Transfers in May, the first for quite a while involving the Class 25’s saw Longsight’s allocation of four machines (25057/316/321/324) moved to Crewe, joining them in July was 25058.
The failure of 86205 on July 22nd’s 01.15 Holyhead – Euston at Kings Langley saw 25057 coming to assist, but when the Class 25 attempted to return north light engine it too failed!
Repairs must have been swiftly applied to 25058's power unit as it was noted on August 22nd's 09.20 Lancaster - Carlisle from Barrow, assisting a failed dmu. The following day 25059 & 25206 worked a relief (from Exeter) between Carstairs & Edinburgh.
With the power off south of Bletchley 25057 dragged a Stirling - Euston service to the capital on the afternoon of August 30th. Continuing its wanderings 25057 worked September 8th's 09.08 Llandudno - Scarborough as far as Manchester Victoria.
25057 & 25058 worked a Blackpool - Edinburgh day excursion forward from Carstairs to Edinburgh on September 16th. A week later 25059 was also having adventures in the north, covering the 10.43 Carlisle – Newcastle passenger after the diagrammed dmu failed.
Class 25’s over the Central Wales line continued with October 5th’s special from Kidderminster to Tenby hauled throughout by 25037 & 25059. Even on the day it was uncertain as to what this motive power would be, and it was made more interesting by the train receiving a relief driver & pilotman at Llanelli rather than a locomotive change as in prior years. As there was no way to refuel the locomotives at Tenby, the return trip was via Cardiff where surprisingly another pair of Type 2's 25296 & 25282 were waiting to take over. Some days were very, very good............
The 25057 & 25058 combination re-surfaced on October 9th taking an afternoon Liverpool - Scarborough forward from York, despite the ER's known aversion to these fine machines. Remarkably they returned with the 17.55 Scarborough - Liverpool working through out despite a lack of heat, arrival being thirteen minutes late at Lime Street. By the time the train reached Leeds word had reached the rail enthusiast community of this fine working, with BR gaining additional revenue as admirers joined the train for the slog across the Pennines.
October 22nd's sand train from Oakamoor hauled by 25058 & 25213 became derailed north of Stoke on Trent station. 25058 ended up overhanging a city street, kept from falling by its attachment to 25213! The errant Type 2 was returned to the rails the following day.
Well if Class 31's can make a break for it onto the North Circular at Cricklewood there should be no reason why Class 25's can't go awandering too. With thanks to Phill T for making this available.
Photograph courtesy Martin Bray
One end of 25058 rests on timbers pending the arrival of a bogie following its adventures just north of Stoke on Trent station. Despite the continued steady withdrawal of Class 25's during 1985 somehow 25058 avoided withdrawal yet again.
One final passenger working for 25058 during 1985 involved the rescue of 45136 on November 8th whilst working the 15.10 Bangor - Scarborough, the Class 25 assisting between Manchester Victoria & York.
The year ended with the Shrewsbury - York mail again in trouble, 47538 requiring assistance on December 4th from 25059, which worked the train from Shrewsbury to Crewe.
1986
25059 provided assistance from Prestatyn on January 4th to an ailing 47531 on the 01.00 Holyhead - Crewe. Also in January 25057 rescued two passenger services, firstly assisting an HST between Stone & Stafford on January 7th and then a dmu between Stourbridge Junction & Langley Green on 10th. By late January 25057 was noted in the Exeter area, working early morning Cartics from Severn Tunnel Jct on 23rd & 29th.
Working west on a very stormy and windy March 20th was 25059 on a Sellafield – Bridgwater nuclear flask train. Record wind gusts were recorded this day at Edinburgh (110mph) and Cairn Gorm (173mph), on the 24th the high winds for the first time closed the M4 Severn Road Bridge. On March 27th 25058 assisted a WCML service between Leighton Buzzard & Bletchley, making a reverse move due to an obstruction on the track. Short trips in April for 25058 included April 12th's Preston - Manchester Victoria leg of the ex 18.15 Glasgow and April 15th's 07.40 Manchester Victoria - Bangor as far as Chester - a Class 47 taking over here. On May 1st 25059 came to the rescue of a failed 31432 at Guide Bridge whilst in charge of a Manchester - Hull service, the Class 25 working as far a Sheffield.
