55010 The King’s Own Scottish Borderer opens up the twin Napier diesels as it departs Kings Cross with an express for the north, 7th March 1976. 55010 was built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry and entered traffic as D9010 in July 1961. On the 8th May 1965 D9010 was named The King’s Own Scottish Borderer at a ceremony at Dumfries, this was followed by working a Dumfries – Inverness special troop train via Dalry to Perth. During a classified repair (General) at Doncaster works in early 1968 it was equipped with dual brakes and painted in blue livery and was released to traffic on the 1st February 1968 During a classified repair (General) at Doncaster works in 1970 Electric Train Heating equipment was fitted and it was released to traffic on the 7th November 1970. D9010 was the first Deltic to record 2 million miles during January 1973 and when from the 27th March 1976 the individual mileage records for the Deltic fleet were abandoned it held the record for individual miles with 2,535,411. Released from Doncaster Works in October 1980 this final classified Intermediate repair would keep 55010 going until it suffered a failure to one of its engines on the 11th November 1981. It was not repaired and the locomotive carried on in service restricted to one engine until its second engine failed whilst working 1L22 23:00 Kings Cross – Bradford at Corby Glen (assisted to Grantham by 47458 and 37137 from Grantham to Doncaster) forced its withdrawal on the 24th December 1981. It was broken up at Doncaster five months later in May 1982.

Emerging from the south portal of Milford tunnel is 45075 with a southbound express of Mark I coaching stock, 1st June 1979. 45075 was built at Crewe works in 1961 and was originally numbered D132. The first ten “Peaks” (class 44) D1 - D10 were fitted with the four disc style train identification system. With the decision to use a system of four character alpha/numeric train identification the current locomotive orders saw changes to their designs to accommodate the new train identification system. For the “Peaks” (class 45) the initial change was the adding of two boxes on the nose end, split by the gangway doors and D11 – D15 were delivered so fitted. The gangway doors never reached their expected usage consequently D16 –D30 and D68 – D107 were delivered with the doors no longer incorporated into the nose, but the headcode boxes remained on the outside edges of the nose front. The next change in the nose end design was to bring the two headcode boxes into the centre of the nose, but retaining the central split between what had been the two separate headcode displays. These were fitted to D31 – D67, D108 – D137 (class 45) and D138 – D173 (class 46) and is seen on 45075. Initially allocated to Derby MPD 45075 would give twenty four years of front line service, predominantly on the Midland Main Line as it was a Toton engine for almost all of the twenty four years, before being withdrawn in January 1985. It lingered for over two years before it was broken up by Vic Berry, Leicester in March 1985.

45149 waits on one of the through roads at Nottingham to take over a Midland Main Line express to or from Sheffield, 29th February 1976. At this point in time the London St Pancras – Sheffield service operated alternatively via Derby or Nottingham, with those services via Nottingham requiring a reversal and engine change. 45149 was built at Crewe as D135 and entered traffic in January 1962 allocated to Derby. It was transferred to Cricklewood in June 1964 and Toton from May 1966. It was one of fifty peaks selected in the first half of the 1970’s to lose there train heating boiler for electric train heating becoming 45149. After over twenty five years service 45149 was withdrawn in September 1987 with a traction motor defect, and was dumped at Cricklewood for a long period before being towed to Leicester and offered for sale, being purchased by Pete Waterman in 1993. It was moved to Heysham for safe storage and then to Crewe Heritage Centre in 1994 minus its power unit, however no restoration work was carried out. The locomotive was eventually offered for sale late in the autumn of 1996 and was purchased by the Cotswold Mainline Diesel Group. A programme of restoration is now currently (October 2009) taking place at the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway.

With the platform still wet from the overnight rain 45109 stands in platform 2 at Derby awaiting to depart with a Sunday morning express for London St Pancras, 22nd February 1976. 45109 was built at Crewe in 1961 as D85 and was allocated to Derby and would spend its whole career based on the Midland Main Line. It was originally built with split headcode boxes, however it was one of a small number of class 45’s to lose these in favour of the single panel headcode box as seen here. 45109 was the second “ETH Peak” (class 45/1) to be withdrawn (the first being 45147 totally destroyed in a collision at Salford) when it was condemned in January 1986. Unlike a lot of “Peaks” it did not last particularly long following withdrawal being broken up by Vic Berry, Leicester in the November of the same year, 1986.

