Dalescroft Railfans Club - group photo in front of an immaculate 25264 at Crewe Works open day in 1975

Crewe Works open day - Saturday 20th September 1975
The large group of train spotters that were with me on my first visit to the Railway Mecca of Crewe Works (aged 13). As you can see, we were all 1970s fashion slaves 😎😂 I was ever the budding photographer, and captured the moment :)

The backdrop is a mighty shiny ex-works 'Rat' 25264, which is showing it's Scottish roots (routes?) in having the cab recess still which once housed the tablet-catching device used on the Far North and West Highland lines to enable safe single track working. A gleaming Class 40 can also be seen - ex-works locomotives always had a special aura. This can be identified from other photos as 40130.

Amazing to think that the Rat was withdrawn a mere five years later!

I remember joining 'Dalescroft Railfans Club' in the early 1970s, around 1973 when I was just 11 years old, and waiting avidly for the monthly magazine which had all the latest railway news, re-numberings, allocations and sightings from around the country. There were adverts for railway tours visiting exotic places like Manchester and Sheffield, and a couple of years later I was able to join a few of those coach tours 'up north'. This was one of said tours - specifically to visit the open day at Crewe Works in 1975.

Some interesting 'gen' on Dalescroft Railfans Club here: rcts.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=377
e.g. "I seem to recall a cheaply produced newsletter with observations and stock alterations. Amongst the gen was the first renumbering to five digit TOPS numbers of Classes 27 and 45. So that would put it at about 1972 to 1973."
"Its main activity in the early 1970s was shed bashing trips by road coach, these were listed in the Coming Events column of Railway Magazine. "

Locomotive history - D7614 was new to Eastfield (65A) on May 7th 1966. Further transfers were:
July 1968 to Manchester Division (D09) on loan, made permanent August 1968.
September 1968 to Birmingham Division (D02).
January 1972 to Nottingham Division (D16).
February 1973 to Birmingham Division (D02).
May 1973 to Bescot.
September 1973 to Toton, then Bescot.
September 1973 to Bescot.

Renumbered as 25264 March 22nd 1974.

May 1974 to Toton.
January 1976 to Crewe.
December 1976 to Toton.

25264 was withdrawn on December 14th 1980 and was the 82nd Class 25 withdrawn, one of seventeen retired during December 1980. After withdrawal, the loco was moved to Swindon Works on March 27th 1981 and scrapped there during June 1983.

Scottish Rats Although the Scottish Region had received a batch of brand new Class 24s for use on duties from Inverness depot, the Region had not, so far, received any new Class 25s. However, between April & September 1966, thirteen Class 25s were delivered from Derby Works to Eastfield (65A) including D7614. These were the only Class 25s delivered with a cabside recess to accommodate tablet catcher equipment. These were the only Class 25s delivered with a cabside recess to accommodate tablet catcher equipment (most were plated over after transfer away from the Scottish region, but a few escaped including 25264).

Although based at Eastfield these Type 2s spent much of their time in South West Scotland alongside the BRCW Type 2s quickly sending many Ayr & Hurlford’s Crabs, Black Fives & BR Standards to the storage lines and additionally helped Dumfries lose its steam allocation effective April 30th. At the end of May Ayr placed seven steam locomotives into storage because of the Type 2s arrival. Additionally at this time, with the arrival of these Type 2s, the return of some re-engined NBL Type 2s to service and the tranfer of more Claytons to Haymarket, the Scottish Region were able to put the first of the Class 26s through Works for the fitting of slow speed control equipment & dual braking for use on MGR workings.

See more on D7614 / 25264 here: www.derbysulzers.com/25264.html

The British Rail Class 25, also known as the Sulzer Type 2, was a class of 327 diesel locomotives built between 1961 and 1967 for British Rail. They were numbered in two series, D5151–D5299 and D7500–D7677. In 1974, they were renumbered in the series 25001-25327.

The first 25 locos became known as Class 25/0 and were built at BR Darlington Works. The Class 25/1 locomotives were built at Darlington and BR Derby Works. The Class 25/2 locomotives were built at Derby with some built at Darlington. The final batch of locomotives were designated Class 25/3 and built by Derby Works and Beyer, Peacock and Company of Manchester.

The Class 25s were primarily designed for freight work, but a significant number were fitted with boilers for heating passenger trains. Throughout the 1970s they could be found at work across the whole of the British Rail network although the Eastern and Southern Regions never had a long-term allocation.

Though regular performers into the early 1980s on Crewe-Cardiff passenger trains, they are best known in that respect for their use on the summer Saturday trains to Aberystwyth, a task they relinquished in 1984. They were also often seen in action when the WCML wires were down, dragging trains, and rescuing failed locomotives, mainly on the LMR. The final Class 25 locomotive was withdrawn from operational service in March 1987. More info here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_25

Taken with my basic Kodak Instamatic using 126 cartridge film.

You can see a random selection of my railway photos here on Flickriver: www.flickriver.com/photos/themightyhood/random/

Taken in: UK / England / Shavington cum Gresty / Crewe (show map)

Taken on: September 20, 1975

Tags:

25264

D7614

Class 25

Class 40

Diesel

Crewe

Crewe Works

trainspotters

Dalescroft Railfans Club

40130

D330

330 « less

Sets appears in: • On Shed or in the Works • Class 25 (Rats)

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