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Page last Updated : 20-01-08
A Hellfire day from -=Steve Hill=- / Mr. Hinckley...
"Reminiscences like these always make fascinating reading,
there have been some great ones in "Traction". Ever noticed
how talk of these days leaves "normals", and even other
enthusiasts (photters, spotters, steam cranks etc) completely confused
?
One of the things I loved about bashing was the fact
that it was not just a hobby, it was a unique subculture, with its
own lingo, customs, etiquette and social heirarchies
!
Anyway enough of the sociology, let me relate to you a
hellfire day chasing Class 46's in their final months...
Very early morning, Saturday 28th July 84, four months
before the end of the Class 46's on BR, and I'm ambling round
Wolverhampton, (looking for a milk float to get breakfast
!) having ended up there on an overnight move which saw me
doing assorted NE-SW FO trains which included 45012,
45026, 45117, 46026 and a snippet off 45065. Not having the money to
go to Bristol and onwards, I bailed off L.A.D.Y. on the
1V56 Brad.-Paignton at New St., and for a fill in move did a sparky to
Wolves
for and hour and half fester, to do a Glasgow-Paignton
back to New St, for the Harwich onwards to Leicester. A Roarer was hoped
for, and the required 81011 dutifully produced.
My vague plan was to do the Leics-Leeds to Notts for the
Brad-Weymouth, a semi-regular 46 turn, and then see how the
day panned out once back at New St. To this end 31144
was done to Leicester on the Wolves-Harwich. Being a no-heat
Cricklewood loco it was, I suppose, pretty big but not
required for me having had it the previous day on 2G85 08:42
Leics-New St.
Sulzer action re-commenced on 1E05 Leics-Scarboro' with
45139 doing the honours I think it was then possible to bail off "E05"
at Beeston for a Chesterfield-Yarmouth SO to Notts, but
with it expected to be a Goyle or a Tractor, and (I think)
having a very small plus connection off it at Notts for
the Weymouth, I flagged that move and did 45139 to Notts. 1O13, 0530 Bradford-Weymouth
was a train I had covered a few times and despite being a booked 46 turn
had had a variey of motive power.
Today it dropped nicely, and 46052 was on the train.
Hellfire - second 46 of the day !
I had met a couple of mates on "E05", who were also doing
the train I was on, and rumours were circulating about an
11:34 Derby-Poole(?) relief, which apparently had 46047
alocated as far as New St. It was theoretically impossible to do
1O13 to Brum and get to Derby for the relief as to get
this, you could do a Bristol-Leeds relief to Derby, and end up with
about a minus ten or so at Derby. My mates weren't
going to chance it, and bailed at Leicester for the next tram to Derby.
As 46052 was my 46 beast, I decided to go for it and
get a few more miles in on '052. I left them behind at Leicester,
with them declaring that I would never make it for 46047.
Well...
Suitably thrashed out on '052, I waited at New St for
the Bristol-Leeds relief. Now the loco which worked the previous
nights Brad-Paignton came off at Bristol for a (booked)
Hoover forward and was then spare at Bath Road - ideal for a
relief - so I was very satisfied to see 46026 appear
through the gloom of the tunnels at New St. Load up, third 46 haulage of
he day, I may well miss 46047 but I didn't mind. (and
the third time I'd had 46026 in 24 hours, having had her on a Bristol-Leeds
relief the previous day) L.A.D.Y. was taken to Derby,
and as we are slowing for the inevitable check outside the station, I am
looking out expecting to see the relief go by...we trundle
slowly in to the station, there's the relief, its a Peak...it is
46047, the gen was correct ! Now...will I make
it ?
We draw into platform one, and I'm off the train well
before it has stopped (tut tut!) and running hell for leather across the
bridge
to platform 4 - down the steps, leap into the nearest
door of the train and seconds later the whistle goes and we pull out. I
catch
my breath back, and saunter majestically to the front
coach to brag of my bashing prowess ! (and bloody good luck, 46047
left about twelve minutes late !) Needless to say
my mates were less than happy at my move - which they could
have done ! - and I think the term "Jammy bastard" was
used !
