The Railway Dog

Category: Cockapoo

  • South Wales Adventure

    Yoshi shelters from the rain outside Cardiff Central

    Yoshi made it to the groomers last week, a slight delay on the original planned date for his appointment which couldn’t be helped and he came home looking beautifully coiffured and smelling like a dream. So it should have been no surprise at the level of attention he received from passers by and railway station staff on our trip to South Wales at the weekend. The purpose of our visit was primarily to see Pathfinder Tours ‘The Cwmbargoed Collier’ rail tour which was scheduled for top and tail Class 66 and Class 60 locomotives providing motive power during part of its journey.

    In the event we saw the special train four times during the day at different locations; Undy, Bridgend, Cardiff and Aber near Caerphilly.

    Our first port of call ( after mandatory breakfast muffins ) was a windswept and damp Undy near Newport. I had visited the over bridge at Undy before in May 2013 when I spent a few hours photographing trains. The location has changed vastly with the addition of overhead wires put in for the electrification of the Great Western mainline through to Cardiff. As part of the upgrade, bridges have been replaced as more height was required to raise them over the live wires. You can compare the location ‘then and now’ in the gallery of photographs below with the footage filmed this year in the video which follows it.

    The motive power in 2022 was very similar to my previous visit as can be seen in the video below ( the weather however wasn’t quite as good as in 2013!), the main difference being the addition of modern Class 800 IET (Intercity Express Train) units and of course train liveries and operators have also changed over the years.

    The Cwmbargoed Collier was hauled by Class 66 No. 66013 from its originating station of Banbury to Margam Yard where Class 60 No. 60040 was added to the other end of the train to facilitate traversing freight only branch lines. After seeing the rail tour at Undy and Bridgend, we moved on to park up at Cardiff Central. I’d like to think that our contributions to car parking will fund Transport For Wales for the next three months. Before heading onto the platforms and to break up the day a little, we had a quick wander into Cardiff City Centre where the pubs and cafes were full of rugby supporters cheering on their National Team. It was a thriving and friendly atmosphere even after the result of the game.

    Yoshi made a quick visit to Cardiff Castle before heading back to Cardiff Central Railway Station

    As can be seen in the video of our 5th February 2022 trip, we managed to catch sight of a few freight trains. One that I did miss the opportunity to record however was a Class 60 working through Cardiff Central on a DB Cargo operated Theale to Robeston train. Instead of a red diesel locomotive working hard, I managed to instead record a few seconds of me wrapping Yoshi’s lead around my foot for his safety and security. You win some, you lose some.

    The one that got away! 60020 photograph courtesy of @da_buckley967

    The railway arrived in Cardiff in 1850, even the River Taff was diverted to accommodate it. Brunel’s original wooden station structure was replaced in 1934 by a building designed by Percy Emerson Culverhouse who was the Great Western Railway’s chief architect from 1929 to 1945. The grade II listed building is pure proto-art deco with a handsome long low Portland stone frontage to the north with corner pavilions and large arched windows. The name of the Great Western Railway in stone relief stands out and sitting above this is a small clock tower which is also visible from the platform side. The main station concourse is a stunning display of panels and arches lit by an array of hanging Art Deco lights.

    The concourse at Cardiff Central Railway Station

    My earliest railway themed visits to Cardiff and South Wales were made in 1979 and I have scanned a selection of negatives taken with my Kodak Extra camera which had a built-in cover that flipped over to form a handle. I loved it, but unless it was a gloriously sunny day the quality of image it produced was, quite simply, terrible.

    A visit a few years later in January 1982 included a walk down to Cardiff Canton diesel depot where a long since removed footbridge over the railway line was handily placed for railway enthusiasts and now armed with a 35mm camera I happily snapped away. My records show I next visited Cardiff in June 1982 on the same day Pope John Paul II become the first reigning Pope to visit Wales. Thousands of people turned out to see the Pontiff and there were a number of additional trains scheduled to bring visitors to the city and photographs from my visit are the sunnier ones in the gallery below. I remained on the station and declined the opportunity to see the Pope at Pontcanna Fields, although I do remember seeing his helicopter fly overhead. I waved, I don’t know if Pope John Paul II waved back.

