Thanks to Mike Lewis for his “slim” and other superb “slim and tonic” Crompton memories….read on
My first time with each slim is rather boring as five of them were scored on the same service. As they were eth I didn’t make much effort to have them preferring to save them for a rainy day which stretched over 8 years.
The majority of those rainy days arrived in 1985 on the Gatwick overnight which was generally free and sharing a compo with George more preferable than a night in a New St wendy house bench. The only problem with this was the effort to get back to Birmingham for any drags Sunday otherwise I could go home.
I always considered 33212 to be the hardest one to get and RGA supports this as it has the least workings listed as known gen to date. Of course with so much gen missing such as the London Bridge commuters it is difficult to be precise and the gen in the 70’s is more sparse.
How easy each one was rather depends on what effort you made and when. Looking back in history if I had covered the 1821 to East Grinstead for a month or two I probably would have had the lot with the minimum of effort. That would have been easy to do if working in the city 9 to 5.
Like Ian, my first one was 33207 but two years earlier while I still had free passes until mid 1980. After that I had to buy pieces and rovers which meant nb stuff became a greater target and I had a three year gap in scoring a slim.
So here goes with Part 1 in order of scoring the rascals:
33207 2U25 1821 London Bridge to East Grinstead 4 January 1980 done throughout. I had spent the day doing Hastings units to the coast and back. I could do with finding a website on thumper gen. I returned from East Grinstead on the 1949 to Vic with 3D’s 1315/1301.
A few years later Mike phots 33207 at Poole on a “Poshex” on June 9th 1984
33209 2U25 1821 London Bridge to East Grinstead 18 February 1980 done throughout. On this day I had done 1306 Eridge to Tonbridge on what is now the Spa for Hastings units. Tadpole 1205 was done to Ashford and back for a Hastings unit to Tonbridge and back to Eridge on 1306. A thumper to Oxted to intercept 33050 on the 1554 East Croydon starter which I did to East Grinstead and back on the 1659 East Grinstead to London Bridge where 33209 dropped on the other end. I returned to Vic with 1305/1106 on the 1949 from East Grinstead.
33204 2U27 1910 Uckfield to East Croydon which I did Ashurst to East Croydon 18 August 1982. I was on a two week all line and had done 33037 on 1U16 1734 London Bridge to East Grinstead as far as Oxted to do 33050 on 2U19 1750 LB to EG as far as Hurst Green for 1305 to Ashurst. After doing 33204 I was very put out when 1315/1301 rolled in to take me to London Bridge. The exact same pair I had off 33207 in January 1980!
Mike captures 33204 between turns at Reading on August 11th 1988
After London Bridge my overnight move to Portsmouth involved 73140 on the 2252 from Waterloo, followed by 33111, 33112, 73119 and 33008. Looking back now it was a pointless overnight as only 33112 got scrapped from the five locos involved. Who would have thought it?
33203 1O52 0345 Mitre Bridge Junction to London Victoria 2 June 1985. This was the 2301 Manchester Piccadilly to Gatwick which involved doing 85005 at 0130 out of Birmingham New St. We were treated to a bit of overnight excitement as a points failure resulted in us being diverted to London Victoria where the train terminated. I was pleased with this as getting any 33 into Vic was tough let alone a slim.
When Phil scooped 33203 on the same train on 8 September 1985 with 85014/45113, I was also on it so I could get 33203 into Gatwick to make up for missing out the first time.
33210 1O52 0345 Mitre Bridge Junction to Gatwick Airport 9 June 1985. This train was diverted due to engineering work where I had three winners.
A year or so later Mike captures 33210 stabled in the loco siding at Woking on July 3rd 1986
First off was 37172 piloting 47532 on the 2254 Worcester to New St on the overnight to Glasgow followed up by winner 47349 at 0152 off New St to Nuneaton on the diverted Gatwick. 86204 worked forward when I crashed out. Apparently 47100 dragged us Rugby to Northampton but I was asleep and knew nothing of this. The 86 continued to Mitre Bridge for my third winner of the night 33210.
