The Railway Dog

Category: Freight Trains

  • 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!

  • Wales… again

    Yoshi takes a look at Transport for Wales Class 175 No. 175112 stands at platform 0 forming 1W61 1453 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly – 29/04/2023

    Saturday Yoshi and I had a brief trip to South Wales in the hope of seeing at least one Transport for Wales (TfW) liveried Class 67 working. We also caught up with @smithy.377 (please check out his Instagram account for a fabulous collection of railway images). Our first stop was Newport as what should not have been a diesel-multiple unit working had suddenly been switched to locomotive hauled.

    Newport station was originally opened in 1850 by the South Wales Railway Company and saw expansion in 1928. A new station building was built in 2010 with four full size platforms, to facilitate new 10 car bi-mode Intercity Express Trains (IET).

    Station staff were friendly and allowed us access in time to see DB liveried Class 67 No. 67010 arrive with a service bound for Manchester. Followed shortly after by a Great Western Railway (GWR) Castle set headed up by Class 43 No. 43040 ‘Berry Pomeroy Castle’. This loco was of interest as it carries 40th Anniversary Falkland Island decals on the body side. While I was recording images of this set, I managed to miss seeing a Class 66 on a freight working go through on the centre road. To compound matters, as we left the station we heard a Class 60 approaching, but had no time to get to platform level to take photographs or video. Luckily we were to see the same locomotive later in the day as it worked back through Cardiff, which was our next stop.

    DB Class 67 No. 67010 arrives at Newport working 1W57 Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly – 29/04/2023
    Great Western Railway (GWR) Class 43 No. 43040 ‘Berry Pomeroy Castle’ awaits departure from Newport working 2C73 1100 Cardiff Central to Penzance – 29/04/2023
    40th Anniversary of the Falklands conflict decals on the side of HST power car No. 43040 ‘Berry Pomeroy Castle’ – 29/04/2023

    We arrived in Cardiff just in time to miss a double-headed light engine movement through the station heading to Westbury. But we saw a number of GWR Castle HST sets on Cardiff services to and from the West Country.

    GWR Class 43 43188 ‘Newport Castle’ arrives at its final destination working 2U14 1043 Exeter St Davids to Cardiff Central – 29/04/2023
    Class 43 No. 43194 ‘Okehampton Castle’ awaits departure at the rear of 2C81 1500 Cardiff Central to Penzance – 29/04/2023

    Good news that GWR will be retaining four of its Castle Class HST sets into 2024. The operator had originally planned a phased rundown of the fleet through 2023.

    The four carriage HST’s are used on a variety of regional and inter-urban services in the West of England. While they are gradually being replaced by IET’s on these diagrams, the retention of a small number of HST’s will assist GWR with providing adequate capacity. A planned cascade of Turbo DMU’s to the West of England, released by the introduction of Class 769’s in the Thames Valley, has been abandoned as the 769’s have been sent off lease. GWR will still rid themselves of the HST’s which are owned by Angel Trains, but a small number of sets are either owned by FirstGroup or are franchise assets, and it is these sets which will remain into 2024. It is understood that they are likely to remain in service until December 2024.

    The Class 60 we missed at Newport reappeared much to our relief working Llanwern to Margam train. We saw two Class 60’s during our trip. I have a soft spot for these locos and hope that they find a future. It’s understood that GBRf will be undertaking an evaluation study at EMD Longport with the view of possible Class 60 conversion work in the future.

    Class 60 No. 60024 working the early running 6H26 1325 Llanwern Exchange Sdgs to Margam T.C passing through Cardiff Central.- 29/04/2023
    DB Class 60 No. 60010 works 6F06 1110 Newport Docks to Margam T.C. through Cardiff Central – 29/04/2023

    Having managed to miss out on other Class 66’s earlier I was pleased that I eventually managed to catch a couple of the locomotives, one of which can be seen in images below and the other, No. 66053 can be seen in the accompanying video further down this page.

    66776 ‘Joanne’ works 6V75 0931 Dee Marsh Recp GBRf to Margam TC GBR running 280 minutes early through Cardiff Central – 29/04/2023
    66776 ‘Joanne’ returns light engine through Cardiff Central – 29/04/2023

    Our last train of the day was scheduled to be another Class 67. This, like the first working we saw at Newport, was in DB red livery instead of the hoped for TfW colours. It didn’t really matter, Yoshi still barked at it. On leaving Cardiff Central, gate staff were very enamoured with Yoshi and we swapped cockapoo stories and I was shown photographs of cockapoo’s owned by the TfW staff present.

    DB Class 67 No. 67013 at the rear of the terminating 1V42 1230 Manchester Piccadilly to Cardiff Central – 29/04/2023
    Video from Newport and Cardiff – 29/04/2023

    The following day in inclement weather @da_buckley967, Yoshi and I headed over to Somerset for a fleeting glimpse of LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’ as she worked the first rail tour of her Centenary year programme, The Railway Touring Company organised “The Royal Duchy”. To avoid trespassers on the railway, timings for this excursion were released a couple of days prior to the train running. But there were still good many people positioned safely on over bridges waiting for the ‘people’s locomotive’ to pass by on her way to Par.

    LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’ storms past Cogload Junction working The Railway Touring Company “The Royal Duchy” 1Z45 0907 Bristol Temple Meads to Par – 30/04/2023
    Video of LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’ storming past Cogload Junction working The Railway Touring Company “The Royal Duchy” 1Z45 0907 Bristol Temple Meads to Par – 30/04/2023
    The special stamps issued by the Royal Mail to celebrate 100 years of ‘Flying Scotsman’ in 2023. I rather like them!

    Monday morning I set the alarm for 0350am so I could drive over to Bournemouth to see the Midland Pullman blue HST set which was running an excursion to and from North Wales. On arrival at the Bournemouth station I found everything locked up, but managed to video the arrival through a convenient gate! Thinking I’d be the only one foolish to get up at such an hour for the purpose of seeing a train, I was pleased that this was far from the truth as a number of railway enthusiasts had made the effort. I was doubly pleased that an old colleague and friend, Nick, was at the station to witness the occasion. Slightly late, the station doors were unlocked, and train crew, passengers and railway enthusiasts gained access to the platforms. It really is a stunning train and the onboard staff were very friendly and happy to show off their charge.

    LSL Midland Pullman Class 43 No. 43046 ‘Geoff Drury 1930-1999’ at Bournemouth having arrived empty coaching stock from Eastleigh Arlington – 01/05/2023
    Nameplate of LSL Midland Pullman Class 43 No. 43046 ‘Geoff Drury 1930-1999’ – – 01/05/2023
    LSL Midland Pullman Class 43 No. 43055 awaiting departure from Bournemouth at the head of 1Z43 0516 Bournemouth to Llandudno railtour the “Llandudno Victorian Pullman” – 01/05/2023

    This is the first time the Midland Pullman HST set has visited Bournemouth, and the second time I’d seen the train. Back in October 2020 the set was seen in public for the first time as it departed Eastleigh Arlington Fleet Services. Having always loved the original Blue Pullman train set of the 1960’s Yoshi and I headed over to Eastleigh in good time prior to it’s intended departure. However, as usual in railway moves, things did not go to plan and the HST set last several hours late under cover of darkness. I was caught out by a passing container train and by the time Yoshi and I had made it over the station footbridge to get a clear view the Midland Pullman was already passing through the station. In my rush, I’d also knocked the video setting on my phone to time lapse. You can see the results in the video below. The honking at the beginning is the HST set making its presence known over on the works at the time it should have been well on its way to Crewe.

    Eastleigh on 30/10/2020

    The carriage set, powered by Class 43 no.’s 43046 and 43055 has been fully configured using leather First Class seats from GWR HST trailers, with a Pullman motif on the antimacassars.

    Video screen grab of the Midland Pullman’s first public outing passing through Eastleigh – 30/10/2020
    Prior to be repainted into Midland Pullman blue livery, Class 43 power cars No.’s 43055 and 43046 in East Midlands Railway (EMR) livery await attention at Eastleigh Arlington works – 22/08/2020

    We’ve been beaten by the clock once again, although to be fair any arbitrary deadline is one of my own imposition. But if I didn’t set myself a Wednesday posting date, I’d never edit photos, video or update anything. The bank holiday weekend was very enjoyable and it was good to share it with some lovely folk and the best cockapoo buddy I could wish for. The next week is looking to be a quiet one in Dorset and for Yoshi and I, but all being well, we’ll find something to write about. Thank you for reading and your comments, corrections and observations. As always these are much appreciated.

    I didn’t want to close this week without paying tribute to well known photographer and author, Brian Morrison, who has sadly passed away, at the age of 93. Brian’s name is one I fondly remember from railway magazines of my youth right up to more recent publications. Brian’s images were, and continue to be, an inspiration to all who enjoy railway photography. His was a name that spanned the generations, with his first picture being published in 1951 and across almost every British railway magazine to have been published. 

    The following is from “The Railway Herald”:

    Brian had a railway interest since a young age, and after being ‘demobbed’ from the army in 1951, went and bought a camera, the same day visiting Liverpool Street station in London and taking his first picture, depicting Gresley-designed B17/1 ‘Sandringham’ 4-6-0 No. 61625 ‘Raby Castle’ being serviced in the yard at the end of the platforms. Remarkably, it was published a couple of months later in “The Railway Magazine”! Few photographers can claim to have their first picture, taken on their first camera, published!

    Through the pages of Ian Allan published abc number books and subsequently in almost all printed and digital railway titles that have been published in the UK, Brian’s photographs have been enjoyed by a wide variety of people and have inspired generations into photography of the rail network. In addition, he was also the author, or co-author, of over 50 books.

    Our thoughts and condolences go to Brian’s family and friends.

  • SWR Living Walls

    South Western Railway (SWR) Class 444 No. 444007 arrives into Bournemouth with 5W28 1748 Bournemouth Middle Sidings to Bournemouth empty coaching stock movement – 15/04/2023

    Thursday 13th April was greeted by South Western Railway (SWR) announcing a major fault at @0300 in the cabling that powers the signalling systems at London Waterloo. This knocked out 14 of the platforms. Consequently passengers were advised not to travel on routes into the busiest railway station in Britain with 41.4 million customers travelling through every year. Engineers fixed the problem by 1130, however because of the length of time the lines were blocked SWR was expecting disruption until the end of the day. For some reason, a number of trains between Weymouth and Poole / Bournemouth were cancelled. We asked SWR why and were told it was “due to staff and stock displacement”. There were three Class 444 Electric Multiple Units in Weymouth station so I can only assume SWR have not heard of taxis to get staff to Weymouth. Yet again the Bournemouth to Weymouth line is mostly disregarded when it comes to providing a train service.

    South Western Railway (SWR) Class 444 No. 444007 forms the front section of 1W28 1703 Weymouth to London Waterloo. Class member No. 444017 joined No. 444007 with the section from Weymouth. Class 450 No. 450041 sits in the bay platform with the 2B68 1802 Bournemouth to Winchester service – 15/04/2023

    However, Bournemouth station has been chosen to showcase a new, green addition on the platforms. SWR has introduced new, more energy-efficient vending machines as part of a world-leading, innovative new trial having partnered with Christchurch-based Decorum Vending, who have worked with Regency Design and phs Greenleaf to design the world’s first “living walls” that can be attached to the sides of vending machines.

    Yoshi takes a look at the Living Wall vending machine on platform 3 at Bournemouth railway station. He wanted a Milky Way, but we declined his requests – 15/04/2023

    The living walls – which are small, self-sufficient, vertical gardens – have been developed to thrive in all locations, whether sunlight, shady or covered, and if the trial at Bournemouth is successful, they will be making an appearance on machines at other locations on the SWR network. The living walls are attached to an advanced vending machine which uses 54% less electricity than previous versions and has a smaller environmental impact through the use of upgraded refrigerants. Annually, each wall consumes nearly 5kg of carbon and produces 2.4kg of oxygen while combatting air pollution and increasing biodiversity. The walls’ structures are made from recycled coffee grounds and all removed plants are recycled back into biomass. Living walls have been proven to effectively reduce harmful nitrogen oxides while providing a boost to biodiversity, by providing accessible habitats for insects and other wildlife.

    Class 444 No. 444017 departs Bournemouth at the rear of the 1W28 1703 Weymouth to London Waterloo service. A Living Wall vending machine can be seen on platform 2 in the middle of the image – 15/04/2023

    The new vending machines join other innovations in Bournemouth including station benches made from recycled plastic bottles and a plastic-free dispenser for both still and sparkling water.

    Class 66 No. 66587 ‘As One, We Can’ with Class 47 No. 47830 ‘Beeching’s Legacy’ tucked inside at Crewe Basford Hall. The Class 47 will be a guest at the Swanage Diesel Gala in May – 01/04/2023

    We posted photos of our recent visit to the Crewe Heritage Centre last week. We were in Crewe to take part in an Inter City Railway Society organised visit to Crewe Basford Hall Yard, a railway marshalling yard which since the 1970’s has been the stabling and swapping of intermodal trains operated by the Freightliner Group. The yard is situated just under a mile south of Crew railway station and was originally opened in 1901 by the London & North Western Railway (LNWR). During the 1930’s, Basford Hall was the busiest marshalling yard in Europe, handing between 28,000 and 47,000 wagons every week.