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The Divisional Manager's Saloon is hauled through Foxfield on April 16th 1986 by 25058. Photograph courtesy Kevin Hughes (RCTS Archives #HU01525). |
It was obvious that the Class 25’s had a very bleak future, which automatically made them a popular choice for the enthusiast railtour market. May 5th saw F & W Railtours ‘Valley Explorer’ (1Z26) run from Crewe to Barry Island - Cardiff Penarth Curve - Leckwith Jct - Bridgend - Margam, then Margam - Bridgend - Aberthaw - Barry - Cardiff, including a number of valley freight lines. The 450 mile round trip was handled successfully by 25109 & 25057 being noted on time at New Street on the return leg. When a Newcastle - Llandudno Town service arrived at Manchester Victoria on May 23rd with 37216 leading a failed 45124 both were replaced by 25057 for the remainder of the journey. It returned with the 15.16 to York, replaced at Chester by 47458.
Another broken Class 47 allowed 25059 to work the 09.24 Liverpool - Glasgow as far as Preston on June 8th.
Whitemoor still continued to use any Class 25’s that strayed into their territory, putting them to good use on their local trip freights. In July the Bury St Edmunds job used 25035 (11th) and 25059 (22nd). Two more passenger trains in trouble were assisted by 25057 in July. On 12th a St Pancras bound HST hit cows near Kibworth, 25057 was used to drag the HST back to Leicester, whilst three days later a similar working expired at Glendon Junction, 25057 dragged the HST to Bedford where the service was terminated. By 26th 25057 was back in the Preston area, taking an ex Euston service forward to Blackpool and returning to Preston with a Dundee bound train.
25057's last recorded passenger working occurred on August 29th and again was rescuing a failure, this time dragging emu 304 045 from Kidsgrove to Stafford.
September 4th's 07.40 Glasgow - Carlisle was worked by 25058. Following this the remainder of 25058's 1986 passenger workings were short hauls, two between Preston and Manchester Victoria (October 27th & November 3rd), again taking forward the 18.20 ex Glasgow. The final working for 1986 was assisting a Class 47 forward from Runcorn on a Liverpool - Crewe service on November 9th.
The southbound Gulf Oil tanks were still bringing Class 25’s into Hereford, where they were changed for Class 37’s, so noted on October 28 was 25059 and November 4th with 25278. On Armistice Day 25059 rescued a failed Carlisle - Sunderland dmu, dragging back the dmu about a mile between Broadwath & Wetheral where the passengers were transferred.
1987
This would be the last year of service for the few remaining members of the Class 25 fleet. That three consecutively numbered machines had reached this point was quite remarkable, especially in the light of the woes that had befallen 25058 over the last couple of years.
25057 - the last three months
25057 was at Carlisle on Christmas Eve 1986, on January 2nd it made a round trip to Ayr, then a trip to Penrith on January 4th, noted at Stoke on January 8th, by 11th it was attached to 25035. It visited Etches Park on January 17th for attention to the brake blocks, and was back at Carlisle by January 24/25th, it moved south to Newton Heath by January 27th, remaining in the area at least until January 30th.
On February 11th it was at Machynlleth, by 12th it was back at Shrewsbury, 15th at Crewe, 17th at Longsight, where it worked to Nuneaton Hartshill then the 7H56 to Guide Bridge. An 'A' exam was carried out at Crewe on February 18th, remaining in the Crewe/Stoke/Chester area until March 3rd. 25057 & 25191 were noted on February 27th in charge of a Ravenhead Jct – Oakamole sand empties.
After March 3rd it worked to Stanlow, then to Aberystwyth, arriving back at Stanlow by 4th. It then remained in the Birkenhead/Ellesmere Port area until March 14th when it was called to Basford Hall, being withdrawn on March 15th.
25058 - the last two months
On the afternoon of December 28th 1986 25058 was present at Downhill Carriage sidings, following the New Year 25058 was in the Warrington area. It worked January 5th's (?? date uncertain) 22.07 Derby - Crewe covering for a dmu failure and was noted on the evening of 8th at Crewe.
Three days later 25058 was stopped at Carlisle for an 'A' exam, which was succesfully completed by the evening. Its return to service was greeted by very heavy snowfalls, the 13th's duties included the 6M80 16.45 Carlisle to Dumfries. When 47539 failed on January 16th's 13.55 Carlisle - Glasgow 25058 was available to take the train forward to Glasgow. Later that afternoon 25058 was noted at Corkerhill being prepared to work the 6Z49 to Warrington Bank Quay.