Four class 46 haulages in less than twelve hours, (five
in 24 hrs) in their last summer (I think there were only about a dozen
or
so left in service at the time)...well, I was proud of
it ! Of course after such a hellfire overnight and morning, there was bound
to
be a down side. This particular downside was a tractor
by the number of 37042.
Having bailed off 46047 at New St I retired to the Fox
for a sly couple of (underage!) beers, and a visit to the chippy, then
back
for an old favourite, the Poole-Newcastle (an hour later
on Sats), a pretty solid Peak turn north of Brum. Today was
no exception, with "Benson" - 45149 - working, which
I took back to Derby to await a York-Plymouth relief.
This could be done to Birmingham for a couple of options
back north. Hoverver, instead of the hoped-for steam heat Peak,
disappointingly (for me) 37042 trundled in. This was
also considered a "big" engine, being a no-heat Thornaby
example, but I was less than impressed. At the time I
hated Tractors even more than Goyles, although I've mellowed a
bit now ! Anyway, thanks to a combination of a VERY slow
trundle to Birmingham behind this thing (well over an hour), staggering
all the way, and a long signal check outside New St,
I was bowled out for TWO northbound SH Peaks - 45042
passed us near Saltley on the Newquay-Newcastle and another
(unidentified) beast passed us in New St tunnels !
Aaaarrgghh ! Bowled RIGHT out !
Being knackered from the overnight I decided to end the
day, taking 45130 on the Newquay-Leeds back to Derby (this service
was also booked for a 45/0, but at least it was a Peak!),
tram to Leicester, 31261 to Nuneaton on the evening
"Harwich", and rounded of the day on the Penzance-Derby
back to Hinckley - again usually good for a Peak, but today a very
dull Bescot EH duff in the shape of 47531. Quite why
I didn't wait for the Paignton-Notts I can't remember now ! Maybe it was
a
Duff that day ? Anyway, despite the afternoon falling
apart, I went home pretty happy !
From the moves book...
Friday 27th July 84
45012 1029 2231 Leeds-Portsmouth Hbr, Rotherham-Sheff
(removed, boiler failed)
45026 1029 2231 Leeds-Portsmouth Hbr, Sheff-Chesterfield
Saturday 28th July 84
45065 1V48 2030 Newcastle-Newquay, loaded up at Chesterfield
intending to go
to Derby (unadvertised stop for crew change), and as
I'm chatting to the Guard
as train pulls out, he tells me that chances were we
wouldn't pull into a
platform at Derby, so next stop Bristol...ahh, snags,
I'm on a Mid, which is not
really valid at Bristol !...anyway the train stops again
about fifty yards down the
platform, so I bail out pretty sharpish ! (I suppose
a track leap could have been done at Derby !)
45117 1M10 2352 Sheff-Pancras, Chesterfield-Derby
46026 1V56 2237 Brad-Paignton, Derby-BNS
86227 1G11 0010 Euston-Wolves, BNS-Wolves
81011 1V60 2325 Glasgow-Paignton, Wolves-BNS
31144 1E62 0530 Wolves-Harwich, BNS-Leics
45139 1E05 0739 Leics-Scarboro, Leics-Notts
46052 1O13 0530 Brad-Weymouth, Notts-BNS
46026 1E51 0907 Bristol-York rlf, BNS-Derby
46047 1Z49 1134 Derby-Poole(?) adex/rlf, Derby-BNS
45149 1E27 1040 Poole-Newcastle, BNS-Derby
37042 1V49 1420 York-Plymouth Relief, Derby-BNS
45130 1E18 1220 Newquay-Leeds, BNS-Derby
Tram Derby-Leics
31261 1M81 1803 Harwich-Wolves, Leics-Nuneaton
47531 1M82 1600 Penzance-Derby, Nuneaton-Hinckley
Cheers
-=Steve Hill=- / Mr. Hinckley
"
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