An early morning start for Yoshi and I to see a piece of history as Class 45 No. 45118 ‘The Royal Artilleryman’ is the first member of its class to haul a mainline passenger train in 17 years as she prepares to depart Bristol Temple Meads with “The Diamond Jubilee Express” 1Z45 0703 Bristol Temple Meads to York – 27/07/2024
Backtracking….
On Saturday 27th July 2024 I had the mad notion of leaving home in the early hours in order to arrive at Bristol Temple Meads in time to see Locomotive Services Limited’s (LSL) newly restored Sulzer Type 4 Class 45 diesel locomotive No. 45118 ‘The Royal Artilleryman’ passing through the station with the empty coaching stock (ecs) ahead of her departure proper working inaugural railtour “The Diamond Jubilee Express” 1Z45 0703 Bristol Temple Meads to York. I should have had an extra hour in bed, as the day before the “Peak”, while on her way South, had to be rescued by stablemate Class 47 No. D1924 (47810) ‘Crewe Diesel Depot’. As insurance it was decided that the Class 47 would remain on the train for the Saturday in case of further trouble with the Class 45. This of course meant that the ecs move through Temple Meads was no longer required in advance of 1Z45’s departure as the Class 47 was able to pull the train into the station with no requirement for the Class 45 to run around the carriages for her to be at the correct end ready for setting off on the journey to York. This hadn’t crossed my mind until I was well on my way to Bristol – d’oh!
A last minute platform change meant a mad dash over to platform 15 – possibly the least desirable location for the train to depart in the morning light. By the time Yoshi and I had made our way over from platform 7, the “Peak” and carriages had already arrived.
I was pleased to discover this image posted by Jack William on Facebook which shows me attempting to get Yoshi to pose for a photograph with Class 45 No. 45118 ‘The Royal Artilleryman’ at Bristol Temple Meads. Many thanks to @smithy.377 and the member of station staff who assisted in persuading the boy to deign to look in my direction – 27/07/2024 (With kind permission of Jack William)
No. 45118 was built in 1962 and allocated to Derby shed numbered D67. She was fitted with electric train heating (ETH) in December 1973 and renumbered under the TOPS system. Withdrawn in May 1987 she was put in storage at March Whitemoor Yard from where she was purchased by David Young who moved her to the Northampton Steam Railway in September 1990. Unfortunately the locomotive suffered from vandalism by metal thieves and she subsequently found a new home at Rail Vehicle Engineering Limited based at the Derby Railway Technical Centre (RTC) in August 2009. LSL purchased the “Peak” in 2018 and contracted Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC) for her restoration at Barrow Hill. No. 45118 is currently the only main line-certified Class 45 on the UK network and follows in the steps of previous “Peak” locomotives; Pete Waterman’s No. D172 (46035) ‘Ixion’ and No. 45112.
The 27th July charter was originally scheduled to run as far as Chesterfield but was extended to York, where the train arrived two minutes early despite leaving Bristol Temple Meads nine minutes late.
Class 45 No. 45118 ‘The Royal Artilleryman’ made a fine sight as she leaves Bristol Temple Meads bound for York – 27/07/2024
No. 45118 ‘The Royal Artilleryman’ at the head of “The Diamond Jubilee Express” 1Z45 0703 Bristol Temple Meads to York departing Bristol – 27/07/2024 (Additional video by kind permission of @smithy.377)
After seeing No. 45118 off, it was time for Yoshi and I to enjoy breakfast. As luck would have it, on our way to chosen fast food eatery, I passed Bristol St. Phillips Marsh and was able to take a quick photo of Colas Rail Freight Class 56 No. 56049 ‘Robin of Templecombe’ which had arrived earlier the same morning having worked in on 0Z60 0635 Westbury Down TC to St Phillips Marsh HSTD.
