Western Tribute tour, 43 years ago today...

[Rugd1022]

I can't believe it was fourty three years ago today that I stood on the end of platform 1 at Padd to watch D1013 and D1023 depart for the last time on the famous 'Western Tribute' tour to Swansea and Plymouth on 26th February 1977.... I thought I'd post some photos of the occasion, taken at different points throughout that long final day c/o Steve Speck, Kevin Cole, Anthony Palmer and Chris Nutthall, the secondman in the doorway of D1023 at Bristol Parkway is Old Oak man Paul Sirey...

 

[Coppercap]

Saw it at Hayes & Harlington, got my dad's photos somewhere. We were on the Western Requiem Relief a week or so previously.

[Rugd1022]

Another selection of shots throughout that day from the lenses of Ken Green, Barry Johnson, Julian Ogle, Nick Bailey, Hugh Searle and Steve Hampton, including some of the standby pair D1010 and D1048...

[Phil Bullock]

Cracking Nidge....

 

Having chased and bashed a few of the final tours I let this one go - couldnt face the scrum

 

 

[Rugd1022]

Cheers Phil - I was on the 'China Clay' with 1056 and 'Lament' with 1048 but couldn't afford the £10 ticket for the Tribute. Watched it depart Padd though, then followed behind it to Bristol on a HST, stayed there most of the day and saw it come through en route to Plymouth then we went back to London, to my Nan's in Hammersmith for tea. Grub consumed, we went back into Padd to see it arrive in the dark dank surroundings of platform 11. An unforgetable day. There's some 8mm cine footage taken as it ran into platform with several people running about, including me..!

Edited February 26, 2020 by Rugd1022

[Nearholmer]

Ah, the 637 'final' Western tours!

 

(I may have overestimated by two or three)

 

I couldn't quite get my head round it all, especially after I saw people stroking locomotives.

 

Some good photos there.

 

 

[The Pilotman]

I like the shot at Iver with the lengthy mixed goods going into the loop. 

[Rugd1022]

On 26/02/2020 at 22:29, Nearholmer said:

Ah, the 637 'final' Western tours!

 

(I may have overestimated by two or three)

 

I couldn't quite get my head round it all, especially after I saw people stroking locomotives.

 

Some good photos there.

 

 

 

I know a chap who was actually on 853 of them.... .

 

 

[Downendian]

Thanks for posting these Nidge, sad day- only just caught up with RMWeb over the last few weeks, as fishing and related committee work has been all consuming - even in lockdown.

I saw the tour at Bristol Parkway, on the Padd-Swansea leg. Some grainy, hair-in-the-gate, soundless footage of it there emerged a few years ago, posted below. I'm one of teenagers in the shadows somewhere. What is striking though to me is how much the Parkway to Patchway line has changed, housing estates etc now almost completely obscure the grandstand view we had as kids of westerns and Hymeks sweeping around that curve with Maybachs on full bore. Despite the quality of the footage it is of excellent historical interest and for me personally a priceless memory.

neil