The Railway Dog

Month: February 2022

  • Whistles In The Wind

    Great Western Railway Small Prairie No. 5526 heads through the Purbeck countryside – 19/02/2022

    So this week we’ve all had to contend with the triple onslaught of Storm’s Dudley, Eunice and Franklin. Remember when we had to wait months in-between storms? Now they come along like double decker buses. Hopefully everyone has come through unscathed. We were up late, or was it early….. to be honest, most likely both…. on 16th February 2022 when Class 66 locomotives No.’s 66765 and 66779 top and tailing a rail milling machine paid a visit to the Weymouth line. We caught this interesting ensemble passing through Poole and Hamworthy. It was both wet and cold, a foretaste of things to come.

    Later the same day, Yoshi together with his human parents took a trip to Lacock in Wiltshire. Yoshi was able to tick off another location used by the BBC when they were filming the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride & Prejudice’. Last year he visited Lyme Park in Cheshire which was used as the exterior of Pemberley, Mr. Darcy’s country house. Laycock village portrayed the fictional village of Meryton in the TV miniseries.

    Yoshi striking his best Fitzwilliam Darcy pose at Lyme Park – June 2021
    Yoshi enjoys the grounds of Lacock Abbey – February 2022

    Because of the impending arrival of high winds, the grounds of Lacock Abbey were closed early and we retreated to Westbury for a busy hour of train spotting. We managed to see most workings scheduled to pass through the station in the time we were there with one exception which was routed via the avoiding line at the last minute and the realisation of this change was just too late for me to get in a position in order to photograph the 59 which was at the head of the train.

    Locomotives in this video include 66606 working 748G 1321 Southampton Up Yard (FL) to Whatley Quarry FL HH, 66509 & 59101 working 752G 1222 Wembley Receptions 1-7 to Merehead Quarry, 66501 working 487H 1329 Wentloog to Southampton MCT, 66617 working 673K Appleford FHH to Whatley Quarry FL HH as well as Great Western Railway and South Western Railway passenger services
    Before heading home we dried out and enjoyed some refreshment in the Railway Inn where we found this cast aluminium British Rail depot plaque for Westbury which depicts a representation of the White Horse hill figure cut into the escarpment of Salisbury Plain situated east of the town and is visible from afar and a famous local landmark. The plaque would have once adorned the side of a locomotive allocated to Westbury depot.

    The next day, intrigued by the prospect of catching sight of ‘new’ Class 69 No. 69004 which was rumoured to be leaving the works following a paint job, Yoshi and I headed to Eastleigh. Before the 69’s scheduled departure, we popped in to Shawford station to catch a glimpse of Class 50 No. 50008 ‘Thunderer’ hauling Rail Adventure Ltd. barrier wagons.

    50008 with Rail Adventure barrier wagons passing Shawford – 17/02/2022
    Many years previously the same locomotive; 50008 in British Rail Large Logo livery arrives at Radipole Halt near Weymouth – 16/07/1983

    Here’s some video of our brief visit to Shawford for you to bark along to including 50008 working 656S Eastleigh TRSMD to Kings Norton OT Plant Dept:

    Arriving in Eastleigh, we were able to observe a few trains as the clock counted down to Class 69 No. 69004’s scheduled departure from the Eastleigh Works paint shop.

    Locomotives in this video include: 66738 working 6041 1014 Westbury Down T.C. to Eastleigh East Yard, 66606 working 6320 1409 Fareham Hanson Sidings to Merehead Quarry, 08511 shunting wagons (including new Network Rail / Wascosa ‘Falcons’ ), 66762 working 4M46 1424 Southampton Western Docks to Trafford Park Euro Terminal, 66761 working 4Y19 Mountfield Sidings to Southampton Western Docks along with various South Western Railway and Southern passenger services

    Just before 1600, Class 69 No. 69004 emerged from Eastleigh Works in a fine representation of the old British Railways Railway Technical Centre livery. I look forward to seeing how GBRf outshop subsequent locomotives of this class which are being converted from former Class 56 locomotives. We decided against joining the shooting gallery on Eastleigh station and instead took a vantage point from the multi-storey car park overlooking the railway.

