The Railway Dog

Category: Class 20

  • Mostly Swanage

    The Sun sets on Class 52 No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ as she awaits the start of another day at the Swanage Diesel Gala – 10/05/2024

    April 25th to May 16th 2024

    It’s been a while… where did we get to last time? Ah yes, Class 52 “Western”, the New Measurement Train, engineering trains, Swanage and such like. I think this post may be a case of deja vu as many of these topics appear once again. But first, we had a trip to Derbyshire to attend a wedding via Bridport where we bumped into Ninth Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston (outside the toilets, no less). Chris was attending a screening of Ken Loach’s “Kes” (1969) as part of Bridport’s Film Festival 2024 ‘From Page To Screen’ series. It was great to see the film on the “big screen”.

    Christopher Eccleston chats about “Kes” as part of the Bridport Film Festival – 25/04/2024

    Having dropped Yoshi off at his cousins, we headed to Derbyshire for wedding celebrations at the beautiful Buxton Pavilion. We arrived in good time and checked into our hotel which meant we had time for a wander into Buxton before the wedding ceremony.

    I was lucky enough to see a pair of Class 66’s top and tailing across Spring Gardens Viaduct as we looked for a pub to have lunch. I managed to get a shot of No. 66044 operating as tail gunner, but an hour or so later, I was able to see this “Shed” and sister loco No. 66156 continue on their way after reversing at Buxton Up Relief Sidings.

    DB Cargo Class 66 No. 66044 at rest on Spring Gardens Viaduct, Buxton on the rear of 6H52 1305 Download Briggs Sidings to Ashburys SS – 26/04/2024
    Video of DB Cargo Class 66 No.’s 66044 and 66156 working 6H52 1305 Download Briggs Sidings to Ashburys SS at Buxton – 26/04/2024

    Following a wonderful wedding ceremony in the Buxton Spa Botanical Conservatory, as if the day couldn’t have been more fabulous, the bride and groom had arranged for the Buxton Pavilion Gardens Miniature Railway to be in service.

    Steam Outline 0-6-0 diesel-hydraulic No. 2000 ‘Edward Milner’ in Wedding Day Special service on the Buxton Pavilion Gardens Miniature Railway – 26/04/2024
    Steam Outline 0-6-0 diesel-hydraulic No. 2000 ‘Edward Milner’ on the Buxton Pavilion Gardens Miniature Railway – 26/04/2024

    The railway first opened in 1972 as a 10 1/4″ gauge line. Trains were initially hauled by ‘Borough of Buxton’ a Shepperton Metal Products locomotive. In the winter of 1998, the line was regauged to 12.25″ in order to accommodate Alan Keef stock. Steam Outline 0-6-0 diesel-hydraulic No. 2000 ‘Edward Milner’ was built in 2000 and is named after the designer of the park it runs in.

    Video of Steam Outline 0-6-0 diesel-hydraulic No. 2000 ‘Edward Milner’ in Wedding Day Special service on the Buxton Pavilion Gardens Miniature Railway – 26/04/2024

    After an evening of celebration, the following day we travelled north for a stay in Holmfirth via a quick look in at Cemex Peak Forest.

    DB Cargo Class 66 No.’s 66200 (left) and 66206 with GBRf No. 66707 ‘Sir Sam Fay GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY’ behind at Cemex Peak Forest – 27/04/2024
    DB Cargo Class 66 No.’s 66044 and 66028 on the Peak Forest Stabling Point – 27/04/2024
    GBRf Class 66 No. 66752 ‘The Hoosier State’ at the head of an engineers train rests at Chinley – 27/04/2024

    We returned to Dorset, stopping off at National Trust Moseley Old Hall, a Grade II* listed Elizabethan farmhouse situated north of Wolverhampton. The house is notable as one of the hiding places of King Charles II during his escape to France following defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

    National Trust Moseley Old Hall – 29/04/2024

    Constructed in approximately 1600 by Henry Pitt, few structural changes were made to the hall until around 1870 when the outer walls were replaced by bricks and casements replaced the Elizabethan windows.

    Tuesday 30th April saw Swanage Railway resident Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny lewis RN’ working 0Z33 0920 Swanage to Eastleigh Arlington (ZG) in advance of booked railtour duties later in the week for the Branch Line Society (BLS). We saw the “Crompton” working light engine through Hamworthy.

    Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny lewis RN’ working 0Z33 0920 Swanage to Eastleigh Arlington (ZG) light engine through Hamworthy – 30/04/2024
    Video clip of Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny lewis RN’ working 0Z33 0920 Swanage to Eastleigh Arlington (ZG)

    Later the same day Bournemouth depot received another newly refurbished South Western Railway (SWR) Class 458 electric multiple unit (EMU) and despatched another to Widnes Transport Tech to enable modification works. Both of these unit drags involved GBRf Class 69 No. 69008 ‘Richard Howe’ running round at Poole.

    GBRf Class 69 No. 69008 ‘Richard Howe’ at Poole High Street Level crossing leading SWR Class 458 No. 458401 reporting as 5Q64 1534 Southampton Central to Bournemouth TRSMD – 30/04/2024
    GBRf Class 69 No. 69008 ‘Richard Howe’ at Poole station running round working 5Z66 2018 Bournemouth TRSMD to Eastleigh Yard – 30/04/2024

    458527 5Z66 2018 Bournemouth TRSMD to Eastleigh Yard – 30/04/2024

    Video of GBRf Class 69 No. 69008 ‘Richard Howe’ on Class 458 EMU drags – 30/04/2024

    In the early hours of Wednesday May 1st, I set out for Maiden Newton to see GBRf Class 66 locomotives No.’s 66725 ‘Sunderland’ and 66719 ‘Metro-Land’ working the South West Weedkiller reporting as 3Q98 2309 Exeter Riverside New Yard to Exeter Riverside New Yard. I really enjoyed this little excursion, the train ran more or less on time and as it had to stop at Maiden Newton where the driver needed to pick up a token to allow onward travel through single line sections of track, I had ample opportunity to take photographs as well as recording video.

    GBRf Class 66 No. 66725 ‘Sunderland’ at Maiden Newton leading on the outward leg of the South West Weed killer 3Q98 2309 Exeter Riverside NY to Exeter Riverside NY – 01/05/2024
    GBRf Class 66 No. 66719 ‘Metro-Land’ pauses at Maiden Newton during weed killer duties having reversed at Dorchester Junction working 3Q98 2309 Exeter Riverside NY to Exeter Riverside NY – 01/05/2024
    Video of GBRf Class 66 locomotives on the South West Weedkiller at Maiden Newton – 01/05/2024

    As our regular reader will know, we enjoy walking along old railway lines, and on Thursday 2nd May, we revisited the Rodwell Trail in Weymouth, the former trackbed of the line from Weymouth to Portland.

    Yoshi on the Rodwell Trail, with the Isle of Portland in the background – 02/05/2023

    For The Record: the North Dorset New Measurement Train passed through Gillingham and Sherborne with High Speed Train Class 43 power cars No.’s 43062 and 43274 reporting as 1Q23 0556 Reading to Salisbury via Exeter New Yard on 2nd May 2024. As we were walking along the old railway track bed in Weymouth, we missed this working, but friend of this blog, @smithy.377 kindly shared the video of the same consist running through Highbridge working 1Z18 1539 Paignton to Taunton the following day.

    New Measurement Train at Highbridge, courtesy of @smithy.377 – 03/05/2024

    On the weekend, the Saturday involved a drive to Exeter to see one of those BLS tours involving Class 33 No. D6515 we mentioned earlier. The Star Wars themed “May the Fourth be With You” charter originated and finished at Eastleigh running via Portsmouth, Westbury, Exeter, Yeovil, London Waterloo. Advertised as utilising the London Underground Class 438 4TC stock hauled by the preserved 71A Locomotive Group’s Class 33 and a GBRf Class 73/1 the reported addition of two Class 59 freight locomotives to pilot the train between Westbury and Exeter was too good to miss. Add to this the possibility of photographing two other rail tours in the West Country and a grand day out was in store. On the day we were surprised to learn that in fact three Class 59’s were being added to the train, meaning there were more locomotives than coaches!

    Class 37 No.’s 37518 and 37668 passing Highbridge with Saphos Trains “English Riviera Express” 1Z36 0424 Nantwich to Kingswear – 04/05/2024
    Steam traction took over the “English Riviera Express” 1Z36 0424 Nantwich to Kingswear at Taunton. Southern Railway West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34046 ‘Braunton’ prepares to storm Whiteball – 04/05/2024
    LSL owned Class 47 No. 47828 seen at the rear of 1Z36 0424 Nantwich to Kingswear – 04/05/2024
    Class 37 No.’s 37518 and 37668 at Whiteball with Pathfinder Tours “The Spring Cornish Explorer” 1Z65 0553 Dorridge to Penznce – 04/05/2024
    Featuring five engines, including three different liveried Class 59 Locomotives, the Branch Line Society’s “May the Fourth be With You” charter featured No.’s 59202 ‘Alan Meadows Taylor’, 59101 ‘Village of Whatley’, 59104 ‘Village of Great Elm’ with No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ on the approach to Exeter St. Davids. No. 73136 ‘Mhairi’ was on the rear of the London Underground 4tc set. The reporting number for this section of the rail tour was 1Z73 0648 Eastleigh to Exeter Central – 04/05/2024
    Freightliner Class 59 No.’s 59202 ‘Alan Meadows Taylor’, 59101 ‘Village of Whatley’, 59104 ‘Village of Great Elm’ with No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ and No. 73136 ‘Mhairi’ (at the rear) bring the LU 4tc set into Exeter – 04/05/2024
    GB Railfreight Class 73 No. 73136 ‘Mhairi’ on the rear of the BLS “May the Fourth be With You” charter at Exeter St. Davids – 04/05/2024
    After piloting c into Exeter Central the three Class 59’s departed 59104 ‘Village of Great Elm’, 59101 ‘Village of Whatley’, 59202 ‘Alan Meadows Taylor’ worked back to Westbury as 0Z73 1359 Exeter Central to Westbury Tarmac BY – 04/05/2024
    Now sole leading engine on the BLS tour, Class 33 No. No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ departs Exeter Central on the next leg 1Z33 1440 Exeter Central to London Waterloo – 04/05/2024
    We also caught the Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ hauling the BLS charter “May the Fourth be With You” through Sherborne – 04/05/2024
    Video of BLS charter “May the Fourth be With You” and other trains – 04/05/2024

    The first Dorset Hot Air Balloon & Music Festival caught our attention on Sunday 5th May. Having read about traffic issues getting into the event on the Saturday and other largely negative reviews online, it was with some trepidation that we set off for Dorchester. We sailed into the car park with no problems, save the need for careful driving on a very muddy field. The music was provided by tribute acts to the likes of Neil Diamond, Ed Sheeran and Jess Glynne while a fun fair took up a large part the main arena. Unfortunately for visitors hoping to see a flurry of hot air balloons taking to the skies, weather conditions meant we were only able to witness three balloons lifting off. But they were a fine sight to behold all the same, and a very relaxing mode of transport to watch. I think there were some valid criticisms about the event organisation, but some were also unfairly exaggerated. Nevertheless, if suggestions are taken on board and improvements made, I look forward to this being an annual event in the Dorset calendar. The organisers can not, of course, be held responsible for the weather conditions!

    Weather conditions on the Sunday of the Dorset Hot Air Balloon & Music Festival meant only experienced balloonists could take to the air. The Wallace & Gromit balloon was a favourite! – 05/05/2024
    Wallace & Gromit head up into the skies – 05/05/2024

    The dispute between the ASLEF union and train operating companies continue and the 7th May saw SWR drivers calling a strike day.

    All stop at Weymouth on the South Western Railway drivers strike day. SWR Class 444 No.’s 444004 and 444007 stand idle in Weymouth – 07/05/2024
    Celebrity Pride liveried SWR Class 444 No. 444019 in platform 3 at Weymouth – 07/05/2024

    Although SWR drivers were on strike, this did not affect drivers from the freight companies working. DB Cargo Class 66 No.’s 66148 ‘Maritime Intermodal Seven’ and 66025 worked engineers train 6N65 2140 Eastleigh East Yard to Moreton. We videoed the train passing through Poole.

    Video screenshot of DB Cargo Class 66 No.’s 66148 ‘Maritime Intermodal Seven’ and 66025 working 6N65 2140 Eastleigh East Yard to Moreton through Poole – 07/05/2024
    Video of DB Cargo working 6N65 2140 Eastleigh East Yard to Moreton – 07/05/2024

    8th May and time for my favourite railway working of the year; the arrival of the Swanage Railway Diesel Gala convoy of locomotives. This year the positioning move aroused much interest as it was headed up by Class 52 diesel-hydraulic No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ with Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC) Class 20 No.’s 20302 and 20311 along with Class 50 No. 50021 ‘Rodney’ in tow. We saw the consist passing through Hamworthy as it made its way over to the Purbeck heritage line.

