Peterborough North

[60027Merlin]

20 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

And you visited there on occasions, didn't you, along with your 64B brethren? Not looking at your best in this pic though:

https://railphotoprints.uk/p184894551/hEFA6705#hefa6705

 

 

Most of the Haymarket pacifics were transferred out in the great cull of 1962 with the few remaining going away the following year. The photo below illustrates the normal turn out during the long years at 64B.

 

It would have been preferable for them all to have been withdrawn rather than transferred elsewhere then running about in a beat up condition for a handful of years. Like various sportsmen/women it is better to go out when on top.

 

The 64B A4s and A1s rarely visited Carlisle in the 50s (if at all) and occasionally ran over The Waverley Route in the early 60s.

 

[DaveF]

 

I'll go for Garsdale/Hawes Junction.

 

David

[LNER4479]

2 hours ago, 60027Merlin said:

The 64B A4s and A1s rarely visited Carlisle in the 50s (if at all) and occasionally ran over The Waverley Route in the early 60s.

That had me scrabbling for my reference books and an enjoyable 20 mins looking through. I think the following 'snap shot' confirms this; it appears that the Haymarket A3s were the most regular performers over the route (I went up to 1962, as per your 'clear out' statement - there are a couple of views of 60012 at the Carlisle end in 1963):

60031 1961

60037 1959

60041 1955

60087 1956

60096 1961

60097 1955

60099 1958 & 1962

60152 1960

60159 1960

60161 1960 & 1961

60162 1958 & 1962

60510 1960

60534 1957

60535 (no year)

 

Before anyone says it, the Carlisle Canal quartet (60068, 60079, 60093, 60095) were of course forever associated with the route but duties were equally shared with Edinburgh. St Margarets was the primary shed for the route from the northern end and it might have been the case that the above-mentioned locos were being crewed by St Margarets men as I don't know whether Haymarket men would have route knowledge over the Waverley route?

 

Semi-apologies to Gilbert (although we are talking about East Coast pacifics!) but this is all of some interest to me as I plan to feature the Waverley route within my Carlisle scheme.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Can I vote for Leeds?

[great northern]

13 minutes ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

Can I vote for Leeds?

If you specify which bit of it.

[60027Merlin]

4 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

That had me scrabbling for my reference books and an enjoyable 20 mins looking through. I think the following 'snap shot' confirms this; it appears that the Haymarket A3s were the most regular performers over the route (I went up to 1962, as per your 'clear out' statement - there are a couple of views of 60012 at the Carlisle end in 1963):

60031 1961

60037 1959

60041 1955

60087 1956

60096 1961

60097 1955

60099 1958 & 1962

60152 1960

60159 1960

60161 1960 & 1961

60162 1958 & 1962

60510 1960

60534 1957

60535 (no year)

 

Before anyone says it, the Carlisle Canal quartet (60068, 60079, 60093, 60095) were of course forever associated with the route but duties were equally shared with Edinburgh. St Margarets was the primary shed for the route from the northern end and it might have been the case that the above-mentioned locos were being crewed by St Margarets men as I don't know whether Haymarket men would have route knowledge over the Waverley route?

 

Semi-apologies to Gilbert (although we are talking about East Coast pacifics!) but this is all of some interest to me as I plan to feature the Waverley route within my Carlisle scheme.

 

Just a brief note re the above.

 

St.Margarets looked after most of the freight work from Edinburgh over The Waverley Route whilst Haymarket had the passenger workings from Edinburgh although St.Margarets had some stopping turns to Gala and Hawick as did Haymarket.

 

In addition to the 64B A3s other regular 64B pacifics in the 50s were their 4 Thompson pacifics.

 

The Haymarket crews were passed for working The Waverley Route in line with the established practice of having their locos always crewed by their own men. It wouldn't do to have them in the hands of other crews!

 

     

Edited August 1, 2020 by 60027Merlin

[figworthy]

Torn between Hellifield, which in its day must have been an interesting location (unlike today where it seems to be a shadow of its former self), and Garsdale (England's most remote junction ?).  I think it will be Garsdale.

 

Adrian

[great northern]

Yet another A3 comes into view. Minoru this time, with the Delaval Sidings to Holloway ECS.

 

 

 

 

 I have extended my ability to pick the key to the right of the one I want to hit to the clubs in my golf bag. This is not conducive to good scoring.

[great northern]

A nice cool morning. Chores to do before any railway stuff can be started, so I must get on. The FO 8.05pm Newcastle is just arriving, Great Eastern at the head.

 

 

This does seem to be the one angle which allows me to get away with this backscene. The train will stop here for five minutes.

 

 

[St Enodoc]

6 minutes ago, great northern said:

Chores to do

"What chores?"

 

"I'll have a pint of bitter, thanks very much".

[St Enodoc]

16 hours ago, great northern said:

If you specify which bit of it.

