35A

Sounds about right, Mark. Although I didn't say it before, the bell that it rang was that it was a SO working. I recall an early afternoon down ECS working which would have left London around 13:00, based upon the time that I saw it. Your logic seems very sound. I'd stake my house on that being the correct explanation. AFAIR a Deltic on it was very unusual. IIRC it was usually a class 40 (certainly when it ran to Scarborough, in service). I do remember both the service & ECS being class 31 worked on occasions. I wonder whether the Deltic was a partial failure and had been swapped for the incoming loco at King's Cross and was being sent back north for attention? 21 did have a power unit swap during the last week of April 1971 and then another one (of the replaced unit) over 10th/11th/12th May 1971.

5L43 rings a bell with me - but I can't find any references in any of my notes about it. I've a feeling that it was an early afternoon down working (despite it being an out of sequence reporting number). I'll keeping looking. I agree with Rob regarding the Deltics. I think that you've got both of them spot on.

Great work. I saw it the same day - based on my records for the day it would have been on that inbound working! I believe that J2083 is 9010. From the nameplate size and layout of the lettering on the plate it can't be 9019 or 9021. The only other alternative is 9006 but I think that the lettering better matches the format, word length etc. of 9010. J2084 is Brush 2 no 5643.

In 1971, whilst in that style of blue, 1575 was a not-infrequent visitor on the ECML. Aside from seeing it on the Midland Lines I recorded it on six occasions on the ECML, on 9th March, 5th May, 26th May (hauling fellow Tinsley locos 1531 and 1568, dead in tow, possibly to/from Stratford DRS), 1st June, 16th October and 21st October. I'm sure that there were several others! Unfortunately, I hadn't started logging the diagrams in 1971.

I'd go with that, as well, based upon the fact that the other three candidates (9000, 9004 and 9016) all still had their crests at that time - Deltic 4 was also only released from works four days before the end of August 1971. I would challenge the Brush 4 identities in J2758 and J2759, as well. The former can't be 1532, as that loco was in the early blue livery style (with cabside numbers and double-arrows behind each cab door) by August 1968 . Similarly, the latter can't be 1575, as that loco was also in the same earlier blue livery style. Around that time it was commonly known as "the Sheffield loco", as it seemed to spend most of its time on the "Master Cutler", or spare at Sheffield Midland (although it did make very sporadic appearances on the ECML, despite being Tinsley based).

Good call!

I agree with you, Phil. It's either D162 or, as I thought, D182. The former was (at the time) a Nottingham Division LMR loco, prior to going to the Western Region in 1972 for the remainder of its life. The latter was a Gateshead loco for its entire life (now preserved).

First of all, a belated Happy New Year to everyone (especially Dave). I've been away for ten days, so just having a mammoth catch up! A few IDs for consideration: C3400 appears to be 47 415; C717 I would query whether that is 9003 "Meld" - the plate looks too long to me. I'd suggest that it was even too long for "Pinza". My money would be on "Tulyar" or "Nimbus". I don't think that it's one of the other racehorses. As a disclaimer I would point out that I haven't had the time (yet) to check out the shopping dates for those locos; C1012, as Keefer suggests, is almost certainly 9011 - it's fairly clear when blown up as far as it can be and the pattern of lettering on the nameplate is correct; C3878 looks like 55 022 - the narrower footstep above the bufferbeam is the usual give away for that loco (compare with the other photographs).

May I also add my very best wishes for the Christmas season and for the New Year to Dave and to all the regular contributors who add to the thread, with thanks for the images and for your interesting and informative follow-up comments. I shall, hopefully, catch up in the New Year, although I dare say that I shall be unable to resist a few peeks on my smartphone over the next ten days!

I love the under the canopy shots. They're a real education to me because I don't actually remember the original canopy. By the time that I had become a 'regular' the canopy had been replaced with the 1960s spans and asbestos sheeting. The first time that I travelled from the station was on a junior school trip to London in 1968. Our headmaster had set us an observation questionnaire to fill in during the journey and, to be honest, I remember very little of that day apart from the tunnels and the Welwyn viaduct. I can't even remember the purpose of the trip or where we went in London! Anyway, very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to Gilbert and to everyone and many thanks for this wonderful thread. I look to forward to continuing to follow it in 2017.

