Unusual diesel workings

[TheSignalEngineer]

Unlikely as there's no fuelling point at Rugby, the next would have been Bletchley TMD or Willesden.

We're talking about 1962 here.

 

Rugby had a fleet of about 12 shunters and 8 Bo-Bos, so I don't think they would be sending all that lot elsewhere to fuel.

[RANGERS]

A Deltic working ADEX specials to Skegness (Aug 1978) and Lowestoft (Sept 1978). Both trips attracted a fair amount of attention from the enthusiasts of the day being the first visit of one on either branch, little did anyone suspect Deltics would become relatively common on the Lincs coast within a year or so, Cleethorpes and Skegness both being regular haunts for their last two summers.

[jessy1692]

A baby deltic once got uptp harrogate in the late 50s on a special, also im sure a midland pullman once got leeds as a trial to use them on the yorkshire pullman

[Swindon 123]

I am guessing he meant E51432+E51501 which would have been two power cars

• 
  

Correct Phil. Original post corrected.

 

Paul J.

[Fat Controller]

My childhood bedroom overlooked the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr, close enough to identify the loco types, though slightly too distant to read the numbers. In 1967/8, I was doing my homework on a Sunday afternoon (a day on which no trains normally ran), when I saw what was obviously some sort of weedkilling train. Unlike the EE Type 3s which monopolised the coal trains, this was hauled by a blue Warship.

A decade or so later, I was travelling back from my parents to Stoke, and glanced out at the opencast disposal point at Llanharan. To my surprise, there was a pair of EE Class 20s at the head of a train of mineral wagons.

[newbryford]

I remember seeing a Bed-Pan unit in the early 1980's with a bogie van as tail load.

 

It may have been the converted EMU for Sandite duties that ran in MU with 319's.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60854097@N06/6127841952/

 

Ta to Dave on DEMU for the picture link, as he's modelling it.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[45125]

I was going to add this here but then realised that Is a thread for steam locos only so I've started this one for diesels/DMUs.

 

So a few from me to kick start the thread:-

 

1) Sorry don't know the exact year from the mid 1970s but a DMU expert will know when these units were transferred to Hull.

 

Waiting for my usual ex-Kings Cross evening train home from work in Selby to York on a dark winter evening one of the GWR liveried Class 47s went through going north with a string of ex-Western Region cross-country DMUs in tow as ECS. Memory is that the 47 was North Star and it was a long train, probably 3 x units. They must have been in transit to Hull to work the trans-pennine services as the units turned up working those services not long afterwards. Sorry don't know dmu class numbers but they were the one's with nose end corridor connections. No idea when or how the 47 worked back.

 

2) Seen more than once and somewhere I have a picture. A Trans-Pennine Unit running with a subsituted Metro Cammel power car on one of the ends (Class 101?) Seen at Selby and at Colton.

 

3) DMUs with a tail load van. When steam ended on the S W Main line in 1967 the trains that used to come through on Saturday mornings hauled by a Hall (Reading - Southampton semi-fasts I think) were replaced by DMUs towing a Siphon bogie van as tail load. Unfortunately I can remember the vans being on the back but not which class of DMU except noting they weren't the usual Southern thumper 11xx or 13xx types than ran tnrough to Alton etc. so would have been WR based examples. Location for these sightings Shawford.

 

4) Early June 1986 (Probably 2/6/86) - Went to Weymouth to meet my mother off the afternoon DMU down from Bristol. The DMU must have failed somewhere up country as it was hauled in dead by a 47. Sorry no other details recorded.

 

5) Scotty Dog liveried Cl 37 working service train out of Weymouth. Have photo somewhere. It was the evening loco-hauled train back to Westbury for stabling. Would have worked the Westbury - Wey - Bristol - Wey diagram earlier in the day.

 

6) Northern Rail liveried Class 158 recently seen at Weymouth (no photo) but probably just waiting new livery after lease change rather than an odd working.

 

Hope these help with prototypes for unusual workings you might want to model.