    Convoy! Always a highlight of the year – the Swanage Diesel Gala convoy with visiting guest locomotives passes Hamworthy with Class 52 “Western” No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’, Harry Needle Railroad Compay Class 20 No.’s 20302 and 20311 with Class 50 No. 50021 ‘Rodney’ bringing up the rear reporting as 0Z53 1544 Eastleigh Arlington (ZG) to Swanage – 08/05/2024
    Class 50 No. 50021 on the rear of the Swanage bound locomotive convoy 0Z53 1544 Eastleigh Arlington (ZG) to Swanage – 08/05/2024

    The following day, May 9th, and further Gala attractions made their way through Dorset in readiness for the annual Diesel Gala and Beer Festival as Colas Class 37 No. 37219 ‘Jonty Jarvis’ ran light engine reporting as 0Z37 0946 Westbury Down TC to Swanage. We saw the locomotive as she ran through Hamworthy

    Colas Class 37 No. 37219 ‘Jonty Jarvis’ running light engine as 0Z37 0946 Westbury Down TC to Swanage passing Hamworthy – 09/05/2024

    GBRf had promised to provide a Class 69 locomotive for the Swanage Diesel Gala, with No. 69007 ‘Richard Trevithick’ being the ear marked example. In the event, this locomotive was declared a failure at Eastleigh and was replaced by fellow class member No. 69002 ‘Bob Tiller CM&E’. The Class 69 was scheduled to travel to Swanage as part of the BLS “The Jurassic Crompton” charter, again employing the London Underground Class 438 4TC coaching stock along with “Crompton” diesel Class 33 No. D6515 ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’. As a result of a temporary issue with the Electric Train Supply (ETS) on No. D6515, GBRf Class 73 No. 73109 ‘Battle of Britain’ was added to the consist to provide the ETS.

    As my camera “had issues”, here’s a video screenshot of the Branch Line Society promoted “The Jurassic Crompton” charter train with Swanage resident Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ and GBRf Class 69 No. 69002 ‘Bob Tiller CM&EE’ double heading on the London Underground Class 438 4tc set entering Poole – 09/05/2024
    Old and new pass at Poole! Screenshot of BLS “The Jurassic Crompton” special train headed up by Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’, passing SWR Class 701 No. 701059 on test / mileage accumulation working. Two members of the 701’s crew can be seen taking an interest in the charter – 09/05/2024
    Screenshot BLS “The Jurassic Crompton” charter with GBRf Class 73 No. 73109 ‘Battle of Britain’ bringing up the rear – 09/05/2024
    Video of Swanage Diesel Gala guest locomotives and BLS charter “The Jurassic Crompton” on their way to the Purbeck Heritage line

    Later that evening, a ballast train worked from Eastleigh to Maiden Newton via Dorchester Junction. GBRf provided the traction in the form of Class 66 No.’s 66725 ‘Sunderland’ and 66795 ‘Bescot LDC’. Yoshi was delighted to be reacquainted with GBRf driver Bessie Matthews who spotted our boy from the cab of the leading locomotive at Dorchester South. We saw also saw the train at Dorchester West, but as it was late, and there was no indication when the ballast train would depart for Maiden Newton, we headed home before it left.

    GBRf Class 66 No. 66725 ‘Sunderland’ on arrival at Dorchester South working 6G28 1939 Eastleigh East Yard to Dorchester West – 09/05/2024
    GBRf driver Bessie Matthews recognises Yoshin and says hello at Dorchester South – 09/05/2024
    Yoshi takes a keen interest in GBRf Class 66 No. 66795 ‘Bescot LDC’ as it rests at Dorchester West working 6G28 1939 Eastleigh East Yard to Dorchester West – 09/05/2024
    Yoshi poses with GBRf Class 66 No. 66725 ‘Sunderland’ at Dorchester West. The locomotive was working 6G28 1939 Eastleigh East Yard to Dorchester West – 09/05/2024
    Video of GBRf ballast train 6G28 1939 Eastleigh East Yard to Dorchester West – 09/05/2024

    For The Record: Colas Class 37 No. 37116 worked 3Q07 2031 Exeter Riverside NY to Exeter Riverside NY through North Dorset overnight of 10th May 2024. I had planned on seeing this move at Yeovil in connection with popping out to see the GBRf ballast train, but as the Class 37 ran early, this was not to be. I wasn’t too bothered, I will admit!

    10th May Great Western Railway (GWR) Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ supported by Class 47 No. 47773 operated the first of Vintage Trains two day “The Great Western Railway” tours between Birmingham Snow Hill and Plymouth. This tour marked 60 years when the locomotive achieved, what was then, the fastest ever non-stop run between Plymouth and Bristol completed in 133 minutes and 9 seconds. We saw the train heading West at Filton Abbey Wood and on its climb to Whiteball bank in Somerset. Unfortunately the return trip own the following day did not emulate the non-stop run of 60 years previously as ‘Clun Castle’ stalled on Hemerdon Bank. Tysley’s Class 47 No. 47773 which had been shadowing the train at this point came to the rescue and provided assistance. Part of the attraction for me of seeing this working was the steam locomotive working unassisted over the notorious Devon banks. But later timings on the Friday and my desire to attend the Swanage Diesel Gala on the Saturday meant I had to be content with the two viewings I was able to fit in.

    Great Western Railway (GWR) Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ at Filton Abbey Wood working “The Great Western” 1Z46 0830 Birmingham Snow Hill to Bristol Temple Meads – 10/05/2024
    Great Western Railway (GWR) Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ approaches Filton Abbey Wood station working the first day of Vintage Trains “The Great Western” charter which would see the steam locomotive tackle the Devon banks solo – 10/05/2024
    Support locomotive Class 47 No. 47773 working light engine as 0Z47 1435 Bristol East Depot DBC to Plymouth ahead of the steam hauled charter – 10/05/2024
    Great Western Railway (GWR) Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ makes the climb up Whiteball bank near Taunton reporting as 1Z47 1547 Bristol Temple Meads to Plymouth – 10/05/2024
    Video of Great Western Railway (GWR) Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’on the mainline – 10/05/2024

    The 2024 Swanage Railway Diesel Gala and Beer Festival took place from 10th to 12th May. Nine locomotives took part which involved an intensive three train service in operation with several trains running along the the entire length of the nine-mile line route from Swanage to the River Frome at the limit of the heritage line’s operations on the branch from Wareham. Star of the show was very much the Diesel Traction group’s Class 52 ‘Western’ No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ which visited the Purbeck line for the first time since 2007 and the first time a member of the class which has run on the Swanage Railway since 2011. Alongside the first Class 69 hauling passenger trains on the line, the two Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC) Class 20’s, two Class 50’s and the Colas Class 37, the guest gala fleet was bolstered with Class 24 No. D5054 ‘Phil Southern’ which had previously arrived by road. The visiting locomotives were of course joined by Swanage Railway resident Class 33’s No. D6515 and 33111.

    Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ working a Beerex train to Corfe Castle, passing visiting Class 24 No. D5054 ‘Phil Southern’, the London Underground Class 4tc set and resident Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ – 10/05/2024
    An evening scene in the sidings at Swanage – 10/05/2024
    GBRf Class 73 No. 73109 ‘Battle of Britain’ was on static display at Swanage station. The locomotive was enlisted to assist Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ on mainline railtour duty when the “Crompton” developed a fault – 10/05/2024
    Class 24 No. D5054 ‘Phil Southern’ from the East Lancs Railway. No. D5054 is one of just four preserved examples from the original 151 strong fleet of locomotives and was amongst the first diesel locomotives to be based at Bury. She is seen here at Swanage – 10/05/2024

    Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ was only scheduled to haul the Friday evening “Beerex” trains and it wasn’t to take any further part in the gala weekend. However, issues with the electronic field supply for the Electric Train Heat (ETH) generator on No. 50021 ‘Rodney’ meant the locomotive was withdrawn from running and the timetable had to be revised and No. 50026 was pressed into service. On a Class 50, the ETH generator also powers the radiator fan so the fault meant the locomotive had no cooling fan and without which would quickly overheat.

    Visiting Class 24 No. D5054 ‘Phil Southern’ on the approach to Harmans Cross – 11/05/2024
    GBRf Class 69 No. 69002 ‘Bob Tiller CM&EE’ ( a late replacement for failed sister loco No. 690XX) draws away from Harmans Cross – 11/05/2024
    Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC) Class 20 No.’s 20311 and 20302 hauling the London Underground 4tc set on the approach toCorfe Castle – 11/05/2024
    The London Underground Class 438 4tc set being hauled by the HNRC Class 20’s towards Corfe Castle – 11/05/2024
    Class 52 “Western” Diesel-Hydraulic No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ on the approach to Corfe Castle – 11/05/2024
    Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ makes a fine sight departing Corfe Castle – 11/05/2024
    Colas Railfreight Class 37 No. 37219 ‘Jonty Jarvis’ accelerates up the slight incline from Corfe Castle station – 11/05/2024
    Class 33 No. 33111 having departed Corfe Castle station – 11/05/2024
    Carrying a “Sulzer” headboard, Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ departs Swanage as the driver receives the token for the single line working from the signalman – 11/05/2024
    In its Network South East (NSE) livery, Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ powers towards Swanage – 11/05/2024
    GBRf Class 69 No. 69002 ‘Bob Tiller CM&EE’ having past Afflington. The London Underground 4tc set was made much use of during the gala weekend – 11/05/2024
    Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC) Class 20 No.’s 20311 and 20302 hauling the London Underground 4tc set towards Corfe Castle – 11/05/2024
    HNRC Class 20 No.’s 20302 and 20311 double head the London Underground 4tc set across Corfe Common – 11/05/2024
    Swanage resident Class 33 No. 33111 heads a train from Swanage – 11/05/2024
    Class 52 No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ heads a Swanage bound train – 11/05/2024
    Colas Railfreight Class 37 No. 37219 ‘Jonty Jarvis’ hauls the London Underground 4tc set across Corfe Common – 11/05/2024
    Class 24 No. D5054 ‘Phil Southern’ heads towards Corfe Castle – 11/05/2024
    Colas Railfreight Class 37 No. 37219 ‘Jonty Jarvis’ powers towards Corfe Castle with Afflington Bridge behind – 11/05/2024
    My final shot of the day, GBRf Class 69 No. 69002 ‘Bob Tiller CM&EE’ with Corfe Castle in the distance heads across Corfe Common with a Swanage bound train – 11/05/2024

    Unfortunately there was further disruption on Saturday evening when No. 50026, on the back of a six-carriage passenger train, became partially derailed at Castle Corfe station at approximately 1830 – around the same time I was settling down to watch new ‘Doctor Who’ on BBC 1. The evening gala and Beerex services were suspended following the incident. No passengers were injured and no damage was sustained to the carriages on the train. The government’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) were advised and they carried out an investigation on the cause of the derailment. The Class 50 was re-railed during the night by rail support service Goodman’s and inspections did not reveal any damage to the locomotive.

    Webcam Screenshot from the Corfe Castle camera showing Class 50 No.50026 ‘Indomitable’ being assessed after she came off the rails. The Webcam feed was later turned off at the request of the Rail Accident Investigation Board (RAIB) – 11/05/2024
    Video glimpse of the 2024 Swanage Diesel Gala

    Also of nite, the Saturday saw a surprise run of a pair of SWR Class 450 EMU’s to Weymouth forming an eight coach train. I was too busy on the Swanage Railway or watching new “Doctor Who” to pop out and see them, but good friend of the blog @da_buckley967 was on hand to capture No.’s 450091 and 450038 in Weymouth station having worked in from Portsmouth earlier in the day.

    Unusual visitors for Weymouth; two four car SWR Class 450 EMU No.’s 450091 and 450038 stand at platform having worked in with a VSTP (Very Short Term Plan) working 1K21 1056 Portsmouth Harbour to Weymouth – 11/05/2024 (Image courtesy of da_buckley967)
    SWR Class 450 No. 450038 forming the rear of 1K32 1903 Weymouth to Portsmouth Harbour at the buffer stops in Weymouth alongside GWR Class 166 No. 166215 working 2V96 1845 Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads – 11/05/2024 (Image courtesy of da_buckley967)

    A heavily revised timetable was implemented at the Swanage Diesel Gala on the Sunday, but the BLS charter the “Return of the Jurassic Crompton” ran as scheduled, departing Swanage at 1430. We saw the charter train crossing the Holes Bay causeway.

    Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ traverses Creekmoor Viaduct with GBRf Class 73 No. 73109 ‘Battle of Britain’, the London Underground 4tc set and GBRf Class 69 No. 69002 ‘Bob Tiller CM&EE’ at the rear working the Branch Line Society railtour “The Return of the Jurassic Crompton” 1Z35 1420 Swanage to London Waterloo across Holes Bay causeway on the approach to Poole – 12/05/2024
    D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ entering Wareham working light engine movement 0z36 1105 Eastleigh Arlington (ZG) to Swanage – 13/05/2024
    D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ pauses at Wareham to pick up Swanage Railway crew as she returns to the heritage railway after the previous days railtour – 13/05/2024

    The other visiting locomotives mostly departed over the next couple of days, with No. 37219 ‘Jonty Jarvis’ leaving first on Monday 13th and a convoy consisting of the No. D1015, the Class 20’s and both Class 50’s heading to Eastleigh on Tuesday 14th.

    Colas Rail Class 37 No. 37219 ‘Jonty Jarvis’ passes through Hamworthy running as 0F75 1030 Swanage to Westbury Down TC – 13/05/2024
    Homeward bound – the Swanage Diesel Gala guest locomotive convoy crosses Rockley Sands Viaduct with Class 52 D1015 ‘Western Champion’ hauling HNRC Class 20’s 20311 and 20302 with 50021 ‘Rodney’ and 50026 ‘Indomitable’ reporting as 0Z50 1032 Swanage to Eastleigh Arlington (ZG) – 14/05/2024
    Video from of the 2024 associated Swanage Diesel Gala mainline workings

    Tuesday and another Class 458 delivery / departure ran, once again in the hands of GBRf Class 69 No. 69008 heading up 5Q64 1534 Southampton Central to Bournemouth TRSMD with refurb SWR Class 458 No. 458413 and returning later on 5Z66 2018 Bournemouth TRSMD to Eastleigh East Yard which took No. 458512 on its first leg to Widnes for refurbishment. These moves ran early and I missed my chance at taking photographs, however I did manage to capture some quick video of the first working as it passed Poole Park.

    Screenshot GBRf Class 69 No. 69008 heading up 5Q64 1534 Southampton Central to Bournemouth TRSMD with 458413 – 14/05/2024
    Video of GBRf Class 69 No. 69008 working 5Q64 1534 Southampton Central to Bournemouth TRSMD with SWR Class 458 No. 458413 – 14/05/2024

    And that brings us to the end of another blog instalment. We’ll be back in a week or so with our report from the Severn Valley Railway diesel gala and an update on out of the ordinary railway workings in Dorset. As always, thanks for reading and for your comments which are appreciated. Be seeing you!

  • Yoshi Goes To Fawley Hill

    Yoshi and I in front of Hudswell Clarke & Co Ltd 0-6-0 ST No. 31 at Fawley Hill Museum – 25/06/2023

    We eased into a busy few days by popping over to Hamworthy on Friday 23rd June 2023 to see a Freightliner Class 66 locomotive on a route learner from Southampton Maritime to Weymouth and back.  No idea if this means there may be some engineering trains heading our way in the future or just a refresher for the crew. Either way, it was good to see. 

    Freightliner Class 66 No. 66551 passes Hamworthy on a route learner running as 0W45 0902 Southampton MCT to Weymouth – 23/06/2023
    Freightliner Class 66 No. 66551 having passed through Hamworthy station working 0W45 0902 Southampton MCT to Weymouth – 23/06/2023

    On the return trip back to Southampton Maritime, I sought a location I have not used previously. A footbridge across the railway afforded a nice view of the mainline on the approaches west of Hamworthy. I had not, however, taken into the account that the bridge was surrounded by mesh which made photography very difficult. It was also very bouncy when being walked across, so I was very relieved nobody passed at the same time as the light Class 66 trundled by underneath!

    Freightliner Class 66 No. 66551 passes Hamworthy on the return route learner running as 0W46 1041 Weymouth to Southampton MCT – 23/06/2023
    Class 66 No. 66551 on route learning duties – 23/06/2023

    On Saturday, Yoshi’s mama had planned an all female picnic meet-up with friends, which left the boy and I free to go and see some trains during the day! I’d noted on the rail tour calendar that double-headed Class 69’s were scheduled to run down to Cornwall, so this became my objective of the day. In fact there were four tours scheduled to pass through Taunton that same day, with one changing diesel traction for steam in the station, so this was probably a good choice of location. 

    Cornish Mazey Day Statesman – 1Z64 0522 Solihull to Penzance

    LSL Class 47 No.’s 47805 and 47614 flying through Creech St. Michael with the “Cornish Mazey Day Statesman” 1Z64 0522 Solihull to Penzance – 24/06/2023

    Operated by: Statesman Rail

    Motive power: 2 x LSL Class 47 No.’s 47805 and 47614

    The Pathfinder Mazey Day Special – 1Z69 0544 Tame Bridge Parkway to Penzance

    GBRf Class 69 No.’s 69005 and 69006 on the approach to Creech St. Michael working “The Pathfinder Mazey Day Special” 1Z69 0544 Tame Bridge Parkway to Penzance – 24/06/2023
    GBRf Class 69 No.’s 69005 and 69006 on the approach to Creech St. Michael working “The Pathfinder Mazey Day Special” 1Z69 0544 Tame Bridge Parkway to Penzance – 24/06/2023

    Operated by: Pathfinder Tours

    Motive power: 2 x GBRf Class 69 No.’s 69005 and 69006

    At a ceremony in Gloucester on Friday 23rd June 2023, No. 69006 was named ‘Pathfinder Railtours – Peter Watts 50 Years Service 1973-2023’.  After the naming No.’s 69006 and 69005 ran light engines to Burton to collect the tour stock for the following day.

    English Riviera Express – 1Z27 0550 Shrewbury to Kingswear (For Dartmouth)

    LSL Class 37 No.’s 37521 and 37688 with Class 47 No. 47828 at the rear hauling the diesel leg of the “English Riviera Express” 1Z27 0550 Shrewbury to Kingswear (For Dartmouth) at Creech St. Michael – 24/06/2023
    LSL Class 47 No. 47828 at the rear of the “English Riviera Express” 1Z27 0550 Shrewbury to Kingswear (For Dartmouth) at Creech St. Michael – 24/06/2023
    Having changed locomotives in Taunton railway station and now with LNER A4 4-6-2 No. 60007 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ in charge “English Riviera Express” 1Z27 0550 Shrewbury to Kingswear (For Dartmouth) passes Fairwater Yard, Taunton – 24/06/2023
    LNER A4 4-6-2 No. 60007 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ heads up the “English Riviera Express” 1Z27 0550 Shrewbury to Kingswear (For Dartmouth) with Class 47 No. 47828 at the rear passing Fairwater Yard, Taunton – 24/06/2023
    LNER A4 4-6-2 No. 60007 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ heads up the “English Riviera Express” 1Z27 0550 Shrewbury to Kingswear (For Dartmouth) at Silk Mills, Taunton – 24/06/2023

    Operated by: Saphos Trains

    Motive power: 2 x LSL Class 37 No.’s 37521 and 37688 with Class 47 No. 47828 at the rear. At Taunton the Class 37’s were taken off the train and substituted by LNER A4 4-6-2 No. 60007 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’. The Class 47 remained to provide assistance at the rear.

    The Whistling Ghost – 1Z10 0608 Birmingham Snow Hill to Bishops Lydeard

    With Silk Mills bridge in the background, GWR Castle 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ hauling “The Whistling Ghost” 1Z10 0608 Birmingham Snow Hill to Bishops Lydeard wending its way across the GW mainline onto the branch which leads to the West Somerset Railway – 24/06/2023
    GWR Castle 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ hauling “The Whistling Ghost” 1Z10 0608 Birmingham Snow Hill to Bishops Lydeard pulls onto the branch which leads to the West Somerset Railway – 24/06/2023
    GWR Castle 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ at the head of “The Whistling Ghost” 1Z10 0608 Birmingham Snow Hill to Bishops Lydeard at Norton Fitzwarren. The Tysley collection’s Class 47 No. 47773 at the rear – 24/06/2023

    Operated by: Vintage Trains

    Motive power: GWR Castle 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ with support from Class 47 No. 47773. Originally planned to run on 20th May 2023, the tour was rescheduled to June. On the WSR the train was taken from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead by 2 x GWR Manor Class 4-6-0 locomotives No.’s 7828 and 7812. Good friend of therailwaydog.co.uk, @smithy.377 kindly allowed us to share the following photos and video from the West Somerset leg of the tour.

    GWR Manor Class 4-6-0 locomotives No.’s 7828 ‘Odney Manor’ and 7812 ‘Erlestoke Manor’ await the arrival of “The Whistling Ghost” tour at Bishops Lydeard (image by kind permission of @smithy.377) – 24/06/2023
    Video from @smithy.377 as No.’s 7828 ‘Odney Manor’ and 7812 ‘Erlestoke Manor’ pass No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ at Bishops Lydeard – 24/06/2023
    Having substituted for No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’, No.’s 7828 ‘Odney Manor’ and 7812 ‘Erlestoke Manor’ await departure from Bishops Lydeard with “The Whistling Ghost” tour (image by kind permission of @smithy.377) – 24/06/2023
    GWR Manor Class 4-6-0 locomotives No.’s 7828 ‘Odney Manor’ and 7812 ‘Erlestoke Manor’ depart Bishops Lydeard with “The Whistling Ghost” bound for Minehead (image by kind permission of @smithy.377) – 24/06/2023

    For more excellent railway images check out their Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/smithy.377/

    It was another hot day and for the most part Yoshi was able to find shade or at least a cooling breeze. We had toyed with the idea of heading to Bristol as two Class 20 locomotives were reported to be stabled at Bristol Kingsland Road (more on these later). But ultimately, it was far too hot for the boy to be out in the sun for any prolonged period so we waited a little while to see an interesting Class 43 HST power car move from Plymouth to Doncaster and then headed home in good time to pick up Caroline after the picnic. 

    Inter-City liveried Class 43 No. 43184 with No. 43285 at the rear working 5E23 1036 Laira T&RSMD to Doncaster Works Wagon Shops seen passing Norton Fitzwarren – 24/06/2023
    HST Class 43 power car No. 43285 tailing No. 43184 and two MK3 coaches as 5E23 1036 Laira T&RSMD to Doncaster Works Wagon Shops at Norton Fitzwarren – 24/06/2023
    Trains around Taunton the morning of 24th June 2023

    On Sunday 25th June, Yoshi, Caroline and I had been invited to Fawley Hill Museum and Railway Running Day. It sounds very grand to be invited. In reality, because the museum and railway are open on a limited number of days per year, admission is by prior application and invitation only as space is limited. Fawley Hill is a private museum established in the 1960’s by the late Sir William McAlpine at his estate near Henley on Thames.  It hosts a fine collection of memorabilia and models relating to railways together with a working standard gauge railway operating on the steepest gradient in the country. Since its inception the site has grown steadily with a wide range of interesting artefacts and buildings arriving from all over the country. Many items of architecture have been rescued and reassembled at Fawley Hill to save them from demolition, creating a unique urban landscape in a country estate. The park also contains a variety of animals including many species of deer.

    Deer at Fawley Hill – 25/06/2023

    There is a strict “No Photography” rule on visitors inside the Museum, although in reality we found limited photography was acceptable as long as no images are posted on the internet in any way. Which unfortunately includes blogs about railways.  So, you’re going to have to take my word for it – the museum is fascinating and holds over 6,000 objects. My favourite sections were a display on the artist Terrence Cuneo, and an area dedicated to LNER A3 No. 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’ which was saved for the nation by Sir William McAlpine, the Museum’s founder. There are some amazing models including a very clever diorama of Swindon Works employing use of reflections to force a longer perspective. 

    On the day of our visit, Class 03 No.D2120 was running trains, and we took a ride in Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway half-coach ‘Judy’. Yoshi was allowed to sit with us on the wooden seating and he watched out of the window as we meandered around the estate’s railway system.

    Class 03 0-6-0 Diesel Mechanical Shunter No. D2120 climbs the slope to Somersham Station at Fawley Hill pulling Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway half-coach ‘Judy’ – 25/06/2023

    230 Class 03 diesel shunter locomotives were constructed by BR at Swindon and Doncaster Works between 1957 and 1962. No. D2120 was built at Swindon and entered service in October 1959. She was first allocated to Dangraig Depot and spent her entire career in the Swansea area of South Wales.

    In March 1972 whilst undergoing an overhaul, No. D2120 was converted to Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley Railway (BPGVR) loading gauge. Eventually a total of 11 Class 03’s were converted in this way. The BPGVR had a severe height restriction and this conversion involved reducing the cab height by 4½ inches, and the fitting of a headlight in front of the exhaust stack, and another at the rear of the cab, for use when locomotives crossed unprotected level crossings. The converted locomotives were also fitted for multiple working with a second locomotive of the same class. During the mid 1970’s British Rail adopted a locomotive five figure computer numbering methodology under the Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) used for managing railway locomotives and rolling stock and No. D2120 was renumbered No. 03120 in March 1974.

