1985 Summer Sunday Harwich Boat Train

Haulage Highlights - top page

Summer Sunday Harwich Boat Train 1980 - 1987 - top page

Harwich Boat Train Locomotives 1963 - 1988

Manchester Victoria was again the northern destination/origin of the train in the Summer of 1985. Unlike the previous summer, the train didn't run on the final Sunday of the timetable.

Significantly, compared with previous years, the Harwich-Sheffield-Harwich leg was dominated by Class 47/4's, mostly Stratford allocatted, with a few appearances of Crewe and Gateshead locomotives. The only exceptions to the Class 47/4 dominance was the use of Stratford's 47114 on 7th July and 47311 on 8th September.

The Sheffield-Manchester-Sheffield leg saw a variety of mainly Class 45's and Class 47's, the most notable example of the latter being Inverness allocatted 47461 "CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH" on 1st September, other 47's used were Crewe or Tinsley allocatted. Locomotives from other classes put in a few appearances, Bescot allocatted 31162 on 9th June, March allocatted 37052 on 23rd June and on 22nd September, the final Sunday, Thornaby allocatted 31277 was used on the return leg.

It is not known which locomotive was used for the Sheffield-Manchester-Sheffield leg on 16th June. If you know the locomotive used on this date please contact Peter Hall who would also welcome any other updates.

The formation was same as in the previous years except that the BSO had been replaced by a BFK which was usually declassfied. The formation being TSO, TSO, TSO, FK, BFK, TSO, TSO (7).

Train 1M74 07:17 Harwich PQ-Manchester Victoria 1M74 07:17 Harwich PQ-Manchester Victoria 1E87 15:22 Manchester Victoria-Harwich PQ 1E87 15:22 Manchester Victoria-Harwich PQ
Leg / Sunday Harwich PQ-Sheffield Sheffield-Manchester Vic Manchester Vic-Sheffield Sheffield-Harwich PQ
May 19th 47438 45048 45048 47438
May 26th 47483 47316 47316 47483
June 2nd 47519 45012 45012 47519
June 9th 47583 31162 31162 47583
June 16th 47583 47583
June 23rd 47580 37052 37052 47580
June 30th 47579 45066 45066 47579
July 7th 47114 45112 45112 47114
July 14th 47457 45052 (A) 47612 47457
July 21st 47458 45016 45016 47458
July 28th 47572 47228 47228 47572
August 4th 47605 47218 47218 47605
August 11th 47456 45013 45013 47456
August 18th 47583 45114 45114 47583
August 25th 47588 47105 47105 47588
September 1st 47542 47461 47461 47542
September 8th 47311 47306 47306 47311
September 15th 47574 45058 45058 47545
September 22nd 47610 45130 31277 47610

(A) - 45052 failed at Heeley (Sheffield) and was assisted forward to Manchester Victoria by 47612.

Page maintained by Peter Hall.