85036 is about to be failed prior to departure with the 1056 Preston – Euston on February 27th 1988, fortunately 85026 assisted South!
Over the years whether chasing particular classes for haulage, photting them, or in conversation with railway folk, we hear of sinister stories of rogue locos that appear to have evil characteristics to wreck the best laid plans. 47216 is a magazine star, 86257 was a personal nightmare, whilst the 27 crew nicknamed 27036 ‘Damian’ with justification. Perhaps Damian’s distant relation was to emerge from Doncaster Works as E3091 but it was as 85036 most of us will remember a few tales. 85036 amassed many thousands of trouble free running on liners, freight, vans or class one turns such as;
0750 Euston – Liverpool 11/05/64 (ex Nuneaton, as E3091)
1630 Liverpool – Euston 17/09/68 (as E3091)
1S81 2050 Carlisle – Perth 21/07/75
2035 (7/12) Inverness – Euston 08/12/79
0923 Edinburgh – Birmingham 19/09/81
1815 Euston-Northampton 28/10/82
2030 Inverness-Euston 23/2/86
0707 Shrewsbury-Euston 11/7/88
0715 Plymouth-Glasgow/Edinburgh 9/9/88
0715 Northampton-Euston 10/2/89
1432 Liverpool-Euston 24/3/89
Thanks to Glenn Jones for this fine Carlisle view of 85036 with the 1320 Glasgow – Padd on June 9th 1983
Thanks to Neil Evans for this view of 31289 dragging a failed 85036 on the 1814 Euston – Northampton on May 28th 1987
On odd occasions 85036 could turn seriously mean…. Oct 83 saw a morning Northampton-Euston Cobbler was cancelled at Bletchley, after in true rough riding form, the driver’s seat collapsed under him as, you’ve guessed it, 85036 bounced over Denbigh Hall Jn pointwork to the North of Bletchley.
85036 was to grace the exotic power list that hauled the Anglo Scottish Freighter railtour in May 84 and as we roared out of Crewe behind her there was talk of quality mileage to Euston. On arrival here many were shocked to see 86215 at the buffer stops, 85036 having mysteriously left the tour at New St.
Friday March 13th 87 saw a few of us enjoying a run behind 85036 on that famous turn, the 2110 Euston-Stranraer. Around midnight at Preston 85036 quietly shut down and refused to proceed further. That equally solid roarer turn, S19 was our hoped for escape, that night fate decreed 86245 as power.
85036 was being worked hard on 12 Mk 1’s with the tightly timed 1814 Euston-Northampton in May 87 when she failed at Harrow. It is claimed that the commuter consist were asked to change to a following service but refused! anyway 31280 worked the train through to Northampton an hour down.
A young person’s railcard promotion in Feb 88 produced Indian Railway’s syle overcrowding and a Cobbler rake was utilised for a 0730 Euston-Preston relief with 85036 as power. Shelling out cash for a Euston-Preston ticket on a loco I feared wouldn’t get up Camden Bank worried me, but a good run to Preston followed. In a near repeat of events at Preston a year earlier, the replacement driver on the 1056 Preston-Euston Relief failed 85036. Fortunately 85026 was the rescue loco.
85026 and failed 85036 at Euston with the 1056 Preston – Euston on February 27th 1988
After that the jinx appeared to have gone as trouble free runs plenty were taken until her renumbering as a freight sector 85110 in June 89. It was 85015 that was to fail on me at Crewe with the 1550 Liverpool-Poole in August 89 and 85110 that took over for the run to Coventry on one of her last passenger turns. A summer’s evening saw 85110 roaring North through Leighton on liners with perhaps on one of her last main line turns on 4th July 91. 4 days later she was restricted to a local working ECS loco with final withdrawl in Oct 91.
85110 roars off at Coventry after working the 1550 Liverpool – Poole forward from Crewe after 85015 failed on August 23rd 1989
85110 heads North past Old Linslade church with an evening liners on July 4th 1991, the old girl was withdrawn 4 days later as a main line engine…
A spell at the Crewe ED graveyard followed before the final cut at MC Metals in Oct 92 and the legend was confined to memory……….
The Rogue Roarers known failures…
85036 1M60 1505 Plymouth – Manchester Picc 030382
85036 fail Coseley, 47304 rescue
85036 1716 Euston – Northampton 040283
85036 fail Watford jn, 85016 assist
85010} 0115 Holyhead-Euston 070484
85036}
85036 may have burst..again!
47100} 2224 (8/7) Liverpool-Birmingham (25L) 090784
85036(d)}
85036 failed Crewe area
85036 0730 St Helens Shaw St – Euston Ruggex 200485
85036 fail Bletchley, 25089 assist forward
85036 1S06 2110 Euston – Stranraer 130387
85036 fail Preston, 47xxxx forward!
85036 Euston – Carnforth “Thames Eden” kettle 280387
85036 fail Willesden, replaced by 85003
85036 1B09 1814 Euston – Northampton 250887
85036 fail Harrow, 31280 assist 60L
85036 1056 Preston – Euston Relief 270288
85036 failed prior to departure, 85026 assisted South
85036 evening cobbler failed in Euston area, 81013 assist 0588
85036 1830 Liverpool – Euston 220189
85036 fail Edge Hill, not the best of mileage moves!
Much more “roarer” gen, memories and phots here
end..
Leighton Lists 