4th January 1964

British Rail
(Football Specials)

Locos Used at least 34037, 34088, 34095, 45531, 46155, 70037, 70049, D151 & D1031

A series of football specials associated with FA Cup 3rd round matches.

For Aston Villa v. Aldershot (final score: 0:0);

Loco(s) Route
34088 + 34095 Aldershot - Birmingham (double-headed or two trains?)
???? Birmingham - Aldershot

For Stoke v. Portsmouth (final score: 4:1);

Loco(s) Route
34037 Portsmouth - Leamington Spa
???? Leamington Spa - Stoke-on-Trent
???? Stoke-on-Trent - Portsmouth

For Southampton v. Manchester United (final score: 2:3);

Loco(s) Route (2)
70049 Manchester - Oxford
???? Oxford - Southampton
???? Southampton - Oxford
70049 Oxford - Banbury
70049 + ???? Banbury - Birmingham Snow Hill - Wolverhampton
70049 + ????? Wolverhampton - Manchester

 

Loco(s) Route
70037 07.04 Manchester Piccadilly - Wolverhampton Low Level
D1031 Wolverhampton Low Level - Swindon
???? Swindon - Southampton
???? Southampton - Manchester

For Hull City v. Everton (final score: 1:1);

Loco(s) Route (3)
45531 Liverpool - Hull
?45531? Hull - Liverpool

For Lincoln City v. Sheffield United (final score: 0:4);

Traction Route (5)
????? Sheffield Victoria - ??? - Lincoln Central
????? Lincoln Central - ??? - Sheffield Victoria

For Arsenal v. Wolverhampton Wanderers (final score: 2:1);

Loco(s) Route
46155 ?Wolverhampton? - Highbury & Islington
46155 Highbury & Islington - ?Wolverhampton?

For Cardiff v. Leeds (final score: 0:1);

Loco(s) Route (4)
D151 Leeds - Cardiff
?D151? Cardiff - Leeds

Note :
(1) Route & loco confirmation required for all trains.
(2) This special is reported to have run into problems on the return leg with the communication chord being pulled no fewer than 47 times between Oxford & Wolverhampton. Despite having a pilot engine on from Banbury, the pair stalled at Bordesley and later stood for about an hour at Birmingham Snow Hill whilst the brakes were examined. The pilot engine was swapped at Wolverhampton as the Banbury engine did not have the electrification flash symbols and was thus barred from working through Crewe. The train arrived back into Manchester in the early hours of Sunday, some four hours late.
(3) 45531 was on the train on arrival into Hull - did it work throughout? Does the ticket below belong to this train, or were there others?
(4) D151 was on the train on arrival into Cardiff - did it work throughout?
(5) Did this train run - details taken from a ticket which has no marks to suggest it had been used.


From Andrew Fairholm's ticket collection.


From Andrew Fairholm's ticket collection.

Sources : Gary Thornton (from contemporary sources) & Andrew Fairholm

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