 

.

 

In the 1970s Trans Pennine units were commonly seen with a DMC missing and what we had at BG placed on the front, occasionally both DMCs wee missing. The replacement could be anything from a Met Camm, Cravens or BRCW. Usually a DMC of the Met Camm/BRCW fleet, but every know and then a Twin would appear.

 

We also had a period around 1977 when availability was poor a set was turned out using only Trans Penninr TSLs, it had for at least one trip a MBSL in the rake untill some one mentioned the lack of hand brake, this was soon removed and a BG substituted. This set had an out and back job to Goole in th morning and evening usually with a Brush 2.

 

Trans Pennines could also seen been with a tail load on the 04xx Donny Hull when it ceased to be a loco hauled job, 2 BGs been normal for a 5 car Pennine.

 

Al Taylor

[RANGERS]

Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft both had tail load traffic in 1980, possibly even later than that. Usually a CCT, the 03 station pilot removed it to the adjacent platform for unloading. Oddly, I never saw a return back to Norwich with anything in tow. Maybe they went back on the freight or on loco hauled passenger trains.

[peanuts]

I actually had a deltic on this train, but didn't have a camera with me. I used this train a few times and the ER diesel part was always tantalising, but an 86/2 Manchester-Crewe, for a CD ETH 47/4 forward was not so fun. York used to kick out anything boilered from a 31 to a deltic.

the deltics were regulars on this turn as far as stockport used to see them whilst a box lad at heaton norris even know of one that went south to crewe when the overheads were off due to an "incident " also used to hear them climbing up the valley from stalybridge on there return journey from my bedroom window

[Simon Lee]

attachment=231060:img020.jpg

 

 

Paragon pilot removes a tail load from a DMU. This was a regular working that arrived Hull around 1000 weekday mornings. The unit was usually a Derby Class 114.

 

 

Regards

 

Simon

[scorpion]

thats a great picture for matching the true shade of rail blue

[byron]

Although they became common on the Standedge route very late on in their lives, what about Deltics to Stockport on the York-Shrewsbury TPO? I know they did it having seen them, but has anyone seen any photographs of a Deltic at Stockport? Obviously it was an night job so I'd imagine that any photographs that may exist would be at Stockport stationary rather than en route.

 

The Deltic quite often - at least once a week (or at least every 3 weeks whin I worked the night shift) worked through to Crewe, and more often than not to Salop. This was in the early to mid 70's. There was a chronic shortage of power, and each Control worked on the principle of "get it off the patch". Crewe drivers were happy to pilot the Deltic driver, and I was pleased to keep the train going.

 

Mike

[peanuts]

dont know if this counts as tail load traffic or not but one of the midday manchester buxtons would have a bubble car parcels van attached always used to return about fourish through stockport

[plarailfan]

_{http://www.flickr.com/photos/41294071@N02/5430833764/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/41294071@N02/5430832556/ Here are a couple of Trans - Pennine DMU combinations I posted on flickr.}

_{Incidentally, never seen any photo's of it, but a 5 car Trans - pennine 124 unit worked the lunchtime Huddersfield to Clayton West for a couple of days, during a supervisors dispute around 1978.}

_{The guard locked up most of the coaches, as a Calder Valley set, or two car Met Camm were usually provided.}

[PatB]

Years ago, I read somewhere of a working to (I think) Bishop Auckland in which the DMU hauled a tail load of vans. Following arrival and detraining of passengers the DMU would run round the vans, draw forward and then propel them into place for unloading, thus indulging in shunting. Others on the forum may know more details.

[mikeh]

We're talking about 1962 here.

 

Rugby had a fleet of about 12 shunters and 8 Bo-Bos, so I don't think they would be sending all that lot elsewhere to fuel.

 

Eric is correct - it was Rugby DED in those days, The Type 1s went for fuel and were not unknown on local trippers between workings.

