What were the last operational Hymeks on BR in Green SYP livery?

[br2975]

Two of my most memorable Hymek journies were;

 

Saturday, 7th. September 1969 behind D7100 on a summer dated Minehead - Padd, as far as Taunton - with a heavy heart after a holiday romance (she was from Carlisle), and

Saturday, 8th. August 1970 behind D7065 on the same working - only this time the holiday romance hailed from Warrington., and on this occasion we changed at Taunton to bash a Peak, D141, as far as Temple Meads, thanks to my dad planning in advance

.

One of myy most memorable Hymek 'sightings' was on 3rd. May, 1971 at the former Ely (Main Line) on the western outskirts of Cardiff, where I clapped eyes on D7083 hauling a dead 8-car South Wales Pullman set.

Edited June 19, 2023 by br2975

[br2975]

The late RCTS stalwart, Rowland Pittard left many documents, including some Guards Logs which related to  many South Wales Hymek workings, but  which also included the following 

.

16/1/65 D7006 – ldsl GL to Eastgate for 2B74 (?) 0804 to Bristol TM, loco to Bath Road

27/1/65 D7053 - ldsl GL to Eastgate for 2B74 (?) 0804 to Bristol TM, loco to Bath Road

28/1/65 D7055 - ldsl GL to Eastgate for 2B74 (?) 0804 to Bristol TM, loco to Bath Road

10/2/65 D7082 – 1230 freight Gloster – Newtown Goods (may have been piloting steam 45369, notes unclear), presume loco returned on 1540 return train

11/2/65 – D7082 similar to previous but at 1100 with steam 92125 or 92128 involved

12/2/65 – D7082 again but alone, reld Woster crew, 1305 to Pengam, loco to Canton

13/2/65 – D7082 again with 92247 in tow. To Pengam and onto canton, return to Glos at 1555

3/4/65 – D7046 – freight between Swindon – Gloster (32 vehicles) 1845-2045

7/4/65 – D7066 – freight between Gloster-Woster 1345-1435

8/4/65 – D7066 – freight between Gloster-Woster 1400-1510

9/4/65 – D7039 – ditto 1330-1435 reld by Woster crew

10/4/65 – 7066 – ditto 1330-1439 41 vehicles

10/4/65 – 7084 – freight Woster-Gloster 1805-1915 35 vehicles

12/4/65 – D7005 – ldsl GL-Chelt, ECS Glos, 2H81 1728 Cheltenham, 2B29 1925 to Glos Eastgate

13/4/65 – D7019  - ldsl GL-Chelt, ECS Glos, 2H81 1728 Cheltenham, 2B29 1925 to Glos Eastgate (2H81 = 5=162 / 2B29 = 6=174)

14/4/65 – D7017 – ldsl GL-Chelt, ECS Glos, 2H81 1728 Cheltenham, 2B29 1925 to Glos Eastgate

17/4/65 – D7051 – ldsl GL-Chelt, ECS Glos, 2H81 1728 Cheltenham, 2B29 1925 to Glos Eastgate

24/4/65 – D7099 – ldsl GL to Carr Sdg, 0715 Chelt, 0745 Chelt-Bristol TM, ldsl Bath Road

4/5/65 – D7075 – 1630 Gloster-Kemble – Swindon Loco Yard and return

5/5/65 – D7075 – 1617 Gloster –Kemble - Swindon Loco Yard and return

6/5/65 – D7075 – 1630 Gloster –Kemble - Swindon Loco Yard and return

Edited June 19, 2023 by br2975

[The Stationmaster]

17 hours ago, br2975 said:

.

I've never read of them working into The Forest, or seen photos.

As the routes in the Forest were almost wholly in the Uncoloured. category (but some y Yellow engunes were permitted) I doubt if a Hymek ever ventured there.

 

Tintern Quarry was different as it was on a Dotted Blue route.

[D860 VICTORIOUS]

21 hours ago, Phil Bullock said:

Had D7009 … GFYE …. All the way from Worcester Shrub Hill to Bournemouth on an Adex one Sunday in 1968. Great day out with some excellent haulage, D7009 a favourite thereafter

Just imagine what a lovely trip that would be nowadays,on a "Voyager"....😬

[Halvarras]

On 19/06/2023 at 14:21, D860 VICTORIOUS said:

A Hymek in Cornwall would have caused much excitement!!