Breakfast bonus of Colas Rail Freight Class 56 No. 56049 ‘Robin of Templecombe 1938-2013’ stabled on St Phillips Marsh. The locomotive had arrived earlier that morning having worked in on 0Z60 0635 Westbury Down TC to St Phillips Marsh HSTD. No. 56049 is unique in having alternate cabs following damage sustained to the number two end – 27/07/2024If you’re wanting to compare the two ends, here’s Yoshi train spotting on the end of Westbury station with Colas Class 56 No. 56049 ‘Robin of Templecombe 1938 – 2013’ in the background showing the number one end cab design with the larger front horn grille cover – 03/09/2022
Instead of heading home after breakfast, I turned the car around and drove off to Kemble in the company of @smithy.377 as another example of Sulzer heritage traction; Swanage Railway resident Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’ – one of my favourite locomotives back in the day – was scheduled to pass through with the London Underground 4-TC set on their way to the Forest of Dean Railway with a UK Railtours special working.
Preserved Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’ approaching Kemble railway station with the London Transport 4-TC set forming a UK Raitours’ special train to the Dean Forest Railway. The outward leg ran as 1Z65 0744 Basingstoke to Lydney Junction and was routed via Woking, Herne Hill, Virginia Water to Reading through to Swindon and the Golden Valley – 27/07/2024Another shot of Swanage Railway resident Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’ at Kemble, but this time closer to the camera – 27/07/2024
Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’ passes Kemble bound for the Dean Forest Railway – 27/07/2024
From The Archive:
Let’s take a breather and look back at some shots of No. 33012 when she was in British Rail service and sported a rather unique livery for a Class 33!
An unsuccessful attempt at night photography in a bid to capture Class 33 No. 33012’s unique livery with full yellow ends carried by large BR logo locomotives of the period. The locomotive is at Dorchester West with a Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads service – 09/02/1981New Years Day 1982 and the alert went out that unique liveried Class 33 No.33012 was in Weymouth. I don’t recall if I got the train from Dorchester or managed to get a lift, but I was pleased to see the loco in daylight, even if my photos were left wanting – 01/01/1982Another view of unique liveried Class 33 No.33012 standing in the once extensive Jubilee sidings at Weymouth – 01/01/1982
Class 45 No. 45112 ‘The Royal Army Ordnance Corps’ has the distinction of making it into preservation and operated on the mainline on heritage railtours. Long before those days, here a couple of photos I took on my Kodak 110 film camera in 1977:
Class 45 No.’s 45104 ‘The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers’ and 45112 ‘The Royal Army Ordnance Corps’ at St Pancras railway station, London. No. 45112 was delivered to Derby in March 1962 spending most of its working life attached to London Midland Region (LMR) depots. No. 45112 was named at Derby Works on September 14th 1965. She received a general/refurbish at Derby Works during May 1980, transfer to Tinsley came in November 1986 and remained in service until May 7th 1987. She was rescued for preservation and had a period of mainline use. She is currently in store at Nemesis Rail, Burton-on-Trent. No. 45104 would not be so lucky. Introduced into service in February 1962, her working days ended on April 13th 1988, condemned with collision damage. She would linger for four more years until broken up at MC Metals, Glasgow in February 1992 – July 1977Class 45 No. 45112 ‘The Royal Army Ordnance Corps’ is seen at St Pancras in the company of an unidentified stablemate (possibly No. 45040 ‘King’s Shropshire Light Infantry’). On the 8th April 2004, No. 45112 had the honour of hauling the last loco-hauled train from St. Pancras before the station was closed prior to being rebuilt as the London Eurostar terminal – July 1977
Bristol Temple Meads was a regular haunt for “Peaks” hauling passenger trains when I visited in early 1980’s, as can be seen in the three images below:
