The Railway Dog

Tag: UK Trains

  • 175 And Not Out…

    33111 pauses after departing Norden on the Swanage Railway Friday evening dining train – 10/06/2022

    Swanage Railway

    Friday evening was gloriously sunny, so Yoshi and I made the most of the light and took a drive to Swanage to see resident Class 33 No. 33111 in charge of the dining train which made two return trips between Swanage and Norden enabling diners ample time to enjoy dinner while taking in the beautiful Purbeck countryside. Class 33/1’s were part of the regular scene in my train spotting days back in the late 1970’s/ early 1980’s. On my way to school in the morning I would time my walk to coincide with the arrival of the ‘school train’ from Weymouth to Dorchester South which was regularly hauled by a 33/1 diesel locomotive hauling the passenger stock from the overnight mail train which would have arrived at the seaside terminus several hours previously. Well, that’s my recollection anyway! No. 33111 was the last locomotive of the 19 strong sub-class that I needed to ‘spot’, and therefore holds a special memory for me. I’m very pleased she survived into preservation locally.

    Class 33 No. 33111 heads towards Norden – 10/06/2022
    Yoshi with Class 33 No. 33111 – so as not to upset anyone of a nervous disposition, I digitally removed the fence behind Yoshi which separated him from the lineside.

    On Tuesday 14th June, 71A Locomotive Group’s green liveried Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ along with Network Southeast liveried Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ returned to Swanage after their outing to guest at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway diesel gala over the weekend. It was too hot for Yoshi to be hanging around for old diesels, so I headed off to Wareham alone. The 33/50 combo arrived around ten minutes late and a passing up service almost rendered photographic opportunities useless, but I managed to get a few snaps of the event. There’s a video below too, featuring the locomotives at Wareham on the main line and at Norden Crossing on the Swanage Railway.

    71A Locomotive Group’s green liveried Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ along with Network Southeast liveried Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ pause at Wareham for a crew change working as 0Z23 0700 Dereham U.K.F. to Swanage – 14/06/2022

    Portsmouth Harbour

    On Saturday while Yoshi was enjoying spending a day with friends and socialising with other doggos, I was off on a family jaunt to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyards to visit The Mary Rose and to hit my head several times onboard HMS Victory. It was a lovely day, apart from the bashing my head on the low beams inside Victory bit obviously, made even better by taking the train to Portsmouth Harbour.

    Portsmouth Harbour railway station first opened on the 2nd October 1876 as the terminus of Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway Chief Engineer Frederick Banister’s Portsmouth Waterside Extension to the Portsmouth Direct Line which runs to London Waterloo. The construction of the station replaced an earlier pier on the site called the Albert Pier that was used for passenger steamships in the mid-Victorian era. The Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway was a group of three railway lines in Southern England that were jointly owned and operated by the London & South Western Railway (LSWR) and the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (LB&SCR). The main line was between Cosham and Portsmouth Harbour. There was a branch from Fratton to East Southsea; and a line between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde St John’s Road. The last-named section was isolated from the others, being on the Isle of Wight. The first section of line opened in 1847 and the last in 1885; the Southsea branch closed in 1914 but all of the other routes have since been electrified and remain open.

    Portsmouth Harbour railway station was rebuilt in 1937 when the route was electrified but was almost totally destroyed during World War 2 by fire after German bombing. The station was rebuilt again after the war.

    Train services to and from Portsmouth Harbour are operated by South Western Railway (SWR), Southern and Great Western Railway (GWR) – here are a selection of images taken on Saturday 11th June 2022:

    GWR Class 166 No. 166210 at Portsmouth Harbour having arrived with the 1F05 0629 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour service – 11/06/2022
    Southern Class 377 EMU No. 377129 working 1S27 1529 Portsmouth Harbour to Brighton – 11/06/2022
    Class 444 No. 444018 leads fellow unit 444040 on 1P54 1545 Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo – 11/06/2022
    Portsmouth Harbour signal box was opened by the Southern Railway on the 1st June 1946. It was built to the Southern Railway Type 13 design and was fitted with a 47 lever Westinghouse ‘L’ frame.

    It replaced two boxes, Portsmouth Harbour signal box which was destroyed by aerial bombing in 1941 but was not officially closed and Portsmouth Harbour signal box, a temporary box opened on 21st August 1941 to replace the bomb damaged box.
    Portsmouth Harbour signal box was closed on 21st April 1968 and was used as an office and a relay room for Portsmouth power signal box. After closure the lever frame was moved to the school of signalling at Clapham Junction. The building was retained as a relay room for the 1968 Portsmouth NX signalling scheme which was operational until December 2006. Network rail re-commissioned Portsmouth Harbour signal box on February 4th 2007, following serious problems with the 2006 Portsmouth re-signalling scheme. It was closed for the second time at the end of 2007 when Havant ASC was eventually commissioned.
    The Spinnaker Tower forms a backdrop to the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour railway station – 11/06/2022
    The steps leading up to the entrance of Portsmouth Harbour railway station – 11/06/2022
    SWR Class 450 No.’s 450053 forming the 1P56 1615 departure to London Waterloo and 450126 having worked in on the 1P43 1430 London Waterloo service at the buffer stops, Portsmouth Harbour – 11/06/2022
    GWR Class 166 No. 166220 waits to depart with F26 1623 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central – 11/06/2022

    On 6th August 1981, Class 33 No. 33025 was named ‘Sultan’ during a ceremony at Portsmouth Harbour by Captain Austin Lockyer of HMS Sultan. The crests for 33025 were presented by The Royal Navy. I remember it being a wet day, not unusual for a British summer by the seaside I suppose! Here are some scans of my colour slides and black and white negatives of the day, including a couple shots taken at Southampton Central on the way to/ from the naming ceremony.

    33025 ‘Sultan’ Portsmouth Harbour – 06/08/1981
    33025 ‘Sultan’ Portsmouth Harbour – 06/08/1981
    33025 ‘Sultan’ Portsmouth Harbour – 06/08/1981
    33025 ‘Sultan’ Portsmouth Harbour – 06/08/1981
    33025 ‘Sultan’ Portsmouth Harbour – 06/08/1981
    33025 ‘Sultan’ Portsmouth Harbour – 06/08/1981
    BR Class 33 No. 33001 at Portsmouth Harbour – 06/08/1981
    Class 33 No. 33116 arrives at Portsmouth Harbour – 06/08/2022
    Brush Type 4 Class 47 No. 47064 pauses at Southampton Central – 06/08/1981
    Class 33 No. 33057 gets the road at Southampton Central – 06/08/1981

    Southampton – Dorchester 175

    June 2022 marks the 175th Anniversary of the Southampton to Dorchester line opening in 1847. The main driving force behind this line was Wimborne solicitor, Charles Castleman who first proposed a route by way of Brockenhurst, Wimborne, Poole and Wareham. Interestingly, one town which was not included was Bournemouth which in the early 1840’s had a population of around 200, none of whom appeared to care greatly about the new era of rail transportation. Politics of the day meant the supporters of the line courted interest from both the LSW and GW railway companies as both had interest in gaining a foothold in each others territories. The LSW to Exeter and GWR to Southampton. Weymouth was not initially included because of the projected expense of tunnelling which would be required between Dorchester and the seaside town. Eventually the GWR proposed a Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line and it was agreed that when built the LSW should work the line between Southampton and Dorchester and the GWR from Dorchester to Weymouth.

    Castleman had suggested early on that the Southampton to Dorchester route should be extended west from Dorchester through to Exeter, but in the event this didn’t happen. In part because the LSW eventually preferred to extend its Salisbury line. The Southampton and Dorchester Railway received Royal Assent on 21st July 1845 and engineer Samuel Peto was hired to construct the line, work commencing in August 1845. Castleman’s route was anything but direct, but was designed to take in most of the larger settlements on the way. This twisting route earned the nickname of Castleman’s Corkscrew.

    The Illustrated London News w/e 5th June 1847 edition

    The first section to be completed was between Dorchester and Ringwood but trains did not start running until the section through the New Forest was ready. Problems with the construction of a tunnel to carry the line under Southampton causing earthslips and subsidence prevented the running of through trains on opening day; 1st June 1847 and trains ran between Dorchester and Blechynden which was immediately west of the tunnel and stood further east than the present Southampton Central station.

