“Retirement rover” or if that’s 8500….RUN!!!!
Thanks to “TC” for the memories…
During the late 1980’s our railway went through a period of great change, everything was being carved up into different sectors, ready for privitisation. Of course this now made our bashing hobby very predictable with the same locos turned out for the same trains.
Freight locos became impossible to ge, the railway was being run by accountants and it all became a question of “money”.If you wanted to use another sector’s engine, you had to pay for it, and more often than not, it became easier to cancel a train if the loco failed.
It was around this time, along with my future wife Liz, we bought a house. The financial commitments meant that i could not spend as much time on my hobby, so in September 1989 I decided to do one last rover. My wife also worked on the railway and expressed an interest to come along (she is quite “genned” up and knows her Deltics from her 37’s you know!). After some planning we settled on some moves which would allow her to see some scenery, and allow me to get some locos in! I didn’t really except to score anything, it was just a last rover.
So on Monday September 3rd 1989, we got to Euston for the 2145 boat train to Holyhead which we took to Crewe. The train was deserted, with a tatty rake of mk 2’s, 86431 flew along , and every so often the lights kept going out, resulting in the guard walking backwards and forwards to fix them, I think he was glad when we got to Crewe, still, Liz found it rather amusing! We got off at Crewe for the Fort William sleeper and a trip on the steam between Fort William and Mallaig.
We returned South the next night, planning to leap at Birmingham, which became Crewe because of late running. So early on Wednesday September 5th 1989 a 304 “Dinosaur” unit was put on for us non stop to Birmingham. The initial plan of heading to Cardiff for a trip over the Marches was put on hold when required 85011 appeared on 1H29 0805 Birmingham – Manchester.
I was now down to one 85, 85007 to clear but fancied a decent run out of 85011, so we decided to head to Manchester instead. We left on time, settled in the front coach, and I set about with the timetable planning for the rest of the day. As we pulled into Stoke I noticed an 85 coming in the opposite platform. I said to Liz only jokingly “if thats 8500” i didn’t get as far as the 7, everything was hastily thrown in the bag, the door was thrown open and I hit the platform running as though my life depended on it! Liz was behind me, quite aware if i made 85007 and she didn’t, she would be left behind…..
I got to the underpass and threw myself down the stairs, about half way under I heard a whistle, was it for 85011 or 85007? I didn’t know. I got up the twisting Stoke stairs and headed for the platform, the last door was just being closed, so I made a run for it. Then I remembered Liz! and kept the door open for her. She was not impressed, and when she got her breath back, she let me know exactly how she felt!
We did 85007 (on 1O09 0818 Manchester – Poole) to Wolverhampton, then maroon 47973 on the 0740 Euston – Shrewsbury for 37428 over the Marches on 1V08 0915 Liverpool – Cardiff
Apart fromthe early withdrawn 85027 and 85033, i had cleared my 85’s and i was well Happy!
Shortly after this phot of 85011 arriving at Crewe with the ECS to form the 0918 Crewe – Glasgow Relief the forwarding driver demanded a fitter. Down went 011’s pan and down went our hopes but all was sorted, the pan went back up and 85011 roared North to Glasgow on August 24th 1990.
Mail bags and tail lamps at Euston for 85007 having arrived on the 1118 Birmingham – Euston on January 23rd 1986
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