28.05.1984
Looks like I was on a freedom-of-scotland but it was during exam time so I only went oot on saturdays.
The following day just demonstrates some mental failings I have! Or rather I think I was distracted more by the wares of Spud-u-like, The Pancake place and the hanging fruit of young edinbra' ladies than actual bashing.
Probably did it all as a crowd with Reidy, dobie, Carlisle and so on, or maybe just a dumb day on my own.
10:30:00 Glasgow QS Edinburgh Waverley DMU
Edinburgh Waverley Haymarket DMU
Haymarket Edinburgh Waverley DMU
11:51:00 Edinburgh Waverley Haymarket 27042
Haymarket Edinburgh Waverley 47124
Edinburgh Waverley Haymarket 47117
Haymarket Edinburgh Waverley 47423
Edinburgh Waverley Haymarket 47148
Haymarket Edinburgh Waverley 47708
Edinburgh Waverley Haymarket 47707
Haymarket Edinburgh Waverley DMU
14:51:00 Edinburgh Waverley Haymarket 27046
15:18:00 Edinburgh Waverley Leuchars 47206
19:35:00 Leuchars Dundee 27042
20:25:00 Dundee Glasgow QS 47527
Why I did such a ned like sulzer only day I will never know, but I guess I was covering the carstair portions and waiting for a 27 to blow up on the circuit. Definetly drifted back into insectr status. Most bashers wouldn't underline distances of under 5 miles as hauled: but I just drew the line or rather, hatched the line at bankers to be punny.
31.05.1984
18:00:00 Glasgow C Ayr DMU
20:03:00 Ayr (ex stran) Glasgow Central 37013
Now this was more like it: a "vo" or maybe then vb syphon from outside scotland producing on a route more used to the LDA power units. The train was late and 37013 put in a respectable thrash once the driver got used to givining it some welly to get moving. Good condition and newly painted - surprise for a loco long overdue works conversion to dual brakes.
The trouble with the Ayr line then was in fact the bloody 101 units blowing up all the time;: or rather some of their engines woudl fail and they would limp into Glasgow, hoilding everything up! Rancid units that took well over an hour to get the 48 miles or so: which is actually longer than Glas-Edin. Being held up that day, I remember being signalled every five minutes!
Syphons were moderately rare in Glasgow central prior to 1984 when they produced almost every day in the summer due to their availability and failures of 27s, 47s and DMUs.
torsdag 19. august 2010
On being Carstairs
Carstairs was an odd place. A village with no other raison d'etre than The Railway.
Even the famous secure mental insitution is a little outside the town at some hill or other. Like Windscale, it had probably changed it's name to some grassy knowle or other.
Carstairs had been a place I had spotted from, the trouble being the impressive speeds acheived by non stopping services. One claim to fame was the point set at the south end of platform 1, which was by reports, the most maintained point on the whole of SCr because it was on a cant that took trains at what seemed like at least 90mph.
There was a definiative Carstairs atmosphere: the stillness, the festering. Despite the signal box and the strategic importance of the junction, the station supported no populace but was just a passing through kind of place. Most people were probably glad of the rest from sitting in mark Is being hurtled down beattock northwards.
Me and Rupert took ourselves up to the local pub once, where I had probably my first ever half pint. I was 16 and almost 6 foot so could pass off. On the way there we could feel that the whole village was a sleepy backwater, which the 20th century had bipassed all but for the electrified railway.
There were some dreadful festers there: usually caused by delays or by covering two portions for neither of them to produce: that was the game, yin and yang: no pleasure without pain. You could get on most any train going north from Mossend, and it was a good place to pick up a few more "roarer" miles or get the gen on what was dropping on at Mossend in order to plan a bail later.
Before the neds would just go up to mossend office with their orange vests onand get a tops print out, we used to have to go down to Carstairs to cover these "portions" on summer ADDEXs and timetabled services. In 1985 I don't think we bothered.
The other thing that happened there was some degree of marshalling because of the abundance of track bed! There was a loop through to edinburgh along the marshalling point, 4 or 5 tracks in general, northern ballast marshalling point and the triangle towards the loony bin, which I once saw a train reversed on for some unknown reason. Think it was the royal scot and the 87 had failed.
The biggest drop at the junction did in fact not even stop at the platform every time! The northwards motorail would have a loco change here which was done up on the far right hand side track north of the station. in 82 to 84, this regularily produced 40s and pairs of 20s for some reason. 40s had been reallocated following their displacement from inverness/aberdeens in the late 70s and 1980. However they refused to die in Scotland, turning up on ancillary services like Mails, portions, motorails and track maintainance. Also many retaining boilers, they could cover winter Dundees etc and the mrk I duel heats on the Stranrær route.
16 wheels were however, resolutely banned from Glasgow central: I seem to remember seeing a class 40 there in 1979ish but too many derailments on the torturous points put an end to peak and whistler arrivals, probably in the 70s but by policy maybe 1980.
