Memories Of The Westerns.  Gone But Not Forgotten.

                                                         By Paul Loynes

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Alittle taster of what is to follow:-

Of all the classes of diesel locomotives that have disappeared from British Rail metals, the demise of the Westerns well before the end of their normal working lives without doubt caused most regret and sadness.  To those who claim that accolade goes to the Deltics, try watching a video of the last special arriving at Kings Cross.  Those who alighted from it were waving their arms in the air, rather like a rabble of celebrating football supporters returning from an away triumph.  They looked anything other than railway enthusiasts mourning the loss of their much-loved engines.  The Westerns were victims of' a 'BR Policy', ('its not reason, just BRB Policy' as someone once said to me,) part of what was known as the 'National Traction Plan', to rid the Western Region of their last bastion of 'being different'.  Talking of all 309 main line diesel hydraulics, it was most unfortunate that at the time of the announcement of their phasing out in 1967, traffic, especially freight, was in decline and there was a considerable surplus of power on other regions.  Although the era of mass passenger closures had passed, the decline of freight meant an almost constant rationalization of track and traction.  Many cuts went too far.  So far that some are being reversed today.  I worked in the industry them from October 1971 until June 1997 when it was my turn to throw in the towel, take the money and run and get out while I still could.  During that period, all we heard was 'cut, cut, cut'.

The day I started on the railway, 4 October 1971, was a black one for the hydraulics.  It was the day that the Warships were ousted from the Exeter-Waterloo services after 7 years of faithful service and replaced by those depressingly faceless spluttering Southern region contraptions that couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding but made a hell of a lot of noise trying.  The Western Region loco allocation amendment list for that weekend, which I still have, made really depressing reading.  It still does; 8 Class 22's, 13 Hymeks, 11 Class 42's and the remaining 16 NBL Warships all stripped of their dignity, withdrawn and unceremoniously dumped on October 3rd, the same day that Landore's 16 and Bath Roads 10 class 52's were transferred to Laira.  I jumped on the Western bandwagon just in time and in July 1972 set about getting them all for haulage before the axe started to fall.  Things didn't always go smoothly, they never do, and in the back of the mind of anyone trying to get all 74 was the possibility of one of those on the 'needed' list being involved in an prang and never work again.  There were also persistent rumours that those in works would never emerge. So it was a case of getting each for at least one run as soon as possible.  Tomorrow may be too late.  So I gave up chasing 25's and what have you in the Midlands and North on summer Saturdays and headed for the Western Region whenever possible. In those days there were no mobile phones, and TOPS was in its infancy.  So mostly it was a case of 'wait and see what turns up', (also known as a 'long fester') or hope that you see someone who may have useful 'gen'.  Even the day I had my 'last' Western it was a total surprise.  I had no idea what it was working.  Nor did I know that D1032 had 6 weeks previously turned its last wheel in traffic and was laid up at Laira, effectively withdrawn.  Or that Western King was on death row at Laira, never to work again, awaiting the inevitable meeting with its maker. 

Unlike some Western mileage bashers, I didn't have a favourite loco.  I knew of one or two who were particularly upset when their pet Thousand went to meet its maker.  To me they were all members of one big happy family.  As long as there was one on the front I was happy.  I would liked to have included some pictures in this article, but unfortunately almost all are in slide format and where slide film is unheard of and on one can make prints from them. 

Below, with one notable exception, are the highlights of my travels behind the Westerns.  During the latter period of their operation I turned my attention to the South Wales road whenever possible, where there were no diagrammed workings, but also none of those nasty contraptions beginning with '50'.  There were a few services that were regularly worked by but not diagrammed to be 52's.  Because of this runs on that road had a certain 'buzz' about them and I considered this area to be 'quality not quantity' mileage track.  I was particularly fond of the summer Saturday Paddington-Fishguard trains, not only for their generous sprinkling of Westerns, some with a little help from my friends in control, but also because the compulsory seat reservation nonsense that prevailed on the West of England services didn't apply to them.  I accumulated more mileage with 52's west of Swansea than in Cornwall, which I considered to be over-rated.  Some of my most desperate moves were on empty stocks in West Wales during the dead of night.  I have only generalized in referring to the succession of Western hauled farewell railtours.  They were all tinged with the sadness of why they were being run and the impending gloom of what was to come.

During the summer of 1972 I spent most of days off and holidays chasing the Westerns for haulage; happy days.  A Western Rover and several consecutive overnights was the norm and with nearly all of the fleet in traffic, there were still a handful in works, the number required soon dwindled.  Needless to say the vacuum only specimens were top priority but by 12th August they were all in the book, including 2 in one day, and come December it was just a case of waiting to pick the remaining few as each came out of works.  I was extremely fortunate in having had 2 runs behind D1023 just 3 and 4 days before going into works for it's 'will it won't it come out' overhaul.  I know of many who needed it as their last one.  For them the 13 month wait must have been nail-biting.  On its first Saturday back in traffic, 22 September 1973, I was on the 1440 Barsntaple-Paddington that was held outside Paddington waiting for D1023 to depart with the 1830 to Plymouth, a train with a front coach that more resembled a railtour than a normal service.  

14th October 1972. I really stumbled on this one.  Its probably fair to say that I didn't 100% appreciate this at the time.  Neither did I have a camera with me.  But now it's priceless.  Chasing new 37's on 1C78 0110 Bristol – Milford Haven, a very rateable train, especially on Saturdays when the Paddington-Penzance overnights were well known for being somewhat 'wedged,' I surfaced at Clarbeston Road to find that D1031 had come on at Carmarthen.  West of Swansea 1C78 was a very consistent 37 diagram, both to and from Carmarthen where it was booked to re-engine, and anything else on it considered exceedingly rare.  Landore possessed 14 boilered 37's at the time but many of their diagrams covered mainly freight work, with only a couple of them at any one time actually requiring a boiler fitted loco.  Just as a bonus, it was a Saturday, when the loco and stock of 1C78 return through to Swansea as the 0715.  During the week it terminated at Carmarthen with a DMU connection forward.  For the records, on Sunday 21 December 1975 1A37 1900 Sunday Milford Haven-Paddington, another 37 diagram west of Swansea, was worked by D1023 from Carmarthen to Swansea and D1054 forward, a unique opportunity to travel from Carmarthen to Paddington in a sleeper, 52 hauled throughout, for anyone in the right place at the right time -  unfortunately I wasn't.  In total contrast going from Paddington to Carmarthen, or Milford Haven for that matter in a sleeper with Thousands throughout wasn't too difficult.  They were 2 a penny both sides of Swansea on the 0050 Paddington-Milford Haven until quite late in their lives. 

