35A

Tom, I checked my Spring 1990 P5 Coaching Stock book and it gives 40511 as the TRFK in HT35. Perhaps it was misprinted in the Combined Volume and listed in the amendments, which you (perhaps) corrected it from?

Another lovely set of pictures, appropriately with snow! I would query the ID on the first one, C6686. 43126 was a Western Region power car and was in Executive livery by 1984 (this picture is January 1985). My initial thought was that it might be a typo for the Eastern Region's 43162, which was named "Borough of Stevenage" - but not until later in 1985, it transpires, when it too gained Executive livery. Unfortunately, I can't get a good enough enlargement to offer any alternative suggestion as to what it might actually be.

A particularly fine set of images today, David. Much enjoyed.

J3155 - the Deltic would be 9021. Such a beautiful broadside shot.

Possibly the first MML one - but, surely, the first VP185-fitted ones were 43167-170 (on the Western, in 1993), which received VP185s for evaluation, after abandonment of the Mirrlees-Blackstone MB190s that they were fitted with in the late 1980s (replacing Valentas), for the same purpose? 43167-170 then, later, being fitted with MTUs, after the WR (might have been Great Western Trains, or even First Great Western, by then) decided to go with MTU for full fleet re-equipment. Apologies if I'm misinterpreting the intended meaning of your original statement.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year, good health and happiness. Hopefully, in 2021, we shall be able to recommence our hobbies in earnest. I actually didn't take a single railway photograph in 2020, being (effectively) shielding, as far as was practical - the first time that I haven't created a rail archive folder since the early 1970s!

Thanks for that, Matt. I think that IKB is in the siding, alongside the bay. The bay was removed late 1990/early 1991 - I've photos as late as July 1990, when it was still in situ and in daily use. I wonder what IKB was doing there in 1988, as the loco-hauled substitutions were (as required) between November 1990 and June 1991, as the 115s started to fall apart?

C12083 (the courier coach) reminds me of the latter days of the Class 115s on the Chiltern line. My train in to Marylebone, for work, for several weeks, on a couple of occasions, was formed of a Class 47 and four Mark Is, rustled up at Old Oak Common. Usually! On one occasion, there must have been a desperate shortage of spare stock at OOC. The train was formed, behind 47 484 "Isambard Kingdom Brunel", of a Class 108 DTS (with the glass-doored corridor connection nearest to the loco!), a courier coach, a Mark I TSO and a Mark I BSK - all vehicles open to the public. I eschewed the compartment in the courier coach, in favour of bouncing along the Metropolitan line at the corridor connection end of the Class 108, with a full view of the back cab of the Class 47, lurching from side to side. The most unusual assembly of stock that I've ever travelled in.

Thank you, David, for the good wishes and the card but, particularly, for keeping us royally entertained for another year, with your spectacular back catalogue of photographs. It hardly seems possible that it has been twelve months since we last exchanged festive greetings but your daily postings have been a beacon of light at the end of each day during this generally miserable year. Wishing you and yours the very best of good health for 2021.

Newcastle 20903 weekilling train and Class 143 ecs 29th June 89 C12095.jpg Really?

Unlikely to be any Mk IIb that early, I'd suggest. The Eastern only had MkII and MkIIa until the the MkIId fleet was delivered. IIRC, the MkIIb were predominantly Western and the MkIIc split between the Western and London Midland (or was it the other way around?). It wasn't until the early 80s that some MkIIb FKs drifted across to the Eastern, AFAIR. I'll have to ferret out my old coaching stock books over the weekend to confirm!

Shocking to think that it has now been dumped at Crewe Electric Depot for FIFTEEN years. It's criminal the way that DB Cargo (formerly EWS) have laid up useful assets and allowed them to rot away, rather than dispose of them on the open market.

MP229 is a class 11, previously 12093 and now preserved at the Caledonian Railway at Brechin (along with MP228, the former 12052).

Every time that you post some windswept Cumbrian coast photographs, it reminds me that (apart from the Borders Railway) it is the longest section of passenger railway in the country that I have never traversed. It was on my list to try and visit this summer, before the wretched Covid plague occurred.

Ironically, a picture of the only class 60 that has been broken up, so far.

It's a Haymarket 'Deltic' - the nameplate style gives it away. It could be any of the four with two-line plates (9006, 9010, 9019 or 9021). All were in traffic in July 1972. However, we know that Dave tended to photograph at weekends. It might be 9019, which was recorded as working the up "Yorkshire Pullman" (1A16) on Saturday 8th July.

It's been so long since I've seen a "proper" fog that I've almost forgotten what they used to be like! I remember many mornings, trying to find my way to school, either on foot or by bike - and of the world closing in again, as it got dark. Like regular snowfalls, another part of our history. Tell the kids today and they'd never believe you.

Further to the IDs, C0994 appears to be Gateshead's 1987, at the head of 1H17, the 18:30 King's Cross - Hull. J1493 would still have been D9010 in 1968 (minor point!).

Some of our local bus drivers do that (Arriva) because they can't be bothered. I've pointed out, on numerous occasions, that it just confuses non-locals, when the bus is going in the opposite direction .... to no avail. That, of course, was in the days when we used to use buses - it's now seven months since I last did!

Also, looking at C14303, it really emphasises how much Railfreight livery made the 31 appear longer. Comparing the blue loco to the Railfreight loco, there is a real optical illusion - the rear loco looks more like a class 25, in length, coupled behind the later liveried one. I'm not sure that I've ever seen a broadside view of the two different liveries together (I certainly haven't got any in my photographic collection), it came as quite a surprise.

I am hugely impressed that you managed to identify that class 47 in C14020. The state of that loco would have done Gateshead proud.

Sometimes they surprised you. I've got a picture, from 25th May 1977, of 31 410 tanking through Peterborough, solo, at the head of 1E07, the 10:40 Edinburgh - King's Cross, which at the time was load 10 or 11, formed of Mark IID/IIFs and Mark I catering vehicles/full brake. It was one of the few Anglo-Scottish class 47 diagrams. Obviously, it was a replacement for a failure but it was not far off schedule. Given that it was a Holbeck loco at the time, it probably went on at York or Doncaster but it must have been a very efficient loco swap. Whether it actually reached the Cross or not, I have no idea.

Evening, David. I was immediately suspicious of the caption on C11867 (beautiful shot, though it is). My first thought was "that must have been one of the last photographs of 43013 before it was buffer-fitted" (as it remains to this day). However, on researching the conversion dates, I discovered that 43013 was modified, with the skirt cowling partially removed and standard buffer/drawgear equipment fitted to the driving end, at Stratford DRS, in March 1988, so I'm afraid that C11867 can't be that power car in April 1989. It's still a very lovely photograph, though!

An interesting study of 37 065 in C9148. Not only has it had its headcode boxes removed and marker lights fitted in a non-standard position, under the horn cowls (rather than in mid-position, where the headcode boxes would have been) but, despite all of that work being carried out, the connecting doors in the nose-end have been left in situ. Makes a good subject for a unique model.

Hi, Rob and Dave. According to The Railcar Files, T419 was formed (between Jan 1988 and Oct 1989) of 51151 (Cl. 116)+59590 (Cl. 127)+59629 (Cl. 127)+51884 (Cl. 115). During Oct 1989 59590 was replaced by 59608. This was typical of the period when Tyseley inherited spare vehicles from around the system and lashed them together to form operational sets. The set was disbanded in 1992 with all the vehicles being reformed into other sets.