    In 1978, No. 03120 spent three months (August – October) in store at Swindon, being re-introduced into service in November. She was given a final general overhaul at Swindon in May 1983 and retained as a standby loco, allocated to Landore Depot, Swansea. She was
    finally withdrawn by BR in February 1986 and released for sale.
    Purchased by Sir William McAlpine, No. 03120 arrived at Fawley in December 1986, wearing the standard fleet livery of BR rail blue with ‘wasp’ yellow and black painted warning ends. Since arriving at Fawley, she has been repainted into early BR Green as No. D2120, the wasp stripes at each end of the locomotive were restored in 2019. D2120 wears loco shed allocation plate 87C (Danygraig).

    Class 03 0-6-0 Diesel Mechanical Shunter No. D2120 backs onto a GWR plank open wagon and a guards van to increase passenger capacity on the train rides at Fawley Hill – 25/06/2023
    Class 03 0-6-0 Diesel Mechanical Shunter No. D2120 working visitor train rides at Fawley Hill – 25/06/2023
    Class 03 0-6-0 Diesel Mechanical Shunter No. D2120 passes under the footbridge which was originally located at Brading Station on the Isle of Wight where it spanned the Ryde to Shanklin line before moving to Fawley Hill in March 2000 (CLS) – 25/06/2023
    Hudswell Clarke & Co Ltd 0-6-0 ST No. 31 at Fawley Hill Museum. This locomotive was ordered from Hudswell Clarke & Co Ltd in November 1912 by the Ministry of Fuel and Power, and built at their Hunslet, Leeds works. She was allocated builder’s number 1026, and completed in April 1913, at a total cost of £1485. Delivered new to Robert McAlpine & Sons, Cuffley on 14 April 1913, No 31 was allocated Plant Number 2581 in 1931. She was outshopped in Caledonian Blue, a colour she kept throughout her time at the McAlpine company even though the corporate colour was green.
    No 31 is the only surviving locomotive to have been owned by Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons for the whole of its working life. She worked on a number of building contracts including Wembley Stadium (1923-1924), RAF Boscombe Down (1944) and Llanwern Steelworks (1960-1961). The locomotive was rebuilt by Hudswell Clarke & Co in 1938. No 31 went into storage at McAlpine’s yard at Hayes in 1961 and remained there until she was identified for scrapping in 1965. At this point, Sir William decided to give No 31 a new life in retirement and purchased the locomotive.
    No 31 arrived at Fawley in September 1965 and was subsequently repainted in GWR Brunswick green livery. Above the smokebox door is carried loco shed plate 81M – a code unique to Fawley – 25/06/2023
    One of two Planet 0-4-0 Diesel Mechanical locomotives at Fawley, No. 3894 ‘Ernie’ in Fawley station yard with Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway half-coach ‘Judy’ – 25/06/2023
    Somersham Station, previously to be found on the St. Ives to March line. The station was opened by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) in 1848. The line was closed to all rail traffic in 1967. The waiting room survived until 1977 when it was moved to Fawley – 25/06/2023
    Shobnall Maltings Signal Box is a Midland Railway (Type 3a) signal box dating from 1905. It was the first building to arrive for use on the Fawley railway in 1969 and was originally built at Swadlincote East near Burton-on-Trent. It was moved to operate at the Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton Ltd brewery and renamed Shobnall Maltings – 25/06/2023
    These tyres from ‘Flying Scotsman’ were removed from the driving wheels of the famous LNER Class A3 4-6-2 prior to her journey to Australia in September 1988 – 25/06/2023
    Blackfriars Bridge Capital taken from the old Blackfriars Bridge across the River Thames in London. The bridge opened in June 1864 and demolished in the 1960’s. The bridge abutments remained until the mid-1980’s when the one on the north side of the river was removed along with its decorative cast iron capital or pediment. This example arrived at Fawley in 1984 whilst the remaining two are still in situ in London – 25/06/2023
    The columns of the old Blackfriars railway bridge standing next to the current bridge – 26/08/2022
    The southern abutment and LC&DR insignia have been restored – 26/08/2022
    Our visit coincided with the arrival of some Austin-Healey sports cars… – 25/06/2023
    …and some Morris Minor cars and vans! – 25/06/2023

    If you would like the opportunity to visit Fawley Hill, you can find out how here:  https://www.fawleymuseum.org/events

    ​Doggos are not permitted inside the museum buildings at Fawley Hill, so Caroline and I took it in turns to enjoy the delights on display while the other sat with Yoshi in a cool spot which obviously happened to be situated just by the toilets. It was during my time at this spot that I checked email on my phone and although the 4G coverage was barely existant, I discovered the Class 20’s I mentioned earlier and at that time believed to be in Bristol were in actual fact stabled at Didcot just 18 miles up the road from our current location and more or less in the correct direction for our drive back to Dorset. So after a cup of tea and an excellent piece of raspberry and coconut slice, we took a few final photographs and set off towards home. 

    On arrival in Didcot, we parked up and I took a stroll over to the railway station. The Class 20’s were conveniently parked adjacent to the platforms and were getting a fair bit of attention from other rail enthusiasts, much to the puzzlement of waiting passengers. The locomotives, currently part of the Harry Needle Rail Company (HNRC) fleet but still carrying the remnant livery of their previous owners; GBRf, are on hire to Rail Operations Group (ROG).

    Class 20 No.’s 20905 and 20901 with SIM14 ‘Sentinel’ (No. 99 84 0362 006-0) at Didcot – 25/06/2023
    Class 20 No.’s 20901 and 20905 at Didcot – 25/06/2023
    Class 20 No. 20901 at Didcot. Contrast the differences in nose end detail with the following image of classmate No. 20905 – 25/06/2023
    No. 20905 at Didcot. Contrast and compare with the image above of classmate No. 20901 – 25/06/2023

    The locos, rare visitors to west, are currently working in tandem with one of seven Eurailscout Switch Inspection Machines (SIM). I’m more used to switches being called points, but accept this “Americanism” as it quite an explanatory term. The points are the movable rails which guide the wheels towards either the straight or the diverging track allowing a train to switch tracks if required. They’re quite complex really and require a fair amount of maintenance to ensure they are in a safe and usable condition. SIM14 ‘Sentinel’ (No. 99 84 0362 006-0) arrived at Didcot by road from Holland at the start of June 2023 and was subsequently moved to Bristol Kingsland Road by a single Class 20 locomotive. It spent several nights working in the Bristol area doing exactly what the name suggests – inspecting various switches and junctions in the vicinity of Temple Meads, East Junction and West Junction. After spending the weekend at Didcot again, it was moved to Southall yard on the 12th June for further overnight inspections in the Paddington area. More recently the single Class 20 was joined by its classmate and on the 20th June returned to the Bristol area, moving back to Didcot on the morning of the 23rd despite the TOPS reporting they were still 77 miles further west. 

    Close up of Eurailscout SIM14 ‘Sentinel’ (No. 99 84 0362 006-0) at Didcot – 25/06/2023

    Eurailscout  says the following about the Swith Inspection Machines: “About 50% of all track disruptions are caused by faulty switches, with timely maintenance being needed in order to prevent these disruptions. We use a SIM wagon to measure and inspect the geometry and rail profiles of your switches under day-to-day operating conditions. A single locomotive can push or pull the SIM wagon, which means it can be shunted around quickly between the normal rail traffic. Since we also record high-quality video images during this work, you can make a visual inspection of the switch without having to put it out of service for the inspection and without your staff having to walk on the track themselves.”

    Also stabled at Didcot were Class 66 No.’s 66136 and 66083 – 25/06/2023
    Class 66 No.’s 66051 ‘Maritime Intermodal Four’ and 66129, Didcot Yard – 25/06/2023

    Monday and Tuesday saw some stock movements run around at Poole Storage Sidings as they either went to or from Bournemouth T&RSMD. First up on June 26th was ROG Class 37 No. 37884 ‘Cepheus’ hauling a Class 455 electric multiple unit No. 455863 from Wimbledon to Bournemouth for repair of a failed motor alternator. We saw the Cass 37 and empty coaching stock unit pass through Poole station on the way to the sidings. The locomotive detached from the front of the unit and ran back into Poole station and reversed back out again to attach itself to the other end of the empty stock before passing back through the station on the way to Bournemouth depot. 

    ROG Class 37 No. 37884 ‘Cepheus’ hauling broken Class 455 electric multiple unit No. 455863 through Poole as 5Q86 1246 Wimbledon Park CSD to Bournemouth T&RSMD – 26/06/2023
    Class 455 No. 455863 being towed into Poole Storage Sidings as 5Q86 1246 Wimbledon Park CSD to Bournemouth T&RSMD. Class 37 No. 37884 ‘Cepheus’ will run around the EMU to haul it back to Bournemouth depot – 26/06/2023
    Class 37 No. 37884 ‘Cepheus’ at Poole running around 5Q86 1246 Wimbledon Park CSD to Bournemouth T&RSMD – 26/06/2023
    Class 37 No. 37884 ‘Cepheus’ and No. 455863 work 5Q86 1246 Wimbledon Park CSD to Bournemouth T&RSMD – 26/06/2023
    5Q86 1246 Wimbledon Park CSD to Bournemouth T&RSMD at Poole – 26/06/2023

    The following day it was the turn of Class 47 No. 47727 ‘Edinburgh Castle’ to arrive at Bournemouth T&RSMD to collect a stored ten-car Class 701 unit and take it off to Wimbledon for a further priod of storage. Regular readers may recall that the Class 701’s are yet to enter revenue earning service with South Western Railway and are currently undergoing testing and running in mileage accumulation runs. In fact, if you have a length of track able to accommodate one of these units, I’m sure Network Rail would love to hear from you as sidings all over the country are being filled up with these trains. Scheduled to depart Bournemouth at 1235, I was very much caught out when I discovered that the train had left 66 minutes early. I was very kindly picked up by our friend Jamie who deposited me at Poole station. Unfortunately, there were no free parking spaces available and as Jamie drove off in search of one, the Class 47 and unit hove into view. 

    Class 47 No. 47727 ‘Edinburgh Castle’ powers up at Poole hauling Class 701 EMU No. 701042 working 5Q86 1235 Bournemouth T&RSMD to Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings – 27/06/2023
    Class 701 No. 701042 being hauled to Wimbledon having passed through Poole behind Class 47 No. 47727 ‘Edinburgh Castle’ – 27/06/2023
    5Q86 1235 Bournemouth T&RSMD to Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings departing Poole – 27/06/2023

    Later the same day, Southern Railway West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34046 ‘Braunton’ visited Weymouth with a Steam Dreams excursion originating from London Victoria. The tour ran to Yeovil Junction where the steam locomotive came off the train for servicing and turning at the Yeovil Railway Centre whilst Class 47 No. 47614 took the train onto Weymouth.

    A lineside fire at Upwey got most of us thinking that the cause was ‘Braunton’, but in fact the steam locomotive hadn’t even passed through the area when the line to Weymouth was closed. Thankfully it wasn’t long until everything was sorted and the track between Upwey and Weymouth reopened at around 1800. This enabled the light steam locomotive to complete its run down to rejoin the stock with no delay to the departure of the tour which was scheduled to return to London via the Bournemouth route.

    Jamie was again kind enough to allow me to join him at Parkstone to see the train pass through. Unfortunately, ‘Braunton’ was running an impressive 8 minutes early as she stormed the bank at Parkstone, just as a London Waterloo to Poole service in the form of SWR Class 444 No. 444004 pulled in on platform 2, obscuring the view for many of those waiting to photograph or video the steam passing through on the Up line. So, my sincere apologies to Jamie who had his view blocked by the service train. I don’t think he’ll be asking me to accompany him on any future outings at this rate!

    Southern Railway West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34046 ‘Braunton’ storms the bank at Parkstone working 1Z72 1836 Weymouth to London Victoria – 27/06/2023
    Class 47 No. 47614 shrouded in steam at the rear of 1Z72 1836 Weymouth to London Victoria having passed through Parkstone – 27/06/2023
    Steam Dreams “Weymouth” rail tour (Dorchester video by kind permission of GE Barrett)- 27/06/2023

    I was pleased to learn one of my favourite railway stations, Wemyss Bay in Scotland, has won this year’s World Cup of Stations competition following a five day contest across 11 geographical regions in England, Scotland and Wales. Supported by the Rail Delivery Group and the Community Rail Network over 70,000 votes were cast. 48 stations were chosen by TV presenter Tim Dunn and pitched against each other in 16 rounds to whittle down the final few. Wemyss Bay came in at first place with 8,403 votes in the last round, beating second place Denmark Hill on 7,441 votes and third place runner up Leamington Spa with 3,271 votes.

