Thanks to John Williams for the logs, phots and epic memories of very different times..
Imagine the scene, its 1930 on a Friday Night, teacher John William with 19 schoolkids to keep one eye on and the other on Maidenhead station tunnel steps awaiting his last party member. A few minutes later a dishevelled, red faced schoolkid arrives with duffle bag swinging, mutters apologies to an icy glare from his teacher!
The 117 DMU on the 1937 to Padd soon arrives and the excited kids pile aboard. A surprise on Acton yard was Thornaby’s 6745 a cop for all. The tube to Euston Square then flying visits to Euston, St Pancras and Kings Cross. After noting the buffer stop power here the happy band camped out at the far end of platform 8 watching the endless loco movements.
Then it was all aboard the 2230 Edinburgh overnight. TSO E4518 the party’s bed for the night, 47518 was the power , the kids wanting Deltic 55015 “Tulyar” which was also hovering at the Cross in Napier style…
Not much sleep followed on the Northbound journey with so much power to spot, the party leaving the train at Edinburgh at 0630 on the Saturday morning. Whilst John went for a coffee and a pie the kids swarmed off to spot unfamiliar power at the stops and on through roads. Haymarket depot was done first, 28 locos plus many DMUs, then a noisy top and tail 27 on the push pull to Falkirk High.
The 50 minute walk to Grangemouth depot followed, the likes of Laurieston Road seeming a long way from leafy Maidenhead. 11 locos were on Grangemouth depot “quality not quantity” here remarked John. The shorter walk to Falkirk Grahamston then a DMU to Glasgow Queen St giving the kids a passing preview of what they should see on Eastfield.
An EMU to Springburn then Eastfield depot itself, packed with 64 locos, a minor panic on leaving the depot, one of the kids was missing! He sheepishly appeared on the entrance drive 10 minutes later, this lad liked to cab the locos as well, later boasting he “done over 40!” at 65A.
Glasgow Works contained 30 locos including a crash damaged 25018 and withdrawn 40072, both these loco would be cut at the works within a month or two of the visit. Then it was the vast concourse of Glasgow Central to impress the kids along with an EMU to Motherwell. It was thankfully only a 10 minute walk to the depot here where 26 locos were recorded. On the return to Glasgow a stop was made at Hamilton depot where 4 shunters and 31 DMU cars were logged, many of the kids not bothering with “bog carts” (DMU’s) at the time.
On the DMU to Newton-on-Ayr many of the kids crashed out and needed a loud waking up session approaching Newton! The depot here contained 19 locos and a good few DMU’s before more doss on the return to Glasgow. A fish and chip supper from under the bridge at Central then after more spotting the now tired party joined the 2150 to Euston some time before departure. The warm compos were soon filled with exhausted kids but a few kept awake to log the power.
On arrival at Euston around 8am on the Sunday morning it was a wake you up route march (most kids were dead on their feet!) along the Euston and Marylebone Roads to Marylebone depot which had a failed 25111 in the company of umpteen DMU’s.
And that was just about it the 1042 DMU from Paddington got John and the kids back to Maidenhead around 1130, the Scottish adventure over….. “school in the morning!”
haulages
DMU Maidenhead – Padd
47518 2230 Kings X – Edinburgh (E4518) 28/290478
50747/59109/51231 Edinburgh – Haymarket 290478
27201/27108 xxxx Edinburgh – Glasgow – Haymarket – Falkirk High
51806/59687/51458 Falkirk G – Queen St
089 Queen St – Springburn
011 Glasgow C – Motherwell
095 Motherwell – Hamilton
017 Hamilton – Glasgow C
51016/59407/51049 Glasgow C – Newton on Ayr
51045/59391/51015/51035/59394/51026 Newton on Ayr – Glasgow C
47435 2150 Glasgow – Euston – Glasgow C – Carlisle
86239 2150 Glasgow – Euston Carlisle – London Euston 300478
DMU Padd – Maidenhead
Spotting gen….
