Merrymaker Memories

[locoholic]

I found some old leaflets for excursion trips recently - I think they have a certain period charm, and they bring back happy memories of long days spent in Mark 1 open stock, journeying economically to far off places.

 

 

The first Merrymaker I went on was in 1974 from Leigh-on-Sea to Chester. Whoever planned the trip obviously took his LT&SR allegiance to the Midland Railway seriously, because we used ex-MR lines to get as near to Chester as we could, via the Midland main line and the Castle Donington freight-only line (where I saw my only working industrial steam loco at the power station), then through Uttoxeter and Crewe. The train included a Gresley buffet car, but I can't remeber which loco hauled the train - I expect it was a Class 47.

 

 

Here is a later Merrymaker, which had taken Stratford silver-roofed 47169 "Great Eastern" from Essex to Taunton on 15th April 1979. The trains to the Western region always seemed to take the Badminton route, never the Berks & Hants.

 

On the way back I was very excited to see the three old diesel hydraulics at Swindon. The photo I got shows how fast 47169 was going at that point.

 

 

Another memorable trip was my introduction to the Settle & Carlisle, on 11th October 1980.

 

 

This was a Mystery trip which took us north up the S&C, to spend a couple of hours in Carlisle (the first of many such visits) before a return via Newcastle and the ECML.

 

Happy days...

[New Haven Neil]

Ah,, I recall many from Newcastle, mostly to preserved railways.  Always seemed to be the same rake of coaches, I recall a Mk 1 with the number 4444 kept appearing!

[Fat Controller]

A decade or so earlier, the enterprising AM at Swansea High St used to run Mystexes, using the reserve rake of Mk1 stock and whatever diesels Landore would part with. It wasn't uncommon for locos to be changed at Cardiff, after the Landore one had given up the ghost. Amongst other destinations, I went to Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Weymouth, whilst friends went as far as Edinburgh and Newcastle; once we got to Newport, speculation would hot up as to our destination; left up the North and West would mean Liverpool, Chester or Manchester, whilst straight on would encourage yet more speculation.. About an hour away from the destination, the AM's representative on board would distribute cyclostyled information sheets with useful information and, most importantly, the departure time.

 I recollect the day would cost the princely sum of 12/6, accumulated from saving pocket money and running errands. We'd get into Swansea after midnight, with varying degrees of lateness, depending on the state of the loco and the late-evening PW work. There may well have been some interesting diversionary routes, but we were too knackered to notice.

[EddieB]

Happy days!

 

My first Merrymaker was in June 1973.  Starting from Euston, we had an overnight run up the WCML.  Electric traction gave way to a pair of 50s at Crewe, which then took the train all the way to Stirling, where we arrived around 6am.  Not wanting to miss any numbers (I was more into collecting numbers back then than taking photographs) I stayed awake all through the night. 

 

Waiting for a more civilised hour, the train was met by coaches to take us on a scenic tour of the Scottish lochs - I have hardly any recollection as I made up for my lost sleep.  We were then taken on to Perth, where our train and faithful 50 pairing were waiting to return us back to Euston.

[BR(S)]

Things like "Merrymaker" come with a real sense of nostalgia for me for the heyday of my rail enthusiasm (OK, the days when I was without doubt a "train spotter"!).  It's right up there with "Summer Saturday relief train" and the "We're getting there" slogan. 

 

An AC-hauled Merrymaker at Stafford in 1985:

 

1985-05-05 RF01 KCooke 86413 Stafford ssm by Mystery Singer, on Flickr

[Enterprisingwestern]

Ah, jumpers for goalposts time.

Early 1970's Sheffield area Merrymakers, the first one being the Bournemouth Explorer, complete with headboard hauled by an immaculate pride of Tinsley, D1575, so successful it was duplicated the following week, and I just had to go again.

We went all over the place, Ardrossan, Fairlie and Largs was one of the more esoteric ones, and I remember the Clacton on Sea Explorer being taken both ways in the luxurious surroundings of a Gresley buffet.

I shall have to dig the pictures out.

I've come over all misty eyed.

 

Mike.