58024 was on the drags so I did 85002 on the 0835 Euston to Holyhead additional as far as Nuneaton. 47401 dragged us to New St to cover the other diagrams with 58024.
33201 1O52 0345 Mitre Bridge Junction to East Croydon 28 July 1985. 86101 and 47616 were involved on the 2301 Manchester to Gatwick. As we were doing the Darkle Dungeneer railtour from Reading, and the train was 80 minutes late on normal timings, we bailed at East Croydon. This was another night Phil was on the train by the looks of it.
33212 1Z10 1412 Ashford to Dungeness on the 0630 Dungrneer railtour from Plymouth 28 July 1985. 33210 did the 1525 Dungeness to Ashford return. This was the only time I scored two slims in one day and the first time I had three in a day.
I had 33210 again to Gatwick on 11 August 1985 when Ian was on board. The overnight involved 85016 to New St for 86235 forward. After Gatwick I covered the Welwyn Garden City to Potters Bar drags and scooped 31196.
As for 33212 I only had it once on a service train. 33031 on 1V16 1638 Waterloo to Exeter as far as Basingstoke on 30 May 1986. 33212 was taken back to Waterloo on 1L12 1728 from Salisbury.
33208 1O52 0345 Mitre Bridge Junction to East Croydon 25 August 1985. I can’t recall why we bailed at East Croydon after suffering 86232 from Wolverhampton on the 2301 from Manchester to Gatwick. No loco swap that I recall at New St this time.
33208 arrives at Sherbourne with 1O19 1047 Exeter – Waterloo on May 5th 1988
I was to have 33208 again on 1L12 1732 Salisbury to Waterloo from Woking to Waterloo 24 October 1987. It was on a 4TC and followed on from a spin on 33102 on the St Albans Abbey branch in the morning.
33202 1B72 1940 Exeter St David’s to Cardiff Central between Taunton and Bristol TM 25 August 1986 after it had done the Honiton shuttler. I had done winner 47186 in front of it Exeter to Taunton on the 1835 Paignton to Paddington relief.
33202 agains the massive retaining wall at Brighton on May 30th 1992
33206 1L12 1729 Salisbury to Waterloo which I did Andover to Waterloo 30 October 1986. I did 33025 Waterloo to Woking on 1W55 2252 to Weymouth the night before on 29 October. I made my way back to London on some veptile and was rather surprised to find 33207 at the head of 1F51 0333 London Bridge to Eastbourne so this was done all the way.
Later in the day to get to 33206, I did 33204 on a 4TC with 2L40 1636 Salisbury to Basingstoke. This enabled me to pick up 33117 on 1V16 1636 Waterloo to Exeter which was done Basingstoke to Andover to intercept 33206. This was my second time to have three slims in a day.
33205 1L12 1725 Salisbury to Waterloo from Woking to Waterloo on 22 January 1988. Not only was it my last slim but also my last 33 for haulage so when I got a call at work about it I left the office early. I did 73105 on 1B33 1744 Waterloo to Bournemouth out to Woking for it on a 4Rep/8TC formation. 33205 then worked 1V55 2252 Waterloo to Bournemouth. A few days after having my last 33, I was to have my last roarer 81012 Milton Keynes to Northampton so a good start to the year.
I never had 33205 again and it was annoying that the day after I had been on the Pompey’s in May 1988 it came out to play. Still I take some satisfaction that I never scored any slims on the 89 circuit.
Part 2
I had quite a few notable slim workings after they were dud which I will indulge in now which have no real relevance to the part dealing with the day they were scored.
My third triple slims in a day occurred on 9 June 1987. I did 33209 on 1O85 1510 Cardiff to Brighton all the way from Bristol TM to Bath and did the first train back to Temple Meads for 33206 back to Bath on 1O45 1620 Cardiff to Portsmouth Harbour.
