March - Spalding GN&GE Joint Line

[AndyRush]

Give us a clue - where and what time!

Andy

[strang steel]

Probably passed Sleaford at about 8 a.m. but I am not sure if it ran via the station or the avoiding line.

[AndyRush]

I think that was what became known as 'the 'Joint Line Brute', due at Sleaford 0810-0816. It started in the summer 1966 WTT as 3J96 0740 Lincoln - March and was altered wef 11 July to run as 3C97 to Peterborough East via Grassmoor Junction and March West, which was presumably when it was converted to a BRUTE train. It gave rise to the Control frequently asking the lady box recorder at Whitemoor Junction if she had 'had the Brute up' until the contempt with which she treated this enquiry sank in!

[Bryan]

Would that be similar to the girl in the quarry office asking the drivers if they had got their rocks off?

[strang steel]

Thanks Andy.

The reason that I am interested in this train, is because during the winter of 1966/7 it regularly conveyed ex-works dmu cars, many of which were rarities in the local area, and I used to get up very early on Saturday mornings just to see it.

The dmus were attached at the back of the train, and were mainly of the original Derby lightweight E79xxx series, Cravens, or the Lea Valley suburban series (class 125?).

I am not sure if these vehicles were overhauled at Doncaster or York, but if the parcels train originated at Lincoln, the unit cars must have arrived there on another service and were shunted around somewhere in Lincoln. It would seem that they may have been detached yet again at March.

Among the ones I noted were E79046, E51281, E79660, E79070, E50999, E51007

[AndyRush]

2J96 0555 Doncaster - Lincoln (arr 0703) was a hauled train and conveyed the dmu cars, as well as ex works passenger stock. It seems that the planners forgot this traffic on 3C97 when they diverted it to run to Peterborough via March West curve. It was further altered to run via March station to detach the tail traffic, and a fresh engine was turned out to work the train to Peterboro, now in reverse formation.

[strang steel]

Thanks. That explains my confusion with the trains' destination.

[strang steel]

I am reading the book GNR Engine Sheds vol2, and in the section on Colwick there is a note that the first timetabled diesel hauled train from the yard was the 0135 goods to Whitemoor on 25th April 1960. The train loco (rather surprisingly I thought) was D5401.