Birmingham to Carlisle Railtour 1964.

[Laurie_B]

Having been watching Michael Portillo's Great Train Journeys'on BBC2,and reading a recent article in Heritage Railway' (both featuring Carlisle) I was reminded of the Warwickshire Railway Society Railtour that I went on in November 1964,which ran from Birmingham to Carlisle.
Locos used were 70052 (failed Carnforth), 45018, 46160, 45647, 70000.
I wonder if anyone else went on the railrour?The train was quite full I recall.
Some photos of the sheds at Carlisle on the day are here https://locoperformance.tripod.com/edition27/1964carlisle-gallery.htm

 

[artistmike]

Didn't go on the railtour but the mention of Carlisle prompts me to mention that Saltley shed's top link was the Carlisle fitted-freight from Water Orton to Carlisle which held the distinction of being the longest single crewed rail job in the British Isles back in the days of British Railways steam. The crew would work the train to Carlisle, lodge the night then work a train back and their mileage payment made the men in the Carlisle link quite an elite among footplatemen.

Before you think that perhaps the non-stop Kings Cross-Edinburgh express was a longer turn the crew on that train was changed half-way by using the unique corridor tenders and the relieved crew rode the rest of the way on the cushions!

Black Fives and eventually Standard 9s were rostered for this important job and the only engines to be fitted with automatic stokers were shedded at Saltley especially for this turn but were not much of a success, the firemen preferring a conventional hand-fired loco. Terry Esserly, a senior fireman at Saltley during my time working there, describes a harrowing account of his struggle with a stoker malfunction in his excellent book "More firing days at Saltley", well worth a read for anyone wishing to know what it was like at the sharp end in steam days.

 

[pistonvalve]

Interesting artistmike, I used to trainspot at 'grassy banks' (Aston Church Road where the Midland crossed the LNWR), at 4ish in the afternoon four loco's coupled together heading toward Water Orton followed by a couple of 'double headers' a short time afterwards. Were these loco movements anything to do with the Carlisle fitted freight mentioned in your post? 68A (large cab side numbers) black fives were sometimes in the four loco movement. I always remember these workings as it was very difficult to copy down the loco number's before they disappeared out-of sight as they travelled so fast being signalled on the (down) fast.

 

[artistmike]

Yes pistonvalve, I know where you mean it's where the LNWR line went over the Midland line and where there was a siding for the Camp Hill bankers. Many light engine movements to Washwood Heath, Water Orton and sometimes New Street with up to four engines coupled to give light engines a path on what was a very busy railway in those days. Some of these engines would be for the Carlisle turn of course, I'm not clear about what you mean by the large cab-side number Black Fives or where 68A shed was because Saltley was of course coded 21A. Any engines for the Carlisle would be 21A engines as I can't see other shed's engines being trusted with such a prestigious job by Saltley's traffic office.

I being a juniour and relatively in-experienced fireman was never rostered onto the Carlisle, it was after all one of the most arduous turns for a fireman in the country, but being in the spare link often finished up on some turns usually reserved for senior men when, as was common, a fireman didn't show up for duty. It was this unknown element that made an already exciting job even more so and being 17 I was allowed on the main line passenger workings taking precedence over the many senior but younger lads who were restricted to the bank engines and freight metals.

Happy days indeed, one of my best memories is of hammering though Ashchurch station whistle screaming at over 85mph on the footplate of Jubilee 45699 on a Birmingham -Bristol express but there were many more highlights especially firing 9Fs.

 

[pistonvalve]

68A was Carlisle Kingmore shed and engines shopped in Scotland (St Rolox) had their cab side numbers repainted in larger numerals - a local tradition totally unofficial of course, I remember Galateea (spelling?) seen many times and we referred to it as a 'crate' - seen too often! happy memories.

 

[artistmike]

That explains it! Saltley men must have worked Carlisle engines back to Saltley. Gatatea did rock and roll a bit compared to a Black Five but as it was the only Jubilee I ever fired I assumed they were all like that!