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Page last updated: 17/09/06
Andrew Dyson recalls... "Just found your site, and enjoyed looking through it. I went to Doncaster Works Open Day on Sunday 18/06/78. It was a very hot day. 50034 had another 3 placed wrong way on the other 3 to create 50084! 71001 was on display, still in blue livery, awaiting to be repainted into green before going to the NRM. The scrap lines were out of bounds, but loco's could still be seen. There were scrap 24's, 71's and 74's. As the 24's weren't in my 1977 ABC Combined Volume I discarded them, and didn't take down the 71's and 74's numbers." "MrBushy" remembers... "Armed with the requisite 'East Mids'the weekend began as was customary on Friday night with the last bus from my village to Leicester for the 2100 Pancras-Shef with a 45 to Notts for the 2315 unit to Grantham. 55014xdGD on 1S66 2025 KX-Edinburgh to Doncaster for 1E72 2230 Edinburgh-KX back to Grantham & 1L00 0110 KX-Leeds north again to Retford. All three of these East Coast trains were booked a Deltic but the latter two were obviously inferior engines tonight! Descending to the low level platforms a grimy 37076xoIM hove into view making a welcome, but cold change from the staple boilered variety on 1E62 & a red line in my Platform 5 book! Bellowing out of the front window leaving Retford I observed this Immingham beast giving a good account of itself blasting up the gradient to Thrumpton box in the dawn half-light. The 0210 Man Picc-Cleethorpes newspaper train was done to Lincoln Central for the 0550 unit to Sheff, passing Nunnery carriage sidings 37095xbTI was observed on the stock of the 0747 to Skeg (via Notts) & was duly scooped to Chesterfield. 1E04 0730 Birmingham NS-Newcastle could often be relied on to produce, being a Saltley 'kick-out' & today was no exception as a welcome & familiar front end swung into view & with 37067xoTE at the helm, my third new Tractor of the day back to Sheff. There I learned 37029vbMR had just departed on the Shef-Skeg (via Lincoln) so I went to meet it coming back, probably on a dubious succession of 40's, 25's & 31's ending up at Gainsborough Lea Road where I said hello to 029. The Harwich Boat Train was obviously not a 37 as my next recorded haulage was on Sunday, so after fruitlessly observing a phalanx of 45/6/7's on the 'Northbound Procession' I would have returned to Leicester on a 45 later that evening. Getting anywhere east of Leicester much before tea time on winter Sundays was almost impossible but summer was a different matter-there was a dodgy move! 2 x 20's on the 0840 to Skeg were taken to Sleaford, over the bridge for a unit from Skegness to Grantham for a 47 on 1L04 0940 KX-Leeds to Doncaster for a visit to the works. After a leisurely browse, I arrived back at the station to see what Deltics were about when 37122xoTI meandered down platform 3 on the 1335 Cleethorpes-Shef vice unit service, Dreadful! my forth new 37 of the weekend, what was even more dreadful was due to an engineering possession it went via Treeton North, Tinsley Yard & Woodburn Jct! Retracing the route, a unit was done back to Doncaster for 55010xdHA on 1E07 the 1210 Edinburgh-KX on which Jimmy Saville was observed proving it definately was 'The Age Of The Train!! From Peterborough a 31 on the 1810 Norwich-Birmingham NS took me home to Leicester." Alan Baylis says... "This era is when I was more interested in railway photography rather than bashing. My Saturday was spent on the Birmingham 'Cross City' line where I got some good photographs of trains at all stations between Five Ways and Longbridge. Alas I have only recorded the time (and trains direction) when I took the photograph so it is difficult to work out what was on what but for what its worth I saw (and probably photographed most of the following on (mainly) passenger trains: 47167, 47204 (to Cardiff), 45015, 50026, 47283, 47539, 50026, 46029, 47104, 46054, 46017, 45028, 47202, 47248, 20013/170, 47054, 47289, 45020, 46028 and 47318 (notes say the 18.38 Paddington train). The following day I was on the tour to Doncaster which others have covered." Nick B writes... "If you remember the Works event that year was a 2 Day event - I went on the Sunday (18th). I had not long moved from Grantham to
Yeovil and was planning to stay in Grantham after the event. I
Nick Ross recalls... "Moves and gen from distant times... 17/6/78 Sa 47138
0727
Swansea-Leeds
Swansea-Newport
0727 start was a very early for a typical Swansea student like me at the time! 37125 xo TI was a well ER rated "growler", the highlight of the day One of our happy band rang Landore to
confirm the rare ER 47289 was working. It was, having gone
46018 on the York-Tenby was swapped at
Cardiff as Landore men weren't passed on them. From
HST's which we didn't log were used to several Newport-Cardiff positioning moves; Happy days!"
