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2A23 0350 Euston - Bletchley was a Monday to Saturday staff train being not advertised beyond Watford from memory . Loco hauled often a roaring class 81-85 with spectacular acceleration as usually load 3 (BSK and 2 vans). Stopped many shacks including Queens Park main line and Leighton Buzzard (around 0450 - usually 20 early) . Stopped running 1n 1990 i believe, must have run for a long time as it was known as "the milk empties".

 

A classic middle of the night staff train...

 

NR

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On 12/10/2020 at 20:42, Southof1E top tmd said:

2A23 0350 Euston - Bletchley was a Monday to Saturday staff train being not advertised beyond Watford from memory . Loco hauled often a roaring class 81-85 with spectacular acceleration as usually load 3 (BSK and 2 vans). Stopped many shacks including Queens Park main line and Leighton Buzzard (around 0450 - usually 20 early) . Stopped running 1n 1990 i believe, must have run for a long time as it was known as "the milk empties".

 

A classic middle of the night staff train...

 

NR

Often used for clearing a few drinkers who had missed the last train on Friday night. 

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Not a workers train, but a very silly story. I was doing my training at Kingmoor and living at Brierfield. On the Friday 8th November 1974 the breakdown team were called out to Appleby because 25203 had split a 3 way point. I went with the train (hauled by 25204) with my suitcase because it being a Friday I needed to get back home.

 

After the loco was rerailed, arrangements needed to be made to get the breakdown train back to Kingmoor. This involved talking to the signalman at Appleby, and I was taken along to see if he could arrange a trip for me to Blackburn. It just so happened that a light engine was heading that way in a while, so the arrangement was that the signalman would stop the loco outside the box and ask the driver to pick me up from the platform, so off I toddled with suitcase in hand and sat on a bench. 

 

A few other people turned up for a timetabled train, when I saw a 40 come round the bend and stopped by the box due to the red flag, so I picked up my case and moved towards the platform edge. Others noticed me move, so stood up and followed suit because by now you could only see the front of the loco because it is straight track from the station to the box.

 

I didn't dare look at the passengers on the platform as I checked which end I should get in, opened the leading end door, pushed my suitcase in, followed it in just as the driver set off.

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Kind of related, what stops at staff halt platforms around the network? I was on an East London line tube train that stopped at one just outside one of the New Crosses (whichever one had the shed), but the main line ones at Wimbledon, Hoo Junction etc have always been a mystery to me.

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2 hours ago, Zomboid said:

Kind of related, what stops at staff halt platforms around the network? I was on an East London line tube train that stopped at one just outside one of the New Crosses (whichever one had the shed), but the main line ones at Wimbledon, Hoo Junction etc have always been a mystery to me.

 

My experience of Wimbledon Staff Halt from many years ago, was that any train could stop there to drop off/pick up staff. Staff would contact the signal box and then wait on the platform at Wimbledon for the next stopping train which would then get diverted onto the fast line to stop at the halt. 

 

Would it have been used by train crew working the Wimbledon - West Croydon service, before it was converted to tram operation to get to/from the depot?

 

Nick 

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