I was surprised in later years that the Carstairs route was chosen for the extension of ECML services to Glasgow. Fine with the electrification: no tunnels or NIMBYs to speak of ! But it was a drag to get there.
There were actually a couple of 303 services which originated there, and perhaps there was a lockerbie/Moffat stopper which also ran, I fail to remember but will maybe come upon a 303 move out of the place following a 47/4 "Producing" on an otherwise hottly anticipated "portion".
Even the famous secure mental insitution is a little outside the town at some hill or other. Like Windscale, it had probably changed it's name to some grassy knowle or other.
Carstairs had been a place I had spotted from, the trouble being the impressive speeds acheived by non stopping services. One claim to fame was the point set at the south end of platform 1, which was by reports, the most maintained point on the whole of SCr because it was on a cant that took trains at what seemed like at least 90mph.
There was a definiative Carstairs atmosphere: the stillness, the festering. Despite the signal box and the strategic importance of the junction, the station supported no populace but was just a passing through kind of place. Most people were probably glad of the rest from sitting in mark Is being hurtled down beattock northwards.
Me and Rupert took ourselves up to the local pub once, where I had probably my first ever half pint. I was 16 and almost 6 foot so could pass off. On the way there we could feel that the whole village was a sleepy backwater, which the 20th century had bipassed all but for the electrified railway.
There were some dreadful festers there: usually caused by delays or by covering two portions for neither of them to produce: that was the game, yin and yang: no pleasure without pain. You could get on most any train going north from Mossend, and it was a good place to pick up a few more "roarer" miles or get the gen on what was dropping on at Mossend in order to plan a bail later.
Before the neds would just go up to mossend office with their orange vests onand get a tops print out, we used to have to go down to Carstairs to cover these "portions" on summer ADDEXs and timetabled services. In 1985 I don't think we bothered.
The other thing that happened there was some degree of marshalling because of the abundance of track bed! There was a loop through to edinburgh along the marshalling point, 4 or 5 tracks in general, northern ballast marshalling point and the triangle towards the loony bin, which I once saw a train reversed on for some unknown reason. Think it was the royal scot and the 87 had failed.
The biggest drop at the junction did in fact not even stop at the platform every time! The northwards motorail would have a loco change here which was done up on the far right hand side track north of the station. in 82 to 84, this regularily produced 40s and pairs of 20s for some reason. 40s had been reallocated following their displacement from inverness/aberdeens in the late 70s and 1980. However they refused to die in Scotland, turning up on ancillary services like Mails, portions, motorails and track maintainance. Also many retaining boilers, they could cover winter Dundees etc and the mrk I duel heats on the Stranrær route.
16 wheels were however, resolutely banned from Glasgow central: I seem to remember seeing a class 40 there in 1979ish but too many derailments on the torturous points put an end to peak and whistler arrivals, probably in the 70s but by policy maybe 1980.
I was surprised in later years that the Carstairs route was chosen for the extension of ECML services to Glasgow. Fine with the electrification: no tunnels or NIMBYs to speak of ! But it was a drag to get there.
There were actually a couple of 303 services which originated there, and perhaps there was a lockerbie/Moffat stopper which also ran, I fail to remember but will maybe come upon a 303 move out of the place following a 47/4 "Producing" on an otherwise hottly anticipated "portion".
Thank you Mr. Scargill.......
Into May came along full BNB season 25.05.1984 Freedom of Scotland Forged ? Cheap tickets? I don't know what the score was here because I seemed to be doing freedom moves but going home at night and not getting very carried away.
Perhaps the excitement of pairs of 20s and 40s out on the Carstairs- Edinburgh "portions" blinded me to the delights of the type 2 move Mossend-Elgin ( 1S81 and the 4Exx trains further on) or the glorious far north route.
09:06:00 Home Arrochar 37039
09:45:00 Arrochar Glasgow QS 37175
11:20:00 Glasgow C Carstairs 86246
(turned down 47 348 on a portion)
The 47/3s suddenly appearing on SCr was the real symptom of what was going on with the coal industry. Some of these locos had probably never worked a passenger other than maybe a couple of "drags" or failures.
There were two portions to cover though!:
13:06:00 Carstairs Edinburgh Waverley 40047
14:17:00 Edinburgh Wav Haymarket 47203
1500 Haymarket Edinburgh 27042
15:10:00 Edinburgh Wav Carstairs 47423
16:03:00 Carstairs Glasgow Central 86311
16:50:00 Glasgow QS Home 37108
40047 if I remember correctly, had produced on the Ft WIlliam sleeper! The portion forward through low level to mossend or whereever. Unbelievable to see a 40 at Dumbarton! Anyway it could have been the redoubtabvly 074 that night, but I seem to remmeber being pleased to bag 047 on this run becuase I had turned down a late night risk to take the sleeper forward in 82/83 some time.
I guess I was happy enough with bagging 40047 because I went hame fur ma tea.
