25078’s finest hour, Talerrdig, May 6th 1985
“Fresh” off a 2 day overnight bash on the Sutherland Highlander Tour a sunny Bank holiday dawned down at Leighton Buzzard station. The usual suspects were waiting or joined en route the LNER Society’s Cambrian Coast Explorer. The LNER Society operated an intense program of day and a few weekend tours and offered a cheap and cheerful day out to many points across the country in a rake of Mk I’s. The LNER Society normally ran their trains from WCML, MML or Chiltern haunts but the WCML saw the most LNER tour’s and were very popular…
Awaiting the tour we were hoping for a “roarer” but on Sundays or Bank Holiday mornings Euston had a nasty habit of putting “rancid cans” on vacuum braked stocked trains such as these. To a “its roaring” shout the big yellow front of “the runner” 85030 arrived at Leighton’s DS platform with her blowers in full song.
A fast run North via Weedon from memory with Rugby our last calling point. Then a whiz thru the West Midlands before we stopped at Wolves for the booked engine change. So we all milled around to see 85030 roar off to the holding sidings and a rather disappointing “boilered” pair in 25058/078. Both were dud but any rat mileage was always a bonus and with “tractors” on the Euston-Abbo’s this Summer coming it was a farewell trip for many.
25058 and 25078 swing round the Abbey Foregate curve avoiding Shrewsbury station with the Cambrian Express tour
The Westbound climb to Talerrdig is easier than the other way, the tour approaches Talerrdig loop and box with some fine semaphores too
Being in the rear TSO of load 10 Mk I’s the run via Abbey Foregate avoiding line and into the hill country beyond Welshpool was a bit sedate, nothing spectacular but enjoyable enough. The sun was out and at Dovey Jn, many bailed for a DMU out Pwhelli way. We opted to stay on and flagging the narrow gauge, for an afternoon cliff top walking ect ect.
25078 rests at Aberystwyth after a good run with 25058 on the tour
25058 at the blocks at Aberystwyth
25058 and 25078 at the blocks at Aberystwyth
We rejoined the stock as soon as the stock had been reversed in a good 30 minutes before departure time. Now being in the leading coach we were in for some classic small sulzer” music.
TSO 4855 is about to load up with cranks keen for small Sulzer thrash on the way home
No sign of the drama to soon follow, 25078 and 25058 at Dovey Jn awaiting for the return special DMU from Pwhelli
25078 and 25058 at Aberystwyth left 2 down with the return 1745 LNER Society Charter to Euston. Once again speeds were reasonable with 64 mph being made at milepost 82 before Dovey Jn. An extended wait for the DMU from Pwhelli then a few miles shortly after leaving Machynlleth 25058 started throwing out a huge column of black smoke! 25058 failed completly at milepost 68 a few miles before the beginning of the 3 mile 1 in 50 climb over Taleriddig. As per the speed log or progress was slow over the climb but we were soon doing 64 mph on the other side.
To quote Steven Clements the second man from his Flickr site ” After departure from Machynlleth, and before reaching Llanbrynmair, where the gradient increases to 1 in 52 on the climb up to Talerddig, 25058 failed by breaking is crankshaft and loosing all power, leaving 25078 to struggle on alone.
Almost stalling completely just below Talerddig due to ‘078s sanders not working, speed had dropped enough that it was possible to sand by hand – luckily the train was double-manned, so the secondman (…me!) could step off and walk alongside sanding until 25078 regained its composure, (…getting back on board before speed increased too much) and made it over the summit.
25078 continued alone to Shrewsbury and managed to not lose any more time”.
The last mile or so “over the top at Taleriddig” will remain in the memory of most aboard for ever, smoke, thrash, slow running and even more thrash, 25078’s gutsy performance was superb, unforgettable….
1T10 25078/25058 1745 Aberystwyth – Euston Rtn Charter 10vb 060585
(extract)
MP station sched arr dep actual arr dep pass variance av speed
70.5 Cemmes Road 1836.39 — —-
69.75 1837.29 56.2
69.5 1837.46 54
69 1838.25 46.1
68.5 1839.07 42.8
68 1839.51 40.9
67.5 1840.41 36
67 1841.30 36.7
66.5 1842.14 40.9
66 1842.58 40.9
65.5 1843.45 38.2
65 1844.43 31
64.5 1845.45 29
64 1846.48 28.5
63.5 1848.21 19.3
63 1850.10 16.5
62.5 1854.11 7.4**
** 25058 virtually failed from milepost 68 onwards, 25078 was hand sanded by the secondman to keep the train moving here
62 1856.25 13.4
61.5 1858.39 13.7
60.75 Talerrdig SB 1900.10 26.7
60 1901.30 33.7
59.5 1902.04 52.9
59 1902.37 54.5
58.5 1903.07 60
58 1903.35 64.2
57.5 1904.08 54.5
Once through the gorge at the summit where the thrash was manically loud, a Sulzer crackle perhaps. A good fast run followed despite only 25078 providing the power, 78 mph being recorded close to Shrewsbury. A crew change at Abbey Foregate then an another steady run on the long climb from Wellington to Wolves, a superb performance from 25078 was over.
Drama over, roaring beast 85030 returned s home at great haste, the late running incurred by the Talerrdig slow running was almost all clawed back, we all bailed happy back at Leighton with memories of 25078 and that climb still fresh!
Sadly 25078 was withdrawn 4 months later in September 1985, being eventually moved to Vic Berry’s at Leicester for the final cut in April 1987. The villain 25058
lasted until withdrawl in Feb 87 being finally cut again at Berry’s in Jan 89.
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