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Groundhog Day - WR one-offs, trials and lesser-spotteds


'CHARD

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We all know about DELTIC making one return trip, seemingly as light loco, out and back over the ECL. In fact we have seen pictures of it on arrival at Leith Central.

 

The photos on Railscot bear witness to the undignified intrusion of comedy engine D5511 on the Waverley itself, in the down direction. Apparently its flanks were used for egg frying exercises on the return trip, when it was made to climb Borthwick from a standing start at Gorebridge. Fortunately the type - with its funny spare centre axles - never darkened WR metals again.

 

But what other examples worked once and once only?

 

Here are a couple of contenders - new locos being delivered from the NBL works, when the GSW and Caley were closed.

Locos on WCML diversion. Locos being towed for scrap or reallocation.

 

I know quite a few answers already, so I've only really floated the headline-grabbing stuff in this launch post. Over to you lot. Throw them out there, and if we know better, rest assured someone will put you right!

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We all know about DELTIC making one return trip, seemingly as light loco, out and back over the ECL. In fact we have seen pictures of it on arrival at Leith Central.

 

The photos on Railscot bear witness to the undignified intrusion of comedy engine D5511 on the Waverley itself, in the down direction. Apparently its flanks were used for egg frying exercises on the return trip, when it was made to climb Borthwick from a standing start at Gorebridge. Fortunately the type - with its funny spare centre axles - never darkened WR metals again.

 

But what other examples worked once and once only?

 

Here are a couple of contenders - new locos being delivered from the NBL works, when the GSW and Caley were closed.

Locos on WCML diversion. Locos being towed for scrap or reallocation.

 

I know quite a few answers already, so I've only really floated the headline-grabbing stuff in this launch post. Over to you lot. Throw them out there, and if we know better, rest assured someone will put you right!

 

 

 

For starters 61700 Bantam Cock.

 

roygraham

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Not a one off, but there were not that many non stop runs by The Elizabethan after the floods in August 1948.

408 1/2 miles to give the longest non stop run by steam in the world.

I know Mallard did this trip, but no knowledge of the identity of any other (if any) A4s.

Bernard

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Not a one off, but there were not that many non stop runs by The Elizabethan after the floods in August 1948.

408 1/2 miles to give the longest non stop run by steam in the world.

I know Mallard did this trip, but no knowledge of the identity of any other (if any) A4s.

Bernard

There's a list of the A4s that did the trip non-stop (north or south) here - http://www.lner.info/locos/A/a4.shtml

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From a quick look through Kenneth Gray's list, here are a couple of suggestions:-

 

Unrebuilt Patriots Nos. 45516, only briefly allocated to Upperby in 1951/52, and 45542, which was never allocated to a Carlisle shed.

 

Britannia herself which was one of the few of the class not to end up at Carlisle but was photographed by Robin Barbour on an up freight at Hawick.

 

 

 

Bill

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Not a one off, but there were not that many non stop runs by The Elizabethan after the floods in August 1948.

408 1/2 miles to give the longest non stop run by steam in the world.

I know Mallard did this trip, but no knowledge of the identity of any other (if any) A4s.

Bernard

Was it not "The Capitals Limited" on these diversionary trains?

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Was it not "The Capitals Limited" on these diversionary trains?

 

 

The non stop trains did seem to change names over the years.

You could well be correct for the period in question.

Any one got a time table rather than going by quotes in publications written well after the event?

My reference is from Elizabethan by Stephen Austin.

Bernard

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My reference is from Elizabethan by Stephen Austin.

Bernard

 

Goodness, I wonder if that's the Stephen Austin that wrote a poem about Riccarton back in 1968! He travelled the line several times with me. Bruce

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The two GWR locos being delivered for The Mound to Dornoch branch. Hauled within a freight train.

I've often mused over the transfer of the two 16xx's to Scotland. Has anybody ever seen reference to how this was actually acheived and via which route? You would like to think that such a unique occurrence would have been documented and photographed.

 

Andy.

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I've often mused over the transfer of the two 16xx's to Scotland. Has anybody ever seen reference to how this was actually acheived and via which route? You would like to think that such a unique occurrence would have been documented and photographed.

We know they went via the Waverley Route, from Edinburgh I've no idea whether they went the awesome way (via Glenfarg) or the nonsensical way (via Ladybank). Suppose it was crucial which way they were routed to Inverness - Highland Main or round the coast.

 

To Carlisle, the options are vast.

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Guest Natalie Graham
I've often mused over the transfer of the two 16xx's to Scotland. Has anybody ever seen reference to how this was actually acheived and via which route? You would like to think that such a unique occurrence would have been documented and photographed. Andy.

 

in a similar vein there are the various locos sent to help the Highland work the trains supplying the Scapa Flow fleet during WWI. There is a photo of an LSWR Adams Radial and a NER Fletcher BTP coupled together heading back south on their way home after the war. That can't have been an everyday sighting on the lines south of the HR.

 

Oops, just realised this is a Waverley Route thread. Still they might have gone that way.

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Some of the ex-LMS Pacifics hauling diverted WCML trains must have been one-time-only visitors.

Apologies for quoting my own post, but I've just found the photo I knew I'd seen of one of these trains. It's actually taken at Haymarket, but it's of 46210 on a Glasgow-Birmingham in October 1954 "... diverted via Edinburgh and the Waverley route to Carlisle due to flooding on the West Coast."

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During WW11 my father was posted to Galashiels. Seeking out details from this period can be rather frustrating, but yesterday at Kew I got my hands on the War Diaries.

I knew he went by train and I had a rough idea of the date. I managed to track down the details.

9th Jan 1941, the first train left Thetford at 16.00 and reached Galashiels at 04.00. This was designated 9 E 65. The second train left at 19.00 reaching it's destination at 08.30. This was 9 E 73.

The orders contained this gem. All men will ensure that the carriages are left spotleslly clean and that any damage done is reported to the train Adjutant through the O.C. Company.

Who's going to tell what locos were used? :jester:

Bernard

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