1st March 1973. D1058 1C63 1315 Paddington-Cardiff.  My 'last' Western for haulage and a day that I will never forget.  Waited what seemed like an eternity for it emerge from its overhaul in Swindon, amidst countless rumours that it wouldn't, although, having said that, about a month earlier I was given a date for it to come out of works and this information turned out to be 100% accurate.  I arrived at Reading at 0948 off the 0832 DMU from Banbury - you had to change there as I lived in Birmingham and the 0720 New Street-Paddington went via High Wycombe in those days, but didn't have long to wait.  At 1000 Reading box pulled off middle road for the 0510 Penzance-Paddington, the up 'Golden Hind'. 2 minutes later it appeared.  The condition of the loco said it all.  There was only one 52 in that condition.  Swindon Works latest offering in its rightful place at the head of one of the West Country's crack trains.  I hardly needed to look at the number-plate.  D1058 was a splendid sight in its gleaming new paintwork as it passed through Reading on full power.  As I didn't know what it was going to work back out on, I took the next duff to Paddington and waited there.  As it happened, Nobleman was the 7th last 52`s to survive, finally succumbing on 24th January 1977, and securing the somewhat dubious distinction of being the penultimate Western to be withdrawn from BR service not to go on to find another life in preservation.  D1022 was the last. 

4th June 1973.  The day I moved from Birmingham to Reading to take up a post in the diagramming section at Paddington. Living at Reading had its advantages.  I could now start to accumulate mileage behind the Westerns as a matter of daily routine. Having a Reading West-Paddington season ticket made it so much easier. And cheaper.  The Thames Valley and Westbury/Newbury commuter trains were blessed with more than their fair share of them, also the remaining Hymeks found gainful employment on the lighter services, and the odd heavier one, until well into 1974.  Perhaps it was appropriate that the loco I had from Reading West to Paddington on my first working day there was no less than D7000 on the 0702 from Newbury.  

19th December 1973. But for all the wrong reasons.  D1007 working 1A82 1718 Paddington-Oxford was derailed at 70mph at West Ealing. 10 passengers were killed and 94 injured.  Despite suffering only slight damage, Talisman never worked again and was condemned on 27th January 1974.  The one Western that I had to the very end.  I was in the leading compartment of the first coach, (where else) opposite Dave Roe, the only other Western basher on the train, who was timing it and subsequently gave details of the run as evidence to the official enquiry, which was conducted by the then Chief Inspecting Officer of Railways, the highly respected Lt. Col. Ian McNaughton.  Although I had no cause to attend, I obtained a copy of his report.  No lawyers or relatives of the victims screaming for blood, or Chief Executives under cross-examination from hostile QC's who don't know their ups from their downs, think that fishplates are something you buy in British Home Stores and who wouldn't know an AWS ramp if one jumped up and bit them.  Just a simple, straightforward enquiry where Lt. Col. McNaughton called witnesses to endeavor to find out what went wrong and how to prevent such a thing happening again, although, ironically, he never did establish exactly who put D1007's battery box covers back into the closed position without securing the retaining catches.  But seldom before had the cause of such a major accident been known so soon.  Just a few hours after the derailment, Western Region Maintenance control was issuing alerts to depots to check the security of the battery box covers of all 52's.  Nevertheless, Lt. Col. McNaughton's enquiry was a far cry from today's so called enquiries, which are more like trials without juries with a 'who can we blame' agenda where only a guilty verdict will do.  Little wonder that rank and file rail staff decline to give evidence to them. Would you? 

20th December 1973.  D1029 on the 1012 Penzance-Derby relief from Bristol to Derby.  Rare 52 track, although it was diagrammed for one, (albeit a spare one 'off maintenance') but a run tinged by the sadness of the disaster involving D1007 the previous day.  Westerns as far as Derby were not uncommon a couple of years earlier.  In the summer of 1971 the 0940 SO Bristol to Derby and the 1323 Derby-Paignton return was diagrammed to Laira 30B, a 52 turn.    

28/29th March 1974.  The geographical extremities of normal (note I don't use the word 'diagrammed') 'Western' operation could be considered as Fishguard, Birmingham, Paddington and Penzance.  And this day presented a unique opportunity to depart from all 4 in the same day.  We arrived at Swansea behind D1057 on the 1400 ex Paddington, talked our way onto the 2130 ECS to Fishguard with D1048, back from there to Paddington on the 0100, D1048 to Swansea, D1049 forward, then from Paddington to Birmingham on the 0653 and back on the 1025 with D1067, then D1021 on the 1330 Paddington-Penzance to Plymouth, forward with D1034 from there to Penzance on the 1740 stopper and back with the same loco to Plymouth on the 2105 to Paddington. 929 miles in 24 hours.

26th October 1974.  I wouldn't normally include railtours ('railtours don't count' as the Reverend once famously said) as they normally have pre requested motive power and as such cannot be considered as special.  But this one was somewhat different. It started out from Euston with an electric, and staggered into Didcot in the evening behind some hissing frothing contraption.  I was so interested in that I can't remember what it was.  From Didcot it went forward to St. Pancras, diagrammed for 47 something or another and, significantly, worked by a Didcot crew.  This golden opportunity to get the first 52 ever into St. Pancras was too good to miss.  Moves were set up behind the scenes and D1069 nominated to take its place in the history books.  While standing next to Vanguard at St. Pancras one of the porters came up to us, pointed to the loco and came out with the priceless, classic statement of 'ugh, don't get many of these in here'.  A case of first and last.  In addition to the enthusiast interest in this move, as the ECS wasn't returning to the Western Region it meant that the LMR wouldn't be tempted to retain the loco and send the crew home passenger, something they were well practiced in.   