Kevin Eshelby writes... Started off with a dmu fom York to Leeds before
taking 40198 on the 0757 Leeds - Llandudno to Dewsbury
Graham S Clark writes... "I Went to Scotland that day from Gainsborough
depart 0612, Unit to Sheffield then unit to Man Picc.
Edinburgh to Newcastle was 47460 [This was a bit a stir as it had just lost its wooden Great Eastern nameplates], From Newcastle to york 40107. York to Doncaster 47468, I,m not sure, this may have been a cross country working. We then had to get the first London service diverted off the ECML via Lincoln. From Doncaster this service got in to Gainsborough Lea Road at 0015 ish and was 46050. For A guess I will say the first diverted service of the ECML was from Newcastle has it always had a Gateshead 46 on it when I used or saw the service. Sorry I did not write the times down etc but
this was my miss spent youth."
Mike Kerry writes... "I was out on the day of Doncaster open day
and had the following;
Hope to have helped."
UD writes... Looking at old notes of any trips long past and the years just roll back. Heading for Derby on one of Etches Parks finest Class 120 BR Swindon Cross-country dmus, 08123 was noted in Stoke Yd (Closed 1981 - lifted mid 80's and now a small forest behind the station). The reason soon became obvious with the arrival of a Clay train, ex St Blazey, formed of short wheelbase, and sheeted open wagons, which arrived behind 81014. To the south of the station, 47450 was running around a rake of Mk II stock, which was to form the SO train to Holyhead. I seem to remember that the following line up was dumped at Egginton junction at that time: 7076+8598+7096+832, but they don't appear in my notes, but that is probably because they were unchanged from previous journeys. Seeing these machines standing there, all those years ago, faded blue paint peeling badly, it was almost impossible to believe that any of them would ever work a passenger train again. The Class 25 that flashed past us in the opposite direction was no doubt working the SO Nottingham - Llandudno. 20075+20183 were recorded at Willington PS with a coal train, back then the whole area between the main line and the power station was a mass of track, well stocked, mostly with rakes of coal trucks, but also a few tanks. On the curve at Derby 08333/455/462 20005/081/084/164 were noted as we arrived only minutes after the Derby - Yarmouth would have left, probably behind a pair of rats. Waiting for our Sheffield train, 08899 was the Derby station pilot, stabled, as usual, behind Platform 6. We looked on while 08333 drew a rake of stock slowly around the curve and into the station, with 20037+20193 on the other end. This then formed the SO Derby - Skegness. 25195/270, 47343 (noted earlier LD through Stoke) and back to back HST power cars 43038+039 all retired to the sheds, with 45130 and 46042 (service starting Derby, heading west) working passenger duties. We departed Derby on the SO Wellingborough - Scarborough service, which ran, as booked, via Nottingham, hauled by 45019. On the approaches to Sheffield, 47181 passed with a southbound passenger. Sheffield station itself was busy to say the least with both passengers and services. 08745 was present, while 25258+25264 were recorded with the SO Manchester - Yarmouth duty, along with 45006 (South bound)/111/144(ex St Pancras), 46028/043 and 47549? also on passenger turns in what could have been a space of no more than fifteen minutes! We left on what I believe was a Sheffield - Doncaster additional, formed of Mk I stock hauled by 37128. 08331+08485 were at the NCL freight depot, with 08128/219/261 in yards around Rotherham. 37105+123, 47177/279 were stabled in sidings near Mexborough station. 