ECML mystery train?

[Mickey]

A long forgotten but interesting working on the ECML from circa 1970-71.

Long ago back in the mists of time circa 1970-71 an interesting Sunday ONLY 'parcels working' that was seen by myself on at least two or maybe three separate occasions arriving at Welwyn Garden City station was a Deltic (class 55) hauled parcels train consisting of a mixture of about 30+ assorted vehicles on behind the locos drawbar standing in Welwyn Garden City Up slow line platform between about 5:40-6:00 pm on a Sunday tea-time that was being unloaded and taking on parcels in the Up slow line platform. This particular train stood for around 20 minutes at Welwyn Garden City before departing southwards again towards the London area.

This train is thought to have originated either from Newcastle or more probably York on the Sunday morning and then slowly made it's way south during Sunday possibly stopping at Doncaster, Retford, Newark, Grantham, Peterborough and maybe Huntingdon & Hitchin(?) before arriving at Welwyn Garden City at around 5:40 pm on the Sunday tea-time. This train consisted of a mixture of assorted vehicles of mainly B.R.Mk.1 BGs & GUV vans and was around 30+ vehicles in length and was 'so long' that it was routed along the up the slow line south of the Digswell viaduct by the Welwyn North signalman because if it had been routed along the Up fast line south of the Digswell viaduct the rear end of this train would have stood on the Up fast line on the approach to Welwyn Garden City and therefore it would have 'blocked the Up fast line' which would never do.

When this train arrived at Welwyn Garden City station in the Up slow line platform and the loco was standing at the south end of the Up slow line platform the rear of this train was standing back at (or beyond?) the Knightsfield road concrete over bridge so that will give you some idea if you know the area how long this particular train was.

Strang steel (John) if you see this post what was the head code of this train again plus did you also say that you saw this train south of Stoke summit?.

[PinzaC55]

There used to be a train from Brian Mills warehouse in Sunderland and it was originally routed Sunderland - Penshaw but when that line closed in 1967 it was routed via Hartlepool to Northallerton. It usually had a Class 47 but I think it once had a Deltic. In steam days I believe it would have an A4.

[Mickey]

Maybe it could have been the same working?.

John aka Strang Steel saw it passing Stoke summit or a bit further south maybe in the Corby Glen area around that same time 1970-71 and he also knows the train reporting number (headcode) as well. A Sunday working from 50 plus years ago when the ECML was relatively 'quiet' on a Sunday for virtually it's entire length and especially north of Wood Green and even more so north of Hitchin and a class 55 Deltic appears on the Up road with 30+ BGs and GUVs on behind the loco it isn't easy to forget that in the memory some 52 years later.

[PinzaC55]

In a book on Railways Of Sunderland the headcode of the Brian Mills train was 6Z13 and it could produce 4 trains each evening.

[Hatfield Shed]

When this train arrived at Welwyn Garden City station in the Up slow line platform and the loco was standing at the south end of the Up slow line platform the rear of this train was standing back at (or beyond?) the Knightsfield road concrete over bridge so that will give you some idea if you know the area how long this particular train was...

Take your pick, it's as near as nothing 1km from the old Lyles lane bridge (now a footbridge only) to the South end of WGC platform, 1.3km from Knightsfield bridge to the South end of WGC platform.

[Mickey]

When this train arrived at Welwyn Garden City station in the Up slow line platform and the loco was standing at the south end of the Up slow line platform the rear of this train was standing back at (or beyond?) the Knightsfield road concrete over bridge so that will give you some idea if you know the area how long this particular train was...

Take your pick, it's as near as nothing 1km from the old Lyles lane bridge (now a footbridge only) to the South end of WGC platform, 1.3km from Knightsfield bridge to the South end of WGC platform.

Thanks Hatfield Shed. Well what I remember going back to 1970-71 with the loco (a Deltic) standing on the Up slow line at the south end of WGC platform the back end of the train was standing somewhere between that old narrow road bridge that may have been demolished before the 'wires went up' in readiness for the first or second stage electrification scheme of 1976-77 (this bridge was very close to the Welwyn Garden City Down fast line starting signal no.24 with Welwyn North's Down fast line inner 'motorised' distant signal beneath it) and the Knightsfield road concrete over bridge which wasn't that to far away from the south end of the Welwyn or Digswell viaduct which is or was quite some distance train length wise!.