"For the final period of ‘Deltic’ operation, starting on 5th October 1981, there were five ‘Deltic’ diagrams left, covering fifteen passenger trains on a weekday."
The primary focus of many an East Midlands Ranger ticket-holder in the 1979 to 1981 period: English Electric's Class 55 'Deltic' diesel. This is 55014 'The Duke of Wellington's Regiment' at Doncaster, on Sunday 26th July 1981.
It was one of the best value weekly area tickets of its time. At an average of less than a tenner between 1979 and 1981 (and less than a fiver for kids), the East Midlands Ranger presented a diesel haulage fanatic with an incredible opportunity to dive into the thick of ‘Deltic’ operation. Imagine that. A full week of intensive ‘Deltic’ haulage for less than a tenner. But that wasn’t all the East Mid offered. There was more. Much more…
Despite its isolation from 'Deltic'-hauled traffic, Sheffield was a behemoth of a location for diesel loco fans in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This scene shows 50040 'Leviathan' leading 50025 'Invincible' and train after arrival from Plymouth, with the Doncaster Dart railtour. You can find more about that train in The Class 50 Refubishment Story.
ACCESSIBLE ROUTES
Although the East Mid’s area didn’t stretch to London, Birmingham or York, it covered the bulk of the territory in between. It reached to within about 30 miles of the capital at the south, beyond Doncaster at the north, right out to the coast at the east, less than 15 miles from Manchester at the west, and less than 20 miles from Birmingham in the central region. It thus facilitated significant diesel loco bashing on portions of…
- The ECML. Popular target: Class 55.
- The Midland Main Line. Popular target: Class 45/1.
- The NE-SW. Popular target: Class 45/0 and 46, but also Class 31 and 37, especially on summer Saturdays.
- The Trans-Pennine route extending from New Mills across Sheffield, and as far east as Cleethorpes. Popular target: Class 31/37/40.
- The Birmingham – Norwich line. Popular target: Class 31.
- The entire Derby/Leics/Notts to Skegness route. Popular target: Class 20 and 25 – both types routinely running in pairs.
The East Mid covered plenty of 'Peak' territory. This is Leicester in the era of the Class 45s.
There were also some inter-regional trains that didn’t fit into the above categories, but were accessible to haulage fans within the East Mid boundary. These included the Nottingham – Glasgow and Harwich – Manchester services. The latter was watched particularly closely as it was booked for a Stratford 47 (in itself a notable in the Midlands), which could easily drop in favour of a Stratford 37.
THE ‘DELTICS’
A once familiar sight at Peterborough station, as 55021 'Argyll & Sutherland Highlander' arrives bound for York.
The ‘Deltics’ were unquestionably the East Mid’s star attraction in their final BR years. Their Kings Cross – Newcastle/Edinburgh ‘flyer’ regime was collapsed at the spring 1979 timetable change, when they replaced the 47/4s on the Kings Cross – York ‘semi fasts’. Whilst this could have been considered a snub to the majestic locos’ capabilities, it did improve life for the East Mid haulage-seeker. Once transferred to the ‘semi-fasts’, the ‘Deltics’ routinely stopped at the intermediate East Midland stations Grantham, Newark and Retford. Previously, they’d been running non-stop between Peterborough and Doncaster.
The change created a lot of new excitement, with more intensive haulage options, more station departures (and thus more thrash), and initially, drivers forgetting about the extra stops and braking wildly, overshooting platforms, etc. I twice saw that happen on the northbound at Newark, and it was a spectacle you couldn’t forget. The ‘Deltics’ had previously been so inextricably linked with the limited-stop work, it was easy to see how simply being in a ‘Deltic’ cab could persuade the driver he was going straight through – especially with guys who’d worked on the locos for the best part of two decades.
The bodyside of 55004 'Queen's Own Highlander'. By the end of their service lives the Class 55s showed obvious signs of overwork.
The ‘Deltics’ did hold onto a couple of Anglo-Scottish turns forward from spring ’79. Namely the 05:50 Kings Cross – Aberdeen and the 20:15 Kings Cross – Edinburgh. In the Up direction they retained the 20:23 and 22:25 Edinburgh – Kings Cross runs.
But during “office hours” they were exclusively limited to Kings Cross – York and Kings Cross – Hull diagrams. These diagrams included The Hull Executive – a trend-bucking Kings Cross - Hull ‘flyer’ which was, immediately post spring 1979, the fastest loco-hauled service in Britain.
