Sulzer Type 2 Class 25 No. D7612 has arrived at Swanage in advance of the 2022 Diesel Gala
This week I needed to go to Birmingham, so took the opportunity of sampling the Chiltern Railways Class 68 hauled service to and from London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street. We visited Marylebone as part of a previous post a few weeks ago, but I didn’t see any loco hauled services on that day. Six Class 68 locomotives are leased by Chiltern Railways from DRS and along with the locomotive, trains were formed of six MK3 carriages and a MK3 Driving Van Trailer (DVT). The DVT’s are modified to work with the power doors that are fitted to the MK3 coaches and have a generator fitted to enable Electric Train Supply and compressed air to be provided to the coaches when the locomotive is not running, such as when in a terminus station and when stabled. There was no buffet car or trolley service available on the trains I travelled on, and as I had left my lovingly prepared sandwiches in the fridge at home I was pleased to find a Greggs open at Marylebone station.
Chiltern Railways Class 68’s No.’s 68014 and 68015 ‘ Kev Helmer’ at London Marylebone – 27/04/2022Chiltern Railways Class 68’s No.’s 68015 ‘ Kev Helmer’ and 68014 at London Marylebone – 27/04/2022MK3 Driving Van Trailer’s at the buffer stops – London MaryleboneClass 68 No. 68014 at Birmingham Moor Street – 27/04/2022MK3 Coach – Birmingham Moor StreetClass 68 No. 68013 ‘Peter Wreford-Bush’ waits departure with the 1455 Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone – 28/04/2022Nameplate close-up of 68015 ‘Kev Helmer’. Kev was Birmingham Moor Street driver who lost his life to covid in January 2021Nameplate close-up of 68013 ‘Peter Wreford-Bush. Peter was a popular and long-standing member of the Leamington Spa station staff who sadly died of covid at the early age of 47
From 2003 to until 2013 GWR Heavy Freight Locomotive 2-8-0 2884 Class No. 2885 stood as a static exhibit at Birmingham Moor Street in an unused platform. The locomotive is currently being restored to working order at Tyseley Locomotive Works by her owners Practical GW Steam Ltd.
Class 68 No. 68014 and the disused platform once occupied by GWR No. 2885 at Birmingham Moor Street – 27/04/2022
Birmingham Moor Street is one of three mainline railway stations in the city centre of Birmingham along with Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Snowhill. High Speed 2 station Birmingham Curzon Street, the northern terminus of HS2 Phase 1, is currently being built alongside Moor Street. This new Curzon Street will incorporate the 1838 station of the same name’s entrance building and is scheduled to open in 2026.
Birmingham Moor Street
Moor Street is a combination of the original 1909 Great Western Railway terminus and adjacent through platforms which opened in 1987 replacing the original station which was then mothballed. These two were combined in 2002 when the original station was extensively restored in 1930’s style with reproduction lamps, clocks, seating and signage. The 1980’s platforms were rebuilt in a matching style.
Class 68 No. 68012 arrives at Birmingham Moor Street with a service from London Marylebone – 13/03/2020
A video showing my Chiltern Trains Class 68 locomotive hauled experience
Friday April 29th 2022 saw a COLAS route learning working along the Bristol to Weymouth line formed of Electro-Diesel Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’. We saw and barked at the locomotive in Dorchester.
Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’ nears Dorchester West – 29/04/2022Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’ passes under the Bridport Road bridge, Dorchester – 29/04/2022Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’ approaches Dorchester West – 29/04/2022Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’ waits at Dorchester West – 29/04/2022Nameplate detail for 73951
Video of 1008 Bristol TM Platform 2 Motorail to Bristol TM Platform 2 via Weymouth COLAS route learner at Dorchester – 29/04/2022
The latest Class 69 rebuild, No. 69005 (ex Class 56 No. 56007) emerged from Eastleigh Arlington on Friday in British Rail green replete with ‘Eastleigh’ nameplates closely resembling the livery that Class 33 No. 33008 once carried. Yoshi and I made a fleeting visit to Eastleigh on Sunday 1st May to get a photo or two of the 69 parked up in East Yard.