    There were originally thirteen stations on the 60.5 mile line, plus one other for Poole which was accommodated by a 1.75 mile branch and was actually located in Hamworthy. The chief engineer, William Moorson, appointed architect Sancton Wood to design a station building which could be replicated across all locations these being Blechynden, Redbridge, Lyndhurst, Beaulieu, Brockenhurst, Christchurch Road, Ringwood, Wimborne, Poole Junction (later Hamworthy Junction ), Wareham, Wool, Moreton and Dorchester.

    The 1960’s saw the ‘old road’ from Brockenhurst through Ringwood and Wimborne fall under the blade of the Beeching cuts with passenger services assigned closure on 2nd May 1964, although Wimborne remained open for freight until 1977. I’m quite grumpy about not having seen any workings on this route. The last passenger to actually use Wimborne station was Her Majesty The Queen in July 1969. It is ironic that today the towns on the route of Castleman’s Corkscrew are growing conurbations and the railway would have had great potential as a commuter line. The population was already increasing when the line was closed, such is the short sightedness of planners and politicians and we are now left with the cycle and walking Castleman’s Trailway which Yoshi and I have explored in part.

    An £180,000 improvement scheme has recently been completed to upgrade surfaces and access making the Trailway more accessible to a wider range of users. Drainage has been improved and much of the route has been widened. Barriers have been replaced by bollards, new signage and benches will be installed soon and verges seeded with wildflowers.

    There were activities ranging from cake to dancing held at a number of stations on the Southampton to Dorchester route over the last weekend to celebrate the 175th Anniversary. Certainly something worth celebrating.

    That’s just about all for from us for this week. Last weekend was also the occasion of the 2022 West Somerset Railway Diesel Gala. Because of lovely family plans we were unable to visit this year, but we’ll leave you with a couple of glimpses of one of our previous visits to the line. This was in 2019 and was coincidentally Yoshi’s first heritage railway outing!

    Class 25 D7535 at Crowcombe Heathfield – 21/06/2019
    Yoshi meets D1010 ‘Western Campaigner’ at Williton – 21/06/2019

    Thanks for reading – until next week, take care!

  • Platinum Jubilee Weekend

    GBRf Class 66 No. 66734 ‘Platinum Jubilee’ stands adjacent to Eastleigh railway station – 02/06/2022

    66734 ‘Platinum Jubilee’

    We kicked off our four day Platinum Jubilee Weekend when we popped into Eastleigh to see newly outshopped GBRf EU Class 66 conversion No. 66734. The locomotive, previously No. PB04 when in use in Europe, has taken the identity of Class 66/7 No. 66734, which was written off in a landslide adjacent near Loch Trieg in 2012, and is the 100th member of the class acquired by GBRailfreight.

    GBRf Class 66 No. 66734 ‘Platinum Jubilee’ stands adjacent to Eastleigh railway station – 02/06/2022
    Detail from 66734 ‘Platinum Jubilee’

    To mark the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen, the engine has been given a special purple and silver livery, with the Platinum Jubilee logo and Union Flag on the bodyside. The engine has been named ‘Platinum Jubilee’, and although it currently carries vinyl nameplates, these will be replaced by cast versions in time.

    Detail from 66734 ‘Platinum Jubilee’
    Detail from 66734 ‘Platinum Jubilee’
    GBRf Class 66 No. 66734 ‘Platinum Jubilee’ and Freightliner sister No. 66553 stabled next to Eastleigh railway station – 02/06/2022

    Didcot

    After our brief visit to Eastleigh, we headed off to Didcot Railway Centre for an evening photographic event run by TimeLine Events who had arranged for Great Western Railway Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 ‘Pendennis Castle’ to be in steam for a number of scenarios around the site. You can read about our earlier visit to Didcot when No. 4079 was relaunched into service here.

    TimeLine events specialise in recreating scenes from past eras using convincing re-enactors wearing authentic period dress in credible locations. Joining one of these events has been on my bucket list for a while now. We were a little late on arrival and once we had gained access to the railway centre, we quickly joined in the spirit of things. I really enjoyed the evening and the photographic opportunities and would attend another similar event in the future. I wasn’t totally satisfied with my resulting images and another time I would mount my camera on a tripod and try a variation of settings. As it was, this time around I hand held the DSLR and this certainly shows on shots taken later on in the evening.

    Great Western Railway Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 ‘Pendennis Castle’ at Didcot
    Great Western Railway Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 ‘Pendennis Castle’in the shed at Didcot
    Great Western Railway Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 ‘Pendennis Castle’ at Didcot

    Although not the prime reason for attending the evening, I very much enjoyed seeing ‘Pendennis Castle’ in steam as she moved around Didcot and being turned on the turntable. Here’s a video showing a little taste of the evening:

    Castle Class 4-6-0 No. 4079 ‘Pendennis Castle’ joins a line up of GWR engines at Didcot

    Swanage Railway

    Over the weekend Yoshi and I made a couple of visits to our local heritage railway in the Purbecks where dedicated Swanage Railway volunteer, Malcolm Munro, had spent a week crafting two special headboards marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Headboards are carried on trains to denote a special service or working and in the days of steam were a regular sight, including two famous Dorset related examples; The Bournemouth Belle and The Royal Wessex. The silver and red Platinum Jubilee headboards were carried by locomotives operating the Swanage Railway’s steam trains between Thursday 2nd June and Sunday 5th June 2022.

    With SR 4-6-2 West Country Class No. 34028 ‘Eddystone’ on holiday at the Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway, steam services at Swanage were in the capable hands of SR 2-6-0 U Class No. 31806 and SR 4-6-2 Battle of Britain Class No. 34072 ‘257 Squadron’. Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ was in action on Saturday evening with the dining train.

    SR 2-6-0 U Class No. 31806 enters Harman’s Cross – 02/06/2022
    SR 4-6-2 Battle of Britain Class No. 34072 ‘257 Squadron’ being prepared for departure from Swanage with the first train of the day. The special Platinum Jubilee headboard can be seen clearly – 04/06/2022
    Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ working the evening Curry Train across Corfe Common – 04/06/2022
    Video of trains on the Swanage Railway over the Platinum Jubilee holiday weekend 2022

    Mainline Happenings!

    I was fully expecting a quiet time with local out of the ordinary main line workings over the bank holiday period and was pleasantly surprised to discover a GBRf route learner had been conjured up when I checked my emails on Saturday morning. So it was a hurried five minutes collecting cameras together and persuading Yoshi to jump in the car before setting off to view Class 66 No. 66755 ‘Tony Berkeley OBE’ working 0Z20 0813 Eastleigh East Yard to Weymouth. Over the weekend there had been several of these driver training workings set up, but in actuality only one ran each day on the Saturday and Sunday

    GBRf Class 66 No. 66755 ‘Tony Berkeley OBE’ working light engine through Hamworthy as SWR Class 444 No. 444029 departs with a service bound for London Waterloo – 04/06/2022

    Over the course of the Saturday and Sunday runs we managed to catch the light loco in a number of different settings – narrowly avoiding missing a shot once or twice because of passing passenger trains, as can be seen in the video below:

    GBRf Class 66 No. 66755 ‘Tony Berkeley OBE’ heads into Poole having cleared the High Street crossing – 05/06/2022
    GBRf Class 66 No. 66755 ‘Tony Berkeley OBE’ runs down Bincombe bank into Upwey – 05/06/2022

    The evening of Monday 6th June 2022 saw a test train and a heritage diesel working pass through the east of our area. The first was BR Green Class 33 No. D6515 from Swanage hauling Network SouthEast Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ heading to Dereham to pick up “slim’ Class 33/2 No. 33202 ‘Dennis G. Robinson’ before onward working to star at The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway diesel gala being held Friday 10th June through to Sunday 12th June 2022.