If  I were to change my Hellifield vote, which I'm not, I'd pick Engine Shed Junction, which I could see from my office window at Holbeck in the 1980s.

[great northern]

A very close poll. Our last voter was torn between Hellifield and Garsdale. He went for Garsdale in the end, and gave it a 5-4 win. There really are some lovely places on that stretch of line, and the fact that it was saved must surely be one of the top success stories of our lifetimes.

 

We shall keep heading North today, and into Scotland. I admit that my knowledge of the railways of that lovely country is rather sketchy, so I'll just have to say major junction stations on lines of the former LMS and its predecessors.

[St Enodoc]

Carstairs.

[31A]

Perth.

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Don't know Scotland very well (LMS side) I'll go Motherwell, 'cos I walked around the shed one day, early 70's, sure there was a Junction there ....somewhere.

 

manna

[LNER4479]

1 hour ago, great northern said:

A very close poll. Our last voter was torn between Hellifield and Garsdale. He went for Garsdale in the end, and gave it a 5-4 win. There really are some lovely places on that stretch of line, and the fact that it was saved must surely be one of the top success stories of our lifetimes.

Yey!! I actually thought 'Ellifield had just shaded it so I'm made up with that result.

 

In fact, so elated was I that I've just been into the railway room to take the enclosed picture of my 'work in progress' take on the place. Station is on the background; No.70054 is in charge of the 'Waverley' express and is crossing the A684 and about to dive in to Moorcock tunnel.

Edited August 2, 2020 by LNER4479

[David Bell]

Another vote for Perth

[Woodcock29]

Inverness for me then. Somewhere I've been three times

The best was arriving behind a blue Tornado in 2013.

Andrew

[LNER4479]

2 hours ago, great northern said:

We shall keep heading North today, and into Scotland. I admit that my knowledge of the railways of that lovely country is rather sketchy, so I'll just have to say major junction stations on lines of the former LMS and its predecessors.

Perth for me too, or Perth General as it used to be known, grand junction for the Highlands. There's a lovely description of it in one of my favourite 'coffee table' railway books, 'The Great Days of the Express Train' [David St John Thomas & Patrick Whitehouse]:

 

The pattern of the expresses had an almost God-give timelessness about it. And until the Beeching era, their connections were similarly immutable. Travel overnight from the south, be you laird or sassenach, and you were important, someone to be pandered to. Step from your sleeper on the Royal Highlander on to the platform at five in the morning, and within half an hour you could even get a through local to Blairgowrie. It was the only one of the day! Arrive on the Perth sleeper an hour later, and before you had time to get breakfast you could be on your way to intermediate stations on the lines to Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee or Ladybank...

 

Mention of the Perth sleeper should not pass without mention of the remarkable engine workings for this train. It was worked throughout from Crewe by the same loco (invariably a 'Duchess') and men, a lodging turn, taking the corresponding Up working back to Crewe the next night. Shap and Beattock, not to mention the climb up through Dunblane, beyond Stirling, all in one night - and all with a heavy train that could easily load to 17 bogies, surely one of the most arduous workings in the country.

 

Although largely extant, the station today looks a little tired - 'faded glory' would not be an unkind term. And no longer can trains take the direct Caledonian Strathmore route through to Kinnaber Junction for Aberdeen (the route of the famed 3-hour expresses that gave the A4s their mid-1960s swansong), nor the glorious climb up Glenfarg bank to Mawcarse towards the capital. But still a great station nonetheless.

 

Fantastic country, Scotland.

Edited August 2, 2020 by LNER4479

[simontaylor484]

Aberdeen for me spent 2 very cold hours there waiting for a train home it was December and into double minus figures. My brother was in the Raf at the time and based at Kinloss. 

I always thought Doncaster was a cold station but by hell Aberdeen won it was even colder than Forres

[TrevorP1]

Inverness for me with the memories of an excellent Scottish holiday back in the 1980s.

[great northern]

29 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Yey!! I actually thought 'Ellifield had just shaded it so I'm made up with that result.

 

In fact, so elated was I that I've just been into the railway room to take the enclosed picture of my 'work in progress' take on the place. Station is on the background; No.70054 is in charge of the 'Waverley' express and is crossing the A684 and about to dive in to Moorcock tunnel.

I though you might be pleased Graham. That certainly is a magnum opus you have embarked upon.

[great northern]

Been sitting here with a mug of tea, and some "seedless easy peelers". Have so far spat out six seeds, but not yet swallowed any, so I'm unlikely to give birth to any clementines.

 

Here's another WD and a mixed goods, again from an elevated position.

 

 

Now I shall set up for the start of another sequence.

[Market65]

I’m going with Perth, a great station, and also the famous ‘Three Hour’ expresses, hauled by A4’s worked through it in the sixties.

 

Rob.

[Clive Mortimore]

Carlisle .