 

Just remembered my mate, who went to Torquay for his holidays, got a Mystery Merrymaker from there, and finished up back in Sheffield.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Enterprisingwestern

[andy stroud]

I went on one with my parents in 1975 from Gloucester to Paignton. We departed from Gloucester Central and went to Severn Tunnel Junction where the train reversed. Must have been weekend engineering work. On the return journey, the train went the normal route from Bristol to Gloucester and our return was to Eastgate station. The one only time I remember using that station before it closed later that year. I'm pretty sure Paignton still had the old crossing gates and a bell used to ring when a train was due to cross. Was never the same after the lifting barriers were put in. Also seem to remember seeing the "Z" in the headcode panel as the train waited to depart. At the time I didn't have a clue what that would have meant.

Edited December 10, 2014 by andy stroud

[Xerces Fobe2]

Many found memories of trips  from Slough to Leeds , Manchester and Sheffield to name a few, My Sheffield  trip was the first where at the age of 13 without ever being to Sheffield before I went by bus to Tinsley Depot and it was well with . Often on on the trip remembering reversing and running wrong line because of engineering works rather than busitutions and line closures which experience these days but the railways were run by railwayman and the over zealous H&E regulations.  On route passing depots like Bescot, Westhouses and the like the joy of seeing lots diesels in green and blue livery.

 

Great days that can never be repeated!

[Fat Controller]

Many found memories of trips  from Slough to Leeds , Manchester and Sheffield to name a few, My Sheffield  trip was the first where at the age of 13 without ever being to Sheffield before I went by bus to Tinsley Depot and it was well with . Often on on the trip remembering reversing and running wrong line because of engineering works rather than busitutions and line closures which experience these days but the railways were run by railwayman and the over zealous H&E regulations.  On route passing depots like Bescot, Westhouses and the like the joy of seeing lots diesels in green and blue livery.

 

Great days that can never be repeated!

I'd have been about the same age; I don't know about you, but I thought we'd gone past 'Brinsworth- Three Magpies' as the bus fare was so cheap for the length of journey..

[Iron Horse]

Think these were my first ever proper rail trips. First one was Oxford to York (47511), shortly followed by Oxford to Crewe. I hadn't seen any railway operation like it and for those hours there, thought I was in heaven. The significance of 82008 and 85034 for haulage meant nothing at the time :laugh:

[LNERGE]

I've been trying to find out more about a Merrymaker trip i went on in, possibly 1980 or 81, King's Cross to Blackpool. We had 55021 KX to Wakefield then a 40, possibly 074 on to Blackpool. I'd convinced the parents to let me go alone (aged 14) but didn't let on the departure back from Blackpool wasn't until 01:00 or thereabouts. I'd love to find more about the train, route etc.

[ColinK]

Yes happy days. I recall going on loads of Merrymakers from Stockport.

[br2975]

At the turn of the 1970s there weren't many 'Merrymaker' excursions originating from South Wales, but as Brian W mentions above, hardly a weekend (Saturdays and Sundays) went by without Mystery Excursions leaving South Wales for exotic (and sometimes not so exotic) distant parts.

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During school holidays such trains would operate mid-week as well.

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Destinations would vary with the seasons

e.g.

Autumn would see excursions to Blackpool

Winter would see the largerr cities visited, sometimes with a view to Christmas shopping

Summer would see the trains heading for the seaside and other similar locations

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The South Wales mystery excursions would see loco hauled trains at stations normally served only by DMU sets e.g. Treherbert & Merthyr; Rhymney wasn't such a popular starting point.

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Occasionally, they would even start from stations that had lost their regular passenger service(s) e.g. Aberdare.

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The trains would involve some extensive ECS workings as often up to half a dozen would run from South Wales on a busy weekend, so stock could move from say Malago Vale (Bristol) to Treherbert, then work the excursion and arrive back at Treherbert in the early hours of a Sunday morning, then work back ECS to Malago Vale, or perhaps to Swansea for another excusrion before heading back to Malago Vale early Monday.

 

Those of us without access to a Weekly Traffic Notice (which invariably omitted the destination anyway) would read the outward journey pick-up points and eventual arrival time at destination in order to try and establish the eventual destination, and whether to take the chance on booking.

