Thanks to Jim Burton for this quality nostalgia
Do we all remember the anticipation of approaching holiday weekends in the days of long ago?? Christmas/New Year/Easter.Whitsun/the Friday before August Bank Holiday Monday? Unlike the present, when half the network, at least, appears to be closed down for engineering works, in the distant past there seemed to be a realisation that people actually wished to travel over these weekends. What is more, they wished to travel on trains NOT buses!!! Which brings me to the subject of relief trains. via….. Mr.C’s recent visit to Kew, which helped me to fill in many of the the gaps in my records for the Easter weekend of 1961. It is worth remembering that this was in the days of a KX without improvements in operating convenience and semaphore signals over the vast majority of the ECML.
On Thursday, March 30 I arrived at NNG at approx 4.40 p.m. and purchased a Day Return to Gthm – cost, if I remember aright 4 shillings and 1 penny!! In the course of that evening till 9.22 p.m. I observed 64 different locomotives – only 3 of which were on Gthm MPD and did not work. In addition to the normal service of passenger trains (all the Pullmans were running except the “Master Cutler”), plus the reliefs, there was a full service of freights and parcels/ECS workings. I will have to pay Kew a visit myself to check on the retimings of the normal trains – suffice to say that the operating left one nigh speechless in admiration.
There were departures from KX at
2.00 p.m. 2.10 p.m. 2.35 p.m. 2.50 p.m. 2.59 p.m. 3.10 p.m.
3.20 p.m. 3.35 p.m. 3.40 p.m. 3.59 p.m. 4.10 p.m. 4.35 p.m.
4.50 p.m. 5.10 p.m. 5.19 p.m. 5.32 p.m. 5.45 p.m. 5.59 p.m.
6.10 p.m. 6.19 p.m. 6.34 p.m. 6.49 p.m. 7.00 p.m.
Now this is just “main-line” never mind about the inner and outer suburbans and the Cambridge line!! And it wasn’t as though the “up” was much quieter.
Well, I hear you ask….what were the details…OK then….
The latenesses in brackets are according to the normal booked times with
the exception of trains note as RETIMED when latenesses are based on
the assumption of the normal schedule being applicable..
4.44 p,m. NNG 75 9.30 a.m. Glas (QSt)-KX.
60140 BALMORAL (50A)
load 11 ; (20 late)
4.52 p.m. NNG 74 2.00 p.m. KX-Saltburn ; THE TEES-THAMES
60517 OCEAN SWELL (52B) ex-Gthm
load 11 ; (24 late )
4.59 p.m. NNG 1269 3.00 p.m. Dcr Mineral-Welham
48534 (2E)
load 18B ; (3 early)
4.59 p.m. NNG 174 2.10 p.m. KX-Yk (extended Ncle)/Hull
60157 GREAT EASTERN (36A)
to Dcr (?)
load 11 ; (22 late)
5.08 p.m. NNG 379 2.35 p.m. RELIEF KX-Ncle
60966 (34E)
load 10 ; 1 late
5.17 p.m. NNG 626 3.12 p.m. RELIEF Lds (Cen)-KX
60861 (56B) to Gthm
load 11 ; TIME
5.22 p.m. NNG 985 3.09 p.m. Brad (Ex)/3.22 p.m. Lds (Cen)-KX
THE WHITE ROSE
60066 MERRY HAMPTON (34A)
load 12 ; (13 late)
