| The first Schools class locomotive that I ever saw was 30915 Brighton, in August 1952, outside Bournemouth shed . And for a while it remained the only member of the class to be underlined in my Ian Allan ABC. But a year or so later I was given the O.S.Nock books "British Locomotives from the footplate", followed by "Four thousand miles on the footplate", and a little later, "The locomotives of R E L Maunsell". Then I began to realise that the Schools were something special. I learned of their exploits on the Portsmouth and Bournemouth lines in the late 1930's. And more recently their fine running on Hastings and Folkestone lines from Charing Cross and Cannon Street. | ||||
| My first run on a Schools was in June 1955, on 30924 Haileybury from Deal to Ashford on the 2.42pm Margate to Cannon Street. It was a pleasing experience, with lots of noise up the stiff gradients from Deal, Walmer, and Martin Hill. And a little later on, a fast start from Westenhanger, running the first 5 miles in 6 mins 5 secs, on a slight downhill gradient. I was hooked. I wanted more! | ||||
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The next opportunity was 9 months later, when my father kindly took me
to Tonbridge for an Easter 1956 short break. This time I managed 8 runs
altogether. 30927 Clifon from Sevenoaks to Hastings, 30939 Leatherhead
from Hastings to Tonbridge, 30900 Eton from Sevenoaks to Crowhurst,
30904 Lancing from Crowhurst to Sevenoaks, 30931 Kings Wimbledon from
Sevenoaks to Hastings, 30900 Eton from Hastings to Sevenoaks, 30904
Lancing from Sevenoaks to Tonbridge, and 30934 St Lawrence from
Tonbridge to Ashford. Later in 1956, in July, I had 30922 Marlborough from Tonbridge to Waterloo East. |
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At Easter 1957, I headed for Tonbridge again, but was unable to find a
B&B. So I spent one night on a bench on Waterloo station, and another
sharing a room in the Edgware Road. The bench was the better of the two
nights. I travelled behind 30929 from London Bridge to Tonbridge, 30905 Tonbridge from London Bridge to St Leonards, 30900 Eton from St Leonards to Waterloo East, and 30928 Stowe from London Bridge to Ashford. In May 1959, I had a day out to Folkestone, and on the return had 30932 Blundells on a relief from Folkestone Central to Waterloo East, via Maidstone. This was my final Schools run in the South East. |
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| With the Hastings line now dieselised, and the South Eastern lines electrified, many of the Schools class were sent over to the Western Section, to eke out their days on Waterloo to Basingstoke and Reading to Portsmouth semi fasts, also helping out on Summer Saturday services, in particular those to and from Lymington Pier. And so, in the summer of 1959, I headed south and caught 30911 Dover on the 12.00pm Waterloo to Lymington service as far as Southampton. I returned on 30902 Wellington on an up service from Lymington. A few weeks later, I did a repeat and had 30900 Harrow on the 12.00pm down. This loco was still in Black lined livery, and subsequently became the first Schools class locomotive to be withdrawn, and the driver had never been on a Schools footplate before. Since I returned from Southampton that day on a Lord Nelson class 4-6-0, my run on Harrow was to be my last Schools run on express passenger duty. My final BR run on a Schools was on 6th June 1960, when I had 30905 Tonbridge from Basingstoke to Eastleigh on a Reading to Southampton service. |
