Great Central Railway Nottingham (GCRN) 23rd June 2013
The Great Central Railway Nottingham (GCRN) had a diesel operating day on their calendar for Sunday 23rd June; this duty fell to A1A Locomotives Class 31, 31162, working a load three set with the push-pull coach; and so working the whole day’s diagram, of four round trips to Loughborough, on its own.
31162 performed well and made all the right noises, despite only being on load 3 and propelling for half of the day. The drivers had their work cut out, propelling when it was hammering down with rain, but came prepared with safety goggles to aid their sight while constantly leaning out of the 31’s window. Of course they all looked a bit of a treat in the process but did the job professionally, and took the flack with it, as always. There was a decent turnout of class 31 folk and the buffet was open all day on board, which saved running to the cafe for tea’s in between trains.
There will hopefully be another “normal” running day during the Summer for 31162, keep an eye on the A1A Locomotives website for details.
31162 worked the following (without fault):
1030 Ruddington – Loughborough, 1112 Loughborough – Ruddington, 1215 Ruddington – Loughborough, 1257 Loughborough – Ruddington, 1400 Ruddington – Loughborough, 1442 Loughborough – Ruddington, 1545 Ruddington – Loughborough, 1627 Loughborough – Ruddington