    We arrived in good time at the 1145 meeting point situated at the entrance to Basford Hall. Parking was limited, and we were very grateful that another car shunted forward to allow enough space to squeeze in a Nissan Note. After signing in and handing over our fee, we joined an expectant number of other enthusiasts to await the safety briefing prior to admission into the yard. It was stressed that visitors should be in good health as on a previous visit a member of an enthusiast group had been taking ill through the exertion of walking over uneven surfaces and railway track.

    Freightliner Class 66 No. 66561 runs light engine through Crewe Basford Hall – 01/04/2023
    DB Cargo Class 66 No. 66078 at Crewe Basford Hall – 01/04/2023

    The yard, still one of the busiest in the UK for freight traffic, is a nationally important node on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), with most freight trains routed through the yard in order to avoid congesting the nearby Crewe railway station, which is also an important junction on the WCML for passengers.

    Prior to the privatisation of British Rail (BR), Freightliner trains would run from various locations in the north which were then re-organised at Basford Hall to make whole trains for other locations. In 1992, the destination roster was changed so that all services stopped at Crewe to allow swapping of containers. This meant that any destination or point of origin was possible with only one change. Whilst this process has lessened in the 21st century, Basford Hall is still an important location for the stabling and rearranging of trains for Freightliner’s intermodal network.

    Freightliner also stable non-intermodal freight trains at Basford Hall, and they have a maintenance location on site for wagons and locomotives, with heavier repairs and maintenance is still undertaken at Leeds Midland Road. A fuelling point was opened at Basford Hall in 1998, when the yard experienced an upsurge in traffic, with further remodelling of the down yard taking place in 2000. The traction maintenance depot (TMD) was opened on site in 2016, with the TOPS code of BA.

    From left to right: Class 66 No. 66413 ‘Lest We Forget’, Class 90 No. 90004 and Class 90 No. 90046 inside Crewe Vehicle Maintenance Facility (taken from a window looking into the facility) – 01/04/2023

    Crewe Vehicle Maintenance Facility is comprised of a two-road diesel Loco fuel point and a five-road maintenance shed. The facility operates 24/7 providing maintenance services for both electric and diesel locomotives across six types, Classes 08, 47, 66, 70 86 and 90. Home to Freightliner’s electric fleet, the Crewe VMF team carry out all planned maintenance activities on these locos including wheelset changes, bogie overhauls and transformer changes. In addition the team carry out servicing, maintenance and repair activities on the diesel fleet from the fuel point and also up to C exams on the Class 66’s in the maintenance shed. The team is currently expanding into class 66 engine work as part of their 2020 maintenance development plan.

    Class 66 No. 66419 ‘Lionesses’ Roar’ stands in number 1 road at Basford Hall Crewe Vehicle Maintenance Facility – 01/04/2023
    Class 66 No’s. 66951 and 66419 ‘Lionesses’ Roar’ outside Crewe Vehicle Maintenance Facility – 01/04/2023

    A team of mobile Field Service Engineers, managed from Crewe but strategically located throughout the country undertake planned maintenance and repairs in the field minimising locomotive downtime.

    Class 90’s stabled at Crewe Basford Hall including No’s. 90048 / 90003 / 90007/ 90011 / 90010 / 90006 / 90043 – 01/04/2023
    Another view of Class 90’s at Crewe Basford Hall – 01/04/2023
    Class 90 No. 90006 ‘Modern railways Magazine / Roger Ford’ with Class 90 No. 90043 at Crewe Basford Hall – 01/04/2023
    Class 90 No. 90045 at Crewe Basford Hall – 01/04/2023
    A long line of stored and disused Class 86 locomotives awaiting their fate at Crewe Basford Hall. Rumour is they are being sold to Bulgaria – 01/04/2023
    Class 90 No. 90050 in very poor condition at Crewe Basford Hall Sorting Sidings – 01/04/2023

    Our visit took just over an hour and I found it very enjoyable, although I understand that some in the group were very frustrated as they were unable to wander down every line of wagons in order to collect the numbers.

    Afterwards, we made the short walk over the road to peer through the fence at Direct Rail Services Crewe facility and were able to obtain the following views:

    A modern line up at DRS Crewe Gresty Bridge with Class 68 locomotives No’s. 68027 ‘Splendid’ 68002 ‘Intrepid’ and 68022 ‘Resolution’ – 01/04/2023
    Class 88 No. 88001 ‘Revolution’ and 57305 at DRS Gresty Bridge – 01/04/2023

    At this point we collected the car and drove round to the Crewe Heritage Centre which we chatted about last time.

    Our next port of call was Casey Lane which is situated just south of Crewe Basford Hall yard for an entertaining hour of watching trains go by, the highlight for me being a Class 60 on a sand train.

    Freightliner Class 66 No’s. 66561 and 66590 depart Basford Hall with light engine movement 0Y61 1557 Crewe Basford Hall to Bescot Up Engineers Sidings – 01/04/2023
    Cappagh liveried DCR Class 60 No. 60028 heads north past Casey Lane with 6M89 0901 Middleton Towers to Ravenhead Sidings – 01/04/2023
    DB Cargo Class 66 No. 66074 departs Crewe Basford Hall working 4M25 0628 Mossend Down Yard to Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal Reception RFD as a passing Avanti Class 390 Pendolino heads north- 01/04/2023

    Our intention was then to pop into Longport to have a look through the fences at Electromotive (EMD) before heading onto Derby for an overnight stay. And although we did drive down to Longport and captured the following images, we were soon on our way back to Crewe!

    Class 56 No. 56097 at Longport has been nominated for the Class 69 conversion programme and will become either No. 69015 or 69016 – 01/04/2023
    Class 56 No. 56009, destined to be converted into Class 69 No. 69015 or 69016 in the yard at Longport with Class 69 No. 69001 ‘Mayflower’ behind. No. 69001 was awaiting release back into traffic following the completion of the first of three packages of planned modifications being rolled out for the Class 69’s including a new drivers seat and cab modifications. Part two is connected with air conditioning while part three is for engine tuning to reduce vibrations – 01/04/2023
    69008 (ex-56038) in grey primer at Longport. This conversion is the first to include the additional front connection for stock movements – 01/04/2023

    As we returned to the car at Longport, we heard a rumbling noise coming trough the station which sounded very much like a Class 37, because it was indeed one of the veteran locomotives which soon passed us top and tailing two FNA flask wagons with a Class 57. A quick look at Real Time Trains revealed the working was heading to Crewe Coal Sidings which would require a reversal in Crewe Station. The timings were in our favour so we headed back up the A500 and the barrier staff at the station very kindly allowed us access to the platforms allowing us to see Class 37 No. 37401 ‘Mary Queen Of Scots’ arrive with Class 57 No. 57309 ‘Pride Of Crewe’ bringing up the rear.

    Class 37 No. 37401 ‘Mary Queen Of Scots’ arrives at Crewe with Class 57 No. 57309 ‘Pride Of Crewe’ at the rear of two FNA flask wagons working 6Z52 1325 Leeds Balm Road Loco Freightliner Heavy Haul to Crewe Coal Sidings DRS – 01/04/2023
    Class 57 No. 57309 ‘Pride Of Crewe’ waits to depart Crewe as the driver changes locomotives, the train having been brought into the station by Class 37 No. 37401 ‘Mary Queen Of Scots’ working 6Z52 1325 Leeds Balm Road Loco Freightliner Heavy Haul to Crewe Coal Sidings DRS – 01/04/2023

    Our afternoon at Casey Lane and Crewe railway station has been distilled into the following video:

    DRS Class 57 No. 57304 ‘Pride Of Cheshire’ stabled at Crewe Station for Thunderbird (rescue) duties – 01/04/2023

    Arrival at Derby was slightly later than planned, but feeling chuffed to have captured the flask working at Crewe. To stretch our legs we had a walk over to the East Midlands Railway depot, which might have been a highlight had it not been so dark! On the way we passed a former roundhouse engine shed building now in use by the university. The evening was rounded off with a visit to The Alexandra Hotel to check out the railway memorabilia agai and a bag of surprisingly good chips!

    This is the world’s first railway roundhouse, built by Robert Stephenson in 1839 for the North Midland Railway.
    It was decribed on construction as “A polygon of sixteen sides, and 58m (190 ft) diameter, lighted from a dome-shaped roof, of the height of 15 m (50 ft). It contains sixteen lines of rails, radiating from a single turn-table in the centre: the engines, on their arrival, are taken in there, placed upon the turn-table, and wheeled into any stall that may be vacant. Each of the sixteen stalls will hold two, or perhaps more, engines.”
    Early steam locomotives normally travelled forwards only; although reverse operations capabilities were soon built into locomotive mechanisms, the controls were normally optimized for forward travel, and the locomotives often could not operate as well in reverse. Some passenger cars, such as observation cars, were also designed as late as the 1960s for operations in a particular direction. A turntable therefore allowed a locomotive or other rolling stock to be turned around for the return journey.
    Located next to Derby Railway Station, the buildings were previously part of the East Midlands’ thriving railway business. Attached to and integral with the Roundhouse are two buildings distinct within their own right. Firstly, The Carriage Shop, which as the name suggests, was primarily used for the manufacture and repair of railway carriages. Secondly, there is an office complex which consists of three storeys of accommodation wrapped around the North West quadrant of the Roundhouse. In addition to this complex of three adjoined buildings, there is a fourth building which stands alone to the North. This is known as The Midland Counties Building or Engine Shop.
    Having narrowly escaped demolition after the closure of Derby Railway Works, this Grade II* Listed Building has been sympathetically restored as the main campus of Derby College, catering for more than half of the college’s 25,000 students. Source: https://www.nationaltransporttrust.org.uk/heritage-sites/heritage-detail/derby-roundhouse
    The North Midland Railway and later Midland Railway workshop, Derby – 01/04/2023
    Former railway cottages, Derby – 01/04/2023
    Former railway cottages, Derby – 01/04/2023
    The Alexandra Hotel, Derby. A Class 37 cab can be seen in the car park to the left of the image. You can see more images of the railway memorabilia located at the pub in a previous blog entry here – 01/04/2023

    That’s it for another week – time has defeated us once again! Thank you, as always, for visiting, your comments and encouragement. However, we can’t close without mention of the story first broken by “The Independent” newspaper regarding a leaked Network Rail presentation claiming the condition of railway infrastructure including track, bridges and earthworks is expected to worsen as funding will not cover the rising costs of maintaining a largely Victorian network. We only have to look at the Nuneham Viaduct in Oxfordshire which was closed on 3rd April for safety reasons after cracks appeared in supporting structures. This section of railway, a key artery on the route between the Midlands, London and the South Coast which includes CrossCountry services from / to Bournemouth, will be closed until at least 10th June 2023.

    The leaked presentation states that the funding constrictions will mean:

    • Network Rail will do fewer repairs over the next five years, clearing less of the debris that can cause delays and accidents.
    • Lack of funding will lead to higher costs overall as Network Rail will be expected to repeatedly repair outdated infrastructure instead of replacing it.
    • Network Rail £3bn risk fund, which covers unpredictable events like a pandemic or extreme weather, has been cut because there is “not sufficient headroom”.
    • A “market-led” approach to maintenance will be adopted, with the highest earning services taking priority.

    All this was revealed as the RMT union highlighted Transport Secretary Mark Harper has allowed two rail companies to be paid £82 million in dividends in 2022. FirstRail Holdings Ltd, the holding company for five FirstGroup franchises, and Govia Thameslink Railways, which runs the biggest franchise in Britain, have recently reported dividend payments of £65 million and £16.9 million respectively in their annual accounts for 2022.

    This is the despite the fact both companies are part of a major industrial dispute where hundreds of millions of pounds has been used to indemnify them against lost revenue from strike action. Two of First Rail Holdings Ltd’s franchises, Avanti West Coast and Transpennine Express, have been the subject of public and political controversy after cancelling hundreds of services. In spite of this, the government has renewed or extended contracts for Avanti West Coast and may shortly do the same for Transpennine Express.

    Govia won a contract to carry on running the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise from the government in October 2022 despite its sister company LSER being stripped of the Southeastern franchise for concealing public money. The Department for Transport allowed Go-Ahead Group to conduct its own internal inquiry into the failings at LSER and renewed Govia’s contract for the Thameslink franchise in spite of the fact that the two companies shared many of the same management personnel.

    All these franchises have benefited from indemnification worth hundreds of millions of pounds in taxpayers’ money by the DfT to cover the costs of lost passenger revenue during the ongoing dispute. The RMT believes this is unnecessarily prolonging the dispute, as the employers do not feel the full impact of stoppages.

    What a way to run a railway…. into the ground.