    Newly out-shopped Class 69 No. 69004 eases out of Eastleigh Works with Class 73 No. 73212 in support
    Class 69 No. 69004 and Class 73 Electro-diesel No. 73212 work 0Y73 1600 Eastleigh Works GBRf to Brighton Wall Sidings

    Dorset’s premier heritage line The Swanage Railway is currently being visited by Great Western Railway Class 4575 2-6-2T Small Prairie tank locomotive No. 5526 on loan from its usual home on the South Devon Railway. 

    Designed by Charles Collett, one hundred of the Class 4575 locomotives were built for passenger and freight train workings by the Great Western Railway at its Swindon locomotive works. No. 5526 emerged in May 1928 at a cost of £3,694 and is one of 14 members of its class to survive into preservation.

    Spending its entire life hauling trains in the West Country, No. 5526 was based at St Blazey, Bodmin, Exeter, Plymouth Millbay, Laira and Truro – ending its days at Westbury in Wiltshire.

    Withdrawn from service in June 1962, with a mileage of around 900,000 miles, No. 5526 was sold to Woodham’s scrapyard at Barry in South Wales from where she was rescued in 1985 with restoration starting at Swindon before being moved to the South Devon Railway where work was completed by No. 5526’s owners – 5526 Limited – at Buckfastleigh.

    We caught No. 5526 on the afternoon of Saturday 19th February 2022 where she looked and sounded fabulous. Unfortunately the locomotive experienced some issues later over the weekend and some services intended to be hauled by No. 5526 were instead handled by resident Bulleid Pacific No. 34072 ‘257 Squadron’. We hope repairs on the Small Prairie are swiftly sorted!

    And finally this week, something from the archive as we re-visit Westbury in the 1980’s:

    33008 Westbury
    33008 Westbury – date unknown
    Class 33/0 Westbury
    Unidentified Class 33/0 Westbury – date unknown
    56059 Westbury
    56059 Westbury – date unknown
    33025 23/12/1982 Westbury
    33025 Westbury – 23/12/1982
    47254 & L429 23/12/1982 Westbury
    47254 & DMU set L429 Westbury – 23/12/1982
    56034 23/12/1982
    56034 Westbury – 23/12/1982
    Westbury - no details
    Westbury – details unknown
    50014 23/121982 Westbury
    50014 passes the then newly constructed Westbury Signalbox – 23/121982

    The Westbury panel signalbox was topped out on December 9 1982 by William Kent, Deputy General Manager of British Railways, Western Region. The ceremony, when Mr. Kent poured the last shovelful of concrete, was organised by the contractors, A. Roberts (Civil Engineering) Limited, of Seend, Melksham, Wilts.

    The box, which opened for use on 14th May 1984, formed part of the first stage in a £30m signal modernisation scheme covering 107 miles of track between Westbury and Totnes, Devon. The overall scheme involved replacing all GWR style semaphore signals with multi-aspect colour lights controlled from one box at Westbury and one at Exeter. More than 40 lever-frame boxes were scheduled to be closed.

    The view of Westbury Box in February 2022 as Class 165 No. 165130 passes with a Swindon to Westbury service. The lines to/ from London curve to the east while the lines to the left head towards Bristol

    Thanks for reading, as always comments and suggestions are welcome. Yoshi and I hope to see you again very soon!

  • Railway Ramblings

    This week ( February 8th to 15th 2022 ) has seen the Bournemouth to Weymouth line welcome engineers trains and test trains which has provided an interesting variety and a change from the norm.

    Class 701 testing continues and this week it was the turn of unit No. 701032 to run down to Poole.

    On Tuesday 8th February 2022, we stopped off at Holton Heath to see GBRf Class 66 locomotives No’s 66786 and 66790 top and tail a handful of wagons on their way to Dorchester South. The following night we were in Dorchester to see 66790 joined by 66774 pull up to the work site near to Culliford Road Bridge where old lengths of rail were piled up ready for collection.

