Forty Six Years Ago Tonight

At five to nine in the evening on Sunday 5th May 1968, Stanier Five no 45025 took up the strain and started the very last scheduled steam passenger service away from Platform 11 middle and under the roof of Exchange station heading north west for :-
Bolton – Chorley – Preston – Lancaster – Bare Lane – and Morecambe where the Sunday night services terminated.
Most of those on this address list were there – or had been there the night before when we had travelled through to Heysham and slept the night in “that” brake van!
Thank God that all these years later, apart from Bulleid and Chef, we are still here, and all still sufficiently motivated to be avidly following our passion for the steam locomotive and its various accompanying activities to be still photographing, recording and logging their various movements around the country.
Long May it Continue
“Leader Sir!

 

I remember it well. Two nights we spent in that brake van. 13 of us, bloody uncomfortable! And frosty as well.
The things we did in pursuit of steam. Happy days

 

More memorable still is the tolerance of staff who accepted the weirdest requests and allowed the strangest of activities without murmur - in some cases even joining in with the activities. In my case the willingness of staff at Rose Grove to allow cab-rides on freight workings over the last working weekend of August 3 / 4 and no-one complained at spotters walking round the shed during both daylight and night-time hours.

Happy days indeed - we shall not see their like again !

 

Indeed! in 1968 I had a cab ride at the invitation of the crew, on a black five, from Leeds City to Manchester Victoria via the Calder valley route. To top it all it was a night time mail train, PURE MAGIC! I was hooked!

 

I can make 11 - Self, Stanier - Churchward - Deeley - Collett - Fowler - Aspinall - Bowen Cooke - Bulleid - Gresley - Fothergill - Raven - the other two??

 

Maybe you're right. The figure 13 has stuck in my mind all these years but perhaps being knackered, cold and in the dark caused me to count a couple of bodies twice as they scrambled around trying to get comfy.