26.05.1984
07:24:00 Home Glasgow LL QS 303
09:50:00 Glasgow QS Dumbarton C 37022
10:33:00 Dumbarton Glasgow QS 37039
11:20:00 Glasgow C Carstairs 86324
11:20:00 Carstairs Edinburgh Wave 20009 + 20175
14:17:00 Edinburgh Wav Haymarket 47707
1500 Haymarket Glasgow QS 47707
1556 Glasgow QS LL Home 303
The 11:30 stranrær, usually a 27 or 47/0 was a HUGE 47336, prompptly turned down because of the much finer music of a pair of twenties awaiting us at Carstairs, relieved from Longannet coal duties no doubt. 47 348 was there again, think it was an fugly flashing lamp version. It's batteries died so the duff bashers, especially that annoying fat ginner Ulster guy were "bowled out" and "withered" much to our amusement.
The twenties were hell!
So much so I turned down most likely 37108 again and took a 303 home for my dinner ! Bashing then was not all about a limited number of locomotives to get max mileage out of as it became so in the 1990s. It was more about lines in the book and big NBs with some "top men" only turning out to cover big producers.
Perhaps the excitement of pairs of 20s and 40s out on the Carstairs- Edinburgh "portions" blinded me to the delights of the type 2 move Mossend-Elgin ( 1S81 and the 4Exx trains further on) or the glorious far north route.
09:06:00 Home Arrochar 37039
09:45:00 Arrochar Glasgow QS 37175
11:20:00 Glasgow C Carstairs 86246
(turned down 47 348 on a portion)
The 47/3s suddenly appearing on SCr was the real symptom of what was going on with the coal industry. Some of these locos had probably never worked a passenger other than maybe a couple of "drags" or failures.
There were two portions to cover though!:
13:06:00 Carstairs Edinburgh Waverley 40047
14:17:00 Edinburgh Wav Haymarket 47203
1500 Haymarket Edinburgh 27042
15:10:00 Edinburgh Wav Carstairs 47423
16:03:00 Carstairs Glasgow Central 86311
16:50:00 Glasgow QS Home 37108
40047 if I remember correctly, had produced on the Ft WIlliam sleeper! The portion forward through low level to mossend or whereever. Unbelievable to see a 40 at Dumbarton! Anyway it could have been the redoubtabvly 074 that night, but I seem to remmeber being pleased to bag 047 on this run becuase I had turned down a late night risk to take the sleeper forward in 82/83 some time.
I guess I was happy enough with bagging 40047 because I went hame fur ma tea.
26.05.1984
07:24:00 Home Glasgow LL QS 303
09:50:00 Glasgow QS Dumbarton C 37022
10:33:00 Dumbarton Glasgow QS 37039
11:20:00 Glasgow C Carstairs 86324
11:20:00 Carstairs Edinburgh Wave 20009 + 20175
14:17:00 Edinburgh Wav Haymarket 47707
1500 Haymarket Glasgow QS 47707
1556 Glasgow QS LL Home 303
The 11:30 stranrær, usually a 27 or 47/0 was a HUGE 47336, prompptly turned down because of the much finer music of a pair of twenties awaiting us at Carstairs, relieved from Longannet coal duties no doubt. 47 348 was there again, think it was an fugly flashing lamp version. It's batteries died so the duff bashers, especially that annoying fat ginner Ulster guy were "bowled out" and "withered" much to our amusement.
The twenties were hell!
So much so I turned down most likely 37108 again and took a 303 home for my dinner ! Bashing then was not all about a limited number of locomotives to get max mileage out of as it became so in the 1990s. It was more about lines in the book and big NBs with some "top men" only turning out to cover big producers.
onsdag 18. august 2010
Getting Warm April -May1984: 37 296 "Ginormous" on the 17:15 Edinbuirgh
28.04.1984
09:06:00 Home Arrochar 37014
09:45:00 Arrochar Glasgow QS 37033
11:35:00 Glasgow C Kilwinning 47049
12:57:00 Kilwinning Glasgow Central DMU
13:50:00 Glasgow Central Stewarton 26037
14:38:00 Stewarton Glasgow Central DMU
16:50:00 Glasgow QS Dumbarton C 37039
17:56:00 Dumbarton Home 314
A fairly thankless day, a DMU out on the carlise-dumfries-glas, and with the lines in the book being 033 and the duff. Went home in disgust at fairly rancid WHL action. Already though, 014 is becoming my mileage beast.
05.05.1984
12:24:00 Hime Dumbarton Central 314216
12:51:00 Dumbarton Crianlarich 37037
14:10:00 Crianlarich Glasgow QS 37014
16:50:00 Glasgow QS Dumbarton C 37043
17:56:00 Dumbarton Helensburgh C 314
19:06:00 Helensburgh U Ardlui 37014
20:01:00 Ardui Home 37012 ETHEL2
Another day at the office: more miles on 014. 012 was a regyular outer on the Ft Bill with Ethel: think ED took some pride at keeping it going or maybe they just detuned it to keep it running longer : not as bad as 025 it was just a bit dull.