    Wemyss Bay Railway station exterior. The station was designed by James Miller (1860-1947) in 1903 for the Caledonian Railway and is a Category A listed building – 23/06/2021 
    The station is a terminus on the Inverclyde Line, located 26 miles west of Glasgow Central. The station incorporates the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry terminal connecting mainland Scotland to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute and was designed to move passengers from train to ferry in five minutes via a curved covered way while luggage was moved on trolleys by a separate route – 23/06/2021
    The centrepiece of Wemyss Bay Station is a semi-circular ticket office, your eyes drawn upwards… – 23/06/2021
    …. towards curving roofs with a remarkable use of glass and steel curves. Platforms bend in one direction and the ramp down to the pier in another – 23/06/2023 
    ‘MV Argyle’ or ‘Earra-Ghaidheal’ in Gaelic pictured here, alongside her sister ship, ‘MV Bute’, operate sailings between Wemyss Bay and Rothesay on the Isle of Bute – 23/06/2021

    And there we have it! We’ve reached the end of another blog entry. Thank you for your time in visiting us and for your comments, encouragement, corrections and contributions! We’ll be seeing you.

    Postscript

    Fawley Hill’s Cut-down cab Class 03 No. D2120 in BR blue days as No. 03120 at Landore depot, Swansea – 27/08/1981

  • Yoshi Climbs Gold Hill

    14th June 2023 to 20th June 2023

    We went to Shaftesbury on Sunday to see old buses. Caroline and I visited a pub or three and Yoshi took a liking to Gold Hill. Famous as the location for the 1973 Hovis bread TV advert directed by Ridley Scott. Still the same today as its always been – 18/06/2023

    Wednesday 14th June 2023 saw Colas test train 1Q18 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road visit Dorset in the capable charge of top and tailed Class 37 locomotives No.’s 37612 and 37254. I was in the east of the county hoping to capture a Class 701 drag from Bournemouth to Eastleigh which didn’t materialise. It’s been quite a month for unusual movements being cancelled here; a Class 69 hauled Weedkiller to Weymouth, a Class 37 test train via the West and a Class 455 drag with a Rail Operations Group (ROG) Class 37 to Bournemouth T&RSMD to mention a few.

    Class 37 No. 37612 leads 1Q18 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road via Weymouth into Dorchester West (video screen grab courtesy of G E Barrett) – 14/06/2023
    Class 37 No. 37254 leads out of Weymouth where 1Q18 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road has reversed for the run to Bristol (video screen grab courtesy of @da_buckley967) – 14/06/2023
    Video of Class 37 No.s 37612 and 37254 working 1Q18 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road courtesy of @da_buckley967 and G E Barrett – 14/06/2023

    On Saturday, I popped over to the Southampton area for a brief evening visit to see LNER A3 4-6-2 Pacific No. 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’. I don’t understand the scorn poured on this locomotive by a certain section of the railway enthusiast fraternity. I think it’s great Scotsman captures the imagination of the general public and it was delightful to hear a lot of chatter on our local radio station before and after the locomotive visited Portsmouth. I was interested to see if No. 60103 retained her white roof which she had gained the previous week in advance of hauling the Royal Train carrying King Prince Charles over the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on Monday 12th June, and I was very pleased to see she had! I was able to observe the “Portsmouth Flyer” rail tour on its way back to London Victoria from the overbridge leading to Dock Gate 20 at Millbrook. It’s also an excellent vantage point to see the locomotives being stabled at Freightliner Maritime depot. I thought the location would be quite popular with onlookers, but in the event it was just myself and another photographer there to see the “People’s Locomotive” steam by. It was quite pleasant passing the time having a friendly chat about railways of today and years gone. 

    Freightliner Class 08 shunter No. 08785 at Southampton Maritime – 17/06/2023
    Class 66 No. 66594 at Southampton Maritime – 17/06/2023
    A line up of Class 70’s at Southampton Maritime, including No.’s 70003,70007 and 70014 with Class 66 No.’s 66565, 66594 and 66504 also visible- 17/06/2023
    Class 66 No. 66529 receives attention at Southampton Maritime – 17/06/2023
    CrossCountry Voyager No. 220011 nears Redbridge working 1020 1325 Manchester Piccadilly to Bournemouth – 17/06/2023
    LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’ at Millbrook working the return “The Portsmouth Flyer” 1Z73 1606 Portsmouth Harbour to London Victoria – 17/06/2023
    The white cab roof applied to LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’ can be seen clearly in this view of the locomotive as she works the return “The Portsmouth Flyer” 1Z73 1606 Portsmouth Harbour to London Victoria on the approach to Redbridge – 17/06/2023
    West Coast Railway Company Class 47 No. 47802 at the rear of “The Portsmouth Flyer” 1Z73 1606 Portsmouth Harbour to London Victoria approaching Redbridge – 17/06/2023

    After seeing ‘Flying Scotsman’ I had just enough time to pop over to Eastleigh to get a photo of the Network Rail Class 153 Inspection Train. I was also able to see UK Railtours “The Magic Carpet” on its way from Exeter to London Victoria. This was hauled by two GBRf Class 73 Electro-diesels of the type we normally get here on a test train the first Monday of every month. 

    GBRf Class 66 No. 66726 ‘Sheffield Wednesday’ in Eastleigh East Yard in preparation for working 7C03 2302 to Clapham Junction Windsor Lines civil engineering train later in the day along with No. 66846 – 17/06/2023
    A view over Eastleigh East Yard with GBRf Class 66 No. 66726 ‘Sheffield Wednesday’ and Colas Rail Class 66 No. 66846 in the foreground – 17/06/2023
    DB Cargo Class 66 No. 66100 ‘Armistice 100 1918 – 2018’ in the sidings adjacent Eastleigh railway station – 17/06/2023
    Nameplate detail of Class 66 No. 66100 ‘Armistice 100 1918 – 2018’ – 17/06/2023
    Still carrying EWS Livery, DB Cargo Class 66 No. 66083 partners No. 66100 ‘Armistice 100 1918 – 2018’ at Eastleigh – 17/06/2023
    Network Rail Video Inspection Unit No. 2 (VIU2) No. 153376 rests at Eastleigh. Network Rail employs three Class 153 DMU’s for video assessment of track and points – 17/06/2023
    GBRf Class 66 No. 66701 having just reversed onto wagons ready to form 6G13 1952 Eastleigh East Yard to Cheam engineers train – 17/06/2023
    Maritime Blue liveried Class 66 No. 66051 ‘Maritime Intermodal Four’ passing through Eastleigh heading up 4V44 1824 Southampton Eastern Docks to Morris Cowley MAT – 17/06/2023
    GBRf Class 73/9 No.’s 73964 ‘Jeanette’ and 73962 ‘Dick Mabbutt’ hauling UK Railtours “The Magic Carpet” one the approach to Eastleigh – 17/06/2023
    GBRf Class 73/9 No.’s 73964 ‘Jeanette’ and 73962 ‘Dick Mabbutt’ hauling UK Railtours “The Magic Carpet” 1Z62 1533 Exeter St Davids to London Victoria on the approach to Eastleigh – 17/06/2023
    On the rear of “The Magic Carpet” 1Z62 1533 Exeter St Davids to London Victoria GBRf Class 66 No. 66768 – 17/06/2023
    In 2011, leasing company Akiem acquired seven unused JT42CWRM locomotives, which would originally enter service for Veolia Cargo SAS (77501-77503) as order 20078941 and Crossrail Benelux (77504-77507) as 20078920. On 20 June 2011, all seven locos were delivered with train protection systems for Germany, Belgium and France. After being delivered to Akiem, they were immediately leased to VFLI.
    Purchased and imported by GBRf Class 66 No.’s 66308 (ex-77503) and 66307 (ex-77502) are seen at Eastleigh Arlington Works having been repainted into standard GBRf livery following sizing modifications for the UK rail loading gauge carried out at Doncaster – 17/06/2023
    Class 313’s continue to arrive at Eastleigh Arlington for component recovery and scrapping. No.’s 313206, 313201, 313207 and 313208 can be identified in this view. An appeal to fund maintenance and storage costs of blue liveried No. 313201 has been launched – 17/06/2023
    No.’s 313206, 313201, 313217, 313207 and 313208 await their fate at Eastleigh Arlington – 17/06/2023
    These Class 313 EMU’s at Eastleigh Arlington have had their numbers cut out. We can identify No. 313202, closest to the camera, from the coach number 62530 – 17/06/2023

    “The Magic Carpet” passed through Dorset and our North Dorset correspondent was on hand to capture the train at Gillingham:

    GBRf Class 73/9 No.’s 73964 ‘Jeanette’ and 73962 ‘Dick Mabbutt’ head up UK Railtours “The Magic Carpet” at Gillingham on the return leg (photo courtesy of Scott Lewis) – 17/06/2023

    This past weekend the 2023 “Royal Blue Run” saw the return of preserved and restored coaches to roads across the West Country, showcasing these fine specimens in authentic settings across the country recreating lost scenes. This year the Royal Blue & Associated Motorways run saw the privately owned vehicles recreate an age of bygone travel on the open roads through Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall reaching Penzance in the far south west.  The specific routes chosen were drawn from Royal Blue timetables from different eras. Sometimes segments of express services are followed, or in other cases seasonal variants are used (e.g. summer Saturdays only or winter season routing).  Every stretch has to be pre-driven to ensure the original roads remain suitable for coaches to pass even with modern parking practices or traffic management schemes. The coaches set out from Salisbury bus station on Friday 16th June and we chose to see them passing through Shaftesbury on their return final stage run up the A30, as used by the ‘stopping’ Penzance to London services, to Salisbury.

    Burlingham C33F AEC Regal Reg No. CFK 340 in the livery of operator Burnham built 1948 at Shaftesbury – 18/06/2023
    Royal Blue ECW Bristol MW6G Fleet No. 2267 Reg No. 56 GUO built 1961 at Shaftesbury – 18/06/202
    Wilts & Dorset Beadle C32R Bristol L6B Fleet No. 279 Reg. EMW284, built 1947 at Shaftesbury – 18/06/202

    The Thames Valley & Great Western Omnibus Trust (TV&GWOT) website provides more information on the Royal Blue Runs which “were established in 2002 so that owners and their passengers can relive the pleasures of long distance luxury coach travel for which their carefully preserved vehicles were originally intended. The aim is to follow original Royal Blue routes as closely as possible and to travel at a leisurely pace redolent of the times. The runs also create a wonderful spectacle for innocent bystanders and dedicated photographers alike, thanks to the hard work and resources the owners have devoted to restoring and maintaining their fine coaches.

    A lot of work goes into planning the runs from selecting routes from the extensive Royal Blue network and researching the original drivers’ instructions and passenger timetables, preparing maps and outline routing, driving the routes to develop detailed instructions allowing for modern day features and constraints, organising refreshment stops, obtaining parking permissions, to identifying potential accommodation for a dozen or more coaches and their passengers. Despite all the preparations, final timings are hard to judge whether due to roadworks or things that might pique the interest of crews along the way. The coaches do not travel in close convoy so as not to inconvenience other road users. Some drivers have also been known on occasion to deviate from the intended route (unintentionally!).

    Overall the focus is on education and enjoyment and we hope that however you take part you share in the pleasure.”

    Western National Fleet No. 3307 Reg AFJ 727T Plaxton Supreme DP41F Bristol LH6L built in 1979 at Shaftesbury – 18/06/202
    A long way from home, Crossville Fleet No. CRG106 Reg AFM 106G ECW C49F Bristol RELH built in 1969 at Shaftesbury – 18/06/202
    Royal Blue Fleet No. 1286 Reg MOD 973 ECW Bristol LS6G C39F built in 1952 at Shaftesbury – 18/06/202
    Royal Blue (Western National) Fleet No. 1250 Reg. LTA 729 Duple Bristol LL6B C37F built in 1951 at Shaftesbury – 18/06/202
    A very short video of Royal Blue Run buses passing through Shaftesbury – 18/06/2023

    I certainly derived much pleasure from seeing the coaches which were running around thirty minutes behind schedule when they passed us. Not bad timing in my humble opinion! I previously saw the 2016 Royal Blue Run which having started at London Victoria Coach Station ran to Bristol on Day One. The following day was designed to commemorate 50 years since the final train on the Somerset & Dorset Railway, a much loved and mourned route that ran through Royal Blue heartland from Bath to Bournemouth. The route intertwined with several famous S&D locations, recreating in part the former rail replacement service that was created when the line closed in 1966. Day Three was an excursion from Bournemouth to Lulworth Cove, followed by a trip across the New Forest to Lyndhurst. It was Lulworth Cove where I decided to see the buses as they grouped together in the car park before once again taking to the open road where I took the opportunity to see them passing through Lulworth village and Wareham.