45144 Royal Signals waits to depart Leicester with a service to London St Pancras, 31st January 1976. By this point in time the 1898 station had lost its overall roof and protection from the elements was being provided by temporary canopies. 45144 was new to Derby in October 1962 and was originally D55. It was named Royal Signals on the 30th June 1965. D55 was one of the fifty class 45’s selected to be fitted with electric train heating equipment in 1973-75 and became 45144. It received its last classified General repair at Crewe during March 1984, the last of the class 45’s to be so treated at Crewe. On 16th December 1987 45144 worked the 19.00 Taunton - Bristol, shortly afterwards it sustained derailment damage at Malago Vale carriage sidings, bringing to an end a career of just over twenty five years. It was broken up six moths later by Vic Berry, Leicester.

The Falcon on the Brush works surveys the scene below of the goods shed, goods yard, signal box and 45117 as it approaches Loughborough Midland station with an express for London St Pancras, 25th January 1976. Originally numbered D35 it was built at Derby in 1961 and allocated to Bristol (Bath Road) MPD for North East – South West duties. In 1966 it transferred to Leeds Holbeck and would remain until selected for fitment of electric train heating equipment in 1974 (when it became 45117) when it transferred to Toton for Midland Main Line duties. It would remain predominantly on these duties for the next twelve years until it became third class 45/1 to be withdrawn in May 1986. Following withdrawal it was dumped at Derby works until on the 19th January 1987 47199 cleared Derby works of 25200, 40075, 45057 & 45117 to Vic Berry's, Leicester who dealt quickly with 45117 as it was no more by the end of February 1987. The Falcon still survives and can know be found nesting at the Crich Tramway Village (http://busesandtramsbycliffjones.fotopic.net/p32513907.html).

In the summer of 2003 I was able to drop in on the South Devon Railway at Buckfastleigh and stabled in the yard was D7612. It was built at Derby works and entered traffic on 23 April 1966 allocated to Eastfield MPD. It was one of a batch of thirteen allocated to the Scottish Region fitted with single line token catcher recesses in the cab sides under the drivers windows. , Within a year D7612 transferred south to Toton in September 1967. It then transferred to Bescot in the early 1970’s from where it worked until being placed into store (unserviceable) in April 1982 at Derby works with power unit problems. It received the power unit from 25 274 and was restored to service at Bescot in May 1982. 25262, transferred north on 30 September 1985 being allocated to Kingmoor. It was allocated the new number of 25901 on 19 December 1985 with the actual transfers on the locomotive being changed the following day. The 25/9 was a sub class of twelve locos for use on Industrial Minerals and Chemical sectors of BR. The last of the class 25's were withdrawn in 1987 with 25901 being officially withdrawn on the 16th March 1987, however the loco worked on past this date on trip work and is thought to be the last class 25 to work a normal BR service towards the end of April 1987. The locomotive was stored at Kingmoor but later moved to Upperby for inspection on 9th August 1988 before returning to Kingmoor. It was then sent back to Upperby for storage on 10th November 1988. The following year the loco undertook a tour of the country, being towed south to Crewe South Yard on 31st May 1989. It was to have gone to Vic Berry for scrapping, but was found to have been sold not to them but to Harry Needle. It then went back up north moving from Crewe on 7th June 1989 to MC Metals for asbestos removal.. On 17th September 1989 it moved by road to the East Lancashire Railway. It was later sold on to a small group of members on the railway who repainted the loco into green livery as D7612. In 1999 it was sold on again and moved to the South Devon Railway by road on 30th March 1999.

09012 pauses in between shunts at Clapham Junction in 1974. Originally D4100 it was built at Horwich in 1961 and is currently (January 2009) stored at Hither Green, having been out of use since the 16th February 2004.