Class 69 No. 69005 ‘Eastleigh’ stands on Eastleigh East Yard on the evening of Sunday May 1st 2022Nameplate close-up of 69005 ‘ Eastleigh’Compare 69005 ‘Eastleigh’ with Class 33 No. 33008 ‘Eastleigh’ at Bournemouth Open Day – 26/03/1988
On Bank Holiday Monday, Yoshi and I made a brief visit to the Swanage Railway where two Bullied Pacific locomotives were in action – SR 4-6-2 West Country Class No. 34028 ‘Eddystone’ and SR 4-6-2 Battle of Britain Class No. 34072 ‘257 Squadron’ :
Also at Swanage were a number of diesel locomotives in preparation for the railways 2022 Diesel Gala which takes place next weekend (6th – 8th May)
Class 25 No. D7612 Class 33’s No’s 33012 ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis’ and 33111 with Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’
Further diesel locomotives are scheduled to arrive at Swanage on the evening of Tuesday May 3rd 2022.
With the 2022 Swanage Diesel Gala just around the corner, we pop back to May 2008 for our archive video this week and a glimpse of what was running in the Swanage Railway that year:
With recent news events, I was going to finish with a humorous Class 37 / Tractor reference at this point – the Class 37’s are known to some railway enthusiasts as “tractors”, a nickname given due to the similarities between the Class 37 engine sound and a tractor. Instead, I’ll just leave a couple of photos of Class 37/0 No. D6757 (37057) which was painstakingly restored at the Barrow Hill Roundhouse near Chesterfield following its purchase from main line service. The loco debuted at the 2015 Swanage Railway Diesel Gala prior to joining COLAS Rail who were seeking a fleet of English Electric Type 3 locomotives for Network Rail test train duties.
No. D6757 alongside Class 56 No. 56006 and Class 73 No. 73107 at Swanage – 10/05/2015No. D6757 at Swanage Railway Diesel Gala – 10/05/2015
Yoshi waits for the road with Class 31 No. 31130 at the Avon Valley Railway
Last week I mentioned the failure of the monthly Class 73 top and tailed COLAS track recording train to make it to Weymouth on Monday 11th April. Well, the same thing happened the next day when the service was rescheduled. This time the train actually set out from Derby, but soon went off route and returned to its originating point due to faulty recording equipment. Things were more successful the following Tuesday – April 19th 2022 – when the 1Q51 Test Train ran from Derby Railway Technical Centre (RTC) to Eastleigh East Yard via Weymouth in the charge of GBRf Class 73 Electro-diesel locomotives No.’s 73961 ‘Alison’ and 73964 ‘Jeanette’.
COLAS Class 73 top and tailed Test Train – 19/04/2022
One test train which did make it to Dorset at the first attempt was the COLAS Ultrasonic Testing Unit, albeit 130 minutes late and its journey truncated at Wool where the service reversed without covering the tracks to and from Weymouth. Ultrasonic Testing Unit trains usually have one locomotive at one end, and a DBSO (Driving Brake Standard Open) at the other, as in the case of this working; 3Q02 Eastleigh East Yard to Eastleigh East Yard with Class 37 No. 37612. The DBSO controls the locomotive at the other end when required and dispenses with the need for the loco to run round the train or have top and tailed locomotives. UTU trains have ground-penetrating radar systems to detect voids and deformations up to 2 meters into the ballast and earth using rail profile scanners to help identify problems or degradation in track profile, comparing it to a template of an ideal track. Having planned to pop over to Poole to see this particular working I initially thought the run had been cancelled as Real Time Trains had given no indication of a departure from Eastleigh at the scheduled time, but two hours later the train was on the move.
3Q02 Eastleigh East Yard to Eastleigh East Yard with Class 37 No. 37612 pauses at Poole – 14/04/2022
Class 37 no. 37612 passes through Poole with an Ultrasonic Testing Unit train – 14/04/2022
Here are a few images of previous test trains utilising DBSO’s which have visited Dorset, in these instances in the charge of Brush Type 2 Class 31 diesel locomotives. These locos were once a common sight on the Bristol to Weymouth line hauling passenger trains, so I was pleased to find one running on the Avon Valley Railway over the Easter Weekend.