As the East Coast Pullman services started to be withdrawn in the mid-70s and the 1960 Metro-Cammell vehicles were replaced by air-conditioned Mark II sets there were four or five (I can't remember exactly and I can't find a coaching stock book older than 1984, by which time all had been withdrawn) Parlour Seconds that were cascaded to the GE for use in Hook Continental train sets. These were repainted into blue and grey (as opposed to grey and blue) and included E348E, E349E, E350E and E352E. The final East Coast Pullman sets ran in May 1978. A railtour was run the weekend after they ceased, "The East Coast Pullman Salute" (see www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk "The Railtour Files" for 20th May 1978), from King's Cross to Leeds, then via Harrogate to York, reversing to Scarborough, then back to King's Cross by way of Beverley and Doncaster (using Anlaby Road curve in Hull). Due to the limited number of Pullman vehicles that were still serviceable, the above four vehicles were used to complete the train formation. Subsequently, along with a number of redundant Pullmans, these vehicles found their way into the ownership of the Steam Locomotive Operators Association and were used on many SLOA charter trains during the 1980s. Most are now in the ownership of West Coast Railways, with a few at Birmingham Railway Museum and some on preserved railways.

That had been my first thought. However, I remember well into the Seventies there was a daily Newcastle - Norwich/Yarmouth return service, which ran from Doncaster via the GN&GE Joint line down to March and then across to the east coast. Latterly it was a fairly solid class 40 turn. I suspect that Dave is right and that it's probably that working.

Perhaps 47 469, which was a Haymarket loco from May 1974, after transfer from the Western Region? 1S99 is an Anglo-Scottish train, so could well be a Haymarket diagram. Expanding the image you can clearly see that it's 47 4?? - although the last two digits lose resolution. On a separate query - if J892 is a Yarmouth to York working, what would it be doing at Pilmoor?

ITYM a class 115 - the 117s were the Paddington suburban sets.

J4499 is almost certainly 47 523 - which had a high-intensity headlight fitted below one of tail lights. If you look on the Class 47 Wikipedia page there is a picture of 523 in 1988, by which time the headlight had been blanked off and a standard light fitted. By coincidence, the next photograph down is of 47 901, with the same style of headlight still in place. ICBW but I think that there were only about three so fitted and 523 was the only ECML locomotive.

I've had problems as well. Just as I'd written a document and wanted to print it. A Windows 10 update arrived and installed and now I seem to have lost the driver for my HP DeskJet printer. No advance warning - just henceforth unsupported, by the look of it. It may be 17 years old but it works (worked) perfectly well for simple B&W documents. As for the pictures, a great selection again. I was going to post a contrasting, contemporary view to C3116, from the Bourg Walk bridge which replaced the old footbridge, to show how dramatically that view north from Aylesbury station has changed in the intervening years, with the Chiltern Railways depot, a car park, housing and the Morrisons superstore (and Station Way). Unfortunately, I discovered that I haven't taken a picture from that exact spot in about 9 years! There's my first New Year resolution.

Not to denigrate the colour shots but those monochrome pictures are just gorgeous!

Unfortunately I don't seem to have noted the first one that I saw with a centre double-arrow - unusual, because normally my notes would highlight a detailing difference like that. Either that or it got lost in transferring my notes from notebooks to spreadsheets. Late 1971 sounds about the right time, from memory. Paul raises an interesting point, which I hadn't twigged, that 5675 appears with numbers in their previous position but with a central double-arrow. Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, it looks from your picture as though there is a slightly darker patch on the leading cabside, where the cabside double-arrows used to be. I wonder if this loco was Doncaster's first attempt at saving money by only applying a pair of arrows per loco and that they later decided to reposition the numbers as well?

5672 is in the earlier 'standard' livery, which was almost universal in 1970 on blue-liveried examples. 5675 is in the later version, which became the new 'standard'. Actually, that came as quite a surprise to me, as I don't remember seeing that livery style as early as 1970 and I used to see A LOT of Brush 2s every day! The tablet-catcher fitted batch used to rarely venture south of High Dyke, so it's quite possible that that was one of the very first to receive that style (I'll have to consult my spreadsheets for the period to see when I first recorded a sighting of a 31 with a centrally placed double arrow).