40028 passed in the other direction (on parcels vans ex Cleethorpes). At Doncaster, we were able to enter the works directly via the over bridge from the station. The following locos were recorded inside: 03079/161/397, 08071/099/184/310(part cut?)/444/504, 24066. 31007/012/143/176/208/209/212/218/226/251/257/286/295/303 (the 31/0's may have been part cut up), 37027/072/099/125/141/160/164/208/218/226/232/242/263/266/279. 50003/005/006/011/021/024/034/042/046, 55001/002/004/008/020, 56047/048 and frames of half a dozen others, 76020, a part HST rake including power cars 43080+081, Departmental ADB986010 (a snow plow converted from a Class 08), steam No.1, 251, 4468, 4472 and 4771. St Paddy & Nimbus were not officially withdrawn for a good few months, they had already worked their last. I remember thinking that 24066 looked in a very good external condition for a condemned loco, and as it turned out, it would be cut up within days. We then returned to the station and spent a good four-five hours on the crowded platforms. The following locomotives were recorded, almost entirely on passenger duties: 08876 (station pilot), 31115/125/178/235/299/404/409, 37007/127/216/237, 40038/071, 45015/069, 46050, 47410/417/420/422/447/471/488/523/542/549/550, 55003/009/010/011/013/019/021/022, 43065/066/067/068/069/078. Most of the ECML traffic was loco-hauled with EH power. I think one, maybe both of the 31/4's arrived ex Leeds and were replaced by larger engines. I remember one of the Deltic's arrived from the north on a railtour formed of Pullman stock, which stabled in the station area for a hour or two before returning north. We reluctantly left on the 1754 SO Doncaster - Sheffield formed once again by 37128 and the stock on which we arrived. As we arrived at Sheffield, 47351 was recorded, standing engine running, crewed up, obviously waiting for something. We, however, were waiting for the 1620 Newcastle - Cardiff, our move back to Derby. Then came the announcement that the Cardiff would be delayed due to a fatality on the line near York. During the hour that followed, 45050 and 46039 worked north before 45108 arrived from St Pancras and proceeded to run around, to form the 2000 return. Eventually the Cardiff arrived with 40193, with 47351 going forward. All in all a most memorable day out! My only regrets of that day are:
"The Timelord’s" report follows: "I was studying in 78 so travelled up to Doncaster
from Warwick, starting on a Tyseley chariot from Warwick to
The 0934 New St to Pwllheli was a fine collection of real units: 50766/56296/51110+50444/59151/50501. I travelled up to Sheffield on 0740 Cardiff
to Newcastle with 45047, then another chariot to Doncaster. You’ve listed
You also give a list of locos passing through Doncaster Station, and I can identify what some of these were doing: 47420 1255 Bradford to Kings Cross
I returned home via chariot to Sheffield, where
the 1515 Manchester to Harwich boat train was being reengined from
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| John Savage wrote....
I was there, aged the wonderful age of 8 days. My first exposure to railways was that. (I only know cause I've seen the photos). I got well and truly hooked when I got taken to north wales some 7 days later, whereupon I first rode on a train, the very youngest passenger on the first passenger train from Porthmadog to Tanygrisiau. Ffestiniog in the blood to this day. |
| Pete (D808) said...
I was there at DoncasterTravelled from Reading courtesy of double headed 31s replaced by double headed 20s at New . Street I think the tour was by RPPR. Got some wonderful shots of 24066 at Doncaster plus of course 55001 St Paddy, which never left! The shots taken on the station were good as well, 40s, 46s and 55s with the odd HST working. How times have changed. |
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