    Class 33 No. D6515 from Swanage hauling Network SouthEast Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ through Hamworthy – 06/06/2022

    The Class 33/ Class 50 combo was followed later by the monthly Colas test train top and tailed by Class 73 electro-diesels No.’s 73963 ‘Janice’ and 73962 ‘Dick Mabbutt’ working 1Q51 1115 Derby RTC to Eastleigh east Yard via Weymouth

    Class 73 electro-diesels No.’s 73963 ‘Janice’ and 73962 ‘Dick Mabbutt’ working 1Q51 1115 Derby RTC to Eastleigh east Yard via Weymouth pass through Hamworthy – 06/06/2022

    Elizabeth Line

    We took the opportunity of an airport run to meet Yoshi’s aunty who was flying into London Heathrow to bookend our Platinum Jubilee weekend with a quick visit to see an Elizabeth line train at the T5 railway station. The staff were amazingly friendly, helpful and accommodating allowing us to onto the platform to take photographs of one of the Alstom Class 345 Aventra trains as well as explaining technical and timetable details. The Elizabeth line was officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen accompanied by HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex on May 17th 2022 when a commemorative plaque was unveiled at London Paddington station a week in advance of the route opening to passenger services on May 24th.

    Initially know as Crossrail, the Elizabeth line is operated by “MTR Elizabeth Line” as a concession of Transport for London between London Paddington and Abbey Wood. The Class 345’s have already been running between Paddington, Heathrow Airport and Reading in the west and between London Liverpool Street and Sheffield to the east prior to the central core opening for service. There are 70 trains, some seven carriages in length and others with nine carriages which were designed and built by Alstom in Derby. They are maintained by Alstom at Old Oak Common depot in west London. It is planned for the company to maintain the trains for the next 32 years as part of a rolling stock and provision contract.

    Yoshi alongside Class 345 No. 345170
    Yoshi explores the interior of a Class 345 train
    Yoshi poses next to the Elizabeth line logo

    On the day of our visit around 4,000 London Underground station staff were on strike with most services being severely disrupted so the Elizabeth line may have been busier than normal during our visit. The RMT union says it is protecting jobs and the pensions of its members which are being reviewed. TfL says jobs are not under threat. Later this month, more than 40,000 railway workers across 13 railway companies, including South Western Railway and Great Western Railway, will walk out as part of a three day national strike on 21st, 23rd and 25th June after talks about pay and redundancies collapsed.

    With the tube not running because of a strike, Yoshi was unable to access the London Underground

    That’s all from us at therailwaydog.co.uk for this week. Thanks, as always, for reading. My regular reader ( you know who you are ) will no doubt recall the first Railway Dog blog entry where I shared the first railway photographs I ever took, which to continue the jubilee theme, were from 1977 and show a Silver Jubilee special excursion passing through Dorchester West on its way to Weymouth. You can read more about this and see the images here.

  • Winfrith Cats 2

    DRS Class 68 no.’s 68018 ‘Vigilant’ and 68016 ‘Fearless’ are seen just after departing Winfrith on 26/05/2022

    Just taking a break from binge watching ‘Mare of Easttown’ to put together this weeks update. I’m well behind the times in catching up on the Kate Winslet TV drama, but convinced <redacted> is the guilty party. I’ll let you know if I’m correct next time. Anyway, on with the trains where this week we were surprised to be informed about the listing on Realtime Trains which revealed timings for the second run to Winfrith for the purposes of removing low level nuclear waste, the first such move which we featured here . I wasn’t expecting this to run until June given information received, but I’m assuming blocks of waste to be transported were available quicker than planned.

    Yoshi and I saw the double headed train of ten empty PFA wagons hauled by DRS Class 68’s No.’s 68016 ‘Fearless’ and 68018 ‘Vigilant’ crossing Holes Bay at Poole as they headed towards Winfrith. Unfortunately the sun wasn’t shining on us that morning and it was a very dull pass.

    DRS Class 68’s No.’s 68016 ‘Fearless’ and 68018 ‘Vigilant’ crossing Holes Bay – 26/05/2022

    In the afternoon, we popped over to Winfrith just in time to see the loaded train, this time top and tailed by the DRS Class 68 locomotives, depart the sidings for the run to Dorchester South where the consist reversed for its onward journey to Crewe. While the train was doing this, we had enough time to scoot off to Poole in order to see the train pass us for a second camera shot.

    DRS Class 68 no.’s 68018 ‘Vigilant’ and 68016 ‘Fearless’ nearing Poole – 26/05/2022

    Here’s a short video of the train to accompany the above images. Many thanks to my brother for the clips near Dorchester:

    On Saturday May 28th 2022 we took a trip to Dawlish to see their black swans. As luck would have it, Stanier Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess Of Sutherland’ was also having a day out hauling a section of the Railway Touring Company organised ‘The South Devon Explorer’ rail tour which had commenced at Woking and was destined for Plymouth. The Duchess hauled the train between Bristol Temple Meads and Plymouth on the outward leg. Yoshi was quite annoyed with me for not checking the settings on my DSLR camera as after the event I learned these needed correcting before use and the resulting images are nowhere near as sharp as they should be.

    6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ approaches Dawlish – 28/05/2022

    The South Devon Railway was mapped out by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1846 and included a sea wall between Dawlish and Teignmouth. The section along Marine Parade, Dawlish was constructed in 1846. A new wall faced in limestone with granite detailing was built against this original structure between 1902 and 1905. In February 2014, a devastating storm struck Dawlish washing away the foundations of the sea wall and leaving the railway track swinging in the air. The South West peninsula was cut off from the rest of the UK rail network with millions of pounds required to put things right. Remarkably 300 Network Rail staff and contractors managed to restore the rail link in just eight weeks by repairing the sea wall and replacing the track and foundations at with 6,000 tonnes of concrete and 150 tonnes of steel. But a more longterm solution was required and a new £80million sea wall is being built. The first phase, which runs for approximately 400m from Colonnade underpass, west of Dawlish station, to Boat Cove has been completed, ensuring that this section of railway is more resilient for future generations. Work began on the second section, which runs for 415m between Coastguards and Colonnade breakwaters, in November 2020 with construction expected to finish in late summer 2022. A new accessible footbridge with lifts is due to be built at Dawlish station in 2023, subject to prior approval from Teignbridge District Council. 

    Stanier Coronation Pacific No. 6233 ‘Duchess Of Sutherland’ heading up The South Devon Explorer operated by The Railway Touring Company passes Marine Parade, Dawlish – 28/05/2022

    Here’s our video of HST’s and the Duchess passing through Dawlish:

    Trains at Dawlish including No. 6233 ‘Duchess Of Sutherland’ working The South Devon Explorer – 28/05/2022

    From 2010, and for comparison of how the sea wall has changed, the following video shows GWR HST’s filmed from almost the same location as the previous footage above. The clip culminates in a shot of GWR steam locomotives No. 6024 ‘King Edward I’ and 5029 ‘Nunney Castle’ double heading Steam Dreams The Cornish Riviera excursion which ran from London Paddington to Penzance. Steaming problems with No. 6024 and a fire on the generator car at Colthorpe near Theale meant the tour was running almost 40 minutes late by the time it passed me.

    HST’s and steam at Dawlish – 26th June 2010

    Some images of Dawlish prior to the 2014 storm:

    LMS Royal Scot Class No. 6100 ‘Royal Scot’ working the return The Torbay Express rail tour emerges from Kennaway Tunnel – 3rd July 2016
    LMS Royal Scot Class No. 6100 ‘Royal Scot’ nears Dawlish railway station on her way from Kingswear to Bristol Temple Meads – 3rd July 2016
    GWR Class 153 No. 153329 takes a battering from the sea, Dawlish – 9th June 2013
    LNER A4 No. 60009 ‘Union of South Africa’ working Par to Bristol Temple Meads with the Railway Touring Company’s ‘The Royal Duchy’ – 9th June 2013. The A4 has now been retired from mainline duties and is on show at the Bury Transport Museum.

    By the way, you can find more about No. 6233 ‘Duchess of Sutherland’ on a previous railway dog blog entry by clicking here.

