"266: 5 Grove Road W/c Talisman"

So reads a sentence from "I Tried to Run a Railway". I've often puzzled over its meaning -- can anyone please clarify?

It's a few lines down from the top of page 71 in the 1973 Ian Allan edition. From the context it seems that the 3.15 Flying Freight (266 Down) driven by Bill Hoole caught up the Talisman near Retford and the sentence in question is an entry in the Express Freight Record.

 

To really understand the context of this event, you need to read another book - "Bill Hoole, Engineman Extraordinary" by Pete Semmens, within the book's pages is the story of an outstanding driver who truly understood the term "Express" - even for the occasional freight train!! Get that book, you will not be disappointed.

Cheers,

Alan

 

More background to Bill Hoole's reputation for speed might shed further light on how this particular event arose, but it wouldn't clarify the exact meaning of the quotation.

 

The answer to the query is actually given in Peter Semmens book. It translates as:"266 Down, five minutes delay at Grove Road waiting for Talisman to clear." Simples.

 

Completely agree, a great book, an orgy of speed seemed to follow him at every opportunity!!!

 

I thought for a moment you were referring to the case the OS Nock talked of of a very well driver on a very well known loco missing disaster jumping a red signal at a high speed junction In Yorkshire, disaster being averted by the alert driver on the converging train making an emergency stop. Twarted again at findng out what Nock was referring to

 

OS Nock mentioned this incident in his book 'Historic Railway Disasters' in the chapter 'Hairbreadth Escapes'. He was riding on the footplate of the converging train and I believe it was him who alerted the driver. Nock did not reveal the name of the driver of the express in his book, but the name was revealed many years later......and it wasn't Bill Hoole!

 

Steve's earlier reply begs an interesting question, which is when train identifications changed. As we all know, trains on the network are identified "train class" "destination code" "number", so an express train to London will 1A01, for example. Older books tend to refer to trains as the "10.00 Kings Cross to Edinburgh" or similar, but I suspect that is because they are written (in the main) by outside observers. This clearly indicates that the LNER had another system. Do we know how it worked and when the BR system came in (or was it 1948?).

 

Good to see my dad's book being useful!

Did Bill Hoole's reputation for brisk driving continue on the Ffestiniog?

 

According to Wiki, the national four digit system came in during 1960. Whilst I can't vouch for the accuracy of this, the description '266 Down' was certainly still in use in 1958. Prior to the introduction of the present system, the various regions used their own train descriptions.