Only days after being outshopped from Doncaster works following classified repair 31161 awaits departure with a Norwich – Birmingham New Street service from Peterborough, 30th May 1979. 31161 was built at the Brush Falcon works, Loughborough as D5579 and entered traffic in January 1960, allocated to Stratford MPD. It carried the “Golden Orch” livery. In November 1960 it was transferred to March and this was followed by transfers to Tinsley in October 1965, Immingham in February 1966, Finsbury Park in March 1967 and Norwich in April 1967. In May 1968 it was fitted with with a 1470bhp English Electric 12SVT power unit in lieu of its unreliable Mirrlees 12 cylinder power unit. Regular transfers around the main Eastern Region depots continued moving to March in October 1969, Finsbury Park in September 1977, Immingham in February 1978, March in January 1979, Stratford in October 1980 and Immingham in February 1982. At the end of the summer in 1985 31161 entered Doncaster works for a Heavy General classified repair. It was fitted with dual brakes and lost its steam heating boiler and was released in early November 1985 and carried the original Railfreight grey livery. In January 1987 it transferred to Tinsley. In March 1988 it suffered serious fire damage and although only a couple of years since its Heavy General it was withdrawn. Also at this time 31401 had suffered collision damage and it was decided to make one good locomotive from the two damaged ones. The body, bogies etc were provided by 31161 and the engine and electrical equipment by 31401. The final locomotive was numbered 31400 and it entered traffic in May 1988, allocated to Crewe. On the 17th January 1991 31400 was in collision with 31516 at St Pancras and the damage was sufficient for 31400 to be initially stored, however it was repaired and reinstated in February 1991. Its reprieve was short lived as it was stored again in July 1991 with power unit problems and then withdrawn in October 1991. It was broken up at CF Booth, Rotherham in August 1993.

08672 stabled between duties in the yard at Bescot sometime in 1974. Originally D3839 it was built at Crewe works and entered traffic in January 1960, allocated to Carnforth MPD. By 1962 it had transferred to the Birmingham area initially at Monument Lane MPD and then Bescot (where it would remain until withdrawn) when Monument Lane closed. 08672 acquired air brake equipment during a classified repair at Swindon in the spring of 1981. This was its last classified repair and its air brake equipment was not sufficient to avoid withdrawal in 1993. It was broken up by Gwent Demolition at Margam in January 1994.

31165 heads for the “Great Western” at Northolt Junction East with a class 9 unfitted train of coal wagons bound I suspect for Acton yard, 23rd March 1979. Northolt Junction East is where the Great Western and Great Central Joint Line splits with the Great Western heading to Greenford and Paddington and the Great Central in the background heading to Neasden and Marylebone. 31165 was originally D5583 and was built by Brush at the Falcon works, Loughborogh, entering traffic in January 1960, allocated to Stratford MPD. It would survive in traffic until April 1996 and would end its days rather surprisingly at Crewe Works being broken up there in September 1998 by MRJ Phillips.

Parcel train duties for 40052 as it ambles through Grantham with a southbound working, 24th February 1979. 40052 entered traffic on the 21st December 1959 and was originally D252. It would remain in service for almost twenty four years before being withdrawn in June 1983. Following withdrawal it was dealt with quickly and was broken up at Crewe Works four months later in October 1983.

A double collision occurred between an empty coaching stock train and two passenger trains at Luton South on 25th June, 1976, just by Crescent Road sidings. An 8-car empty coaching stock train (2 x 4 car class 127 DMU’s) was using a crossover to gain access to the slow line when it was hit by the 18:18 St Pancras - Bedford (4 car class 127 DMU), which was derailed across the fast line, and was subsequently hit by a St Pancras - Derby express. Fortunately there were no deaths, although M51602, M51632, M59618, M59624 and M59630 were damaged beyond economical repair. These were taken to Derby Litchurch Lane for scrapping. M51602 is seen here at the back of Litchurch Lane Works having been cannibalised for spares (lost all its doors for example) prior to final breaking up, 23rd January 1977. Built in 1959 at Litchurch Lane M51602 was part of thirty class 127 DMU sets, each formed of 2xDMBS (Driving Motor Brake Second), TS (Trailer Second) and TSL (Trailer Second Lavatory). They were high density sets with no gangway connections, with seats for 352 2nd class passengers, later reduced to 348. They rarely ventured from the intensively worked St. Pancras to Bedford line until electrification in 1983 when the power cars were withdrawn, although a few went into parcels use. A lot of the trailers were transferred to Tyseley and lasted another ten years.

One of the Newcastle station pilots on the 18th June 1976 is 03079 and it is seen here at rest in one of the bay platforms at the west end of the station. The class 03 proved to be the most successful of the smaller 0-6-0 diesel mechanical shunters. The class numbered two hundred and thirty examples and was built by British Rail at both Swindon and Doncaster works between 1957 and 1962. 03079 was originally D2079, was built at Doncaster and entered traffic, allocated to Thornaby MPD on the 7th January 1960. Almost immediately it transferred to Darlington where it would remain for the next sixteen years until transferred to Gateshead in February 1976. With the rapid decline in the 1960/70’s of wagon load freight and therefore the need for shunting engines, class 03 withdrawals commenced as early as May 1968 (before the end of steam). However it was to take almost twenty years before the class became extinct on mainland British Rail with the last examples being withdrawn in 1987. Two examples survived with British Rail until 1996 on the Isle of White and one of these was 03079 which arrived on the island in April 1984 and remained there until withdrawal in June 1996. Whilst on the Isle of White it was allocated the number 97805 in the Departmental locomotive series but it was never carried. Following withdrawal it was sold for preservation and returned to the mainland and it can currently (June 2009) be found on the Derwent Valley Railway