    With Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend taking place this week, we’re sharing a video of the Royal Train when it passed through Dorchester in October 2002 as well as some royal related train images:

    The Royal Train visits Dorchester on the 3rd October 2002 in charge of Class 47798 ‘Prince William’
    No. 47798 is a British Rail Brush Type 4 Class 47 diesel locomotive, built in 1965 and originally given the number D1656. Following the introduction of the TOPS numbering system, the loco became 47072 in 1974. Its steam heating boiler was replaced by electric train heating in 1984 and renumbered 47609. The following year it was given the name ‘Fire Fly’ to commemorate an historic Great Western Railway steam locomotive and was further renmubered to 47834 in 1989. In 1995 the locomotive was renumbered once more, this time to 47798 and the name changed to ‘Prince William’ and repainted in a plum colour was allocated as one of the locomotives rostered to pull the Royal Train as required. Withdrawn in February 2004, ‘Prince William’ is now preserved at The Railway Museum in York where these images were taken – 31/10/2010
    Class 67 No. 67006 ‘Royal Sovereign’ with The Royal Train approaches Parkstone with HM The Queen onboard following her visit to Poundbury for the purposes of unveiling a statue of The Qureen Mother – 27/10/2016
    Class 67 No. 67005 ‘Queen’s Messenger’ at the rear of The Royal Train passing through Parkstone railway station – 27/10/2016. 67005 and 67006 are painted in Royal Claret livery for hauling the Royal Train
    For The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 various locomotives were given special liveries, one being GWR HST power car No. 43186 which is seen here at Newport, South Wales – 07/05/2013

    Thanks to a suggestion, we hope that all images on this page pop out into a Lightbox when clicked on (even the fuzzy Duchess shots!). I’ll be retrospectively going back over all the older pages when time allows and updating the image links. I’ve also noticed some of the older galleries have images missing, so I’ll hopefully deal with that issue at the same time. Suggestions for updates, corrections or enhancements to Yoshi’s Adventures are always welcome! If you’re in the UK, enjoy the long Jubilee weekend if you’re able and we’ll hopefully see you back in here in seven days.

  • Severn Valley Diesel Adventure

    Yoshi took a liking to Clayton Class 17 No. D8568, pictured here at Highley on the Severn Valley Railway

    The main event in our diary this past week was a return visit to the Severn Valley Railway, this time for their 2022 diesel gala. We had an early start on Saturday morning, but with the car radio tuned into Yoshi FM celebrating the life of musical genius Vangelis we were in good spirits as we set off. We made it to Highley railway station just in time to see the arrival of GBRf Class 69 No. 69005 ‘Eastleigh’ double heading with Swanage Railway resident Class 33 No. 33012 ( D6515) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ on the first train of the day. Making Highley our base for much of the day meant we were able to relax and enjoy the spectacle of passing diesel locomotives, some from the SVR home fleet, and some visiting guests. I think we managed to see and photograph every loco which was running as part of the gala, even if we had to wait until almost the end to see DRS Class 68 No. 68003 ‘Astute’ working a train. It was a fabulous day with some lovely weather, good company and friendly conversation. Even the seemingly mandatory road closures didn’t dampen our enthusiasm.

    The first train of the Saturday was worked by GBRf Class 69 No. 69005 ‘Eastleigh’ and visiting Class 33 No. 33012 ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’ – Highley 21/05/2022
    Sole surviving Class 17 No. D8568 rests between shuttle duties at Highley – 21/05/2022
    On the other end of the Highley shuttle was Class 14 ‘Teddy Bear’ No. D9551
    One side of Class 50 No. 50007 has been temporarily re-designated as 50034 ‘Furious’ as a thank you to GBRf charter manager Paul Taylor for his prostate cancer charity fundraising efforts; ‘Furious’ was his favourite class 50
    Class 50 No. 50035 ‘Ark Royal’ approaching Highley – 21/05/2022
    Class 44 No. 44004 (D4) ‘Great Gable’ – Highley 21/05/2022
    Both the Class 44 and the Class 46 No. 46045 (D182) also attended the recent Swanage Diesel Gala – Highley 21/05/2022
    The Western Locomotive Association (WLA) has renumbered and renamed Class 52 Western No. D1062 ‘Western Courier’ as long scrapped sister locomotive No. D1040 ‘Western Queen’ to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee. Highley – 21/05/2022
    D1015 ‘Western Champion’ – Highley 21/05/2022
    Class 31 No. 31466 nearing Highley – 21/05/2022
    Class 40 No. 40106 departs Highley with a train bound for Kidderminster – 21/05/2022
    The same locomotive, Class 40 No. 40106 heading towards Highley earlier in the day – 21/05/2022
    The first of two visiting GBRf Class 73’s No. 73136 ‘Mhairi’ departs Kidderminster at the rear of the 1750 departure to Bridgnorth – 21/05/2022
    The second of the visiting GBRf Class 73 electro-diesel locomotives No. 73107 ‘Tracy’ stands at Kidderminster – 21/05/2022
    Direct Rail Services operated Class 68 No. 68003 ‘Astute’ departing Kidderminster with the 1750 service to Bridgnorth – 22/05/2022
    Yoshi takes in a varied line up at Kidderminster just before we set off for home

    Our video of our day can be seen below:

    2022 Severn Valley Diesel Gala

    Locally, there have been a number of interesting workings on our doorstep and nearby. Unfortunately the scheduled visit of the New Measurement Train HST didn’t make it to Dorset on Wednesday as the train was turned towards Bristol after it arrived at Westbury, missing out a whole stretch of the planned route. However, we only had to wait until the next day for something of interest as Colas Rail Class 37 No. 37612 worked a Network Rail Ultrasonic Test Train as 3Q14 1037 Westbury Down Terminal Complex to Westbury Down Terminal Complex via Weymouth on Thursday May 19th:

    Colas Rail Class 37 No. 37612 nears Dorchester Junction and the South Western Mainline to Weymouth – 19/05/2022
    Colas Rail Class 37 No. 37612 seen approaching Upwey on the ascent of Bincombe Bank – 19/05/2022
    Video of Class 37 No. 37612 on the NR ultrasonic test train – 19/05/2022

    Saturday saw a very early hours visit of a GBRf operated new weed killing train to Dorchester Junction from Exeter via Yeovil. Although I’m reasonably obsessed with catching trains visiting the southern reaches of Dorset, I’m not totally insane and instead decided to stay tucked up in bed and went to see the same ensemble top and tailed by Class 66 No.’s 66790 and 66752 ‘The Hoosier State’ – a nickname for Indiana where the locomotive was built – at a more reasonable hour passing through Castle Cary on Sunday 22nd May:

    3Q98 2130 Exeter Riverside N.Y. to Exeter Riverside N.Y. – 22/05/2022

    Earlier on the Sunday evening, Yoshi and I were in the Weymouth area to see Locomotive Services Ltd. Class 37’s No’s 37521 and 37688 ‘Great Rocks’ hauling the LSL chairman’s train as 1Z65 1134 Llandrindod to Weymouth Jersey Siding. Our first glimpse was at Upwey and we then popped into Weymouth station itself to see the train before its planned move to the sidings. It was also an opportunity to take a look at the upgrade work taking place at Weymouth station and the forecourt area.

    Yoshi alongside Class 37 No. 37521 (D6817) at Weymouth – station canopy roof upgrades are ongoing – 22/05/2022
    Locomotive Services Ltd. Class 37’s No’s 37521 and 37688 ‘Great Rocks’ – 22/05/2022

    Two days later the LSL consist headed back to Crewe and Yoshi & I took the opportunity to see it climb Parkstone bank making a fine noise.

    Locomotive Services Ltd. Class 37’s No’s 37688 ‘Great Rocks’ and 37521 working 1Z68 0726 Weymouth Jersey siding to Crewe up Parkstone bank – 24/05/2022

    Our video of the train is below:

    71A Loco Group owned Crompton Class 33 No. 33012 (D6515) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ returned to Swanage from the Severn Valley Railway on Tuesday 24th May. A GSM-R cab radio fault meant she arrived back in Dorset a day later than planned following an enforced stop off at Nemesis in Burton On Trent for repairs. We saw her passing through Hamworthy where a signal stop enabled a good view of the loco. We wondered when the last time a Class 33 stopped at Hamworthy.