14.05.1984
09:06:00 Home Arrochar 37108
09:45:00 Arrochar Helensburgh U 37026
10:33:00 Helensburgh U Arrochar 37043
11:15:00 Arrochar Helensburgh 37191
12:24:00 Helensbugh Central Dumbarton Central 303
12:51:00 Dumbarton Crianlarich 37051
14:10:00 Crianlarich Glasgow QS 37108
16:50:00 Glasgow QS Dumbarton Cen 37191
17:33:00 Dumbarton Glasgow QS 27005 paired to 27020
18:20:00 Glasgow QS Ardlui 37108
19:59:00 Ardui Home 37014
Guess ethel was on the 14.
Still a stupid timetable with waits at the now abandoned helensburgh upper. Deadly dull, and I think the sweety shop may have shut at that time. The bail there was probably a chip move or just to stretch the legs rather than plodding down to dumbarton on the syphon. Sacrilidge if you think about it!
051 was a good mover but 108 was still sick with it's class 40 turbo on one bank of pistons.
16.05.1984
15:20:00 Home Glasgow QS 37192
17:15:00 Glasgow QS Edinburgh Wav 37296
18:30:00 Edinburgh Wav Glasgow QS 47706
19:22:00 Glasgow QS LL Home 303-314
HAH ! This one we all wagged our little tails over. 37 296, llangore or Cardiff allocated in 1970s BR blue with matching time wharp black glass head code blank. It was very lively on the 17:15, which was I think Inverness stock rotated over to run from Edinburgh and giving an extra express for commuyters. 296 was a beast up the tunnels and a whole pile of line striking sulzer bashers were on board. And they called us neds, they were Traitors on a Tractor!
It struggled past the bings at croy but gave a good thrash out of Falkirk, where I was gripped. Paid an excess with a pretend slept over croy or the last transcard stop.
This huge welsh NB was the first symptom of a certain Mr Arthur Scargill as it had nowt to do in the way of coal trains by then. Unfortunetly for us, it's route to ED was by no means random: it had already been reallocated or penciled for it, due to it being earmarked for "37/4"ing. At least it was big on that train in that number and livery, as Perth Man put it, "so big they had to jack up the ceiling of the tunnel at Queen Street"
With nothing worth doing apart from a bus move to Garelochhead or maybe Tarbert (old road though on L.Lomond.) retired that night early, was a shcool night anyway. I was tired enough to get on the wrong units for a farcical backwards and forwards missing trains rather than waiting!
God knows how I managed seven As in o grades
Anyhows, 37 296 earmarked or errant, this was a taste of things to come in the summer of the english civil war and the basher's heaven
09:06:00 Home Arrochar 37014
09:45:00 Arrochar Glasgow QS 37033
11:35:00 Glasgow C Kilwinning 47049
12:57:00 Kilwinning Glasgow Central DMU
13:50:00 Glasgow Central Stewarton 26037
14:38:00 Stewarton Glasgow Central DMU
16:50:00 Glasgow QS Dumbarton C 37039
17:56:00 Dumbarton Home 314
A fairly thankless day, a DMU out on the carlise-dumfries-glas, and with the lines in the book being 033 and the duff. Went home in disgust at fairly rancid WHL action. Already though, 014 is becoming my mileage beast.
05.05.1984
12:24:00 Hime Dumbarton Central 314216
12:51:00 Dumbarton Crianlarich 37037
14:10:00 Crianlarich Glasgow QS 37014
16:50:00 Glasgow QS Dumbarton C 37043
17:56:00 Dumbarton Helensburgh C 314
19:06:00 Helensburgh U Ardlui 37014
20:01:00 Ardui Home 37012 ETHEL2
Another day at the office: more miles on 014. 012 was a regyular outer on the Ft Bill with Ethel: think ED took some pride at keeping it going or maybe they just detuned it to keep it running longer : not as bad as 025 it was just a bit dull.
14.05.1984
09:06:00 Home Arrochar 37108
09:45:00 Arrochar Helensburgh U 37026
10:33:00 Helensburgh U Arrochar 37043
11:15:00 Arrochar Helensburgh 37191
12:24:00 Helensbugh Central Dumbarton Central 303
12:51:00 Dumbarton Crianlarich 37051
14:10:00 Crianlarich Glasgow QS 37108
16:50:00 Glasgow QS Dumbarton Cen 37191
17:33:00 Dumbarton Glasgow QS 27005 paired to 27020
18:20:00 Glasgow QS Ardlui 37108
19:59:00 Ardui Home 37014
Guess ethel was on the 14.
Still a stupid timetable with waits at the now abandoned helensburgh upper. Deadly dull, and I think the sweety shop may have shut at that time. The bail there was probably a chip move or just to stretch the legs rather than plodding down to dumbarton on the syphon. Sacrilidge if you think about it!
051 was a good mover but 108 was still sick with it's class 40 turbo on one bank of pistons.
