Roarers and Cromptons, Saturday May 7th 1988
Moves and gen for the day
85034 1Z47 0810 Northampton-Aylesford Railtour LB-MB
33114 1Z470810 Northampton-Aylesford Railtour MB-KO
86421 1B02 1110 Euston-Northampton EU-LB
081 1522 Euston-M.Keynes LB-MK
87026 1A51 1500 Liverpool-Euston MK-EU
85023 1A68 1726 Wolverhampton-Euston
85023 1B10 2010 Euston-Northampton EU-LB
85012 1Z47 Rtn tour
Memories of the day
The rare event of a railtour actually calling at Leighton Buzzard had to be covered. I hadn’t booked as i wanted 33’0 mileage on the tour itself. The “Watercress Flyer” tour arrived Leighton right time around 0845 and with “roaring beast” 85034 up front it had to be done.
The consist was mainly older steam types looking forward to Mid Hants steam power on the tour so i had no problem in getting the front coach window vestibule out of Leighton. The usual pops, hisses, roars and whines of 85034 were enjoyed as we stopped at various shacks including Harrow en route
Bit of a mystery this one, 47581 (probably) with a down Railtour outside the Freightliner depot at Willesden
83009 heading back to Wembley Yard via the dive under/Surburban lines
85034 and 33116 at Mitre Bridge with the box and semaphores standing proud, all very different here today
33114 awaiting to work forward at Mitre Bridge Jn
85034 crosses over the the down line at Mitre Bridge Jn
The Hertfordshire Railtours gripper challenged me saying he would sell me a ticket “once weve left Clapham” (the last stop). Approaching Willesden a NSE SF machine 47581 was passed on a Special, 83009 was also out and about. At Mitre Bridge Jn 33114 was waiting to take the tour forward and a brief bit of “bag” thrash was sampled down the hill from North Pole to Kenny O.
33114 about to depart from Kensington Olympia with the tour to Alresford
I bailed here watching the Crompton thrash away Southwards in style. Over at Euston i as hoping 1B02 Saturday Cobbler would roar, it didn’t, it got lovely 86421. 87101 was also hovering
Back at Leighton station for the late afternoon entertainment 310081 produced for 9.59 miles of screaming to the Keynes. The long fester here saw various up services flagged , passing traffic included 31152, 81013 and 90008.
Shiny new recently delivered 90007 on test passing Milton Keynes
31152 dragiing a failed class 127 Parcels unit from Bletchley to Northampton through the Keynes
The late Saturday afternoon Tilbury bound liners rarerly roared but today got 81013!
87026 on the 1500 Liverpool – Euston was joined for a decent scream to Euston. A good few “roarers” were hovering here so i opted for Euston in the hope of a “roarer” home rather than the return tour off Kenny O. 85023 once released from her inbound Wolves dropped on the 2010 “Saturday Cobbler” for 40 “roaring beast” miles back to Leighton. As i watched 85023 roaring off towards Linslade tunnel there was time to look back on an enjoyable local “Roarer and Crompton” day out…
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