1 hour ago, Nconsistent said:

I have been planning to add a 45 for my mid to late '60s BR southern layout to haul my HAA coal train bound for the cement works at Cliffe. I have seen images of them working through Kent, sometimes piloted by a 33, IIRC, but have no idea about which numbers or named engines definitely did this work. Personally I would prefer pretops green with split headcodes, but if anyone has more info the Heljan does look good.

These ran from Welbeck Colliery in Derbyshire via Toton and Brent but I don't know when the North Kent works were equipped for MGR working, I believe they'd previously ran with vacuum braked wagons and I wouldn't be certain that MGRs ran before the 1970s.

They ran twice daily in the late 70s and early 80s and were rostered for Toton type 4 haulage which could be anything from home, Holbeck or Tinsley based 45/0, 45/1 or any variant of 47 from just about any depot. Pairs of 25s were a pretty rare but acceptable substitute, legend has it type 1s were used on occasions after they'd been fitted with guard's brake valves in the early 80s but I've never seen a photo and as Cricklewood crews weren't trained on them, it seems unlikely they'd have progressed beyond Wellingborough. A look at an Ian Allan Locoshed book for your chosen period should give plenty of options.

The roster had an exchange of north and southbound trains between LMR and SR motive power and crews at Brent but this didn't always happen and a pal of mine who was at Cricklewood 1978-1983 took the train onward with a pilot from Clapham several times.