16.05.1984
15:20:00 Home Glasgow QS 37192
17:15:00 Glasgow QS Edinburgh Wav 37296
18:30:00 Edinburgh Wav Glasgow QS 47706
19:22:00 Glasgow QS LL Home 303-314
HAH ! This one we all wagged our little tails over. 37 296, llangore or Cardiff allocated in 1970s BR blue with matching time wharp black glass head code blank. It was very lively on the 17:15, which was I think Inverness stock rotated over to run from Edinburgh and giving an extra express for commuyters. 296 was a beast up the tunnels and a whole pile of line striking sulzer bashers were on board. And they called us neds, they were Traitors on a Tractor!
It struggled past the bings at croy but gave a good thrash out of Falkirk, where I was gripped. Paid an excess with a pretend slept over croy or the last transcard stop.
This huge welsh NB was the first symptom of a certain Mr Arthur Scargill as it had nowt to do in the way of coal trains by then. Unfortunetly for us, it's route to ED was by no means random: it had already been reallocated or penciled for it, due to it being earmarked for "37/4"ing. At least it was big on that train in that number and livery, as Perth Man put it, "so big they had to jack up the ceiling of the tunnel at Queen Street"
With nothing worth doing apart from a bus move to Garelochhead or maybe Tarbert (old road though on L.Lomond.) retired that night early, was a shcool night anyway. I was tired enough to get on the wrong units for a farcical backwards and forwards missing trains rather than waiting!
God knows how I managed seven As in o grades
Anyhows, 37 296 earmarked or errant, this was a taste of things to come in the summer of the english civil war and the basher's heaven
Grey Spring in 1984: 40s and Mr C Gibb
Looking back in fact I did a lot less bashing in early 84 than I expected, but bagged one quite big NB 40 and a rare trip to dundee in 84 with a 40.
I must have an earlier bashing/spotting book because I met a certain Mr. Christopher Gibb behind 37014 / ETHEL on a night when Peter Walker made up time and I rode this one of my beasts to Dumbarton for a late night home.
Here was the rest of march after bagging , neigh, blagging 40 155
10.03.1984
09:06:00 Home Arrochar 37011
09:45:00 Arrochar Helensburgh Upper 37178
10:33:00 Helensburgh Upper Arrochar 37083
11:15:00 Arrochar Helensburgh Upper 37184
12:24:00 Helensbugh Central Dumbarton Central 314212
12:51:00 Dumbarton Crianlarich 37037
14:10:00 Crianlarich Helensburgh Upper 37011
16:45:00 Helensbugh Central Dumbarton Central 303
17:33:00 Dumbarton Glasgow QS 37175
18:20:00 Glasgow QS Arrochar 37011
19:45:00 Arrochar Home 37037 paired to 37012
Not such an uneventful day out as it seems: 178 was fairly rare on passengers for some reason, it was boilered, and 184 was really an IS loco.
175 was spitting flames by that time and performed clagg and burn on that run. 37012 was probably failing but both locos were in working order blue starred up. Worth missing ETHEL for the pair doubel mileage.
17.03.1984 Mystex
07:24:00 Helensbugh Central Glasgow C Low Level 303-314
09:00:00 Glasgow C Crewe 86220
12:30:00 Crewe Shrewsbury 47412
12:53:00 Shrewsbury Crewe 33060
16:06:00 Crewe Shrewsbury 33060
18:10:00 Shrewsbury Crewe 47412
19:10:00 Crewe Glasgow Central 85034
22:59:00 Glasgow QS low level Helensburgh Central 303
First haulage by those lovely little shreddies: well, what else is there to say up until 12:53 that day: a gennie duff, noooo big deal in 84. I was well impressed with the speed the shreddies could do south of crew and smooth acceleration. Another fine type 3: which SCR were sadly deprived of!
Good chippy by the river in Shrewsbury: most flooded chippy in the UK thereafter I beleive. Best chips I have EVER had!
Roarer for a long, long train back: roaring was good though on the WCML as their days were numbered. IIRC there was a detonator over beatock and we went to Charlie Browns on Queen Street for samosa and chips. Brilliant waste of time.
31.03.1984 Green Ticket with Chris Gibb
09:06:00 Home Arrochar 37192
09:45:00 Arrochar Glasgow QS 37022
11:30:00 Glasgow QS Edinburgh Waverley 47703
12:26:00 Edinburgh Wav Haymarket 47476
12:44:00 Haymarket Edinburgh Waverley 47274
13:17:00 Edinburgh Wav Dundee 40024
15:21:00 Dundee Edinburgh Waverley 40024
17:00:00 Edinburgh Waverley Glasgow QS 47710
18:20:00 Glasgow QS Home 37192
On a rather usual transcard day, "Cocoa the clown" as the poor bloke was called, a nice bloke who didn't hate insects, declared "sixteen wheels on edinburgh" and also with some frikkin crystal ball that the next type five freighter would be two stroke!