30th November 1974.  And its one of the desperate ones.  D1057 on 5Z17 0310 ECS Swansea to Pembroke Dock and 1Z17 0550 Adex Pembroke Dock to Paddington, via the Swansea District line for good measure. Diagrammed a duff of course, Old Oak Common 24 to be precise.  Arrived at Swansea behind D1057 on 1C51 the 1858 Fridays only from Paddington then a fill in trip to Lanelli and back for 37190 on 1A41 2145 Milford Haven-Paddington, followed by a 3-hour fester in the waiting room, but worth every minute. The previous day I had talked the Chief Controller at Paddington into letting me have the office brake van pass in case of any problem, (thanks Sid), although I wasn't too specific as to my intentions. There was a Trains Inspector on the ECS, but he didn't give a toss. To my knowledge this was the last 52 to work out of Pembroke Dock on a passenger train other than a railtour. D1057 didn't do the return working but another Western did. Also, for the records, the following Saturday, 7th December, there were a substantial number of excursions/charters out of South Wales, mostly for the Christmas shopping fraternity. One of them had to be 'done'. Of note were -

5Z17 0350 Malago Vale - Merthyr and 1Z17 0915 Charter Merthyr-Paddington D1035 - we got kicked off at Cardiff by the Merthyr Travel Association rep but by then the required track had been 'done' so we had to sample the delights of 47510 to Reading, where we caught up with D1035 again as it was on one engine. D1070 did the return working. 

1Z37 0815 Charter Cardiff-Paddington D1037, returned with a duff.

1Z33 0710 Charter Swansea-Paddington D1034, returned with a duff,

1Z47 0800 Charter Barry Island-Paddington and 2030 return, D1068

1Z43 0710 Charter Carmarthen-Paddington D1025 from Swansea and returned with D1071 to Swansea.

For those not wishing to spend the Sabbath in the principality, on the 8th there was a 1Z17 0730 Swansea-Paddington Adex via the Vale for Glamorgan and 1950 return on which D1071 found gainful employment.

 I hope the then Chief Controller at Paddington at the time isn't reading this. If he is, too bad. Hello Sid. The date was 24 January 1975, the balloon was up and the wires down on the West Coast. You had to keep your ear to the ground in those days, but working next door to the control (my job was now to compile the Traction Controls daily simplifiers) had its advantages, and contacts, and about 1000 word went out that 1M14 1405 Paddington-Birmingham was to be extended to Wolverhampton, with 1V68 1825 Birmingham-Paddington starting there, both diverted via Coventry. D1010 had worked 1A86 0700 Oxford-Paddington that morning, a booked class 52 working and the diagrammed loco for 1M14. I slipped into the control to make discreet enquiries. It was doing it. The move was on and was far too good to miss. Just one slight problem. I was at work and the chances of a half-day off weren't 100%. Our office boss, not Sid the Chief Controller I hasten to add, was a nasty miserable four-eyed weasel faced little cunt who would probably have said no just out of spite. That meant plan 'B'. Had to fake a headache. By 1230 it had got really 'bad' - threw in the towel and as I couldn't risk hanging about at Paddington, cleared off on the 1245 with 50013 (YUK) to Reading to discreetly wait for 1M14 there. I got away with it, but as a precaution didn't put the moves in my diary just in case it fell into the wrong hands. To say there was much bellowing on 1M14's departure from Leamington Spa was something of an understatement, (the line to Coventry was freight only then) and there was a hell of a lot of arms out of the off side of the train indicating the impending right turn. Wellington wasn't on the phone but had to be told. In those days there were still such things as telegrams, (do they still have them now?) and he got word. You can well imagine the state he was in when his DMU from Wellington passed Oxley CS and he saw Campaigner on the stock. The bellowing that announced his arrival at Wolverhampton said it all. Needless to say the journey back to Paddington was anything but quiet. Especially in the front coach. And from what I recall it was a set of LMR coffins. But no one complained.  

25th January 1975. D1068 on 1A55 0955 Paignton-Paddington. An ordinary train not normally likely to attract much attention. But this one did. The fastest ever recorded run by a 52 with a maximum of 102 through Southall. The 'men of steel' went through to Paddington and made the 1330 back with D1010, with a right time departure, something like a minus 5 minute connection, totally unheard of. The log of this spectacular run was published in the May 1976 edition of Railway Magazine, with exact train and date omitted for obvious reasons.  A BR manager, brandishing a copy, asked what I knew and of course if I was on it. He then requested the withheld train and date details. Stupid pratt. I envoked the '5th amendment', which, contrary to popular belief, is not the umpteenth supplement to the working timetable, and politely but firmly declined to divulge any information. He should have known better than to try and get me to drop the driver in it, as, armed with the relevant details, it would have been possible for the his name to be traced from either the depot records or from the guards journals which were kept in the Passenger Train Working Section. This particular driver was known for being liberal in his use of the power handle and it had a habit of getting stuck in the 'full' position. On 22nd September 1973 he treated us to 101mph through Newbury with D7018 on the 1440 Barnstaple-Paddington – the same date as the somewhat premature `Hymek Swansong' railtour, and the last time the 'Barny' was ever worked from Paddington by a Hymek.  27 years on I think its safe for me to name the driver. I believe his name was Peter Evans, of Old Oak Common. The BR manager who quizzed me about D1068's spectacular run went out to grass 10 years ago.  And still none the wiser.