    Royal Blue Bristol MW6G Fleet No. 2246 Reg. 625 DDV built 1960 enters the car park at Lulworth Cove – 19/06/2016
    Western National Bristol MW6G ECW C39F Fleet No. 1423 Reg. EDV 505D built in 1966 and entered service in Plymouth seen at Lulworth Cove – 19/06/2016
    A Royal Blue line up at Lulworth Cove – 19/06/2016
    Royal Blue ECW Bristol MW6G Fleet No. 2267 Reg No. 56 GUO built 1961 passing through Lulworth – 19/06/2016
    Wilts & Dorset Beadle bodied Bristol L6B Fleet No. 279 Reg. EMW284, built 1947 at Lulworth – 19/06/2016
    Royal Blue Fleet No. 1299 Reg. OTT 98 1953 Bristol LS6G with ECW C39F coachwork at Lulworth village – 19/06/2016
    Royal Blue express services Fleet No. 2351 Reg. 837 SUO Bristol RELH6G ECW passing through Wareham – 19/06/2016

    From The Archives:

    Mention of Penzance as part of the Royal Blue Run this year reminded me that I was going to look for a photograph of the Pullman Camping Coaches which used to stand at Marazion and I mentioned as much in our blog entry “Yoshi Goes To Cornwall”. As luck would have it, I was looking for some paperwork the other day and came across the following images:

    For many years Marazion was home to six old Pullman coaches that were employed as camping coaches; holiday accommodation offered by the railway containing sleeping and living space designed to encourage people to travel by train to the stations where they were situated – March 1993
    British Rail Parcels Sector liveried Class 47 No. 47462 ‘Cambridge Traction & Rolling Stock Depot’ at Penzance – March 1993
    Class 47 No. 47463 (with her pre-TOPS number D1586 marked between her head code lights) in BR Standard Monastral Blue livery, which she retained to the end, stands at Penzance. The locomotive entered service in May 1964 and was cut up in November 1996 by MRJ Phillips at Crewe Works – March 1993
    Class 47 No. 47462 ‘Cambridge Traction & Rolling Stock Depot’ at Penzance. The locomotive was built at Crewe and entered traffic on May 16th 1964 as D1582. Named at Cambridge Open Day held on 29th September 1990 by Jack Firman a retired workshop supervisor, the nameplates were removed in December 1993 and later transferred to No. 47736 – March 1993
    Class 47 No. 47462 at Penzance. The locomotive was cut up at Toton by Harry Needle Rail Co in March 2003 – March 1993

    Alongside the Cornwall photographs above, the same box of documents contained, amongst other things, a Blake’s 7 ‘Liberator’ model and an old diary. I’ve not been one for keeping a diary, but for six months in 1982, I seemed to have managed it. Tucked inside the diary was a piece of paper from a rail tour I took from London Paddington to the Severn Valley Railway on Saturday 19th June 1982.

    Great Western Society Limited “The Salopian II” information sheet – 19/06/1982
    Great Western Society Limited “The Salopian II” information sheet – 19/06/1982

    This must have been my first visit to the SVR, and I don’t really remember much about the day if I’m honest. So from the pages of a diary not opened in years, here, extracted from amongst references to exams, my sister’s wedding, the Falklands War and working part-time at Bere Regis Motors in Dorchester, is my record of the Great Western Society Limited’s “The Salopian II”:

    Thursday June 10th 1982

    Rail tour tickets for the 19th arrived today. Going with Tony S.
    Adam Ant is number one with ‘Goody Two Shoes’

    Friday June 18th 1982

    At 2245 Tony and I boarded the mail train at Dorchester South. Jon H was there as well, but he’s going off somewhere else when we get to London. 

    There was talk about the mail train being taken off soon. If so, we will have problems if we want an overnight jaunt to connect with rail tours departing London in the future. 

    Saturday June 19th 1982

    The locomotive which hauled the mail train from Dorchester, 33118, came off at Eastleigh where it was replaced by 73122. We arrived at London Waterloo right-time and then, together, Jon, Tony and I took a black cab across to Euston. At 0600 we went our separate ways with Jon heading to Kings Cross while Tony and I undertook the two and a half mile stroll to Paddington railway station. The weather was dismal , but at least it didn’t pour down with rain.

    At Paddington, we were due to depart at 0740 but at the appointed time we were surprised to see our train loco; 47532, being taken off the stock at 0725 and taken away.

    Class 47 No. 47532 at the head of “The Salopian II” rail tour at London Paddington prior to being removed from the train. HST Class 43 Power Car No. 43145 is on the adjacent track – 19/06/1982

    We eventually left at 0757 with the class 47 having been replaced by 50012.

    Class 50 No. 50012 ‘Benbow’ approaches London Paddington to take over “The Salopian II” rail tour. The locomotive would be withdrawn from service in January 1989 and cut up by Vic Berry in Leicester by July of that year – 19/06/1982

    By the time we arrived at Didcot we were 27 minutes down on schedule. But a quick locomotive changeover meant this was reduced to 16 minutes when we left behind 7029 ‘Clun Castle’.

    GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ backs onto “The Salopian II” at Didcot – 19/06/1982
    GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ at Didcot – 19/06/1982
    GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ at Didcot – 19/06/1982
    GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ stopped at Banbury for a water stop – 19/06/1982
    Class 33 No. 33025 ‘Sultan’ in the bay platform at Banbury as No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’, having drawn forward from the previous image, takes on water – 19/06/1982

    By the time of our next locomotive changeover the ‘Castle’ had managed to make up the deficit and we arrived bang on time allowing 20165 and 20167 to take us forward to Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway where we still managed to arrive 20 minutes late!

    GWR 4073 Class 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ alongside Class 20 No.’s 20165 and 20167 which took over “The Salopian II” at Dorridge – 19/06/1982
    Class 20 No.’s 20165 and 20167 backing onto “The Salopian II” at Dorridge – 19/06/1982

    On the SVR we were hauled by 43106 from Bewdley to Dorridge and return. We had a couple of hours to look around the shed at Bridgnorth and get refreshments.

    While on Severn Valley Railway metals our train was hauled by LMS Ivan Class 4 No. 43106, the only surviving member of the class. Seen here at Bridgnorth – 19/06/1982
    GWR 7800 Class 4-6-0 No. 7812 ‘Erlestoke Manor’ at Bridgnorth – 19/06/1982
    LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 No. 5000 at Bridgnorth. No. 5000 is part of the National Collection and is currently on static display at the Shildon Locomotion Museum in County Durham – 19/06/1982
    Longmoor Military Railway No. 600 ‘Gordon’ (named after General Gordon of Khartoum) was. built in 1943 for the War Department and is seen here at Bridgnorth. In 1957, during the Suez Crisis, ‘Gordon’ worked highly secretive trains between Longmoor Military Base and Southampton. The locomotive is currently on static display on the SVR at The Engine House, Highley – 19/06/1982
    GWR 7800 Class 4-6-0 No. 7812 ‘Erlestoke Manor’ at Bridgnorth – 19/06/1982
    GWR 7800 Class 4-6-0 No. 7812 ‘Erlestoke Manor’ at Bridgnorth – 19/06/1982

    I managed to get a piece of smut in my in my eye from 4930 ’Hagley Hall’ which I just couldn’t get out. [2023 note: I’m thinking No. 4930 may have hauled us one way on the SVR, but my diary says No. 43106 worked the train in both directions]

    GWR Collett 4-6-0 Hall Class No. 4930 ‘Hagley Hall’ at Bridgnorth. She was built in 1929 at Swindon Works and originally allocated to Wolverhampton Stafford Road – 19/06/1982
    GWR Collett 5700 Class 0-60PT “Pannier Tank” No. 5764 entered service at London’s Old Oak Common in 1929 and was later one of a number of the class sold to London Transport following withdrawal from British Rail in 1960. She is currently on static display in London Transport guise, numbered L95, at The Engine House, Highley. She is seen here in GWR livery at Bridgnorth – 19/06/1982

    Returning to Bewdley, the 20’s took control of our train once again and regained all lost time and even gained 15 minutes. But despite these efforts, the quarter hour and more was lost due to a number of signal stops. In my opinion the star of the day; 92220 ‘Evening Star’, to be precise, replaced the diesel power at Saltley and despite working hard we arrived back at Didcot some 16 minutes down.

    BR Standard Class 9F No. 92220 ‘Evening Star’ during a water stop at Banbury. No. 92220 was the last steam locomotive to be built at for British Railways and was earmarked for preservation before she entered service in March 1960. She hauled the last Pines Express on the Somerset & Dorset line on 8th September 1962. ‘Evening Star’ had a working life of five years before being withdrawn from service in March 1965 after sustaining damage in a shunting incident at Cardiff Docks. She was overhauled and restored at Crewe Works following withdrawal working in preservation until the late 1980’s. She is now on static display at the Railway Museum in York and one of nine existing locomotives of a class which numbered 251- 19/06/1982

    50040 took us forward to Reading where Tony and I de-trained for our connection down to Basingstoke and home. 

    Sunday June 20th 1982

    The down Mail arrived into Basingstoke at Midnight. We were extremely lucky to have made it as our connecting service train from Reading should have left at 2300 and “The Salopian II” arrived at 2302. We met Paul E and Mark B, two rail enthusiasts from Charminster who had been part of the group who went to Plymouth Laira with us in April. This time they had been to Calais with Mark’s parents. A class 73 took us from Basingstoke to Eastleigh where 33010 came on to bring us into Dorchester South just after 0300 where we all said our good-byes and headed home to our beds. 

    I was up again at 0900 in order to see some excursion trains.

    Class 33 No. 33029 approaching Dorchester South – 20/06/1982
    Class 47 No. 47526 at Dorchester West – 20/06/1982

    The piece of smut in my eye from ‘Hagley Hall’ was still there, so I called on [my brother], who was out. Anyway, he appeared at half four and spent an hour moving the smut from the blue bit of my eye to the edge and finally relief!

    GBRf Class 73 No.’s 73964 ‘Jeanette’ and 73961 ‘Alison’ were out on a GB Railfreight staff special the “Tonbridge Trailblazer” in June 2016 running from Ashford International to Weston-super-Mare. The ED’s are seen here at Bath Spa on the return leg working 1Z63 1725 Weston-super-Mare to Ashford International – 18/06/2016

    Postscript:

    Longmoor Military Railway No. 600 ‘Gordon’ as seen in 2023 at The Engine House, Highley – 20/05/2023
    London Transport No. L95 (the former GWR Collett 5700 Class 0-60PT “Pannier Tank” No. 5764) as seen in 2023 at The Engine House, Highley – 20/05/2023
    It’s goodbye from me, and a goodbye from Yoshi! Thanks for reading. We appreciate your comments, contributions, updates and corrections. See you soon!

  • A Brief Ingress

    It’s been a quiet week on the rails here, with only one special rail movement to report on the Bournemouth to Weymouth line. We’ve also been entertaining friends for an extended Coronation weekend, although I was fully behind the suggestion from Yoshi’s Mama of exploring Corfe Castle and Swanage on the Tuesday. I had hoped to see the Class 17 Clayton Type 1 diesel-electric locomotive arrive at Norden on a low loader in the afternoon but I was informed by the Norden crossing signalman that it wasn’t going to arrive that afternoon. I’ve since heard it did – so big sighs all round!

    Instead of watching an old diesel locomotive being unloaded off the back of a lorry, Yoshi enjoyed zoomies in Corfe Castle – 09/05/2023

    On Sunday we took a walk down Poole Quay in order to celebrate the sights, sounds and smells of the age of steam with visiting mini steam traction engines, all lovingly built and maintained by their owners and representing many hours of hard work. The traction engines are recreated from original Victorian drawings or old photographs. It was lovely relaxing on a sunny afternoon with a drink in one of the many pubs along Poole Quay as the smell of steam wafted in through the doors. Yoshi was initially quite happy to see the steam engines but later decided to bark at each one individually. Just like he would their full size cousins.

    Before Yoshi took a dislike to the mini steam traction engines, he happily posed with this example – 07/05/2023
    Mini Steam On The Quay at Poole – 07/05/2023
    Mini Steam On The Quay at Poole – 07/05/2023
    Mini Steam On The Quay at Poole – 07/05/2023
    Mini Steam On The Quay at Poole – 07/05/2023
    Mini Steam On The Quay at Poole – 07/05/2023
    Mini Steam On The Quay at Poole – 07/05/2023
    Mini Steam On The Quay at Poole – 07/05/2023

    The monthly Class 73 Electro-Diesel top and tailed Colas Test Train ran on Monday evening, passing through Hamworthy in a shower of rain on its outward journey to Weymouth. The weather put me off going back out to see the ensemble on the return journey as it headed to Eastleigh East Yard and journeys end. The locomotives utilised on the 1Q51 1115 Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Eastleigh East Yard working this time were GBRf Class 73 No’s 73964 ‘Jeanette’ and 73965 ‘Des O’Brien’. 