Chris Gibb is out for the day and "withered" at the thought of a 40. A scottish region "green" cheapy family ticket is on for the day, so we acquire one and head off for the "dundee circuit". Right enough, 40 024 had done one tour and back and was awaiting us, steaming.
Good thrash out the tunnel but after the bridge junction it really was fairly pedestrian with the 40 ambling along both ways for some reason.
Back home on the erstwhile 37 192.
14.04.1984 Mystex 1Z10
07:24:00 Helensbugh Central Glasgow C Low Level 303-314
09:00:00 Glasgow C Warrington 86322
12:30:00 Warrington Llandudno 45132
14:52:00 Llandudno Llandudno Jnct DMU
16:26:00 Llandudno Jnct Llandudno DMU
17:20:00 Llandudno Warrington 45132
19:04:00 Warrington Glasgow Central 86322
Mr Gibb and baglet in tow: this time he was withered to see a nose and three windows at Warrington curves only for it to reveal itself as an ETH Wagon. I think he probably had tried to fix it, but no roarer and a dumn sister in laws sister baglet made for a wry tour.
I must have an earlier bashing/spotting book because I met a certain Mr. Christopher Gibb behind 37014 / ETHEL on a night when Peter Walker made up time and I rode this one of my beasts to Dumbarton for a late night home.
Here was the rest of march after bagging , neigh, blagging 40 155
10.03.1984
09:06:00 Home Arrochar 37011
09:45:00 Arrochar Helensburgh Upper 37178
10:33:00 Helensburgh Upper Arrochar 37083
11:15:00 Arrochar Helensburgh Upper 37184
12:24:00 Helensbugh Central Dumbarton Central 314212
12:51:00 Dumbarton Crianlarich 37037
14:10:00 Crianlarich Helensburgh Upper 37011
16:45:00 Helensbugh Central Dumbarton Central 303
17:33:00 Dumbarton Glasgow QS 37175
18:20:00 Glasgow QS Arrochar 37011
19:45:00 Arrochar Home 37037 paired to 37012
Not such an uneventful day out as it seems: 178 was fairly rare on passengers for some reason, it was boilered, and 184 was really an IS loco.
175 was spitting flames by that time and performed clagg and burn on that run. 37012 was probably failing but both locos were in working order blue starred up. Worth missing ETHEL for the pair doubel mileage.
17.03.1984 Mystex
07:24:00 Helensbugh Central Glasgow C Low Level 303-314
09:00:00 Glasgow C Crewe 86220
12:30:00 Crewe Shrewsbury 47412
12:53:00 Shrewsbury Crewe 33060
16:06:00 Crewe Shrewsbury 33060
18:10:00 Shrewsbury Crewe 47412
19:10:00 Crewe Glasgow Central 85034
22:59:00 Glasgow QS low level Helensburgh Central 303
First haulage by those lovely little shreddies: well, what else is there to say up until 12:53 that day: a gennie duff, noooo big deal in 84. I was well impressed with the speed the shreddies could do south of crew and smooth acceleration. Another fine type 3: which SCR were sadly deprived of!
Good chippy by the river in Shrewsbury: most flooded chippy in the UK thereafter I beleive. Best chips I have EVER had!
Roarer for a long, long train back: roaring was good though on the WCML as their days were numbered. IIRC there was a detonator over beatock and we went to Charlie Browns on Queen Street for samosa and chips. Brilliant waste of time.
31.03.1984 Green Ticket with Chris Gibb
09:06:00 Home Arrochar 37192
09:45:00 Arrochar Glasgow QS 37022
11:30:00 Glasgow QS Edinburgh Waverley 47703
12:26:00 Edinburgh Wav Haymarket 47476
12:44:00 Haymarket Edinburgh Waverley 47274
13:17:00 Edinburgh Wav Dundee 40024
15:21:00 Dundee Edinburgh Waverley 40024
17:00:00 Edinburgh Waverley Glasgow QS 47710
18:20:00 Glasgow QS Home 37192
On a rather usual transcard day, "Cocoa the clown" as the poor bloke was called, a nice bloke who didn't hate insects, declared "sixteen wheels on edinburgh" and also with some frikkin crystal ball that the next type five freighter would be two stroke!
Chris Gibb is out for the day and "withered" at the thought of a 40. A scottish region "green" cheapy family ticket is on for the day, so we acquire one and head off for the "dundee circuit". Right enough, 40 024 had done one tour and back and was awaiting us, steaming.
Good thrash out the tunnel but after the bridge junction it really was fairly pedestrian with the 40 ambling along both ways for some reason.
Back home on the erstwhile 37 192.
14.04.1984 Mystex 1Z10
07:24:00 Helensbugh Central Glasgow C Low Level 303-314
09:00:00 Glasgow C Warrington 86322
12:30:00 Warrington Llandudno 45132
14:52:00 Llandudno Llandudno Jnct DMU
16:26:00 Llandudno Jnct Llandudno DMU
17:20:00 Llandudno Warrington 45132
19:04:00 Warrington Glasgow Central 86322
Mr Gibb and baglet in tow: this time he was withered to see a nose and three windows at Warrington curves only for it to reveal itself as an ETH Wagon. I think he probably had tried to fix it, but no roarer and a dumn sister in laws sister baglet made for a wry tour.
mandag 16. august 2010
Bashing: bad for the Health?
