50 Years Ago Today

[STAFFORDA4]

Just realised May 4th 1968 was the last Non-Stop on the ECML
4472 Edinburgh to Kings Cross .
Does anyone know which troughs if any were used on that trip please?
Eric

[52D]

Lucker may have been in use but ISTR that 4472 nearly had to make a water stop at Berwick because it was thought she didnt have enough on board to make Edinburgh.

[Mickey]

I would like to get my hands on a dvd copy of the BBC film of the May 1968 non-stop run from Kings Cross to Edinburgh but I haven't seen it available to buy for maybe around 10 or 12 years?. I once had a copy of it on video cassette back in the late 1980s but it's become a bit of a rare item these days.

4472 was nearly stopped by a 'broken rail' maybe north of Doncaster(?) and was down to a 'walking pace' when she 'got the road' and the regulator was opened!. Alan Pegler is seen talking to the press several times during the journey northwards (from the buffet car) when he wasn't on the footplate of 4472 saying that with regards to the broken rail incident she was nearly down to a walking pace but we didn't stop.

Also a number of known persons are seen at Kings Cross just before departure time of 4472 in the May 1968 film with one such person being a fella who is seen in a uniform and wearing a peaked hat who may have been a station supervisor(?) who in real life was usually seen emerging from underneath the 1933 Kings Cross signal box where I believe the 'shunters lobby' was to be found and was usually seen around the main line departure platforms plus also a shunter who went by the nickname of 'Fag Ash' because he always had a fag in his mouth who had possibly been at 'the cross' since the 1920s or 1930s?.

[JASd17]

It has been available this evening on BBC i-player.

Pegler stated that they had picked up water south of Berwick, twice I think, which was just sufficient to get to Edinburgh. A road tanker of water was at Berwick in reserve.

Apologies that it does not answer the original post.

John

[52D]

yes i couldnt remember exactly the circumstances of the water pick ups on the scotsmans journey.

[Mickey]

Thanks John but I collect railway dvds and currently own 129 and still collecting.

With regards to water troughs on the ECML I have a vague memory of being told by a old railway friend of mine back in about 1968/69 that 'Scrooby troughs' were still there in 1968 located between Retford & Doncaster but either they may have been removed just before the 1968 40th anniversary non-stop run made by 4472 Flying Scotsman in May 1968 or they may have still been there but had been de-watered and not in use pending removal?.

[52D]

Surely a few would be still in use to top up Diesel steam heat boilers or did thety just rely on hoses at stations.

[Mickey]

With regards to diesel locos filling there steam heating boilers up on the move using water troughs 52D I am guessing that either the practice gradually feel out of use by locomen or the powers that be in British Rail banned it after a certain date possibly at the end of B.R. steam in August 1968 but I am only guessing that I don't actually know for sure?.

From a fading memory I think(?) there were still a notice on the back wall of the class 40s (English Electric type 4) regarding lowering the water scoop on the loco when picking up water over water troughs during the early/mid 1970s but I could be wrong it was over 40+ years ago that I was in the cab of a class 40.

[STAFFORDA4]

Purely by coincidence there's a nice article in the current May 2018 Railway Magazine (by Nick Piggott) all about troughs.
And the 4472 non-stop 1968 runs get a special mention.
It looks like Scrooby, Wiske Moor and Lucker were used on both 1st and 4th May 1968