    Finally for this week, I’ve included video shot in South Wales on a day out in March 1999 which reflects a time of change on our railway network.

    All in all, I had a wonderful day out with good company and I’ve enjoyed taking time to reflect on some of my visits to South Wales. Thanks for reading – any comments or corrections welcomed.

  • Weekly Wanderings

    A beautiful start to the day on Sunday January 30th 2022. Yoshi takes a breather on our walk at Holes Bay, Poole, Dorset while South Western Railway Class 444 No. 444045 crosses the causeway working 1W28 0748 Weymouth to London Waterloo

    Sunday of this week found Yoshi and I visiting a good friend in Hampshire for plant burgers and vanilla milk shakes ( well, that was my order anyway). Naturally, I took the opportunity to study Real Time Trains to see if there were any interesting train movements due through Eastleigh that day. Being a Sunday, I expected it to be quiet, but didn’t expect the area to be quite so devoid of activity. So instead, I decided to pick up some supplies for a DIY project at a B&Q in the Southampton area ( stores more local to me being out of stock of my required items ) and to take the opportunity to look in at Totton Yard with the aim of getting shots of the Class 66 top and tailed Snow & Ice Treatment Train at rest as, sadly, it was not due to work that day.

    GBRf Class 66’s No.’s 66757 ‘West Somerset Railway’ and 66755 ‘Tony Berkeley OBE RFG Chairman 1997 – 2018’ idle in Totton Yard with a Snow & Ice Treatment Train (SITT) – 30/01/2022
    South Western Railway Class 444 No. 444043 working 1W19 0816 Clapham Junction to Weymouth passes Totton Yard – 30/01/2022
    Trains seen in this video: Totton: 444019 – 1B32 0855 Poole to London Waterloo, 220024 & 220032 1M38 0940 Bournemouth to Banbury, 444043 – 1W19 0816 Clapham Junction to Weymouth. Eastleigh: 158853 2S49 1635 Romsey to Salisbury, 444015 & 444011 1W47 London Waterloo to Weymouth

    Our visit to Totton was followed by a brief look in on Eastleigh Works, the station area and East Yard where we saw, outside of the works, amongst other things, newly converted and unpainted Class 69 No. 69004 ( formerly Class 56 No. 56069 ) which was hiding behind works shunter Northumbria Rail ex DB 323-539-7 ‘Cheviot’, National Rail’s laboratory train for European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) – a signalling and train control system – No. 313121 converted from a former passenger train, Class 50 No. 50021 ‘Rodney’, numerous High Speed Train Class 43 power cars and Electro-Diesel Class 73 No. 73212 ‘Fiona’. Eastleigh station played host to Class 70 locomotives No.’s 70811 and 70816 whilst GBRf Class 66’s No.’s 66793, 66730 ‘Whitemoor’ and 66778 ‘Darius Cheskin’ were in the vicinity of East Yard. EWS liveried DB Class 66 No. 66139 joined the party later in the day.

    On a previous visit, Yoshi sits outside Eastleigh Railway Station with the statue of Charlotte Mary Yonge who gave Eastleigh its name

    Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823 – 1901), a notable novelist in her day, is celebrated by a statue outside Eastleigh Railway Station. Charlotte gave the profits from her novels to fund charitable work. In 1868 a new parish was formed to the south of her home village of Otterbourne which encapsulated the villages of Eastley and Barton. Yonge donated £500 towards the parish church and was asked which of the two villages the parish should be named after. She chose Eastley, but suggested it should be spelt ‘Eastleigh’ as she perceived this to be more modern. Eastleigh developed rapidly with the explosion in industrial development which was a direct result of the railways and generations of train spotters rejoiced.