    Over the weekend of 12th and 13th February, DB Class 66 locomotives No.’s 66118 and 66130 could be seen at Branksome with an engineers train which had arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning as 616M Eastleigh East Yard to Bournemouth. Work was carried out at the entrance to Bournemouth depot and as can be seen in the photo at the top of this entry, Yoshi went along to ensure things were going smoothly.

    After a chat to the driver of the DB train, we made a brief visit to Swanage to take a look at the Swanage Railway Trust 4TC Group’s coaches which they have been busy restoring. The Class 491 unit at Swanage is one of two 4TC sets that were purchased from British Rail by London Underground for use on Metropolitan line excursions. When London Underground decided to dispose of one of its 4TC sets, it was purchased privately with the intent of it being based at Swanage.

    In 2016 another DTSO (76275) was offered for sale. This was in much better condition than the other two DTSO’s owned by the Swanage group and needed little more than a new coat of paint largely because 76275 had survived in service as part of a 4VEP unit until 2004. It was decided to acquire this vehicle and use the third DTSO as a spare. DTSO 76275 was restored by its previous owners at St Leonards depot and delivered to Swanage in May 2017.

    As can be seen in the images below, three of the unrestored coaches have now been covered with new tarpaulins to help protect them from the elements until their wait in the restoration queue is over. They have been formed into a new unit, and given the unit number 413. The aim is to restore the unit to full running order, based on the Swanage Railway, to run push pull with a class 33/1. There is a possibility of creating a 5 coach unit by including a buffet car. I’m all for that option!

    Class 33 No. 33111 was also in evidence alongside the 4TC coaches. In the late 1960’s Class 33/1 and 4TC unit formations were introduced as the staple motive power for the then un-electrified track from Bournemouth to Weymouth. For three decades Weymouth bound trains started out from London Waterloo powered by third-rail electric 4REP units on the rear of unpowered 4TC’s. At Bournemouth the train would divide with at least one four car 4TC being hauled onward by a class 33/1 diesel locomotive. On the return working, the diesel pushed the train as far as Bournemouth where it would be detached and the 4TC(‘s) attached to a waiting 4REP. To commemorate the end of the push-pull era, Hertfordshire Rail Tours ran the Push-Pull Farewell on the 22nd January 1994. The train was formed of two 4TC units 410 and 417 with Class 33 No. 33116 providing motive power. Starting out from London Waterloo, the train ran to Exeter St. Davids via Yeovil before heading to Bristol Temple Meads when the tour ventured to Weymouth where it can be seen in the video below. At Weymouth, 33116 was joined by Class 73 Electro-Diesel No. 73109 and together they propelled the train back to London Waterloo via Southampton and Basingstoke.

    At the locomotive viewing point in Swanage, Yoshi and I paid our respects to Ringwood the Railway Cat who passed away in July 2015. Swanage Railway staff said Ringwood knew the warmest and best places to sleep, occasionally ending up beyond shed limits on an unplanned journey if she was too lazy to wake up! Back in steam days, engine sheds would employ a cat to minimise rodent problems with a small stipend being paid for their upkeep and wellbeing.

    On Monday 14th February GBRf Class 73’s No’s 73961 ‘Alison’ and 73962 ‘Dick Mabbutt’ headed for Weymouth working the 120N 1115 Derby RTC to Eastleigh Arlington test train.

    Thanks for reading. See you next week for some Westbury and Eastleigh travels, including our first video of the special livery given to 69004:

    GBRf Class 69 No. 69004 in Railway Technical Centre Livery with Class 73 No. 73212 in tow working 0Y73 Eastleigh Works GBRf to Brighton Wall Siding – 17/02/2022

    Bye for now!

  • South Wales Adventure

    Yoshi shelters from the rain outside Cardiff Central

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The concourse at Cardiff Central Railway Station

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

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

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

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

  • Weekly Wanderings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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