Class 45 No. 45134 departs Bristol Temple Meads. Originally numbered as D126 she was built at Crewe works and entered traffic in November 1961, allocated to Derby MPD. In 1973 the Midland Main Line services started to migrate from steam heating to electric heating of the coaching stock and No. D126 was one of fifty class 45 locomotives selected to have its Stone Vapour steam heating boiler replaced with ETH equipment and emerged from Derby works in the Autumn of 1974 as No. 45134. She would survive in service until withdrawal in September 1987. Eventually towed to MC Metals in Glasgow in 1991 where she was broken up in November of that year. – 12/06/1983Class 45 No. 45023 ‘The Royal Pioneer Corps’ approaches Bristol Temple Meads. No. 45023 was delivered to Derby during September 1962 and would spend most of her time allocated to LMR depots. She was named at St Pancras on November 14th 1963. No. 45023 was loaned to the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) at Willington Power Station during October 1968 to substitute for an exciter under repair, running for 340 hours non-stop. Her only time away from LMR depots was when on allocation to Tinsley from February 1979 to January 1982. In June 1980 the locomotive survived a visit to Swindon Works for electrical repairs, but succumbed at Derby Works in September 1984 with worn tyres, after twenty two years in service and languished at Derby Works before being dragged to Vic Berry’s in Leicester for breaking up during December 1986. A crest carried by this locomotive sold for £1,500 at auction in January 2002 – 06/06/1981Class 45 No. 45121 at Bristol Temple Meads. No. 45121 (formerly No. D18 having entered traffic in December 1960) was one of two Class 45/1s (the other being No. 45110) that received white body side stripes and red buffer beams at Toton Depot in 1980. The loco carried these in service until a Heavy General Overhaul at Derby Works in 1981. She made a final visit to the works for generator repairs in June 1986, being one of the last Class 45’s to receive repairs there. The loco was scheduled to be withdrawn in May 1987, but received a reprieve due to other locos being in worse condition. The reprieve was cut short when the loco derailed at Healey Mills in October 1987 and was deemed beyond economical repair, being withdrawn on 19/11/1987. No. 45121 was then sent to Derby Etches Park for Carriage Heating duties a task the locomotive never actually performed. In 1993, No. 45121 by now unoffically named ‘Pegasus’ suffered the ignominy of being rammed by a Class 158 DMU as part of a crashworthiness test for the then new units. The Peak was sold for scrap soon afterwards to Thomas Hill scrap merchants and cut up on site at Crewe Works in March 1993 – 06/06/1981
And finally a video from the archives featuring the third main line “Peak” in preservation, No. D172 (46035) ‘Ixion’:
Class 46 No. D172 (46035) ‘Ixion’ rounds the curve at Penrith railway station on 16th December 1995 with Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 0500 Cardiff Central to Carlisle “Festive Cumbrian Mountain Express” railtour. The return working utilised the unique British Railways Standard 8P 4-6-2 No. 71000 ‘Duke of Gloucester’ which hauled the train over the Settle & Carlisle line. We see the train at Culgaith, Aisgill and Garsdale – 16/12/1995
Dorset Special Workings; 01/08/2024 to 14/08/2024
5th August – 0Z12 1443 Eastleigh Arlington (ZG) to Swanage LMD (GBRf)
August kicked off with the return of Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’ to the Swanage Railway following on from her recent rail tour duties the Forest of Dean.
Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’ crosses Upton Viaduct on the Holes Bay Causeway as she heads home following a prolonged stay in Hampshire post railtour duties working 0Z12 1443 Eastleigh Arlington (ZG) to Swanage LMD (GBRf) – 05/08/2024
7th August – Statesman Rail “Dorset Coast Statesman”
LSL Class 47 No. 47593 ‘Galloway Princess’ opens up as she powers into Hamworthy railway station at the head of Statesman Rail “Dorset Coast Statesman” 1Z21 0604 Peterborough to Weymouth – 07/08/2024Video screenshot of LSL Class 47 No. D1924 (47810) ‘Crewe Diesel Depot’ climbs the incline through Parkstone with the return “Dorset Coast Statesman” 1Z24 1638 Weymouth to Peterborough – 07/08/2024
13th August – Class 458 EMU drag to & from Bournemouth T&RSMD
Another Class 458 unit drag into and out of Bournemouth Traction & Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot took place, again with maroon liveried GB Railfreight Class 69 No. 69009 ‘Western Consort’. The locomotive arrived hauling refurbished Class 458 Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) No. 458409 which had worked its way down from Widnes Transport Tech.
The balancing working back up to Widnes saw No. 69009 taking Class 458 EMU No. 458506 away for conversion. As usual, the train departed Bournemouth Traincare Depot and headed for Poole Storage Sidings where the locomotive ran around its train before heading back east as 5Z66 2018 Bournemouth T&RSMD to Eastleigh East Yard. Transit to Cheshire continued the following day.
