Page 28 - Rail Express - September 2019

NOSTALGIA
Then & Now: Doncaster
BUSYscene –asever– at
Doncaster on June 17, 1978
Afinds ‘Deltic’ No. 55007 Pinza
leaving northbound with the 10.55
King’s Cross-Edinburgh as Type 2
No. 31115 heads south with aload
28 RAIL EXPRESS September 2019
of steel girders. This wasthe height
of British Rail’s Corporate Blue era,
although that would begin to change
on the East CoastMainLine later
that year as thefirstHSTstookover
on InterCity duties, spelling the start with hauled stock –asisthe Carriage
of the end forthe ‘Deltics’. Various
Derbyand Met-Camm units arevisible
around thestation, while the West
Yard (between the station and the
Worksinthe background) is filled
Worksonthe right. Note also the
twosignalboxesatthe end of the
platforms and behind in the yard,plus
thegroups of enthusiasts filling the
platform ends.
Photo: DC Collection
orethan 40 years later on
April14, 2019 and much
Mhas changed. Doncaster
waselectrified in 1988 and the
Class 91+Mk.4 sets became the
mainstayofthe ECML,although
that is changing again nowas
newClass 800/801 ‘Azumas’ are
introduced. HereNo. 91127 calls at
the station with the 17.03 King’s
Cross-Leeds, with TransPennine
Express Class 185, Northern ‘170’
and CrossCountry ‘221’ DMUs also
visible –plusaClass 321EMU
and ‘170’ DMU in the West Yard.
The station signalboxeswere
closed when Doncaster Power
Signal Boxopenedin1979, and
the CarriageWorkssurvivesunder
Wabtec ownership, currentlybusy
working on anumber of Mk.3 coach
upgrades. Note also the footbridge
(bottom left) to Platform 0, which
opened in 2016.
Photo: Paul Bickerdyke