Cab ride memories

Some fabulous memories of cab rides from two of Bedford finest, starting with MIB in the 70’s..

I have had so many cab rides that it is not possible to list them all that I had with my dad. Before he retired at Derby I was given the chance to take the controls and I actually found it easier to drive overnight as less distractions because all I could see were signals in the dark focusing my attention. After my dad retired my cab rides were in Ireland and on preserved railways.,

I did win a competition to have a cab ride in a Deltic on a mainline tour but the tour was cancelled I think and it never happened. A great shame as a required class for a cab run. I also never had a 40 cab ride unlike Hank who had the whopper 40195 York to Scarborough. 

Hank also had a cab ride London Bridge to East Grinstead in 1986 on 33201 and back to New Cross Gate on ecs. Apparently in 1986 you could get cab rides if you were a regular on London Bridge commuters but I had stopped covering them years before. In the mid 80’s I was in full flight bashing and cab rides vanished from my agenda hence why I never went to Plymouth when my dad was at Laira. For the record Hank was offered a cab ride Salisbury to Waterloo on 50003 but declined it. Anyway I digress…

It was rather curious that 22/23 April seemed to be dates for cab rides in the 70’s. Probably the most memorable was my first Western with my dad, Hydraulic Mick, on Tuesday 23 April 1974 on the Leagrave stone. The duty card shift was from 0901 to 1815 so we walked from the signing on point to St Johns and waited for D1045 Western Viscount to arrive on 6M32 0408 from Westbury. I was worried it might be a 47 but when the Western appeared I was made up. If my dad knew what it was he didn’t let on and left me to stew until it arrived. We joined the WR crew in the front cab but an 08 jocko had dropped on the other end to drag us to Bedford Midland. I seem to recall we assisted from the rear as it was a heavy load for a gronk and an idling loco on the back.

At Midland the 08 was unhooked and the WR crew went in the back cab leaving Hydraulic Mick at the controls and myself in the second man seat. Although officially my dad was a conductor, in the majority of his volunteering to work this train, he was allowed to drive while the WR crew took a meal break on the move. They understood his desperation to drive a Wizzo. 

We trundled along the slow lines as I recall a speed limit for the loaded train arriving at Leagrave to drop off the loaded train. The next move was to run light to Luton to pick up the previous day’s empties which had been brought in by D1036 Western Emperor. The wagons we dropped off at Leagrave would be collected  in Luton by D1055 Western Advocate the next day. All very exciting for a 13 year old schoolboy to see such exotic power on the Midland.

Fortunately I went on a good day as had it been the Thursday or Friday of that week I would have got 47137 or 47123 albeit I did have 47080 Titan on the stone train on 24 October 1974. Anyway the light engine run to Luton was the only opportunity to get any speed up and to experience the bobbing sensation of a Western around the 55 to 60mph mark. Curiously I noticed our class 127’s did something similar in the cab at the same speed. Not the time to have a cup of tea off the stove!

Once bolted onto the empties in Luton yard D1045 now formed 6V67 back to Westbury. More slow line running ensued before we had to cross over the fast lines to reach Brent Junction where the WR crew resumed their place at the controls as we left the train. It was rather precarious trying to cross the lines to Cricklewood depot as there is a lot of track to navigate from Brent Junction where 73127 was loitering. We had passed 46048, 46055 and 47160 en route but I don’t remember what the 46’s were on. The 47 was on oil tanks as an Immingham loco. 

Cricklewood depot housed the following in order of viewing: 25070, 25315, 25313, 3770, 5273, 25087, 47355, 95, 45113, 08606, 1950, 08702, 45003, 31418, 45105, 47196, 45119, 47047, 25177, 1585, 7662, 3851, 3573. 

We did a 127 into London viewing 72, 74 and 99 in St Pancras and wandered over to Kings Cross for a while again viewing in order of sighting: 55013, 47050, 55009, 47413, 31225, 47525, 55002, 55011, 47401, 31191, 31249, 46032, 31108, 55022, 55014, 47001, 47407, 47426, 31403, 31405.

At St Pancras we had 104 back to Bedford as passengers but I didn’t note the time of departure. By now 37043 had appeared at West Hampstead as we headed home.

My first cab ride on the Fletliner with Hydraulic Mick occurred on Tuesday 20 August 1974 with a job card from 1155 to 2005 signing on and off. We rode in 25222 paired with 25324 light Bedford to Forders to collect 4F53 1400 to Garston. This was the same pair that had worked the train the previous day. I would have preferred to have done the Monday as the rather large 25012 was provided as the Wigston taxi.