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A train originating at Newport then picking up at Cardiff & Bridgend was obviously heading to Tenby so was a 'no no'

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One starting at Cardiff, then picking up at Newport, Pontypool Rd and Hereford would most likely head for Manchester/Liverpool or the North Wales coast depending on the season.

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Also popular were "educational excursions" running to locations that served attractions that featured in the current school curriculum e.g. Slough for Windsor Castle, Portsmouth Harbour for HMS Victory, Salisbury for Stonehenge.

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Also popular in South Wales were the "monkey specials" to Clifton Down for Bristol Zoo, invariably loco hauled, but not always,

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Then we come onto the 'rugexes'.................... 

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NOTEMystery Excursions.xls

I've attached some info from a couple of 1971 Weekly Traffic Notices relating to South Wales "Mystery Excursions"

 

Brian R

Edited December 10, 2014 by br2975

[Downendian]

I went on every Bristol-Edinburgh 1975-1978, twice yearly always fully booked, 0600 start, back by 0200 next day! Rapid trip on push-pull 27s and to as many Glasgow sheds as possible.

Lots of others too from Bristol to York, Knaresborough and Harrogate, Norwich, Weymouth, Cleethorpes and there were mystery tours too. All these trips were coupled with shed bashing.

 

There were lots of other special deals by scheduled services, in particular I can remember London for £3 return on the weekend, bucket and spade specials to Weymouth, Teignmouth, Paignton and the good old area 10 all week pass. They were fun and a golden part of my youth spent on these trains.

 

Neil

[Joseph_Pestell]

As well as the excursion trains, there was a decent range (on LMR at least) of Merrymaker tickets for scheduled trains. Best of these was northbound from St Pancras (about 8am) with a change at Nottingham onto a Glasgow train. We would stop off at Keighley for KWVR (or extended stay in Taylor's pub overlooking KWVR) and then onwards to Carnforth where there was a good Boddington's pub before return via Lancaster to Euston late in the evening.

 

We stayed on the train a couple of times too to do the S&C.

 

On MystEx's there was a lovely story of a couple on holiday in Llandudno who decide to have a trip on a Merrymaker MystEx. Unfortunately, the "mystery" destination was Margate where they lived, so they just popped home for a cup of tea.

[bike2steam]

Mmm, only went on one, Chelmsford to Paignton in about 1975 ( think it started from Colchester ??). A great day out, even managed to get to Buckfastleigh, and back as well.

[JeffP]

I went on a few, my first being form Gainsborough Lea Road and ended up at Weston Super Mare. We got on a service train and went back to Bristol, were spoken to VERY rudely at Bath Road depot, and came back. It was that excursion that started me spotting again...a mate bought a book to see what the new numbers were all about, and that was it. Circa 1973. Class 45/0 all the way there and back.

 

I also did Portsmouth (for Isle of wight), to see the solitary 05...that was the last time my then fiancee went.........the time spent on the IoW looking for the 05 left us little time even to eat, and she wasn't amused. That was class 45/0 hauled too.

 

On one to Ayr we stood at signals, I stuck my head out to see why, a class 50 came the other way, and although I got my head in in good time, it had been pushing a cloud of dust before it and I ended up with a piece of grit EMBEDDED in my eye.

Hospital the next day........... Another class 45/0

 

Another 45/0 outing took us to Oxford at easter...everywhere was shut, it was cold and it rained. When the train pulled back into the station to take us home, everyone cheered!

 

The last one I went on took us to Brighton, behind a class 47. The journey OUT was uneventful.....the journey back not so....

we were late leaving Brighton due to a broken coupling that had to be wired on, apparently. The Southern Region Guard then commandeered the train as far as Reading as a service train, insisting on stopping at every station. protests brought threats to have us put off and stranded.

Subsequently running VERY late, we arrived at Finsbury park to find that our fitter, detailed to replace the coupling, had gone home and had to come back. we then lost our path up the mainline and had to go via slow lines, so arrival at Donny was ultra-late. by this time the buffet had no food and every toilet was just AWFUL........no-one dared enter most. Walking down the train was reminiscent of entering a battlefield, with people draped everywhere asleep, and looking very tired.