The footstep on D9000 is also noticeably narrower than that of the other 21 locos. Additionally, to this day, the square plate into which the new footstep is sunk is very obvious, as it sits proud of the nose end. I'm afraid that it's definitely not D9000, as it has a double line nameplate.

Worth mentioning that the Brush 4 D1628 (in image J1627) later became 47 046. As such it was the locomotive that was turned on its side at New England North Junction one Sunday morning in 1974, whilst running light engine on the down fast from Peterborough. The driver and secondman insisted that the signalling indicated that the loco was cleared for a run along the down fast line. However, the route was, in fact, set across to the combined down slow/down Stamford route at New England North and, as a result of the excessive speed on taking the junction, 47 046 turned onto its side and ended up between the up Stamford and down ECML fast line. On arrival at Crewe Works, 47 046 was earmarked to be the locomotive that was modified to trial the Ruston power unit that was used in the class 56 locomotives and it subsequently emerged as 47 601. Later it was re-engined again and used as a class 58 test bed, in the guise of 47 901, in which form it continued until withdrawal.

The picture of 16440 (C4989) brings back fond memories from spring 1983 and my only visit to the Midland Railway Trust (Centre as it is now). It was a very cold spring Sunday afternoon and, back in the days before the H&S dictators stopped everyone's fun, the driver and fireman on 16440, which was operating the day's services, invited me onto the footplate and gave me a run over to Hammersmith and back. I keep saying that I must revisit the MRC but I still haven't got around to it!

Deltic identification squad here again ..... I pretty certain that C3399 is 55 016. Again, it is definitely a Haymarket Deltic and the only candidates are 55 004, 13, 16 & 22. It can't be 13, as it has a crest (13 lost its crest in green livery days and it was never replaced). It can't be 22 (D9000) as the footstep above the buffer beam is wrong. I don't think that the nameplate looks long enough for it to be "QUEEN'S OWN HIGHLANDER", which was a very long plate, it also doesn't appear to have a solid oval crest and the last digit appears to be a 6, so I'm confident that it's 55 016.

Again, I'm afraid that that is not possible, as the nameplate is very definitely of the style applied to the Scottish locos and not the Gateshead ones. The font is much larger.

Just to add to the earlier discussion re J1201 (with apologies, Dave, as I've been away since the end of last week) ..... The loco in the picture can't be a Gateshead 'Deltic' - the nameplate style is incorrect. The Gateshead locos had a smaller font and round-cornered brass nameplates, whereas the Haymarket and Finsbury Park locos used the larger sans serif font on aluminium plates. I had an opinion on the identity of the loco and I've hawked the image around a few of my expert 'Deltic' friends. We unanimously reached the same conclusion: * It can only be one of the four Haymarket locos with twin line plates. * It can't be D9021 - the plate is too small and it has "ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND" on the top line and "HIGHLANDER" on the second line, which doesn't fit the pattern visible in the image. * It probably isn't D9006 - the top line appears too short for "THE FIFE", likewise the second line "& FORFAR YEOMANRY". * It probably isn't D9010 - the top line of the loco in the photograph is too short for "THE KING'S OWN", likewise the second line "SCOTTISH BORDERER". Despite the November 1967 repaint date into blue, we are all convinced that it is D9019, as was originally suggested. The pattern of the lettering on the plate fits ("ROYAL" on the top line, "HIGHLAND FUSILIER" on the second). Additionally, D9019 to D9021 were originally delivered, unlike the earlier locos, with their horns roof-mounted above the windscreens, centrally. The clips were left in place on the roofs when the horns were repositioned internally, prior to them taking up their familiar later positions on either side of the windscreens on the nose - a very close inspection of the picture suggests that the clips are present on the loco in this image (and D9021 has already been discounted). The missing crest has caused some interest, as no-one that I know actually recalls it running in this condition whilst in green livery (and most of them know almost everything!!!). It's possible, I suppose, that it had been damaged and removed for a short time for repair - I'll keep asking around on that one. Given the repaint date of November 1967, into blue livery, we can only suggest (with respect) that perhaps the date is incorrect? Hope that this helps!