    The Railwayman – a life size statute depicting a 1930’s railway worker referencing the railway heritage of Eastleigh. Sculptor: Jill Tweed ( Born 1931 ) Cockapoo a temporary 21st Century addition

    Also, over the course of the previous seven days, we witnessed the visit of the New Measurement Train to Weymouth. The NMT arrived in the seaside town via the ex-GWR line on Wednesday January 26th, in the form of a COLAS High Speed Train. This is the first time an HST NMT has reached Weymouth in a good few years. I decided on seeing the outward run at Dorchester West but was completely unprepared for the level of vibration on the road bridge at the northern end of the station as the train passed and my iPhone footage was virtually unusable.

    Class 43 No.’s 43251 & 43274 1Z23 0747 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road via Weymouth on the climb to Bincombe Tinnel
    Trains in this video include: Class 43 No.’s 43251 & 43274 1Z23 0747 Derby RTC to Bristol Kingsland Road via Weymouth, 444017 2W20 1508 Weymouth to Bournemouth, 444015 2W17 1424 Bournemouth to Weymouth

    Earlier the same day a Class 158 / 159 Diesel Multiple Unit ran from Bournemouth depot to Salisbury. These units are infrequent visitors to the area.

    Trains in this video include: 444017 2W15 1324 Bournemouth to Weymouth, 158880 & 159011 5Y15 1341 Bournemouth T&RSMD to Salisbury T&RSMD

    And finally on the evening of 26th January, we popped over to Christchurch and Bournemouth to see a Class 701 test run. South Western Railway introduced dramatic cuts to rail services from 17th January 2022, reducing the timetable by almost a third compared to pre-pandemic services. Both Exeter and Weymouth direct trains to London were axed, with passengers forced to change trains. SWR have as yet to nominate a date for the end of their emergency timetable. As can be seen in the video below, all Weymouth services terminate at Bournemouth, with a shuttle service running through Dorset. Over on the West of England line, almost all weekday Exeter services terminate at Salisbury where passengers for Sherborne, Yeovil and other stations to Exeter need to change trains.

    Trains in this video include: 444025 1W35 1735 London Waterloo to Bournemouth, 701019 5Q52 1724 Staines Up Loop to Eastleigh T&RSMD, 444009 & 444005 5W77 2009 Bournemouth to Bournemouth T&RSMD ( ex 1W77 1805 London Waterloo to Bournemouth ) 444015 2W29 2024 Bournemouth to Weymouth, 444011 & 444035 1W37 1835 London Waterloo to Bournemouth
    Yoshi sits patiently waiting for Class 701 No. 701031 to head off to Staines

    Yoshi and I also observed further 701 test runs, this time in daylight on 27th and 31st January 2022 and both involving 701031:

    Trains in this video include: 701031 5Q41 1552 Eastleigh to Eastleigh
    Trains in this video include: 444005 2W16 1303 Weymouth to Bournemouth, 701031 5Q51 1115 London Waterloo to Staines Up Loop
    The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time Waiting For A Train At The Railway Station

    As you can probably tell from the more recent photos of Yoshi on this page, his planned visit to the groomer didn’t take place and instead he’s rescheduled for the coming week. He’s a busy boy, don’t you know. Pop back next week for another cockapoo shaped pupdate.

  • This Week At Yoshi HQ

    Yoshi waits for SWR Class 701 No. 701025 to depart Poole – 16/04/2021

    This last week or so Yoshi has been making new friends and catching up with old ones – he’s a very sociable pup and seems to win over almost everyone with his lovable, if somewhat excitable, demeanour. Even those who don’t much care for dogs, if you can believe such tortured souls exist, often fall under his spell.

    In advance of his own visit to the groomer later this week, Yoshi accompanied me when it was my turn to have my hair cut ( what’s left of it these days ) and was only slightly disturbed to find that the barber I frequent has a new kitten in residence. Yoshi certainly wasn’t likely to be organising a party in celebration of this discovery and after a few barks there was a tense stand-off situation in place until nine week old Abu, for that is the kitten’s name, was formally introduced to our boy and the barking started all over again. Abu couldn’t give a monkeys about the canine interloper and things soon calmed down with both protagonists unharmed by their close shave with each other.

