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class 33 went to crewe


class37418stag

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http://www.derbysulzers.com/crewecardiff.html

 should provide some useful info, basically from 1981-1986 they saw regular use on the Marches line to Cardiff. Following that date , only occasional visits with railtours etc.

 

In their last days of service with EWS , they were used to transfer Wessex Electric units to and from Crewe Works for Refurbishment , so some liveries other than BR blue would have been seen (certainly Dutch colours)

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think they also made it all the way to manchester on occasion along with class 37s on the Cardiff trains can remember helping run one around using the ground frame on platform five at Piccadilly on more than one occasion would be pre november 89 when i left for signaling school 

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Hi all

 

If its Cardiff - Crewe and beyond workings with class 33 Traction then this flickr site is pretty much the best around

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47500cdb/sets/72157630132968608/

 

 

There is also a few here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/railhereford/sets/72157632885841929/

and here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/railhereford/sets/72157632885841929/

 

 

HTH

 

Simon

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Summer 1986 had the following nominally booked for Class 33s

 

0612 Cardiff C. - Crewe

1116 Crewe - Holyhead and 1408 back to Cardiff but suspect that went via Wrexham

 

0750 SX Swansea - Man P

1345 SX Man P - Cardiff C

1815 SX Cardiff C - Crewe

 

0620 Crewe - Cardiff C

 

1340/1405 SUN Crewe - Cardiff C

1858/ 1900 SUN Cardiff C - Crewe

 

1435 SUN Swansea- Man P

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Any 33 + Mk1 photos where the loco has an 89 headcode are most likely to be Cardiff - Portsmouth services. Presumably, the Crewe/Manchester trains would have the blinds turned to two white rectangles?

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33025 Sultan Crewe 5th March 1983

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35138806@N08/4812724531/in/set-72157624990531162

 

33028 Bangor 170685

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35138806@N08/4812726575/in/set-72157624990531162

 

33046 failed at Chester 150685

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35138806@N08/4813351010/in/set-72157624990531162

 

I have a pic somewhere of 33052 Ashford at Manchester Piccadilly

 

I seem to remember that all the members of the 33/0 class & most of the rest appeared on the Cardiff - Crewe roster

 

cheers P

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Waterloo men used to work a tank train to Crewe using 33s in the 1970's.

 

A 33 and TC reportedly arrived at New Street one day. the platform supervisor went potty as there's no run round. the driver simply got out, changed ends and went the other way again! something not seen on the LM at that time!!

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Any 33 + Mk1 photos where the loco has an 89 headcode are most likely to be Cardiff - Portsmouth services. Presumably, the Crewe/Manchester trains would have the blinds turned to two white rectangles?

Theoretically I suppose, but that photo of 33028 in post 14 shows an '89' headcode at Crewe.

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From memory the 33s on this service hauled 6 Mark 1s. Some finished a Crewe in a bay platform, others went on to Manchester. They were also being used on the Cardiff Portsmouth harbour trains and so I presume this is how they came to be working north from Cardiff. I used to have an office which overlooked the Taff Vale line just north of Queen Street and I once saw a 33 on an up passenger train - obviously a special but I don't know what the occasion was.

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Worked on the Cardiff-Crew' services with 33's from 1985 until the 37/4's took over in. The 33's where much better performance wise than the 37's. Used to mainly get them on passenger services but a few did work the odd freight service. 33/0 & 33/2 were the most common performers as they were the ones most of the Hereford drivers where passed out on, 33/1's were slightly different on operating procedures and you had to be specifically passed out on them which was usually luck of the draw as to whether you came across one during your weeks training on the class. Most of the Crewe-Cardiff services were load 5/6 but I have worked the Cardiff-Crewe TPO with one which could load 12 back from Crewe. Usual practice was to wind up white blanks in the headcode but if I had time I would put HF up, if you could get it to work. One of the Hereford drivers used to put GB up as they were his initials. They were pretty reliable workhorses. I only ever got into trouble with a 33 once. Setting out from Hereford for Crewe one day I got to Moreton-on-Lugg and the engine shut down with the engine overspeed tripped. Once reset and engine restarted off we go again for it to stop again just before Leominster. One advantage with a 33 was the exhauster would still run even with the engine stopped. So coasted to Leominster, a booked stop, reset the overspeed, started the engine and off we go again only for the engine to shut down again approaching Wooferton. I was getting wise now to this so reverser to EO, the days when you could still do it on the move, back into the engine room reset the overspeed and restart the engine. Although the exhausers ran as long as the reverser was in direction and stopped with it in EO, it was only a few seconds to reset the overspeed so I still kept rolling until I got the engine restarted. Now wise to the locos antics I nursed it to Shrewsbury on half power and got assistance in the form of a 25, leaving the 33 running to provide train heat. The last one I ever drove on the North & West to Crewe was 33053 in Triple Grey Construction Livery in multiple with 37068 in Speedlink. A couple of photos of this are below.

 

post-7146-0-82698200-1390563428.jpg

 

post-7146-0-59012400-1390563454.jpg

 

Paul J.

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