Atomic Systems

Hi guys, I'm looking into historicial factors on the Great Eastern from the 1980s. What I ask is that what duties did these locos & MU used to run and in the case of loco hauled stock, what coach formations/

Class 302
Class 305
Class 309
Class 315
Class 317
Class 321

Class 31
Class 37
Class 47
Class 86

Thanks guys.

Adam.

I've lived in Norwich for nigh on forty years, and only occasionally ventured south: bandit country! But having a large number of relatives in and around Chelmsford, I did make it down south once or twice.

I assume that you're talking pre complete electrification?

This would have been when Diss and Stowmarket platforms only had the capacity for four coaches.

Great days spent at Thorpe just watching activity. Such a shame it's mostly gone.

In my experience the Norwich - London service was handled by a class 47.

Whenever the 315s came into service, they were for the metro service (to Shenfield).

The 309s held sway on the Clacton/Walton services, splitting at Thorpe-Le-Soken.

I'm sure others will have more information.

Try some fotopic sites too for reference, such as the 'whitemask'. Im sure theres a few posts on here with links to sites. If not a search on fotopic under variuos headings should do the trick.
Freightliners with containers with steel in for or from cardiff to Griffin wharf, either 47s 37s. Lots of other traffic such as Rowntrees (VDAs) Fuels in TTA and TEAs, Ford car parts, Trains to Harwich and Parkstone of variuos Ferry and European traffic to name but a few.

Jon

Used to be a Guard at Enfield Town during the mid to late 80's so here's what I remember. In general the 305 non corridor used to work on the suburban routes out of Liverpool Street to Enfield, Chingford, Cheshunt and Hertford East. The corridor stock used to work the semi fast services to Bishops Strotford, the glory jobs at Enfield . The 305 non corridors were phased out slowly around this time and replaced with 315's. I used to like working the slam door stock because you got a proper guards van.

The corridor 305's were phased out a little later with 317's and 321's. We had a conversion onto 310's which were bought in as a stop gap because there weren't enough 317's and 321s available for the switchover. The 321's also worked on the Stansted Airport services. That would have been around mid to late 1988. I remember because that's when I transferred to Old Oak Common and met a certain forum moderator

Couldn't tell you much about the other side because I only ever worked over there when taking empty stock (cars) to Ilford. As mentioned in a previous post the 315's worked on the stoppers to Shenfield. When we did our Guards course we once worked a 309 to Southend.

Hope this helps.

Oh just to add I used to see 37's working the King Lynn services and 47's on the Norwich services. 31's used to bring ECS from Stratford and work the odd parcel train along with 37's. That would have been early 80's. Couldn't tell you anything about coaching stock formations though. They were replaced with EMU's and 86 respectively.

And finally when I was at OOC I once took a 56 and Cargo Wagon to a freight terminal north of Ely, can't remember the name though (had a pilotman from Harlow) the spotters at Cambridge loved it We also used to take 56's, 59's and 60's to Yeoman Aggregates at Harlow Mill. But that was in the early 90's.

One thing that is missing from the original list is the 312s. They were introduced in the mid to late 70s, operating on outer suburban routes, basically the sort of runs the 321s and 360s do today, although not Clacton and Walton as that was the 309s. During the early 80s the original GE sets were replaced by those from the GN, which were themselves replaced by 317s. The GE 312s moved to the LTS where for a short time their dual voltage (6.25kV and 25kV) capability was needed (the GN 312s were 25kV only), as by then the entire GE line had been upgraded to 25kV (the LTS wasn't far behind).
If we're just talking the 80s, then neither the 321s or the 317s were around on the GE at that time. The 321s were not introduced until the early 90s, and the 317s didn't start operating on the GE until then either as they were replaced on the MML by 319s. 86s would have been introduced in the late 80s with electrification to Norwich. I think they were originally based at Willsden and from a common pool with the WCML, until later when a fleet was dedicated to Crown Point.

chriscooper wrote: The 321s were not introduced until the early 90s, and the 317s didn't start operating on the GE until then either as they were replaced on the MML by 319s.

Hate to contradict you but the 321's were around in the late 80's. I had a traction conversion on to 321's. As I said before transferred to OOC in early 1989. I'm sure that there were 317's around as well then but may be mistaken as it was a long time ago.

Oh sorry, I thought they were early 90s, but you are right they were late 80s, as were the 319s, so that would mean the 317s were transferred in the late 80s too. I suppose then it was the late 80s when the real big change took place on the line, with 86s taking over from diesels on the Norwich runs, and 317s and 321s replacing a lot of slam door stock on the outer suburbans.
I should have known the 321s were around in the late 80s (think it was 89), as i remember going to an event at Cambridge and seeing some of them, at the time brand new, as well as brand new 158s.

Thanks guys, that's all of great use!

Adam.