Maidenhead – Padd 280478
08630, 08785, 08794, 08797, 08798, 08947, 31121, 31131, 31233, 31246, 31412, 31420, 37045 – John copped this rare Thornaby visitor, presumably in Acton Yard, 47016, 47030, 47089, 47145, 47426, 47471, 47476, 50007, 50009
Euston
86012, 86033, 86034, 87003, 87001
St Pancras
45120
Kings X – Peterborough (in darkness!) 280478
08272, 08412, 08413, 08427, 08545, 08549, 31102, 31105, 31138, 31189, 31190, 31195, 31201, 31203, 31218, 31219, 31223, 31225, 31278, 31404, 31405, 31408, 44009, 47123, 47212, 47377, 47416, 47423, 47433, 47518H, 55015
Peterborough – Newcastle (still in darkness!) 290478,
03064, 08042, 08062, 08063, 08167, 08170, 08252, 08459, 08506, 08540, 08876, 20078, 20131, 31142, 31185, 31194, 31234, 31237, 31283, 31317, 37022, 37079, 37143, 37277, 40051, 40059, 40084, 40100, 40165, 40184, 45070, 46047, 47183, 47411, 55007, 55009
Newcastle – Edinburgh 290478
03056, 03094, 08054, 08087, 08711, 08888, 31406, 37001, 37082, 37194, 40007, 40066, 40131, 47039, 47408,
Edinburgh – Falkirk High 290478
08575, 08881, 25049, 25246, 26002, 27102, 27103, 27204, 27205, 27210, 27201/27108H,
40163, 47464
29th April 1978 Haymarket
20086, 20184, 20203, 20223, 25046, 25092, 26004, 26024, 27101, 27210,
31189, 40001, 40077, 40080, 40103, 40165, 47123, 47272, 47410, 47427,
47454, 47493, 47516, 47518, 47553, 55005, 55015, 55022
29th April 1978 Grangemouth
08505, 08722, 20104, 20105, 20115, 27028, 27030, 37145, 37147, 37155,
37157
A classic Grangemouth scene with most of the power caught by John with 27028 posing outside, 290478
Perhaps 2 examples of “its quality not quantity” at Grangemouth with biggies 37155 and 37145 on depot on 290478
Falkirk G – Springburn 290478
08721, 20003, 25002, 26041, 27005, 27009, 27011, 27034, 27038, 27104, 27106
29th April 1978 Eastfield
06003, 08421, 08693, 08721, 08726, 08755, 08764, 08755, 08827, 08851, 08853, 08883, 20002, 20003, 20007, 20020, 20056, 20085, 20096, 20100, 20103, 20107, 20116, 20125, 20126, 20149, 20202, 24006, 25010, 25013, 25021, 25098, 25228, 25239, 25247, 26023, 26025, 27001, 27004, 27005, 27009, 27011, 27012, 27014, 27018, 27021, 27022, 27036, 27038, 27044, 27109, 27110, 37004, 37097, 37108, 37156, 37237, 40167, 40173, 47045, 47141, 47172, 47207, 47268
Classic Eastfield as we remember it, a good few of the 64 locos on shed visible with 27001 centre stage on 290478
29th April 1978 Glasgow Works
06007, 08145, 08147, 08402, 08442, 08447, 08448, 08561, 25002, 25006,
25018, 25026, 25031, 25034, 25035, 25064, 25096, 25300, 26028, 26037,
27002, 27017, 27020, 27024, 27031, 27107, 27203, 27206, 27211, 40072
06007 under the crane at Glasgow Works with doomed 40072 alongside on 290478
25018 had been badly damaged in a collision at Ayr TMD here shes seen shortly before cutting up at Glasgow Works
Glasgow C – Motherwell (and back) 290478
08021, 08852, 20089, 20138, 25229, 25248, 37149, 40198, 81016, 81018, 82005, 83010, 86038, 87005, 87020, 87021, 87023, 87024,
29th April 1978 Motherwell
08312, 08314, 08321, 08437, 08732, 20046, 20049, 20101, 20106, 20117,
25019, 25023, 25028, 25037, 25076, 25090, 25109, 25235, 25230, 26019,
27003, 37111, 37146, 37154, 40010, 40142, 47465
27003 at the head of a classic Scottish type 2 line up at Motherwell depot on 290478
37111 and 40010 on Motherwell depot North end on 290478
29th April 1978 Hamilton
08279, 08280, 08319, 08735
51999, 51532, 59554, 51798, 52023, 59794, 52010, 59804, 52036, 52011, 59982, 51985, 50882, 59331, 50823, 50879, 50853, 59367, 50899, 59354, 50846, 52004, 59806, 52035, 50873, 59329, 50820, 52015, 59786, 59792, 59330
08279 and 08280 stabled on Hamilton depot 290478
Glasgow C – Newton-on-Ayr (and back) 290478
08433, 08449, 08718, 81021, 85005, 85012, 86027, 86205, 87013
29th April 1978 Ayr
08343, 08345, 08476, 20011, 20036, 20091, 20094, 20120, 20146, 20200,
25005, 25009, 25108, 25119, 25231, 25238, 25244, 27009, 27010
51031, 51017, 79490, 51022, 59398, 51025, 79168, 51040, 59406, 51027, 59393, 51050, 79479, 79088, 52031, 51024, 59397, 51032, 51046, 59400, 51047, 59807, 51044, 51027, 59404, 51040
Glasgow C – Crewe 29/300478
08043, 08104, 08107, 08304, 08382, 08450, 08759, 08832, 08844, 24036, 24057, 24073, 24087, 24091, 24133, 25043, 25082, 40002, 40029, 40042, 47040, 47435, 47437, 47438, 47440, 47474, 81011, 83014, 85010, 85021, 85027, 85030, 85034, 86018, 86020, 86038, 86229, 86239H, 86244, 86247, 87034,
Crewe – Euston (via Northampton) 300478
08533, 08534, 08681, 08690, 08903, 08904, 24082, 25117, 25176, 25181, 25243, 40023, 47290, 47349, 81002, 82008, 83007, 84001, 86204, 86218, 86234, 86241, 86254, 87011, 87015,
30th April 1978 Marylebone
25111, TDB 975324, TDB975323,
51657, 59753, 59663, 51877, 51888, 59729, 59665, 51668, 51891, 59756, 59656, 51662, 51900, 59672, 59660, 51874, 51669, 59732, 59759. 51872, 51861, 59678, 59654, 51656, 51894, 59673, 59733, 51870, 59649, 51664, 59751, 59726, 51661
25111 reportedly failed on Marylebone depot on 300478
Padd – Maidenhead
08630, 08793, 08794, 08798, 31241, 31246, 31286, 31296, 31412, 31415, 31420, 50048
Thanks again to John Williams for the memories…………..
end..
Leighton Lists 