Monday 15th - Wednesday 17th February 1988 .
Where were you?
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Page last Updated : 20-01-08 Hellfire days recalled by Richard Weir ... "To many, the following will be just another day on the Cardiff - Portsmouths. In terms of the number of slims out, I was more than impressed. February 88 was BRs “Anywhere for a tenner” month, so a few of the Carlisle crowd decided to buy a Penzance return and spend a couple of days on a three-day Wessex Rover. On the 15th, we left Carlisle on 1V32 and spent the morning and early afternoon on the Crompton’s, before heading to Penzance, to meet up in The Dolphin, for some St Austell beer. The following day, having returned to Bath on the up midnight, we started off with 33057 from Bath, into Temple Meads on the 0155 So’ton-BTM. After the guard advised us that Wessex’s weren’t valid overnight, we decided not to risk the early morning (0400 or 0500?) vans to Yeovil and wait for the 0630 Cardiff - Portsmouth, as, I think, it was the same guard on the vans. This dropped 33050, which we had to Westbury, to fall into 33207 on 2V58, the 0656 Portsmouth - Cardiff. We leapt at Bradford-on-Avon, for 33057 to Southampton, on the 0800 from Cardiff, in order to get a few bagpipes in. We managed to land 33108, 33109 and 33110 before heading back to the Pompeys. 33205 was a pleasant surprise on the 1510 Portsmouth-Bristol, which we had to Warminster to have 33050 back to Salisbury, on 1O85, the 1510 Cardiff - Brighton. Two slims in a day was pretty decent I thought, but when 33204 turned up on the 1610 Pompey - Cardiff, I was well chuffed! As we were heading for home, we took 204 to Westbury, to catch the 1620 Cardiff-Portsmouth back to Salisbury, which had 33049 in charge. The day ended with 50045 up to Waterloo, to make the midnight sleeper out of Kings Cross, to Newcastle and then head west to Carlisle. Like I said, probably just an ordinary day, for many West
country bashers, but the number of 33/2s out made it pretty hellfire for
me!
"
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