A week later (24th & 25th), 25058 was working local jobs in the Ayr/Kilmarnock region. By the 27th 25058 had reached Tyne Yard, being diagrammed to work the 6S81 21.55 Tyne Yard - Mossend. On 29th 25058 was handling local traffic in the Motherwell area before reaching Polmadie to work the 1M65 22.37 Glasgow Central - Nottingham as far as Carlisle. After working in the Carlisle area on January 30th & February 1st 25058 reached Crewe during the evening of February 2nd, was taken out of service and condemned the following day.
25059 - the last three months
25059 was at Crewe on Christmas Eve 1986 attached to 25191, on January 8th it was working the Croft Quarry to Gresty Lane, then to Nuneaton, leaving there with the 6Z36 to Severn Tunnel Jct. By January 10th it was at Willesden handling a local job to Bletchley (10th) and Bedford (13th). Having made it over to the Midland main line it was used to rescue a failed Class 45/1 at Wellingborough which had been in charge of the 14th's 07.00 St Pancras - Nottingham, assisting all the way to Nottingham. Still on the Midland on January 20th it was used between Leicester & St Pancras assisting failed 47449 on the 22.54 ex Nottingham. It is also reported that having been released from its train at St Pancras it proceeded to Cricklewood and was promptly used to assist a failed 31423 on the 21st's 00.05 St Pancras - Derby, which it worked through to Derby. It was at Saltley on January 23rd, handling Northampton & Rugby jobs on the 25th. It was stopped at Bescot on January 29th for an 'A' exam, then it was back to Northampton (30th) for the 3G20 to Curzon St & 4H05 to Manchester Piccadilly.
On February 10th Longsight sent it out on the 6K36 to Nuneaton, then north to the Manchester area taking up the local workings to Barrow. It visited Rugby on February 14th, Willesden by 17th staying in the London area until the evening of the 22nd, when it worked the 20.25 5P03 to St Pancras for the 1P32 to Derby. February 28th found it at Crewe for the 3K02 to Liverpool Lime Street.
Machynlleth was visited on March 3rd, then back to Crewe to pick up the 8G12 with 25109 to Bescot, March 6th - 8th were spent in the Crewe/Chester area, but by 14th 25059 was at Motherwell remaining here until 16th, working back south with the 6Z15 to Carlisle and on to Carnforth & Crewe by 17th. It was noted at Buxton by March 18th where it was withdrawn on 20th. Four days later on the evening of 24th it was restarted to drag 37689 & 47089 to Crewe, the next day it was at Basford Hall, out of service.
 | 25059 at Crewe on March 17th 1987, having just arrived with the 8X40 Carnforth - Crewe prefab train. After dropping its train 25059 returned to Crewe depot to refuel. Photograph courtesy Tom Sutch. |
After withdrawal
All three locomotives ended up at Basford Hall pending disposal.
25057 was present by March 15th, 25059 by March 20th & 25058 by March 22nd. All remained until the middle of July when a clearout began, with the locomotives destined for Vic Berry's at Leicester. All moved as the 9L37 Basford Hall - Leicester, Humberstone Road, then they were tripped as the 9T16 Humberstone Road - Vic Berry's yard. The first to move was 25057 on July 14th, moving with 25035/109/265, being tripped to Berry's on July 24th with 25265/313.
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25057 & 25176 at Vic Berry's Leicester yard on June 5th 1988. Photograph courtesy Jerry Glover.
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Two moves on July 16th sent 25042/058/285/910 & 25059/323/902/904 to Leicester. 25058 was tripped to Berry's on July 24th, by August 10th 25058 was on the infamous heap at Berry's, it remained 'intact' until the end of October 1988, by Christmas 1988 it was partly cut up and by the end of January 1989 nothing remained of 25058.
25059 was tripped into Berry's Yard with 25910, it remained here until October 9th 1987 when it left for preservation as the 6X53 09.30 Vic Berry's - Keighley (KVWR).
(With thanks to Neil Cannon for making available the TOPS reports for 1987 & to Alan Baylis for his books on the 1984/85 Class 25 passenger workings and other resources).
Undated views
 | D5207 and two-tone D5037 at Warrington, date unknown. Photograph courtesy John G Ashley. |
 | A fine portrait of 25058 at Crewe near the end of its career. The locomotive has gained the name 'Castell Criccieth', neatly painted on its side. Photograph courtesy Ian Mawson. |