22 February 1975. It's 2330 on the evening of the 21st, one of those awful winter Friday nights. About a dozen of the faithful were gathered in the front TSO of a somewhat wedged 2345 Paddington-Penzance. A foul overnight in prospect, not to mention a noisy one, despite Western something or another on the front. The faithful included Stewart Morris, Wellington, and the infamous Reverend, also known universally, with considerable justification, as the Old Fool, who had a habit of opening his trap and coming out with some howling statements. Never mind, back to the events of this particular evening. With a foul overnight in a TSO in prospect I suggested to Stewart an overnight to Swansea in a sleeper on 1C91 the 0125 from Paddington, returning on 1A47 the 0903, which was a MK 2b/c set. He said he was game if the info was OK, so I alighted to ring Paddington Control from a somewhat conveniently located nearby internal phone. As I was on my way to do so the Reverend piped up and said 'I'm not going to Swansea, too bloody dangerous down there'. Perhaps for him it was, but thankfully we weren't to be blessed with his company, so we were in with a sporting chance. I asked for 1C91. It was D1052. So far so good.  Now predicting a departure from Swansea nearly 10 hours in advance, especially when the loco comes off Landore may sound like a shot in the dark, but it wasn't as far fetched as it sounded. The diagram started off Laira, where better, with the 1800 Penzance-Bristol from Plymouth, then the 0042 Bristol-Cardiff parcels, 0337 Cardiff-Carmarthen news, L/D to Landore, fuel, then 1A47. The loco didn't go to shed at either Bristol or Cardiff and the same Canton crew worked with it from 0337 to 1A47's arrival at Cardiff. It was a very reliable diagram and in it was D1054. I rejoined the train and said to Stewart - '52 down, 54 back'. He was game for the move if I was, so we got up to alight. As we were doing so, those including Wellington who were wishing us luck were interrupted once again by the rudeness of the Rev's pontifications of 'too bloody dangerous, too bloody dangerous'. His record of getting a 52 out of Swansea on the Sunday evenings when returning from a pant-washing weekend at his parents home near Aberystwyth was truly appalling. On one infamous occasion both 1720 and 1750 out of Swansea, both of which could have been Westerns, were duff, while 2 52's languished on Landore Shed. They both went light to Margam. Can't think why. Can you? We watched the 2345 depart, and then booked sleepers on the 0125 after watching Viceroy back on. It was breakfast across the road at Swansea, then back just in time to see D1054 back onto the 0903. 

The trip was uneventful until Didcot. Why Didcot? Because those on the 2345 returned on the 2105 Penzance-Padd from Bristol, then went to Birmingham on the 0653 from Padd and back on 1V28 the 1025. As 1A47 was departing Didcot, 1V28, conveying Wellington, associated bellowers, and of course the Reverend, swept around the avoiding line onto the up relief, running alongside 1A47 for a time. When the bellowing brigade on 1V28 saw that 1A47 was not only a Western but the predicted one, they erupted. Except of course the Rev, who was subject to indescribable bouts of withering and the inevitable taunts from both Wellington and me hanging out of the window bellowing 'too bloody dangerous' etc. 1A47 reached Reading just before 1V28 so a further bout of Rev withering was in order there. If only the old fool has kept his gob shut. A. Wynn Hobsons excellent book 'The Last Years of the Westerns' contains some excellent shots, particularly in South Wales, an area sadly neglected by most publishers of Western Books. On page 5 is one of D1054 on 1A47 departing Swindon on this date. Pity about the FK (13511) behind the loco.

 The part played by Cardiff Divisional Traction Control in the latter days of the Westerns, well after they had lost their booked workings West of Cardiff, is well worth a mention. I believe that it proved to be significant in ensuring that 52's continued to work deep into South and West Wales right until the end. When a depot loses it's diagrammed work with a particular class of loco, as was the case with 52's for Swansea, Margam, Fishguard and Carmarthen in 1974, it's drivers should, in theory at least, lose their traction knowledge, as, if they haven't worked a particular class of loco for 6 months they can ask for a refresher. If the depot has no diagrammed work for that class these are deemed not to be necessary and the drivers can delete them from their traction knowledge cards, although I heard that unofficial driver training/refreshing on 52's took place at Swansea, but have no firm evidence of this practice. They certainly had no shortage of locos to use for the purpose. So, in theory, 52's should have been banished from South and West Wales by about mid 1975. That's when Cardiff Traction Control started doing their bit. Intentionally or otherwise, I'm not sure, but the evidence points strongly to the former. Draw your own conclusions. Landore provided locos for Swansea's 2 mid evening Monday to Friday departures, 1B28 2125 to Bristol and 1A37 1915 Milford Haven-Paddington, both of which were vacuum braked steam heated trains and suitable for a 52. The SX diagrams were as follows. On Saturdays and Sundays the train working/plan was somewhat different so the 'keep it in South Wales' practice couldn't apply.

 1B28 2125 Swansea-Cardiff 2236 (to Bristol)

1A37 2320 Cardiff-Paddington 0410 (1915 from Milford Haven)

 1A37 2148 Swansea-Cardiff 2245 (1915 Milford Haven-Paddington)

1B28 2300 Cardiff-Bristol 0008 (2125 from Swansea)

1C78 0110 Bristol-Swansea 0350 (To Milford Haven) then to Landore for fuel. See below*.

1C87 0550 Swansea-Milford Haven (0050 from Paddington)

0900 L/D Milford Haven to Haverfordwest, where it was stabled in the middle road. The Swansea crew then went home pass.  A Carmarthen crew then traveled pass for the loco and it worked local trips followed by 6A16 1600 Whitland - Acton milk.  

