location…Pitstone is a village with its Western extremity adjoining the WCML. It is at the North end of Tring Cutting some 34 miles from London. It was famous for its large cement works with 4 exchange sidings where cement, coal and gypsum wagons would be marshalled before the Sentinel Industrial shunters took them into the works proper.
The location was an 8 mile cycle from my then home of Dunstable or the 61 bus from Luton and Dunstable used more by my Luton mates. The bus still runs today albeit not with a United Couties FLF! The exchange sidings are long gone, as are the cement works, just a few relics survive to jog the memory.
In Railway terms the cement works were always referred to as “Tring cement works” yet to the whole of South Bedfordshire and Bucks they were Pitstone cement works!
notes from the day ..virtual non stop loco action with 42 locos logged, no 81-85 on passenger (as booked off peak), a classic WCML down slow freight block 1447-1505- 4 freights following each other. Majority of trains were lengthy Mk II d/e rakes. ….Diesel action very limited under the 70’s wires, just 25310 on the KX Goods – Pitstone (via Bletchley) cements
rarest visitor seen at Pistone over the years – In the many hours spent linesiding at Pitstone all sorts of power was viewed but personally the rarest visitor i saw was 24143 heading North light engine one morning on May 11th 1974….Rare!
The Pitstone loco logs Thursday March 3rd 1977
86012 D Pass 1325
86246 U Pass 1328
86240 U Pass 1331
86235 U Pass 1336
86224 D Pass 1338
87006 D Pass 1341
86228 U Pass 1349
83008 D Parcels 1350
85003 U Mixed freight 1353
85017 D Liners 1355
87027 U Pass 1405
86218 U Pass 1413
86016 D Pass 1418
81020 D Freightliner 1422
86244 U Pass 1423
81010 D Cement n gypsum e’s 1426
87101 D Pass 1426
86204 U Pass 1429
86212 D Pass 1430
87026 D Pass 1440
86232 D Pass 1441
87023 U Pass 1445
85011 D Mixed Freight 1447
87013 D Pass 1450
86230 U Pass 1452
85040 D Charrington Oils 1459
86029 D BOC 1502
25310 D Cement 1505
87031 D Pass 1512
87018 U Pass 1515
86211 U Pass 1519
86245 D Pass 1525
87033 U Pass 1527
86207 D Pass 1529
87002 U Pass 1533
86234 D Pass 1537
86247 D Pass 1549
86233 U Pass 1552
86228 D Pass 1610
86231 U Pass 1612
86260 D Pass 1615
86026 D Cars 1615
87014 U Pass 1619
86246 D Pass 1620
87006 U Pass 1622
86009 D Pass 1626
86244 D Pass 1631
86019 U Pass 1634
87023 D Pass 1641
86235 D Pass 1650
Repeats —86228 up at1349,returned on down 1610
86246 up at 1328, returned on down 1620
87006 down at 1341, returned on up 1622..
…87006 very likely on 1310 Euston – BNS and 1510 return
86244 up at 1423, returned on 1631
87023 up at 1445, returned on down 1641
86235 up at 1336, returned on down 1650
Locos viewed (42)
25310
81010, 81020, 83008, 85011, 85017
86009, 86012, 86016, 86019, 86026, 86029
86204, 86207, 86211, 86212, 86218, 86224, 86228, 86230, 86231, 86232, 86233, 86234, 86235, 86240, 86244, 86245, 86246, 86247, 86260
87002, 87006, 87013, 87014, 87018, 87023, 87026, 87027, 87031, 87033, 87101
More Pitstone logs to follow, just very few photos i’m afraid..
Thanks to John Williams for this afternoon Crewe view of 86235 in Stockton n Darlington celebration livery on an up Inter City on August 3rd 1979.
end
