If one can remember the 'Indian Summer' of 1976, the thoughts are of a gloriously sunny, hot three months of June, July and August, a marked contrast perhaps with the more traditional English summer. Though the memories may favour the more pleasant side of things, the three months without rain brought drought conditions across parts of the country and water rationing in many areas. But none of that was center stage on August 22nd 1976. This busy Sunday was spent touring with the Midland Railfans group, including the Birmingham area depots.
Saltley was well populated this day with a variety of British Rail's diesel fleet. Standing by the fuelling shed are two Scottish Region Type 2s, 25028 & 25034. They had more than likely arrived on the Leith - Salisbury pipes, presumably replaced somewhere between Banbury & Didcot, then returning light engines to Saltley prior to picking up their next set of northbound duties.
The seventeen year ten month career of D5178/25028 was spent allocated to depots on the Eastern & Scottish regions.The allocation history for 25028 is similar to that of 25026 & 25027, but after transfer to the Scottish Region in July 1971 25028 remained at Scottish depots until withdrawn. 25028 was the lowest numbered of the Class 25s to recieve dual braking equipment.
Built: BR Darlington Locomotive Works.
Boiler equipped.
D5176 - D5178 as built no circular gauge on boiler water tank.
Center lampbracket & other fittings removed.
Dual brake equipped (Dec 1977).
Time between last Classified repair and withdrawal: 36 months.
Time between withdrawal & scrapping: 78 months.
Allocations
D5178 was new to Holbeck (55A) on February 8th 1963. Further transfers were:
June 1963 to Gateshead (52A).
October 1965 to York (50A).
December 1966 to Thornaby (51L).
September 1967 to Holbeck (55A).
July 1971 to Eastfield (65A).
May 1974 to Haymarket.
May 1978 to Eastfield.
January 1980 to Haymarket.
October 28th 1980 to unserviceable store.
Withdrawn December 1st 1980.
Renumbered April 1974.
After withdrawal 25028 was stored at Millerhill until September 1981 when it moved to Polmadie with 25046 & 25082. 25028 remained at Polmadie until February 1983 when it moved to Glasgow Works, remaining here until January 29th 1987 when it was taken to Thornton Junction for scrapping by Vic Berry.
Asbestos issues were discovered with some of the locomotives being scrapped at Thornton Junction, at which time the scrapping stopped and the remaining locomotives were moved to Leicester for disposal. On June 3rd 1987 25028, 25318 & 26013 moved to Mossend Yard, June 4th 1987 to Carlisle, June 5th 1987 to Basford Hall, June 8th 1987 to Leicester Humberstone Road and into Vic Berry's yard on June 9th 1987. By the middle of June 1987 25028 had been scrapped, almost seven years after withdrawal.
Works Visits
Works visits (records incomplete).
Noted Derby Works May 1966.
Noted Derby Works June 1969 (general repair).
Noted Glasgow Works October 1972.
Noted Glasgow Works May 1973 (gangway doors sheeted over, numbers on cabside, blue/yellow livery paint).
Noted Glasgow Works October 1977 - December 1977 (dual brake equipment fitted).
Noted Glasgow Works March 1978.
Highlights
1962
The frames for D5178 were laid down in October.
1963
Darlington outshopped boiler equipped D5178 on February 8th to Leeds Holbeck (55A).
The first seven Class 25/1s were allocated to North Eastern Region depots; D5176 - D5178 (boiler equipped) to Holbeck (55A) whilst D5179 - D5182 (non-boilered) were allocated to Gateshead.
For the locomotives based at Holbeck passenger work was a frequent occurrence, both local and longer workings as D5178 was so provided on February 14th for a run to Morecambe only six days fresh out of Darlington. By this time the vast majority of the Leeds local services were in the hands of diesel multiple units.
On April 14th D5178 was stabled at Holbeck.
On April 29th D5178 worked the 15.14 Leeds City - Morecambe.
On June 3rd the 09.33 Morecambe - Leeds was hauled by D5178. On May 20th D5178 was noted on one of the freight turns from Scarborough.
1964
On July 11th D5178 and brake tender were passing Plawsworth with a lengthy train of short wheelbase vans (4D75).
During the first week of September Newcastle had only one regular steam passenger working, the 16.30 Newcastle - Berwick which ceased on September 5th. Gateshead A3 60092 hauled the last steam working on 4th, with the final run the next day being handled by D5178! In the winter timetable this became a diesel multiple unit working.
1965
On Sunday April 18th the following were noted:
Gateshead: D5102, D5150, D5106, D5149, D5180, D5103, D5109, D5113
Heaton Carriage Sidings: D5178, D5108, D5147, D5177
Thornaby: D5163, D5162, D5167, D5154, D5152, D5157, D5155, D5156, D5172, D5169, D5153.
D5178 moved south from Gateshead during November, joining D5176 at York (50A).
1966
On the afternoon of April 15th D5178 was at York with a down parcels (3N16).
On the morning of April 17th stabled at York were D5111, D5178, D7513, D7635 with 48219, 61303, 61337 & 90016 also present.