*1C78 was booked an engine change at Cardiff in time-honored fashion, but seldom did. It had no reason to. For the records, it did on 27 January 1976, D1058 off, probably for tyre turning, with D1041 forward. In total contrast, the engine changeover at Cardiff between 1A37 and 1B28 was mandatory, as 1A37 conveyed the Carmarthen-Bristol TPO's next to the loco for transfer to 1B28 there. When there was a 47 and a 52 available for 1B28 and 1A37, the 52 almost without fail worked 1A37 from Swansea, except if required at Laira for maintenance, and this practice kept it in South Wales for the next morning. This proved to be significant in ensuring that both Swansea and Carmarthen drivers retained class 52 traction knowledge. 1A37/1B28/1C78 and fuel at Landore was the same Swansea crew, 1C87 and the L/D to Haverfordwest another, then 2 Carmarthen crews worked the trips and 6A16 milk. In addition to 1C87 0050 and 1C91 0125 overnights from Paddington, South Wales was regularly fed with 52's on 1C77 1500 Paddington-Swansea, a MK2 b/c set almost until the very end, and very convenient for working 1A37. In addition, when a 52 landed on Margam, rather than send it on 8A21 the 0930 to Acton, it often found it's way into the furthest flung corners of West Wales on 8C15 0522 Margam-Herbranston/Milford Haven, then 6A15 1612 Milford Haven-Paddington perishables. As Canton depot possessed the only wheel lathe on the Western Region, it was necessary for its drivers to retain knowledge of 52's right to the end, and for this purpose 1C63 1315 Paddington-Cardiff and 1A67 1717 return were regular class 52 workings well into 1976. On 16 January 1976 I ventured to Bristol to do 1C78 as far as Swansea, 1C87 forward to Milford Haven and was fortunate enough to have a cab ride on the L/D back to Haverfordwest. The loco was D1030. My only regret was that I didn't take my camera!      

21st June 1975. Apart from 1C11 0820 SO Paddington-Fishguard, there was also a 1C03 0720 Paddington-Fishguard, load 14 no less, primarily a motorail service, but also in the public timetable. Unlike 1C11, it returned direct as 1A77 1445 Fishguard to Paddington, beyond the fuel range of a duff, or Western for that matter, so 1C03 had a diagrammed engine change at Cardiff. Canton turned out a loco for the 0830 SO Cardiff-Penzance and that would normally take care of any Western that they may have had. But on this day either they had either more than one 52 or had some big nosed 16 wheel monstrosity that they wanted rid of for the Penzance. As soon as 1C11 left Paddington the debate as to what was on Landore for 1A81 started. I had been on the phone for the 'gen' but deliberately kept quiet. 1C11 was D1043, and passing Ranaleah Bridge, Wellington asked the inevitable 'whats on Landore for 1A81?' I replied ' Dave, today, what's on Landore just doesn't matter'. 'It isn't is it? he said knowing what I was hinting? I nodded and said '1049'. To say that that ignited him was something of an understatement. His bellowing probably caused the windows in the nearby flats to shudder and totally drowned out Duke on full power. And that takes some doing. There was more like a party atmosphere on 1C11, knowing that not only were there to be 2 Westerns at Fishguard at the same time, (and the last) but no debate as to 'will there won't there' be a 52 on 1A81 out of Swansea. So we were treated not only to the spectacle of being able to watch from the cliff tops above Fishguard D1043 departing into the distance but also sample Monarch' climbing the 1 in 50/60 out of Fishguard with load 14 on what was a beautiful midsummer's afternoon.  

5th July 1975. Start of an epic day. To Fishguard twice in a few hours. D1043 from Paddington to Swansea on 1C51 the 1858 Fridays only (nice set of mouldy old vacuums which had been maturing at OOC all week) then went to Landore for a few words with Euan the foreman to confirm it was doing it's booked next working, the 2038 Paddington-Fishguard forward from Swansea. Watched Duke being fuelled then hitched a lift in the back cab up to the station, and whilst waiting outside there watched the 2038 roll in with D1068 on the front. Yes, a Paddington-Fishguard train changing 52 for 52 at Swansea. Back from Fishguard to Cardiff on the 0345 empties, but never found out if we went Swansea District Line – forgot to ask the guard as we scrambled out middle road to catch the waiting duff on 1C91 the 0125 from Paddington for a fill in trip to Swansea and back. Then it was D1013 on 1C11 0820 ex Paddington from Cardiff to Fishguard and 1C49 1425 back to Swansea. If that was the icing on the cake then the cherry was to come as rounding off a superb day on 1A81 1720 Swansea-Paddington was D1021, which had worked down on the 0935 from Paddington and hadn't been shunt released for the 1447 back, which was usually the norm on a Saturday.  Memories are made of days like this.   

11th October 1975. Long after 52`s had lost their diagrammed work west of Cardiff. It’s the first Saturday of the winter timetable, usually a day that no one relishes. Fewer services and to make things worse, on the 5th, no less than 8 Westerns had fallen victim to the annual October cull of motive power after the summer season, although D1040 was reinstated on the 9th, the only 52 to ever achieve this distinction, albeit with no operational boiler. But it wasn't all doom and gloom. There was still a rake of vacuums and a couple of MK2 b/c sets on the South Wales road.  And so it was to be. D1013 was on 1C77 1500 Paddington-Swansea, jumped off at Cardiff and rung Paddington Control for 1A07 1820 Swansea-Paddington, which was a vacuum set at the time. Answer D1065, so leapt back on. By now Wellington was in a hell of a state. Quite what the returning Saturday shoppers on the train thought of the bellowing - well judge for yourself. Wellington's frequent renditions of 'Keep right on to the end of the road' could be heard throughout the train, although that line didn't quite apply to us as we had to bale out at Neath for 1A07. When it appeared round the curve, Wellington screamed from the station footbridge 'my lords it's dreadful' at such a pitch that they heard it in Newtown, Newport and all points between. For the record, 1C67 1400 Paddington-Swansea, the stock for 1A07, was also a 52. I don't know which one other than it wasn’t D1065 with a shunt release. A footnote to the above. One of the Exeter 52 bashers, on a Western Rover, I don't know his name, went on 1C67 all the way from Paddington to Swansea 'totally blind', probably at best hoping for a shunt release for 1A07, at worst fearing something starting with '47', with a different 52 probably far more than he dared hope for. A case of a 'blind' move richly rewarded and fortune favoring the brave. And god knows what he thought when 1A07 passed 1C77 at Skewen.   