Class 31 No. 31602 ‘Driver Dave Green’ at the rear of a test train at Upwey heading to Weymouth – 28/07/2011 Class 31 No. 31106 heading a test train into Upwey – 17/11/2011Class 31 No. 31106 heads a test train through Upwey – 17/11/2011Class 31 No. 31465 propels a test train through Dorchester South – 10/04/2012Class 31 No. 31465 at Dorchester South – 10/04/2012
Later on Thursday 14th April another late runner was the movement of Class 33 No. D6515/ 33012 ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ and Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ from Eastleigh Arlington to Swanage. The locomotives were on their way in preparation for the Swanage Diesel Gala to be held in a few weeks time. Because of the delay departing Eastleigh ( I read this was because of an air leak on the Class 50, but not sure if that is true or someones idea of a joke given the Class 50’s nickname of ‘Hoover’ ). Because of work commitments, I was unable to get to where I had planned to see these two, but I was quite happy with the resulting video and photographs at the location I selected in Parkstone.
Class 33 No. 33012 and Class 50 No. 50026 pass Parkstone heading to Swanage – 14/04/2022
33012 and 50026 heading to Swanage – 14/04/2022Back in British Rail days, class 33 No. 33012 with full yellow cab ends sits in the sidings at Weymouth – 01/01/1982Class 33 No. 33012 with full yellow cab ends sits in the sidings at Weymouth – 01/01/1982Class 33 No. 33012 with a Weymouth to Bristol service at Dorchester West – 09/02/1982. Night photography was never my strong point!
The Easter weekend saw Yoshi and I visit a few railway themed locations, kicking off with a lovely Good Friday afternoon walk around a foggy West Bay where we enjoyed ice-cream.
Yoshi can’t get enough of his Scoops ice-cream for dogs (Photo courtesy of @radioc71 )
Our visit to West Bay, of course, included a visit to the disused station which is now a restaurant. The owners of The Station Kitchen have placed two carriages on the length of track alongside the station platform and it all looks rather wonderful.
The Station Kitchen, West Bay Yoshi at West Bay Station
On Saturday we ventured a little further afield to the Avon Valley Railway and enjoyed a trip behind Class 31 No. 31130. I think Yoshi liked that we had our own compartment and enjoyed the ride from Bitton to Oldland Common and back. The track to Avon Riverside is currently closed for upgrade work. The line was originally opened in 1869 by the Midland Railway as a route between the Midlands and the South Coast. The Avon Valley Railway was later linked to the Somerset & Dorset Railway. Closed as part of the Beeching Axe in the 1960’s the line was saved by a group of volunteers and today three miles of track has been re-laid and trains can once again run along the Avon Valley which I can highly recommend. I look forward to a return visit for a walk further alongside the track on the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, a 13 mile off-road route between Bristol and Bath city centres. The staff and volunteers at the railway were amazingly friendly during our visit and Yoshi was made a great fuss of and even visited the cab of the Class 31, although he wasn’t allowed to drive the locomotive, because quite frankly that would have been a bit silly.
Class 31 No. 31130 at Bitton station on the Avon Valley Railway – 16/04/2022Yoshi in the cab of Class 31 No. 31130Yoshi in the cab of Class 31 No. 31130
Yoshi enjoys a trip behind 31130 on the Avon Valley Railway – 16/04/2022
The Class 31 mixed traffic diesels were built by Brush Traction of Loughborough from 1957 – 1962 and were one of the pilot Modernisation Plan locomotive classes ordered by British Rail in the 1950’s to replace steam traction. They were given the nickname ‘Goyles’ by train spotters, this being a reference to gargoyle because of their supposed ugly design. I rather like them and have a fondness for the class and their many variations.
