The Elizabethan 11 June - Tornado Kings X to Edinburgh, Alycidon back, all in a day!

Roll back the years, eh, lads !! . Amongst never ending steam, the diesel appearance was something new. What we didn't know (or probably too young to contemplate ) was what lay ahead....progress some say.The cost of such rapid turnover of motive power must have been phenominal.

 

The clear attitude was "get rid of steam at all costs".

I can't find the dates at present, but the Bulleid pacific rebuilding programme was partly on the basis of a life extended into the 1970s. Or was it 1980s?

And then of course such as the 9Fs.

I know some here, (me too!), are biased. But an orderly move to proper modern traction: decent nationwide electrification along the lines of a lot of what happened in West Germany would have been so much better. IMHO. I think the Germans worked on a traffic per route basis. Worked out where steam could still run reasonably efficiently prior to electrification and ordered enough diesels to cover the gaps from that and for subsequent use on lines where electrification was not cost efficient. Very simplified of course, but that was how I grasped their approach a few decade ago. So steam lasted until 1977. That approach must have been helped by a high degree of standardisation throughout Germany re locos of all types. And I assume electrification systems?

Wouldn't it have been nice to have had a very forward thinking BR management with Government support who agreed that, OK. Steam must end, (of course it had to), but phased out in an orderly fashion. And to stop people wanting to run dirty smelly steam locos all over our spotless electrified railway decades from now, we will keep one main line permanently steam hauled. And that will be the only place steam is ever allowed in future on the national railway. Back in those days it could have been done under the "strategic needs", banner. With lots of winks and nods going on! LOL.

It would of course have started WWIII. "Here is the news. The battle to keep Waterloo - Exeter as the remaining UK steam main line saw more heavy fighting last night in the Yeovil Junction area. SR supporters have cut up three GWR Castle Class locos to use as barricades and have been throwing lumps of coal from behind them. While the attacking Midlanders have found their Crewe Cocktails are failing to reach the SR army as their steam operated gun has insufficient power due to a valve sticking open and wasting most of the energy. And a small army from York are marching South carrying enough tools to sectionalise a whole Merchant Navy pacific".

And yet in 2013 we have just had a recently built pacific steam loco run up the main line from Kings Cross to Edinburgh. So miracles do happen. And, even more amazingly, we are now back on topic. LOL!

 

I think you're going into the roll of fiction now, but good thoughts on how those in control organize! Is that the right word ? I had the fortune of travelling from Reading to Earlsfield (stay with daughter for weekend) at mid day today via that complex which is actually BIGGER than Reading; thats Clapham Junction. And probably like you, KentYeti, it didn't take a moment on P11 to see (or was it imagination of recall to the 60's) a Merchant Navy rushing towards me with her train for the southWest. Takes my mind off the Electric; sorry I can't name a Class ! Nice journey though...Pete

 

Oh dear, I must have been dreaming again! LOL.

If your mid day visit to CJ was early and around 11.07 that would have been the down ACE you saw. The next main working to the SW outside of the summer peak being the 13.00 to Exeter. I don't think I ever timed that latter train, the lure of the ACE always being too much. Although with Salisbury crews due into Salisbury at circa 14.40 it could be a great one to time. Just time to hand over to the Exmouth Junction crew and make the Railway Club bar for a swift pint. Two or more pints if you arrived nice and early in Salisbury. So the story went.............

 

Thats too spookey for me......I was on P11 ready to board the train arriving at 13.02 !!!!!!!!! . From all your input, KY, you must have a heck of a lot of timings records. Living in Luton at the time, one target on a saturday was train to St Pancras and walk to Waterloo to catch a train 1st stop Woking and return to Waterloo; stay on train back to Woking (didn't leave platform) and then return to waterloo at prob around 4pm. Those trains seemed short and made for quick timings, but what one of those last runs did for me was to see for the first time and actually ride behind it, 35005. It was the last of the class for me to see, she seemed to elude me wherever I went. Seems there were so many experiences riding the railways !