  • Best Way to West Bay

    Yoshi visits Bradpole to check out the crossing gate and track on the former Bridport Branch – 26/02/2023

    Wednesday 22nd February 2023 to Tuesday 28th February 2023

    We start off this week with another ‘no-show’ as the New Measurement Train running as 1Z22 0748 Derby RTC Serco to Bristol Kingsland Road Freightliner Heavy Haul scheduled to visit Weymouth via Yeovil Pen Mill on Wednesday 22nd February 2023 was truncated at Cheltenham Spa. The train would have seen Class 37 locomotives No.’s 37421 and 37610 in Dorset had it not been partially cancelled en-route at the request of the operator. It did make me wonder about the legal obligation, if any, of Network Rail to observe the findings by the Rail Accident Investigation Board (RAIB) and run these trains over the entire rail network. Maybe one day we’ll try and find out. Wednesday did, however, see two other special workings along the Bournemouth to Weymouth section as the Snow & Ice Treatment Train (SITT) and the third and final Freightliner engineers train of the week both ran as planned. The SITT made a return visit to Dorset running as far as Wareham on Monday 27th February.

    All three February 2023 Dorset Freightliner engineers trains for your delectation
    GBRf Class 66 No. 66789 ‘British Rail 1948-1997’ in retro large logo livery stands in Totton Yard. I think it rather suits! – 25/02/2023

    Keen to get a daylight image of British Rail large logo liveried Class 66 No. 66789 on the SITT as I incorrectly, as it turned out, assumed the loco would be swapped out for another member of the same class, Yoshi and I made the trip to Totton Yard to see the train before its return working to Eastleigh East Yard on Saturday morning.

    GBRf Class 66 No. 66789 ‘British Rail 1948-1997’ and 66730 ‘Whitemoor’ top and tail the Snow & Ice Treatment Train (SITT) in Totton Yard – 25/02/2023
    Video of the SITT working over the last week of February 2023 with GBRf Class 66 No. 66789 ‘British Rail 1948-1997’ and 66730 ‘Whitemoor’ at various locations

    We also stopped off in Southampton to peer over the road bridge crossing the railway which leads to the Southampton Maritime Container Terminal which is built on reclaimed land and was opened in 1968. Dealing solely in deep sea container traffic the adjacent Freightliner terminal for rail-borne traffic links directly to the South West Main Line (SWML) at Millbrook and Redbridge. Network Rail carried out upgrades, completed in early 2021, allowing trains up to 775 metres in length to gain access to Southampton MCT which is the major rail freight traffic centre in the region. Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of cargo in a shipping container utilising multiple modes of transport such as rail, ship, truck and aircraft without any handling of the contents while changing modes. Direct intermodal services operate from Southampton MCT six days a week to UK destinations such as Leeds and Crewe.

    In this video: XC 220008 / 221140 1M38 0945 Bournemouth to Manchester Piccadilly; GWR 166209 1F62 0923 Portsmouth Harbour to Romsey; FL 70004 4018 0424 Lawley Street FLT to Southampton MCT; SWR 444021/444017 1W08 0903 Weymouth to London Waterloo; SWR 444016/444031 1W59 0905 London Waterloo to Weymouth and Poole; SWR 158883 2S23 1007 Romsey to Romsey; FL 66568 4V34 1102 Southampton MCT to Portbury Automotive FHH; SWR 450002 2B36 1002 Bournemouth to Winchester; 444042/444019 1W54 0920 Weymouth and Poole to London Waterloo; SWR 444010/444020 1W61 1005 London Waterloo to Weymouth and Poole
    Freightliner Class 08 No. 08785 at Southampton MCT – 25/02/2023
    As South Western Railway service 1W17 0835 London Waterloo to Weymouth formed of Class 444 EMU No.’s 444026 and 444034 passes on the SWML, Class 66 No. 66536 receives attention at Southampton MCT – 25/02/2023
    Class 70 No. 70004 arrives at Southampton MCT working the 4018 0424 from Lawley Street Freightliner – 25/02/2023
    The SITT passes Southampton MCT at Redbridge working 3Y88 1032 Totton Yard to Eastleigh East Yard in the care of GBRf Class 66 locos No.’s 66730 ‘Whitemoor’ and 66789 ‘British Rail 1948-1997’ – 25/02/2023
    Class 70 No. 70004 having just detached from her train at its final destination; 4018 0424 Lawley Street to Southampton MCT – 25/02/2023

    Finally, we paid a visit to Eastleigh in the hope that former Colas Rail and newly outshopped in GBRf livery Class 67 No. 67027 would be in a position for a decent photograph as had been widely reported on social media the previous day. The Class 67 should have departed Eastleigh Arlington works bound for Rugby on the Friday, but brake issues meant it remained stuck in Hampshire. Although I was pleased with my iPhone shot of the Class 66 at Totton, my luck ran out when it came to Eastleigh and the Class 67 as the locomotive had been moved inside a shed for remedial modifications with only the front being visible from the road adjacent to the works. Yoshi and I did, however, get to a catch up with an old pal over coffee, so it turned out to be a very good day after all.

    Disappointingly newly liveried into GBRf colours, Class 67 No. 67027 hides in a shed at Eastleigh Arlington. No amount of coaxing would persuade her to reveal her new paint scheme – 25/02/2023
    Direct Rail Services Class 37 No. 37602 in the yard at Eastleigh Arlington works – 25/02/2023
    Colas Class 70 No. 70801 awaits her next duty at Eastleigh East Yard – 25/02/2023
    GBRf Class 66 No. 66790 at Eastleigh East Yard – 25/02/2023

    On Sunday, Yoshi, his mama and I made a return visit to the Station Kitchen at West Bay which we last wrote about in November 2022. This time we booked to eat in the old station building which is dog friendly (the carriages are not) and Yoshi joined us for our lunchtime visit. Again, the food was exceptional and our surroundings quirky and fun.

    The Station Kitchen at West Bay – 26/02/2023
    The Station Kitchen, West Bay Lentil, wild mushroom & honeyed carrot roast, farm vegetables, rosemary roasties with a balsamic onion jus. Scrummy! – 26/02/2023
    Yoshi offers to get the drinks in – The Station Kitchen, West Bay – 26/02/2023

    Prior to eating, we took the opportunity to walk the former railway track bed between West Bay and Bridport which is now a footpath and haven for nature. It was much tidier than on previous visits and Yoshi proved himself to be a good boy yet again when he roamed off lead. As the footpath approaches Bridport it rises to meet Burton Road. The original level of the railway crossed beneath the road here at Wanderwell Bridge. The top of the bridge, bore entrance and track bed can still be made out if you look closely. On its way towards Bridport East Street Station, the railway would have passed through Wanderwell and then east of the roundabout junction of Burton Road and West Bay Road.  Sea Road South, the A35 Bridport by-pass, now occupies the former track bed and there is no trace left of East Street station, the site now occupied by a garage. Sea Road North has replaced the track bed between East Street Station and Bridport station (also known as Bradpole Road Station).

    The start of the former West Bay to Bridport footpath looking north – 26/02/2023
    Along the route of the former extension from West Bay to Bridport – 26/02/2023

    The railway reached Bridport in 1857 being officially opened on 12th November, just over three years after a public meeting in Bridport Town Hall in October 1854 where it was decided a railway branch line to link the town to the main line at Maiden Newton would be built. The Bridport Railway Company was formed and the necessary Act of Parliament passed on 5th May 1855. The operating licence was awarded by the Bridport Railway Company to the Great Western Railway (GWR) who supplied the steam locomotives and rolling stock before taking over the railway completely. An extension to the line running from Bridport to Bridport Harbour was instigated in 1879 with passenger services commencing on 31st March 1884. In an attempt to attract holiday traffic, the GWR named their new station at the harbour; West Bay, popularising the name by which the area is now commonly known. Passenger services to West Bay ceased in 1930 but the line remained open for freight traffic until 3rd December 1962 when only minimal traffic ran including coal and shingle from the beach. The track on the Bridport to West Bay section, which had not long been relaid with concrete sleepers, was removed in March 1965 having been cut into short lengths and sold for scrap. 

    My well thumbed and well loved copy of “The Bridport Branch” by B L Jackson and M J Tattershall

    Our visit prompted me to dig out my copy of “The Bridport Branch” by B L Jackson and M J Tattershall. It was the first railway text book I acquired back in the 1970’s and I recall thinking it a very expensive tome at the time. Most likely my lovely mum financed the purchase and I was surprised to note the cover price was a princely £2.40. Published by the Oxford Publishing Co. (OPC), a leading publisher of railway books back then, the book was first issued in 1976, only a year after the closure of the branch it tells the history of. I would have missed travelling by train from Maiden Newton to Bridport by a couple of years, my interest in railways really taking hold in 1977.  The Bridport Branch had been listed for closure as part of the Beeching plan of March 1963.  We’ll take a closer look at “The Reshaping of British Railways”, to give the Beeching plan its proper title, next month following the 60thanniversary of its publication, but it is interesting to learn that a notice was posted on 1st September 1964 for the closure of all intermediate stations between Yeovil Pen Mill and Dorchester West, the latter due to be closed on 4th January 1965. However, at a public enquiry held in Yetminster it was argued that it was difficult to see how Maiden Newton could be closed on that date as the Bridport Branch would still be open and for which no notice of closure had yet been issued. The Minister of Transport’s solution was announced on 22nd April 1965; Maiden Newton and Dorchester West were to stay open along with Yetminster, Thornford Halt and Chetnole Halt while Evershot, Cattistock, Bradford Peverell and Grimstone & Frampton would close from 3rd October 1966.

    On our way home from West Bay, we stopped off in the village of Bradpole to seek out the crossing gates and short length of rail embedded in the road which is most likely the last original track remaining from the Bridport Branch. The current gates are not original and were replacements made by local carpenters John Gale and Bernie Joy as a memorial to the railway. An adjacent section of the track bed has been grassed over for local residents to enjoy as part of the Railway Gardens and allotments. In December 2022, concerned at the poor repair of the crossing gates, Bradpole Civil Parish Council appealed for help in finding someone with the expertise to renovate them. Following discussions with a local woodwork firm the Parish Council are seeking funds so that a full restoration project can take place later in 2023 which will see a new gate being constructed as it is felt the existing one is now beyond repair. 

    The crossing gates at Bradpole – 26/02/2023

    The Bridport Community Railway has an ambitious plan to restore the link between West Bay and the main line at Maiden Newton with a sustainable narrow gauge tramway and heritage steam operation alongside cycle and foot paths. In January 2021, one of the founding members of the group behind the project is quoted in the local Bridport News as saying; “Around 80 per cent of the feedback we have received has been generally positive. Ten percent are raving fans and ten per cent think we’re in cloud cuckoo land.”

    Another lost railway and victim of the Beeching cuts can be celebrated at The Wimborne Railway Society “Railex” Model Railway Exhibition when the award winning Bournemouth West model layout will be on display. Celebrating the days of steam and the much missed Somerset & Dorset line which ran from Bath to Bournemouth West, the site of which now lies underneath the Wessex Way road, the terminus can be seen in all its miniature glory at The Allendale Centre, Hanham Road, Wimborne on 15/16th April 2023.

    Bournemouth West in model from as seen in April 2022

    For The Record

    What is I believe to be the first visit to Dorset of five car Class 701 EMU’s occurred on Tuesday 28th February as No.’s 701509 and 701512 visited Poole working 5Q51 1306 Eastleigh to Eastleigh. Yoshi and I were enjoying our lunchtime walk and completely missed these. I had hoped they would make a return journey to Bournemouth later in the evening, but the associated working did not materialise.

    Yet to enter revenue earning service, five car Class 701 No. 701509 nears Eastleigh – 29/03/2022

    Engineering trains for the Network Rail work being carried out on the Yeovil Pen Mill to Dorchester West section of the Heart of Wessex Line have so far been headed up by a mixture of Freightliner and Colas Rail workings, involving Class 66 locomotives No.’s 66592/ 66537 / 66192 and Class 70 No. 70811.

    Royal Mail ‘Flying Scotsman’ Centenary Stamp Presentation Pack

    The Royal Mail have revealed images of a special stamp issue being released on 9th March 2023 to celebrate the centenary of ‘Flying Scotsman’.

    The colour version of the ‘Flying Scotsman’ £2 coin

    The Royal Mint have also announced the release of a special £2 coin featuring an original design by John Bergdahl and colour artwork by Ffion Gwillim. The coin is available in a range of editions all featuring the edge inscription “Live For The Journey”.

    From the May timetable change, the first weekday train to the Bristol area terminating at Filton Abbey Wood from Weymouth timed to depart at 0526 will no longer run and will in future start at Yeovil Pen Mill from where the train will depart at 0618.

    That brings us to the end of another week. Thanks for reading! Please keep your comments, corrections and observations coming – they are all appreciated…. even the ones suggesting I include photographs and video clips to make things more interesting. A nice idea, but I’ll carry on as I am for now….

    Yoshi almost takes flight at West Bay in front of the iconic East Cliff. There has been much discussion about this being the perfect image for an album cover of doggo songs by Yoshi; “Ears In The Wind” – 26/02/2023
    We’ll leave you with one more image of the SITT top and tailed by GBRf Class 66 locos No.’s 66730 ‘Whitemoor’ and 66789 ‘British Rail 1948-1997’ at Redbridge – 25/02/2023

  • Scotsman 100

    Gresley A3 Pacific No. 4472 ‘Flying Scotsman’ at Southampton Docks in an unauthentic condition in LNER Apple Green but with double chimney and smoke deflectors from BR days – 16/04/2000

    Wednesday February 15th to Tuesday February 21st 2023

    The week kicked off with the delivery of a little Yoshi from ArtemisFibreArt, which the boy himself was rather intrigued about. Thankfully he decided against tearing it apart as is his usual reaction to soft toys. He recognises a handsome boy when he sees one!