    1Q51 1115 Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Eastleigh East Yard – 08/05/2023

    Thanks for reading. As always, thank you for your comments and corrections. With the 2023 Swanage Diesel Gala just days away as I write this, I’ll leave you with some images taken from the 2016 event.

    Class 20 No’s. 20205 and 20142 pass Class 50 No. 50035 ‘Ark Royal’ at Corfe Castle – 07/05/2016
    Swanage resident Class 33 No’s 33012 (D6515) ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’ and 33111 head to Norden – 07/05/2016
    BR Blue liveried Class 31 No. D5580 (31162), owned by A1A Locomotive Limited runs round her train at Swanage – 07/05/2016
    Class 40 No.D213 ‘Andania’ (40013) having departed Corfe Castle. A total of 200 Class 40 locomotives were built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962. Seven examples are preserved – 07/05/2016
    Warship No. D832 ‘Onslaught’, the first member of the class to visit the Swanage Railway, on the approach to Corfe Castle – 07/05/2016
    Class 31 No. D5580 (31162) recreating a Kings Cross service with head code 1N08 – 07/05/2016
    Peak Class 46 No. D182 (46045) catches the sun crossing Corfe Common on her way to Swanage – 07/05/2016
    Class 50 No. 50035 ‘Ark Royal’ heads towards Corfe. The Hoover was a late substitute for 50049 ‘Defiance’ which was unavailable to attend – 07/05/2016
    Class 33 No’s 33012 (D6515) ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’ and 33111 between Harmans Cross and Corfe Castle – 07/05/2016
    Another view of Swanage based Class 33 No’s 33012 (D6515) ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’ and 33111 – 07/05/2016
    Class 40 No.D213 (40013) ‘Andania’ leads Class 46 No. D182 (46045) out of Norden towards Corfe Castle – 07/05/2016
    Unusually coupled cab to cab, English Electric Class 20 No. 20205 leading No. 20142 which was acting as a translator as 205 is air-brake only and the coaching stock is vacuum brake, crossing Corfe viaduct – 07/05/2016
    Hastings gauge “Slim Jim” Class 33 No. 33202 with a Swanage bound train 07/05/2016
    Warship No. D832 ‘Onslaught’ makes a fine sight and sound powering out of Corfe Castle on her way to Norden – 07/05/2016

  • Deltic!

    Wednesday 27th July to Tuesday 2nd August 2022

    The Royal Wessex

    SR West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34028 ‘Eddystone’ pauses at Harmans Cross with the Swanage Railway’s recreation of “The Royal Wessex” 1700 departure from Swanage – 27/07/2022

    Swanage Railway recently launched a re-creation of the 1950’s era “Royal Wessex” train including the option to reserve seats in a heritage carriage designed by Richard Maunsell, the chief mechanical engineer of the Southern Railway in the 1930’s, after it was painstakingly restored by a group of volunteers. Maunsell carriages would have been a familiar sight on the Swanage branch line until the 1960’s when they were withdrawn from service. The “Royal Wessex” was introduced in 1951 and departed London Waterloo with portions designated for Swanage, Bournemouth West and Weymouth. Carriages were detached from the main train and attached to a local branch line service to take passengers to their chosen destination. The Swanage portion consisted of two carriages which were separated from, or for the return working; joined to, the main train at Wareham. The Swanage initiative sees the Maunsell carriage carrying “Royal Wessex” name boards with the locomotive hauling the train having a headboard.

    “Royal Wessex” name board as carried by the restored 1930’s Maunsell Carriage – July 2022
    No. 34028 sporting “The Royal Wessex” headboard – July 2022
    Swanage Railway ‘The Royal Wessex’ – July 2022

    47 On Tour

    Class 47 No. 47830 ‘Beeching’s Legacy’ pauses at Gillingham, Dorset to cross with a late running Exeter to Salisbury service while working 0V45 0835 Southampton to Exeter St. Davids – 28/07/2022 (Photograph courtesy of Scott Lewis)

    In connection with 19th -23rd September 2022 engineering work scheduled to take place between Axminster and Pinhoe, Freightliner celebrity locomotive Class 47 No. 47830 ‘Beeching’s Legacy’ has been working route learning trips between Southampton Maritime and Exeter St. David’s on selected days over the last couple of weeks, which meant the locomotive briefly visited Dorset. We were very kindly sent the images and video reproduced on this page by Scott Lewis, who I’m now going to call Yoshi’s North Dorset correspondent.

    28/07/2022 (Video courtesy of Scott Lewis)
    Class 47 No. 47830 ‘Beeching’s Legacy’ at Gillingham, Dorset – 28/07/2022 (Photograph courtesy of Scott Lewis)

    The engineering work will see a five-day closure of the line with a £5m project undertaken that includes landslip prevention work at Honiton tunnel which will involve the installation of two retaining walls, 32 metres and 16 metres in length accompanied by sheet piles that consist of metal posts with concrete planks for additional support to protect the line from future closures. Weather resilience work will also improve and supplement drainage systems.

    Gloucestershire Warwickshire Diesel Gala

    I found myself with time on my hands on Friday 29th July, so Yoshi, one of Yoshi’s hoo-man uncles and I took ourselves off to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire, a beautifully striking railway in the Cotswolds. The 2022 diesel gala employed the railways’ home fleet, supplemented by visiting Class 55 Deltic locomotive No. 55019 ‘Royal Highland Fusilier’ – the first ever visit of a locomotive of this iconic class. To be honest, the appearance of the Deltic first attracted me to the notion of attending this gala. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire is a railway I have not visited previously, but I’ll certainly be returning after having a very enjoyable day.

    Yoshi at Toddington with Class 55 No. 55019 ‘Royal Highland Fusilier’ – 29/07/2022

    The Stratford-Upon-Avon to Cheltenham Railway was constructed between 1902 and 1906 by the Great Western Railway (GWR) for the purpose of achieving a faster and more direct route between the Midlands and the South West, although this necessitated avoiding difficult terrain to allow gentle gradients and sweeping curves enabling high speed running. Extensive cuttings, embankments and a long tunnel at Greet were required, and unfortunately some of the stations were located some distance from the villages they purported to serve. As with many railways, usage began to decline in the 1950’s with passenger services being withdrawn on 7th March 1960. Use for freight and as a diversionary route continued until a derailment outside of Winchcombe station saw a cessation of all traffic with the line finally closed in November 1976, the track being lifted in 1979. Two year later, in 1981, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway plc was formed and they acquired the 14.5 miles of track bed between Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway. Stations, signal boxes etc. have been reopened or rebuilt from scratch resulting in a very attractive railway.

    The diesel gala featured the following locomotives:

    Visiting Deltic Class 55 No. 55019 ‘Royal Highland Fusilier’ is owned by The Deltic Preservation Society and its home base is Barrow Hill in Derbyshire. 22 Deltic were constructed for use on the East Coast Mainline, entering traffic between 1961-62.
    Brush type 4 Class 47 No. 47105 is owned by the Brush Type 4 Fund and a permanent resident on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. The locomotive was purchased in January 1994 and is seen here approaching Toddington – 29/07/2022
    Brush type 4 Class 47 No. 47376 s owned by the Brush Type 4 Fund and a permanent resident on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. The Brush Type 4 Fund was formed in 1992 No. 47376 was purchased in November 2002. The locomotive received a replacement engine from No. 47295 prior to arriving at Toddington in 2003.
    Sulzer Type 4 Class 45/1 No. 45149 was built at Crewe in 1961 and was withdrawn from British Rail service in 1987. The locomotive is owned by The Cotswold Mainline Diesel Group and is a permanent resident on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway..
    English Electric Type 3 Class 37/0 No. 37215 was built in 1963 at Newton-le-Willows being preserved in 1994. The locomotive is owned by The Growler Group and is a permanent resident on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.
    Sulzer Type 2 Class 24 No. 24081 (D5081) was preserved in 1981 and is a permanent resident on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway having remained operational throughout its preservation years. The locomotive is owned by the 24081 Loco Group.
    English Electric Type 2 Class 20 No. 20137 was built in 1966 at Newton-le-Willows and was purchased privately from British Rail in 1994, returning to working order in 1995. The locomotive is a permanent resident on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. (Seen here with class mate No.20228 (D8327) which is undergoing restoration – with their single cabs Class 20’s mostly spent their time coupled nose to nose in pairs to provide 2,000hp and to improve driver visibility).
    English Electric Type 2 Class 20 No. 20228 (D8327) which is currently undergoing restoration.
    Sulzzer Type 2 Class 26 No. D5343 (26043) was one of 47 locomotives built by the Birmingham Railway & Carriage Works (BR&CW) in Smethwick, entering service in October 1959. During January 1993, whilst allocated to snow clearance duties between Perth and Blair Atholl, 26043 suffered a power earth fault. Repairs were not authorised and it was withdrawn on 19th January 1993. Initially stored at Perth, it was then moved to MC Metals in Glasgow for asbestos insulation removal, which entailed major dismantling of the cab interiors. The loco was purchased by the Cotswold Mainline Diesel Group in late 1993 and it arrived at Toddington in April 1994.
    English Electric Type 3 Class 37 No.D6948 (37248) was built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry, Newton le Willows, Lancashire and was delivered to British Railways’ Cardiff Canton depot on the 30th October 1964 and withdrawn from service in 2003. After two years in storage at Margam, it was purchased by three Growler Group members in conjunction with West Coast Railways Limited to whom the locomotive was loaned as part of an agreement to restore it to working order for mainline operations, entering WCRC service in 2006. The loan agreement ended in 2009 and the loco entered preservation, becoming a permanent resident on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway in 2010.
    Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Diesel Gala 2022

    It was an extremely hot day and we took every opportunity to keep Yoshi cool, in the shade and hydrated. I have also bought a hat for future railway days out in the sun, because I was told to, and I sometimes do what I am told! All in all an excellent day out, with good company and another heritage railway with friendly, enthusiastic and helpful volunteers. I even got back home in time to watch the last episode of Neighbours.

    Test Train Delays

    August kicked off with the scheduling of test train 1Q51 running from Derby Railway Technical Centre to Eastleigh via Weymouth. Our regular reader may remember that the July instance of this working didn’t make it to Weymouth, the train being curtailed at Eastleigh. This time, the test train made it as far as Wool before it was reversed, missing out the Wool to Weymouth section. This was because the 1605 departure from Waterloo developed a fault and it ground to a halt at 1829 just before reaching Wool station, blocking the line to Weymouth and causing following services knock on delays and cancellations. The 1Q51 test train was eventually caught up behind the failed service train.

    GBRf Class 73 No. 73965 ‘Des O’Brien’ approaching Branksome working 1Q51 1115 Derby R.T.C. to Eastleigh East Yard – 01/08/2022

    Unaware of this, I had ventured out to Branksome in order to see the train in daylight as it usually traverses the Bournemouth to Weymouth section in darkness most of the year. However earlier disruption on the network meant that delays to services resulted in late running empty coaching stock from Poole to Bournemouth T&RSMD passing on the up platform where I was stood, obscuring the 73’s from view as they headed down towards Weymouth. I consoled myself with the knowledge I would have another shot at getting some video on the return leg. However, becoming aware that the test train was sat between Wareham and Wool via the Open Train Times webpage, Yoshi and I set off for Wool to investigate.

    On arrival at Wool we were able to see the failed Class 444 EMU (No. 444021) sitting just outside of Wool station.

    The lights of Class 444 No. 444021 can be seen just up the track from Wool station – 01/08/2022

    By the time the ailing 444 was rescued by a fellow Class 444 at 2211 and the train reversed to the Up line via a set of points situated outside of Wool to clear the line, the test train was well behind schedule. The decision was made to cancel the run to Weymouth and to reverse the train in Wool station – as you can see in the video below:

    1Q51 1115 Derby R.T.C. to Eastleigh East Yard – 01/08/2022
    GBRf Class 73 No. 73963 ‘Janice’ at Wool awaiting reversal of 1Q51 1115 Derby R.T.C. to Eastleigh East Yard – 01/08/2022

    Hamworthy Branch

    More news on the reopening of the Hamworthy Branch, which was finally acknowledged by Network Rail as happening in a mailing to residents living near the railway line:

    I will admit to once again failing to get a decent image of a rail/road vehicle on the branch. I’m considering sending in Yoshi with a doggo-cam to get better shots from the trackside, but in the meantime I’ll share the following video of ongoing sleeper replacement near Hercules Road Access Point ( formerly Butts Crossing ) for reference:

    Hamworthy Branch Maintenance Work – 27/07/2022

    For a far better glimpse of the road / rail traction being employed on the Hamworthy Branch, Kev Scott has kindly given us permission to link to his video of a Komatsu Rail Rider passing over Hamworthy Park Level Crossing. Don’t forget to check out Kev’s other videos on his You Tube page!

    https://youtu.be/rKWsWxTmpPI

    Class 701 on Test

    Class 701 No. 701034 seen running through Hamworthy with test train 5Q56 1612 Eastleigh TRSMD to Weymouth – 02/08/2022

    Another week passes by and South Western Railway Class 701 electric multiple units are still undergoing test runs. This week however, unit No. 701034 ran west of Poole to Weymouth and Wareham on Tuesday 2nd August. Two runs took place, the first from Eastleigh TRSMD ran to Weymouth as 5Q56, the unit then forming 5Q57 to Brockenhurst. The driver and any onboard support crew would hopefully have had time for a cup of tea and cake before departing Brockenhurst at 2114 bound for Wareham as 5Q58 before returning to Eastleigh TRSMD as 5Q59 where the unit was then put to bed at around 2330.