 

 

Laira had a few allocated in 1964/5 and they seem to have been a semi-regular sight through to Penzance during those years, but must have retrenched to points east in 1966, the year I got interested, as I saw none at Truro. That changed when D601/2/4 were sent to South Wales in the autumn of 1967 as Laira gained D7029 and D7088 as stand-ins (and D7017 turned up once as well) - they departed when the Warships returned, and after that they became rare sights again, which did indeed cause much excitement when they appeared! Their only regular diagramming into Cornwall was on the Kensington Olympia to St Austell Motorail during the high summer months of 1970 and 1971 (I was one station too far down the line but did make an effort to go and see all-over blue D7051 stabled at St Blazey on 4/7/70), however awkward timing seems to have ensured very few photos were taken - I only know of one, D7064 in the roundhouse.

 

On 19/06/2023 at 19:14, Phil Bullock said:

Had D7009 … GFYE …. All the way from Worcester Shrub Hill to Bournemouth on an Adex one Sunday in 1968. Great day out with some excellent haulage, D7009 a favourite thereafter

 

D7009 was one of those which caught me by surprise by passing through Par down light engine on 6/9/68 - it was definitely still GSYP at the time Phil so I assume your Adex was dated later than that?

I didn't mind them at all in GFYE livery, it still suited the styling. I was disappointed not to have seen D7000 in any style of green, it was nearly ex-works blue when I first saw it at Chippenham in late July 1970. It was reported to have been at Plymouth North Road in GFYE in May 1969 (having emerged from Swindon with full ends 22/9/68) and piloted 1594 away from there on the up 'Cornishman'. AFAIK D7000 never crossed the Tamar, but many didn't of course. Next month will mark the 50th anniversary of its withdrawal, on the 30th - had it survived a little longer we may well have enjoyed the first two Hymeks at the head of the 'Hymek Swansong' tour of 22/9/73, and no doubt Old Oak Common would have given it a repaint like D7001 too. Oh well........

[Phil Bullock]

4 hours ago, Halvarras said:

 

Laira had a few allocated in 1964/5 and they seem to have been a semi-regular sight through to Penzance during those years, but must have retrenched to points east in 1966, the year I got interested, as I saw none at Truro. That changed when D601/2/4 were sent to South Wales in the autumn of 1967 as Laira gained D7029 and D7088 as stand-ins (and D7017 turned up once as well) - they departed when the Warships returned, and after that they became rare sights again, which did indeed cause much excitement when they appeared! Their only regular diagramming into Cornwall was on the Kensington Olympia to St Austell Motorail during the high summer months of 1970 and 1971 (I was one station too far down the line but did make an effort to go and see all-over blue D7051 stabled at St Blazey on 4/7/70), however awkward timing seems to have ensured very few photos were taken - I only know of one, D7064 in the roundhouse.

 

 

D7009 was one of those which caught me by surprise by passing through Par down light engine on 6/9/68 - it was definitely still GSYP at the time Phil so I assume your Adex was dated later than that?

I didn't mind them at all in GFYE livery, it still suited the styling. I was disappointed not to have seen D7000 in any style of green, it was nearly ex-works blue when I first saw it at Chippenham in late July 1970. It was reported to have been at Plymouth North Road in GFYE in May 1969 (having emerged from Swindon with full ends 22/9/68) and piloted 1594 away from there on the up 'Cornishman'. AFAIK D7000 never crossed the Tamar, but many didn't of course. Next month will mark the 50th anniversary of its withdrawal, on the 30th - had it survived a little longer we may well have enjoyed the first two Hymeks at the head of the 'Hymek Swansong' tour of 22/9/73, and no doubt Old Oak Common would have given it a repaint like D7001 too. Oh well........

Unfortunately I don’t have my notes so am relying on memory for that one but certainly do suspect it was later in the year than your GSYP sighting. Will see if it’s on Six Bells Junction.

 

and agree with you re GFYE it sat well on them 

 

 

[D860 VICTORIOUS]

Hi Halvarras,

Some very interesting notes there,I seem to remember an article of yours in one of that series of magazines that appeared sometime last century,with a pic of a Hymek at Penzance.Some time ago "Traction" did a feature on Hymeks,which included a list of those that worked the Kensington-St. Austell Motorail on half a dozen or so occasions in 1971.

Many times when me and my mates were playing football in Perivale Park (jumpers for goalposts..) I'd see a Hymek trundling along on a freight,probably to or from Park Royal ( now wish I'd made the effort to investigate/photograph the goods depot at Park Royal..).

Seems like we're agreed they were a fabulous type, the sound of one accelerating away from a station or signal stop was something to savour,and if I need an instant nostalgia fix I just need to look at my set of numbers from D7069...

