Hitchin log, April 1973

Hitchin  Friday April 13th 1973 (0910-1450)

Getting to Hitchin from Dunstable was always a bit of a hike. It involved a bus (normally an RE) from Dunstable to Luton ( a good 25 minutes) then a second service 92/94 Lowdekka bus for the 30 minute scenic run through Offley to Hitchin, Nightingale Road.

On alighting a quick glimpse at the shed but you normally went down the road pass the station to the cycle shed roof close at the end of the down platform where normally a good few Hitchin spotters of a similar age were usually around. Sometimes a few Hertfordshire  girls added scenic interest too.

As listed below the action was intense 49 different locos in just under 6 hours and very few “Peaks” (rather common at our usual Luton spotting haunt) . There was also plenty “bog carts” but we didn’t bother logging all those Cravens back then.

The personal highlight of the day class 40 271 absolutely storming North with the a Kings X – Leeds service…..happy days

loco	code	Train (where known)	New no	depot	Add Notes
1721	2B65	0836 Royston – Kings X	47130	TI
5608	0B05	Light to shed	31185	FP
1567	1A01	0550 Cleethorpes – Kings X	47450	IM
1516	1A02	0645 Hull – Kings X Pullman	47417	FP
9013	1A03	0725 Leeds – Kings X	55013	HA
9005	1A04	0715 Bradford – Kings X	55005	FP
1504	1N08	0900 Kings X – Newcastle	47405	FP
1969	1L06	0910 Kings X – Leeds	47268	HA
1704	6C30	Ripple Lane – Royston oil	47116	SF	oils
5604	1B66	0920 Kings X – Cambridge	31183	FP
5651	1B66	0930 Cambridge – Kings X	31225	FP
1768	1A05	0700 Cleethorpes – Kings X	47173	IM
5614	0B05	Light off South yard	31191	FP
9011	0B01	Doncaster Works – Finsbury Pk light loco	55011	GD
1519	1A06	0705 Darlington – Kings X	47420	GD
9001	1S17	1000 Kings X – Edinburgh	55001	FP	“Flying Scotsman”
9002	1A07	0732 Newcastle – Kings X	55002	GD
1545	1L09	1015 Kings X – Leeds	47431	GD
5586	0B06	Light to South yard	31168	IM
1110	1A08	0831 Leeds – Kings X	47527	HO
5649	0B64	Down light	31223	FP
3715			08551	FP	Ballast transfer to South Yard
1536	1A09	0848 York – Kings X	47428	GD
9017	1N10	1100 Kings X – Newcastle	55017	GD
1501	1A10	0900 Hull – Kings X	47402	FP
9014	1A11	0810 Newcastle – Kings X	55014	GD
5650	2B65	1104 Kings X – Baldock	31224	FP
9005	1L13	1130 Kings X – Harrogate	55005	GD	off 1A04
3712			08548	HI	Shunting depot
9007	1N14	1147 Kings X – Newcastle	55007	FP
1525	1B66	1130 Kings X – Cambridge	47422	GD
5604	1B66	1130 Cambridge – Kings X	31183	FP
1872	1A14	0835 Halifax/0925 Leeds – Kings X	47222	IM
9016	1S32	1200 Kings X – Aberdeen	55016	HA
9009	1A15	0905 Newcastle – Kings X Pullman	55009	FP
1512	1A16	0948 Harrogate – Kings X Pullman	47413	FP
181	4E35	Bathgate – Dagenham	46044	GD	Empty carflats
1721	1D04	1220 Kings X – Cleethorpes	47130	TI	(off 2B65 up)
9018	1E01	0800 Edinburgh – Kings X	55018	FP
1768	1G02	Up Relief??	47173	IM
1533} 5644}	0B01	Up Light	47425}31219}	YK FP
1516	1S14	1300 Kings X – Edinburgh	47417	FP	off 1A02
1632	1L16	1310 Kings X – Leeds/Bradford	47050	TI
173	1N12	1330 Kings X – Newcastle (FO)	46036	GD
1573} 1577}	1A20	1110 Leeds – Kings X	47019} 47457}	SF/ GD
1567	1B66	1330 Kings X – Cambridge	47450	IM	Off 1A01
1525	1B66	1330 Cambridge – Kings X	47422	GD
5612	4B00		31189	FP	ECS
5649	6B80	Up freight	31223	FP
9011	1S35	1400 Kings X – Edinburgh	55011	GD	Off 0B01
1518	1A22	1100 Newcastle – Kings X	47419	GD
9015	1A25	1414 Cleethorpes – Kings X	55015	FP
271	1L20	1420 Kings X – Leeds	40071	YK
5606	2B66	1404 Kings X – Cambridge	31405	FP
6725	8B40	March – Hitchin freight	37025	MR	“The March freight”
9006	1E05	1000 Edinburgh – Kings X	55006	HA	“Flying Scotsman”
354	6S64	Kings X Goods – Aberdeen	40154	GD	Fish empties
1704	6B42	Royston – Ripple Lane oils	47116	SF	oil

Thanks to RM web for ths photo of a 40 powering North near Hitchin in the mid 70’s with the down fish empties, always the highlight of a day at Hitchin

Locos by class:

Class 08: 3712, 3715..2

Class 31: 5586, 5604, 5606, 5608, 5612, 5614, 5644, 5649, 5650, 5651….10

Class 37: 6725 …1

Class 40: 271, 354..2

Class 46: 173, 181..2

Class 47: 1110, 1501, 1504, 1512, 1516, 1518, 1519, 1525, 1536, 1545, 1567, 1573, 1577,

1632, 1704, 1721, 1768, 1872, 1969  …19

Class 55: 9001, 9002, 9005, 9006, 9007, 9009, 9011, 9013, 9014, 9015, 9016, 9017, 9018

…13

Total viewed – 49.