BSG75 Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Hi Everyone, Can you help me please ? What sort of coaches ran on ex-Great Eastern lines in the mid 80s ? What type of aircon ran to Norwich ? Did aircons run to Cambridge and Kings Lynn as well ? Did Mk 1 coaches appear, perhaps on the Harwich boat trains ? What type of early Mk 2s could you see ? Did TPOs ever run to Norwich, and did Sleepers ever appear, perhaps on through trains from the North ? What sort of coaches were on the Harwich boat trains to the North via Peterborough ? Any advice gratefully received. Many Thanks ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 By 1985, Liverpool Street to Norwich trains were in the hands of class 86 electrics hauling air-con Mk2D stock (e.g. BSO E9483). Serrvices to Cambridge/Kings Lynn and to Harwich were made up of earlier Mk2 carriages. Mk1 carriages hadn't entirely disappeared - for instance there were some stabled in the "centre road" (between Platforms 9 and 10) during a September 1985 visit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satan's Goldfish Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 TPOs were running into Norwich until at least the end of the 90s, as well as shorter 'non-tpo' mail services. Electrification was completed to Norwich in 87 if I recall correctly, with loco swaps from 86 to 47 happening at Ipswich on mk2 aircon sets. In the early nse years, cambridge sets were older mk2s with the rare nse buffets in the set. I believe they were worked at some point by IC 86s borrowed from the GEML but I've never seen a picture confirming that. Again, swap at Cambridge to a 47 for the run to Kings Lynn. 47s ended up doing the whole run from Liverpool Street to KL eventually before the wires were finished along the whole of the WAML and the services were replaced by emus. mk1s were definately knocking around, most of the pictures I've seen of cross country services from Norwich/Yarmouth via Ely, Peterborough, etc, are predominantly mk1s with in theory a 47 at the front but often a single or pair of 31s. Never heard mention of any sleepers working the region (to close to London already and probably not enough demand for, say, a Norwich - Aberdeen overnight service) although when modelling rule 1 applies Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSG75 Posted November 10, 2014 Author Share Posted November 10, 2014 Thanks Lads! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenman Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 ... Did aircons run to Cambridge and Kings Lynn as well ? ... I'm not aware of any aircons ever running to KL (though happy to be corrected!). I don't think aircon stock arrived at KL until one or two of the few remaining Liverpool Street services started using the Electrostars that were built for the Stansted Express service (though even today you're still as likely to get an evil 317 as an Electrostar). In the early-mid 80s, I only ever saw rakes of Mk2a and 2b stock, hauled mainly by 37s, 47s or an occasional 31. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 ... What sort of coaches were on the Harwich boat trains to the North via Peterborough ? Any advice gratefully received. Many Thanks ! The Harwich/Manchester had aircon Mk2s by 1984, as in my photo here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/77024-class-47-photos/?p=1185960 but earlier it was just about the last holdout of the Gresley buffet cars (along with Mk1s) - see this thread: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/4617-gresley-buffet-cars-in-the-70s/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swindon 123 Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 I did my MP12 train handling almost exclusively on the GE in Jan-Apr 1984. The Norwich's where almost exclusively Air-Cons, (2d/e/f I'm not sure which variant). There was also a Norwich via Cambridge service which could be early Mk 2's, the same as the Kings Lynne's, although the odd rake of Mk1's was not unknown. One of the favorite jobs our instructor liked to use was the Boat Train to Harwich as this was vacuum braked Mk1 or 2 and could have almost any class of loco Stratford had to hand on it. I once had an EQ vacuum braked 31 on it, quite rare, but on another time one of the newly converted Stratford ETH 47's on which the alternator blew up leaving Harwich with the return trip and was dragged to Liverpool Street by a 31. Interesting times with lots of different engines to train on. Paul J. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSG75 Posted November 11, 2014 Author Share Posted November 11, 2014 Thanks for everyone's help. A little bit off topic, I spotted in an ABC for 1985 that Straford had some class 116 DMUs allocated. Any idea what services these were used for ? Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Southminster branch for one - I found a photo of the last day before electrics took over, in 1986, showing a 116 (I think): https://www.flickr.com/photos/42537798@N02/6700566493 Edit: by coincidence, a new post from yesterday in another thread showing the branch DMU: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/76218-essex-express/page-9&do=findComment&comment=1657221 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Am I the only one that thought '1880's, this could be interesting!' Mind you I think it might have been Eastern Counties Railway at that time... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSG75 Posted November 14, 2014 Author Share Posted November 14, 2014 Thanks again for everyone's help! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Am I the only one that thought '1880's, this could be interesting!' Mind you I think it might have been Eastern Counties Railway at that time... Similar first reading, but the Great Eastern was formed from the Eastern Counties Railway in 1862. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I’m still amazed that you can still see awnings on stations on the eastern section of the Central Line with the Eastern Counties Railway “logo” entwined on the cast supports. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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