33050 took me on to Trowbridge for a big fall on as winner 37214 rolled in dragging unit B473 on 2V68 1704 Weymouth to Bristol which I did to Temple Meads. I completed the triple with 33201 on 2O98 2015 Bristol to Portsmouth Harbour bailing at Salisbury.
My next slim was 33204 again on 2O98 2015 Bristol to Portsmouth Harbour where I leapt at Keynsham for 33002 back. Earlier in the day I did 37232 on a 1Z33 0910 Swansea to Paddington relief but sadly couldn’t go all the way. I had to get back to Carmarthen for winner 37158 on 2B27 1420 Milford Haven to Swansea. I then did a HST Swansea to Cardiff to do 1O47 1810 Cardiff to Bristol with 50039 to have 33204.
Following this I had two more encounters with 33206. On 8 September 1987 I did it Waterloo to Eastleigh on 1B01 0245 Waterloo to Bournemouth. I then had 47102 dragging failed 33040 Southampton to Eastleigh. Two days later on the 10th 33206 took me from Salisbury to Southampton on 1O45 1620 Cardiff to Portsmouth Harbour.
The next slim was 33204 Warminster to Salisbury on 1O41 1210 Cardiff to Portsmouth Harbour on 11 September 1987. However, the highlight of the day was 33053 on 1P15 0925 Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour vice 50.
I was to get 33204 again on a two week all line working 1O13 1530 Liverpool Lime St to Poole which I did Reading to Poole on 11 August 1988.
On 14 September 1987 I did 33211 Waterloo to Eastleigh on 1B01 0245 Waterloo to Bournemouth.
Towards the end of the 89’s I did 33201 Salisbury to Bristol on 1V66 1310 Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol on 9 May 1988. I later did it Bath to Salisbury on 1O46 1605 Swansea to Portsmouth Harbour. Another 33 returned me to Bristol to have 33211 on 1O50 2145 Bristol to Southampton throughout.
My fourth triple slims in a day was on a bash with Ian on 10 May 1988. A fourth slim 33209 did feature but was silent as 47425 dragged it on 1O33 0800 Cardiff to Portsmouth Harbour to get it from Bath Road to Eastleigh which we did to Salisbury.
We did 33208 on 1V09 0910 Waterloo to Exeter but I had no validity past Yeovil Junction so bailed. After a couple of 50 moves I rejoined 33208 on 1O19 1417 Exeter to Waterloo from Sherborne back to Salisbury.
Later 33201 was had Salisbury to Bath on 1V79 1610 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff for 33059 back to Salisbury. Then 33211 Salisbury back to Bath on 1V87 1810 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff. The following day I had 33211 again Bristol to Cardiff and back on 1V58 1110 from Portsmouth Harbour and 1O85 1510 to Brighton. I later went home and 33205 appeared 12 May to irritate me.
33201 on arrival at Temple Meads with 1V58 1110 Portsmouth – Cardiff, 33211 was to work it forwar on May 11th 1988, a good day for “slims” on route 89
33211 at Cardiff after havng replaced 33201 at Temple Meads with 1V58 1110 Portsmouth H – Cardiff on May 11th 1988
I sort of lost interest in the Southern for a period but on 17 August 1991 I was at Highbury to see Arsenal get a 90th minute leveller in a 1-1 draw with QPR. Absolutely gutted I went to Waterloo after the game where 33208/33201 were on 2V21 1915 Waterloo to Exeter which I did to Basingstoke for 47709 back.
Since the Millennium I can only recall one more mainline run with 33207 on 5 September 2009. This was on 2Z38 1505 Claydon North Junction to Marylebone via Aylesbury after doing 37516 from Marylebone. I haven’t gone through my records since 2000 but I think all other slims have been on preserved lines.
Tony Ewers getting them “slims” in
Leighton Lists 