The Class 55s’ depot allocations changed to reflect their new duties. Gateshead and Haymarket lost their ‘Deltics’ to York depot in 1979. The Finsbury Park examples stayed put. FP locos aside, this was the first time the class's depot allocations had not corresponded precisely with their naming theme...
Finsbury Park 'Deltics' had single-word racehorse names on square-cornered plates. Haymarket 'Deltics' had Scottish regimental names on square-cornered plates. And Gateshead 'Deltics' had far north-English regimental names on round-cornered plates. The Gateshead machines also had a very different, narrow lettering font. Thus, on approach, you could always tell where a 'Deltic' was based before knowing its number - just by looking at its nameplate style. This remained the case after the York transfer, since all the northern examples went to the same depot. But the theme of the northern names no longer related to their official residence.
Grantham became a regular 'Deltic' calling point from May 1979, when the type commenced work on the 'semi-fast' timetable. This is 55011 'The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers' at what was, in 1980, voted the most boring town in Britain. Participants in the poll clearly hadn't visited the railway station.
Some of the best ‘Deltic’-hauled trains ran in the night, when the air-con stock gave way to Mk.1s, and the locos fired up their steam heating systems. And unlike a lot of other area tickets in the same price ballpark, East Mids could be used right round the clock. That put ‘Deltic’-hauled night trains firmly on the East Mid-holder’s agenda.
With an East Mid you could ride on trains like the 23:16 Doncaster – Kings Cross. This was effectively a continuation of the 21:00 ex-Hull, with a Leeds portion chained on at Doncaster. Healthy rake of Mk.1s, ‘Deltic’ using steam heat, and anyone with a penchant for 08s could even get a nightly ‘Gronk’ haulage on the stock shunt. The 01:10 Kings Cross – Leeds was also a booked ‘Deltic’ turn, and accessible to East Mid holders.
The 'Deltics' were popular in the 1970s, but enthusiasm for them went stratospheric once their full withdrawal was fast-tracked. This is 55010 'Kings Own Scottish Borderer' at Newark, on the 14:03 Kings Cross - York.
But ‘Deltic’ diagrams evolved considerably between 1979 and their final year of 1981. The Kings Cross – York ‘semi-fasts’ remained an operational mainstay, but the Type 5s’ traffic diversified. The locos saw increasing use on the Newcastle/York – Liverpool route as their Hull diagrams were withdrawn. They also crept back onto Anglo-Scottish duties, and gained some shorter-distance North British work. There was additionally some use on the Kings Cross – Cleethorpes service, although this became a talking point more because of its novelty factor than its significance in the overall realm of ‘Deltic’ employment.
For the final period of ‘Deltic’ operation, starting on 5th October 1981, there were five ‘Deltic’ diagrams left, covering fifteen passenger trains on a weekday. The majority ran between Kings Cross and York, but some reached Edinburgh. The 1V93 Edinburgh – Plymouth and 1S27 Plymouth - Edinburgh only employed a ‘Deltic’ north of York, and so did not bring a 55 into East Mid territory. Whilst none of these booked, final-quarter workings strayed off the ECML, in practice the ‘Deltics’ continued to roam wider, and their use on service trains to Liverpool persisted until the very last week. The Liverpool trains were, however, another flow that East Mid holders could not access.
DAYTIME HAULAGE MOVES
The popular 08:34 Cleethropes - Doncaster at its destination. All of the people on the platform are railway enthusiasts, and have travelled on the train from at least as far as Habrough.
The planning of haulage moves within the boundary of the East Midlands Ranger almost became an art form. Haulage guide To The Last Drop published its own dedicated East Midlands Ranger itinerary. This was a choreographed, one-day, summer-timetable bash which would, if everything worked as booked, net an enthusiast haulages from…
- Two pairs of 20s.
- One pair of 25s.
- Three Class 31s.
- One Class 37.
- One ‘Peak’.
- One Immingham 47.
- Four ‘Deltics’.
Not a bad day’s travel.
Locations within the East Midlands Ranger territory. Newark, Chesterfield, Cleethorpes and Leicester. The large-logo-on-steroids 47583, 'County of Hertfordshire', is on the Manchester - Harwich Parkeston Quay boat train. The hope would have been for a 37, but based on novelty value, this Stratford maverick would have escaped any serious cursing.
Popular daytime trains in TTLD's summer season bash included…
- 08:24 Leicester – Skegness (Toton 25s).
- 09:22 Derby – Skegness (Toton 20s).
- 09:53 Nottingham – Skegness (Toton 20s).
- 17:17 Skegness – Sheffield (Tinsley 31).
