The LNER Encyclopedia

Can anyone advise me of typical traction on the direct Kings Cross to Hull services in steam days during late 50's and early 60's prior to dieselisation and if engine changing would have taken place en-route.

There seems not to have been too many direct services but one, the 1826 from Kings Cross was a Restaurant Car service direct to Hull calling at Huntingdon (2), Peterborough (5), Grantham (5), Newark (4), Retford (4), Doncaster (3), Goole (3) and Brough (1)+. The figures in brackets are the station stop times and so there would be time to change engines at Grantham for example.

Here's hoping someone has some information.

After watching a small number of ECML steam dvds from the late 1950s & early 1960s I think around 1959-61 Thompson B1s and even Britannia's may have been employed on those services or to Cleethorpes. In the diesel days of the late 1960s & early 1970s I remember the Kings Cross-Hull & Hull-Kings Cross services were usually the preserve of the Brush type 4s (class 47s).

From my trips to Doncaster in the late 50's/60's the steam locomotive could be a K3, B1 or even a V3. A loco changeover took place at Doncaster with normally an A3 going forward.

My first A3 with the German deflectors was 60049 Galtee More on such a service.

HTH

NG.

Mickey wrote: ↑Mon May 04, 2020 11:09 pm After watching a small number of ECML steam dvds from the late 1950s & early 1960s I think around 1959-61 Thompson B1s and even Britannia's may have been employed on those services or to Cleethorpes...

Immingham got an allocation of a block of ex-Norwich Britannias, 70035 - 41, and these definitely ran the Cleethorpes - KX services from about 1961 until steam departed ER. (Concerning Hull, I know nozzing ...)

I can confirm Immingham B1s and then Britannias covered the KX-Cleethorpes services. I can't recall any services to Hull at all, though there must have been a few. All I can say is that the only chance a Dairycoates B1 would reach London would be on Rugby League Cup Final days if the right team was playing, and that wouldn't be to King's Cross. I can only suggest Hull trains were probably Pacific-hauled, but 3 minutes at Doncaster looks tight for an engine change. I'd be surprised if a King's Cross B1 covered such trains but that's the only other possibility. I don't recall V2s as regulars on passenger workings at Kings Cross, btw.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Kudu

Watching the Power of East Coast Steam dvd (A Transport Publishing dvd) which features a lot of amateur colour film footage filmed mainly lineside around Hawkshead, Brookmans Park, Redhall (south of Hatfield) & the Welwyn viaduct around 1959-61 it mentions that a Immingham B1 was the regularly diagrammed loco to work a daily weekday passenger service from Immingham to Kings Cross throughout which was apparently the longest passenger service worked by a B1 over the ECML also a Britannia is seen waiting departure at Kings Cross at the head of a Immingham service.

The dvd also features a early evening express passenger service departure from Kings Cross to Immingham that was the regular turn of double-headed B1s and is seen from the Down lineside approaching Brookmans Park station.

The Power of East Coast Steam dvd- https://transportvideo.com/product/powe ... ast-steam/

I remember the Kings Cross-Hull services during the very early 1970s as previously posted worked by Brush type 4s