Class 20 Beattock Bankers in 1970's

[Rail-Online]

Hi,

 

I remember visiting Beattock yard on cach trips in the mid 1970s in order to "get" the two 20's stabled there for banking duties. The WCML was fully electrified by this time. Sometimes they were parked cab to cab and I assumed they worked seperately -is this correct? I never saw them move (it was 4am in the morning as we travelled up to our first bash -Craigentinny). I seem to remember a Peak stabled there as well once. There was nothing else there except the closed station, a loop and a siding for the bankers so presumably the Peak was on banking duties too.

 

Now the question is firstly am I correct in my assumption they worked singularily and if so what did they bank? Surely Electrics could cope with Beattock without assistance, and there couldn't have been much Diesel traffic on the electrified WCML by 1976-8.

Secondly were they outstationed from Carstairs and returned to the depot there for fuel? Although I guess Carlisle was closer I can't recall 20's there during this period except for any working down from the Glasgow and South Western line.

Finally how much were they used? Once again I have never seen a photo of them plugging away at the back of a freight, surely someone would have ventured up there to record it!

 

Can anyone shed light on when the need for bankers finished? I can't recall them there around 1984, although Carstairs always had at least one.

 

 

As ever thanks for your assistance in advance, hopefully I am not the only one that remembers them!

 

Cheers Tony

[Andrew F]

I can remember a single 20 on banking duties at Beattock and it would be summer 83/84 I think; 20100 in ex-works condition if I remember rightly but I'd only be 10 years old.

We'd go on camping holidays and spot from the overbridge. I seem to recall quite a lot of diesel hauled trains; mainly freight hauled by pairs of 37's that would pull into the loop hauling cement or tankers I think.

There was always the thunder of hard working 37's heading north through the night when we were trying to sleep next to the WCML right through the mid 80's.

 

Cheers

 

Andy

[DaveF]

Photo of a Class 20 banking a train hauled by a Class 37 leaving Beattock station site in 1973 below.

 

I was just passing by, returning from a holiday in Northern Scotland, so don't have any more information.

 

 

 

Beattock station Class 20 8095 banking Class 37 hauled train Aug 73

 

David

[Mike at C&M]

The Beattock 20s rarely got to Carlisle in the late 1970s, but I do remember on a couple of occasions that the pair made it to Citadel station piloting a failed electric on passenger service.

 

So your prototype for everything is a pair of 20s, a Class 87 and rake of blue/grey Mark 3s!

[Stuart]

Hi Tony,

There was an accident on Beattock 1969 where one of the trains was being banked.

See the accident report here on Railway Archive

http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_Beattock1969.pdf

It gives some insight into the workings at Beattock

 

Cheers

 

Stuart

[Rail-Online]

Hi David, Andy & Stewart,

 

Some excellent stuff there, I didn't realise there was so much Diesel hauled freight over Beattock after electrification, I always assumed that those ED 37's got to Carlisle via the G&SW. Looks like the bankers were carefully positioned to be cab first for the push. The accident report makes inrteresting reading, a 14 coach Inverness train followed by a 12 coach Glasgow, how different it seems today!

 

Cheers Tony