Now in 25324 leading 25222 we headed off from Forders with our heavy load of bricks. It was always a good thrash from Bedford and I can remember being at Bedford Station one day and the rats could be heard for about 5 minutes after passing through. Being in the cab gave me the opportunity to be on the slow lines which were usually avoided on passenger workings.

44004, 44005 and 09019 were all required for sight at Wellingborough Finedon Road so these were bonus cops. I think the 09 was being dragged on a freight but my memory is suitably vague. 

As usual we were relieved at Wigston by the crew who had brought the taxi loco from Leicester depot. Today it was 25124 which we took back to Leicester depot and locos viewed parked up and passing on trains were: 25269, 47199, 25267, 25281, 31233, 46047, 62, 25135, 47007, 78, 45109, 45004, 08699, 63, 25313, 47348. 

We rode back passenger Leicester to Bedford behind 45128 but no details of what the service was. My dad ended the day down the bingo hall.  The following day 25324 + 25222 were on the Fletliner again for a third day with 25258 the taxi loco. Thursday was a family day at Wicksteed Park but on the Friday 25324 found a new partner 25311 on the Fletliner with 25099 doing the taxi run from Wigston.

On 22 April 1977 we had 25051 + 25315 on 9T74 from Bedford and stopped off at Lidlington tip where there was a pond with great crested newts. Armed with a big jar and a fishing net we managed to scoop up many male and female newts to take back to our garden pond long before they became a protected species. My dad returned to 25315 and left me to carry the heavy jar now full of pond water, green moss and newts back to the train. I tried taking a pic while doing this which was a bit blurry taken while walking and using one hand. 

MIB’s nostalgia and memeory rich phot of 25315 and 25051 at Lidlington on April 22nd 1977

We then continued onto Forders to deliver our load of spoil so the newts got both rats in for a cab ride. We then swapped onto 25051 to shunt the spoil empties before returning to Bedford on 25051 + 25315. 

My dad recorded we only had 25315 and it is in his gen book as such but I took a rubbish pic on the day and it is a pair. I also remember a small middle window on the return which 315 didn’t have. Weird, as my dad’s records were usually pretty thorough.

Virtually a year earlier I had a cab ride on 25129 Bedford to Forders and back on the same 9T74 trip working on 23 April 1976 and got some great crested newts and sticklebacks from the pond at Lidlington Tip on the outward so the 1977 move recreated this. However, at St Johns there was another pond with frogs near the signal box so a quick raid netted us frog spawn, grown frogs and tadpoles which were put in another jar as we had gone prepared. At some point we had a few toads so we must have got them from another pond but I don’t recall where. 

I won’t forget the sticklebacks and great crested newts and how one road engineer 35 years later held me responsible for holding up a road scheme. They had to move all these crested newts out of the way as a protected species and these could have been descendants of the newts from our garden.

More MIB nostalgia with 25313 shunting an electrification train at Bedford on February 7th 1979

Thanks to “MIB” for his cab ride memories from the 70’s. And below we have a more modern but equally rateable cab ride from “TC” in Germany in Sep 2005

Frankfurt 25.09.2005.

Phil’s first taste of Germany was a trip with “Wolverton” back in the late 1990’s. I first went with Phil in September 1999, using Eurostar and our German staff passes to travel across from Koln to Dresden, up to Berlin, south to Munich and back to Koln, using three overnight trains and two hotels.

We next did Germany in 2001, and then settled into a pattern of a five or six day trip once a year.

In 2002 we had to fly, a late change to the “booked” plan due to a strike on Eurostar, and in 2003 we ditched the overnight train in favour of a hotel each night. The “IBIS” hotel book with its basic maps and prices was a big help in planning trips. This set the plan for the following trips.

In later years with the internet, we were able to find out specialist information like loco diagrams, and trips reports from other like minded people. I used this information to plan itineraries for mosyt of the following trips.

The 2005 trip involved flying to Stuttgart, stopping overnight in Ulm, Heilbronn, Bonn, Darmstadt (2 nights) and back to Stuttgart. The night in Bonn was down to cost, Saturday nights could be expensive, and some flexibility was needed. On this trip I had wanted to stay a bit further south. The main plan haulage wise was the class 218’s diesels or the electric class 110’s.

Sunday 25th September 2005 was day No.4 of the trip and after a walk from the IBIS hotel back to Bonn Hbf station we headed south. We made out way back to Frankfurt picking up a couple of electrics before covering the line between Frankfurt and Koblenz via Wiesbaden and the East bank of the Rheine. This line was mainly local trains, the long distance Inter City trains ran via the West bank. These local trains were booked a mix of class 110 and class 143 electrics. We were hoping for 110’s, and were happy when we saw 110403 on the 10.53 Frankfurt – Wiesbaden. 110457 was also well received after bailing at Mainz Kastel. The next two engines were Frankfurt based 143’s, 143968 out to a shack called Eltville and 143197 back with the 11.55 Koblenz Hbf – Frankfurt.

