1M60 remembered

The Wellingborough Effect, 1M60 remembered

thanks to Dave Spencer

The traffic on the NE/SW and NW/SW routes generally was booked for type four traction of some form or other. Rather than improve matters, the layout at Gloucester where up trains that called had to reverse called for some run around and some changes of locomotive.

Where a change was called for, it was often for a locomotive off an inward passenger working and so compatibility between locomotive diagrams were needed concerning train braking and train heat.

This worked well generally the Peaks were dual braked and in 1977 to 1979/80 most trains were steam heat or dual stock, thus compatibility was not a problem. If a problem did arise on a train to Manchester or Liverpool: Gloucester could “throw out” a no heat locomotive with the knowledge that the train would have heat from Birmingham.

At times the depot at Horton Road resembled “Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard”. Not handy if swapping a locomotive for a North East bound service. This was the reason why D1013 worked from Swansea to Leeds. This was a service where Cardiff, Gloucester and Birmingham all passed for providing replacement traction. A deal was done with the Gloucester driver to take 1E54 to Leeds and come back with 1V94 instead of 1V97 two hours later.

Most train watchers of a certain vintage will have heard of 1M60.

This was a train that ran seven days per week but boasted three different departure stations Sundays, it was a Swansea to Manchester service and quite good for a Peak. Summer Saturdays it ran as a Paignton to Manchester working, it missed Gloucester but ran via Worcester to put it back into the weekday times into Birmingham.

Weekdays and other Saturdays it ran as the 15:05, 15:07 or 15:15 Plymouth to Manchester. The stock was the back working off the 08:15 Birmingham to Plymouth 1V62. 1M60 posed a problem in operating terms Mondays to Fridays in that it didn’t have a passenger inbound working to provide a locomotive for it.

A solution was found by using a locomotive off a Bescot to Severn Tunnel freight, this 7V82 leaving Bescot at 13:08, this must change locomotives at Gloucester. There was also an 11:10 Bescot to Gloucester 7V61 freight.

Where does Wellingborough fit in you may ask?

The answer is that Wednesdays only there was a light locomotive departing there at 06:50 to Bescot specifically to work the 13:08 to Severn Tunnel Junction.

What about the rest of the weekdays?

I can’t find anything specific but have taken my information from the Mandatory Working Time table. There was a weekday early Tinsley-Bescot service but the locomotive could return on a Bescot to Toton freight. There may have been a WSX service in the conditional time-table. This would account for the odd “kick out” when the conditional service didn’t run.

With the locomotive being provided from Bescot,. I have every confidence that if they had a type four it would be used. However other calls on the locomotive could be made. If that was the case Bescot produced what they had, this would explain the class 25’s that worked.

Class 20’s could of course be provided by Wellingborough and off Tinsley/Toton to Bescot freights.  My table is not the sum total it reflects what I had for haulage. The train would usually be right time off Gloucester and Cheltenham. What then happened with the “novelty traction” would be time losing in various proportions.

Class 20’s with 75 mph maximum would lose ten minutes to Birmingham but would not need the Lickey bankers. The first few times 20’s worked they were banked on load ten, 350 tons tare. 25’s and 31’s were mandatory for the bankers I never had a single 37 to Birmingham on this service so can’t comment on a banking requirement.

1M60 was booked at Kings Norton at 1928 and due in Birmingham at 1940.

The “Wacky Racers” from Redditch and Longbridge had fortunately been reduced by that time in the Evening. Any more than ten late could see it follow the 1931 from Longbridge. Saltley panel would try to path an express in front where possible.

20050 (The original D8000) On 1M60 4th June 1980  Rear loco was 20048. (Both were not required for haulage) and I got the hell out of Gloucester on 1E73 see below,

45105 1E73 at Gloucester 4th June 1980 (Goodly Totter behind 1M60)

1E73 1745 Cardiff-Sheffield. This train suffered when novelty power was on 1M60 This was timed 19:35 at Kings Norton If passing the 19:31 ex Longbridge before Kings Norton it would usually get in on time and I’d make the 19:58 bus if not doing the “Tamworth move”.

If 1M60 was late and in front of the local 1E73 would usually be checked usually from about Selly Oak and the bus move was a bit “dubious”. Checking the 1981 working timetable 1E73 was shown as 19:55 departure for public 20:00 in the working.