    Class 701 No. 701034 at Weymouth preparing for departure with 5Q57 1838 Weymouth to Brockenhurst – 02/08/2022 (Photograph courtesy of @da_buckley967 )
    Video of Class 701 No. 701034 working evening test runs. With thanks to G E Barrett and @da_buckley967 for their kind permission to use their footage taken at Dorchester South and Weymouth respectively – 02/08/2022

    This weeks ‘The Railway Dog’ was written to the accompaniment of Bear’s Den, Pink Floyd and Bernard Cribbins. I’ve enjoyed the collaborative feel to this weeks blog and my thanks to everyone who has agreed to the sharing of their material, it is much appreciated. Thanks again for reading and for corrections and observations. All being well, we’ll be back here next week for more of the same!

  • 20/20 Vision

    We visited the Swanage Railway “Roads to Rail” event at Norden on 25th June 2022 and Yoshi is seen here striking a pose next to 5 Nominal Horse Power (NHP) Showman’s Engine No. 4028 ‘Supreme’. Built by Charles Burrell & Sons in 1925 for Halls of Derby and given the registration number RL 1978 she was saved for preservation in 1952

    This week saw the second and third days of the RMT national rail strike and with them further disruption across the network. I hope that both sides can see their way to finding a solution. Locally we saw the cancellation of a steam hauled rail tour to Bournemouth and Weymouth on Thursday 23rd June 2022. In addition, Yoshi and I had our eyes on photographing a couple of excursion trains in the West Country on Saturday 24th June 2022. One of them, scheduled to have been hauled by a pair of Class 20’s diesels from Birmingham Snow Hill to Bishops Lydeard for the Weston Air Show and the West Somerset Railway, was of particular interest.

    Yoshi took a look at his copy of The Ladybird Book Of British Railway Locomotives to learn all about the Class 20, or English Electric Type 1 as they would have been known as when the book was first published in 1958.

    Pioneer Class 20 No. D8000 is now preserved as part of the National Collection as is the DELTIC prototype – images from The Ladybird Book Of British Railway Locomotives

    The English Electric Type 1, later to become Class 20, was introduced by British Railways between 1957 and 1968 and were one of the pioneering diesel locomotive types built for the BR Modernisation Plan of 1955. 228 members of the class were constructed intended for light passenger train work and freight haulage. Their construction was split between the English Electric Vulcan Foundry in Newton-Le-Willows and RSH in Newcastle. The design was similar to other locomotives found around the world with a single cab at one end and a long bonnet containing the power unit and electrical equipment. The class were initially employed in Scotland, London, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Issues around driver visibility and lack of work for smaller types of locomotives like the Class 20’s resulted in the locos running in pairs, coupled nose to nose with both cabs facing outwards. Most Class 20’s eventually transferred to work heavy coal trains in Scotland and Northern England.

    Class 20 No.’s No.s 20092 and 20010 working a freight through Retford – 20/07/1981
    Class 20 No. 20208 alongside Class 47 No. 47372 inside Barrow Hill Roundhouse – 12/02/1983
    Class 20 No. 20013 at Millerhill – 18/08/1982
    Class 20 No.’s 20055 and 20026 at Barrow Hill in British rail days – 12/02/1983
    Class 20 No.’s 20165 and 20167 at Dorridge about to back onto a rail tour which ran from London Paddington to the Severn Valley Railway – 19/06/1982
    Class 20 No.’s 20137 and 20122 at Motherwell – 20/03/1982
    Class 20 No.’s 20048 and 20030 at Swindon – 06/06/1981
    Class 20 No.20225 at Eastfield Depot – 20/03/1981

    By the 1980’s the Class 20’s found themselves being replaced on coal trains by newer and more powerful freight locomotives such as the Class 56 and Class 58 resulting in many withdrawals from service, although some found work on passenger services to seaside destinations, Channel Tunnel construction trains, weed killing trains whilst four were sold to a private operator in France. Later, following railway privatisation in the UK, Direct Rail Services (DRS) employed Class 20’s on their workings for a number of years. Private operators have continued to use examples of the class for Rail Head Treatment Trains (RHTT) and in transferring rolling stock around the country.

    Class 20 No. D8056 (20056) at Barrow Hill in preservation days – 13/11/2005
    Class 20 No. 20205 paired with classmate No. 20142 enter Corfe Castle while Class 50 No. 50035 ‘Ark Royal’ waits to depart for Norden – 07/05/2016
    Class 20 No. 20189 in London Underground red livery. You can just about see an Eastfield depot plaque on the bodyside behind the cab window. Over a ten year period ending in 2019 a number of Class 20’s from the Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC) were used to deliver new LU S-Stock from Derby to Neasden or West Ruislip for commissioning. The locomotive is seen at Swanage – 12/05/2013
    The last Class 20 to be built No. 20227 has been used extensively on the London Underground network. To mark the LU 150 celebrations she was painted in a special ‘modern’ LUL livery. Seen here at Swanage – 12/05/2013

    If you’re wondering what a pair of Class 20 diesels on a passenger train would look like, here’s a short video clip of Class 20 locomotives No.’s 20096 and 20107 ‘Jocelyn Fielding 1940 – 2020’ top and tailing with Class 37 No. 37667 (running as D6851) ‘Flopsie’ while working 1Z36 The Jolly Slateman rail tour on 20th November 2021. The tour, run by Intercity, took the 20’s from Derby to Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno Junction and return.

    The Jolly Slateman rail tour passes through Chester on 20th November 2021

    Going back in time, here’s a video clip of another Class 20 hauled rail tour from 2008 when DRS Class 20’s No’s 20307 and 20310, with Class 57 No. 57601 at the rear of the train to provide Electric Train Heating (ETH), travelled from Crewe to Weymouth with Spitfire Railtours organised “The Way-farer” excursion train on April 19th 2008. I can remember planning on filming the return leg of the tour from the footbridge at Upwey, but on arrival I was politely asked if I wouldn’t mind joining a gallery of photographers at the London end of the down platform as they wished to use the footbridge to frame the train and didn’t want some idiot ruining their shot. I was happy to oblige, and think that actually it’s resulted in a better view of the train running through the station. On the same day the Chester Model Railway Club and the Ffestiniog Railway ( Dee & Mersey Group) hired Wrexham and Shropshire liveried Class 67 No’s 67014 and 67015 to top and tail The Dorset Coat Express from Hooton to Poole and return.

    Dorset trains filmed on 19th April 2008

    Returning to 2022 and last Saturday, I spent the morning making an effort with clearing an old water tank and other accumulated rubbish from our loft to free up space for an often talked about model railway layout. Yoshi isn’t happy climbing the loft ladder and sits at the bottom of it looking up and making the occasional comment of disapproval.

    Despite being a rail strike day, on Saturday afternoon, as a change from another visit to the recycling centre, I thought I would pop over to the Southampton area to photograph GBRf Class 69 No. 69001, not realising it had departed Southampton Western Docks 158 minutes ahead of schedule. Instead I saw Freightliner Class 66 No.’s 66415 ‘You Are Never Alone’ and 66957 ‘Stephenson Locomotive Society 1909 -2009’ double heading on 4Z21 0918 Trafford Park FLT to Southampton MCT and GBRf Biffa liveried Class 66 No. 66783 working 4Z04 1036 Trafford Park to Southampton Western Docks.

    GBRf Biffa liveried Class 66 No. 66783 working 4Z04 1036 Trafford Park to Southampton Western Docks
    Video of a couple of Solent freights – 25/06/2022

    We also had a quick look in at Freightliner’s Southampton Maritime depot and Eastleigh.

    Freightliner Class 66 No. 66514 in the foreground at Southampton Maritime Container Terminal with Class 70 No.’s 70001 & 70008 and Class 66 No.’s 66566, 66553, 66529, 66547 & 66506 ‘Crewe Regeneration’ – 25/06/2022
    A full house at Southampton M.C.T. with Class 70 No.’s 70001 & 70008 and Class 66 No.’s 66566, 66553, 66529, 66547 & 66506 ‘Crewe Regeneration’ with recently arrived Class 66 No. 66957 ‘Stephenson Locomotive Society 1909 -2009’ and G&W orange liveried Class 66 No. 66415 ‘You Are Never Alone’ in the background, with Class 70 No. 70015 behind – 25/06/2022
    Freightliner Class 66529, 66547 & 66506 ‘Crewe Regeneration’ with Class 66 No. 66957 ‘Stephenson Locomotive Society 1909 -2009’ and G&W orange liveried Class 66 No. 66415 ‘You Are Never Alone’ in the background at Southampton M.C.T. – 25/06/2022
    Freightliner Class 70 No. 70015 – 22/06/2022
    Colas Class 66 No. 66846 on the stabling point adjacent to Eastleigh Railway Station – 25/06/2022
    A Colas trio of Class 66 No. 66850 ‘David Maidment OBE’ and Class 70 No.’s 70809 and 70813 at Eastleigh East Yard – 25/06/2022
    LSL Midland Pullman liveried Class 43 No. 43047 showing off a fresh look after emerging from the paint facility at Eastleigh Works – 25/06/2022
    Transmart Trains Class 73 No. 73133 stands in the yard at Eastleigh Works with a Rail Adventure Class 43 power car behind – 25/06/2022
    GWR Class 769 Bi-Mode Multiple Unit (BMU) No. 769947 at Eastleigh Works. GBRf Class 59 No. 59003 which was received damage to its traction motors, wheel sets and power unit attempting to extract a Class 159 DMU from the site of the October 2021 Salisbury train crash. Also in evidence are Class 43 HST power cars – 25/06/2022
    Class 59 No. 59205 stands on Eastleigh Works after the completion of repairs required following a derailment at Eastleigh which occurred on March 6th 2022. The locomotive returned to service on Monday 27th June 2022 – 25/06/2022

    Swanage Roads to Rail

    Saturday evening saw us visiting Norden where the Swanage Railway were holding their Roads to Rail event which included working traction engines, road rollers, showman’s engines and SR 2-6-0 U Class No. 31806 alongside vintage fairground fun, live music and plenty of refreshments. Yoshi didn’t much care for the steam traction engines with all their whistling, hissing and clunking so we decided that we wouldn’t stay too late. We managed to grab the following photos in between eating and drinking.

    Aveling & Porter Road Locomotive No. 8471 ‘Clyde’ Registration AF 4478 Built 1914
    Foden Wagon No. 11414 ‘Freddie’ Registration TA 9891 Built 1924
    Fowler Road Roller No. 9005 ‘Lord Kitchener’ Registration HR 3582 Built 1901 and Aveling & Porter Road Roller No. 14001 ‘Dick Turpin’ Registration KR 478 Built 1929
    Fowler Road Roller No. 9005 ‘Lord Kitchener’ Registration HR 3582 Built 1901
    A pair of Robey & Company General Purpose Traction Engines with No. 29450 ‘King George V’ Limited Registration AB 9453 Built 1910 on the left and No. 29333 ‘Wally’ Registration AD 9899 Built 1910 on the right
    Foreground: Wallis & Steevens Road Roller No. 8100 Registration BAA 432 Built 1936 with Wallis & Steevens Tractor No. 2656 ‘Little Olga’ Registration HO 5834 Built 1903 / McLaren Road Locomotive No. 1332 ‘Gigantic’ Registration DS 7128 Built 1912 / Foden Tractor No. 13454 ‘Samantha’ Registration KX 3340 Built 1929 in the background
    Foden Tractor No. 13454 ‘Samantha’ Registration KX 3340 Built 1929
    Burrell Showmans Tractor No. 3497 ‘May Queen’ Registration AH 0150 Built 1913
    SR 2-6-0 U Class No. 31806 was on static display as part of the Roads to Rail event giving visitors access to the footplate during the day sessions
    Swanage Railways’ 1960 built BR three-car Class 117 diesel multiple unit ran evening services from Norden to Swanage
    Yoshi and Me – photo by @radioc71

    Thanks for joining us this week – we’ll be back in seven days with more witterings!