There were also regular ferry turns from Nuneaton to fuel locos there until the DED closed in Jan 1969

 

Regards

Mike

[clachnaharry]

On Saturdays in the late seventies, one of the Inverness to Aberdeen Swindon cross country DMU workings used to regularly convey a fish van as a tail load. I believe the van came from Wick. This would usually be detached by the station pilot which would work round to the North end. On one occasion however, I watched the unit loose shunt the van into Guild Street goods yard - quite bizarre!

 

The last DMU which I saw with a tail load was a Norwich - Lowestoft class 101 hauling a BG in the summer of 1986.

Edited December 18, 2012 by clachnaharry

[roundhouse]

The other night, I found some photos I took in the summer of 1988 at Barnstaple of a DMU running round a blue bogie van in the platform.

 

I will try and find the negatives and scan them in so I can post htem here.

[D1059]

The last DMU I saw hauling a parcels van was at Barnstaple back in the 1980's.

 

I think it carried newspapers in its as days. The van used to get left in the centre road but then they started taking it back on the same unit after running round early in the morning. I have some very poor photos of this service somewhere.

 

Swingers (no, not that sort ) were seen at Norwich into the early 80s (at least 1981). Usually a 2 car Cravens Class 105 with a BR standard CCT on the back

 

 

 

Rarest working I ever saw was this

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/d1059/7442869136/

 

Pair of 73s returning from Birmingham New Street with a Manchester - Portsmouth working

 

 

STEVE

Edited December 18, 2012 by D1059

[leopardml2341]

No photo's to support this lot I'm afraid but...........

 

Sometime late 70's a BR organised railtour under the 'Merrymaker' guise offered this little lot all in one day - I was there as a young(ish) 'un.

 

Class 37 Mexborough - Rotherham - Sheffield - Chesterfield (rev) then Rotherwood.

Class 13 Rotherwood to Tinsley Yard

2xClass76 to Guide Bridge - should've been Man Picc but hideously late

2xClass40 to York (may have been Doncatser) via Harrogate

(same) Class 37 York to Chesterfield via Mexborough - Rotherham and Sheffield

 

Coaching Stock, one of Sheffield district's mark one sets from Nunnery (Darnall) - 11 vehicles IIRC

 

Some outing I can tell you..............

[roundhouse]

Found the negatives taken at Barnstaple in 1988 - a little out of focus but it was early in the morning and I didnt have a tripod with me.

[HGT1972]

On my 18th birthday in 1981 I decided to go to Cardiff on the 10.08 train from Penarth. When I got to the station I was told that the train wasn't running (they were hourly back then) but it would be running from nearby Dingle Road, the next station towards Cardiff, and if I ran I might make it! I set off and got there out of breath but just in time...to find the usual two sets of three-car DMUs broken down...with 45037 and 37188 (both powered up!) on the front. Superpower to Cardiff and me hanging out of the front window taking pictures all the way! They ran round at Cardiff and hauled the broken down units off to Canton.

 

What a birthday present!

[HGT1972]

...actually it was my 19th...and the DMUs were Canton sets C331 and C335...just checked my notes!

 

Hywel

[TheSignalEngineer]

Back around April 1984 I manged to ride a West Midlands branded DMU all to way to York on a Control Special subbing for a late running HST.

 

 

Photo Copyright 2012 C E Steele

[Fat Controller]

When the epic soap opera Crossroads was re-vamped (shortley before its demise) the opening titles had a shot of a DMU hauling a van, somewhere around Brum I guess.

Did that replace the shot of the Brush 4 hauling the failed DMMU? I always thought this was some sort of metaphor for the programme. I should add that I never deliberatedly watched the programme- it used to be on the TVs in Reception if I went to pick Lynne up after a day shift..

There was one loco/DMMU/van turn which I often thought must have been rostered, as it happened so regularily; this was a mid-morning Up working from Carmarthen formed EE Type 3, 3-car Swindon Cross-Country, GUV. This would have been in the late 1960s/early 1970s; I wonder if that was during Mike's (Stationmaster) stay at Swansea?