterborough-York (1220 Kings Cross-York)
55010 York-Grantham (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55019 Grantham-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 5th May 1979

55006 Stockport-York (2250 Shrewsbury-York)
55021 York-Doncaster (1930 Aberdeen-Kings Cross)
E50547+50567 Doncaster-Sheffield (0635 Hull-Manchester Pic)
45029 Sheffield-Birmingham NS (0655 Bradford Exchange-Penzance)
85032 Birmingham NS-Wolverhampton (1103 Birmingham NS-Carlisle) Relief
87002 Wolverhampton-Birmingham NS (0740 Glasgow C-Birmingham NS)
87029 Birmingham NS-Wolverhampton (1205 Birmingham NS-Glasgow C)
86031 Wolverhampton-Birmingham NS (1229 Wolverhampton-Euston)
85015 Birmingham NS-Wolverhampton (0835 Poole-Liverpool LS)
86102 Wolverhampton-Birmingham NS (1223 Manchester Pic-Taunton)
87025 Birmingham NS-Birmingham International (1418 Birmingham NS-Euston)
060+082 Birmingham International-Birmingham NS (1205 Euston-Birmingham NS)
47497 Birmingham NS-Sheffield (1053 Paignton-Leeds)
47019 Sheffield-Chesterfield (1515 Manchester Pic-Harwich PQ)
45119 Chesterfield-Sheffield (1501 St Pancras-Sheffield)
E52071+52076+52094+52105 Doncaster-Sheffield (1637 Manchester Pic-Hull)
55009 Doncaster-York (1608 Kings Cross-York)

Monday 5th May 1980

There was an Open Day at Knottingley MPD and I had volunteered to work on the Class 40 Preservation Society sales stand. The only problem was how to get there; today being a Bank Holiday a limited Sunday service would be in operation. Not being a car owner at the time I was left with one option, my push bike! I took the train with my bike to South Milford and cycled the 6 miles to Knottingley. Fortunately my return journey was made easier by using an additional train provided for the Open Day, to Leeds and 40069 on a relief train from Manchester.

55017 York-Selby (0805 York-Kings Cross)
E51440+51496 Selby-South Milford (0804 Hull-Leeds)
E50273+50288+50633 Knottingley-Leeds (1709 Knottingley-Leeds) Additional
via Normanton & Wakefield Kirkgate
40069 Leeds-York (1740 Manchester Vic-York) Relief

 

[Sultan1056]

Monday 7th May 1979

40013 York-Leeds (1730 Scarborough-Leamington Spa) Return ADEX
47435 Leeds-York (1710 Liverpool LS-Newcastle)

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 8th May 1981

55018 York-Peterborough (1810 York-Kings Cross)
55007 Peterborough-Grantham (1935 Kings Cross-Hull)
55022 Grantham-Kings Cross (1955 York-Kings Cross)
55002 Kings Cross-Edinburgh (2315 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 9th May 1980

This was a bit of an unexpected bonus, the 1608 Bristol-Newcastle had been severely delayed by some failure further south in the Midlands. A scratch set of stock together with a Thornaby based, non-boilered 31 were quickly found to run in the path of the late running service.

31288 York-Darlington (2037 York-Newcastle) Relief
47412 Darlington-York (2030 Newcastle-Kings Cross)

Saturday 9th May 1981

I am now somewhat puzzled by my fester at Edinburgh having arrived there around 0700. Under normal circumstances I would have returned south on the 0950 service to Plymouth, if it was Deltic hauled. Looking back on my notes I had assumed that this must have been a class 47 delaying my journey south. However according to Napier Chronicles it was hauled by 55014. I can only think that there must have been a relief train booked later that morning which I thought would be Deltic hauled, bearing in mind that there were three sat spare on Haymarket. The next train that could potentially be Deltic hauled was the 0550 KX-Aberdeen. After I watched it depart around 1230 with a class 47 I decided to take a Type 2 fill in move to Perth and back. Returning to Edinburgh I was pleased to see No.16 on the 1707 to Newcastle. My plan was to take the train to Newcastle however I found out that No.17 had been seen at Newcastle on an unidentified ECS. This in all likelihood would be the 1735 service to Edinburgh. I now had the dilemma of leaving No.16 at Berwick and return to Edinburgh with No.17, if it was actually working the service. Alternatively I could continue south to Chathill and risk a minus connection of several minutes before returning north. Fortunately No.17 was working the train a few minutes late and so I made my first and last visit to Chathill.