Normal running times from Cheltenham to Kings Norton was 31 to 33 minutes,

0m 0chCheltenham0
 Alstone1m 25s
2m 35chSwindon Village3m 39s
 Cleeve4m 53s
7m 11chAshchurch7m 12s
 Bredon8m 40s
12m 07chEckington10m 32s
 Defford11m 15s
16m 07chPurton13m 14s
17m 78chAbbotswood14m 37s
20m 16chSpetchley16m 20s
23m 78chOddingley18m 46s
24m 35chDunhampstead19m 10s
29m 35chStoke Works22m 24s
31m 28chBromsgrove23m 58s
 Blackwell26m 20s
34m 71chBarnt Green28m 07s
 Longbridge30m 30s
 Northfield31m 17s
 Kings Norton32m 40s
  Checked
45m 44chBNS46m 09s
45075   350 tons  23rd July 1978

With load 10 the above run is very typical with a Sulzer type four, Good flying speeds 60 mph start to pass Cheltenham to Ashchurch though 12 seconds over par.  I used to reckon 7 minutes was par 1M74 with load 6 used to do 6m 45 with great regularity. Abbotswood Juncton to Stoke Works shows a flying average of 88mph

Both sets of junctions having to be passed at 80 mph. effectively speeds around 90 mph plus for many miles being attained.

The Lickey Incline (I referred this as the “Crompton Cakewalk”) was usually barnstormed with a 45 and load ten.  I treated the incline as 2 miles 7 chains Measured from the bridge at Bromsgrove to Blackwell being Milepost 53.25 This was a straight inclined plane at 1 in 37.

BARNSTORMING THE LICKEY  
  TimeSpeed
55m 07chBROMSGROVE085
55m 00chPost 550m 10s80
54m 60chPost 54.750m 25s60
54m 40chPost 54.50m 40s60
54m 20chPost 54.250m 58s50
54m 00chPost 541m 16s50
53m 60chPost 53.751m 39s39
53m 40chPost 53.502m 05s37
53m 20chBLACKWELL2m 33s32
53m 00chPost 532m 55s40
    
45049 1M60  10 for 350 ton  
    
    

Even after arriving at Birmingham 1M60 still had the capacity for delay. Whilst the electric locomotive was attaching at the “B” end, another shunter was uncoupling the front BSK and RMB (Brake second compartment and Buffet car) the diesels taking the two coaches to Oxley via the Grand Junction route. They then coupled to another eight coaches to form next day’s 08:15 Birmingham to Plymouth.  In summer it was possible to photograph the empty stock at Wolverhampton after coming up on 1M60. The ECS was off Birmingham at 19:47.

After depositing the stock at Oxley it was a case of Light engine to Saltley,

DAS Runs with 1M60 (Includes off line runs)    
     
