25185 loco history
New as D7535 to D16 060365, to D01 7/69, to D02 5/70, to D01 6/70, to D02 12/71, BS 5/73, she was renumbered as 25185 280274
WN 7/73, TO 10/74, WN 3/75, CW 6/75, LO 1/76, CD 10/76, KD 5/77, SP 2/81, CD 10/82,
wdn 051184, stored at Crewe.
25185 was then stored at Toton apprentice training loco. Painted up and did a few test runs to Westhouses whilst stored…(on two traction motors only). Rumour has it that en route to Paignton . 25185 stopped at Cricklewood prior to entering preservation, 25185 got some favourable treatment with 2 traction motors changed amongst other niceties. Apparently on high level management querying this, the paper work had mysteriously disappeared! 25185 continued to Paignton under her own power arriving on 150386 working 2 round passenger trips soon after delivery
Selected BR workings
25185 (as 7535) stabled Bletchley
25185 (as 7535) and 25208 (as 7568) 8F50 Cricklewood – Wellinborough coal e’s 210872
25185 (as 7535) at Derby Works 240673
25185 (as 7535) Euston pilot 041173
25185 at Ledburn up cement 180574
25185 and 25305 1E91 0800 Walsall – Yarmouth 130774
25185 Bletchley TMD 270575
25185 Newton Heath depot 060576
25185 1S50 0840 Carlisle – Glasgow 270681
25185 assisted 45112 on 1412 St Pancras – Derby ex Wellinborough 260582
25185 and 25120 1J20 0740 Euston – Aberystwyth 290582
25185 Bridgewater – Windscale flask 050783
25185 and 25044 Mountsorrell – Elstow stone 190983
25185 1A83 0810 Northampton – Euston 201283 (wires down Hemel)
then 1L10 Bullion train Willesden – Lawley St 201283!!
25185 and 25212 1S57 1015 Euston – Glasgow, diverted to Newcastle – cape here snow 230184 – 25185’s last BR passenger working
25185 down trip working Nuneaton 120884
25185 heads North out of Nuneaton on a trip working, 120884. Within 3 months she was withdrawn from BR
Preservation tales
It wasn’t until Saturday June 11th 1988, a Network Day allowed me to get 25185 in the book for haulage. After a longish trip on the “Mule” i arrived at the booking office to have some women ahead of me making a serious complaint that it was a diesel not kettle out. I seriously think she thought you could just fire up a kettle in 5 minutes, not 5 hours. At this time the Paignton and Dartmouth were using their 25 on all Saturday turns. As this was holiday changeover day there were fewer punters on the trains anyway. Perhaps due to complaints like the one experienced firsthand regular class 25 turns on Saturdays ceased after the Summer of 88
.25185 runs round at Kingswear on a hot 110688
An immaculate 7535 now named “Mercury” ran round at Paignton to give me a front coach thrash on the 1430 to Kingswear. The thrash was excellent, the weather superb, happiness is a new rat in Summer! A quick run round at Kingswear and equally loud thrash on the long climb out of Kingswear on the 1515 to Paignton. So 13 enjoyable miles behind 25185 were over and to get home i sampled 31131 and 31206 on sticky coffins! along the sea wall with the 1717 Paignton – Liverpool.
Various galas, running days, Thomas days, kettle shortages and festival additionals saw 25185 perform a few times each season on passenger, with engineers trains keeping her very busy off season. One memorable evening was in association with the Dartmouth Music Festival (glorified piss up) on May 9th 2009. Departure around 1900 was delayed after the wrong pipes had been coupled from the loco to lead coach. The driver was obviously wound up by this and we had a breathtaking, claggy run to Kingswear. The return working was around 2200 ex Kingswear and we arrived back at a worryingly blacked out station 15 minutes before departure time with stock but no 25 anywhere to be seen. 5 minutes before departure time the 25 returned, the station lights were put on and in no time and a few of us were bellowing out of our front coach compos for a rare late night rat run in preservation. Back at Paignton we hurriedly took our phots before being locked in the station!
25185 at Kingswear with Railtour crowds, 210608
25185 back at Paignton near 11pm after working the Festival special from Kingswear, 090509.
25185 was always immaculate at Paignton from soon after arrival in 1986 to her last workings of 2018. Normally being kept in the carriage shed at Paignton helped no doubt! Another Devon Diesel Society sponsored running day saw 25185 back in BR blue and entertaining a sizeable crowd with several round trips worked on August 16th 2014 including another after dark thrashing out of Kingswear.
A ballast empties turn at Goodrington on 100612
25185 was kicked out for a railtour to Paignton and is seen here at Churston, 040513
Looking good at another Devon Deisel Society event at Kingswear, 040513
Now in BR Blue 25185 looks good at Kingswear prior to another late night departure on 160814
A rare straying from Paignton saw 25185 team up with 25262 at the South Devon’s diesel gala at Buckfastleigh on November 7th-9th 2014 and a very popular pairing it was too!
25185 and 25262 prior to departure from Buckfastleigh on the South Devon Railway, 071114
And after a busy Summer in 2018 came the shock announcement that 25185 was to be swapped with 37275 and transferred to Buckfastleigh. The Paignton and Dartmouth wanting a bigger mixed traffic loco and so the “Sulzer Sunset” on Saturday October 6th saw 25185 and 37275 drawing the crowds with top and tail all day running
Its late afternoon at Kingswear on 061018 and sadly has worked her last booked passenger turn ever on the Paignton and Dartmouth….
25185 arrives at Staverton Bridge with a Buckfastleigh – Totnes working on November 3rd 2018
25185 is then starred at the South Devon’s diesel gala alongside 25262 in early November and the story of 25185 will hopefully run and run as she visited other preserved lines in 2019 then came the pandemic….
end
Leighton Lists 