25037 Edinburgh-Perth (1248 Edinburgh-Perth)
27036 Perth-Larbert (1339 Dundee-Glasgow QS)
26031 Larbert-Stirling (1444 Glasgow QS-Dundee)
Sc51460 Stirling-Edinburgh (1558 Dunblane-Edinburgh)
55016 Edinburgh-Chathill (1707 Edinburgh-Newcastle)
55017 Chathill-Edinburgh (1735 Newcastle-Edinburgh)
55004 Edinburgh-Kings Cross (2045 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
via Askern, Lincoln & Sleaford

Friday 9th May 1986

43133+43xxx York-Derby (1610 York-Cardiff C)

 

[Sultan1056]

Thursday 10th May 1979

47430 York-Selby (1816 York-Kings Cross)
55007 Selby-York (1608 Kings Cross-York)

Saturday 10th May 1980

A day off Deltics today, well almost, instead chasing East Anglian 37s, taking in my one and only trip to Kings Lynn.

55018 York-Kings Cross (0805 York-Kings Cross)
37090 Liverpool St-Cambridge (1136 Liverpool St-Cambridge)
37037 Cambridge-Ely (1236 Liverpool St-Kings Lynn)
47018 Ely-Cambridge (1330 Kings Lynn-Liverpool St)
37039 Cambridge-Audley End (1439 Cambridge-Liverpool St)
37049 Audley End-Cambridge (1405 Liverpool St-Cambridge)
37051 Cambridge-Kings Lynn (1436 Liverpool St-Kings Lynn)
37051 Kings Lynn-Cambridge (1725 Kings Lynn-Liverpool St))
31239 Cambridge-Audley End (1850 Cambridge-Liverpool St)
37021 Audley End-Ely (1836 Liverpool St-Kings Lynn)
E51297 Ely-Peterborough (1830 Colchester-Leicester)
47402 Peterborough-York (2000 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)

Sunday 10th May 1981

55022 Kings Cross-York (1005 Kings Cross-York)
55022 York-Retford (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55004 Retford-York (1505 Kings Cross-York) Additional

 

[xotGD]

I have previously posted this image a long way upthread. However, the news that we'll be getting 37250 xot GD visiting the KWVR Diesel Gala has prompted me to post it again.

 

[D6130]

View attachment 157933
I have previously posted this image a long way upthread. However, the news that we'll be getting 37250 xot GD visiting the KWVR Diesel Gala has prompted me to post it again.

Great photo! Was that taken at Dunston?

 

[xotGD]

Great photo! Was that taken at Dunston?

Thanks. Yes, Dunston. It used to be my local station.

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 11th May 1979

I was heading to the West Country via the “Down Midnight” but was almost distracted by the ex-works conditioned 55015 heading the Fridays Only Newcastle service. I took it as far as Grantham before I returned into KX by HST for the first of many times!

55018 York-Kings Cross (1450 Berwick-Kings Cross)
55015 Kings Cross-Grantham (1950 Kings Cross-Newcastle)
43073+43114 Grantham-Kings Cross (1858 Newcastle-Kings Cross)

Sunday 11th May 1980

55002 York-Kings Cross (2040 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
via Normanton, Lincoln & Sleaford
55007 Kings Cross-York (1005 Kings Cross-York) via Normanton & Gascoigne Wood

Sunday 11th May 1986

45119 Derby-York (1322 Poole-Newcastle)

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 12th May 1979

It was the final Saturday before the introduction of the new timetable which for the ECML meant the end of Deltics on top link services. So what did I do, travel down west with a 47! Having picked up a couple of 50s and a 33 I did return to cover the 1800 to Newcastle. Hauled by 55013 I took the pleasure of travelling non-stop through the middle road at York.

47081 Paddington-Newton Abbot (0005 Paddington-Penzance)
33019 Newton Abbot-Exeter St Davids (0630 Newton Abbot-Exeter St Davids)
47458 Exeter St Davids-Newton Abbot (0715 Exeter St Davids-Plymouth)
50001 Newton Abbot-Exeter St Davids (0801 Paignton-Paddington)
50041 Exeter St Davids-Bodmin Road (0805 Bristol TM-Penzance)
50035 Bodmin Road-Liskeard (1030 Penzance-Bradford Exchange)
47497 Liskeard-Plymouth (1054 Penzance-Paddington)
50013 Plymouth-Paddington (1054 Penzance-Paddington)
55013 Kings Cross-Darlington (1800 Kings Cross-Newcastle)
55005 Darlington-York (2120 Newcastle-Kings Cross)