    Yoshi meets…. Little Yoshi
    Yoshi and the fabulous replica Little Yoshi from ArtemisFibreArt

    24th February 2023 marks 100 years since the third A1 Class 4-6-2 Pacific locomotive left Doncaster Works for the very first time and entered service with the London & North Eastern Railway. As if we haven’t written enough about this particular loco in previous blog entries, here’s another look at her history. Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and originally numbered 1472 in a sequence originated by the Great Northern Railway who had placed the order for 51 Class A1’s prior to the “Big Four” Grouping of January 1923. A year later the LNER renumbered her No. 4472 and she gained the name ‘Flying Scotsman’ after the eponymous titled train in readiness for display at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley.

    In 1928, ‘Flying Scotsman’ ran a non-stop passenger service between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh, this was achieved by means of another Gresley innovation; a corridor tender allowing drivers and firemen to pass through to the locomotive footplate from the leading train carriage. Water for the engine was picked up en-route from troughs set between the rails.

    1st November 1934 No. 4472 became the first steam locomotive to be officially recorded at travelling at 100 miles per hour as she passed between Little Bytham and Essendale on the East Coast Main Line.

    In 1946 the LNER introduced an extensive renumbering scheme with the aim of placing all locomotives of the same type in a numerical sequence. ‘Flying Scotsman’ was renumbered twice this year, firstly in January as No. 502 by Gresley’s successor Edward Thompson and then No. 103 in May. After the Nationalisation of the railways in 1948 60000 was added to LNER engine numbers and consequently No. 103 became No. 60103.

    January 1947 ‘Flying Scotsman’ was converted from a Class A1 locomotive to an A3 under a programme initiated by Gresley in 1928 which added a larger boiler with a higher boiler pressure. A double Kylchap chimney was added in 1959 to improve performance with German style smoke deflectors being added in 1961 as the exhaust from the new chimney blocked the drivers view.

    Things looked bleak in October 1962 when it was announced ‘Flying Scotsman’ would be withdrawn from service in January 1963 and sent for scrap. Holder of the steam speed record Gresley A4 4-6-2 Pacific No. 60022 ‘Mallard’ was to be saved for the nation and it was deemed that only one locomotive of any given wheel arrangement per designer could be preserved.

    After a failed public appeal to “Save Our Scotsman” by raising the £3000 scrap value, businessman Alan Peglar, fresh from selling his Northern Rubber business and with money to burn stepped in and purchased No. 60103 from British Railways in 1963. As part of the deal, Peglar negotiated an agreement for ‘Flying Scotsman’ to run on the main line until 1966 with options to 1971. The locomotive was overhauled at Doncaster emerging in LNER Apple Green and carrying the number 4472 once again. In 1969, the locomotive was heading for USA and Canada on a tour where she travelled 15,400 miles to promote British exports where, after initial success, UK Board of Trade backing was withdrawn and by 1970 money was running out. As a result, in 1972 Peglar was declared bankrupt and ‘Flying Scotsman’ was put into storage in the US Army Sharpe Depot to keep her safe from creditors.

    No. 4472 ‘Flying Scotsman’ working the “Cumbrian Mountain Express” over the Settle & Carlisle stops at Garsdale for water – 22/07/1981

    Enter Sir William McAlpine, who stepped in and bought the locomotive, shipping her home in 1973. Following restoration at Derby, ‘Flying Scotsman’ embarked on a career running on the UK main line and heritage railways. In October 1988 she made a trip to Australia where over the next year she travelled more than 28,000 miles and set the record for the longest non-stop run by a steam locomotive totalling 422 miles having journeyed between Parkes and Broken Hill in New South Wales. On her return to the UK, ‘Flying Scotsman’ would eventually come under new ownership, that of a new consortium “Flying Scotsman Railways” which included Sir William McAlpine and record producer and railway enthusiast Pete Waterman. In 1993, she was outshopped in BR Brunswick Green, complete with double chimney and smoke deflectors representing how she looked at the end of her working life on BR.

    Following restoration to final BR condition, No. 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’ headed for the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway where her visit lasted from 25th July to 11th September 1993
    No. 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’ visited Llangollen in 1995

    April 1995, while working an empty coaching stock movement on the Llangollen Railway, ‘Flying Scotsman’ derailed and suffered a crack between her boiler and cab. She was deemed to be a complete failure and was taken to Southall to face an uncertain future. Experiencing financial difficulties, the consortium sold ‘Flying Scotsman’ to biotech entrepreneur Dr Tony Marchington in 1996 for £1.5m in a deal which included a set of coaches. Over the next three years Dr Marchington spent a further £1m restoring the locomotive which he returned to the main line in 1999. Following a failed attempt to create a “Flying Scotsman Village” in Edinburgh and the collapse of his company Oxford Molecular, Dr Marchington was bankrupted in September 2003. ‘Flying Scotsman’ was put up for sale in 2004 and there was a real fear that the locomotive would be sold abroad. However, to the relief of many, a huge public appeal was launched by the National Railway Museum (NRM) and on 5th April 2004 it was announced that the NRM had been successful with their sealed £2.2m auction bid, which had been boosted by a £1.8m grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. ‘Flying Scotsman’, a locomotive which perhaps more than any other represents the people’s engine had finally been saved for the nation. Unfortunately No. 60103 required a great deal of work to return her to steam with an estimated 12 month £750,000 restoration commencing in 2005. In reality, it would take 10 years and £4.2m before a warming fire could be lit in the overhauled firebox of ‘Flying Scotsman’. On her first public runs in January 2016 following restoration, she was seen in a wartime black livery on the East Lancashire Railway.

    Still in wartime black livery with No. 60103 on the smokebox and No’s 103 and 502 on opposite cab sides, her first mainline outing following overhaul was on 6th February 2016 at the head of “The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express” from Carnforth to Carlisle. Myself and @da_buckley967 decided to drive from Dorset to Cumbria to see the spectacle of ‘Flying Scotsman’ climbing Shap on the West Coast Main Line.

    “The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express” – 06/02/2016
    Showing just how popular No. 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’ has become is evident in this scene as she passes through Romsey with “The Cathedrals Express” rail tour on 21st May 2016
    Steam Dreams ‘Flying Scotsman’ London to Winchester and Afternoon Tour from Southampton – 06/06/2021

    Ahead of her centenary year celebrations, ‘Flying Scotsman’ underwent another overhaul at Riley & Son in Bury, the first event following this being her attendance at London King’s Cross to help celebrate the railway station’s 170th anniversary and launch her own event programme before she arrived in Dorset for a stint on the Swanage Railway.

    For more ‘Flying Scotsman’ goodness, you might like to check out these “Railway Dog” blog entries from 2022 which feature more images and video:

    Flying Scotsman
    Flying Scotsman… Again
    More Flying Scotsman

    From 27th February to 3rd March 2023 no weekday trains will run between Yeovil Pen Mill and Dorchester West to allow Network Rail to lay new track and carry out other maintenance, including station improvements at Maiden Newton. The closure extends to include the Yeovil to Castle Cary section on 6th and 7th March affecting Great Western Railway (GWR) and South Western Railway (SWR) services.

    In no way connected to the forthcoming closure “up the West”, Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st February 2023 saw Freightliner Engineering Trains head to Dorchester South. A further train was scheduled to depart Eastleigh East Yard for Upwey on Wednesday 22/02/2023.

    Dorset Freightliner Engineering Trains w/c 20/02/2023

    In another of our occasional visits to cafes which happen to be situated in former railway stations, on Wednesday 15th February, we popped over the county border to Hampshire in order to visit The Old Station Tea Rooms at Homsley.

    The Old Station Tea Rooms at Homsley – 15/02/2023

    Opened in 1874 as Christchurch Road railway station by the Southampton & Dorchester Railway it was, at the time, the closest station to Bournemouth and Christchurch, becoming Holmsley station in 1894. Prince Edward, the eldest son of Queen Victoria was a regular user of the station with his mistress Lillie Langtry as it was here where they would embark on their way to their private residence in Bournemouth. Holmsley was also the inspitration for Browndean station in Robert Louis Stephenson’s novel “The Wrong Box”.

    Porters Lunch Box
    Station Managers Rarebit

    Holmsley station was closed on May 4th 1964 as a result of the Beeching Report. Today the main station building lives on, repurposed as a tea room with several items of railway memorabilia and photographs on display. Dogs are welcome at outside tables, of which there are many, and the food is delicious. Walks along the Castleman Railway utilising the old rail road to Ringwood, Wimborne and Poole can be enjoyed nearby.

    An example of the railway themed memorabilia which can seen at The Old Station Tea Rooms, Homsley
    Review the fleet at Weymouth!

    That brings us to the end of another entry. Thanks for visiting and we hope to see you again another time. Your comments, corrections and observations are very much appreciated. Recommendations for cafes situated in former railway stations are welcome! This weeks blog was mostly written with the aid of tea, Galaxy Milk Chocolate Digestive biscuits to the accompaniment of Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side Of The Moon” – which, amazingly, is 50 years old next Wednesday (1st March 2023). Time, eh?

    Yoshi has spotted a squirrel, or a possibly Class 444 Electric Multiple Unit. They both deserve being barked at….

  • Birthday Week

    For fans of photographs of trains taken through a shrubbery, here is Southampton Maritime Freightliner depot with pink liveried Class 66 No. 66587 ‘As One, We Can’ – 15/01/2023

    Wednesday January 11th to Tuesday January 17th 2023

    There has been a huge impact on rail services to and from London, Bournemouth and Weymouth as over the weekend, heavy rain washed away a clay embankment northeast of the Hampshire railway station of Hook situated between Basingstoke and London Waterloo. Passengers were advised against all but essential travel over the coming days on services which would usually pass through the area on the South West Main Line. The great majority of trains will not be able to run and repairs may take weeks before services are restored. As a result no trains will be stopping at Hook, Winchfield or Fleet.

    The landslip at Hook from the air – screen grab from BBC South Today – 16/01/2023

    Network Rail will need to build an access road to enable heavy machinery designed for piling to be brought in and repairs carried out around the clock. The embankment, originally built 190 years ago, is made of a mixture of London Clay and other local soils. Although there have been landslips at this location previously, they are becoming an increasing problem across the network because of drier summers and wetter winters with more intense rainfall which is a particular issue for clay embankments.

    Network Rail image of the Hook landslip – 16/01/2023

    The slip, which left one track hanging in mid-air, happened when the soil gave way along a 44-metre section of 10m high embankment, sliding out from underneath the tracks meaning only two tracks of the four-track railway are passable by trains. Both of the intact tracks are designed to be used by London bound trains only. This was the worst of 13 different flooding related incidents during the recent rainfall, which also included major flooding at Sway increasing the disruption on the already revised timetable between London Waterloo and Weymouth. South Western Railway (SWR) will run a service from Weymouth which will terminate at Basingstoke and a very limited shuttle will operate between Basingstoke and Woking, from where services continue thereafter.

    South Western Railway (SWR) service announcement published on 17/01/2023

    Wednesday 11th January, before the latest period of rain, Swanage based Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ hauled Network South East liveried Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ from the Purbeck Heritage Line to Eastleigh Arlington working as 0Z50 0942 Swanage to Eastleigh Arlington (ZG). After dropping off the Class 50, the Crompton headed back to Swanage light engine the afternoon of the same day.

    Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ hauling Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ working 0Z50 0942 Swanage to Eastleigh Arlington (ZG) through Hamworthy – 11/01/2023
    Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ travels solo as 0Z33 1430 Eastleigh Arlington to Swanage – 11/01/2023
    Video of Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ hauling Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ on a day out from Swanage – 11/01/2023

    On Sunday, Yoshi stayed with his mum while I headed towards Eastleigh to visit an old friend and a chance to put the world to rights. I obviously took the opportunity to get some railway time in on my way and my journey took me via Totton Yard, Freightliner Southampton MCT – which was quite full of locomotives with examples of Class 66’s, Class 70’s, Class 47 No. 47830 – and of course Eastleigh itself!

