Hi. I've just joined this forum. I love Cromptons! My favourite memories of Cromptons were of seeing one on a couple of mornings in 1987 at Fleet station. It was operating push-pull and on these particular occasions was pushing a heavily laden train towards Waterloo. What a fantastic noise it made leaving the station!

Hello Paul2712, welcome to the forum, a very friendly place it is too. We're almost neighbours, Fleet being just down the road from me!

A warm welcome from me too and hope you enjoy
Shame you never made the 73 trip. That would have been nice.
Regards
Phil

I remember the first time I saw a class 33 - it was at Exeter St Davids. As a new spotter I had taken a December merrymaker from Ipswich via the North London Line to Exeter where I had relations. The main object had been to see Westerns but this was a bonus as I had no idea at that time that cromptons worked that far. I think there were 2 x 33/0 and 2 x 33/1s if memory serves.

I also remember them working some trains from Chatham Dockyard to Forders Sidings (at Bedford?) when I lived in south -east London. I think the traffic was some sort of contaminated waste.


Dave

Thanks for the welcomes! I look forward to using this forum and expanding my limited knowledge and also sharing my enthusiam.

Forgive me: as usual Ian takes a month to get round to spotting then replying to an interesting thread. Amazingly, the only locomotive cab I've ever been in (apart from in museums) was a 33 back in the 1980s. I think it was the last day before full electrification of the East Grinstead line and they were offering short cab rides in a 33. A traction inspector showed us how the driver releases the brakes, powers up the diesel and watches the current on the ammeter climb. Network South East, as they were at that time, were rather good at organising such days but all that seems to have finished now.