Now I bashed as a teenager and not an adult.
In fact I think this is really the best for your sanity, although I often do regret spending the ned time I did on bashing. Why? Well I could have had a much better spring start into my later hobbies of cycling and sailing in terms of fitness, experience and not in the least, social standing!
Bashing is physically bad: a lot of sitting on your rear end, diesel fumes, take away food.
Bashing was psychologically bad: how can you live with your favourite locos being (inveitably) taken off passenger routes in favour of plastic and then cut up?
On the pluss sides though:
You learn about geography and logistics of travel. You learn about the railway.
It is a very egalitarian sport which makes social contact across social classes: well apart from scousers and maccelsfield types who had too many drunks, vandals and dicks in their ranks imho...
As a teenager you get a great feeling of freedom within some safe environment of the railway staff and the commonality of other bashers.
You learn a lot about mechanical things, about HSE and about planning of projects.
You get to relax a lot.
It was, and probably is, fun.
In fact I think this is really the best for your sanity, although I often do regret spending the ned time I did on bashing. Why? Well I could have had a much better spring start into my later hobbies of cycling and sailing in terms of fitness, experience and not in the least, social standing!
Bashing is physically bad: a lot of sitting on your rear end, diesel fumes, take away food.
Bashing was psychologically bad: how can you live with your favourite locos being (inveitably) taken off passenger routes in favour of plastic and then cut up?
On the pluss sides though:
You learn about geography and logistics of travel. You learn about the railway.
It is a very egalitarian sport which makes social contact across social classes: well apart from scousers and maccelsfield types who had too many drunks, vandals and dicks in their ranks imho...
As a teenager you get a great feeling of freedom within some safe environment of the railway staff and the commonality of other bashers.
You learn a lot about mechanical things, about HSE and about planning of projects.
You get to relax a lot.
It was, and probably is, fun.
1984 ...The Moves part I
21/1/1984
1520 Home to Glasgow 37 191
1650 Glas to Crianlarich 37 085
2000 Crian to Home 37 014
All three of these machines would become top mileage syphons for me, with some special time put into 014 and some long runs, like dundee and back on 191. 085 and 191 were not super great performers, which is probably why they were out so often: they were not thrashable and hence the valve gear and timing chains probably held out longer. 014 had been a heap for a while, but by the summer of 84 it was a really good runner, and of course went on to be one of the eldest mainline locos of the class in 37/0 status.
28/1/84
1520 Home to Glasgow 37 022
1650 Glas to Helensb' Upper 37 081
2020 Hel U to Glasgow 37 011
22:00 Glas C to Paisley 37 092 xb or vb ? GD
Diverse units home after a fairly large drop on the late stranae or Ayr feeder for the 0700 Ayr glasgow. THis formed the "royal scot" and probably went to Ayr due to some BR ScR top brass living there and wanting a fast, comfy train in. However the lack of requirement for 47/4s ( the only diesel with ETH operable from central in 1983) in the area meant that the train would drop fairly enormous NBs at any time as there was no ETH anyway.
37 022 was one of the latter stratford reallocations to ED and not a bad runner
4/2/84
1520 Home to Glasgow 37 110 ex Oban,
1650 Glas to Home 37 081 ft Bill
110 was also a latter drifter from stratford IIRC with 114 also coming our way.
This was obviously my "insect" move after bunking off school or swimming on saturdays. Probably on a cut and shut transcard.
11/2/84
0906 Home to Arrochar 37 188
0945 Arrocahre to Hel U 37 011
1033 Hel U to Arrochar 37 108
1115 Arrochar to Home 37 022
1720 Home to glasgow 37 039
1820 Glas to Ardlui 37 188
2001 Ardlu- Hel 37 014
The latter , presumably with an ETHEL I neglected to bother my arse to write in the wee blue book.
==========
All these moves seem to have based themselves around ned cards and dark evenings of rumbling up and down the WHL talking crap and eating chips. The times of wandering down the road were most likely to cafes, the bus home or a lift backwards and forwards from my long suffering mother!
=====
1/3 / 84
1733 Home to Crianlarich 37 190
1907 Crian to Home 37 090
A nice little line with 090 probably a boilered on loan from GD or the likes. THink it may have been vb. 190 was not a patch on 188.
====================================
MYSTEX or Shoppex.
3/3/84
0724 Home one change to Glas C units
0900 Glas to Warrington 86 241
1130 warrington to chester 47 194
1317 Chester to crewe DMU
Apart from some ned spotting in Crewe, this, like many other mystexs could have been a real POS day. But look at the timing! 2 hours thirty to warrington! Hard to find a service which does it so fast today and that was load 8 mark ones back then!