    A view of MPV’s and SITT sitting on Totton Yard – 15/01/2023
    Southampton Maritime Container Terminal depot with, amongst others, Class 47 No. 47830 ‘Beeching’s Legacy’ and Class 66 No. 66587 ‘As One, We Can’ hiding behind a container train – 15/01/2023
    Nameplate detail of Class 66 No. 66587 ‘As One, We Can’ – 15/01/2023
    With impeccable timing, late running Freightliner Class 66 No. 66592 ‘Johnson Stevens Agency’ works 6Y85 1000 Andover to Eastleigh East Yard past Redbridge, Southampton – 15/01/2023
    Class 50 No. 50021 ‘Rodney’ (also known as Dave) on Eastleigh Works. Hopefully this locomotive and sister No. 50026 will head to Swanage for the 2023 Diesel Gala in May – 15/01/2023
    A view across Eastleigh East Yard – 15/01/2023
    Colas Class 66 No. 66849 ‘Wylam Dilly’ at Eastleigh East Yard – 15/01/2023
    Unbranded GBRf Class 66 No. 66303 at Eastleigh East Yard – 15/01/2023
    Network Rail Video Inspection Unit VIU-3 Class 153 No. 153385 at Eastleigh – 15/01/2023
    DB Class 66 No. 66142 ‘Maritime Intermodal Three’, Colas Class 66 No. 66847 ‘Terry Baker’, Class 153 No. 153385 at Eastleigh – 15/01/2023
    Maritime Blue liveried DB Cargo Class 66 No. 66142 ‘Maritime Intermodal Three’ at Eastleigh – 15/01/2023

    Monday 16th January was panning out to feature a busy evening with the Snow & Ice Treatment Train (SITT) based at Totton Yard and the regular 1Q51 test train visiting the Bournemouth to Weymouth line. Much anticipation here when Colas English Electric Class 37’s No.’s 37116 and 37610 were allocated to the test train, normally in the hands of a pair of top and tailed Class 73 electro diesel locomotives, at Derby. However it soon became clear that the landslip at Hook meant the train would be forced off-route at Virginia Water, eventually terminating at Reading Triangle Sidings, instead of running to Weymouth via the South West Main Line and back to Eastleigh East Yard from where the consist normally operates over the rest of the week before returning to Derby. The train eventually continued to Eastleigh the following day, but at the time of writing, has not covered the section of line from Totton to Weymouth.

    Early Monday evening, the SITT was showing as cancelled on RealTimeTrains(RTT), although upon checking the following morning it was clear that the service did in fact run, at least as far as Dorchester South.

    GBRf Class 66 No.’s 66722 ‘Sir Edward Watkin’ and 66745 worked as far as Dorchester South on Monday 16th January. The pair are seen here at rest in Totton Yard – 15/01/2023

    From The Archive

    January 2023 marks the 160th Anniversary of the launch of the World’s first underground railway; The Metropolitan Line, in 1863. Ten years ago on 13th January 2013, scenes not witnessed on the central London sub-surface sections of underground since July 1954 marked the start of LU150, a year long celebration, as an 1898 built steam locomotive puffed in and out of the tunnels, surprising unsuspecting passengers and delighting railway enthusiasts. I was one of those who enjoyed the spectacle as the short video below shows:

    Video of Anniversary shuttles with 0-4-4-Steam Locomotive Met No 1 and Metropolitan Electric loco No.12 ‘Sarah Siddons’ with brake of vintage coaches

    The following is adapted from The London Transport Museum’s ‘History of the Tube’;

    Back in 1863 the underground railway was intended to reduce street congestion, which by the 1850’s had reached a crisis point. Upon opening, The Metropolitan Railway was an immediate success, although its construction had taken almost two years and caused huge disruption as the sub-surface lines were built by digging a long trench, laying track and covering it over again (known as the cut and cover technique) leaving a tunnel system which were at first operated by steam trains. The 5.6km line connected the mainline stations at Paddington, Euston and King’s Cross to Farringdon, at the edge of the City. Success meant that extensions to both ends of the line soon followed.

    In 1868, The Met was joined by an associated railway company; the Metropolitan District Railway with the intention that the two would cooperate to form an ‘Inner Circle’, linking all London’s mainline termini. However, disagreements over money led to a falling out and both companies instead chose to prioritise their individual extensions. The Circle was only completed after government intervention in 1884.

    Despite their differences, the Met cooperated with the District Railway in plans for electrification in 1900. However, their ideas were rejected when a powerful American businessman, Charles Tyson Yerkes, took over the District and a group of struggling Tube schemes in 1901. Under Yerkes, the Circle and District were electrified along American lines by 1905, powered by a new generating station at Chelsea. The Met built its own power station at Neasden using the same system but electrified more slowly. 

    In 1908, the separate companies started to work together to promote the system as a coherent network under the UndergrounD brand. Gradually most of the companies merged and the network expanded, as the population of London soared. The resultant station architecture of the 1930’s is highly regarded. 

    The Met had been exploiting the land along its lines since the 1880’s but entered a new phase when their first housing estate was built at Pinner in 1900. The name ‘Metro-land’ was coined in 1915 to publicise the area, and in 1919 a subsidiary company was set up to concentrate on housing. Throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s, thousands of homes were built. Gradually Metro-land was electrified, with services to Harrow in 1908 and Rickmansworth in 1924. A new electric line from Wembley Park to Stanmore opened in 1932, but further north steam locomotives continued as before.

    While the rest of London’s underground railways all succumbed to the domination of the railway group Yerkes founded, the Metropolitan alone remained independent. The Metropolitan Railway had regarded themselves not as a commuter railway, but as an ambitious player in the mainline railway world, extending out from Baker Street in the 1870s and 1880s into open country. By 1899, at the height of their powers, they had reached Verney Junction and Brill in Buckinghamshire, more than 80km from Baker Street.

    The Met was forced to give up their independence when all of London’s public transport – buses, trams and trolleybuses, as well as the Underground railways – came under the centralised control of London Transport (LT) in 1933 and decisions about services could be fully coordinated for the first time. The Met’s mainline ambitions were over, with LT closing the rural Brill branch in 1935 and the withdrawal of services north of Aylesbury a year later. The Stanmore branch transferred to the Bakerloo in 1939. 

    A massive plan; The New Works Programme, designed to upgrade and expand services was prepared in 1935, but the work was interrupted by the Second World War. Some of these were revived in the difficult post-war economic climate, but others were not.  

    Modernisation in the early 1960s saw extensive track and signal work and new A stock trains. These worked the line until replacement with S stock trains between 2010 and 2012 under the new Transport for London (TfL) organisation. This was part of wider modernisation project across all the Underground’s sub-surface lines, replacing infrastructure and signalling and introducing automatic operation. 

    A new Tube line had been suggested in 1943, but delays meant that the new Victoria line did not serve its first passengers until 1968. The Tube reached Heathrow Airport in 1977. Another new line, the Jubilee, was added in 1979. It terminated in central London and was later extended eastwards in 1999.

    Today, The Metropolitan Railway lives on as the Metropolitan Line, it has 67km of track and 34 stations, running from Amersham and Chesham in the north-west to Aldgate in east London, as well as a branch to Uxbridge.

    Yoshi

    Despite his urge to drink water from the upstairs toilet, Yoshi celebrated his 4th birthday on Thursday 12th January. He enjoyed a special doggo cupcake and played with a toy wine bottle for all of ten minutes before tearing it to shreds in an attempt to extract the squeaker.

    Yoshi celebrates his birthday with cake!

    On that happy note, it brings us towards the end of another blog. Many thanks for visiting, reading, your comments and corrections. For anyone wondering about my car, which broke down last week, things don’t look too good for it. In fact the garage I took it to for repair declined to undertake any further work other than an initial inspection, charging me for the privilege of confirming what the AA had previously already told me. I may get a second opinion, or just cut my losses. I can’t say it’s not been a fun car to drive, but all good things……

    Post Script

    Seeing Network Rail Class 153 No. 153385 at Eastleigh on Sunday prompted me to have a brief look at this class of diesel multiple unit (DMU).

    In the mid 1980’s, looking to replace older DMU’s, British Rail ordered 35 two-coach Class 155 units from Leyland Bus at Workington. In 1990 the decision was made to split each of the 35 Class 155’s into single car vehicles for use on rural railway lines, the work being carried out by Hunslet-Barclay at their plant in Kilmarnock during 1991/92. A new drivers cab was retrofitted into the spaces previously used for luggage racks at the inside end (B-end) of each carriage where they had been coupled together in the Class 155 formation. The new cab is noticeably smaller than the original A-end one, as the position of the exterior doors were not amended during conversion.

    Locally, GWR/Wessex Trains utilised Class 153’s on services between Bristol Temple Meads and Weymouth having inherited 13 units from Wales & West.

    Transport for Wales currently run a fleet of 26 Class 153’s having modified them to comply with Reduced Mobility Technical Specification Interoperability (PRM-TSI) legislation which came into effect on January 1st 2020. Scotrail have five units which have been modified to provide racks for luggage and bicycles for use on the West Highland Line services between Glasgow and Oban, running them in conjunction with existing Class 156 DMU’s.

    In May 2021, Network rail (NR) acquired three Class 153’s to convert into Video Inspection Units (VIU) for infrastructure monitoring services and have been fitted with cameras, recording devices and a generator placed in the saloon to provide power to the tech. One of these is the aforementioned No. 153385:

    Still in passenger revenue earning service, East Midlands Railway (EMR) Class 153 No. 153385 is seen at Barnetby working a service to Grimsby Town – 15/04/2014
    Now belonging to Network Rail; Class 153 No. 153385, also known as VIU-3, retains its East Midlands Railway (EMR) livery but with black Network Rail branding and is seen stabled in the Locomotive Holding sidings at Eastleigh – 17/02/2022

  • Winter Warmer

    Thursday 4th January to Tuesday 10th January 2023

    Southern Railway Battle Of Britain Class 4-6-2 No. 34070 ‘Manston’ arrives at Corfe castle in the rain working 2N03 1115 Norden to Swanage – 07/01/2023

    With no trains running in Dorset until Sunday 8th January, it was down to the Swanage Railway to provide railway based entertainment, which they did admirably with their Winter Warm Up event over the weekend of 7th / 8th January 2023. The timetable involved four locomotives running passenger services between Swanage and Norden as well as each loco taking turns on a demonstration freight train which, to be honest, was the main attraction for me. The outlook for the weather forecast was poor, so it was decided Yoshi would remain home with his mama and join me later in the day.

    We started off by seeing Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ passing SR Battle of Britain Class 4-6-2 No. 34070 ‘Manston’ at Harmans Cross with the first workings of the day.

    Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ in Network South East livery departs Harmans Cross working 2N01 1030 Norden to Swanage – 07/01/2023

    The rain held off until we arrived at Corfe Castle. Waiting for the late running first freight of the weekend in the charge of SR U Class No. 31806 the heavens opened. It was at this point where I think my Canon DSLR camera must have suffered from water ingress. I should have switched the camera off and removed the battery and lens, but I foolishly carried on using it throughout the day until the point it gave up the ghost and would not switch on at all.

    Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 working the first demonstration freight 6N04 1102 Herston Halt to Norden on the Saturday Winter Warm Up event – 07/01/2023
    Here I am getting soaked watching SR Battle Of Britain Class 4-6-2 No. 34070 ‘Manston’ departing Corfe Castle working 2N03 1115 Norden to Swanage – 07/01/2023 (Photograph courtesy of @da_buckley967)
    Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ approaches Harmans Cross with the 2N12 1245 Swanage to Norden service – 07/01/2023
    SR Battle Of Britain Class 4-6-2 No. 34070 stands at Harmans Cross carrying a “Locomotive Club of Great Britain” (LCGB) headboard 2N09 1245 Norden to Swanage – 07/01/2023
    Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ takes a turn on the freight working 6N11 1302 Norden to Swanage seen here passing Harmans Cross – 07/01/2023
    U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 nears Harmans Cross 2N14 1330 Swanage to Norden – 07/01/2023
    The final image taken with my Canon D1200 DSLR camera before it shut down for the last time; Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ prepares to depart Swanage with the 6N22 1527 Swanage to Norden demonstration freight running as part of the Winter Warm Up – 07/01/2023
    Video from Saturday 7th January 2023 Swanage Winter Warm Up

    In 2016 the Winter Warm Up was on 27th December and I recall a frosty start to the day, as can be seen in the set of photographs below:

    U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 approaches a frosty Harmans Cross with an early morning service from Swanage – 27/12/2016
    U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 arrives at Harmans Cross in cloud of steam with the first steam hauled service of the day from Swanage – 27/12/2016
    Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ departing Harmans Cross – 27/12/2016
    A Diesel Multiple Unit set catches the sun at Harmans Cross sidings – 27/12/2016
    Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ nears journeys end at Norden – 27/12/2016
    London & South Western Railway (LSWR) 0-4-4T M7 Class No. 30053 being serviced at Swanage shed. No. 30053 is owned by the Drummond Locomotives Limited, and has been running regularly on the Swanage Railway since 1992. No. 30053’s boiler certificate expired in early 2017 but an extension to the certificate was obtained as the boiler had been re-tubed in 2011. The locomotive was in service until the end of October 2017 when the boiler certificate finally ran out.
    In December 2017 the boiler was lifted off the frames to enable the overhaul of the locomotive to start. The boiler was returned to the frames in September 2022 and it is planned that the locomotive will be back in service during 2023. She’s a particular favourite of mine and I look forward to seeing her running again – 27/12/2016
    London & South Western Railway (LSWR) 0-4-4T M7 Class No. 30053 taking shape once again at Swanage Railway’s Herston Works – 01/11/2022
    Three Class 33’s at Swanage, from left to right, No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’, No. 33111 and behind SR Battle Of Britain Class 4-6-2 No. 34070 ‘Manston’, No. 33201 – 27/12/2016
    Class 33 No. 33111 heads out of Swanage with a train destined for Norden – 27/12/2016
    Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ passes the observation area opposite Swanage depot while taking a turn on the freight wagons – 27/12/2016
    Class 33 No. 33111 recreating a bygone era with a loose coupled freight – 27/12/2016
    U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 approaching Corfe Castle – 27/12/2016
    With Corfe Castle in the background, another image of Class 33 No. 33111 working the demonstration freight train – 27/12/2016
    U Class 2-6-0 No. 31806 takes her turn on the Winter Warm Up freight consist – 27/12/2016
    London & South Western Railway (LSWR) 0-4-4T M7 Class No. 30053 nears Corfe Castle working a demonstration freight – 27/12/2016

    London & South Western Railway (LSWR) 0-4-4T M7 Class No. 30053 stands at Harmans Cross while working a demonstration freight – 27/12/2016
    Class 33 No. 33111 double heads with sister locomotive No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ on the final working to Swanage on 27/12/2016
    The front end differences can be clearly seen in this image of Class 33 No.’s 33111 and D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ – 27/12/2016
    Class 33 No.’s 33111 and D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ are observed by the train crew of a Swanage bound train on their departure to Norden – 27/12/2016

    Tuesday 10th January 2023 and I decided an outing to Eastleigh was in order to test out a replacement camera body and hopefully put it through its paces. It was set to be a busy day in the Hampshire railway town with Class 33 No. D6515 ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ scheduled to haul Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ from Swanage to Eastleigh Arlington Works where the Hoover is to undergo a period of winter maintenance, Freightliner Class 47 No. 47830 ‘Beeching’s Legacy’ passing on a trip to Banbury and the release of the latest Class 69 conversion from the Works and its onward journey to Tonbridge. However it transpired that the Class 50 move from Swanage was revised to run the next day, Wednesday 11th January (photos next week my lucky reader!), the Class 47 was replaced by FL Class 66 No. 66596. The Class 69, however was in a reasonably good position for a photograph on the Works following a special naming ceremony earlier in the day.

