How far north did Warships or Westerns ever get?

[KeithMacdonald]

On a parallel topic, I was rather tickled by a comment by @Michael Hodgson

 

Quote

If you let a Warship too far from the Western Region, the rest of BR would treat it like HMS Troutbridge.

 

There must have been occasions when the Hydraulics strayed further north than intended.

Has anyone got any good pictures or stories of that?

Not just because I like any excuse to mention the Navy Lark. 🤭

[Wheatley]

Glasgow. The NBL-built ones were delivered via the WCML, there's a picture on one of Ron Herbert's books. 

 

Probably not what you meant though!

[BR traction instructor]

Certainly Shrewsbury and Chester regularly in the 1960s (various books with images)...maybe Birkenhead too.

 

BeRTIe

Edited August 5, 2023 by BR traction instructor

[Rugd1022]

D1052 reached Derby on a rail tour from Plymouth on 27/3/75 but D1013 managed to get as far as Leeds on a cross country working due to nothing else being available at New St, I can't recall the date though.

 

Not north exactly, but on occasions Hydraulics ventured onto parts of the the WCML they never usually saw when working the St.Blazey - Stoke - St.Blazey china clay jobs. In 1969 D854 was working the returning empties from Bescot and instead of taking its usual route via Dudley, Stourbridge and Worcester etc it came down the grand junction line to Stetchford, then on through Coventry and stopped on the up goods at Rugby, with Bescot men aboard. From Rugby they were conducted down the WCML to Bletchley flyover where Oxford men took over and worked it back onto the WR . In 1970 D1054 did exactly the same thing and when it stopped at Rugby my old mate Griff asked if he could blag a lift to Bletchley (he was a guard at the time), the Bescot men told him politely to do one!

 

As mentioned in an earlier incarnation of RMWeb by Phil Bartlett, a small batch of NBL Warships were based at Bescot from late '67 for local work and one of their regular jobs was working a parcels train to Crewe via Shrewsbury, working back to Bescot via Stafford and the Grand Junction line. This was a regular occurence but not a single photo of it has surfaced yet, despite it happening in daylight!

[APOLLO]

Crewe 1963(ish)

 

 

Chester 1963

 

 

Brit15

[john new]

One went up to York on an enthusiast excursion IIRC as a farewell to the Westerns tour. Can't remember the date but the welcoming crowds were massive.

 

Western Lady(?) was an NYMR engine for a while as was Greyhound.

[Rugd1022]

43 minutes ago, john new said:

One went up to York on an enthusiast excursion IIRC as a farewell to the Westerns tour. Can't remember the date but the welcoming crowds were massive.

 

Western Lady(?) was an NYMR engine for a while as was Greyhound.

It was D1023 Western Fusilier John, on 20/11/76 with the Old Oak crew being conducted by KX men.

[Hal Nail]

Some relevant stuff here:

 

and here:

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by Hal Nail

[50A55B]

D1025 worked Morris Cowley to York on a car carrying special on 6/7 December 1974.

A Hymek reportedly got to York sometime around 1963/4 according to a report in a Railway Observer of the time. I’m a bit sceptical of the latter one.

Edited August 5, 2023 by 50A55B

[rodent279]

Somewhere on flickr there is a photo of one of the earlier D600 series Warships at Glasgow Q.St on test from NBL.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Excluding delivery runs, enthusiast specials, one-off workings, etc., the furthest north that Warships were regularly scheduled to work was Crewe (on the cross-country trains via Shrewsbury and Hereford to the west). Whilst Thousands were scheduled to work to Chester General on the through Paddington services.

[Wickham Green too]

Before anyone else thinks what I thunk - that's not thousands of warships 🙃

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Sorry; Thousands as in Westerns or class 52s or D10XX...

[Halvarras]

7 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

D1013 managed to get as far as Leeds on a cross country working due to nothing else being available at New St, I can't recall the date though.

 

This was one of the greatest of all known diesel-hydraulics workings, even more remarkable because it happened just weeks before The End, on 20th January 1977. D1013 worked the (1E54) 07.30 Swansea - Leeds throughout believed to be due to the rostered loco failing on Landore depot. The Western should have come off at either Birmingham or Derby but there were no spare locos at either location, so it went all the way, with an ER conductor on board. After arrival at Leeds D1013 worked  5E54 ECS to Neville Hill and 5V94 ECS return before heading back home on the (1V94) 14.43 Leeds - Plymouth.

(Info from 'Cast of Thousands' by Adrian Curtis, pages 146/7)

[BachelorBoy]

11 hours ago, Wheatley said:

Glasgow. The NBL-built ones were delivered via the WCML, there's a picture on one of Ron Herbert's books. 

 

Probably not what you meant though!

But it would give Scottish modellers an excuse to let brand-spanking-new ex-works condition Westerns do some test runs on their layouts.

 

[DCB]

The NBL built class 41  A1A +A1A Warships,  one series of  B B warships (the 4 speed ones)  and  the class 22 baby warships.   Crewe and Swindon did the Westerns.   No real scope for Westerns in Scotland.

[APOLLO]

11 hours ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

Excluding delivery runs, enthusiast specials, one-off workings, etc., the furthest north that Warships were regularly scheduled to work was Crewe (on the cross-country trains via Shrewsbury and Hereford to the west). Whilst Thousands were scheduled to work to Chester General on the through Paddington services.

 

In the photos above the Warship at Crewe shows 1V98 and the Western at Chester shows 1V10.

I presume these are the services you mention.

 

Brit15

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Yep; during early/mid 60s (before Brush 4s arrived in force on the WR), Warships worked many of the North to West services south from Crewe via Hereford, whilst Thousands Westerns worked the Padd - Birkenhead trains as far as Chester.

[rodent279]

14 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

Before anyone else thinks what I thunk - that's not thousands of warships 🙃

Did someone mention 1000's?😄

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by rodent279

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Ah yes, D1099 "Western Minor"...

[The Stationmaster]

20 hours ago, BR traction instructor said:

Certainly Shrewsbury and Chester regularly in the 1960s (various books with images)...maybe Birkenhead too.

 

BeRTIe

The 100s used to come off at Chester as the Paddington - Birkenheads changed engines there so I doubt one ever got to  Birkenhead.  Warships were regular to Salop on West of England trains when they displaced the Newton Abbot and Salop double home 'Castle workings plus working other trains on theatroute and at one time they worked through to Crewe.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

We could have an Austin/Morris theme here...

D1099 Western Minor

D1098 Western Mini

D1097 Western Maxi

D1096 Western Allegro
D1095 Western Marina (first of class to be withdrawn due to reliability issues)

D1094 Western Oxford

D1093 Western Cambridge
D1092 Western A40

[rodent279]

27 minutes ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

D1096 Western Allegro

Later renamed Western Rustheap.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

15 minutes ago, rodent279 said:

Later renamed Western Rustheap.

Ah yes. It decomposed at Dawlish station during a particularly high spring tide. D1096 was also unique in having a square-shaped power handle, though crews found it difficult to operate.
 

Source: "Everything you didn't want to know about WR diesels, but were afraid to ask" by Dr H Y D Raulic (Ian Allan, Shepperton, 2034)

[rodent279]

If ever anyone tells your a 1000 has never visited Thurso.....