Much West Midlands power variety, Sunday July 3rd 1983
Summer Saturdays in the early 80’s are the days that produced the most outrageouspower variety countrywide with so many holiday trains. Summer Sundays like July 3d 1983 detailed here saw at least class 20, 25, 31, 37, 40, 45, 46, 47, 50 and 56 all working class 1 turns.
Happy days on the Mid.
Moves Memories
A late start leaving Leighton around 0940 on a pair of 310’s. A second pair forward from The Keynes so our gang of 3 bashers joined the empty power car of 310050 for the usual fast running via Weedon. Although nominally restricted to 75mph a run via Weedon allowed some drivers to give the units a run and we averaged over 80mph Wolverton – Rugby South! After terminating in Rugby’s South bay we joined the 1000 ex Euston with a very dull 86225 to Nuneaton. The “drags” were on as hoped for (there was no gen back then!) but with 47439 going forward we flagged it.
47355 was a winner and after an hours fester at Nuneaton we were glad to escape it even though we had no gen on what was on the next drag and some of the big men were continuing the long fester at Nuneaton. Not far from Abbey Sidings there were howls from many aboard as the monstrous 56098 passed by on the 1200 ex Wolves drag. We’d done the wrong move as there was no chance (unless the isolation overruns) of getting the “grid” now.
Not in the best of spirits we nedded around on the Brum- Wolves circuit getting 47482, 47523 and 86238. At Wolves mid afternoon a big crowd of bashers of all ages awaited the legendary 1G06 1425 Manchester – Birmingham. This was a regular Sunday
class 40 working but not always, 47’s sometimes bowled you out.
You can see the power on approach to Wolves for a long way and cheers went up on seeing a 40, but on closer approach it was a split box 40, always rarer and more chance of a new loco for haulage. 40129 then whistled in on G06 and the train was soon overfilled with bashers! What a great hobby this was i thought, the memory of missing 56098 long gone.
A good few then took 46014 North on 1E08 whilst we opted for 31414 on V24, a hefty load 12 Mk II’s. “Peds” and “eh peds” had a reputation of being slow and always blowing up. So we expected to get no further than Adderley Park with 31414 before failing, the 31 stormed!, how wrong we were! At Cov we festered for the 1548 Padd – Manchester as this often got a big “nb” 47. Another suprise with not 1 but 2 31’s approached from the South at Coventry. 31257 and 31273 both newies were soon in the book for another good run to New St.
That for me was the end of the Sunday variety as it was 86218 to Rugby for the 310’s South this time for the more usual stagger via Northampton.
Other Moves Memories
The Cornish legend the “Buzzard” aka as “Smudger Smith” had done the desperate Sat night/Sun morning move from Brum to Crewe. He leapt off S19 at Stafford to cover the down splitter and to kill some time. His dosing in the waiting room was disturbed when 2 25’s rolled in on a virtually empty Northbound service. The massive 25120 and more common 25032 then went forward to Crewe with the Cornishman aboard! At Crewe there was much nashing of teeth from the festering bashing hordes as the train was terminated there. Smudger can thank the late David Bowie for his rat move, they had worked a 2300 (2/7) Milton Keynes – Crewe additional to get some of the Bowl crowds home that night
Guy Kendrick came up with this gem from the day just a few weeks back. “Couldnt be arsed to go out early that day and get the drags after an early start and late finish the day before. At Birmingham International i jumped on the 1310 International – New St which took the Adderley Park bypass behind the station (thats huge track!, long gone now) for some reason followed by 46014 on the Bristol – Leeds”
Phots from the day, Sunday July 3rd 1983
G06 produces, 40129 approaches Wolves
Jubilation from the younger bashers as 40129 approaches
40129 rests at New St, journey over
31414 was an unexpected sight on 1V24 0920 Glas/Edin – Padd forward from New St
Dispelling the many doubters, 31414 stormed to Cov on load 12 and is seen here about to thrash off to Leamington
87004 at the real Rugby with the 1900 Euston – Holyhead. Note the Mk III sleeper behind the loco being positioned back to Holyhead for the early morning Irish Mail which conveyed a single sleeper in the up direction only
Moves and gen from Sunday July 3rd 1983
060} 0913 Euston-Northampton LB-MK
085}
050} 0957 Bletchley-Rugby Relief MK-RUG
087}
86225 1G24 1000 Euston-Wolves RUG-NUN
47439 1G24 1000 Euston – Wolves (ex Nun)
86103} 1G26 1100 Euston-Wolves NUN-NS
47355}
47426 1V78 1055 Manchester-Padd
47475 1V84 1046 Liverpool-Penzance (to BNS)
50037 1V84 1046 Liverpool – Penzance (ex BNS)
47482 1M00 0925 Brighton-Manchester NS-WO
47523 1052 1233 Manchester-Brighton WO-NS
86238 1M78 1105 Plymouth-Manchester NS-WO
47439} 1A23 1500 Wolves-Euston
86225}
56098 1100 Wolves-Euston/1G26 1200 Euston-Wolves
47531} 1A28 1534 Shrewsbury-Euston
86229}
40129 1G06 1425 Manchester-Birmingham WO-NS
47475 1J32 1400 Euston-Shrewsbury
46014 1E08 1425 Bristol-Leeds
47056 1E77 1655 Birmingham-Norwich
31414 1V24 0920 Glas/Edin-Padd NS-COV
45111} 1M32 1258 Paignton-Liverpool
86220
31257} 1M15 1548 Padd-Liverpool COV-NS
31273}
31170} 1E78 1836 Birmingham-Norwich
31405}
45128} 1O25 1340 Newcastle-Poole
47439}
86218 1A41 1900 Wolves-Euston NS-RUG
060} 2020 Rugby-Euston RUG-LB
093}
Other Bits from that Sunday
20058} all on Skegs
20210}
20170}
20158}
20173}
20188}
25032} 1L05 2300 (2/7) M.Keynes – Crewe Additional “Bowieex”
25120}
40047 and 40093 F &W “Menai Marauder” Railtour in North Wales
37093 1Z27 Hinkley – Whitby charter
DMU 1310 Birmingham Int’l – New St (via Adderley Park through siding)
Any more July 83 memories to share out there?
More phots and gen on 1G06 here
end
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