Dragging was once commonplace on Sunday mornings when the juice was isolated locally. By 1990 it was more unusual locally as the operators had more influence than the railway engineers. However a bridge rolling in/dropping in at Kings Langley for the then under construction M25 meant a complete isolation on all lines from Euston to Bletchley until around 10am on Sunday.
No rail replacement road rubbish back then, Tyseley DMUs on the locals and mainly Crewe based EH 47’s on the Inter City’s. There was also a lot of 31 hauled ballast trains in the Leighton area that unforgettable sunny warm March Sunday morning.
The gen on passing Leighton is below, there is some doubt which train 58001 was on as the 0750 Holyhead may have ran out of sequence.
18/3/90 Su
also out-T412,31424,T416,T410,31402,31400
47584 1A04 0045 Holyhead – Euston
47432} 1M12 2040 Aberdeen-Euston
86403(d)}
47584} 1D58 0750 Euston-Holyhead
87002(d)}
58001} 1G24 0800 Euston-Wolverhampton
862xx(d)}
31247} d.ball
31209}
47841 1F14 0810 Euston-Liverpool
47845} 1M16 1930 Inverness-Euston
90020(d)}
T407
86240 0655 Manchester-Euston
47826} 1H30 0930 Euston – Manchester
900xx(d)}
47808} 0940 Euston – Shrewsbury
86236(d)}
The phots
47432 dragging 86403 approaches bridge 139 at Old Linslade with 1M12 2040 Aberdeen – Euston
Tyseley’s 4 car DMU 51858, 59594, 59442, 53916 approach bridge 139 with a Euston – Rugby service
31400 on a down ballast formed of dogfish wagons approaches bridge 139
47584 dragging 87002 passes the tree at Old Linslade with (probably) the 0750 Euston – Holyhead
Uncommon drag power locally, 58001 heads North with (probably) the 0800 Euston – Wolves
Tyseley’s 53116, 59591, 59446 and 51867 head South towards Linslade Tunnel on an up local
Complete with shark brake vans fore and aft 31424 approaches Bridge 139 with an up ballast.
47826 dragging some shiny new 90 approaches bridge 138 with the 0930 Euston – Manchester.
47808 dragging 86236 believed to be the last drag forming the 0940 Euston – Salop passes Old Linslade
Quite a morning!
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Leighton Lists 