[The Johnster]

20 hours ago, D860 VICTORIOUS said:

Seems like we're agreed they were a fabulous type, the sound of one accelerating away from a station or signal stop was something to savour,and if I need an instant nostalgia fix I just need to look at my set of numbers from D7069...

Pocket rockets, and few enthusiasts heard them at what I considered their best, dragging 600 tons or so of presflos and vans out of the steep gradient from Aberthaw Cement works while The Johnster was on the ground in the four-foot of the up doing the honours with the handsignalling.  Great stuff, great days!

 

They were a superb loco all round; powerful, fast, rode like a pullman, easy to climb on and off (unlike Westerns), comfy seats, and warm and quiet in the cab.  Roomy in the cab as well.  

Edited June 23, 2023 by The Johnster

[Halvarras]

On 22/06/2023 at 07:29, Phil Bullock said:

Unfortunately I don’t have my notes so am relying on memory for that one but certainly do suspect it was later in the year than your GSYP sighting. Will see if it’s on Six Bells Junction.

 

and agree with you re GFYE it sat well on them 

 

 

 

Had a look at the only source I have which lists some dates for Hymek livery changes ('Classic Diesels & Electrics' issue 14 - Nov/Dec 1999) and that shows D7009 as gaining full yellow ends 28/2/69 (a very unhappy point in my life, but that has nothing to do with Hymeks). So could your Adex have been the following year? Or perhaps the date quoted was incorrect.

The first time I saw D7009 in Gfye was at Taunton on 23/5/69, at the head of a down freight on the avoiding line - got a rather dull near-broadside photo somewhere. We didn't hang about there long as we'd just passed D0280 'Falcon' on the way up, so quickly returned to Exeter to see it come up from Paignton.

 

21 hours ago, D860 VICTORIOUS said:

Hi Halvarras,

Some very interesting notes there,I seem to remember an article of yours in one of that series of magazines that appeared sometime last century,with a pic of a Hymek at Penzance.

 

Yes, that was me and my photo of D7032 on 19/4/72, which had brought me down from Truro. D7055 had worked the same train the previous day (emergency timetable during industrial action).

 

Hmmm 🤔.......I've already owned up to this on another website, so I might as well come clean here, in the interests of historical accuracy. I've always believed - and claimed, in the absence of any information to the contrary all these years - that this was the last Hymek seen at Penzance. I should have added the six magic words "to the best of my knowledge" because, although by the time of D7032's visit the Hymek fleet had been reduced by half, making the sight of a Hymek in Cornwall that much less likely, I have only recently learned (from Roger Geach) that on 22/9/72, with the fleet reduced even further to just 38, D7044 was observed (and I think caught on film) entering Plymouth North Road from the west at the head of a passenger working........from Penzance. D'oh!! (I have the details somewhere but not to hand.) So alas I must amend my claim to 'last Hymek photographed at Penzance' - to the best of my knowledge as maybe someone with a camera was at Penzance that day! My excuse must be that by that time I was 200 miles away at the start of my working life so in no position to have seen it. A classic example of how, on the railways, the extremely unlikely can still occur - lesson learnt, remember those six words 😜!!

[Phil Bullock]

38 minutes ago, Halvarras said:

 

Had a look at the only source I have which lists some dates for Hymek livery changes ('Classic Diesels & Electrics' issue 14 - Nov/Dec 1999) and that shows D7009 as gaining full yellow ends 28/2/69 (a very unhappy point in my life, but that has nothing to do with Hymeks). So could your Adex have been the following year? Or perhaps the date quoted was incorrect.

The first time I saw D7009 in Gfye was at Taunton on 23/5/69, at the head of a down freight on the avoiding line - got a rather dull near-broadside photo somewhere. We didn't hang about there long as we'd just passed D0280 'Falcon' on the way up, so quickly returned to Exeter to see it come up from Paignton.

 

 

Yes, that was me and my photo of D7032 on 19/4/72, which had brought me down from Truro. D7055 had worked the same train the previous day (emergency timetable during industrial action).