    This was followed by a long walk and after that an opportunity for Yoshi to chill out in his favourite chair….

    A detailed look at the Real Time Trains website on Thursday evening revealed COLAS Class 37 No. 37175 would be paying a visit to Yeovil with a test train; 3Q07 Exeter Riverside to Exeter Riverside via Yeovil Pen Mill and Salisbury. It was a cold night and my initial thought was to head to Yeovil Pen Mill to capture the working, but as the service had been looped west of Crewkerne to allow a passenger train to get ahead of it, I thought better of this and we headed to Yeovil Junction. Because of the amount of salt spread around the car park and the station, Yoshi remained safely in the car while I went off to wait for the arrival of the test train. Unfortunately, the Class 37 was propelling the train which was a bit of a shame, but made for a different shot as it roared straight through the station abandoning any plan for it to head to Pen Mill.

    37175 Yeovil Junction – 20/01/2022

    The following evening I popped into Bournemouth to catch a glimpse of one of the new Class 701 Arterio units which are still on test more than two years after they were supposed to enter revenue earning service and South Western Railway currently have no date for their introduction. Indeed, SWR are yet to formally accept any of the fleet of 90 units which have been built in Derby. A statement from the train operator said; “SWR is waiting for Alstom to supply an Arterio train that meets our specification.” When this does happen, SWR have a planned programme of further testing and driver training.

    Trains in this video include Class 444 Desiro 444040 working 2B51 1854 Southampton Central to Bournemouth / 5B51 1940 Bournemouth to Bournemouth / 2B76 1958 Bournemouth to Southampton Central, 444015 & 444027 5W32 Bournemouth Middle Sidings to Bournemouth / 1W32 1953 Bournemouth to London Waterloo and Class 701 Arterio 701031 on 5Q52 1724 Staines Up Loop to Eastleigh TRSMD. All seen at Bournemouth – 21/01/2022

    As part of its 2017 franchise agreement, South Western Railway committed themselves to 750 new carriages, made up of 60 ten-car and 30 five-car trains intended to enter service on the Reading, Windsor and London suburban lines in late 2019. The units were given the name Arterio in 2020 when they were unveiled at Wimbledon depot. The name is meant to symbolise its role as an artery for connecting the capital and beyond.

    Delays into service have been caused by complex new software integration and unions highlighting issues with cab design. As a result SWR has decided to retain 12 of its Class 707 ‘Desiro City’ trains until August 2022 rather than transferring them to SouthEastern as previously planned.

    Class 701’s in store at Eastleigh – 19/09/2021
    701028 at Eastleigh on 24/10/2021

    In 2021 Yoshi and I spent a few lunchtime walks around Poole in order to see 701’s on test runs.

    701014 – 24/02/2021
    701013 – 11/03/2021
    701023 – 13/04/2021
    701025 – 16/04/2021
    701016 – 27/04/2021

    On a July 2021 visit to Eastleigh we were lucky to see Brush Type 4 Class 47 No. 47727 ‘Edinburgh Castle’ hauling 701007 on 5Q10 Widnes Transport Tech to Eastleigh TRSMD.

    47727 ‘Edinburgh Castle’ and 701007 at Eastleigh – 06/07/2021

    We missed a late addition to the timetable last Sunday in the guise of GBRf Class 73 Electro-Diesels No’s 73965 and 73963 top and tailing 1Q51 1025 Woking Up Yard Recp to Woking Up Yard Recp via Weymouth as I was enjoying a fabulous nut roast followed by a delicious lemon cheesecake. This particular test train had been scheduled to run at night earlier in the month but had twice been cancelled. However, here’s a trio of videos featuring ED’s working test train’s on the Bournemouth to Weymouth line from previous years:

    73963 ‘Janice’ and 73961 ‘Alison’ at Weymouth – 23/11/2020
    73962 ‘Dick Mabbutt’ and 73963 ‘Janice’ at Poole – 14/05/2021
    73963 ‘Janice’ and 73965 ‘Des O’Brien’ at Hamworthy – 20/12/2021

    That’s all for this time – please check back again soon for more tales from Yoshi HQ.