30 October 1975. The General Manager of the Western Region is off on a jolly to Cardiff. He certainly chooses his trains. 1C67 1400 Paddington-Swansea that, due to a shortage of coffins (shame) is still a vacuum set. On hearing of his plans, the WR operating authorities hurriedly convened an emergency extraordinary general meeting of the regional panic committee, donned their 'jobsworth' hats, and unanimously passed without even a hint of dissent a vote of no confidence in the diagrammed duff, fearful of the likely consequences of such a heap blowing up in the middle of nowhere. The word went out. Must be a 52. D1013, fresh from its canter around West Wales on the Pembroke Coast Express Railtour the weekend before was dolled up and nominated for the job. Took a half-day. The return from Swansea on 1A07 1820 to Paddington was D1053 with a Carmarthen driver. Although they had long since lost their diagrammed work with the class, they worked regularly them, but not too often on passenger trains. I thought we weren’t going to stop at Neath. Seemed to be approaching far too fast. Then he put the brakes in, the lot, and stopped with D1053’s leading cab within touching distance of the stations 10-car stop board. Brilliant.  

20 December 1975. And its time for the Christmas relief's to Fishguard. But not before some fun and games involving a visit to cloud cuckoo land, also known as the Diagramming Section at Paddington, to request a 52 for them. After I had woken them from their mid morning slumbers, I got the inevitable answer. Declined because 'they don’t work west of Cardiff any more', was the reply from the former LT bus conductor whose job it was to scrawl down on a scrap of paper whatever faceless duff diagram had been unfortunate enough to be drawn out of the hat for it. His name was Wally and he once again proved he really was a right one and didn't have to try too hard to live up to his name. But I managed to extract one priceless concession. Perhaps they weren't that bad in there after all. Because Paddington to Fishguard and back is beyond the fuel range of a duff, or anything else suitable for the trains for that matter, an engine change at Cardiff in one direction or the other was necessary. So I persuaded them to concede a through loco, duff of course, from Paddington on the outward, with a change at Cardiff on the return. In reality, something that diagrammer's only dream of and not a word in their vocabulary, there was far more chance of a Western off Old Oak than Canton, whose first call for one would have been the 0800 Cardiff-Plymouth. The day before the train I paid them another visit to say that tomorrow's Fishguard would be a 52 by control arrangements. 'Nothing to do with us' was the inevitable and typical reply. Little that worked ever was. After the usual taunting and mickey taking about scrap paper being the only good use for their handy-work, I wished them a Merry Christmas and pissed off before I got chucked out. Words in the right places ensured that it was a Western, D1053 was turned out for 1Z03 0757 Paddington-Fishguard and 1Z47 1315 return as far as Cardiff. What really crowned the day was the Canton driver from Cardiff to Fishguard and back was one of the very best. He gave the loco everything, knowing there he was playing to a most appreciative audience in a packed first coach. The Ha Ha's on the train however were somewhat baffled as to what the fuss was about. After slowing at Letterston Junction to change the tablet, the driver once again pulled the power handle right back. Wellington was in his usual dreadful state, bellowing out of the window 'my lords- that's it, that's it' when a couple of Nuns interrupted him to ask ' ha, what is it, what is it?'  But I shouldn’t take the piss too much. After all, if it weren’t for them the train wouldn't have run.  It's a well know saying that music reminds you of a particular era or event in your life. Queen's classic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was a mega hit at the time, it was the Christmas 1975 number 1 and spent 9 weeks there, only 5 singles have held that spot for longer, none of them in the 'Western' era. Every time I hear it, it memories of this day come flooding back.   

28th January 1976. It was getting near to going home time. I had returned from one of my regular visits to the control to get a list of the evening departures from Paddington when the office door burst open and in walked one of the traction controllers. 'Do you want a run behind D1040' he said? That was like asking an alcoholic if he wanted another drink. It was well known that its boiler was permanently isolated due to a fractured water tank and hadn't worked a passenger train for months, certainly not since being reinstated. 50047 had done the honors on the 1530 Bristol-Paddington by blowing up near Swindon and was in the process of to being topped by D1040 to Paddington. To hell with the early evening commuter trains, I leapt on the 1648 Paddington-Worcester to Reading, just in time for Queen, dead 50, coffins and all, on what was to be her last passenger working. She joined the ranks of the dearly departed less than 5 weeks later, on February 29th.  What a pity that 50047 didn't do the same.   

4th April 1976. Had words with Paddington Control as to what was about. There was D1010 on the 1030 Padd-Penzance and among others a 52 on the 1115 Paddington-Swansea. It was returning on the 1645 Swansea-Cardiff parcels as booked, but the traction controller (initials M.D.) said he could easily get it swapped onto either the 1720 or 1750 Swansea-Paddington's for me if I wished. Normally such an offer would be like bread to the starving. But there was a rather tall problem. It was the Reverends pant week and the old fool was returning by road from Aberystwyth to Carmarthen then by DMU to Swansea, covering both 1720 and 1750 departures. If I accepted the offer of the swap he would score as well. Couldn't have that. Had to find a way out. There was one. It was known that D1043 was being withdrawn on Monday. Was it doing anything? Salvation. It was. The 1430 Newton Abbott-Paignton and 1515 Paignton-Paddington. Saved by the bell. With that I thanked MD for his offer, but said it wouldn't be necessary. We had D1010 to Newton Abbott and then our last run with Duke, and the Reverend got his duff. I acquired the nickname of 'Little Mr. Fixit' after that. Can't think why. Any suggestions?   