Firstbuild Class 31 No. D5500 which was renumbered as No. 31018 on display at the National Railway Museum in York – 03/07/2012
Our day out was planned around picking up a train shaped flower planter we had ordered and on our way from the Avon Valley Railway we popped into Keynsham to catch a glimpse of passing Class 66 No. 66134 working to Westbury and a couple of Great Western IET’s.
Class 66 No. 66134 working 1101 Margam T.C. to Westbury
Fifteen minutes at Keynsham condensed – 16/04/2022
We also had time to pop in at Cranmore for a cuppa and to see GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T No. 4555 which was working the passenger trains on the East Somerset Railway. Again Yoshi enjoyed all the attention and scritches he received.
GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T Small Prairie No. 4555 at Cranmore – 16/04/2022
GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T Small Prairie No. 4555 at Cranmore – 16/04/2022
After picking up the planter in Somerset we drove home via Chard as engineering work was taking place over the Easter weekend between Yeovil Junction and Honiton. We were very kindly escorted on to the disused station platform at Chard Junction to take photographs of GBRf Class 66 No. 66793 in British Rail Railfreight Construction livery attached to the engineers train. The station was closed to passenger traffic in March 1966 and there have been many calls, over the years since, to reopen it.
GBRf Class 66 No. 66793 – Chard Junction 16/04/2022GBRf Class 66 No. 66793 – Chard Junction 16/04/2022
GBRf Class 66 No. 66793 – Chard Junction 16/04/2022
Sunday afternoon we popped into Swanage to visit the Swanage Railway who were operating a two train service utilising SR Bullied 4-6-2 West Country Class No. 34028 ‘Eddystone’ and GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T Small Prairie No. 5526. We also got another glimpse of Class 33 No. 33012 and Class 50 No. 50026 stabled in the sidings close to the engine shed.
Class 33 No. 33012 and Class 50 No. 50026 in the sidings at Swanage – 17/04/2022SR 4-6-2 West Country Class No. 34028 ‘Eddystone’ departs Swanage – 17/04/2022GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T Small Prairie No. 5526 arrives at Swanage with a service from Norden
Swanage Railway – Easter Sunday 2022
For our first archive video this week, we return to Keynsham ( and Bradford-on-Avon ) for a glimpse of Great Western Railway Castle Class No. 5029 ‘Nunney Castle’. This locomotive was built at Swindon Works in 1934 and takes the name of a small castle near Frome, Somerset. She was withdrawn from service in December 1963 and sold to Woodham Bros. at Barry, arriving at the famous scrap yard in June 1964 being the last steam locomotive delivered to Barry scrap yard by rail. She was rescued after rusting away for 12 years and in May 1976 was the last Castle class locomotive to leave Barry. Throughout the summer season in 2010 ‘Nunney Castle’ hauled the Sunday ‘Weymouth Seaside Express’ trains organised by The Railway Touring Company, departing from the Bristol area bound for Weymouth and I have fond memories of hearing her exhaust beat echo around on her departure from Keynsham, as can be heard in the video below:
Finally, to wrap things up, here is a short video of Class 31’s top and tailing a test train at Upwey in September 2007:
Class 31’s No. 31602 and 31459 ‘Cerberus’ at Upwey – 25/09/2007
Don’t forget if you’re thinking about traveling by rail between 25/04/2022 and 27/05/2022 South Western Railway and Great Western Railway are just two of the rail operators offering up to 50% discounts on advance bookings on off-peak tickets as part of ‘The Great British Rail Sale’ . This comes after the highest increases in rail fares in nine years came into effect last month ( March 2022 ). Vacuous Toby Jug Transport Secretary Grant Shapps ( the name he’s currently using ) announced the promotion in a video on Twitter saying it would ‘help with the cost of living’. Unless you can eat or burn the tickets for heating, I have my doubts about that claim.
Train operators and Network Rail have been told by the Department of Transport ( DafT ) to find cost savings of 10% to 15%, after the Treasury spent an extra £15bn subsidising rail for lost revenue over the past two years during the Covid pandemic. The DafT said reforms to the sector due to be introduced after the Williams-Shapps review plan for Great British Railways (2021) could see more such network-wide sales across rail fares.