    Swanage resident Class 33 No. 33012 (D6515) ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ trundles through Hamworthy on her return home – 24/05/2022

    As we visited Weymouth and Upwey this week, our archive clip this time around is a glimpse of passenger trains from the late 1980’s around these locations:

    Weymouth and Upwey in the 1980’s

    Too late for last weeks “therailwaydog” blog entry was my Tuesday 17th May 2022 visit to Brooklands Museum who were hosting a land speed record celebration day, in partnership with the National Transport Trust and National Motor Museum Beaulieu exactly 100 years after Brooklands played host to a record-breaking run, which saw a speed of 133.75mph set by a 350-horsepower Sunbeam motorcar and the such last record ever achieved on a closed circuit. This event was immortalised in a painting by F Gordon Crosby, which depicts the Sunbeam ‘racing’ a train. Those attending the Tuesday event witnessed a real-life recreation of the painting, featuring the very Sunbeam that broke the record 100 years ago and LNER Thompson Class B1 locomotive No. 61306 ‘Mayflower’. Later in the day, four other land speed record holding cars were positioned along the finishing straight at the museum, making for an impressive display of record-setting performance. Guests on the day were joined by Kenelm Lee Guinness, grandson of his namesake, the Sunbeam’s driver in 1922. As you can see from the video below, invited guests screened the Sunbeam from public view as the B1 steamed slowly past. But to be fair, trees almost screened the train from view also! I made the composite image below to recreate the event. A recreation of a recreation, if you will.

    350hp Sunbeam and Thompson B1 No. 61306 ‘Mayflower’
    F Gordon Crosby’s iconic painting
    Steam Dreams ‘Mayflower’ headed rail tour passes Brooklands – 17/05/2022

    Big thanks go to my brother who got us there on time to witness the steam train passing and also to him and my two nephews, who joined us on the trip, for a fabulous day at Brooklands Museum and the London Bus Museum.

    Finally this week, a video of our visit to the 2021 Severn Valley Diesel Gala. Don’t say I’m not good to you. The weather, however, wasn’t kind to us that day, and I was reminded that at one point we had to go and buy a towel so Yoshi could be dried off!

    2021 Severn Valley Diesel Gala

    That’s it for this week – it’s been a busy one at Yoshi HQ, but extremely enjoyable. Thank you for reading and your comments. We’ll hopefully be back next week with more railway dog adventures. Bye for now.

    Yoshi continues his obsession with GBRf Class 69 locomotives, this time at Bewdley on the SVR – woof woof!

  • Bristol Harbour Railway

    Yoshi sits near Howard Lock, Bristol with the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the background

    At the weekend, Yoshi visited Bristol by train from Dorset. He was a very good boy on the trains to and from the city. It was perhaps a little too hot for him during the day, but we made sure he had lots of water and opportunity to rest in the shade. He also enjoyed a boat trip.

    Bristol Temple Meads – May 2022

    We arrived in the city via Bristol Temple Meads railway station which is currently undergoing a massive transformation programme managed by Network Rail. Having completed a major track and signalling upgrade in 2021, the station roof is currently being grit-blasted to remove layers of old colouring before receiving a protective new coat of paint. New glazing is also being installed with the project due for completion in the summer of 2024.

    GWR Castle Class HST power car No. 43005 ‘St. Michaels Mount’ stands at the rear of the 0820 Taunton to Cardiff Central service. The scaffolding for the safety deck to facilitate roof repairs can clearly be seen.
    Watch a couple of HST’s at Bristol – 14/05/2022

    The original Temple Meads, designed by famed engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was opened on 31st August 1840 as the western terminus of the Great Western Railway. The Brunel train shed no longer forms part of the operational station and is now partly used for car parking, Temple Meads having been expanded to accommodate a growing number of train services by Matthew Digby Wyatt and Francis Fox in the 1870’s and Percy Emerson Culverhouse in the early 1930’s. To me Bristol Temple Meads represents one of the finest railway stations in the UK.

    A statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806 – 1859) stands on the approach to Bristol Temple Meads railway station

    We enjoyed a walk around the city and took in the Clifton Suspension Bridge, a visit to Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, the buzzing quayside area and Brunel’s SS Great Britain, once the largest passenger ship in the world.

    Brunel’s SS Great Britain. Brunel envisaged passengers boarding his steam ships in America, sailing to Bristol and travelling to London via his trains on his railway without having to leave the Great Western Railway company services on the journey.
    As part of an exhibition of art works chosen by Grayson Perry and guest celebrities chronicling recent lockdowns at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery entitled ‘Grayson’s Art Club’ was this fantastic Ticket Rug created by Simon Fraser. The rug contains over 25,900 individual threads and took 60 hours to complete.

    Unplanned as part of our visit when originally devised, I was very pleased to see the Bristol Harbour Railway was in operation. Built by the Great Western Railway in the 1870’s, being formally opened on 11 March 1872 by Lady Mayoress, Mrs Elizabeth Hare. The railway was used to transport goods arriving by ship including coal, esparto grass, wood and meat, as well as alcoholic drinks such as sherry and Guinness. A great deal of goods traffic was moved on the railway throughout its working life including vital war supplies during both world wars.

    The railway began at Bristol Temple Meads before proceeding through a tunnel under St Mary Redcliffe churchyard, over a steam-powered lifting bridge outside the Ostrich pub on Bathurst Basin and onto Princes Wharf. In the 1900’s it was extended onto Wapping Wharf to where the SS Great Britain is docked today.

    After a century operating as a goods railway, it was handed over to the Bristol Museum and has been run as a heritage visitor attraction ever since. Today the railway runs on the quayside between M Shed and the ‘SS Great Britain’ or alongside the New Cut to Vauxhall footbridge.

    Locomotive engineering was a vital industry in Bristol from the late 1830s to the 1950s and currently M Shed has two Bristol-built steam locomotives in operation; ‘Henbury’ and ‘Portbury‘, both of which served their working lives on the docks railway system at Avonmouth.

    ‘Portbury’

    Built in the Fishponds area of Bristol in 1917 by the Avonside Engine Co and painted battleship grey, ‘Portbury’ was taken to work on the construction of the new Portbury shipyard towards the end of World War 1. In 1920 she was moved to Avonmouth Docks where she worked on the internal railway system. She was later joined by ‘Henbury’, built at Bristol company Peckett & Sons in 1937. A more powerful engine, ‘Henbury’ augmented a growing fleet of 40 engines at work in the docks.

    When diesel engines took over in the 1960’s both engines were selected for the museum. After some years in storage ‘Henbury’ was overhauled and took part in the opening ceremony of Bristol Industrial Museum in 1978. In 1981, ‘Henbury’ made railway history as the first preserved steam locomotive to pull scheduled freight on the main line railway.

    ‘Henbury’

    ‘Henbury’ has pulled hundreds of thousands of visitors on trips on Bristol Harbour Railway since 1978 and was joined in 1988 by ‘Portbury’. Now in its 150th Anniversary year, we hope the railway continues to give enjoyment for many years to come.

    Click on our short video from 14th May 2022 below, and also watch from the archive with the Bristol Harbour Railway in operation in the 1990’s:

    The Bristol Harbour Railway in May 2022
    The Bristol Harbour Railway as seen on two visits in the 1990’s

    A quiet week for “out of the normal” trains locally following the excitement of the Swanage Railway diesel gala ( see last weeks blog entry ), however following the timetable changes which took place from May 15th 2022, South Western Railway has reinstated a “full service” to and from Weymouth for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit. Two trains an hour will now run to London, with a later evening return service from Dorset. Journey times will be reduced and improvements have been made to Weymouth station, focusing on new bus stop facilities and platform refurbishments. We’ll have to check them out!

    Finally, a brief visit to Bristol Temple Meads 1988 style from the same vista as the 2022 video linked above.

    Bristol Temple Meads departures – 1988

    We’ll certainly be hopping in our archive time machine and visiting Bristol again in future weeks, but for now, that’s all for this entry. As always, thank you for reading and all comments welcome. May your dog go with you.