After an overnight journey from Nottingham to South Wales it’s a bit annoying to come across Toton allocated 47354 storming through Newport heading for England with a long mixed freight, 19th February 1977. The consist of the train is from an era that was rapidly disappearing, that which can be seen being made up of vacuum braked sheeted open wagons and vacuum braked vans (making up the “fitted head” I suspect) 16T mineral wagons, 21T coal hoppers and a couple of tank wagons. 47354 is from the batch of class 47’s built without train heating for dedicated freight use and was new in May 1965 as D1835 allocated to Toton. For twenty five years it remained a London Midland Region engine with spells at Crewe and Cricklewood as well as Toton. Transferred to Tinsley in July 1990 for a five year stay until transferred back to the London Midland (Crewe) in November 1995. Withdrawn after thirty five years service in February 2000 and broken up on site at Crewe Basford Hall Yard by R Garrett in April 2003.

46054 awaits the right away from Peterborough with what appears to be 1S88, an express for Scotland, 26th July 1975. Built at Derby in 1963 as D191 it was one of fifty six Peak class locomotives fitted with a Brush generator and traction motors, in place of the Compton Parkinson equipment fitted to the earlier batches of locomotives of the Peak class. In the 1974 TOPS renumbering scheme this batch of Peak class locomotives became class 46 and D191 became 46054. On the 2nd June 1974 I have 46054 recorded on Derby Works in company with eighteen class 08’s, two class 09’s, two class 17’s (8512/98), four class 24’s (24030/50/54/64), eleven class 25’s, one class 44 (44001), nine class 45’s and five other class 46 locomotives, making a total of fifty three locomotives. 46054 would survive until January 1982 when it was withdrawn and it ended its days dumped at Swindon until broken up in August 1983.

73114 approaches a public foot crossing at Congerstone with the 12:05 Shackerstone – Shenton, 26th July 2008. Never officially withdrawn from main line service it was out of use, stored from the end of the 1990’s at Hither Green, Old Oak Common and Rowsley (Peak Rail). Moved to Shackerstone in 2005 it has been returned to operation and spent from April to October 2007 on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link on works duties.

45060 Sherwood Forester heads south towards Birmingham at Burton on Trent, 29th January 1977. Built as D100 at Crewe Works and entered service from Derby during May 1961, being named later that year at Derby Station on the 23rd September 1961. It would always remain a London Midland Region allocated locomotive. My records show a journey behind D100 from St Pancras to Nottingham on the 25th February 1973. It was one of the last class 45’s to receive dual brake equipment when fitted during a classified repair at Derby works in October 1975 and received its last classified repair during January 1980. The end came for 45060 on the 8th December 1985 when it was withdrawn at Toton still in full working order. After a year in storage it was sold for preservation during January 1987 and is currently (December 2009) operational at Barrow Hill MPD.

33204 rest’s between duties outside Hither Green MPD, 22nd January 1977. It is one of the twelve special ’slim line’ locomotives for use on the width-restricted Tonbridge-Hastings line. Based on the BRCW type 2’s (class 26/27) of the Scottish Region, the Southern locomotives had eight cylinder Sulzer engines and Crompton-Parkinson electrical equipment. All were delivered to Hither Green MPD, in 1962, and were allocated the numbers D6586-97 with 33204 originally being D6589. After nearly thirty five years service it was withdrawn in February 1997 and after a period of being a source of spares at Ropley on the Mid Hants Railway it was broken up on site by Raxstar in February 2002.

31185 heads south through a wet and miserable Doncaster station with a train of cartic wagons, 30th October 1976. Delivered from Brush as D5608 in 1960 it remained in service for another twenty years after the date of this photograph, being withdrawn in October 1996. It then lingered for another five years before succumbing to the cutters torch at T J Thompson, Stockton in December 2001.

Originally D1870 entered traffic from Tinsley in June 1965. Renumbered to 47220 in February 1974. Seen here in January 1976 at Leicester with a train of empty oil tank wagons for Immingham (where it was allocated at this tme). Withdrawn in July 1993 and broken up at Coopers Metals in sheffield in April 1994.

73136 stands in the sidings at Clapham Junction, 5th April 1980.

On a wet early morning 73114 stands in the bay platform at Southampton at the head of a train of five non passenger coaching stock vehicles, 18th November 1978. 73114 was built in 1966 as E6020. Never officially withdrawn from main line service it was out of use, stored from the end of the 1990’s at Hither Green, Old Oak Common and Rowsley (Peak Rail). Moved to Shackerstone in 2005 it has been returned to operation and spent from April to October 2007 on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link on works duties.