On this day August 3rd 1968

August 3rd 1968 and round about now - 20.55 - Preston station was packed with enthusiasts and general public alike to witness the last two ordinary, timetabled steam hauled trains leave. The Blackpool had already left at 20.50 with 45212 at the helm, everyone now waited for the last of all, the 21.25 Preston (ex Glasgow) to Liverpool exchange leave with 45318 at the head of a packed train. I shall raise a glass to 45318 and her packed train at 21.25 - in 25 minutes.

The driver of said last train, Ernie Heyes passed away last year on 25th June 2010 he was 75. RIP.

Alan. :-(

 

Thanks for your post. Only being in my 20s I saw nothing of the end of steam, but its great reading all the stories from those final few weeks especially as I live in the area.

 

And if on time tonight at 1930, 44932 will have departed Preston for carnforth, bet no one saw that coming in 1968.

 

No, no one did! Round about now - 21.46 - 45318 was charging down Aughton bank and flashing through Maghul at 78 mph - some said 80 mph!!

 

There is some info of this run on the following website;

http://www.lostockhallmpd.org.uk/sheds.html

 

Thanks for the reminder Mr C

Thank God that by accident of birth I was around for those glorious days,and on that train as the final BR departure. The modern scene is passably interesting as a spectacle, but as free, as enjoyable, as full of adventure - not in a million years

And as for the overall life that we experienced in the UK of those days, as to railway interest, employment prospects, sheer human quality of life - no contest - just NO contest!

Now to bed as in the morning I need to borrow grandad's Ford Consul and drive via Bolton to Entwistle Copy Pit, Bentham, Gisburn, and Spring Vale - including the famous rooftop table tennis through Burnley!

 

I was also on that train, in the front coach - rather packed !.
I remember an incident on Preston station before departure when Liverpool enthusiast Tony Wilson dressed as an undertaker & was parading around with something like a violin case purporting to be a coffin & came close to removal by the railway police.
On arrival at Liverpool Exchange lots of people were chanting 'steam, steam, steam ...'
Then it was off home on the underground to Birkenhead with just a couple of specials to watch - then what ? . Don't like diesels.
Answer - 43 years working in preservation to date.

Bob.

 

The final steam hauled Preston - Manchester service was 2 months earlier, May 4th 1968 and that also was hauled by a Black 5.
If you wish to hear that, "Steam hauled by a Stanier Black 5" is the vinyl LP to look for as that is a recording of the entire trip. Released in 1972 by President Special projects; PSP 9 is the code on the label.
"Farewell to steam" has 4 tracks on side 1 and 5 on side 2. This is a compilation of recordings made on the 4th & 11th of August 1968. Eyemark Records Ltd, RMPL 1007.
For those forum members who've grown up only knowing CDs etc, these 12" pieces of vinyl should be played at 33 1/3 rpm and turned over once the first side has been played. Oh and by the way, they are in mono, not stereo.

 

The Belfast Boat Train also features on one the CDs produced produced by Alan Robinson from Steve Leyland's original recordings :- http://www.heritagesteam.co.uk/

I have some of my own, but try as I might, Ican't find the tape of the very final 20.55 on the Sunday evening - but I can clearly hear it in my head! as well as recalling all the other events of that day and evening

 

I have both the aforementioned gramophone recordings, plus several audio cassettes. I think it's on my cassette version of "Farewell To Steam", although it may be "Steam's Final Hours" - It's an Audicord cassette anyway - The recording of 45110 starting out from Liverpool Lime St., and slowly grinding up towards Edge Hill. Played at full bore, with a 12-band EQ and headphones on, it sounds absolutely out of this world - I only wish I'd been around in 1968, having missed out by 2 years - If my Dad had got his finger out in '63 I'd have had a sporting chance!

Richard.

 

Finger???

 

Today at Carlisle was probably as close as your going to get to the 3rd August 1968.

44932 and 45305 shunting and running round about in the rain at roughly the same time made for an atmospheric scene. Shame there wasn't a 12A or 12B man to be seen anywhere. Nothing against Thornaby or Rose Grove men of course.

As an aside, I bet my 4 yr old 10p that 45305 with Mick Kelly on the regulator would loose its feet leaving with the return CME. Needless to say it was a smooth departure and I had to buy two drumsticks!