5.24 p.m. NNG 381 2.50 RELIEF KX-Ncle
60103 FLYING SCOTSMAN (34A)
load 12 ; 2 late
5.30 p.m. NNG 849 4.40 p.m. SX Dcr-KX
60122 CURLEW (36A)
load 12 ; (5 late)
5.32 p.m. NNG 482 5.08 p.m. SX Gthm-Dringhouses
61251 OLIVER BURY (34F)
load 6B ; (TIME)
5.38 p.m. between NNG and Gthm 383 2.59 p.m. RELIEF KX-Ncle
60521 WATLING STREET (52B)
load 11 ; 8.late
5.41 p.m. Between NNG and Gthm 76 3.10 p.m. RETIMED KX-Ncle – running
independently of Sund portion
D256 (52A)
load 13 ; (19 late) (assuming no further retimings)
5.45 p.m. between NNG and Gthm 262 12.18 p.m. SX Ferme Park-Niddrie
92141 (34E)
load 35B ; (76 late)
5.51 p.m. Gthm. 385 3.20 p.m. RELIEF KX-Sund
60881 (34E)
load 12 ; 17 late
5.55 p.m Gthm 530 3.35 p.m. RELIEF KX-Lds (Cen)/Brad (Ex)
5.59 p.m. 60050 PERSIMMON (34F)
to Gthm
60129 GUY MANNERING (52B)
ex-Gthm
load 12 ; 7 late arrival
5 late departure
6.01 p.m. Gthm on Gthm MPD 60121 SILURIAN (50A)
6.05 p.m. Gthm 1201 11.40 a.m. Frodingham-High Dyke
63982 (34F)
load 45B ; (45 late)
6.05 p.m. Gthm 842 12.15 p.m. SX PCLS KX-Yk
60893 (34E)
load 15 ; (48 late)
6.09 p.m. Gthm 962 3.40 p.m. KX-Lds (Cen)/Brad (Ex)
60115 MEG MERRILIES (56C)
load 12 ; (29 late)
6.14 p.m. Gthm 266 3.05 p.m. KX Goods-Niddrie
60017 SILVER FOX (34A)
load 38B ; (26 late)
6.19 p.m. Gthm 531 3.59 p.m. RELIEF KX-Lds (Cen)/Brad (Ex)
60149 AMADIS (36A)
load 11 ; 4 late
6.24 p.m. Gthm 131 11.00 p.m. Glas (QSt)-KX
THE QUEEN OF SCOTS
60117 BOIS ROUSSEL (56C)
ex-Lds (Cen)
load 11 ; (10 late)
6.30 p.m. Gthm LE up to Gthm MPD
60112 ST. SIMON (34F)
6.33 p.m. Gthm 2467 5.40 p.m. Nott (Vic)-Gthm
67746 (40E)
load 5 ; 5 late
6.38 p.m. on Gthm MPD 60936 (36A)
6.41 p.m. Gthm ???? PRESFLO CEMENT
92147 (34E)
load 17B ; (?)
6.43 p.m. Gthm 102 4.10 p.m. RETIMED KX-Yk running independently of
Lds (Cen)/Brad (Ex) portion
60523 SUN CASTLE (36A)
load 11 ; (30 late)
6.49 p.m. Gthm 460 3.05 p.m. RELIEF Ncle-KX
60048 DONCASTER (34F)
load 12 ; TIME
6.52 p.m. Gthm 532 4.35 p.m. RELIEF KX-Lds (Cen)/Brad (Ex)
6.57 p.m. 60105 VICTOR WILD (34F)
to Gthm
60861 (56B)
ex-Gthm
load 12 ; TIME arrival
I early departure
6.57 p.m. Gthm. 529 3.15 p.m. Dringhouses-New England
92201 (36A)
load 29B ; (21 late)
7.03 p.m. Gthm 2471 6.15 p.m. Nott (Vic)-Gthm
67747 (40E)
load 5 ; (TIME)
7.04 p.m. Gthm. 581 4.10 p.m. Hull-East Goods
61393 (34A)
load 29B ; (22 late)
7.09 p.m. Gthm 82 4.50 p.m. KX-Ncle
THE TEES-TYNE PULLMAN
D207 (34G)
load 9 ; (27 late)
7.11 p.m. Gthm 437 1.29 p.m. RELIEF Edin Wav-KX
7.16 p.m. 60016 SILVER KING (52A)
to Gthm
60062 MINORU (34A)
ex-Gthm
load 11 ; 5 late arrival
4 late departure
7.19 p.m. Gthm 77 9.45 a.m. Adeen/1.36 p.m. RETIMED Edin Wav-KX
D250 (52A)
load 11 ; (6 late)
7.26 p.m. Gthm 386 5.10 p.m. RELIEF KX-Ncle
D209 (34G)
load 12 ; 2 early
7.30 p.m. Gthm 923 5.00 p.m. Brad (Ex)/5.29 p.m. Lds (Cen)/5.42 p.m.