16th April 1976.  Accumulating mileage behind the Westerns brought with it more than a few hazards. There was a little matter of 508 duffs and as many (fortunately not too many) 50's that could be coaxed into doing anything. Missed connections were another. And there was one who had 2 legs and didn't like rail enthusiasts. It was Tauntons notorious conductor guard, Ronnie Lane, probably BR's most desperate desperado when it came to gripping tickets. He would set about 'doing' his train almost before he had given the right away and soon the coach floors would be knee deep in 'bits' as Wellington called them. Some were as desperate to avoid him as he was to grip. It reached such a pitch that what he was working became almost as well known as what was working it. On this date there were several of us waiting at Taunton for 1B65 the 1330 Paddington-Penzance that changed crews there and was a Taunton turn forward. Most were only going to Exeter for D1048 back on the 1555 Paignton-Paddington. A few minutes before 1B65 was expected (it was late), guess who appeared on the platform. He spotted us and immediately started to oil and sharpen his gripping irons. Ronnie attacked anything, and a virgin free pass to him was like a Thomsons Gazelle to a lion, soon in tatters. Although one of the 'old school', he did not recognise the longstanding GWR tradition of not gripping passes that was still followed by the majority of Western Region guards. Then, just as we were resigning ourselves for what was to come, the station announcer burst into life. 'The next train to arrive at platform 3 (or whatever it was) will be the Devonian, the 1040 from Leeds, the 1548 for Paignton', etc. It was on time and no one took much interest, expecting the usual Peak, until it took everyone by surprise. It was D1065. None of us knew anything about it, the engine change at Bristol had obviously been pre planned and carried out without delay. When Ronnie saw that we were all to escape the clutch of his dreaded irons and he could do nothing about it, his face dropped like someone who had just been sentenced to death with no right of appeal. He seemed to be muttering and we were all on the platform at Exeter to greet the arrival of his train. Talking of Ronnie, one of his regular turns was the infamous 1A09, the 1610 Penzance-Paddington, a Taunton guards turn from Taunton to Paddington. 1A09 was the service back from Taunton for the London/Reading Western bashers who had gone down on either the 1653 or 1730 from Paddington, sometimes 'blind'. To get a duff or 50 back was bad enough. But Ronnie as well - it brought a whole new meaning to the phrase 'double whammy'. Don't worry about encountering Ronnie today. They put him out to grass 20 years ago. Perhaps he went to work as a volunteer on the West Somerset. Can't think what he would have offered his services for. Any suggestions?   

16 May 1976. One of the things that every Western basher wanted was to have one of coffins (air con stock to some). They were rare at the best of times, emergencies only usually, and until this day unheard of from Paddington to Swansea on a Sunday morning. D1072 did the honours on 1C21 1100 Paddington-Swansea, a train that produced a fair share of Westerns, but normally formed of a MK2 b/c set. Perhaps no one told control that it was coffins. Or maybe they did and a blind eye was turned. 1C21 changed crews at Bath and Cardiff, but no one batted an eyelid. Perhaps the reason for this was it was a fresh spring day. Had it been cold and wet or baking hot, things may have been different. Glory returned on 1A81 1720 Swansea-Paddington, a regular but not diagrammed Western working with the usual rake of steam heat only vacuums.  

In June 1976 I decided to stop 'going up North' on summer Saturdays and spend the remaining ones on the Western region for what was to be the last summer of the 52's. I had spent the first 3 on the Western, but went up north for the next 3. The 0820 SO Paddington-Fishguard and 1430 Fishguard-Swansea were producing Westerns regularly, so was the 'get out of Swansea' train, 1A81 the 1720 to Paddington, which was the same stock. Not always on the same day, sometimes we had to wait. If 1A81 was duff, the 52 off the Fishguard worked 1B28 2125 Swansea-Bristol as far as Cardiff and 1A37 1915 Milford Haven-Paddington forward from Cardiff without fail. However in September 1A81 went over to HST operation, so it was always to be a 5 hour 20 minute wait from then on for a Western back out of Swansea.  

27th June 1976. D1033 1A03 1755 Sunday Swansea-Paddington. 100 mph through Challow. And it was a Canton driver, a depot with a reputation more for tottering than anything else, just like their duffs. Perhaps it was the same driver as on 20 December 1975 with D1053 to Fishguard. Although 1A03 was MK2 b/c stock, it didn't often get a Western, 1A81 1720 Swansea-Paddington with it's vacuums usually having first bite. On this day D1033 had worked down on 1C21 1115 Paddington-Swansea. It was rare, but not unknown, if 1C21 was a Western, for it to work 1A03 back, on March 2nd 1975 D1013 did, although it was the same stock, it normally worked the 1645 parcels to Cardiff. On this day 1A81 was duff. So was the parcels. So what.  

17th July 1976. And it's to Cornwall for a change. For the summer of 1976 the Western region train planners found themselves with a pathing problem for what had been for years been the 0905 Summer Saturdays only Penzance-Paddington. They came up with the somewhat novel solution of running the stock earlier in the morning empty from Penzance to Truro, then as the 0822 Truro-Falmouth service train, forming the 0910 Falmouth-Paddington, which left Truro at the same time as the old 0905. The working was a 50 off the 0300 Plymouth-Penzance parcels and that's what it usually got. But the time for a change had come. Alighted from the 2335 FO Paddington-Penzance (50022 YUK) at Bristol and rung Paddington Control for the 'gen'. We had discussed on the 2335 that it was time that the Falmouth 'worked', and we had to wait no longer. D1072 was on the parcels and allocated to the rest of the diagram. Wellington knew long before we got back to the compo that it working. He heard the bellowing as we walked along the platform. That info raised spirits somewhat. It was the first time that it had 'worked'. We arrived at Truro to find that D1072 was already there with the stock. It ran round, and departed, but not before Wellington had remonstrated with the 'normal' passengers for all piling into the first coach, and through the same door at that. He declared it 'the one door train' and I think they got the message. All Cornwall did. The Falmouth branch hadn't seen anything like this for years. From that day on, it was said to be 'hell at The Dell', a station that now rejoices in the name of Falmouth Town, this being the last stop on the branch before reaching Falmouth, now known as Falmouth Docks. The Fishguard worked that day, D1068. As Wellington, the others and myself would have normally been on it, questions were asked by those who were as to our whereabouts. They somehow suspected that something else was working. On reflection, covering the Falmouth was perhaps the wrong move as it did work on at least one other occasion, D1041 on 18 September, but we weren't to know that.  At least for the D1041 working we had D1009 from Paddington to Truro on the 2345. 50's couldn’t work it because it conveyed steam heat only sleepers to Exeter. Shame.

