A4s on the Waverley Route

[Blobrick]

Does anyone know if the A4 class Pacifics worked over the Waverley Route prior to 1960. I have located several photos showing the locos acting as standby's for the failure of the booked train engine,but these have all been after 1960. Can anyone help please?

 

Fingers crossed

Blobrick

[pH]

I presume you're asking if they worked regularly on scheduled trains - I'll leave that to more knowledgeable people to answer. But they did work over that route on diversions before 1960. For example, in the summer of 1948, due to flooding, ECML trains were diverted from Tweedmouth to St. Boswells, then over the Waverley to Edinburgh. Several A4s ran London-Edinburgh or Edinburgh-London non-stop by this route, setting a British record for non-stop running in the process - see information here.

[Guest Max Stafford]

A4s were never common on passenger trains using the Waverley although they could be seen on diversion work as illustrated above. Only one Waverley Route diagram saw an A4 traverse the route on a regular basis, departing Edinburgh for Carlisle at 22:15 and starting it's return journey at 04:08 (District Controller's View No 8 - Express Publishing). Daylight sightings increased in the early 1960s as the new Type 4 and 5 diesel power began to take over the ECML passenger work. Many A4s appeared on freight workings over the line from Kingmoor to Millerhill from 1963 an Golden Plover, Merlin, Kingfisher and Bittern are all known to have hauled specials over the route in 1965-66. Although the newly restored Sir Nigel Gresley worked into Scotland in 1967, there's no evidence that it ever traversed the Waverley on this visit.

 

Dave.

[Blobrick]

Thanks for your help Gents!

 

Cheers

 

Blobrick

[Bernard Lamb]

A4s were never common on passenger trains using the Waverley although they could be seen on diversion work as illustrated above. Only one Waverley Route diagram saw an A4 traverse the route on a regular basis, departing Edinburgh for Carlisle at 22:15 and starting it's return journey at 04:08 Many A4s appeared on freight workings over the line from Kingmoor to Millerhill from 1963 an Golden Plover, Merlin, Kingfisher and Bittern are all known to have hauled specials over the route in 1965-66.

 

Dave.

 

I think it's a 1953 timetable that lists the 04:08 as parcels and mail. 'Australia' worked freights in 1963 to Millerhill.

During the 1954 floods on the WCML the Waverley was used as a diversion and Haymarket provided some of the locos. There were some rather unusual workings with ex LMS machines as well in this period. Photos of these workings seem rather scarse and I have not seen any involving A4s.

Bernard