 

Hmmm 🤔.......I've already owned up to this on another website, so I might as well come clean here, in the interests of historical accuracy. I've always believed - and claimed, in the absence of any information to the contrary all these years - that this was the last Hymek seen at Penzance. I should have added the six magic words "to the best of my knowledge" because, although by the time of D7032's visit the Hymek fleet had been reduced by half, making the sight of a Hymek in Cornwall that much less likely, I have only recently learned (from Roger Geach) that on 22/9/72, with the fleet reduced even further to just 38, D7044 was observed (and I think caught on film) entering Plymouth North Road from the west at the head of a passenger working........from Penzance. D'oh!! (I have the details somewhere but not to hand.) So alas I must amend my claim to 'last Hymek photographed at Penzance' - to the best of my knowledge as maybe someone with a camera was at Penzance that day! My excuse must be that by that time I was 200 miles away at the start of my working life so in no position to have seen it. A classic example of how, on the railways, the extremely unlikely can still occur - lesson learnt, remember those six words 😜!!

 
Indeed It could have been ! Feels like a long time ago in a galaxy far far away….

[KeithMacdonald]

On 22/06/2023 at 02:40, Halvarras said:

Laira had a few allocated in 1964/5

 

I can see a few listed here

https://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=class&id=31&type=D&page=alloc

 

Along with a few allocated to Newton Abbot.

Typically allocated in 1964/66 but only for a few years before reallocated to Cardiff Canton or Bristol Bath Road.

 

What replaced them?

[The Stationmaster]

46 minutes ago, Phil Bullock said:

 
Indeed It could have been ! Feels like a long time ago in a galaxy far far away….

It was!!!  We had them on the through Londons when they went overe to diesel haulage in June 1963 and here is the first arrival of  the evining with D7065 shunting its stock to teh Carriage sidng *we'd had two Hymek u hauled starters that morning.  So definitely a long time ago and in railway terms a galaxy far far away - I took the photo 60 years ago last week.

 

This train, the 17.18 ex Padd was a turn used to t utor Old Oak Drivers who were learning Hymeks and while they went off to teh ub my friend (Paul Karau and I) were kleft in teh sodngslooking at the loco as we got quite friendly with the Tutor Driver.  And one evening we had a cab ride to Slough whence the loco ran light to pick up a Parcels Train for its next working.   All very much on the QT of course.

 

But amusingly16 years later the most frequent of the Tutor Drivers on that turn was one of my Traincrew Supervisors and he even remembered the two schoolboys who'd had a cab ride to Slough one evening.

 

[Halvarras]

On 23/06/2023 at 17:07, KeithMacdonald said:

 

I can see a few listed here

https://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=class&id=31&type=D&page=alloc

 

Along with a few allocated to Newton Abbot.

Typically allocated in 1964/66 but only for a few years before reallocated to Cardiff Canton or Bristol Bath Road.

 

What replaced them?

 

Well........I'll stick my neck out and suggest that the replacements, in part at least, were Westerns released from the Paddington - Birkenhead route, when responsibility passed from WR to LMR in 1964 and the latter didn't want the hydraulics so they were replaced by Brush Type 4s still coming on stream. This freed up more Westerns for South West services. Photos of Westerns in Cornwall pre-1965 are hard to find - there are a few 1962 images as if BR(WR) were showing off the new hardware (much like they did 10 years earlier with the 'Britannia' Pacifics) - loco changes at Plymouth would send Warships over the Tamar until 1965 when Westerns were almost as likely. This may be a simplistic view but perhaps the availability of more Westerns from 1965 led to a general reshuffle of the hydraulic fleet of Types 3 & 4 in 1965/6. 

I await being shot down in flames.......😀!!

[MidlandRed]

5 hours ago, Halvarras said:

 

Well........I'll stick my neck out and suggest that the replacements, in part at least, were Westerns released from the Paddington - Birkenhead route, when responsibility passed from WR to LMR in 1964 and the latter didn't want the hydraulics so they were replaced by Brush Type 4s still coming on stream. This freed up more Westerns for South West services. Photos of Westerns in Cornwall pre-1965 are hard to find - there are a few 1962 images as if BR(WR) were showing off the new hardware (much like they did 10 years earlier with the 'Britannia' Pacifics) - loco changes at Plymouth would send Warships over the Tamar until 1965 when Westerns were almost as likely. This may be a simplistic view but perhaps the availability of more Westerns from 1965 led to a general reshuffle of the hydraulic fleet of Types 3 & 4 in 1965/6. 

I await being shot down in flames.......😀!!

Not only freeing up Westerns, the WR managed to amass over 150 Brush Type 4s between late 1963 and 1966, giving them 300 or so Type 4 diesels. The group of Oxley based ones in the D1682 - D1701 and D1707 onwards series became LMR locos - however some of the Brush Type 4 locos used on the Paddington - Birkenhead route were allocated to Old Oak Common so remained WR. 
 

