1971 & 1972 - Summer Saturday Kings Cross flyer
Penistones's passenger train highlights - since 1964
This undated photograph was taken at the closed Sheffield Victoria station where 1A03 07:xx Bradford Exchange - Kings Cross stopped for a change of trainmen. The locomotive is Knottingley allocatted 1893. - Barry Cooper / Alistair Holt/KDH Archive
Summer Saturdays were notable for the unusual routings of trains to the coastal resorts. However, for a couple of Summers in the early 1970’s, the trains listed below were advertised to run from Huddersfield none stop to Kings Cross. The routings of these being the subject of an RO Query Corner question which can be viewed here.
| Summer | Headcode | Train | Saturdays operated |
| 1971 | 1A03 | 07:57 Bradford Exchange - Kings Cross | 12 June - 14 September |
| 1972 | 1A03 | 07:43 Bradford Exchange - Kings Cross | 24 June - 2 September |
The trains were routed from Huddersfield via Penistone where they passed through none stop, then under the wires via Deepcar to Sheffield Victoria, stopping at the closed station to change trainmen. They then continued via Woodhouse, Worksop none stop and Whisker Hill Junction - Retford North Junction to Retford GN where they again stopped for a change of trainmen.
Few observations of these trains have emerged but those that have suggest a variety of Class 47's were used. Of note was Knottingley's 1890 on 10th July 1971, whilst shed mate 1893 also featured on an unknown date, pictured above. On 28th August 1971 the train was formed of a set of the then very new Mark IId air-conditioned carriages headed by 1519.
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