We were sat opposite an old “boy” on the run back with 143197, and he started taking an interest in what we were doing. A conversation developed with his fairly broken English and our very broken German, but we managed a basic understanding of each other. He was asking us questions about our hobby. “Bashing” and “Spotting” are pretty much English “things”. Rail enthusiasts or “Eisenbahnfreunde” Railway friends as they are known are more into photography. Give them a sunny day and a loco in an unusual livery and the interest is off the scale!

Anyway, back to our German friend, he told us that he used to be a loco driver for “DB”, the German state Railway, for many years, but he now drives “freelance” or for whoever needs his services. On this particular day he was travelling from his home in Koblenz to Hanau ( a town to the east of Frankfurt) to pick up a loco, and take it to Mannheim yard, and would we like to spend the afternoon with him! After working out exactly what he meant, we quickly agreed.

Back in Frankfurt, we made our way to Hanau Hbf with 111095, a loco which is still around today. We walked up to the sidings and there was the loco we had to take to Mannheim, TLG 11 or in DB numbers 202494. We had seen these at work in East Germany on branch line trains usually with a couple of coaches steaming away.

The late Driver Phil in TLG 16 (202488) which needed to be moved out of the way, and a shot of me doing my best to look in control of my actions as our 80 tonne loco romps along at around 40 mph with me in the seat!Behind TLG 16 was TLG 11 which was our locomotive for the afternoon. TLG 11 in a previous life was 202494 and I have attached a link which shows some pictures of it through history. It was based at Seddin so saw a fair bit of use on branch lines around Berlin. The branch to Tiefensee is one of many that are now closed, but one we did on our first trip.

Typically our loco was in the middle of a line, so some shunting would have to take place first. We dumped out bags in the loco and waited while our driver shunted the other locos out of the way. Once this was done we could grab a quick photo of “our” engine. The loco was fired up ancd checked over to make sure it would go and more importanly to make sure it would stop. The journey details into a computer that also acted as the trains radio system, and we waited for permission from the signaller to proceed. We were soon away, initially heading back towards Frankfurt.

Our friend was showing us the basic controls for the locomotive, the power handle was a huge circular wheel, turn it one way to apply power, turning the other way shut the power off. There was a button you had to press each time you passed a signal. The signalling system is completely different to the UK system, which virtually every line reversable. Phil got the basic idea, but I didn’t. Once we were clear of Hanau, and under close guidance we both had a go at driving our 80 tonne loco.

It is at this point I should add how our guide knew the route. Unlike the UK where a driver “signs” a particular line, the practice for this journey was that the loco contained a large number of map books in a cupboard. Our driver simply got the right book from the cupboard and we were following the map, which showed the lines and the signal numbers. I can’t say if this was true for normal working, but this was a loco that was hired out for various infrastructure and track works and so “in theory” could be used anywhere in Germany.

Going back to the map books, Phil was recording the details of the route in his notebook, aware of what Phil was writing, our guide simply ripped the relevant pages from the map book and gave them to him. After the event we found this highly amusing, imagining some future driver attempting the same journey and not being able to find the missing pages in the book!

From memory the journey went quite smoothly, I can’t recall much stop/start progress and soon we were arriving at Mannheim. I should add that Mannheim has a huge marshalling yard for freight trains and a large depot. It is not unusual for 100 locos to be present at a weekend, all freight engines.

I don’t think our guide knew at first where the loco had to be parked. We were directed towards the engineers sidings in a fairly rundown part of the depot. I recall that we were heading down one line with engineers wagons either side when our driver suddenly threw the brakes in and we ground to a halt. In front of us was a section of siding that was missing its track!

Eventually we parked our loco among some other privately owned diesels, and we made our way over to the main offices. Our guide asked us to wait while he went and reported where the loco was parked. Before leaving the depot, and knowing we were “spotters”, our guide unofficially took us round most of the depot so that we could fill our books. The main shed was out of bounds but we added a fair few numbers. No pictures as it was dark and time ticking on.

We made our way over to the local station, “Mannheim Rangierbahnhof” and caught a train into Mannheim Hbf, before saying our farewells. Our guide was catching an Inter City train back home to Koblenz, we caught a loco train across to Heidelberg before another Inter City took us the short distance to Darmstadt and our bed for the night.

Thanks to “TC” for this cracking cab ride tale..

Many more cab ride features to follow in 2025.