 

I was on the 21-25 Preston-Liverpool Exchange on 3rd August 1968. I had a little cassette tape recorder and the front coach was that packed the only place I could record 45318 from was the grill in the toilet window!! I also recorded the cheers, chants and singing by the crowd of enthusiasts on the platform at Liverpool after arrival. Sadly, the tape has gone AWOL.

Alan.

 

Figure of speech... ; ) For finger read "tool"!

45305 was going well at Ais Gill today too. Definitely worth the half-mile squelch from the roadside to a point above Ais Gill Viaduct, and the 2-hour wait in slightly less than ideal August weather conditions!

Richard.

 

On this day August 3rd 1968 - steam really did end

Having also been a regular traveller on the BBE - including that memorable last journey in May 1968 – after Frank had brought it to my attention in his post, I couldn't resist having a peek at the www.heritagesteam.co.uk page.

Even the short sampler clips brought back so many memories, that I have now decided that the time is long overdue for me to dig out my own 5” reel-to-reel recordings and to get them copied onto CD.

It might rattle a few cages (especially from the younger element, who cannot possibly appreciate just what they have missed), but listening to a few of those old tracks confirms that no matter how much one may try, the 21st Century reincarnation of the steam railway will never be quite the same again! High-vis vests, steel security-fencing, walk-on fare extortion, wrong sort of leaves, dry weather steam bans, “Oh my God, that guy is trespassing”, vidiots, passengers herded like sheep, loco owners with attitude problems, technicolor rolling stock, silly headboards, 'Kinchley Lane syndrome', Photoshop editing to produce pictures that were never there in the first place, bickering on discussion forums and so, so much more.

Oh to hear on tape once again the dulcet Scottish accent of that ‘gripper’ at Easter 1967, as he conducted his rant to all the ‘neverers’ in the front brake of the train in the tunnels between Haymarket and Waverley, to the accompaniment of a struggling 44997 and 60009 attempting to get 18-coaches on the move again. Having taken the entire journey between Perth and Edinburgh to ‘grip’ the train, the rumour abounding at the time was that he had gone through a good dozen excess fare books and was not a happy bunny at all upon discovering, when he finally managed to get through the train, that not a soul in the leading coach was in possession of a valid ticket! (I think the grip was a quid - good value, I thought!)

Got a good shot of the double-header going north in the morning, after photting ‘Sturdee’ climbing Barrhead bank the day before on an express from St Enoch (having bribed the foreman at Corkerhill to ‘fail’ the diesel pilot!) and chasing a Flying Pig the following day by chauffeur-driven vehicle on the Langholm and Alston branches. To complete the weekend’s itinerary, I managed a mastershot on the Monday morning of ‘Kolhapur’ working over Copy Pit to Blackpool.

By the way, someone did get nicked by the BT plod on the evening of 3/8/68 ... but not for attempting to put a coffin on a public passenger train, but, believe it or not, for nicking a wheel-tapper’s hammer on Preston Station! The culprit's name was Bert (an outspoken gricer from Wolverhampton) and the wheel-tapper was no other than the renowned Jimmy Bagshaw! Sadly, Bert didn't manage to make the journey behind 45318 that night after all, and I suspect that the cause of his misguided actions - that ultimately found him celebrating the demise of 'proper steam' in the local nick - was as a result of an excess of Lion Bitter consumed in either 'Top House' or 'Bottom House' in the adjacent Butler Street! It all came out some years later in an article in Railway World and is now ingrained into part of enthusiast folklore.

No, things really are not the same anymore!

 

I would just love to get a copy of that morning track - I have a tape or vinyl to digital set up - so if anyone wants anything bringing into the modern age - you know where I am!

And what would the modern generation make of "Leaving St Annes" or the riot that ensued at Blackpool South and on the unit with no lights!

And the word of the week was "Zhadoooob!!"

 

That takes me back! 27th July 1968, 45388 on the 20-50 Preston-Blackpool. I thought my recording of "Leaving St. Annes" was good 'til I heard the stereo version recorded by the BBC man who was on board that night with all his professional recording gear. The track was released later that year on an LP titled 'British Steam Vol. 2'. I still have my copy and must get it put onto CD one day.

Alan.