24th July 1976. And once again it's time for the Reverend to open his gob, come out with another sweeping statement and score yet another spectacular own goal. The previous evening I was asked in his presence what I was planning to do the next day, which was a summer Saturday. I said it would be a good day for a trip to Fishguard. The Rev was unable to keep his nose out, and piped up with 'The Fishguard won't work, even if it does there certainly won't be a thousand back from Swansea. I'm going to Sheffield'. Thank god for that, we were now in with a sporting chance. The Old Fool went his way and we went ours. The Fishguard that 'wasn't going to work' was D1009 and Euan, the good gentleman at Landore, obliged us with D1013 for the 1720 out of Swansea. As the 1720 rolled into Paddington, Ian Willott, a.k.a Tilehurst, abandoned his post in the Travel Center to see what the Swansea was and who was on it. As he was making his way across the concourse to platform 10 the Reverend appeared from the exit of the underground station. Having seen the Swansea, he then said, 'Mr. Tilehurst, what was the Fishguard?' Oh, only D1009' he replied. I wish I had witnessed him being told that. I heard that his face dropped more miles that we had had behind Ranger and Invader all day. Some folk never learn.      

Autumn 1976. With the numbers of 52's in service rapidly dwindling, opportunities for travel behind them became somewhat more limited. New HTS's were infiltrating the Bristol and South Wales services and this cascaded coffins for what had previously been Western worked MK2 b/c formed trains on the West of England workings. The remaining 52's in service, many in rundown condition (who remembers the state of D1041 towards the end?) still found gainful employment on the Paddington commuter services, the front coaches of some of which towards the end were more like railtours, and such obscure workings as the 1435 Paignton-York to Gloucester and the 1443 Leeds-Plymouth back. One-way moves increasingly became the norm. There then started the succession of Western hauled railtours with such titles as 'Requiem', 'Farewell' and 'Sunset' that said it all. And what was to come. So far as the very last special was concerned, apart from the obvious, perhaps the saddest and most moving thing of all were the Western enthusiasts, many of whom had known each other for years, shaking hands and saying goodbye, perhaps for the last time. The Westerns brought so many people together. At the time there was a total ban on preserved diesels on the main line and no prospect of it being lifted. To this day there are god knows how many fellow enthusiasts who I had known for years that I haven't seen or heard of since.  

26th February 1977. R.I.P. A day I shall never forget. But for all the wrong reasons.  

On the 27th, still shattered by the events of the day before, I got the hell out of it and left Reading, my home for nearly 4 years, and headed up (down really) to take up a job in Newcastle Divisional Control, where I soon got a reputation for my endless mischievous activities when let loose on the main line loco job. But that's another story. The chart music of 1977, especially from March onwards, so sadly reminds me of a period in my life that was filled with emptiness. Even those songs that were chart hits in the back half of 1976 had a certain sadness about them as they remind me of the inevitable countdown to that fateful day. There was something missing, a devastating loss, that never could be replaced. Something that for me had meant so much. And that had now been taken away. I continued bashing other locos for haulage for a time, but for me things were never the same without the Westerns. I put my haulage book and red pen away for good in 1980, even though there were many interesting classes still in considerable numbers on the BR network.  And still a fair few summer Saturday trains for them to work. We don't have them now either.   

While compiling this article, it was confirmed that what everyone was waiting for, that the return of the Diesel Traction Groups splendidly restored Western Champion to the main line was scheduled for February 23rd. I was fortunate enough to be allocated a ticket for the special, special thanks to Peter Watts on that score, although it's not as simple as that for me. I live a mere 6000 miles from the UK and that meant a trip to my local travel agents to book a flight. The cost of the air ticket was small in terms of the event in prospect. It really was a day to remember; apart from the main attraction, on board were people who I hadn't seen for 25 years; those who I'd last seen on that fateful day in February 1977. There were one or two people who I was expecting to see on the train who weren't. But perhaps the saddest absentee of all was the late great Dave Rollason,' Wellington' himself. The loss resulting from his premature departure from this world was discussed and mourned by several tour participants, all with the view that he would have loved to have been there. He was in spirit. There was no one quite like him for knowledge, humour, but most of all his bellowing capabilities. And his qualities when it came to withering the Reverend were truly beyond compare. I have just received the May issue of 'Traction' and needless to say made a beeline for page 26 and Adrian Curtis's moving article about D1015's return to the main line. His words were most fitting for such a special occasion. The comments about 'the brand new train' and 'what's all the fuss about.' But it was that magnificent shot of Champion leaving Gloucester that brought a tear to my eye. 

Sometimes it's hard to find words. But this is not one of them. Finding a suitable word or phrase to describe the enthusiasm, dedication and professionalism of the DTG, especially Paul Koch, well known as being the backbone and guiding light of the group, is easy. Just one word will suffice. Perfectionists. They are the true champions of diesel preservation. When D1015 arrived back at Paddington I told Paul, who I hadn't seen for years that he had every right to be proud. Very proud, and was just one of many who did. I dare say he probably had a lump in his throat. So what. It was his day and no one was going to take it away from him. And who would want to? It was also good on the day to once again see such group stalwarts as Tom Sawyer, who I hadn't seen for years, and Chris Guntripp, 1970's gear and all. I wish the group every success with its recently commenced restoration of D7029 and hope that it's not too long before it's once again taking it's rightful place on the main line, gracing the Oxfordshire countryside. Then D821? Waterloo-Exeter perhaps? I was also very pleased to read that D1015 performed so well on April 20th. Although I couldn't be there, I hope to be back in the UK for one of the 'Mule's' specials later this year, probably the October one.  

I can't complete this article without mentioning Adrian N Curtis superb book 'Cast of Thousands'. Having been told about its publication, I was fortunate enough to stumble across a copy in the Ian Allan bookshop in Manchester in July 2001, have read it from cover to cover and extracted a couple of little snippets of fine detail from it to help finish this article. The amount of research that must have gone into it is beyond belief. No wonder it was so long on the making. But the wait was worth every minute. With such interesting information as their last known workings, I was able to establish which Westerns, other than the last 4 that were basically railtour locos, I had on their last passenger runs. Some, such as D1007, D1040 and D1043 I knew about at the time. And with the last but one of D1031. But there were 4 others that I only discovered after reading the book. I was unwittingly on the last passenger services hauled by D1025, D1027, D1036 and D1067.    

Paul Loynes

Pattaya, Thailand.

20 May 2002.