graeme9022

Yes, the 2 x FK+1 BG was certainly an odd rake, with only 84 seats (probably insufficient at times), which were obviously charged as second class. Below are the rakes I observed... the rake numbers given below are my purely arbitrary numbers as I wrote them up at the time, though the letters are obviously the depot I believe they were from, whilst the consecutive numbers represent the order in which they appeared (in some cases, I have stated the date I saw them). Suggest you check a 1989 spotters' book to confirm coach types and liveries... most HT rakes are TP livery (though I think some of the BGs were blue+grey at times), all CL rakes were blue+grey. HT1 13527 13463 92204 (17/04/1989) HT2 13527 13532 84010 (29/04/1989) HT3 5160 5283 5387 5311 92117 (06/05/1989) HT4 5387 5311 92117 (15/05/1989) HT5 13463 5160 92250 (08/06/1989) HT6 13527 13519 92089 HT7 5463 13532 80805 CL8 9462 5413 5288 (07/08/1989) HT9 5323 13445 92338 HT10 13519 13445 92338 HT11 4366 4785 84210 Mk1 blue+grey rake HT12 5347 5379 92089 HT13 13527 13445 92089 HT14 13445 13527 92248 (26/08/1989) HT15 13445 13527 80805 (31/08/1989) HT16 13445 13527 92351 (02/09/1989) HT17 4366 4785 84388 (06/09/1989) Mk1 blue+grey rake HT18 5379 13519 92351 (06/10/1989) HT19 5343 13519 92351 (09/10/1989) CL21 5288 5413 9462 (07/11/1989). Also, on 25/11/1989 worked 0630 Newcastle-Seaham and 0726 Seaham-Newcastle behind 31434 CL22 5363 5383 92115 (08/11/1989) CL23 5363 5144 92115 (11/11/1989) CL24 5182 5483 92369 (18/11/1989) CL25 5288 5144 92142 (05/12/1989) CL26 5288 5144 92369 (28/12/1989) CL27 5144 5383 92246 (30/12/1989) CL28 5182 5483 92317 (03/02/1990) CL29 5282 5383 84388 (10/02/1990) CL30 5189 5352 5374 92221 (14/07/1990 - 31217 hauling 1500 Middlesbrough-Newcastle, the last loco-hauled I ever saw).

Hello, a couple of the links from flickr are mine... I have a list of Heaton (and CL) LHCS rakes used in the north-east in 1989, and can supply on request. Although I haven't got record of the coaches in the rake behind the Class 31 - I was probably too busy doing that photo on the day - but I have lists of rakes observed covering that period. As one or two others have said, the 1989 rakes included formations of 2 x Mk2 FK + Mk1 BG... I say included, as this is how the services started from the Spring, but TP-liveried TSOs started to appear over the months... [http://www.flickr.com/photos/66289212@N07/7896081854/] Later on in 1989, the north-east services were using Carlisle (CL) based blue+grey Mk2s (the use of TP coaches stopped).