Trev52A

My last three - or is it four? - individual 'Western' photos: Glad so many people seem to enjoy them! The tide is out at Cockwood harbour, near Starcross, as D1070 Western Gauntlet passes with an up express on 30th May 1975 The road is set for the Newquay branch as D1071 Western Renown enters Par station with a train from Paddington on 30th May 1974 I always associated 'Westerns' with the seaside - here, D1072 Western Glory skirts the estuary of the river Teign on the approach to Teignmouth station with an up express. It was definitely D1072 - I made a note of the name as a double-check as it went past. And now, a bit of a puzzle: I took this shot at Paddington on 26th May 1975 (prior to travelling on a different train to Didcot hauled by D1065) and noted it down inexplicably as D1075. Now, unless Crewe built a couple of extras which did not appear on the official lists (unlikely!) then I have obviously made a mistake. Unfortunately I did not note the name as well (d'oh). The best explanation is that I transposed the last two numbers and it was really D1057. I have no pictures of D1057 to check against. So, does anyone have a similar view of D1057 taken around this time to compare, please? Or maybe some 'Western' expert can tell just by the rust patches, etc, on the front. I await any reply with interest! Well, that's all the individual locos covered which I managed to photograph but there are lots more to show. I'll make a start sorting out some others soon. Cheers Trevor Additional info: following a suggestion by Neil/Downendian and my subsequent cross-checking of pictures, the loco at Paddington is definitely confirmed as D1070 Western Gauntlet (see post #67) and not D1057 as I had hoped.

Getting very near the end of the different 'Westerns' that I photographed, now. Here are four more... D1063 Western Monitor skirts the sea wall near Teignmouth with an up express on 31st May 1975. You can almost hear the seagulls! Despite the headcode, D1065 Western Consort has just arrived at Didcot on 26th May 1975 with a passenger train for the west - in fact I had travelled on it from Paddington. My only picture of a 'Western' in maroon livery - an early (basic 127-film camera) shot of D1068 Western Reliance at Paddington on 23rd April 1965. Now I understand why these locos had such a reputation for good looks! On a family holiday with relatives in Hertfordshire, it was easy to travel in to London to visit the main terminus stations. Waterloo was my favourite - steam everywhere! Kings Cross didn't offer much more than I was used to at home on Tyneside ('Baby Deltics' excepted). Paddington offered exotic locos such as 'Westerns' to cop. Strange to think now that when I took this picture, the last 'Western' to enter traffic (D1029) was still less than one year old! D1069 Western Vanguard catches the evening sun at Plymouth with a parcels (presumably) train for the east on 27th May 1975. One more batch to follow plus a puzzle picture, then a catch-up with some other 'Westerns' that didn't make the first round. Trevor

Thanks to everyone for chipping in with the information on the liquid china clay tanks, as seen on my pic of D1061 earlier. Before I alter the caption, may I just add one more question - how far did the Western work the train? Presumably there would be a change of loco to its final destination in Kent? Thanks in advance Trevor

Brilliant! That's just the sort of info I am looking for. I will change the reference to milk tanks. So are the Clayliner tanks for some sort of liquid clay? (Pardon my ignorance!) Cheers Trevor

Three more... D1054 Western Governor pauses at Exeter SD before heading west on 2nd June 1973 D1059 Western Empire leaves Cornwall with the up 'Cornish Riviera Ltd' on 11th July 1970: I had travelled from Truro and alighted at Plymouth. Eagle-eyed readers may have spotted the waist-high destination/name boards on some of the coaches, a practice peculiar to the Western Region at the time (I think.) D1061 Western Envoy rattles through Par on 30th May 1974 with a train of liquid china clay tanks for Sittingbourne, which it would work as far as Acton yard. Trevor Edited to include correct information re D1061's train.

Last three for tonight... D1051 Western Ambassador heads east through Teignmouth on 31st May 1975 D1052 Western Viceroy heads west through Exeter St. Thomas station on 29th May 1975 D1053 Western Patriarch waits for the off at Newton Abbot on 30th May 1974. I had just alighted from the train which I had joined at Dawlish early that morning - seaside towns were always good bets for B&B accommodation! Trevor

Another three... D1047 Western Lord leaves Par with a train for Penzance on 30th May 1974, watched by holidaymakers probably waiting for a train on the Newquay branch, which curves away on the right hand side D1048 Western Lady heads west from Teignmouth station on 31st May 1975 D1050 Western Ruler with a mixed freight at Totnes on 29th May 1974 Trevor

Hi Dougie I have now added my only other shot of D1026 to your own thread ('Western workings') in which you are looking for a headcode. Cheers Trevor

Hi Dougie This is the only pic have of D1026 which shows a headcode. Might this do for your model? D1026 eastbound at Plymouth on 30th May 1974 Cheers Trevor

D1047 Western Lord gets to grips with a train for the west at Par on 30th May 1974, watched by holidaymakers probably waiting for a train to Newquay. Trevor

On the basis of one pic for each 'Western' I photographed, we are about half way through, now. Three more: D1041 Western Prince arriving at Reading on 1st June 1973 with a train for the West Country, which I travelled on as far as Exeter. D1043 Western Duke rounds the curve approaching Teignmouth station with the down Cornish Riviera Ltd on 31st May 1975 - a rare telephoto shot of mine. D1046 Western Marquis arrives at Paignton with a train from Paddington on 30th May 1975 (Thanks to Jonny777 for advice on uploading the pictures!) Trevor