Whilst on the subject of Hymeks in Cornwall, I have a nice colour slide of D7096 at the head of a postal train (Royal Mail carriages) awaiting departure at Penzance late afternoon one day in the summer of 1965 - photo was taken by my father - I must scan it when I have the equipment to do so. Needless to say it was the only Hymek seen during that family holiday in Cornwall. Plenty of DMUs and Warships though! 

Edited June 25, 2023 by MidlandRed

[Halvarras]

Here's my photo of 7054, the last surviving green Hymek, withdrawn at Bristol St Philips Marsh with 7097 for company on 11th August 1973 (5 years to the day since the end of BR steam, not relevant except maybe as a reminder of how some of steam's replacements didn't fare much better, 7054 itself lasting a whisker under 10 years and 2 months in service) - my notebook indicates that beyond 7097 were 7096, Warship 824 and 7089. I would not have expected 7054's next move to be to Laira!

[Rail-Online]

12 hours ago, Halvarras said:

Here's my photo of 7054, the last surviving green Hymek, withdrawn at Bristol St Philips Marsh with 7097 for company on 11th August 1973

 

This is different to the history as quoted in the Roger Harris book.  In this is says wdn and  stored at Bath Road 12/72-1/73, then moved to Laira and stored Jan to April 1973 and moved to Swindon Works for scrap on 26 April 1973.  I had assumed all the pics of it at St Philips Marsh were just 'en-route' from Laira to Swindon

 

Cheers Tony

[Halvarras]

1 hour ago, Rail-Online said:

This is different to the history as quoted in the Roger Harris book.  In this is says wdn and  stored at Bath Road 12/72-1/73, then moved to Laira and stored Jan to April 1973 and moved to Swindon Works for scrap on 26 April 1973.  I had assumed all the pics of it at St Philips Marsh were just 'en-route' from Laira to Swindon

 

Cheers Tony

 

D'oh! Yes Tony, you (and Roger) are quite right - 7054 had already spent its time at Laira and had been returned to Bristol nearly 4 months earlier. I should have realised this - I've looked through my notebook for 1973 and I passed Laira on the train on 19/4/73 (behind 'Peak' 42), noting 7054/68/74, 818/21 and 1032 on the scrapline - so I saw it there exactly a week before it left. (At that point 1032 was in limbo, having been stopped at Laira since 16/1/73 with issues in both engines and one bogie but repairs were not authorised and it was officially condemned 17 days later on 6/5/73 - the first to go.)

According to 'A Tribute to the Hymeks' by Chris Neill, which happens to reproduce the Swindon Works record for this particular Hymek, for 26/4/73 the entry says,"LA Withdrawn/9ZXX LA-Swindon for scrap with D818, towed by D5824 via BRD to pick up D7032 for OOC/Swindon Works for scrap". However it would appear that for some reason 7054 was swapped for 7032 at Bristol and it then remained there for some months (3 dead hydraulics too much for a '31'?!)

Scrapping for all three redundant locos would take different paths since, as suggested in the works entry, 7032 went on to OOC for component recovery (it was noted there on 14/7/73 between classmates 7030 and 7031), and 818 would spend longer parked at Swindon Works than it did in traffic, not being scrapped until 1985. As for 7054, I'm not sure when it eventually made it to Swindon's Con Yard because the works record says "Swindon Works for scrap" continuously from 27/4/73 until it became the 81st Hymek to be cut up on 9/4/75!

[D860 VICTORIOUS]

On 05/07/2023 at 22:32, Halvarras said:

Here's my photo of 7054, the last surviving green Hymek, withdrawn at Bristol St Philips Marsh with 7097 for company on 11th August 1973 (5 years to the day since the end of BR steam, not relevant except maybe as a reminder of how some of steam's replacements didn't fare much better, 7054 itself lasting a whisker under 10 years and 2 months in service) - my notebook indicates that beyond 7097 were 7096, Warship 824 and 7089. I would not have expected 7054's next move to be to Laira!

A splendid photo,far better than the one I took on 24th June 1973,with my trusty Instamatic.

I visited Swindon Works and Marsh Jct. on this date,with D7054 were D7009,D7023 ,D7055,D7068,D7074,D7076,D7089,D7093,D7096 and D7097.Plus 824,and just visible in one of my pictures,part of a Pullman unit.

Haulage that day : 1954 Ealing Broadway-Swindon,1940 Temple Meads -Paddington.Nothing noted for Swindon-Bristol..

D7032 noted at OOC on 25th November 1973.