  • Swanage Diesel Gala

    Yoshi takes the opportunity to get up close and personal with GBRf Class 69004 which was on static display at Swanage station during the Swanage Railway Diesel Gala. GBRf were raising funds for Prostrate Cancer

    This week we take a look at the Swanage Railway Diesel Gala which was held over the weekend of 6th – 8th May 2022. This was the first event of its type held at Swanage since 2019. A “Thirty-Seven Thursday” preview day with Class 37 No. 37703 in service alongside Bulleid West Country Pacific Class No. 34028 ‘Eddystone’ took place on the 5th May. Alongside the Class 37, other locomotives involved during the gala weekend were home Class 33’s No.’s 33111 and 33012 (D6515) ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis RN’, Class 25 No. D7612, Class 31 No. 31128 ‘Charybdis’, Class 44 No. 44004 (D4) ‘Great Gable’, Class 46 No. 46045 (D182), Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’. Class 73 No. 73136 ‘Mhairi’ was a late addition to the roster which worked in multiple with the home Class 33’s and deputised for the Class 31 on a few turns on the Saturday due to the 31 suffering an air leak. Class 69 No. 69004 was on static display at Swanage railway station raising funds for Prostrate Cancer, GBRf’s chosen charity. Trains ran from Swanage to the River Frome, just shy of the national main line network at Worgret Junction. This is beyond the usual reach of current Swanage Railway train services which normally run between Swanage and Norden Park & Ride. The Purbeck Beer Festival also took place over the weekend and evening Beerex trains on the Friday and Saturday were run in association.

    On Tuesday 3rd May, Class 31 No. 31128 hauled a convoy of visiting diesel locomotives from Butterly to Swanage in preparation for the 2022 Gala. The consist was formed of 31128 + 37703 + 44004 (D4) + 46045 (D182) – image courtesy of @da_buckley967

    Yoshi and I were only able to attend on the final day of the gala which certainly did not disappoint. As well as the heritage diesel motive power, I particularly liked the new information screens incorporated into traditional style noticeboards at Swanage Station. You can watch a video of our day below:

    Class 25 No. D7612 approaches Townsend Overbridge at Corfe Castle – 08/05/2022
    Class 31 No. 31128 heading towards Corfe Castle – 08/05/2022
    Class 33 No. 33012 (D6515) waits to depart Swanage – 08/05/2022
    Class 33 No. 33111 and visiting Class 73 No. 73136 double head the 1415 service from Swanage approaching Wurzel Crossing, Corfe Castle – 08/05/2022
    Class 37 No. 37703 having departed Corfe Castle with a service bound for Swanage – 08/05/2022
    Class 44 No. 44004 (D4) at Creech – 08/05/2022
    Class 46 No. 46045 (D182) with the last train of the day to Swanage – 08/05/2022
    Class 50 No. 50026 approaching Furzebrook – 08/05/2022
    Class 69 No. 69004 on static display at Swanage in support of the charity Prostrate Cancer – 08/05/2022
    Class 73 No. 73136 “on shed” at Swanage – 08/05/2022

    After all the excitement of the gala event, it was time for some of the visiting diesel locomotives to move on to other locations and we popped out see the workings from Swanage starting with the Class 69 / Class 73 combo which ran on Monday 9th May as 0Y98 1135 Swanage to Eastleigh East Yard:

    69004 leads 73136 through Hamworthy on 9th May 2022

    It was an early start on the following day, Tuesday 10th May, when a convoy of locomotives departed Swanage ten minutes late working 0Z33 0610 Swanage to Kidderminster S.V.R.:

    33012 + 31128 + 37703 + 44004 + 46045 departing Swanage working 0Z33 0610 Swanage to Kidderminster S.V.R. – 10/05/2022
    33012 + 31128 + 37703 + 44004 + 46045 pause at Wareham working 0Z33 0610 Swanage to Kidderminster S.V.R. – 10/05/2022
    33012 + 31128 + 37703 + 44004 + 46045 about to depart Wareham working 0Z33 0610 Swanage to Kidderminster S.V.R. – 10/05/2022

    The Swanage gala and associated movements dominated our local rail scene here on the Bournemouth – Weymouth line, however the former Great Western Railway line to Bristol produced several more visits from COLAS route learner formed of Electro-Diesel Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’ which we featured in last weeks blog entry. The locomotive is seen here stabled at Weymouth on Tuesday 3rd May 2022:

    Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’ at Weymouth – image courtesy of @da_buckley967

    Class 73’s No.’s 73964 and 73962 headed to Weymouth top and tailing a Network Rail Test Train on the evening of Monday 9th May working 1Q51 1115 Derby R.T.C. to Eastleigh East Yard. We saw the pair pass through Poole:

    In other news, RAIL Magazine reported on the Department for Transport (DaFT) having “increased confidence” in South Western Railway’s £1 billion order for 90 new Class 701 Arterio trains which continue trials to Bournemouth and Poole, expecting a final entry into service plan by June 30th 2022. Alstom who are building the trains will be delivering additional software upgrades over the forthcoming months with SWR having provisionally accepted the first batch of trains. Driver training is yet to commence and there remain outstanding issues to be resolved with the unions. The 701’s are nearly three years late entering into traffic having been expected to take over suburban and Reading & Windsor line services in 2019. The fleet will be maintained at Wimbledon depot.

    Yoshi takes a look at new Class 701 No. 701025 working 5Q51 1126 London Waterloo to Staines Up Loop at Poole on 16th April 2021

    We stick with the Swanage Branch for our archive video this week with a look at a diesel gala from the past. But first we turn the clock back to the 1990’s when LPG trains ran to and from Furzebrook.

    Wytch Farm oil field is the largest onshore oil field in Western Europe and was discovered by British Gas in 1973. Since 2011 the oil field has been managed by Perenco having taken over from BP who bought Wytch Farm when British Gas was privatised in 1984. Production first commenced in 1979 with crude oil being transported by rail from Furzebrook to Fawley. In the late 1980’s production increased and a pipeline was installed between Wytch Farm and Hamble meaning transportation by rail was no longer required. However, production of natural gas also increased at this time. The gas was liquefied and conveyed by rail from 1990 until 2005 when production decreased. The LPG traffic ran from the Furzebrook railhead to Hallen Marsh near Bristol. Hauled by Class 47’s when the trains commenced, the LPG was later in the charge of Class 60’s and finally Class 58’s. In 2005 the site was transferred to the ownership of Dorset County Council and the Swanage Railway took a step closer at achieving its now completed aim of connecting to the main line near Wareham.

    The trains would arrive formed of empty LPG tanks and leave with full ones. The two examples shared below were evening workings and most likely the outward train is 6V29 1929 Furzebrook to Hallen Marsh, the inbound train would have started from Eastleigh Yard.

    The locomotives in the videos below belonged to the then Railfreight Petroleum Sector, six sub-Railfreight Sectors having been created in 1987 as a development of the old British Rail Railfreight Division. These sectors existed until the onset of rail privatisation in 1994 when Railfreight was reformed into three Railfreight companies; Loadhaul, Mainline Freight and Transrail, in preparation for selling off.

    Compare the scene in the videos above with the view below of Class 33 No. 33111 hauling a Swanage Railway Diesel Gala passenger train past the former Furzebrook Oil Terminal towards the River Frome on 8th May 2022:

    Class 33 No. 33111 passes the site of the former Furzebrook Oil Terminal – 08/05/2022

    Finally a look back ten years to the 2011 Swanage Diesel Gala which included, amongst other visitors, a Class 52 ‘Western’ diesel-hydraulic and a Class 55 ‘Deltic’:

    That’s it for this week – thanks for reading and hopefully we’ll be back next Wednesday with an update from Yoshi HQ!

  • Birmingham Moor Street & More

    Sulzer Type 2 Class 25 No. D7612 has arrived at Swanage in advance of the 2022 Diesel Gala

    This week I needed to go to Birmingham, so took the opportunity of sampling the Chiltern Railways Class 68 hauled service to and from London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street. We visited Marylebone as part of a previous post a few weeks ago, but I didn’t see any loco hauled services on that day. Six Class 68 locomotives are leased by Chiltern Railways from DRS and along with the locomotive, trains were formed of six MK3 carriages and a MK3 Driving Van Trailer (DVT). The DVT’s are modified to work with the power doors that are fitted to the MK3 coaches and have a generator fitted to enable Electric Train Supply and compressed air to be provided to the coaches when the locomotive is not running, such as when in a terminus station and when stabled. There was no buffet car or trolley service available on the trains I travelled on, and as I had left my lovingly prepared sandwiches in the fridge at home I was pleased to find a Greggs open at Marylebone station.

