One Day at Doncaster

By Leonard Rogers

(The images shown are not directly related to the story, but illustrate units at Doncaster in that era.)

I spent a long day (08.30 – 21.30) at Doncaster on a summer Saturday in August 1973. The date was 11/8/73. Apart from doing some ‘spotting with my young brother, one objective was to carry out a traffic survey, recording details of all trains seen and what was working them, including details of DMU’s. The following information is extracted from my survey of 47 years ago.

As is well known, Norwich units carried set numbers during the 1970’s and these are noted below. In addition, on this day, a variety of sets allocated to Botanic Gardens, Neville Hill and South Gosforth (in the old North Eastern Region) were observed carrying set numbers. Set numbers from these depots were prefixed H, L and N respectively. It is not known whether these were semi-permanent set numbers or just daily duty numbers. At this remove in time I do not remember how these numbers were displayed*, although my notes show that Norwich set 87 still carried evidence of having been set N 380 before its transfer from Darlington in May that year.

*Allistair Taylor remembers the numbers were crudely painted on the solebars, suggesting they were set numbers.

Lincoln units did not appear to carry any such numbers.

Sets seen comprised the following:

The workings that were observed were as follows, in timetabled chronological order:
(trains seen out of chronological order were running late)

Some sets were seen several times during the day, others just once. Thus …

Norwich Class 101 set 81 is seen in platform 1 with a service to Cambridge in the early/mid-1970s, with DMC(L) E50750 closest. Graeme Phillips Collection.

• H33 worked the 07.15 from Hull, on which we arrived, and then the 09.00 back to Hull. It subsequently worked the 10.36 Hull – Sheffield and 15.24 Sheffield – Hull.
• 50025/56025 worked the 07.31 from Grimsby and 12.40 to Cleethorpes.
• 50001/56022 + 50011/56011 worked the 09.07 to Cleethorpes, 11.40 Cleethorpes – Sheffield, 14.28 from Sheffield and 15.32 to Cleethorpes.
• 50005/56013 worked the 08.21 from Sleaford, then the 10.27 to Leeds (coupled to 50004/56004).
• 50042/56042 + 50018/56018 worked the 08.27 from Cleethorpes then the 10.47 back to Cleethorpes. 50018/56018 later returned alone on the 13.23 from Cleethorpes and departed on the 15.38 to Hull. It came back with a different cl.114 on the 18.20 from Hull.
• N 306 + N 311 worked 09.48 York – Cambridge, then the 14.58 Cambridge – Doncaster and the 18.23 to York. Six cars on this last working was surely a bit of overkill capacity-wise but would serve to get the sets back to York, whence they had started.
• L 240 worked the 09.53 Sheffield – Hull, then was seen again on the 20.49 from York.
• H 9 + H 35 worked the 08.07 Scarborough – Manchester, which would probably be busy with returning holidaymakers, then came back on the 12.45 Manchester – Hull. H 35 alone then worked the 16.28 Hull – Sheffield, followed by the 19.43 Sheffield – Doncaster. Finally, it took us home to Brough on the 21.33 to Hull.
• (Nor) 87 arrived on the 09.28 from Ely and went back at 12.55.
• H 37 was on the 11.31 Sheffield – Hull, then returned, coupled to H 32, on the 14.20 Hull – Sheffield. Next it was seen, alone, on the 16.38 Sheffield – Hull and, finally, on the 19.13 Hull – Sheffield.
• 50013/56002 was detached from the 11.15 Hull – Manchester at Doncaster, then worked the 13.20 to Hull. It came back coupled to 50018/56018 on the 18.20 from Hull and departed alone on the 19.58 to York.
• N 304 worked in at 13.08 from York and returned at 14.12.
• L 261 arrived at 13.51 from Leeds, returning at 14.31, then appeared again on the 17.10 from Leeds.
• (Nor) 81 + 72 arrived, 15 mins late, at 15.05, on the 10.48 from Norwich and departed, 7 minutes late, on the 16.20 to Cambridge.
• 50037/56037 was on the 14.10 from York and went back thither at 15.52. It later appeared on the 20.48 from Sheffield.
• 50001/56022 + 50011/56011 were on the 14.28 from Sheffield then the 15.32 to Cleethorpes.
• 50026/56034 was on the 17.22 from Sheffield then the 18.40 to Cleethorpes.
• L 242 was on the 17.40 from York then the 19.16 to Sheffield.
• H 23 was detached from the 16.35 Manchester Piccadilly – Hull at Doncaster and then formed the 19.15 to Hull.
• H 34 was on the 18.30 from Sheffield then the 19.30 to Cleethorpes.

A 3-car unit is seen after arriving from York on 03/11/73. The destination blind reads 'EXPRESS'. Graeme Phillips Collection.

It is apparent that some diagrams involved several trips over the same route during the day whereas others cycled the sets around the countryside. It was a real art devising diagrams which matched capacity to expected demand and also got the most mileage out of sets, while also getting them to the right destinations at the end of the day so as to fit in with servicing and maintenance requirements.

While most diagrams involved “local” workings, one or two encompassed rather longer trips. In particular, there were two Hull to Manchester and return journeys via the Hope Valley. (The main Trans-Pennine workings were still via Standedge and in the hands of the class 124’s in 1973.) In addition, it will be noted that there were DMU journeys from York to Cambridge and back and from Norwich to Doncaster and back via ‘the Joint line’ (Lincoln and Spalding). (There were also locomotive-hauled trains between Leeds and Yarmouth and between Newcastle and Yarmouth over this same route seen that day.)

Leonard's contributions to the railcar website include many formations from his outings which appear in amongst those on vehicle pages. A full list can be found on his profile page by clicking the 'formations' tab.