    GBRf Class 69 No. 69007 ‘Richard Trevithick’ at Eastleigh Works. The locomotive was converted from Class 56 No. 56037 which also carried the same name. Earlier in the day at a private ceremony for the benefit of ex Cardiff Canton employees the loco carried her former number and a double BR arrow emblem underneath the nameplate on one side. Before being released into traffic the 69007 number and GB Railfreight decals were affixed – 10/01/2023

    The Class 69 was scheduled to depart the Works at 1424, but by 1515 she still had to make her way out onto the mainline. At this point, conscious that Yoshi needed a bit of a comfort break, I decided not to wait any longer and instead decided to work our way towards home, stopping briefly to drop off a packet for a couple of Yoshi’s feline friends who are in the area.

    Package duly delivered we drove back through Eastleigh to see No. 69007 had moved up to Works gates and set to head into Eastleigh railway station to reverse before carrying onto Tonbridge. I made my own reversal and headed back into the station where I was just in time to get a photograph of the locomotive standing at platform 3 and video of her departure.

    GBRf Class 69 No. 69007 ‘Richard Trevithick’ reverses at Eastleigh railway station working the delayed 0Z07 1424 Eastleigh Works GBRf to Tonbridge West Yard GBRf – 10/01/2023
    Nameplate detail of Class 69 No. 69007, Eastleigh – 10/01/2023
    Class 56 No. 56037 and an unidentified member of the class working the heavy Port Talbot to LLanwern iron ore train through Cardiff Central. Class 56’s were employed in pairs on this working having replaced the perhaps even more impressive triple headed Class 37’s! At this point in time No. 56037 was yet to be named – 25/05/1981
    Now named ‘Richard Trevithick’, Class 56 No. 56037 is on display at Old Oak Common Open Day – 20/09/1981
    Nameplate detail of Class 56 No. 56037, Old Oak Common – 20/09/1981

    On our way home from Eastleigh as we neared Junction 1 of the M27 my car suddenly lost power and we cautiously limped off the motorway to the relative safety of The White Hart pub at Cadnam where we awaited assistance from the AA and our eventual recovery home. The car is booked in with the garage for Friday. If things happen in three’s, I am nervously awaiting incident number three!!

    My car being checked over by the AA. Unfortunately, it was not a problem that could be fixed at the roadside and we required a lorry to take us home – 10/01/2023
    Yoshi enjoys the delights of The White Hart, Cadnam as we await the arrival of the tow truck – 10/01/2023
    Video of Class 69 No. 69007’s first outing at Eastleigh – 10/01/2023

    Meanwhile, on the Hamworthy Branch, which has yet to see a train run along its length following the recent upgrade work, more remedial effort will be required following the damage to fencing and road crossing lights, as seen in the images below:

    An update to the long running South Western Railway (SWR) Class 701 Electric Multiple Units (EMU) saga has been reported with SWR formally accepting 24 finished units and repeating their commitment to introduce the fleet into service “as early in 2023 as possible”. A concurrent statement from the Department for Transport indicated that work to finalise a service-standard software package for the trains was still underway and that driver training had not yet commenced.

    A number of SWR Class 701 units standing in Eastleigh depot – 10/01/2023
    Class 701 No.’s 701031 and 701025 stabled in Eastleigh Works – 10/01/2023

    Thank you for joining us again this time. All being well, we’ll be back next week as long as I can avoid breaking anything else! This weeks blog was brought to you accompanied by the sounds of Stephen Sanchez, Ludovico Einaudi and Everything But The Girl.

    Endpiece:

    SR Battle Of Britain Class 4-6-2 No. 34070 ‘Manston’ at rest on Swanage shed following the first day of the Swanage Railway Winter Warm Up – 07/01/2023

  • 313 Farewell

    Wednesday 7th December 2022 to Tuesday 13th December 2022

    LMS Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ at Worting Junction working The Railway Touring Company’s “The Bath & Bristol Christmas Market” 1Z82 0847 London Victoria to Bristol Temple Meads – 10/12/2022

    This week, Yoshi and I took a trip along the Southern Railway West Coastway route to witness the final days of the Class 313 electric multiple units (EMU), saw LMS Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ storming past Worting Junction and took in some Great Western Castle Class HST’s in frosty conditions.

    Class 313

    In preparation of spending a day on the Western Coastway route to see Class 313 emu’s, we had pre-booked our Southern Daysave ticket well in advance, and paid extra for next day delivery to avoid the postal strikes. It was a good job we did, as the ticket still took four days to arrive. So, on Friday 9th December we set off on a South Western Railway (SWR) service for Southampton (where we saw a couple of passing Class 66 hauled freight workings) to pick up a Southampton to London Victoria train which would take us to Barnham where we changed platforms to get a Class 313 operated shuttle to Bognor Regis. These are the last days of the Class 313’s and we hoped to record some of the units still in service.

    The three-car Class 313’s were the first production, second generation, EMU’s built as a direct result of trials in 1972 with the PEP prototypes on British Rail Southern Region. I remember seeing at least one of the PEP units at Wimbledon on my first train journey to London in the early 1970’s. I may not have been an avid rail enthusiast at the time, but I’d clearly read about the new trains being introduced by British Rail. None of the prototypes survive and they were all cut up by 1990.

    PEP Unit No. 4002 in the sidings at Wimbledon – 27/08/1982

    The production-run classes which are most visibly similar to the PEP Stock are the dual voltage 750 V DC third rail / 25 kV AC overhead power collection Class 313, the 25 kV AC Classes 314 and 315, and the 750 V DC Classes 507 and 508. We covered the 507’s and 508’s earlier in the year when we visited Stockport. You can read about that adventure here.

    A fleet of 64 three car sets were built by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) in York in 1976/1977 and were intended for the then newly modernised and electrified Great Northern inner suburban lines. The front end doors were designed for evacuation in an emergency in a single bore tunnel and the fleet were constructed to take in the slightly restricted loading gauge between Drayton Park and Moorgate.

    Class 313 No. 313008 at Finsbury Park with a service to Moorgate – 30/10/1980

    Upon privatisation, the 313’s were operated by Silverlink Railways and West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) and later, in 2007, the class were transferred to London Overground who ran them until September 2010.

    19 Class 313’s were modified for DC pick up only at Wolverton works and transferred to Southern to operate on the Coastway services out of Brighton from May 2010. These were deliveries into GTR Southern green and white with pictogram route branding. The remaining Great Northern members of the class were all withdrawn from service and scrapped by the end of 2019.

    Yoshi gets up close to Class 313 No. 313207 at Bognor Regis having worked in with the 2P26 1053 service from Littlehampton – 09/12/2022
    When the Class 313’s were transferred to GTR Southern from May 2010 the sets were overhauled and the interiors refurbished with new seating in low-density 2+2 style using high backed seating – 09/12/2022
    Southern Class 313 onboard diagram – 09/12/2022
    Faded branding detail applied the intermediate coach of Coastway Class 313 No. 313207 (and other members of the class) on transfer to GTR Southern promoting the route Portsmouth, Chichester, Bognor, Littlehampton, Worthing, Brighton, Lewes, Seaford and Eastbourne – 09/12/2022
    In 2017 No. 313201, the first of the class to be built and therefore the oldest operational EMU in use in the UK, was repainted into as near as possible the BR blue/grey livery and it is believed the unit is destined for the National Collection. Because of disability reasons, the unit has contrasting colour doors and is seen here at Barnham – 09/12/2022
    On transfer to GTR Southern, the fleet was repainted in GTR Southern white and green. Class 313 No. 313210 at Brighton having arrived with
    Not being used on the day of our visit, Class 313 No. 313216 in the sidings at Brighton – 09/12/2022
    Class 313 No. 313206 at Brighton having arrived with the 1453 service from Seaford – 09/12/2022
    Class 313 No. 313203 has a short rest at Brighton prior to working the 1511 Brighton to Seaford service – 09/12/2022
    Coastway Class 313’s – 09/12/2022
    Class 313 No. 313121 transferred to Network Rail in 2013 for use as a dynamic test vehicle for the development of the European Traffic Control System (ETCS). The set is based at Eastleigh Arlington where it is seen here – 30/01/2022
    Development set 313 No. 313121 at Arlington Works, Eastleigh – 02/07/2022

    Sherwood Forester

    While on our Class 313 mission, we spent an hour at Chichester to coincide with the arrival of the steam hauled “Chichester For Carols” rail tour operated by Steam Dreams. Arriving just over half an hour late and with some confusion as to which platform the train was going to arrive on, LMS Black Five No. 45231 ‘Sherwood Forester’ hove into view.

    LMS Stanier Class Five 4-6-0 No. 45231 ‘Sherwood Forester’ sits at Chichester having brought in Steam Dreams “Chichester for Carols” rail tour 1Z45 0649 Shoeburyness to Chichester – 09/12/2022
    Class 47 No. D1935 (47805) ‘Roger Hosking MA 1925-2013’ at the rear of Steam Dreams “Chichester for Carols” rail tour 1Z45 0649 Shoeburyness to Chichester – 09/12/2022
    1Z45 0649 Shoeburyness to Chichester – 09/12/2022

    Duchess

    Saturday saw us heading towards London in order to capture LMS Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ which was heading the Railway Touring Company “The Bath & Bristol Christmas Market” excursion. Having elected to see the tour at Worting Junction we were greeted by bright sunshine on a beautiful frosty day. Yoshi didn’t much care for the approaching steam locomotive and made his concerns known.

    Worting Junction and LMS Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ – 10/12/2022

    Following our view of the Duchess we headed towards London in the hope of seeing a second steam excursion originating from London Victoria, but in the event the promised steam locomotive had been replaced by a Class 67 diesel (again). Our view of the Belmond Pullman train was obscured by the parallel running of a Southern service into the London terminus. You win some, you lose some!

    London Victoria – 10/12/2022

    Bristol Temple Meads

    Sunday and we were in Bristol in the hope of capturing the Lilly’s Pet Food Christmas liveried IET No. 802106 which had been allocated to work the 1300 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington service. We were disappointed when this colourful unit did not materialise. However, we had a lovely few hours meeting new friends, downing festive coffee and getting photos of trains in wintery conditions.

    5 car CrossCountry Voyager No. 221135 arrives at a snowy Bristol Temple Meads working 1S45 0927 Plymouth to Dundee – 11/12/2022

    Great Western Railway (GWR) has confirmed that it intends to withdraw its fleet of Castle Class HST sets with the December 2023 timetable change with IET’s taking over their duties.

