Bank holiday “Mid” moves, August 83
A fast bus took me from Alveley (nr Highley SVR) to Kidderminster where I managed to get lost finding the station! The lost time proved to my advantage as at New St I fell onto the rare 87101 for a reasonable mileage move. A tractor, Leicester fester, Crewe buffet overnight then the long awaited Saturday Nuneaton drags followed. Carefree days on the “Mid”.
Friday August 26th 1983
The Moves
DMU 0812 Hereford-Birmingham Kidderminster – New St
87101 0805 Euston-Holyhead New St – Crewe
The rarest “seven” out to play, 45123(on test) and 47529 took this train forward from Crewe
Unusual pair in 45123 and 47529 with the 0805 Euston-Holyhead forward from Crewe having replaced 87101 here, 260883
A good variety of power on Crewe depot 260883
87101 1010 Holyhead-Euston Crewe – Bir Int’l
47105 0958 Weymouth-Leeds Bir Int’l-New St
37127 1530 Birmingham-York New St – Derby
Attracting interest is 37127 at Derby with the 1530 Birmingham-York, 260883
DMU 1712 Derby-Birmingham Derby – New St
31259 1818 Birmingham-Norwich New St – Leicester
45051 1645 Norwich-Birmingham Leicester – Nuneaton
Just for a change the inbound “ped” (31129) reportedly failed in the Oakham area. Not long before the now, very late train arrived 45051 moved off depot to hover on the freight lines. I was quite happy with this as my forwarding power but not many others it seemed…When Scottish 37148 arrived dragging the dead ped, there were howls of derision as the “man with the gloves” detached the 37/31 and eventually attached 45051. One irate presumably non Sulzer man shouted “I need that (37148) and that (31129), but not that rubbish (45051)”. 2 more “neds” joined at Narborough, none too pleased at a very long fester for a “wagon”.
303059 2020 Stafford-Rugby Nuneaton- Rugby
This classic unit was a different world, she rocked and rolled along the Up fast at great pace, superb.
85004 2100 Euston-Stranraer Rugby – Crewe
Was expecting a “can” as the Relief Euston – Stranraer just ahead of S06 got 86316
86242 2305 Manchester-Paignton Crewe – Stafford
Other known gen (at time)
47446 0650 Padd-Edin/Glas
87025 0650 Padd-Edin/Glas
31312 1015 Birmingham-Norwich
47412 0940 Shrewsbury-Euston
45123} 0805 Euston-Holyhead
47529}
47590 0815 Holyhead-Crewe
33021 0740 Cardiff-Crewe (50L)
85002 1120 Liverpool-Birmingham
47471 1150 Crewe-Holyhead Addit
47337 1030 Llandudno-Crewe
85021 1330 Crewe-Euston Addit
47540 0955 Euston-Holyhead
47590 1000 Euston-Holyhead
45148 0958 Weymouth-Leeds (out)
50018 0740 Penzance-Liverpool
45111 1058 Newcastle-Penzance Addit
86210 1320 Manchester-Portsmouth
47105 1320 Manchester-Portsmouth
45143 1230 Leeds-Cardiff
31401 1525 Birmingham-Cambridge
31415 0935 Norwich-Birmingham
47589 1307 Padd-Birmingham
45020 1005 Penzance-York
46052 1506 Bristol-Leeds
47209 1246 Portsmouth-Leeds
46047 1533 Cardiff-Leeds Addit
47589 1625 Manchester-Cardiff
47437 1306 Edin/Glas-Padd
37148} 1645 Norwich-Birmingham (to Leicester)
31129(d)}
45121 1850 St.Pancras-Nottingham
86316 2055 Euston-Stranraer Addit
Saturday August 27th 1983
85029 2150 Bristol-Edinburgh/Glasgow Stafford – Crewe
Ahhh, the delights of a Crewe station buffet overnight…The new self service microwave seemed very busy although not heating pies bought at the buffet itself!. At the time it was a pretty rancid way to spend half the night, especially when “can’s” were on almost all the overnights. The buffet was filled with that unique combination of a few drunks, bashers, lost tourists, normal passengers and a few lunatics who all seemed in retrospect, to gel. All night station buffets or even open all hours major stations are another chunk of the railway lost to us all…
86314 2355 Glasgow-Bristol Crewe – New St
86103 0625 Birmingham-Lancaster New St – Wolves
An hourly Euston service was booked to be dragged Wolves-Nuneaton and we had hopes of some type 5 action. This didn’t happen 47’4’s on most.