On May 14th D5178 was stabled at York.
On the morning of May 16th D5178 was stabled at York.
A visit was made to Derby Works during May. D5178 transferred to Thornaby (51L) in December.
On the evening of July 21st D5096, D5100 & D5178 were stabled at York.
On the morning of July 28th D5178 was shunting at Selby.
On the afternoon of August 3rd D5178 was stabled at York.
1967
In September D5178 moved back to Leeds Holbeck (55A).
Condition September: green livery with frame level stripe, small yellow warning panels with square upper corners, warning panel covers cabfront frame level stripe.
In the Liverpool area steam still served several passenger trains, though many of these were slowly transitioning to diesel haulage, one such was the 23.38(SO) Liverpool Lime St - York, noted on New Year's Eve 1967 behind D5178.
1969
5178 was at Derby Works in June for a general repair.
1971
June 5th's 1S28 07.00 Newcastle - Edinburgh was powered by 5178 which had arrived from the north with the early morning Edinburgh - Bradford parcels working. Later the same day 5178 worked the 14.15 Edinburgh - Newcastle.
In July 5178 headed north for allocation at Eastfield (65A).
On August 7th 1971 5178 (?) worked a morning Glasgow Queen Street - Oban, returning with the 12.25 Oban - Glasgow Queen Street.
1972
The Blackpool Illuminations over the weekend of September 23rd/24th provided a wide variety of specials in to the area. Perhaps those with the most interesting motive power came from Scotland, noted were 5096 & 5001 and 5178 & 5385 on two of the ten specials from the ScR. Glasgow Works received 5178 for attention during October.
1973
On May 12th Glasgow Works held its first Open Day, remarkably there were sixty four diesels on display that day, although twenty seven of those were condemned Claytons. Two class 25s were present, 5178 and 5157, the latter having a replacement cab fitted from withdrawn 5149. Class 24's noted were 5006/19, 5121/27 under repair and elsewhere withdrawn 5067, 5114/49. Parts of 5068 were still present.
On September 6th 1973 the 17.52 Dundee - Glasgow Queen Street was worked by 5178.
1974
5178 was renumbered 25028 during April.
In May 25028 moved to Haymarket.
1975
On May 28th was noted at Dingwall with a fourteen wagon freight for Kyle of Lochalsh, including ten cement wagons (6N02).
On August 12th 25028 was eastbound at Haymarket with a parcels train.
1976
The 1E83 17.10 Edinburgh - Berwick on Tweed was noted behind 25028 on an unrecorded date (18th) during February.
On April 22nd 25028 was stabled at Haymarket.
A long distance working, the Leith - Salisbury pipes featured the Scottish Type 2's working as far as Didcot, examples noted were 25028 & 25034 on August 22nd (see photograph at head of page).
On August 10th 1976 the 21.40 Edinburgh - Carstairs was worked by 25028, as was the 21.40 Edinburgh - Carstairs on August 16th 1976.
On the evening of September 28th 25238 & 25028 were noted parked at Blair Athol.
On October 28th 25028 was noted on a parcels train at Dundee.
1977
The Rugby International at Murrayfield on March 19th between Wales and Scotland brought a number of specials into the area, both from Wales and locally. Four extras ran from Glasgow, the first being hauled by 25028 (1Z10), the others ran with 27004, 40047 & 40071. On March 21st 1977 the 11.52 Dundee - Glasgow Queen Street was worked by 25028, as was the 08.15 Inverness - Edinburgh forward from Perth with 26031 on April 12th 1977.
Glasgow Works received 25028 for repair including the fitting of dual brake equipment between October & December.
1978
25028 was noted at Glasgow Works during early in March.
On April 17th 25028 was stabled at Dundee with the breakdown train.
On April 29th 25028 was stabled at Motherwell.
On the afternoon of August 13th 25028 was stabled at Motherwell.
On September 12th 25028 was stabled at Dalwhinnie.
1979
On June 1st 25028 was noted at Eastfield depot.
July 3rd found 25028 on the 14.44 Glasgow Queen Street - Dundee working, so far this is identified as its last passenger working, though being dual-braked and with a boiler on the Scottish Region there must surely be later workings out there somewhere!
1980
On March 21st 25028 worked an Edinburgh - Dundee service.
It appears the reliability of 25028 suffered during the summer of 1980. In early July it was stopped at Polmadie with a traction motor fault, by the middle of July it was stopped at Motherwell with the same fault and similarly at Polmadie in early September. By the middle of October 25028 was stopped at Haymarket with loss of power. On October 28th 25028 was placed to unserviceable store, being moved from Haymarket to Millerhill (date??), but noted at Haymarket on November 1st. On December 1st 25028 was withdrawn, remaining at Millerhill.
1981 - 1987
Millerhill finally said farewell to dumped 25028/46/82, the trio moving to Mossend during September with 25028/46 going forward to Polmadie and 25082 reaching Kingmoor by early November.
A builders plate from 25028 sold at Great Central Railwayana Auctions for £540 during June 2016.
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flk 0422 (2)
Page added July 19th 2003.
Page updated April 19th 2022.
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