Another view of 46228 restarting the 11.25 am Euston to Llandudno from the signal stop at Kensal Green. (Photo John Tiley)
“By 1964, their last year, they were becoming rare on anything out of Euston”
46228 Duchess of Rutland restarts the 11.25 am Euston to Llandudno from a signal stop at Kensal Green. (Photo John Tiley)
Being a Southern man born and bred I was late coming to the London Midland steam scene and it was 1963 before this 18-year-old took any serious notice of the large amount of steam still working out of Euston. Most of the summer Saturdays that year were spent on the LM main line at various locations between Euston and Watford Junction, travelling by bicycle from my south London home, and with two late summer forays to Crewe and the north Wales coast line by rail. The Duchess class Pacifics, already quite scarce, were my favourites and I would be pleased if I saw more than three or four in a day.
By 1964, their last year, they were becoming rare on anything out of Euston, being displaced by Britannias and class 4 D200 diesels (‘Whistlers’). I had photographed quite a few and now wanted a run behind one, so I spent a bit more time in the summer of 1964 on the LM main line trying to establish if they had any regular duties. This was regarded with some disdain by my fellow Southern enthusiasts as that summer was also the last of the ACE between Waterloo and Exeter and some fantastic performances were being turned in by the Merchant Navy Pacifics and their mainly Salisbury top link drivers, of which I was privileged to be present for quite a few. Word was that both the 11.25 am and 11.40 am from Euston on Saturdays were booked for Duchess haulage, but a visit on 1 August saw both Britannia-hauled, the 11.25 am with 70048 producing a dismal run to arrive at Rugby 17 minutes late. No luck there either though a fair number of steam hauled trains were to be seen. Timekeeping was abysmal that day and 70047 on the 11.40 am Lakes from Euston didn’t pass Rugby until 1.59 pm! When 45672 arrived on the 339 pm up Blackpool, I gave up on seeing a Duchess and caught it back to Euston. Running very late it turned in a good solid performance, which was some consolation.
The next Saturday, 8 August, saw me back at Euston again, and this time my luck was in. A filthy 46228 Duchess of Rutland was standing at the head of the 11.25 am to Llandudno, first stop Rugby and 46245 City of London was on the 11.40 am Lakes Express, nominally non-stop to Wigan. Overjoyed I boarded the 13-coach 11.25 and we left on time to be banked up Camden bank. The schedule of 105 minutes wasn’t very inspiring but I didn’t care as at last I had my Duchess run. However we got no further than Kensal Green before being stopped briefly by signals. On the restart 46228 slipped violently but soon got the train going nicely, sailing quietly up to Tring before being stopped by signals before Cheddington; again quite briefly. We then ran the 47 miles to another signal stop outside Rugby in 48 minutes, with good spells of speed in the 70s interrupted by another signal check at Bletchley. I can only assume that we had been delayed on each occasion by the Class 40 hauled 11.15 am Euston to Holyhead, though we still managed to scrape into Rugby on time. We had only been standing 3 minutes when 46245 sailed through on the Lakes, having taken just 93 minutes from Euston and probably had been stopped behind us at Hillmorton. So I returned to London behind 70019 on the 3.39 pm up, well satisfied and now free to resume my Southern duties.
The sequel to this story is really quite amazing and shows once again what a small world us enthusiasts live in. Whilst trying to find photographs to accompany this little tale, a long time friend of mine, John Tiley, sent me a shot of 46228 restarting from a signal stop at Kensal Green. It turns out to have been the train I was on! I don’t think I had met him by then, only doing so around a year later and so of course I had no idea he was there that day. If you look carefully you can see me looking out of the window in the first shot. Both images are courtesy of John Tiley, also a Southern man at heart.
30 July 1963. No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland passing Headstone Lane with the 11 am Holyhead to Euston.
No. 46225 Duchess of Gloucester passing Wembley on 24 August 1963 with the 8.40m am Carlisle to Euston.