  • Birthdays and Things

    COLAS operated Network Rail New Measurement Train passes Sutton Bingham Reservoir on 13th January 2022

    This week saw Yoshi celebrate his third birthday. That’s 28 in the human years equivalent. Although Yoshi has calmed down a great deal in the last twelve months, he’s still very much a puppy in his attitude and outlook, and with a few minor exceptions, we wouldn’t want it any other way. They say the best parties are the ones you can’t remember, or that may just be our beleaguered Prime Minister’s view on things, and Yoshi marked his special day with a set of new soft play balls, a rope toy and some chew treats and kept the partying to a minimum…

    Yoshi, looking all grown up, saw in his birthday with a sunrise walk in the local park and nature reserve

    A quick round up of local main line railway activity we’ve managed to catch so far in 2022 kicks off with a visit in the early hours of 11th January to the Bournemouth to Weymouth line of Class 37 No. 37116 on a Network Rail Test Train. The locomotive is seen passing through Hamworthy with 3Q02 2200 Hither Green Pre Assembly Depot (P.A.D.) to Woking Up Carriage Holding Sidings (C.H.S.):

    January 12th 2022 – a late evening visit to Branksome to capture Class 66 locomotives No’s. 66846 and 66849 ‘Wylam Dilly’ pass through on their way to Parkstone with a ballast drop.

    66849 and 66846 wait to depart Poole for Bournemouth – 12/01/2022

    Trains seen in this video:
    444042 – 5W83 2228 Bournemouth to BournemouthT&RSMD
    444039 – 1B63 2048 Winchester to Poole
    66846 & 66849 6C17 Eastleigh East Yard to Bournemouth
    Balfour Beatty operated MPV – 8Y85 Totton Yard to Totton Yard
    444037 – 2W84 2230 Weymouth to Bournemouth

    January 13th 2022 – a sunny lunchtime outing to Sutton Bingham, Somerset and Bradford Abbas, Dorset to catch sight of Colas operated New Measurement Train worked by High Speed Train power cars 43290 and 43299.

    COLAS Class 43 HST power cars No. 43290 and 43299 with a Network Rail New Measurement Train, Bradford Abbas on 13th January 2022

    Trains seen in this video:
    159018 – 1L17 0820 London Waterloo to Exeter St. Davids
    159001 – 1L40 1025 Exeter St. Davids to Basingstoke
    159005 – 1L21 0920 London Waterloo to Exeter St. Davids
    43290 & 43299 – 1Q23 0556 Reading to Salisbury via Exeter
    159107 & 159018 – 1L25 London Waterloo to Exeter St. Davids
    159106 – 1L44 1125 Exeter St. Davids to Basingstoke

    Sutton Bingham Reservoir is situated near the village of Sutton Bingham in the civil parish of Closworth, Somerset. The reservoir was built in the 1950’s to supply water to Yeovil. The remains of Sutton Mill are under the water, and close to the shore is the 12th century Church of All Saints. These days the reservoir is home to overwintering wildfowl and migrant birds, a sailing club and fishing. The weather on Thursday January 13th was perfect for watching both birds and trains!

    January 14th 2022 – A late addition to the timetable saw GBRf operated Snow & Ice Treatment Train top and tailed by class 66 locomotives make its second visit to the Weymouth line this year.

    Trains seen in this video:
    444028 – 1B63 2048 Winchester to Poole
    66757 ‘West Somerset Railway’ & 66755 ‘Tony Berkeley OBE RFG Chairman 1997 – 2018’ – 3Y89 2212 Totton Yard to Totton Yard

    Yoshi also partook in his first shower of the year. The boy seems to quite enjoy his showers and willingly submits. This is the immediate aftermath:

    We’ll be back soon for more archive railway features and cockapoo related happenings.