Your secret is safe with me, David. Cheers Trevor

There's a picture taken at the same spot with the same loco (B1 61306) but on a different occasion, in the 1976 book 'On and Off the Beaten Track' by Ian Krause and John Hunt, which gives the location as merely 'Bradford'. Hope this helps. Trevor

Thanks for that advice, Jonny. I'll give it a go. Cheers Trevor

Another three this time... D1036 Western Emperor, fresh out of the paint shop, at Exeter on 29th May 1975 You'll have to take my word for it, but this is D1037 Western Empress at Exeter on 8th July 1970. How can I be sure? Well, I had just travelled on the train from Taunton (my first journey behind a 'Western') and incidentally this was my first visit to Exeter St Davids. On the left with a train for Waterloo via Salisbury is 828 (no 'D' by this time) Magnificent in blue with full yellow ends. The 'Western' is in blue but still with small yellow panels. The full yellow end completely changes the 'face' of a loco, doesn't it? D1040 Western Queen speeds past the old pumping station for Brunel's short-lived atmospheric railway system at Starcross on 31st May 1975. (I say 'speeds past' to try and justify the slight blur!!) Trevor

Oh David, surely you are forgetting..?. Crew change for 9015 Tulyar ​at Newcastle in July 1969 I have to say though, I think the 'Westerns' were the least bad looking of any class once the awful full yellow ends were applied. Compare with a blue D800 'Warship' or a 'Deltic' in particular. Give me small yellow panels any time. (Dons own tin hat and joins David in bunker...) Trevor (tongue in cheek!)

Another four: D1025 Western Guardsman heading west at Newton Abbot on 29th May 1974 D1026 Western Centurion waiting to leave Exeter SD as 45025 arrives with a train for the west on 27th May 1975 D1027 Western Lancer arriving at Newton Abbot with some sort of 'extra' on 27th May 1975 D1030 Western Musketeer and 50044 double-head an inter-regional train heading east at Dawlish on 29th May 1974 - any suggestion for this, please? Trevor

Thanks, Steve. I'll put that info on the neg packet. Cheers Trevor

This is a close-up of a section of a picture I uploaded on the Special Interests/Diesel Hydraulic Group section under 'Trev's Western Wanderings' - taken at Plymouth on 29th May 1974. Check that out for the full caption - there's more to it than meets the eye! Trevor

Three more, all b&w this time: D1018 Western Buccaneer passing Reading with a down express on 1st June 1973 D1020 Western Hero entering Exeter SD with the down 'Cornish Rivera Ltd' (or should that be 'Cornish Riviera Express'? - I don't have a contemporary WR timetable to check, but I noted it in my book as 'CRL') which I joined here and travelled on to Plymouth, on 8th July 1970 D1022 Western Sentinel, with D1010 Western Campaigner coupled behind, prepares to leave Plymouth with an inter-regional train from the west on 29th May1974. I did not make a note if the second loco was 'dead' or if it was a genuine 'double-header' - any ideas, anyone? Cheers Trevor

That's great, many thanks for clearing that up. Trevor

Three more: D1010 Western Campaigner crossing into Devon with an up express on 28th May 1975 D1011 Western Thunderer at Reading with a train fro Paddington on 1st June 1973 D1013 Western Ranger after arrival at Exeter St. David's with a train I had travelled on from Taunton on 30th May 1975 Trevor

Not wishing to hijack anyone's thread, I thought it best to start a new one, showing some of my b&w and colour photos of Class 52 'Western' locos taken on various 'railrover' holidays in the early-mid 1970s. Please chip in with any additional information on the headcodes or anything else worth pointing out. I'll show them in numerical order, in a variety of locations, but there will be many gaps because I only managed to photograph about half the class. As they still carried their cast numberplates I always think of them as 'D10xx'. even though the letter was painted out in many cases. As I seem unable to add captions under individual pictures (it's been driving me mad for the past half hour!) I'll list them first, three of four at a time, with the pictures below in that order. So, let's head back in time to the 1970s 'blue era'... D1001 Western Pathfinder approaching Teignmouth from the west on 30th May 1975 D1005 Western Venturer with a ballast train(?) at Newton Abbot on 30th May1975 D1006 Western Stalwart at Dawlish on 29th May 1974 with what I later discovered was the 07.45 Kensington Olympia-St. Austell 'motorail' train. (You can jast make out the cars at the rear.) D1009 Western Invader restarts a westbound train at Newton Abbot (obviously!) on 30th May 1974. More to come... Trevor

Exeter St. Davids 29/5/75 Trevor

I'm resurrecting this excellent thread in the hope of finding out the last steam workings over Shap. With the wealth of knowledge among readers to this site, the information must be out there. With the closure of Kingmoor and Tebay sheds to steam at the end of 1967, through workings to/from Carlisle also ceased that year, didn't they? (Unless someone knows different - please come forward.) But 8Fs (in particular) from Carnforth still climbed Shap from the south with traffic for the quarry and cement works just past the summit, I seem to remember reading somewhere. Any ideas which locos and when the last one ran, anybody? While we are at Shap, did anyone photograph the Clayton diesels in action on banking duties from Tebay from 1st January 1968? Thanks in advance Trevor