Now what happened next was that we were just waiting about for the return when a very horrid 45/1 crawls in having sprayed a rake of mrk iis on somethign like a bangor to york service with oil or diesel. Waiting in the wings, an immaculate 40 155 whistles like a ghost round the back of the station and DROPS on the service! We jump on it as it stops at warrington and the 40 gives an excellent thrash as he tries to pick up time at the stops and signals on the way.
1645 Chester to Warrington 40 155. 1E16
Why 40s in this condition were ever cut up I do not know as they were far more reliable than 45s or 47s. A rationalisation of the class to later bodies / bogies or better examples of the baldies and splitters could have given Scotland or the west with some good extra passenger locos through to 1986 and track works locos thereafter, as a few did at crewe in 1986.
Upon some excurtiating googling I found that this was 1E16, Bangor to Scarborough, as x-country as it gets ! The loco was taken off at Manchester. http://itsa40.co.uk/84mar.html
The way home also produced some other healthy metal from the un just death row, 85039 awated us at the little platform end loco marshalling point. 1830 home in failing light with a damn good thrash.
1520 Home to Glasgow 37 191
1650 Glas to Crianlarich 37 085
2000 Crian to Home 37 014
All three of these machines would become top mileage syphons for me, with some special time put into 014 and some long runs, like dundee and back on 191. 085 and 191 were not super great performers, which is probably why they were out so often: they were not thrashable and hence the valve gear and timing chains probably held out longer. 014 had been a heap for a while, but by the summer of 84 it was a really good runner, and of course went on to be one of the eldest mainline locos of the class in 37/0 status.
28/1/84
1520 Home to Glasgow 37 022
1650 Glas to Helensb' Upper 37 081
2020 Hel U to Glasgow 37 011
22:00 Glas C to Paisley 37 092 xb or vb ? GD
Diverse units home after a fairly large drop on the late stranae or Ayr feeder for the 0700 Ayr glasgow. THis formed the "royal scot" and probably went to Ayr due to some BR ScR top brass living there and wanting a fast, comfy train in. However the lack of requirement for 47/4s ( the only diesel with ETH operable from central in 1983) in the area meant that the train would drop fairly enormous NBs at any time as there was no ETH anyway.
37 022 was one of the latter stratford reallocations to ED and not a bad runner
4/2/84
1520 Home to Glasgow 37 110 ex Oban,
1650 Glas to Home 37 081 ft Bill
110 was also a latter drifter from stratford IIRC with 114 also coming our way.
This was obviously my "insect" move after bunking off school or swimming on saturdays. Probably on a cut and shut transcard.
11/2/84
0906 Home to Arrochar 37 188
0945 Arrocahre to Hel U 37 011
1033 Hel U to Arrochar 37 108
1115 Arrochar to Home 37 022
1720 Home to glasgow 37 039
1820 Glas to Ardlui 37 188
2001 Ardlu- Hel 37 014
The latter , presumably with an ETHEL I neglected to bother my arse to write in the wee blue book.
==========
All these moves seem to have based themselves around ned cards and dark evenings of rumbling up and down the WHL talking crap and eating chips. The times of wandering down the road were most likely to cafes, the bus home or a lift backwards and forwards from my long suffering mother!
=====
1/3 / 84
1733 Home to Crianlarich 37 190
1907 Crian to Home 37 090
A nice little line with 090 probably a boilered on loan from GD or the likes. THink it may have been vb. 190 was not a patch on 188.
====================================
MYSTEX or Shoppex.
3/3/84
0724 Home one change to Glas C units
0900 Glas to Warrington 86 241
1130 warrington to chester 47 194
1317 Chester to crewe DMU
Apart from some ned spotting in Crewe, this, like many other mystexs could have been a real POS day. But look at the timing! 2 hours thirty to warrington! Hard to find a service which does it so fast today and that was load 8 mark ones back then!
Now what happened next was that we were just waiting about for the return when a very horrid 45/1 crawls in having sprayed a rake of mrk iis on somethign like a bangor to york service with oil or diesel. Waiting in the wings, an immaculate 40 155 whistles like a ghost round the back of the station and DROPS on the service! We jump on it as it stops at warrington and the 40 gives an excellent thrash as he tries to pick up time at the stops and signals on the way.
1645 Chester to Warrington 40 155. 1E16
Why 40s in this condition were ever cut up I do not know as they were far more reliable than 45s or 47s. A rationalisation of the class to later bodies / bogies or better examples of the baldies and splitters could have given Scotland or the west with some good extra passenger locos through to 1986 and track works locos thereafter, as a few did at crewe in 1986.
Upon some excurtiating googling I found that this was 1E16, Bangor to Scarborough, as x-country as it gets ! The loco was taken off at Manchester. http://itsa40.co.uk/84mar.html
The way home also produced some other healthy metal from the un just death row, 85039 awated us at the little platform end loco marshalling point. 1830 home in failing light with a damn good thrash.
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