    GWR Castle HST Class 43 Power Car No. 43155 ‘Rougemont Castle’ at Bristol Temple Meads forming 2E42 1338 service to Worcester Foregate Street – 11/12/2022
    What should have been the special Lilly’s Christmas liveried IETNo. 802106 was disappointingly plain old No. 802103 instead working 1A18 1300 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington – 11/12/2022
    CrossCountry Class 43 HST Power Car No. 43378 at Bristol Temple Meads working 1V48 0811 Leeds to Plymouth – 11/12/2022
    Yoshi with a snowman he made at Bristol Temple Meads – 11/12/2022

    For The Record

    The seasonal locomotive hauled Snow & Ice Treatment Trains (SITT) began running on 11th December 2022, with the first instance of the consist traversing the Bournemouth to Weymouth line in the early hours of 12th December. GBRf Class 66 locomotives No.’s 66745 and 66704 have been stationed at Totton Yard alongside the usual Multi Purpose Vehicles (MPV). Although running @25 minutes late, I remained tucked up in my warm bed and didn’t venture out in freezing temperatures to record the SITT pass. The Network Rail SITT scrapes any build up of ice from the Third Rail (the conductor rail from which electric traction pick up their power) using metal brushes and spraying anti-icing fluid to prevent further ice from forming. Without this process occurring, depending on the volume of ice, electric trains can struggle to pick up power and in really exceptional instances will be unable to move, which is what appears to have happened on Sunday 11th December when icy conditions between Weymouth and Brockenhurst meant all services were stopped. Engineering works taking place east of Brockenhurst prevented the SITT from running to Weymouth to rectify the situation. Limited services were later resumed, although South Western Railway (SWR) requested only essential journeys should be made. During the suspension of train services, passengers could source taxis between Brockenhurst and Weymouth and claim the cost back from SWR providing evidence of a train ticket and taxi receipt for the associated journey.

    Throwback to December 2019 and GBRf Class 66 No. 66717 ‘Good Old Boy’ at the head of the SITT waiting departure from Weymouth to Totton Yard – 17/12/2019

    The start of the new timetable on Sunday December 11th 2022 saw the inclusion of a weekday path along the Hamworthy Branch originating from Westbury Tarmac and terminating at Hamworthy BCI. It came as no surprise that the service did not run.

    Many thanks for stopping by. This weeks blog is slightly curtailed owing to the fact somewhere along the line I have picked up a cold. Or more likely an extreme case of man-flu! Anyway, you have been saved my witterings on Brighton Railway Station, Class 701’s at Clapham Junction, video from Bristol and more about the Coastway Route.

    Postscript

    As a codicil to the Class 313 feature above, there was a period when I spent a great deal of time in North London. My local railway services were provided by Class 315 emu’s which were introduced in 1980 and was the last variant of five to have their design based on the PEP prototype units. The Class 315’s were set to end over 40 years of service on 9th December 2022. One unit, No. 315856 which took part in a farewell tour of the class organised by the Class 315 Preservation Society and the Branch Line Society, has been saved for preservation. The Class 315 Preservation Society has acquired the unit from Eversholt Rail Group and is destined for the Dean Forest Railway where it will be restored to original BR condition.

    Class 315 No. 315830 arrives at Highams Park with a Chingford to London Liverpool Street service – 18/09/2020
    Class 315 No. 315801 arrives at Highams Park with a London Liverpool Street to Chingford service – 23/03/2020
    Class 315 No. 315807 passes the signal box at Highams Park with a London Liverpool Street to Chingford service – 19/04/2020
    Class 315 No. 315812 crosses the A406 rail bridge with a Chingford to London Liverpool Street service – 11/06/2020

  • A Peak Week

    23rd November to 29th November 2022

    Yoshi in Loughborough with a Ladybird Book seat featuring images from the “How It Works….” series – 24/11/2022

    We were lucky enough to enjoy a few days away last week, and as part of our travels, I was able to take in some railway locations. Before that however, Wednesday evening was one of those occasions when an unusual working along the Bournemouth to Weymouth line passed me by and it wasn’t until Thursday morning that I realised I’d missed out on seeing the Colas Ultrasonic Test Unit hauled by vintage Class 37 diesel electric locomotive No. 37421. I consoled myself with the knowledge it would have been raining as it passed through my local station on the outward run, and I was tucked up in bed by the time it returned. However, on our way to Derbyshire on Thursday morning, we popped into Eastleigh to find No. 37421 perfectly parked for a quick photo opportunity adjacent to Eastleigh railway station.

    Colas Class 37 No. 37421 parked up having worked 3Q02 Eastleigh East Yard to Eastleigh East Yard via Weymouth and Fratton at Eastleigh – 24/11/2022
    GBRf Class 66 No. 66797 with a Network Rail National Delivery Service (NDS) track machine at Eastleigh – 24/11/2022
    GBRf Class 73 Electro-Diesel No.’s 73965 ‘Des O’Brien’ and 73961 ‘Alison’ being readied to work 1Q52 1045 Eastleigh East Yard to Tonbridge West Yard at Eastleigh – 24/11/2022

    After our Eastleigh pitstop, we drove on to Loughborough, where I was hopeful at seeing some stored Class 60 diesel locomotives at Brush Traction Works. The plant, known locally as the Falcon Works, was established in 1865 to build steam locomotives. American owned Wabtec took charge in 2011 and in April 2021 they announced reduced volumes had made the site “unsustainable” and proposed its closure which would see the end to over 150 years of locomotive building.

    The last time I had attempted to see locomotives at Brush, Loughborough I recall traipsing across water meadows to get a close view through a fence of Channel Tunnel Class 92’s. This time, having studied Google Maps, I drove around the outskirts of the site along access roads which I wasn’t entirely sure were open to the public. I wasn’t stopped by security, even when they drove past me as I snapped away.

    Class 92 No. 92006, Loughborough – 24/11/2022
    GBRf Class 47 No. 47727 ‘Edinburgh Castle’ at Loughborough. The Class 47 diesel-electric locomotive was one of Brush’s most successful with 512 examples having been built as part of the British Rail Modernisation Plan. This particular example was built at BR Crewe Works as part of Order Lot 400 and entered traffic as D1629 at Toton depot on the 17th October 1964 – 24/11/2022
    Class 60 No. 60013 at Brush Loughborough – 24/11/2022

    Below are a series of images of nine stored Class 60 locomotives at Brush Works, Loughborough: the locos are No.’s 60057, 60008, 60061, 60070, 60038, 60009, 60090 and 60064. They are owned by Devon Cornwall Rail (DCR) and hopefully some will be returned to main line use.

    Brush, Loughborough – 24/11/2022
    Brush, Loughborough – 24/11/2022
    Brush, Loughborough – 24/11/2022
    Brush, Loughborough – 24/11/2022
    Brush, Loughborough – 24/11/2022
    Brush, Loughborough – 24/11/2022
    Brush, Loughborough – 24/11/2022
    Brush, Loughborough – 24/11/2022

    And here is video of my previous visit in 1995, when Class 92’s, Class 20’s and a Class 47 were amongst the classes of locomotive present:

    I very much look forward to learning what is going to happen to the Class 60 locomotives at Loughborough and hope that at least some of them will turn a wheel in revenue earning service in the near future.

    From Loughborough, we drove onto Derby where we stopped for refreshment at The Alexandra Pub on Siddals Road. The pub is well known for it’s railway memorabilia and I enjoyed a Diet Coke and a packet of dried roasted peanuts while I took in the signs and locomotive nameplates which adorned the walls.

    The Alexandra Hotel has a strong railway theme and Manager Ralf Edge has collected a range of memorabilia that decorates the walls – 24/11/2022
    Railway memorabilia at The Alexandra Hotel, Derby – 24/11/2022
    ‘Derby Evening Telegraph’ name plate at The Alexandra Hotel, Derby – 24/11/2022
    The Alexandra Hotel, Derby has the cab of Class 37 No. 37411 in its garden – 24/11/2022

    After a nights rest, we set off on Friday morning for a leisurely drive through the Peak District National Park taking in Peak Forest.

    The former Peak Forest Railway Station – 25/11/2022

    Peak Forest railway station was opened in 1867 by the Midland Railway on its extension of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway from Rowsley, part of the main Midland Line from Manchester to London. It was also the northern junction for the line from Buxton. A section of the line is retained for freight trains. The station closed in 1967 and the platforms were demolished shortly afterwards, although a section has been reinstated for railway staff and the station buildings which can be seen from the road bridge passing over the tracks survive as offices for the nearby quarry terminal.

    DB Class 66 No.’s 66085 and 66143 at Peak Forest – 25/11/2022
    I was very happy to see Class 20 No.’s 20007 and 20205 parked up at Peak Forest – 25/11/2022
    MPV No. DR98982 works 3S50 0554 Wigan Locomotive Inspection Point to Crewe at Peak Forest – 25/11/2022
    Freightliner Class 66 No. 66620 working 6D17 1148 Tunstead sidings to Radlett Redland Roadstone passes Peak Forest signal box – 25/11/2022
    Class 60 No. 60059 ‘Swindon Dalesman’ at Peak Forest – 25/11/2022

    From Peak Forest, we headed into Buxton for lunch in “The Railway @. Buxton” a pub which got its name as it was popular with railway workers after they had finished their shifts. It stands in front of the impressive Buxton Viaduct which carries the freight line from Peak Forest. As we parked up, we saw Class 60 No. 60059 ‘Swindon Dalesman’ pass over working 6E18 1141 Peak Forest RMC Sidings to Attercliffe Sindings EWS

    Class 60 No. 60059 ‘Swindon Dalesman’ working 6E18 1141 Peak Forest RMC Sidings to Attercliffe Sindings EWS at Buxton – 25/11/2022

    There were once two railway stations in Buxton; the aforementioned Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway from Rowsley favoured by the Midland Railway (MR) and The Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway supported by the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) extended its line to Buxton. The stations were built side by side and given identical frontages designed by Joseph Paxton (best known for designing Crystal Palace and for cultivating the Cavendish banana), and built by John Smith each being built from local stone and having a wrought iron glazed train shed, fronted with half-circle fan widows and the names of the operating companies carved into the supporting stonework. Joseph Paxton was a director of both companies and he attended grand lunches at the opening of both stations which occurred on the same day; 1st June 1863. Can’t say I blame him!

    A view along the platform at Buxton showing the half circle fan window and Class 156 No. 156452 – 25/11/2022

    Buxton’s Midland Station fell victim to the Beeching Axe and closed on 6th March 1967 and was demolished in November 1970. There have been numerous attempts since to relay the track as a heritage line, but these have met without success to date. The LNWR station survives and handles all of Buxton’s passenger traffic today. The glazed roof has been removed, but the fanlight window was restored in 2009 and is Grade II listed.

    The LNWR station building at Buxton – 25/11/2022
    An O gauge model of the demolished Midland Station at Buxton constructed by Barry Bryant, Keith Holland and Charlie Schultz which took four years to build using photographs and scale drawings – 25/11/2022
    Buxton railway station with Northern Rail Class 156 No. 156452 and Class 150 No. 150121 – 25/11/2022
    Class 156 No. 156460 contemplates the view towards Manchester with signal box and surviving semaphore signalling – 25/11/2022
    Mural of Buxton at the railway station – 25/11/2022
    Joe the Guard statue at Buxton railway station. He was named after broadcaster and comedian Alexei Sayle in honour of his father, Joseph Henry Sayle, who was a lifelong guard. Joe was made from metal salvaged from Buxton Traction Maintenance Depot (TMD) before it was demolished in March 2016 – 25/11/2022

    Saturday we had planned to head to Nottingham to meet friends. There was a strike by ASLEF union members which prevented any East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains running through the city. However, a quick look at the rail tour schedule revealed that The Railway Touring Company organised “York Yule-Tide Express” was scheduled to pass very close to Nottingham at around 1030 that morning. So feeling quite pleased that a mainline steam train would be in our sights, we headed off to Toton which is halfway between Derby and Nottingham. After taking some photographs from the A52 looking across to Toton depot, we drove a short distance to Sandiacre and the Iron Giant Walkway which crosses the five track railway line which I though would make a great location to see LMS Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ head to York.

    Toton viewed from the A52 rail over bridge – 26/11/2022
    A collection of Class 60 and Class 66 locomotives at Toton. Spot the Class 67! – 26/11/2022
    A view across to Toton depot with Class 60 No. 60079 in the foreground – 26/11/2022
    Class 60 No. 60012 slowly rotting away at Toton – 26/11/2022
    Some of the stored DB Class 60 locomotives at Toton with No. 60048 closest to the camera – 26/11/2022
    Yoshi settles down on the Iron Giant Walkway at Sandiacre waiting for the Duchess – 26/11/2022
    Pigeon bothering LMS Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ working 1Z10 0635 Ealing Broadway to York “York Yule-Tide Express” passing Sandiacre – 26/11/2022
    West Coast Railways Class 37 No. 37668 at the rear of 1Z10 0635 Ealing Broadway to York “York Yule-Tide Express” passes Sandiacre – 26/11/2022
    Video of LMS Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ working 1Z10 0635 Ealing Broadway to York passes the Iron Giant Walkway at Sandiacre (additional video footage courtesy of Caroline Smith – 26/11/2022

    While we were waiting for The Duchess we learned Nottingham Castle had fallen into liquidation and was closed to the public. We were not discouraged by this set back and headed off to the Park and Ride at Clifton South, Nottingham. It was only when we tried to buy tickets for the Nottingham Tram that we discovered that dogs were ‘not allowed’ onboard. The helpful Nottingham Express Transit (NET) representative at at Clifton South suggested asking tram drivers if they minded Yoshi being carried onboard and luckily none of the drivers of the trams we travelled on that day objected. Quite frankly, I was amazed that dogs were not allowed on the trams. A quick look at other tram networks in the UK revealed that NET are not alone in their no dog policy. Surely if local authorities want to get people out of their cars and onto public transport this absurd rule needs to be changed. I spoke to NET who told me dogs are not carried on the Nottingham trams for “health and safety reasons and for passenger and animal safety”. I was however informed that dogs would be allowed if they were carried in a suitable “pet carrier or bag.”

