D5248, 5248, 25098, sharnbrook collision
D5248, 5248, 25098


Photograph courtesy Dave Burdon
D5248 has just crossed Dandry Mire viaduct with new electric stock for the Glasgow suburban service, date unknown but probably late 1966 or early 1967. The thirteen arch viaduct was originally meant to be an embankment but a viaduct became neccessary when the bog kept swallowing up the spoil laid down for the intended embankment.

During a relatively short service life of fourteen years and eight months D5248/25098 saw allocations to London Midland, Eastern, Western & Scottish depots.

Built: BR Derby Locomotive Works.
Final exhaust roof panel: flush (previously 'L' shaped).
Time between last Classified repair and withdrawal: ?? months.
Time between withdrawal & scrapping: 8 months.

Allocations

D5248 was new to Nottingham (16A) on February 6th 1964. Further transfers were:

January 1965 to London Midland (Midland) Lines.
April 1965 to Leicester Divison (D15).
December 1965 to Thornaby (51L).
December 1965 to Leicester Division (D15) on loan.
January 1966 to Thornaby (51L).
May 1966 to Holbeck (55A).
November 1967 to Carlisle (12A) on loan, made permanent December 1967.
January 1968 to Springs Branch (8F).
May 1968 to Allerton (8J).
June 1968 to Liverpool Division (D08).
October 1969 to Nottingham Division (D16).
October 1970 to Liverpool Division (D08).
November 1970 to Nottingham Division (D16).
May 1973 to Toton.
May 1975 to Bristol.
August 1975 to Laira.
October 1975 to Haymarket.
August 1976 to Eastfield.
Withdrawn October 15th 1978.

Renumbered February 23rd 1974.

25098 was the 24th Class 25 withdrawn, one of three retired during October 1978, all from the Scottish Region depot.

After withdrawal 25098 was stored at Polmadie until moved to Glasgow Works by April 1979 and scrapped there by June 1979.

Works Visits

Works visits (records incomplete).

Noted Derby Works June 1967.
Noted Glasgow Works April 1976.

Highlights

1964
Despite the closue of Dudley station, it was still used by excursion traffic visiting the zoo, on May 17th one such excursion from ?? was hauled by D5248 & D5256.

1965
Condition April: two-tone green livery with small yellow warning panels, no blanking plates, hand/footholds present, straight sided sandboxes, three rung bogie mounted footsteps, engine exhaust in original location, bufferbeam mounted steam pipe connection present.

1966
In a very short lived inter-regional transfer between Leicester/Nottingham and Thornaby D5248 - 5256 were exchanged for D5370 - 5378. The actual transfer of D5248/49/50 and D5370/71/72 occurred on New Year’s Day with the Class 25s being sent north from Leicester, the Class 27s coming down from Thornaby, the crews changing at Masborough!

Noted at Thornaby between 18.30 & 19.30 on April 6th were eighteen trains, including one diesel multiple unit, one shunter and freights hauled by Classes 25/37/40, the Class 25s being:
D5248 westbound freight (9K13)
D5250 eastbound freight to yard
D5164 eastbound freight to yard
D5157 eastbound freight to yard, then westbound Class H freight
D5253 eastbound freight to yard
D5164 westbound freight.

Noted at Thornaby betweem 11am & noon on April 14th were:
D5174 with brake van (9T15)
D5154 up freight
D5248 up freight (8T10)
D5158 down freight

Leeds Holbeck gained D5248 – D5255 during May, with the intent to cover much of the extra summer traffic generated from the area, without using the local steam power.

1967
On the afternoon of August 3rd D5248 was southbound at Crewe with a freight (8P99).

On the morning of August 26th D5248 was at Bradford Exchange.

Another paired working, of a wildly different nature was D5248 & 9F 92128 on the midday Heysham – Neville Hill oil tanks on October 20th.

By the beginning of November another thirty Class 25s had been transferred to the north west, along with a number of shunters and Classes 40 & 47, during October alone over eighty steam locomotives were withdrawn from the London Midland Region, all from sheds located between the Mersey and the Solway. Included in the newly arriving Type 2s were D5151 – D5155, loaned to Carlisle from Thornaby, whilst D5248 – D5251 would soon follow from Leeds. Closed to steam early in November were the sheds at Stoke, Crewe South and Birkenhead, with Warrington and Springs Branch closed by month end. Northwich still held onto a number of steam diagrams but increasingly everywhere the Classes 25 & 40 were to be found taking over the steam turns.

1968
The 09.00 Liverpool - Glasgow was regularly worked to Preston by steam during the first four months of the year. The increasing availability of diesels saw these opportunities greatly reduced by May, whilst early in June noted were D5262 (3rd), D5248 (4th), D5154 (8th) and D7589 (15th).

On the morning of September 28th 5248, 5256 & 5283 were noted around Springs Branch.

1970
On January 26th 5248 was at Rugby with a down freight.

On February 24th a Leicester - Southampton Docks schol excursion was worked by 5248 & 5225 on the outward leg only (5236 also reported on this working).

