26s
and 27s on footexs
The early 80s were good years for Type Twos on football
specials in the lowlands of Scotland, often between Glasgow (and stations
near Hampden Park) and Edinburgh for international games.
My first memories of Type Twos on hoolexes comes from the winter of 1982, when I was standing in a queue at Edinburgh Waverley, looking forward to the game that night. 26036 + 26031 rolled in to platform 20 with a rake of 14 MkIs. The hoolex had arrived... or rather, the hoolexes had arrived, as the rake was to be split into two load 7s with the services of a Sulzer each.
26036 worked the 1743 Edinburgh to Kings Park (via Shotts) and 26031 took the 1803 Edinburgh to Kings Park (via Falkirk Grahamston and Hamilton); 036 worked back on the 2215 Kings Park to Edinburgh via Shotts and 031 on the 2205 Kings Park via Hamilton and Grahamston. Of course, I took one out and another one back.
The same move dropped on the 24th May 1983, when I had the choice of 26008 on the 1803 via Shotts and 26035 on the 1743 via Hamilton, both to Kings Park. 008 came back on the 2205 and 035 on the 2215. 008 was steaming.
Typically, on a day when a pair of 27s dropped, it was on a day I couldn't make the move: 27037 + 27017 on 12th September 1984 with the 1733 Waverley to Kings Park and 2210 return.
The next few games didn't drop much of interest: 47708, 47210, 47186 and 37017 dominating in the winter of 84 and spring of 85.
Fortunately, Saturday 28th May 1985 was to break the drought, with around 15 hoolexes running for the football. ScotRail borrowed the stock from the Circuit, so in theory there should have been plenty of Type Two power running at the sharp end. 1Z61 in particular was worth covering, the 1050 Dunfermline to Kings Park, as it was going to traverse Thornton West to South Junctions (at the time large for Type Twos), and, as an added bonus, Winchburgh Curve and the Hamilton Circle. Although booked initially for 37110, fortunately that was nabbed for 3D67...
Eventually, 27103 staggered in on load 7 empties to Dunfermline. Of course, the train had its usual complement of Goldies, one Mr Loose Irons being among their number. They gripped after Cowdenbeath, to the the usual musical accompaniment of "Who's the man in the flowery hat? Doodah Doodah"...
Also out that day were 26028 on the 12xx Stirling to Kings Park; 26042, 27005, 27020, 27042, 27052 and 47336 on Edinburgh to Glasgow shuttles.
The last Type Two I had on a hoolex was 27056 on 18th October 1986 on the 1255 Edinburgh to Hamilton West and 1710 return to Haymarket...
TZ