    Nottingham Express Transit Tram No.233 at Clifton South Park and Ride – 26/11/2022
    NET Tram No. 202 awaits departure from Old Market Square bound for Phoenix Park – 26/11/2022
    Nottingham City Centre trams No. 234 and No. 219 ‘Alan Sillitoe’ – 26/11/2022

    Once in Nottingham, Yoshi and I decided to explore. First stop was Nottingham railway station which is the only surviving city centre station which survives from the four that once served the population of the city of Nottingham. The station was first built by the Midland Railway (MR) in 1848 and later rebuilt in 1904 to design by company architect Charles Trubshaw with external detail by local architect Albert Lambert. It is now owned by Network Rail (NR) and managed by (EMR). The tram network runs above the station on the path of the former Great Central Railway (GCR) viaduct and includes an interchange tram stop. The station was renovated in 2017 but a fire started by a 33 year old female drug addict in January 2018 badly damaged the building.

    Nottingham Railway Station exterior – 26/11/2022

    The station entrance is itself on a road bridge above the platform level and is of heavy railway baroque style with the frontage consisting of a grand passageway, where road traffic once had access, flanked by a giant arch at each end and five arches along the front. A large domed clock tower dominates the building while the interior ticket hall displays a Renaissance quality

    The ticket hall, Nottingham Railway Station – 26/11/2022
    Yoshi meets East Midland Railway mascot “Miles” at Nottingham Railway Station – 26/11/2022
    Stationary trains including Class 158 diesel multiple units No.’s 158858 and 158777 in evidence at Nottingham Railway Station during a one day strike by ASLEF members – 26/11/2022
    Yoshi waits at Nottingham Station Tram Stop while NEC tram No. 213 awaits to depart on a service to Hucknall – 26/11/2022

    The other city centre railway stations were the GCR’s Nottingham Victoria, which was raised to the ground and replaced by a shopping centre with only the clock tower surviving, and two on London Road opened by the Great Northern Railway (GNR). Of the Nottingham London Road station’s; the High Level station was demolished in 2006 and although severely damaged by fire in 1996, the Low Level station building has been restored and converted to a health and fitness club.

    The clock tower survived the demolition of Nottingham Victoria railway station – 26/11/2022
    Plaque commemorating Nottingham Victoria with the Victoria Shopping Centre, Nottingham – 26/11/2022

    That’s it for another week – thank you for joining us. We’ll leave you with the following thought; “In times of joy, all of us wished we possessed a tail we could wag” – W.H. Auden

  • Kent and back

    Yoshi visits Tonbridge and barks at all the GBRf Class 69 locomotives introduced to traffic so far – 12/11/2022

    On Saturday, Yoshi’s mum was off to London for the weekend to meet up with a friend who had travelled down on the Caledonian sleeper – of which, I was extremely jealous! Travelling on a sleeper train has long been an item on my bucket list. As there are no sleeper services from sleepy Dorset to the big smoke, and as Yoshi’s mum isn’t keen on rail replacement bus services, I volunteered to drive up and drop her off in Greenwich. With this offer accepted, my mind began to formulate a number of plans of things Yoshi and I could do on our way back.

    My initial thought was to drive home via Brighton and try and catch Class 313 No. 313201 in its heritage British Rail livery before this particular Class of electric multiple units is withdrawn from service, but planned engineering works meaning no trains running in the area put paid to that idea.

    Next up, I thought I could spend the afternoon somewhere on the East Coast Main Line as I was certain London North Eastern Railway (LNER) would roster “celebrity” Class 91 No. 91111 ‘For The Fallen’ in Remembrance Day livery created to mark the contribution of, and the lives lost by regiments along the East Coast route during the First World War. First unveiled in 2014, the special livery depicts soldiers, artefacts, poppies and tributes in honour of those who lost their lives in service to their country. The locomotive had been running turns between London Kings Cross and the North all week, and I was confident it would run over the Remembrance weekend. But on checking the allocations via Real Time Trains on Saturday morning, it was clear that No. 91111 was being rested. It obviously returned to duty the following day.

    One locomotive named in commemoration of Remembrance I have managed to capture is DB Class 66 No. 66100 ‘Armistice 100 1918 – 2018’ which I saw at Didcot on 2nd June 2022. In the images below, the loco has one of its wheel sets placed in a wheel skate and had been marooned at Didcot since the middle of May 2022, eventually leaving on the back of an Allelys low loader for repairs at Toton weeks later.

    DB Class 66 No. 66100 ‘Armistice 100 1918 – 2018’ at Didcot – 02/06/2022
    Nameplate detail of DB Class 66 No. 66100 ‘Armistice 100 1918 – 2018’ at Didcot – 02/06/2022
    DB Class 66 No. 66100 ‘Armistice 100 1918 – 2018’ at Didcot. The wheel skate can be seen clearly – 02/06/2022

    Returning to last Saturday and plan number three which involved heading towards Tonbridge to see SR Unrebuilt West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34067 ‘Tangmere’ in action heading up Bellmond British Pullman’s “Golden Arrow 50th Anniversary” rail tour running from London Victoria to Canterbury and return, commemorating the final run of this iconic named train which occurred on 30th September 1972. ‘Tangmere’ was deputising for SR Rebuilt Merchant Navy 4-6-2 No. 35028 ‘Clan Line’ but, unbeknownst to me (because I had failed to check) the positioning run which would have taken ‘Tangmere’ south from Carnforth to Southall was cancelled on Friday 11th November 2022 which resulted in the steam traction being substituted by top and tailed Class 67 locomotives.

    This is ‘Tangmere’ when she made it south a few years ago:

    SR Unrebuilt West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34067 ‘Tangmere’ rests in the EMU compound at Weymouth having worked Railway Touring Company organised “The Royal Wessex”. It was reported that the locomotive hit the buffer stops at Weymouth station – 05/09/2015
    SR Unrebuilt West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34067 ‘Tangmere’ puts on quite a display as she nears Dorchester South with “The Dorset Coast Express” – 09/09/2015
    SR Unrebuilt West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34067 ‘Tangmere’ climbs Bincombe Bank with the return “Weymouth Seaside Express” – 31/07/2011
    The wonderful exterior of Greenwich railway station on 12/11/2022 where we deposited Yoshi’s mum. The station was opened in 1840, and the original building still stands, making it one of the oldest surviving station structures in the world. The line that serves Greenwich, the London and Greenwich Railway as it was known when it was built in 1836, was the first steam railway in London and the first to be built specifically for passengers. It began at Tooley Street (now London Bridge) and ran via Deptford to Greenwich on a viaduct of 878 brick arches. It was the first elevated railway in the world. 
    DB Class 67 No. 67007 in Platinum Jubilee livery passing Pluckley hauling Belmond British Pullman’s “Golden Arrow 50th Anniversary” rail tour. The Class 67’s were deputising for SR Unrebuilt West Country Class 4-6-2 No. 34067 ‘Tangmere’ which would have been the first time a Bullied ‘Spam Cam’ had hauled a Pullman train since August 2007 – 12/11/2022
    DB Class 67 No. 67021 in Belmond Pullman livery at the rear of the “Golden Arrow 50th Anniversary” rail tour. Named in 1929, the “Golden Arrow” was the Southern Railway’s premier connection with Paris, the equivalent train on the French side was “La Flèche d’Or”. The “Golden Arrow” was mainly routed via Dover for the Channel Crossing, although for a number of years the return leg started at Folkestone Harbour – 12/11/2022
    GBRf Class 69 No. 69004 in traditional RHTT livery passes Tonbridge with No. 69005 ‘Eastleigh’ at the rear working 3W74 0605 Tonbridge West Yard GBRf to Tonbridge West Yard GBRf – 12/11/2022
    GBRf Class 69 No. 69005 ‘Eastleigh’ at the rear of 3W74 0605 Tonbridge West Yard GBRf to Tonbridge West Yard GBRf. As was pointed out to me by our North Dorset correspondent, there are no tail lights in evidence – 12/11/2022
    GBRf Class 69 No.’s 69003 ‘The Railway Observer’ / 69002 ‘Bob Tiller CM&REE’ and Class 73 No. 73119 ‘Borough of Eastleigh’ at Tonbridge West Yard – 12/11/2022
    GBRf Class 69 No. 69003 ‘The Railway Observer’ Tonbridge West Yard – 12/11/2022
    GBRf Class 69 No. 69001 ‘Mayflower’ with 69006 at the rear at Tonbridge West Yard – 12/11/2022
    GBRf Class 73 No. 73119 ‘Borough of Eastleigh’ at Tonbridge West Yard – 12/11/2022
    GBRf Class 73 No. 73964 ‘Jeanette’ rests having worked 1Q85 2356 Tonbridge West Yard to Tonbridge West Yard earlier in the day. Classmate 73962 was on the other end of the test train – 12/11/2022
    Our video from 12th November 2022, bark along!

    On Sunday 13th November, I visited The Tank Museum at Bovington, near Wool. Unfortunately the museum is not dog friendly, so Yoshi sat this one out. As would be expected, the museum follows the development of the tank from World War One to the modern day and has numerous examples on display. There are a few railway references in the museum:

    A display showing how railway’s moved troops about the country for embarkation to Europe – The Tank Museum 13/11/2022
    Checking supplies arriving by train and the injured awaiting repatriation at a railway station diorama – The Tank Museum 13/11/2022
    Unlike modern armoured vehicles, the first tanks did not have turrets to carry the main gun. Their weapons were instead mounted in special side units known as “sponsons.” An example of a sponson from a Mark II tank is shown on the trolley in the above image. Specially designed trolleys were used in 1916 to move the sponsons around when taken off the tank. This was necessary because tanks would otherwise not be able to travel by rail. The sponsons jutted out and made the tank too wide to fit through tunnels – they may have also knocked down signal posts or injured passengers on platforms. The solution was to unbolt them which took the crew about fifteen minutes and then load them onto the trolleys to be carried separately. With the appearance of the new Mark IV tank in 1917, the trolley became redundant. Its sponsons were smaller and could slide into the hull to allow the whole tank to travel by rail – The Tank Museum 13/11/2022
    A Mark IV Tank(Male), built in 1917 by William Foster & Co Ltd as part of a batch of 101 tanks numbered from 2300 to 2400. This is one of seven survivors from the 1,220 Mark IV tanks built and is preserved in operational condition, although it is not run to avoid damage from wear and tear – The Tank Museum 13/11/2022
    A branch line from Wool to Bovington was built . This image courtesy of The Tank Museum shows Mark IV tanks with sponsons pushed inside to meet railway gauge limitations are being shunted towards Bovington. The branch cost an estimated £2,776 which was met by the War department. At just over 2 miles in length, the single track branch line was constructed by the Royal Engineers assisted by German prisoners of war between October 1918 and August 1919
    Remains of the Bovington Branch railway in 2022; an embankment near Woolbridge – 13/11/2022
    We’ve looked at the railway element of The Tank Museum, and now a dog feature: Rifleman Khan was a German Shepherd who won the Dickin medal during the Second World War. He was awarded the medal for saving the life of his handler,
    Lance Corporal Jimmy Muldoon. Khan was volunteered for Army service by the Railton family and given the number 147. After training as a mine detection dog, he was assigned to Jimmy Muldoon, 6th Battalion, The Cameronians.
    Khan spent the rest of the war in Europe with Jimmy Muldoon. Due to the bond they had developed, Jimmy appealed to the Railton family to keep him. They initially refused, but after a parade organised by ‘The Star’ newspaper in 1947, the family saw them together and allowed Khan to stay with Jimmy, saying, “He is yours, take him home with you!”
    Jess Lucas, a sculpture student at Arts University Bournemouth, produced the model of Rifleman Khan seen in the image above for her final year project.
    There are all sorts of tanks on display at the Tank Museum. Sometimes mutated alien creatures encased in tank like bonded polycarbide armour visit for team build events such as this group in 2015 posing for photographs with their creator Davros – 25/07/2015

    In other news, at some “point” during the past week, the Hamworthy Branch has been reconnected to the main line. Hurrah! The track work crossing Lake Road bridge is scheduled to receive attention w/c 21/11/2022

    SWR Class 444 No.444038 having departed Hamworthy with 1W64 1420 Weymouth to London Waterloo passes the newly restored point work leading to the Hamworthy Branch – 16/11/2022
    Closer view of the new point work – 16/11/2022
    The ‘stop’ sign is still in situ on the Hamworthy Branch – 16/11/2022
    Maybe a sight we’ll see again? DB Class 60 No. 60054 heads off the Hamworthy Branch – 17/02/2017

    If you’ve made it this far dear reader, you have our thanks and gratitude. We really appreciate your comments, observations and corrections. We’ve almost managed a whole year of posts at therailwaydog.co.uk, join us next week for the blogs’ first birthday, There will be cake. Possibly. This week’s post was created to the sounds of Dizzy, John Rutter and Odanata (thanks Milly & Saffy!).