On the afternoon of March 9th 5248 passed through Derby with a down freight (9T38).

1971
5248 was noted at Crewe Diesel depot on the afternoon of October 1st.

1972
On August 26th 5248 & 5224 were noted passing Thetford with an unidentified extra passenger working (headcode 1Z94), possibly for Yarmouth.

An excursion from St Pancras to Hartlepool (1Z69) on October 14th with 1855 included the following observations:
Luton: 7593 & 5273 8F30
Bedford: 7523
Wellinborough: 7615
Leicester 5225, 5235, 5248
Loughborough: 2, 8, 8135, 8187 & 8144
Toton: 6
Beighton Scrapyard: 4 COR units 3139 & 3168
York south: 95, 274, 1989, 6861, 8311, 9012
York station :395, 3238, 3315, 3687, 5582
York depot: 19, 396, 3874, 5520, 5521, 5558, 5559, 5585, 5588, 5659, 5670, 5820, 6701, 6719, 6779, 6926
Thirsk: 6803
Northallerton: 5658
Stockton: 6776, 6793, 6900
Hartlepool: 2067, 2076, 2099, 3799, 6731, 6732 6813 (then a local multiple unit to Newcastle)
Sunderland: 2105
Newcastle: 368, 2064, 2104, steam locomotives 2392, 4498, 3395, 29, 80002
Gateshead depot: 34, 53, 141, 166, 167, 180, 183, 190, 252, 254, 257, 272, 285, 286, 353, 1513, 1577, 1578, 1996, 2052, 2053, 2056, 2059, 2061, 2071, 2074, 2163, 3182, 3244, 3875, 5108, 5109, 5598, 5616, 5856, 6758, 6794, 6796, 6952
Newcastle: 79, 141, 166, 254, 275, 1970, 2102, 2170, 3244, 5691, 6703, 6729, 6795, 9013, 9016, 9018
Hartlepool: 3943, 6731, 6732
York depot : 1108, 1977, 5520, 5522, 5559, 5669, 5820, 5834, 6719, 6926, 6950
York station: 3315, 5523
Leicester depot: 1730, 5225, 5248, 5563, 5800, 5836.

1973
On the afternoon of July 16th 5248 was stabled at York.

At about 7am on December 17th 5248 (Toton allocated) was noted passing Manchester Victoria with an up van train.

1974
On the morning of April 3rd 25098 was stabled at York.

1975
On the afternoon of February 28th 25098 was noted at Exeter stabling point, it left the stabling point about 6pm.

At about 7pm on August 15th at Exeter St Davids in the Up direction were 25096 & 25098 with the 6Z98 loaded stone train. At the same time 25093 & 25094 were on Exeter stabling point.

In the early hours of August 28th the Laira breakdown crane was brought to Exmouth by 25098 to assist in the rerailing of diesel multiple unit No.51090 which had run through the buffer stops on the previous afternoon.

On September 3rd 25098 worked the 6B78 13.20 Newcourt - Exeter Riverside. It then worked the 2B99 15.58 Exeter St Davids - Barnstaple and the 2B99 17.55 Barnstaple - Exeter St Davids.

On September 5th 25098 worked the 9B73 15.05 Whimple - Exeter Riverside.

On September 6th 25098 worked the 2B99 12.20 Barnstaple - Exeter St. Davids.

On September 9th 25098 was noted at Exeter stabling point.

On September 12th 25098 worked the 13.05 Exeter Riverside - Whimple freight and the return 9B73 15.05 Whimple - Exeter Riverside.

On September 13th 25098 was noted at Exeter St Davids with milk tanks from Chard.

On September 15th 25098 worked the 2B84 20.15 Exeter St Davids - Newton Abbot.

On September 17th 25098 worked the 8B89 14.45 Exmouth Junction - Exeter Riverside (33 wagons). It later worked the 6B89 18.30 Exeter Central - Exeter Riverside (20 wagons).

During October 25098 was transferred to Edinburgh Haymarket.

25098 was noted at Tyne Yard on November 9th.

1977
On April 30th 25098 & 25044 were noted between Carstairs and Edinburgh and return with an unidentified passenger working.

On June 2nd the 16.54 Glasgow Queen Street - Dundee was hauled by 25098 & 26008.


Photograph collection of webmaster.
25098 date & location unknown. 25098 last received Works attention at Glasgow during April 1976 - the characteristics of a Glasgow Works shopping are clearly evident here.

1978
Whilst working April 4th’s 8F15 from Falkland Junction 25098 became derailed at Shewalton Moss, completely blocking the Kilmarnock - Barassie line, causing delays to a couple of services.

25098 was withdrawn on October 15th 1978.

Not all known passenger workings are recorded on this page.

Resources:
1970s Western Region information courtesy online notebooks of Sean Greenslade.

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Page added June 19th 2013.
Last updated February 17th 2024.

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