While reminiscing about the WCML operations with folks on Facebook and elsewhere, it struck me that while a lot of attention was paid to the locomotives, less was given to the train formations – but this was something that I did pay attention to. So, I thought I’d spend a bit of time documenting what I remembered and recorded from the era as I dig through my own memories and archives.
This is likely going to be the first article in a series...
Pre-1990, it was common for some of the Anglo-Scottish Intercity trains on the WCML to split en-route – often at Carstairs, where a portion would be detached to serve Edinburgh, while the remainder went forward to Glasgow. The formations on these workings were known as “half-sets” – in the sense they were about half the length of a more normal train consist, and two put together provided the more usual number of seats for a WCML train.
It was more usual for trains which started at locations other than Euston to split portions, so for me this timetable stands out for having these half-sets which worked to Euston, and the variety of services these sets covered raises an eyebrow!
This subfleet was based at Manchester Longsight and used air-conditioned Mk2def coaches: Brake Second Open (BSO), Tourist Second Open (TSO), and First Corridor (FK).
There were a total of 12 diagrams, MA275-MA286, all formed BSO-3x TSO-FK.
Where provided, catering was rostered for Mk1 RBR vehicles, usually in the middle of a train – sandwiched between the two half-sets – working their own circuits in the MA5xx range.
The Carriage Working Notices and other marshalling data showed that the FKs ought to both be next to the RBR where present. This means that the sets sometimes needed to be turned – usually at Glasgow (where the ECS between Central and Polmadie would include a reversal at Shields Rd), or Edinburgh (which used a triangle in the Abbeyhill area).
Services worked included:
- Euston – Inverness “Clansman”
The inconsistency of the era is clearly visible, the FK is not air-conditioned, just a Mk2c pressure-vent, as is the BSO at the extreme rear.
- Euston – Stranraer boat train
- The morning Birmingham New St – Glasgow/Edinburgh
- A mid-morning Manchester – Glasgow/Edinburgh
- The balancing Up workings of the above were much less straightforward!
- An early morning Wolverhampton – Euston service and an evening return – this stands out as being one of the few “EBW” services not worked by the Oxley-based fleet.
- Seated portions of the Euston-Stranraer sleeper and Barrow-Euston sleeper!
The amount of variety and how the portions cycled around the work was quite something.
The fleet was used quite intensively, some diagrams were quite complex, with very little in the way of “out and back” work.
Despite calling Longsight their “home” depot, only two half sets a day worked back to Manchester for overnight stabling, Oxley and Wembley seemingly playing a bigger part in overnight stabling and servicing.
The quality of the vehicles could be quite variable as well – some refurbished, some not, and substitutions with “fresh air” Mk2abc stock not uncommon. The substitutions could persist until the set next cycled through Longsight.
This was quite a downgrade from 1986 for both the “Clansman” which benefitted from refurbished Mk3a stock, and 1S53/1M47 “Midland Scot” that saw some of Oxley’s first Mk2f refurbishments deployed captive on OY275/276 diagram.
Using the LMR Carriage Working Book from 1987, I’ve reconstructed the Monday to Friday diagrams:
MA275
ECS Oxley – Birmingham NS
1S53 0725 Birmingham NS – Edinburgh RP (with MA276/MA500)
1M42 1438 Edinburgh – Euston RP (1030 ex-Inverness, with MA282/MA505)
Forms MA279
MA276
ECS Oxley – Birmingham NS
1S53 0725 Birmingham NS – Glasgow C FP (with MA275/MA500)
1M87 1550 Glasgow C – Manchester V FP (with MA501/MA278)
ECS to Longsight
Forms MA278
MA277
ECS Longsight – Manchester V
1S49 1025 Manchester V – Glasgow C FP (with MA501/MA278)
1M47 1750 Glasgow C – Birmingham NS FP (with MA500 throughout/MA283 attaches Carstairs, detaches Preston)
ECS to Oxley
Forms MA284
MA278
ECS Longsight – Manchester V
1S49 1025 Manchester V – Edinburgh RP (with MA501/MA277)
1M87 1544 Edinburgh – Preston RP (with MA501/MA276)
1P10 1940 Preston – Barrow (with WB573)
1K12 2149 Barrow-Stafford (with WB573, detached at Stafford)
ECS to Oxley
Forms MA283
MA279
1M06 1055 Stranraer – Euston RP (with MA502/MA286)
1G47 2110 Euston – Wolverhampton FP (with MA502/MA286)
ECS to Oxley
Forms MA276
MA280
1S74 1000 Euston – Stranraer RP (with MA503/MA285)
Forms MA286
MA281
1S06 2105 Euston – Stranraer FP (with WB554)
Forms MA279
MA282
1M42 1030 Inverness – Euston FP (with MA505, MA275 attached Edinburgh)
Forms MA280
MA283
ECS from Oxley
1A72 0556 Wolverhampton – Euston RP (with MA284/MA504)
1S59 0855 Euston – Edinburgh FP (with MA284/MA504)
1M44 1744 Edinburgh – Manchester V RP (with MA500/MA277 to Preston)
ECS to Longsight
Forms MA277
MA284
ECS from Oxley
1A72 0556 Wolverhampton – Euston FP (with MA283/MA504)
1S59 0855 Euston – Inverness RP (with MA504, MA283 detached Edinburgh)
Forms MA282
MA285
1S74 1000 Euston – Stranraer FP (with MA503/MA280)
1M14 2225 Stranraer – Euston RP (with WB555)
Forms MA281
MA286
1M06 1055 Stranraer – Euston FP (with MA502/MA279)
1G47 2110 Euston – Wolverhampton RP (with MA502/MA279)
Forms MA275
These diagrams and arrangements only existed for 1987/88, and didn’t persist.
The Clansman went over to a Wembley based Mk2f rake in May 1988, the operation again interesting in itself, being another half-set arrangement with a portion for Aberdeen, and “curious” buffet cars for trains out of Euston. Some of the portion working splitting at Carstairs started to be reduced, and most of the non-Euston related work was covered by an enlarged Polmadie fleet and slightly simpler Longsight duties – effectively one of the early hints of things to come with sub-sectorisation.
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