- 18:22 Bridlington – Sheffield (Tinsley 37).
- 19:02 Scarborough – Sheffield (Tinsley 31).
Plus all of the ‘Deltic’ turns. There was no shortage of interest in those.
Some of the sights from period East Mid territory in monochrome. 55022 at Peterborough, 50025 at Doncaster station, 50031 in Doncaster Works, and 40069 at Habrough.
However, few people would follow the TTLD plan in full, because most haulage fans had favourite loco types and would prioritise those in their moves. To The Last Drop’s suggested itinerary sacrificed Class 40 haulages to bag Type 1s, 2s and 3s. So the ‘Whistler’ devotees, of whom there were many, would likely revise at least some of the schedule. The same applied with the ‘Deltic’ faithful, who would probably spend most of the day racing up and down the ECML on Kings Cross – York (and vice versa) services.
OVERNIGHT HAULAGE MOVES
Just off the 18:14 York - Kings Cross at Peterborough, and ready to start the overnight move. After watching 55017 'The Durham Light Infantry' head into the dusk, we'll cross the bridge and hang around for the 20:00 Kings Cross - Aberdeen.
The overnight move also varied, but it would commonly begin with either the 20:00 Kings Cross – Aberdeen or the 20:15 Kings Cross – Edinburgh.
The latter was booked for a ‘Deltic’, but the former was more random. If the 20:00 was a Class 40, the heavy load and fast line would mean the 16-wheeler being thrashed to within an inch of its life. The 20:00 could even produce a ‘Peak’ on occasion. It was an exciting train to wait for at Peterborough, in the days when few people had any gen, and nearly all loco appearances were a complete surprise. And if the 20:00 was a 47/4, you just waited for the 20:15 behind it.
Early in the morning, Class 31 No. 31107 backs the stock from the 02:10 Manchester - Cleethorpes out of the East Coast terminus.
Both the 20:00 and the 20:15 connected straight onto the 23:16 Doncaster – Kings Cross at Donnie, since the Up train would sit idle in the platform for long before its departure.
Many enthusiasts would incorporate the 02:10 Manchester – Cleethorpes at some stage in their overnight move. The 02:10 conveniently intersected the ECML with a stop at Retford Low Level, and made slow progress due to its lengthy mail stops. It didn’t reach Cleethorpes until around 07:25, so you could retract the arms on the compartment seats and try to sleep on it.
The Cleethorpes overnight move bore witness to this 01:50 newspaper train from Manchester. 40069 stands at journey's end, whilst in the distance, 40024 is seen with the stock from the 02:10 passenger/mail train from Manchester.
The 02:10 was booked for a 47 forward from Sheffield, but almost invariably viced in an English Electric Type 2, 3 or 4. I never recorded one instance in which it actually produced a ‘Duff’.
Shortly after arrival back at Doncaster and ready to start chasing 'Deltics', there's time to take a look at a pair of 20s - backdropped by some on-platform newspaper activity and an all-over blue Class 101 at the works.
There was a café in Cleethorpes called Brown’s, which did a roaring breakfast trade serving egg and bacon ‘flats’ to train fanatics off the 02:10. And upon return to the station there was an 08:34 Cleethorpes – Doncaster, which guaranteed a Class 40 haulage back onto the ECML. That also gave quick access to Sheffield, which was the centre of the loco-bashing universe on a summer Saturday.
Alternatively, you could get off the 02:10 at Lincoln Central, and make a rather less elegant move involving two DMUs, and a 31 on the 05:55 Doncaster – Lincoln. This would, after the second DMU ride, put you at Loughborough in time for the 25s on the 08:24 Leicester – Skegness. You could then have two pairs of 20s behind that, but you’d end up at Skeg, and would not get back onto the ECML until about half three in the afternoon. The majority of haulage freaks would not want to lose that much of the day on a summer Saturday. Plus, this move didn’t really have any allotted sleep time, so would not be sustainable over a number of nights.
There was plenty to spot as well as bash. The brake van provides a tell-tale sign of the period on this Class 31-hauled freight at Newark.
SUMMING UP
The East Midlands Ranger’s 24-hour validity, coupled with its extensive access to some of the most revered loco-hauled trains of the age, and its low, low price, made it a priority purchase. Add in the sobering knowledge that the legendary ‘Deltics’ were approaching their final curtain, and the ticket was truly unmissable.
If you have treasured railway memories from the period 1979 to 1981, I wouldn’t mind betting that a good few of them were made courtesy of an East Midlands Ranger.