Notts Llandudno memories

"If Timewarp was a loco it's status would be: Stored Serviceable."

Some of my earliest railway memories were of this train date back to even before I knew what service it was. Growing up close to the Stoke - Derby route it stood out from the usual hourly passenger service of DMU's and weekday freight traffic. Appearing only during the summer, each year it would return, always eagerly awaited, a pair of 25's and a rake of mkIs. Outward just after nine, back in the afternoon, up hill right to Cresswell, near Blythe Bridge ensured you always heard it's approach. I saw it often over the years, caught it a few times too, recall having a pair to Llandudno once at the start of a family holiday, and in later years, when it was a solo 25, I remember having 25211 back from Crewe after a spotting trip with school mate Kev, another time 25107 was sampled.

In the later 1970's, I identified it often in my notes, records becoming more detailed, and those notes formed the basis of several Classic Haulage listings with gaps filled in, with thanks to site visitors. I tried a few photos but results with an Instamatic Camera proved disappointing, the last ever 25 to work, right at the end of the 1981 seasion, 25270 was pictured and is just about the best of them, I'll have to get it scanned and added.

1982 proved to be the last year that 1D30 & 1D17 were hauled, but now it was with class 47 power, mostly NB examples. I made every effort to see them all, rail strikes and being in Birmingham for two weeks my only listing gaps.

1D30 07:35 SO Nottingham-Llandudno 1D17 13:26 SO Llandudno-Nottingham (The last year this train ran loco hauled.)
Date	Loco(s)	Note
29/05/82	47344
05/06/82	47337
12/06/82	47205
19/06/82	47351
26/06/82	47329
03/07/82	47242
10/07/82		Rail Strike.
17/07/82		Rail Strike
24/07/82	47356
31/07/82	47238
07/08/82	47280
14/08/82	47323
21/08/82	47323
28/08/82	47171
04/09/82	47190

Thanks to: Bevan Price & Richard Boyd for filling those gaps.
The listing above was originally part of our old Timewarp site.


See also: A brief History of... The Notts - Llandudno .
For a listing of Class 25's that worked these trains go here.
Why not post your memories of these trains in the comment box below.


'UD' & 'Clayhead' - Preserving the gen online since 1999...