    Chiltern Railways Class 68’s No.’s 68014 and 68015 ‘ Kev Helmer’ at London Marylebone – 27/04/2022
    Chiltern Railways Class 68’s No.’s 68015 ‘ Kev Helmer’ and 68014 at London Marylebone – 27/04/2022
    MK3 Driving Van Trailer’s at the buffer stops – London Marylebone
    Class 68 No. 68014 at Birmingham Moor Street – 27/04/2022
    MK3 Coach – Birmingham Moor Street
    Class 68 No. 68013 ‘Peter Wreford-Bush’ waits departure with the 1455 Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone – 28/04/2022
    Nameplate close-up of 68015 ‘Kev Helmer’. Kev was Birmingham Moor Street driver who lost his life to covid in January 2021
    Nameplate close-up of 68013 ‘Peter Wreford-Bush. Peter was a popular and long-standing member of the Leamington Spa station staff who sadly died of covid at the early age of 47

    From 2003 to until 2013 GWR Heavy Freight Locomotive 2-8-0 2884 Class No. 2885 stood as a static exhibit at Birmingham Moor Street in an unused platform. The locomotive is currently being restored to working order at Tyseley Locomotive Works by her owners Practical GW Steam Ltd.

    Class 68 No. 68014 and the disused platform once occupied by GWR No. 2885 at Birmingham Moor Street – 27/04/2022

    Birmingham Moor Street is one of three mainline railway stations in the city centre of Birmingham along with Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Snowhill. High Speed 2 station Birmingham Curzon Street, the northern terminus of HS2 Phase 1, is currently being built alongside Moor Street. This new Curzon Street will incorporate the 1838 station of the same name’s entrance building and is scheduled to open in 2026.

    Birmingham Moor Street

    Moor Street is a combination of the original 1909 Great Western Railway terminus and adjacent through platforms which opened in 1987 replacing the original station which was then mothballed. These two were combined in 2002 when the original station was extensively restored in 1930’s style with reproduction lamps, clocks, seating and signage. The 1980’s platforms were rebuilt in a matching style.

    Class 68 No. 68012 arrives at Birmingham Moor Street with a service from London Marylebone – 13/03/2020
    A video showing my Chiltern Trains Class 68 locomotive hauled experience

    Friday April 29th 2022 saw a COLAS route learning working along the Bristol to Weymouth line formed of Electro-Diesel Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’. We saw and barked at the locomotive in Dorchester.

    Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’ nears Dorchester West – 29/04/2022
    Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’ passes under the Bridport Road bridge, Dorchester – 29/04/2022
    Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’ approaches Dorchester West – 29/04/2022
    Class 73 No. 73951 ‘Malcolm Brinded’ waits at Dorchester West – 29/04/2022
    Nameplate detail for 73951
    Video of 1008 Bristol TM Platform 2 Motorail to Bristol TM Platform 2 via Weymouth COLAS route learner at Dorchester – 29/04/2022

    The latest Class 69 rebuild, No. 69005 (ex Class 56 No. 56007) emerged from Eastleigh Arlington on Friday in British Rail green replete with ‘Eastleigh’ nameplates closely resembling the livery that Class 33 No. 33008 once carried. Yoshi and I made a fleeting visit to Eastleigh on Sunday 1st May to get a photo or two of the 69 parked up in East Yard.

    Class 69 No. 69005 ‘Eastleigh’ stands on Eastleigh East Yard on the evening of Sunday May 1st 2022
    Nameplate close-up of 69005 ‘ Eastleigh’
    Compare 69005 ‘Eastleigh’ with Class 33 No. 33008 ‘Eastleigh’ at Bournemouth Open Day – 26/03/1988

    On Bank Holiday Monday, Yoshi and I made a brief visit to the Swanage Railway where two Bullied Pacific locomotives were in action – SR 4-6-2 West Country Class No. 34028 ‘Eddystone’ and SR 4-6-2 Battle of Britain Class No. 34072 ‘257 Squadron’ :

    Also at Swanage were a number of diesel locomotives in preparation for the railways 2022 Diesel Gala which takes place next weekend (6th – 8th May)

    Class 25 No. D7612
    Class 33’s No’s 33012 ‘Lt. Jenny Lewis’ and 33111 with Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’

    Further diesel locomotives are scheduled to arrive at Swanage on the evening of Tuesday May 3rd 2022.

    With the 2022 Swanage Diesel Gala just around the corner, we pop back to May 2008 for our archive video this week and a glimpse of what was running in the Swanage Railway that year:

    With recent news events, I was going to finish with a humorous Class 37 / Tractor reference at this point – the Class 37’s are known to some railway enthusiasts as “tractors”, a nickname given due to the similarities between the Class 37 engine sound and a tractor. Instead, I’ll just leave a couple of photos of Class 37/0 No. D6757 (37057) which was painstakingly restored at the Barrow Hill Roundhouse near Chesterfield following its purchase from main line service. The loco debuted at the 2015 Swanage Railway Diesel Gala prior to joining COLAS Rail who were seeking a fleet of English Electric Type 3 locomotives for Network Rail test train duties.

    No. D6757 alongside Class 56 No. 56006 and Class 73 No. 73107 at Swanage – 10/05/2015
    No. D6757 at Swanage Railway Diesel Gala – 10/05/2015

    That’s all for this week, thanks for being there!

  • Severn Valley Steam Adventure

    Yoshi visits the Severn Valley Railway and gets a glimpse of renumbered and repainted SR West Country Pacific No. 34027 ‘Taw Valley’

    With heritage railway gala season now in full swing, last Saturday we were able to spend the day visiting The Severn Valley Railway as the 2022 Spring Steam Gala was taking place. Big draw for me was Gresley A4 4-6-2 No. 4498 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ in austerity black livery, as well as the chance of seeing SR West Country 4-6-2 No. 34027 ‘Taw Valley’ in Platinum Jubilee purple ready to be temporarily renamed ‘Elizabeth II’.

    4498 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ approaches Highley on the SVR
    34027 ‘Taw Valley’ in Platinum Jubilee purple livery ready to be temporarily renamed ‘Elizabeth II’ at Bridgnorth

    Other locomotives taking part included GWR Saint 4-6-0 new-build No. 2999 ‘Lady Of Legend’, SR S15 4-6-0 No. 506 and SVR home loco BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75069.

    No. 2999 ‘Lady of Legend’ departs Highley
    SR Urie S15 No. 506 awaits departure at Kidderminster
    75069 nearing Highley

    Austerity liveried A4 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ was matched with Gresley teak stock on certain trains over the gala weekend. With the locomotive set to be repainted into British Railways express blue and numbered 60007, this was a unique opportunity to see the A4 in its temporary guise as No. 4498.

    We really enjoyed our day and facilities at Highley in particular have vastly improved since my last visit to that particular location many years ago with the addition of the Engine House visitor centre where you can get up close to various static locomotives, buy a souvenir or tuck into a butternut, spinach and feta pasty – just like Yoshi and I! And until Autumn 2022 there is a photographic exhibition entitled ‘From Railways to Royalty’ featuring images from the very talented Jack Boskett.

