On any given day, with an operation as complex as a busy railway network, 'operational difficulties' are bound to happen from time to time. Here follows details of just a few from a far off summer Saturday some thirty years ago, as seen by enthusiasts out and about and pieced together by the RailGenArchive group.
1. 37426 worked 1M06 0507 Cardiff Central-Liverpool Lime Street but failed upon arrival. 31221 was unusual choice as replacement, worked 1V08 0915 Liverpool Lime Street-Cardiff Central, arrived 10 late Cardiff. 47432 then provided to work 1M17 1323 Cardiff Central-Liverpool Lime Street. 37426 was revived to work 1V17 1714 Liverpool Lime Street-Cardiff Central but fails Runcorn, requiring assistance from 47119 forward to Crewe where 37703 was provided to go forwards. 37426 engine damage sufficient to require Doncaster works attention, arriving there 3 days later (14th) not release until 9th September 1988.
2. 47441 was a partial failure, Wellington area, working 1J19 0740 London Euston-Pwllheli with 37079+37197 booked to go forward, but were now to assist, but instead came to some minor grief on the Shrewsbury point work. 47441, now revived by driver and able to continue, but was then held up outside Shrewsbury while 37079+37197 were untangled from point work. Result was, 37079+37197 leave Shrewsbury on 1J19 over a hour late. 1J19 booked to cross 1A44 1010 Aberystwyth-London Euston, behind 37681+37686 at Newtown, but crossed at Welshpool instead, single line results in 1A44 also now 30+ late. Also explains why I didn't take (dud) pair to Welshpool as usual, but instead play safe, waiting for the score in the Buxton stone pair at Shrewsbury?
3. There was a loco failure at Sheffield prior to departure of SO 1O05 0608 Sheffield-Poole with 47475 the alleged culprit. 45110 was acquired as replacement, 1O05 departure Sheffield, 66 late. 1O05 booked fresh loco, forward from New St, but appears non available. 45110 runs around, continues to Didcot (NOT Reading as stated elsewhere) though not even booked to call there, 47612 then works forward avoiding Reading as booked. 45110 returned North, Light engine, to Saltley, departing Didcot shortly after 1500 hrs. Further issues between Birmingham & the south coast are known to have occurred that afternoon, but as yet, details are unclear. 1E35 1241 Poole - Leeds was late as you would expect, with late arrival of inbound 1O05, but so was preceding 1M56 1142 Poole - Manchester, arrived Leamington with 47525, not the expected 47478, which I'm reliably informed, was by then, dumped at Reading... 47525 had worked 1O10 0847 Leeds - Poole off Birmingham, booked through engine, so not clear how, or from where, it ended up on a late running 1M56?
Visit the RailGenArchive and enter the date 11-06-1988 in the box provided to see all workings currently notified to us. Other dates are available... If you can add any information relating to loco hauled passenger workings over BR that we don't already feature, or spot any errors, no matter how obvious, then please Contact Us either via email or the contact form provided on the main site, or use the box at the foot of this page. We can handle gen in any digital format, and all years welcome. Our intention that the RailGenArchive features all areas of the BR network and all loco classes without bias to our own personal tastes, and where that is not the case this is entirely a reflection of the info we've been supplied with and NOT intentional, so if you feel that your favourite locos or local area is currently under represented then please get in touch and share your records with us.
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