Screenshot GBRf Class 69 No. 69009 ‘Western Consort’ hauls Class 458 EMU No. 458506 through Poole forming 5Z66 2018 Bournemouth T&RSMD to Eastleigh East Yard – 13/08/2024Screenshot GBRf Class 69 No. 69009 ‘Western Consort’ running light engine into platform 2 at Poole – 13/08/2024Screenshot GBRf Class 69 No. 69009 ‘Western Consort’ having reattached to its train heads east back through Poole working 5Z66 2018 Bournemouth T&RSMD to Eastleigh East Yard – 13/08/2024
Special workings in Dorset August 1st to August 13th 2024 (Additional video content courtesy of Gerry Barrett)
Western Memory
Much disappointment when Pathfinder Railtours announced their planned 14th August 2024 excursion to Weymouth employing Class 52 Western Diesel-Hydraulic locomotive No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ was unable to run because of pathing issues.
Statement from Pathfinder Railtours – August 2024
No. D1015 did however work at the helm of a UK Railtours special to the East Somerset Railway in July, the first charter from the mainline to arrive at Cranmore since 2019. I had originally planned to see the “Westbury Wizzo” at Westbury, but plans changed and I found myself in the Midlands for the weekend of 6th/7th July 2024. With No. D1015 starting and finishing her tour at East Midlands Parkway I took the opportunity to see the train arrive here on its return leg.
Screenshot Class 52 No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ arrives at East Midlands Parkway after a late platform change working the return “Westbury Wizzo” 1Z79 1515 Cranmore to East Midlands Parkway – 06/07/2024Class 52 No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ preparing to depart East Midlands Parkway with the tour ecs forming 5Z80 East Midlands Parkway to Burton On Trent Wetmore Sidings – 06/07/2024
The stock then ran empty to Nemesis Rail at Burton On Trent, where I was able to catch ‘Champion’ the following day as she returned to her home base on the Severn Valley Railway.
Class 52 No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ at Nemesis Rail having just started up prior to working light engine back home to the Severn Valley Railway – 07/07/2024Class 52 No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ in the sidings at Nemesis Rail, Burton On Trent – 07/07/2024Class 52 No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ slowly moves out towards the mainline having stabled overnight at Nemesis Rail – 07/07/2024Class 52 No. D1015 ‘Western Champion’ opens up running as 0Z52 1400 Burton Wetmore Sidings to Kidderminster SVR – 07/07/2024
D1015 ‘Western Champion’ arrives at East Midlands Parkway and runs light engine from Burton-On-Trent – July 2024
Having been left to my own devices for most of the weekend, as well as seeing No. D1015 strut its stuff, I fulfilled a long held ambition of re-visiting Doncaster, with the objective of getting a photograph of Class 47 No. 47714 which has been stabled alongside the mainline for a number of years.
Class 47 No. 47714 hopefully has a new lease of life following the announcement from the Wensleydale Railway saying she has been purchased from The Harry Needle Railroad Company. She has been at Doncaster for the last three years. Tim Williamson, director and member of the General Management Group at Wensleydale Railway PLC, said: “The purchase of this locomotive improves our operational capabilities. It has electric train-heating capacity which will allow us to heat our carriages during the cold winter months, and particularly when operating our Polar Express Christmas train services.” Originally withdrawn by English Welsh & Scottish Railways in 1996, No. 47714 was subsequently sold to Cotswold Rail, which revived her with a return to main line duties. A subsequent hire to Anglia Railways between 2002 and 2007 saw her as the only Class 47 to be painted in the distinctive turquoise and white colours of the now-defunct train operating company – 06/07/2024Class 47 No.’s 47714 in Anglia livery and 47703 in faded Fragonset livery stabled within Doncaster Wabtec, taken from Frenchgate car park. The pair have been used as train supply locomotives for carriage testing – 06/07/2024
As mentioned above, rail enthusiasts often have favourite locomotives and this particular Brush Type 4 was another one of mine in an earlier guise as No. 47511 ‘Thames’
In a previous life, No. 47714 was BR Class 47 No. 47511 ‘Thames’ seen here at Swindon – 13/05/1979LNER Class 91 No. 91101 ‘Flying Scotsman’ winds her way into Doncaster hauling 1D18 1435 London Kings Cross to Leeds – 06/07/2024Another view of LNER Class 91 No. 91101 ‘Flying Scotsman’ arriving at Doncaster working 1D18 1435 London Kings Cross to Leeds – 06/07/2024
After spending 15 minutes or so at the top of Frenchgate shopping centre car park one looking Doncaster railway station and a great vantage point to see No.’s 47714 and 47703, Yoshi and I took a stroll through the bus station and onto the railway station where we we able to get photographs of stabled freight locomotives and bark at the occasional Northern Rail Class 150 arriving or departing.