06-May-7846020GloucesterBNS 
30-May-7845063GloucesterCheltenham 
31-May-7847320GloucesterCheltenham 
08-Jun-7845077GloucesterCheltenham 
12-Jun-7845046CheltenhamBNS 
04-Jul-7845072GloucesterBNS 
18-Jul-7845005GloucesterBNS 
26-Jul-7845037GloucesterBNS 
01-Aug-7845068GloucesterBNS 
03-Aug-7845056GloucesterBNS 
06-Aug-7845032GloucesterBNS 
08-Aug-7845052GloucesterCheltenham 
06-Sep-7846015CheltenhamBNS 
09-Dec-7850047Exeter CentralBristol TM 
09-Dec-7850035Bristol TMGloucester 
09-Dec-7846006GloucesterBNS 
30-Jan-7931418GloucesterBNS 
30-Jan-7937076BromsgroveBlackwellBanking the Ped
30-Jan-7937188BromsgroveBlackwellBanking the Ped
29-Mar-7925177CheltenhamBNS 
29-Mar-7937286BromsgroveBlackwellBanking the 25
29-Mar-7937293BromsgroveBlackwellBanking the 25
21-Apr-7945032GloucesterBNS 
30-Apr-7945072GloucesterBNS 
01-May-7946042GloucesterCheltenham 
02-May-7945007GloucesterBNS 
08-May-7945049GloucesterBNS 
17-May-7925294GloucesterCheltenham 
18-May-7945003GloucesterBNS 
05-Jun-7945027CheltenhamBNS 
07-Jun-7945005GloucesterBNS 
11-Jun-7945016GloucesterBNS 
12-Jun-7931301CheltenhamBNS 
12-Jun-7937214BromsgroveBlackwellBanking the Ped
12-Jun-7937240BromsgroveBlackwellBanking the Ped
20-Jun-7946052GloucesterCheltenham 
26-Jun-7920141GloucesterBNS 
26-Jun-7920173GloucesterBNS 
27-Jun-7946043GloucesterCheltenham 
30-Jun-7945047CheltenhamBNS 
02-Jul-7945050GloucesterBNS 
02-Jul-7937292BromsgroveBlackwellBanking the 45
02-Jul-7937290BromsgroveBlackwellBanking the 45
03-Jul-7920197GloucesterMP85.75Choppers failed
03-Jul-7920044GloucesterMP85.75Choppers failed
03-Jul-7945070MP85.75BNS 
04-Jul-7947315GloucesterCheltenham 
05-Jul-7945070GloucesterBNS 
06-Jul-7920112GloucesterCheltenham 
06-Jul-7920046GloucesterCheltenham 
09-Jul-7945072GloucesterBNS 
11-Jul-7945050CheltenhamBNS 
17-Jul-7920095GloucesterCheltenham 
17-Jul-7920031GloucesterCheltenham 
18-Jul-7937271GloucesterCheltenham 
19-Jul-7945074GloucesterBNS 
21-Jul-7945026CheltenhamBNS 
23-Jul-7945075GloucesterBNS 
31-Jul-7945049GloucesterBNS 
03-Aug-7931278GloucesterCheltenham 
10-Aug-7946013GloucesterBNS 
17-Aug-7945020GloucesterBNS 
21-Sep-7945074GloucesterBNS 
29-Sep-7945003CheltenhamBNS 
09-Oct-7945044GloucesterBNS 
12-Oct-7945074GloucesterBNS 
19-Oct-7925100GloucesterCheltenham 
12-Nov-7946034GloucesterCheltenham 
03-Jan-8046045GloucesterBNS 
07-Jan-8046015GloucesterBNS 
14-Feb-8020040GloucesterCheltenham 
14-Feb-8020041GloucesterCheltenham 
15-Feb-8045066GloucesterCheltenham 
27-Feb-8045001GloucesterBNS 
11-Mar-8045029GloucesterBNS 
22-Mar-8045034Bristol TMBNS 
05-May-8046013GloucesterCheltenham 
13-May-8045029GloucesterBNS 
19-May-8045051GloucesterBNS 
20-May-8045020GloucesterBNS 
23-May-8046008GloucesterCheltenham 
10-Jun-8045073GloucesterBNS 
19-Jun-8045049GloucesterBNS 
20-Jun-8047324GloucesterCheltenham 
01-Jul-8046048GloucesterBNS 
02-Jul-8045040GloucesterCheltenham 
08-Jul-8045075GloucesterBNS 
17-Jul-8047104GloucesterCheltenham 
21-Jul-8046048GloucesterCheltenham 
24-Jul-8046027GloucesterCheltenham 
28-Jul-8045060GloucesterCheltenham 
07-Aug-8045037GloucesterBNS 
13-Aug-8045024GloucesterBNS 
18-Aug-8047242GloucesterCheltenham 
20-Aug-8045060GloucesterBNS 
30-Aug-8045007CheltenhamBNS 
04-Sep-8045009GloucesterBNS 
16-Sep-8045072GloucesterBNS 
22-Sep-8045068GloucesterBNS 
30-Sep-8045016GloucesterBNS 
02-Oct-8046029GloucesterBNS 
24-Nov-8045011GloucesterBNS 
08-May-8147466GloucesterCheltenham 
15-May-8145052GloucesterBNS 
24-Jul-8145033CheltenhamBNS 
27-Jul-8145043CheltenhamBNS 
01-Aug-8145055CheltenhamBNS 
10-Aug-8145074GloucesterCheltenham 
15-Aug-8145101CheltenhamBNS 
20-Aug-8145012GloucesterBNS 
15-Sep-8145065CheltenhamBNS 
28-Sep-8145060CheltenhamBNS 
03-Oct-8145114CheltenhamBNS 

A couple of points need to be made.  45050 did the freight but Bescot sent it out with two traction motors isolated. It was a bit of a stagger from Cheltenham and no surprise that banking assistance was requested. I thought that the Crompton would be out for a few days.

Less than 24 hours later it was back out storming on 1V92. Saltley had wielded the battering hammer. The failure of the 20’s was down to a traction motor problem just after leaving Cheltenham and there was quite a lot of smoke and 45070 was whistled up as replacement.

Valentines Day 1980 saw a chilly run with two ex Bescot locomotives (1960’s era)

I often asked why no common sense prevailed and when small low power locomotives were diagrammed for 1M60, could they not have been swapped for 1M74?

That was load six. The booked loco for 1M74 arrived in Gloucester on 1V94 twenty five minutes before 1M60 arrived.  It made sense to me but not the operating department. I believe both locomotives ended up at Saltley. If working 1M60, 1M74’s loco still had time to get back.

Also if Saltley didn’t want the novelty traction Bescot could send a type four to Duddeston and then work them back.

thanks again to Dave Spencer for the memories and phots….

end