Jinty at Dunstable in 1976

[South of 1E]

WIth the remaining track and trees of the Luton - Dunstable branch being ripped up at the moment for a busway fiasco perhaps somebody can enlighten me on gen from 1976. A jinty "1708" and a saddle tank were parked up in a secure compound nr Houghton Regis cement works connected to the then busyish (with freight) branch. I am also advised that the jinty steamed down the branch (with a coach?) on at least one occasion. Why was the jinty in Dunstable of all places and did it work more than once..

 

happier days on the Dunstable branch....

[hairyhandedfool]

I can't say about a Jinty specifically, but I know that the Luton International Carnival started in 1976 and they used to run a passenger train down the branch for the day, not for many years now though, they stopped running the train when the relief road was finished IIRC.

 

The busway always was a fiasco, you'd have thought nearly 15 years of opposition before it's even been built would have told them something, but there you go.

[roythebus]

I used to frequent the area at that time but don't recall anything about steam on the line then. It was BR, and there was a total ban on steam on BR at that time.

There was however a scrap yard somewhere in the area where I recall seeing a number of locos, possibly metre or 3' gauge, saddle tanks IIRC. I only remember passing it once, but can't recall the exact location.

[South of 1E]

thanks for your replies to date, quite a mystery still. Pretty sure there were steam specials network wide in 1976/77 so did it work the branch??.

A basic photo of the steamers via this link Leighton Logsthe background cement works chimneys identify the location easily enough.

Dunstable branch RIP

[roythebus]

I was on BR at that period and to my knowledge there was a complete ban on steam on BR metals at the time. That was only lifted in about 1981 when a GWR loco was allowed on a special from Paddington.

[South of 1E]

At risk of going off topic but supporting the case that the jinty could have steamed down the branch...On 081077 i did the Midland Jubilee Railtour from Bletchly to Hereford. Various steam definitely featured on the Chester - Newport legs so no ban here.

 

Back to Dunstable I have just one source to date, sadly no longer with us, who saw a steam engine on the branch in 77/78 complete with a guy in a coach/loco with a "top hat waving it" to people who's houses that backed along the line!!!. Quite an ecentric Summer's evening that was....??

[John_Hughes]

A slight digression here, for which I do apologise, but I was under the impression that the blanket steam ban did not include Flying Scotsman, and I have seen pictures which would seem to support that view.

 

True or not? Help would be appreciated!

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Correct. Alan Pegler secured a contract with BR at the time of purchase, permitting continued operation on the national network, and FS became the only steam loco that could be operated during BR's 'steam is so over' era.

[melmoth]

Sorry, similarly off-topic, but pretty much my first railway memory is being taken to watch King George V running between Hereford and Shrewsbury - would have been about 1972. I also recall the Great Western Society's Vintage Train being steam hauled on specials and I think that was retired from mainline use in about 1978. I think the blanket ban on steam, FS excepted, only lasted for four or five years.

[roythebus]

I'm certain the blanket ban on steam lasted until the early 80's, except the FS operation, but ISTR even that was off by then at the ticket had expired.

[melmoth]

I'm certain the blanket ban on steam lasted until the early 80's, except the FS operation, but ISTR even that was off by then at the ticket had expired.

 

You may be certain, but I'm afraid you're wrong. To cite a couple of sources, Simmons and Biddle's Companion to 'British Railway History' says "In 1972 BR relaxed its steam ban and has subsequently allowed steam excursions over selected routes" (p. 394), the introduction to Roger Siviter's 'The Settle to Carlisle' says "Although steam returned to British Railways in 1971, it was not until 1978 that the first steam specials were run on this line". There are also a couple of photos in Michael Baker's 'The Changing Western Scene 1948-84' showing mainline steam specials, including KGV on the 'Mercian Venture' at Church Stretton in 1973, and the lastmainline run of the GWS vintage train at Tyseley in 1980. Elsewhere, there's this from the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society website [ http://www.clan-line.org.uk/html/society.htm ]:

 

However, at this time BR had imposed a total ban on steam on the UK main lines. This ban lasted until 1972 when BR decided to allow some steam specials. Clan Line was one of the first preserved locomotives to participate and in 1974 she hauled her first revenue earning train in preservation from Basingstoke to Westbury. She thus commenced her long and distinguished career in private ownership.

 

The GWR loco at Paddington you referred to in your first post about this could either have been in 1979 for the 125th anniversary of Paddington or 1981 for the 75th anniversary of Old Oak Common depot, both documented in 'The Changing Western Scene'.

 

I apologise if this appears dogmatic or looks like overkill, but seeing steam locomtives on the mainline during the 1970s was one of the main reasons I got hooked on railways (I was born in 68) and I couldn't really let your assertion go uncorrected.

[roythebus]

It may be the KG5 trip into Paddington was the first steam allowed back into London after the ban was lifted. There was also a Hall in Paddington for the same event. I've got a first day cover of the event somewhere, and pics taken by Scrubs Lane bridge and at Paddington.

 

The next London steam event I remember was probably an M7 in Waterloo in the early 1980's in connection with a big event at Woking. the M7 was chained and padlocked to the rails at Waterloo to prevent "crew training" use shunting vans off the paper trains1 It was used at night station pilot whilst at Woking for that very purpose!