Grand National day 50 years ago

I once went to a race meeting. It was at Newmarket and it was many years ago. The reason was that we just happened to be there and the races just happened to be on. It seemed to be the obvious thing to do. My abiding memory is that when the public address system announced the start of the race there were no horses anywhere to be seen from our supposed grandstand viewpoint. Luckily, and critically for some, no doubt [though personally I couldn’t have cared less], the commentary kept everyone up to date with what was happening for the first few unwitnessed furlongs and then the riders gradually came into view over the rise, followed by their horses, and at last we had a race on our hands.

Fifty years ago we made the last of our four, consecutive, annual pilgrimages to Aintree, home of the Grand National. Each time, we came home before the race and watched it through the grainy, snowy screen that was compulsory on all black and white televisions in the 1960s. We were there for the steam specials, which came to Liverpool from all over the country. They unloaded the punters in their thousands on the otherwise relatively underused platforms at Aintree Sefton Arms station, which lay alongside the suburban electric train service to Ormskirk that had carried us there from New Brighton. In those days, that journey also included a short walk between James Street and Liverpool Exchange. Aintree station, as many race goers will know only too well, is a stone’s throw from the course on the other side of Ormskirk Road.

One of the special trains had a round headboard covering the whole of the engine’s smokebox door and was named the “Tote Investor’s Grand National Special.” The Horserace Totalisator Board, better known as the Tote, is a British bookmakers based in Wigan. It was formerly government owned but was sold off to Betfred in 2011.

The crowds of often very animated racegoers suddenly cramming the rather narrow platforms, before snaking their way off to the event, included some very colourful, loud and larger than life characters. One was kitted out as a red Indian chief in full head-dress. I imagine that many on their big day out had not waited for the bars to open at the course. It seems likely that many a crate of bottled ale had been sunk before the special trains had even crossed into Lancashire. 

Below are the lists of what we saw in our four visits, including the short journey out of Liverpool Exchange, recorded in the order in which they were spotted. Most activity was concentrated in a relatively short burst during the late morning. Having parked their stock, the locomotives often retired to Aintree sheds. My notes include one bunked visit we made around 27B and that probably accounts for the inclusion of the Standard Class 9 former WDs that are notable in the 1963 list.  We then made our way back to the station in time for the arrival of the main attractions of the day.

1963

44989, 45077, 75047, 47327, D2852, 42845, 75049, 45104, 42654, 45698 Mars, 90197, 44926, 90416, 90535, 90181, 42871, 44804, 48643, 90306, 44729, 78044, 70031 Byron, 46156 The South Wales Borderer, 45598 Basutoland, 46125 3^rd Carabinier, 45652 Hawke, 45581 Bihar and Orissa, 44964, 45717 Dauntless, 46118 Royal Welch Fusilier, 44768, 45063, 46167 The Hertfordshire Regiment, 45653 Barham, 46150 The Life Guardsman, D331, 90216, 45102.   

1964

41237, 44730, 75033, D4146, D2852, 45682 Trafalgar, 45024, 75060, 41211, 75046, 42445, 47228, 45531 Sir Frederick Harrison, 78023, 45068, 75043, 48135, 92080, 70021 Morning Star, 70047, 70050 Firth of Clyde, D67, 42018, 70018 Flying Dutchman 70051, Firth of Forth, 75015, 45323, 70054 Dornoch Firth, 45171, 45643 Rodney, 45376, 45041, D79, 45522 Prestatyn, D2853, 45411.

1965

42187, 42601, 41211, 75046, 45627 Sierra Leone, 46444, 44778, 48765, 70052 Firth of Tay, D134, 44937.

1966

41211, 42133, 45449, 44842, 44815, 75060, 75046, 75043, 45069, 70031 Byron, 47289, 44837, D319, 70025 Western Star, D1582, 45376, D99, D1837, 45385, 42436, 42587.

I remember those 4 days with particular affection. We went somewhere different that held no attraction at all for the other 364 days of the year. I went around another fairly local shed that I might otherwise have overlooked as being potentially less exciting than the alternatives, largely driven as we were by the prospect of copping “namers.”

For the record, the winners were: in 1963 Ayala, 1964 Team Sprit, 1965 Jay Trump and 1966 Anglo.

[Taken from an article that first appeared in the Railway Antiques Gazette, with thanks to the editor, Tim Petchey]

Black 5 No. 44778 at Aintree on Grand National Day in 1965