Also at Doncaster the first of three Class 56 locomotives I spied was Colas Rail Freight No. 56302 ‘PECO 70 Years’ styled adjacent to the former Doncaster Works buildings – 06/07/2024The second Class 56 of the day; Colas Rail Freight Class 56 No. 56090 passes Doncaster working 0Z51 1705 Doncaster Colas Sidings to Bescot Up Engineers Sidings – 06/07/2024And the third Grid is… you can just about make out the roof No. 56051 tucked behind Colas Rail Freight Class 70 No. 70807 which rests alongside Freightliner class mate No. 70009 at Doncaster – 06/07/2024TransPennine Class 185 No. 185114 leaves Doncaster forming 1B85 1524 Cleethorpes to Liverpool Lime Street – 06/07/2024Northern Rail Class 150 DMU No. 150270 on the approach to Doncaster working 2R44 1605 Sheffield to Adwick – 06/07/2024
After my couple of hours visiting Doncaster, of which I have very fond memories of seeing Class 55 “Deltic” locomotives in the early 1980’s, I had time to make a detour to see a steam hauled special working which was returning to Birmingham after spending the day in Scarborough before Yoshi and I checked into our hotel and headed out to see the “Westbury Wizzo” arrive at East Midlands Parkway.
Great Western Railway (GWR) Castle 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’ makes attracted much attention as she stormed through Sherburn-in-Elmet railway station working Vintage Trains “White Rose” tour 1Z57 1647 Scarborough to Birmingham New Street – 06/07/2024The Tyseley collection’s main line diesel locomotive No. D1755 (47773) was built at the Brush Falcon Works, Loughborough, entering into service in August 1964 at Swansea. In November 1974 she was renumbered into TOPS as No. 47541. On 20th October 1982, she was named ‘The Queen Mother’ by HRH The Queen Mother at Aberdeen, named ‘Reservist’ and renumbered 47773 in August 1994 at Preston Royal Mail terminal and then renamed with her original title, in August 2002; possibly the only locomotive to have been given the same name twice! Withdrawn from service in March 2004, she was then purchased for preservation at Tyseley in March 2007. No. D1755 was at the rear of Vintage Trains “White Rose” tour 1Z57 1647 Scarborough to Birmingham New Street and is seen here having passed through Sherburn-in-Elmet – 06/07/2024Because of a water stop to replenish GWR Castle 4-6-0 No. 7029 ‘Clun Castle’, I was able to see her working Vintage Trains “White Rose” tour 1Z57 1647 Scarborough to Birmingham New Street for a second shot, this time at Moorthorpe – 06/07/2024
Video snippets of Class 56 No. 56090 at Doncaster and Vintage Trains “White Rose” charter train – 06/07/2024
That’s it for this time. I must admit I’ve been sitting on this blog entry for over a week now, trying to find an hour or so to tidy it up and finish it off. But here we are! If you’d like to keep up to date with our latest videos capturing special workings in Dorset, and sometimes beyond, our You Tube channel with new items added is now accessible here. Thanks as always to my reader for corrections to text, grammar and information – it is much appreciated. Until next time – be seeing you!
Postscript
One last photo for this instalment. A Class 55 Deltic at Doncaster in times past. Twenty-two production “Deltics” were built for British Rail in the 1960’s and they ran up and down the East Coast Main Line until the early 1980’s. They are my favourite class of diesel locomotive and I wish I’d been able to see more of them back in the day!
Class 55 No. 55011 ‘The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers’ departs Doncaster – 12/08/1981