Arrival at Donny saw the class 47 removed as it had run out of fuel, and after about 45 minutes, a class 40 was fetched from Carr Loco to take us forward. The sound of it thrashing up Gun House bank into Scunthorpe with thirteen on was a highlight. Arrival home at 03.45 wasn't.

 

I also went on one from Nottingham to Edinburgh, where I teamed up with some local Notts lads who taught me about saturation spotting.....we didn't stand still all day, not even time for a drink or food. We managed Eastfield, Polmadie and Haymarket depots. That was 45/0 hauled too.

[eastwestdivide]

...

On MystEx's there was a lovely story of a couple on holiday in Llandudno who decide to have a trip on a Merrymaker MystEx. Unfortunately, the "mystery" destination was Margate where they lived, so they just popped home for a cup of tea.

Been there, done that - well, nearly. I was studying (between bouts of trainspotting) in Leicester, and caught a mystery seaside excursion one Sunday. Up the main line to London, change to a 33 at Brent, trundle through the suburbs, past my home in N Kent and to my grandparents' town of Ramsgate. At least Duncan, my Midlander companion for the day, was excited. We had a trip across to Ashford and back.

 

Edit - it was 1 May 1983. It seems to have rained. 33003 here at Strood with Rochester Castle and Cathedral across the river in the background. Looks like I'm in the buffet car.

Edited December 10, 2014 by eastwestdivide

[New Haven Neil]

I recall one eventful merrymaker trip, going up the S&C we thought we were off the road, ballast flying everywhere, we were in about the third coach back.  Screeched to a halt, turns out we had hit a cow!  The 47, which was two tone green full yellow ends version, was green with full red front end.....euch.  They stopped somewhere to hose it down.

[Judge Dread]

This is my attempt on a Merrymaker excursion, thanks to stock loaned me by Tappa.

I would say it is a return working from Margate, diverted through Meopham, en route to the some where in the Midlands.

Edited December 13, 2014 by Judge Dread

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

 

Already on the forum, but relevant to this thread.

 

Mike.

[br2975]

My first 'Mystery' was 25th. April, 1970 - from Cardiff up the GWML to North Pole, then Kensington Olympia, Clapham Jct and down to Eastbourne, from where we sampled the delights of 4-Cor, 2-Bil and 2-Hal travel to Lewes, Brighton and back.

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Two trains from Cardiff were hauled by (D)1651 and (D)1654 throughout.

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Highlights for me, D5506 at Clapham Jct. D2246 somewhere on the Brighton line, 15224 on Brighton shed and LT panniers L90, L92 & L93 at Lillie Bridge.

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Brian R

[ColinK]

One happy Merrymaker trip was Stockport to, i think Clacton. I got off at Colchester and had a happy day on the station. I had with me a portable reel to reel tape recorder and the guard openned the corridor connection so I could record the 37. However, the steam heating pipes were leaking so all I got was a load of hiss. Great trip though.

[Market65]

Hi. I with my parents, went on a Merrymaker from Hull to Shrewsbury on the 16th, April, 1977. The tickets were pre-booked at Hull Paragon, and my Dad, when attempting to pre-book them, was told that there was ''nothing to see in Shrewsbury - what do you want to go there for?!''. Anyway, Dad persisted, we got the tickets, and there was plenty to see in Shrewsbury, including a man giving a piggy-back to a cat!

We were also hauled by a class 47 both ways - probably the same one - and the train was the inevitable Mk1 stock. Routed via Leeds, Stalybridge, Stockport and Crewe. On the way back, the Mk1 TSO that we were in was near the rear of the train, and at speed, we had the lovely 'floating' effect that you get at the rear of a train.  Back at Leeds, at circa 10pm, a train of Mk1 sleepers was seen.

If we could only go back in time...

 

All the best,

 

Market65.

[DerekEm8]

A list of Merrymakers was posted out by BR to members of the free travel club in Manchester listing all the trips and dates. All from memory very cheap and good value for the money.

 

Barry 02 August 1981 (44901,48173 73xxx)

 

 

Dover a week later 09 August 1981 (73004,73110,73137,73116)

 

BTW does anyone know the number of the Standard 5 in the first photo

Edited December 10, 2014 by DerekEm8