47248 0738 Wolverhampton-Brighton Wolves – New St
87033 0807 Birmingham-Glas/Edin New St – Wolves
47200 0846 Wolverhampton-Weymouth Wolves – New St
25237} 0735 Euston-Aberystwyth New St – Wolves
25117}
the rats had come on at Rugby to work via Nuneaton!
47434 0940 Shrewsbury-Euston Wolves-New St
40135 1005 Euston-Aberystwyth New St-Wolves
25249} did not do the 1005 Euston-Aberystwyth…!
25306}
For those of those who witnessed this classic BR impasse at New St is something that we will probably never forget. The allocated 25249/306 were hovering in the loco bay by platform 4 prior to working the Aberystwyth forward as booked. The “Abbo” then arrived with 40135 up front! presumably having worked from Nuneaton and an awful lot of bashers aboard. A long impasse followed, long discussions between the drivers, amidst rumours of Control fixing it for the “40 men”. Another rumour which I struggled to believe that 25306 was somebody’s last rat for haulage…..Well this chap and a few others were well bowled as the 40 stayed on, the rats scuttled off and on arrival at Wolves we didn’t have to wait long for the inbound pair. These produced 25250/287 as predicted and most of the Sulzer men were happy with this pair.
25250} 1010 Aberystwyth-Euston Wolves-New St
25287}
47223 1005 Weymouth-Leeds New St – Derby
47223 at Derby with the 1005 Weymouth – Leeds on August 27th 1983
A withering on arrival at Derby with ex Scottish 25109 on the 1300 Skegness-Derby coffins! This rat had replaced a peak at Nottingham and it’s next duty was to reverse the stock into Etches Park and stable for the rest of the long weekend!
25109 is an unusual sight with the 1300 Skegness-Derby which she had worked from Nottingham, 270883
45132 1428 York-Plymouth Derby – New St
45043 1420 Paignton-Nottingham New St – Leicester
31166} 1557 Yarmouth-Birmingham Leicester – New St
31233}
DMU 2132 Birmingham-Worcester New St-Kidderminster
Other known gen (at time)
86311 2124 Bristol-Edinburgh
47445 2206 York-Shresbury
47556 0207 Cardiff-Crewe
87001 2230 Euston-Inverness
86324 2240 Euston-Perth/Glasgow
87023 2335 Euston-Glasgow
86328 2350 Glasgow-Paignton
47540 0115 Holyhead-Euston
85019} 0115 Holyhead-Euston
81004}
86103 0352 Crewe-Birmingham
86220 2306 Edinburgh-Bristol
86226 2225 Perth/Glasgow-Euston
86325 1930 Inverness-Euston
47412} 0600 Wolverhampton-Euston
86249}
47588} 0700 Wolverhampton-Euston
87020}
47558 0643 Wolverhampton-Padd
47205 0804 Birmingham-Norwich
47445 0740 Shresbury-Euston
31319} 1015 Birmingham-Norwich
31248}
47508} 0900 Wolverhampton-Euston
86207}
86229 0750 Liverpool-Poole
47101 0750 Liverpool-Poole
50016 0645 Padd-Glas/Edin
46010 0802 Nottingham-Paignton
47437 0625 Taunton-Birmingham
47369 0612 Holyhead-Euston
47269 0728 Leeds-Newquay
47264 0820 Liverpool-Paignton
47264 at New St about to work the 0820 Liverpool – Paignton forward, August 27th 1983
47317 0920 Manchester-Poole
85024 0933 Manchester-Paignton
47369 0933 Manchester-Paignton
47369 at New St prior to working the 0933 Manchester – Paignton forward on August 27th 1983
31415 0740 Norwich-Birmingham
46051 1005 Bristol-Glasgow
47105 0805 Portsmouth-Manchester
47285 0817 York-Tenby
45148 0826 Bradford-Paignton
47454 0847 Brighton-Manchester
47526 0940 Poole-Newcastle
47513 0940 Poole-Newcastle (out)
47230 0950 Paignton-Manchester
45111 0950 Newcastle-Poole (in)
47440 0950 Newcastle-Poole
47209 1020 Portsmouth-Leeds
45026 1005 Paignton-Leeds
47232 1020 Paignton-Glasgow
47101 1005 Weymouth-Leeds (in)
25109 1300 Skegness-Derby
47434 1521 Liverpool-Poole
47248 1348 Brighton-Manchester
47579 1115 Norwich-Birmingham (3 hrs late-lineside fires)
85018 1625 Manchester-Swansea
45049 1625 Manchester-Swansea
47579 1818 Birmingham-Norwich
47080 1705 Poole-Derby
47230 1840 Manchester-Padd
end
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