Sheff (Vic)-KX
60150 WILLBROOK (50A)
load 12 ; (9 late)
7.35 p.m. Gthm 4521 5.25 p.m. Colwick-New England
61951 (40E)
load 34B ; (45 late)
7.37 p.m. Gthm 387 5.19 p.m. RELIEF KX-Ncle
60046 DIAMOND JUBILEE (34F)
load 11 ; 1 late
7.41 p.m. Gthm 39 9.35 a.m. ECS Delavel-Holloway
60961 (50A)
load 17 ; (7 late)
7.49 p.m. Gthm 84 5.32 p.m. RETIMED KX-Harro/Brad (Ex)/Lds (Cen)/Hull
THE YORKSHIRE PULLMAN
60110 ROBERT THE DEVIL (34A)
load 11 ; (11 late)
7.52 p.m. Gthm 624 5.17 p.m. RELIEF Lds (Cen)-KX
7.58 p.m. 60120 KITTIWAKE (56C)
to Gthm
60106 FLYING FOX (34F)
ex-Gthm
load 11 ; 14 late arrival
14 late departure
8.00 p.m. Gthm 388 5.45 p.m. RELIEF KX-Ncle
60058 BLAIR ATHOL (52A)
load 12 ; TIME
8.01 p.m. Gthm 71 5.17 p.m. Hull-KX
60114 W.P. ALLEN (36A)
ex-Dcr
load 11 (21 late)
8.12 p.m. Gthm on Grantham MPD 63956 (34F)
8.18 p.m. Gthm 714 4.20 p.m. SX KX Goods- Dringhou
ses
60950 (34A)
load 51B ; (1 early)
8.22 p.m. Gthm 533 5.59 p.m. RELIEF KX-Lds (Cen)/Brad (Ex)
60056 CENTENARY (34F)
load 12 ; 1 late
8.27 p.m. Gthm 1849 7.35 p.m. Boston-Grantham
43065 (40F)
vice DMU
load 4 ; (6 early)
8.31 p.m. Gthm 459 1655 RELIEF Ncle-KX
60886 (52B)
load 11 ; 19 late
8.32 p.m. Gthm LE down to Gthm MPD
60111 ENTERPRISE (34F)
8.35 p.m. Gthm 629 5.52 p.m. Brad (Ex)/6.16 Lds (Cen)-KX running
independently of 47 5.00 p.m. Ncle-KX ex-Dcr
60153 FLAMBOYANT (50A)
load 11 ; 14 late
8.42 p.m. Gthm. 86 6.10 p.m. RETIMED KX-Ncle
D243 (52A)
load 13 ; 23 late
8.45 p.m. Gthm 47 5.00 p.m. Ncle-KX running independently of Lds
(Cen)/Brad (Ex) portions ex-Dcr.
D208 (34G)
load 11 ; (29 late)
8.46 p.m. Gthm 534 6.19 p.m. RELIEF KX-Lds (Cen)/Brad (Ex)
8.50 p.m. Gthm 60032 GANNET (34A)
to Gthm
60120 KITTIWAKE 56C)
ex-Gthm
load 12 ; 8 late arrival
6 late departure
9.02 p.m. Gthm 634 6.34 p.m. RELIEF KX-Hull
60119 PATRICK STIRLING (36A)
to Dcr (?)
load 11 ; 14 late
9.06 p.m. Gthm 4535 7.40 p.m. Colwlick-New England
61957 (40E)
load 38B ; (36 late)
9.10 p.m. Gthm 88 6.49 p.m. RETIMED KX-Lds (Cen)/Hali (T)/Hull
Hull portion detached Dcr
60134 FOXHUNTER (56C)
load 12 ; (14 late)
9.14 p.m. Gthm ? 9.10 p.m. RELIEF Gthm-Adeen
60112 ST. SIMON (34F)
to ?
load 11 ; 4 late
9.22 p.m. Gthm 94 7.00 p.m. RETIMED KX-Hull
60061 PRETTY POLLY (34A)
to Dcr
load 11 ; (8 late)
end
Leighton Lists 