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Trainspotting |
Blackpool & Carlisle: 1961 |
| A short family break in Blackpool in early September 1961, gave the opportunity for some North of England rail travel and trainspotting. Had I known that in the very near future, a considerable proportion of the Blackpool tramway system would vanish, perhaps our plans would have been different. But having travelled from Birmingham to Blackpool by rail, my brother and myself devised an itinerary that included Blackpool shed, a trip to Carlisle, and an evening football match between Blackpool and West Ham United. |
| BIRMINGHAM to BLACKPOOL: 4th SEPTEMBER 1961 |
| Our
outward journey on 4th September involved 45599 Bechuanaland from
Birmingham to Stafford, English Electric type 4 no D297 Stafford to
Crewe, Black 5 no 45237 Crewe to Preston, and 2-6-4T no 42652 from
Preston to Blackpool South.
Locomotives of interest seen on the journey included 45670 Howard of Effingham, 46256 Sir William A Stanier FRS, 45544 (un named Patriot), 45669 Fisher, 45567 South Australia, 45617 Mauritius, 45722 Defence, 45680 Camperdown, 46161 Kings Own, 45705 Seahorse, 45584 North West Frontier, and 45661 Jervis. In the late afternoon, we caught a tram from our South Promenade hotel as far as the Manchester Hotel, walked down Rigby Road, under the Railway bridge, turned right, and there we were beside Blackpool South shed. |
| BLACKPOOL SHED (24E) 4th SEPTEMBER 1961 |
| 45559 British Columbia | 45642 Boscawen | ||
| 45571 South Africa | 45661 Vernon | ||
| 45574 India | 45689 Ajax | ||
| 45580 Burma | 45705 Seahorse | ||
| 45638 Zanzibar | |||
| 44733 | 44894 | 45312 | 42705 | 42148 | 42625 | ||
| 44745 | 44947 | 45336 | 42783 | 42296 | 42657 | ||
| 44778 | 45101 | 45435 | |||||
| 44806 | 45102 | D315 | |||||
| Total 27 |
| BLACKPOOL to CARLISLE: 5th SEPTEMBER 1961 |
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Our
day started on the 9.00am Blackpool Central to Liverpool Exchange, upon
which we travelled to Preston. The loco was Black 5 no 44767. We arrived
at Preston at 9.44am. For our trip to Carlisle we had a choice of
Jubilee 45628 Somaliland on the Manchester to Glasgow, due out 10.26am,
or the following Liverpool to Glasgow, Rebuilt Scot no 46102 Black
Watch, due out 10.32am. They were side by side.
No contest, we chose 46102. |
| CARLISLE STATION: 12.30pm to 4.05pm: 5th SEPTEMBER 1961 |
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| CARLISLE to BLACKPOOL: 5th SEPTEMBER 1961 |
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We returned to Preston with 46227 Duchess of Devonshire on the 1.45pm Glasgow to Liverpool Exchange. An extremely unusual working for a Stanier pacific. D2 on the preceding Perth to Euston service failed near to Carnforth, and we stood for 65 minutes at Burton & Holme whilst things were sorted out. So we were not into Preston until 7.52pm, 82 mins late. We returned to Blackpool behind Black 5 no 45078, arriving rather later than we envisaged. Nevertheless a fascinating day. Wouldn't it be splendid to do it again. So we did. |
| BLACKPOOL to CARLISLE: 7th SEPTEMBER 1961 |
| This time our run round the coast on the 9.00am from Blackpool Central was with a Caprotti Black 5, no 44743, a Bank Hall (27A) engine. At Preston, a huge dilemma faced us. Side by side were Polmadie Scot no 46104 Scottish Borderer on the Manchester to Glasgow, and 72002 Clan Campbell on the Liverpool to Glasgow. What a choice. Another gleaming 66A Polmadie Scot, or a Clan pacific, a class that we had never travelled behind. |
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72002
won the day, with some misgiving. I had read that the Clans were modest
(putting it politely) performers, and so it proved. With an 11 coach
train, we struggled up Grayrigg, and stopped for a banker at Shap. So we
were not into Carlisle until 12.29pm, 10 minutes late. On the journey we saw 46248 City
of Leeds, 45635 Tobago, 45729 Furious, and 45713 Renown.
This time we decided to spend less time on Carlisle station, and make for Kingmoor. |
| CARLISLE : 12.30pm to 4.10pm: 7th SEPTEMBER 1961 |
| Northbound services of interest were the 1.26pm Carlisle to Edinburgh Waverley, with 60068 Sir Visto, the 9.25am Crewe to Aberdeen, 72005 Clan MacGregor taking over from an English Electric type 4 diesel. And 46222 Queen Mary, working north on the 2.50pm Carlisle to Glasgow stopping service. Southbound, 46230 Duchess Buccleuch gave way to 46248 on the 10.10am Glasgow to Euston. 72007 arrived on the 9.00am Perth to Euston, giving way to an English Electric type 4.72000Clan Buchanon worked the11.00am Glasgow to Liverpool, 46140 The Kings Royal Rifle Corps the following Glasgow to Manchester, and 60099 Call Boy the 12.05pm from Edinburgh Waverley. |
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We headed for Kingmoor Shed , where we knew that we unlikely to obtain permission to go round, but worked on the principle that whilst we were walking to the foreman's office, to ask, we would see a fair amount in the process. It worked, for we actually noted 23 numbers before being told "no". And in view were the then stored Stanier pacifics, 46201 Princess Elizabeth and 46210 Lady Patricia. The only other named loco we saw was 72009 Clan Stewart. But it was well worth the trip. Strangely I cannot recall whether we walked or bused. |
| CARLISLE to BLACKPOOL: 7th SEPTEMBER 1961 |
| So
it was back into Carlisle in good time to catch the 1.45pm Glasgow to
Liverpool service. What would be working it this time. Hopefully a
Polmadie Scot. No such luck. Another Clan, this time 72001 Clan Cameron.
With very generous schedules as far as Lancaster and a load of 10
coaches, the loco held it's own, though 31 mph up to Shap was hardly
inspiring. But on the Lancaster to Preston section, with a 25 minute
schedule for the 21 miles , 72001 never exceeded 63 mph, and dropped
three minutes.
So my conclusion of the Clan class was that they were indeed poor machines. I could never really understand why they were ever built. On the return journey, we saw 46125 3rd Caribinier, 46133 The Green Howards, 46109 Royal Engineer, 45696 Arethusa, 45584 North West Frontier, 45710 Irresistible, and 45507 Royal Tank Corps. And another Black 5 run to Blackpool concluded another excellent day. |
| BLACKPOOL to BIRMINGHAM: 8th SEPTEMBER 1961 |
| Friday
was going home day, and we had decided on the 9.55am Blackpool Central
to Crewe service, where we would have a snack and a drink, before
continuing back to Birmingham on the 11.40am Liverpool to Birmingham.
The plan worked well. Black 5 no 45205 took us to Crewe punctually, and Unrebuilt Patriot no 45547 took us on to Birmingham, arriving a few minutes late following signal checks either side of Stafford. My notes of what we saw on the return journey have unfortunately been lost. |
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