Network Southeast Coaches & Class 25 BR Blue

[Drakken]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently looking for a photo of Network Southeast coaches being hauled behind a Class 25 IN BR blue. I've have found a Class 31 photograph just not a Class 25. I would like to confirm if this ever happened?

I've searched for just photo's of the coaches & just the Class 25. Also searched hauling, Pulling, Service nothing comes up. Any advice would be much appreciated

Many Thanks, Chris 

[NeMo]

Would be very interested in any examples of 25s on NSE duty.

This was the time I was a "spotter", and 25s were very rare in the Southeast generally by the NSE era. Their hold-outs were places like North Wales and the Midlands, far from London. By contrast the 31s were pretty much the default small diesel around London. Didn't do much passenger work in the mid 80s, but handling empty coaching stock would have been entirely their sort of thing.

I think I have a photo of a 25 at Willesden, but that's about it. Never saw one at Old Oak. Others may know for sure if they turned up at places like Cricklewood.

Cheers, NeMo

[Drakken]

You've mentioned exactly why I would like to find out 

My layout is located in South Wales & as you mentioned ( and confirmed ) should have been seen in North Wales so I think of stretching the truth to have these as an actual operation on my layout for working.

I was thinking the same surely a 25 possible could have moved the coaching stock which would give my layout a little bit of authenticity. If a I can find a Class 31 surely there must of been a 25 doing the same?

Many Thanks for the reply  

[red_death]

I would have thought it was pretty unlikely as there couldn't have been much overlap - NSE came into being in June 86 and the 25s were gone by March 87(?).  NSE liveried stock didn't start getting cascaded to the North West/RR/Scotland until later IIRC.

Cheers, Mike

[NeMo]

Your one sneaky way out might be 25322, 'Tamworth Castle', a loco that became a bit of a celebrity and during the 80s turned up all sorts of places on odd workings.

http://www.derbysulzers.com/25912.html

Withdrawn by the end of 1986, but nothing to stop you tweaking that a few months or so rather than invoking Rule 1 in its full entirety!

The only thing with 'Tamworth Castle' was its odd livery: full yellow ends on a rail blue, with numbers in black. Nothing difficult, but not available RTR from Farish yet, so far as I know.

Cheers, NeMo

[Drakken]

I think you are both right, I think it might have to be Rule 1 

The timing does suggest this never happened but I'll keep up the fight to try find it a photo

I think I'll go with the Plain Blue same as my Class 50 & run them both should look quite good.

Really appreciate the replies 

Edit: Thank you for the link Nemo I'll have a good look though should keep me entertained for a few hours

[Drakken]

I think I found one of sorts !

Double headed rail tour 'The Mersey Ratcatcher' has a photo of Network Southeast coaches in a rake, Just need to find an actual passenger service in the correct era

http://www.derbysulzers.com/merseyratcatcher.html

Scroll down the page slightly 4th photo down I believe

[red_death]

I think I found one of sorts !

Double headed rail tour 'The Mersey Ratcatcher' has a photo of Network Southeast coaches in a rake, Just need to find an actual passenger service in the correct era

http://www.derbysulzers.com/merseyratcatcher.html

Scroll down the page slightly 4th photo down I believe

Good work that man!

[Drakken]

Thanks!

Tomato, Tomatoe whatever that saying is lol. It's a 25 and the NSE that'll do me 

@Nemo thank you for the link

[Drakken]

Now that is a beautiful shot of the tour 

[Roy L S]

Your one sneaky way out might be 25322, 'Tamworth Castle', a loco that became a bit of a celebrity and during the 80s turned up all sorts of places on odd workings.

http://www.derbysulzers.com/25912.html

Withdrawn by the end of 1986, but nothing to stop you tweaking that a few months or so rather than invoking Rule 1 in its full entirety!

The only thing with 'Tamworth Castle' was its odd livery: full yellow ends on a rail blue, with numbers in black. Nothing difficult, but not available RTR from Farish yet, so far as I know.

Cheers, NeMo

Tamworth Castle was done by BachFarish about 10 years back. It may have been part of a set if I recall correctly. It used the Bachmann open framed motor type chassis so a great runner but not DCC ready. I had one but it was sold looong ago on e*ay.

Roy

[Drakken]

There was one on eBay recently I missed out on but knowing it wouldn't of been DCC makes it okay but a repaint on another body maybe another idea

[NeMo]

There was one on eBay recently I missed out on but knowing it wouldn't of been DCC makes it okay but a repaint on another body maybe another idea

And frankly, the old Farish Class 25 is looking a bit long in the tooth now -- eek, those sunken cab windows! So given the simplicity of the 'Tamworth Castle' livery, it looks an obvious repaint to me. The current Farish Class 24s and 25s are absolute gems, despite a few minor detailing issues.

Precision Labels are pretty good at one-off transfers, so I'd drop them a line if you're after names and numbers for this loco. Railtec don't seem to have 'Tamworth Castle' in 2mm, but they do in 4mm and 7mm, so maybe worth asking them as well. No idea about Fox.

Cheers, NeMo

[Drakken]

@NeMo

I've been trying my fathers 25 with sound and just had to have one kind of the reason I wanted to check about the NSE coaches. Adding sound makes such a different element to running the loco's on the layout trying to remember the sound orders

I'll defiantly purchase a second body for a repaint, I might even go BR large Logo on it and really mess with my head 

[Tank]

Great thread to read, and I'm glad you managed to get some photo's of what you wanted.