1V38 12.25 ex-New Street - Paddington service in the spring of 1976.

Tags:   1030 westernmusketeer leamingtonspa 1V38

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Can you feel the excitement?

Notes are made and shutters pressed at Leamington Spa in April 1976.

1M11 the first OC diagram of the day (0805 ex Paddington) has produced 'Western Musketeer', there are some Euston trains being diverted to Paddington, and a couple of excursions running with pairs of 25's as the locos. AND of course, the 'Wizzo' would be going back the other way in a couple of hours......

The driver looks back for the 'RA' and we were soon treated to the fantastic sound of twin Maybach engines at around 1500rpm.

Halcyon days my friends!

Tags:   1030 westernmusketeer leamingtonspa 1M11

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'Western Renown' plays that 'Maybach music' as it departs from Leamington Spa with the 1V38 lunch time express for Paddington from Birmingham New Street in April 1976.

Tags:   1071 westernrenown leamingtonspa

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'Western Lord' (right) ticking over by the turntable, alongside 1041 'Western Prince'

There were five other class 52's in active use at Old Oak Common that Saturday morning including 1056 'Western Sultan' in the background.

Warships and Hymeks had already been withdrawn by then and the 33 Westerns left only had a short time left in front line service before class 50's arrived and HST sets were introduced.

Although the use of train identification codes had been discontinued just before this photo was taken, the dreaded 0000 had not yet appeared. At least the Westerns displayed their loco numbers in their final months of activity. 1B25 was I believe the 12:30 Paddington to Penzance.

One of my favourite pictures, but apologies for the poor quality. One of only two films I don't have the negatives for, and I had the prints produced on that damn matt paper that produces millions of spots when scanned so this image has needed several hours in the 'digital darkroom' to get rid of most of them.

Another editing session (21st April 2013), and a re-launch!

Tags:   1041 1047 1056 47129 oldoakcommon westernprince westernlord

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January 1976 and 'Western Patriarch' waits for its next duty, surrounded largely by 'the enemy'!

Apologies for the poor quality, lost the negs for this film and the prints were on that matt paper....damn!

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