    LMR No. 600 ‘Gordon’ in The Engine Shed
    LMS Stanier 8F No. 48773 in The Engine Shed

    A special train from London Kings Cross to Kidderminster bringing visitors to the Severn Valley Railway steam gala was top and tailed by Class 67 locomotives No.’s 67010 and 67006 ‘Royal Sovereign’ and we were able to see its departure from the SVR. We’ve put together a short video of our day which you can watch by clicking below:

    Closer to home and the Weymouth line was visited by Network Rail’s new weed killing train on 20th April. The train is the result of a cooperation between NR, GBRf, Bayer Environmental Science and a number of start up companies using innovative technology to eliminate potentially dangerous weed infestations with advance precision across the railway network. The trains detect weeds using cameras and then deploy the most appropriate herbicide, thereby improving the environmental footprint. Data is uploaded to a central database to enable future weed control and monitoring. GPS tracking ensures that spray nozzles are automatically shut off when the train approaches a non-treatment zone, such as a river or a bridge. We caught the train working 3Q99 2130 Eastleigh East Yard to Eastleigh East Yard passing through Hamworthy top and tailed by Class 66 locomotives No.’s 66707 ‘Sir Sam Fay’ and 66778 ‘Cambios Depot 25 Years’:

    3Q99 2130 Eastleigh East Yard to Eastleigh East Yard passing Hamworthy – 20/04/2022

    Class 701 testing continues to visit Bournemouth and Poole as evidenced by No. 701044 on 21st April 2022:

    Interesting work commenced on the Hamworthy branch this week with a section of the line adjacent to Hamworthy level crossing receiving attention with the replacing of 212 sleepers. We look forward to hearing more about this new initiative.

    Hamworthy Branch having seen preparatory work in advance of the replacement of railway sleepers
    New sleepers for the Hamworthy Branch
    Ballast and new sleepers seen at the Poole Port end of the Hamworthy Branch
    Work at the Level Crossing replacing sleepers
    Hamworthy Branch work to replace sleepers
    Work well underway installing replacement sleepers on the Hamworthy Branch – April 2022

    Our archive footage this week features SR West Country 4-6-2 ‘Taw Valley’ as herself when she visited the Portsmouth area working a VSOE excursion train in February 1997 following the repair of a cracked cylinder liner which had seen her out of service for a few months. The video below shows No. 34027 at Havant and Fratton on 2nd February 1997 amidst some interesting diesel traction movements:

    We’ll finish this week with a few more images from the Severn Valley Spring Gala 2022 and a flashback to ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ in blue:

    SR West Country No. 34027 ‘Taw Valley’ as No. 70 ‘Elizabeth II’ on display at Bridgnorth
    ‘Taw Valley’ and ‘Lady of Legend’
    Yoshi takes another look at No. 70 ‘Elizabeth II’
    LNER A4 No. 4498 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ in black departs Kidderminster with the 1805 service to Bridgnorth – 23/04/2022
    Nameplate and front end detail of 4498 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ in austerity black livery
    The colour of things to come ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ will revert to her British Railways number; No. 60007 and express locomotive blue livery as seen here at The Great Gathering, York 03/07/2013
    ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ nameplate detail as seen when in blue livery

    Thanks for reading. As always comments or corrections gratefully received. Bye for now!

  • Easter 2022

    Yoshi waits for the road with Class 31 No. 31130 at the Avon Valley Railway

    Last week I mentioned the failure of the monthly Class 73 top and tailed COLAS track recording train to make it to Weymouth on Monday 11th April. Well, the same thing happened the next day when the service was rescheduled. This time the train actually set out from Derby, but soon went off route and returned to its originating point due to faulty recording equipment. Things were more successful the following Tuesday – April 19th 2022 – when the 1Q51 Test Train ran from Derby Railway Technical Centre (RTC) to Eastleigh East Yard via Weymouth in the charge of GBRf Class 73 Electro-diesel locomotives No.’s 73961 ‘Alison’ and 73964 ‘Jeanette’.

    COLAS Class 73 top and tailed Test Train – 19/04/2022

    One test train which did make it to Dorset at the first attempt was the COLAS Ultrasonic Testing Unit, albeit 130 minutes late and its journey truncated at Wool where the service reversed without covering the tracks to and from Weymouth. Ultrasonic Testing Unit trains usually have one locomotive at one end, and a DBSO (Driving Brake Standard Open) at the other, as in the case of this working; 3Q02 Eastleigh East Yard to Eastleigh East Yard with Class 37 No. 37612. The DBSO controls the locomotive at the other end when required and dispenses with the need for the loco to run round the train or have top and tailed locomotives. UTU trains have ground-penetrating radar systems to detect voids and deformations up to 2 meters into the ballast and earth using rail profile scanners to help identify problems or degradation in track profile, comparing it to a template of an ideal track. Having planned to pop over to Poole to see this particular working I initially thought the run had been cancelled as Real Time Trains had given no indication of a departure from Eastleigh at the scheduled time, but two hours later the train was on the move.

    3Q02 Eastleigh East Yard to Eastleigh East Yard with Class 37 No. 37612 pauses at Poole – 14/04/2022
    Class 37 no. 37612 passes through Poole with an Ultrasonic Testing Unit train – 14/04/2022

    Here are a few images of previous test trains utilising DBSO’s which have visited Dorset, in these instances in the charge of Brush Type 2 Class 31 diesel locomotives. These locos were once a common sight on the Bristol to Weymouth line hauling passenger trains, so I was pleased to find one running on the Avon Valley Railway over the Easter Weekend.

    Class 31 No. 31602 ‘Driver Dave Green’ at the rear of a test train at Upwey heading to Weymouth – 28/07/2011
    Class 31 No. 31106 heading a test train into Upwey – 17/11/2011
    Class 31 No. 31106 heads a test train through Upwey – 17/11/2011
    Class 31 No. 31465 propels a test train through Dorchester South – 10/04/2012
    Class 31 No. 31465 at Dorchester South – 10/04/2012

    Later on Thursday 14th April another late runner was the movement of Class 33 No. D6515/ 33012 ‘Lt Jenny Lewis RN’ and Class 50 No. 50026 ‘Indomitable’ from Eastleigh Arlington to Swanage. The locomotives were on their way in preparation for the Swanage Diesel Gala to be held in a few weeks time. Because of the delay departing Eastleigh ( I read this was because of an air leak on the Class 50, but not sure if that is true or someones idea of a joke given the Class 50’s nickname of ‘Hoover’ ). Because of work commitments, I was unable to get to where I had planned to see these two, but I was quite happy with the resulting video and photographs at the location I selected in Parkstone.

    Class 33 No. 33012 and Class 50 No. 50026 pass Parkstone heading to Swanage – 14/04/2022
    33012 and 50026 heading to Swanage – 14/04/2022
    Back in British Rail days, class 33 No. 33012 with full yellow cab ends sits in the sidings at Weymouth – 01/01/1982
    Class 33 No. 33012 with full yellow cab ends sits in the sidings at Weymouth – 01/01/1982
    Class 33 No. 33012 with a Weymouth to Bristol service at Dorchester West – 09/02/1982. Night photography was never my strong point!

    The Easter weekend saw Yoshi and I visit a few railway themed locations, kicking off with a lovely Good Friday afternoon walk around a foggy West Bay where we enjoyed ice-cream.

    Yoshi can’t get enough of his Scoops ice-cream for dogs (Photo courtesy of @radioc71 )

    Our visit to West Bay, of course, included a visit to the disused station which is now a restaurant. The owners of The Station Kitchen have placed two carriages on the length of track alongside the station platform and it all looks rather wonderful.

    The Station Kitchen, West Bay
    Yoshi at West Bay Station

    On Saturday we ventured a little further afield to the Avon Valley Railway and enjoyed a trip behind Class 31 No. 31130. I think Yoshi liked that we had our own compartment and enjoyed the ride from Bitton to Oldland Common and back. The track to Avon Riverside is currently closed for upgrade work. The line was originally opened in 1869 by the Midland Railway as a route between the Midlands and the South Coast. The Avon Valley Railway was later linked to the Somerset & Dorset Railway. Closed as part of the Beeching Axe in the 1960’s the line was saved by a group of volunteers and today three miles of track has been re-laid and trains can once again run along the Avon Valley which I can highly recommend. I look forward to a return visit for a walk further alongside the track on the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, a 13 mile off-road route between Bristol and Bath city centres. The staff and volunteers at the railway were amazingly friendly during our visit and Yoshi was made a great fuss of and even visited the cab of the Class 31, although he wasn’t allowed to drive the locomotive, because quite frankly that would have been a bit silly.

    Class 31 No. 31130 at Bitton station on the Avon Valley Railway – 16/04/2022
    Yoshi in the cab of Class 31 No. 31130
    Yoshi in the cab of Class 31 No. 31130
    Yoshi enjoys a trip behind 31130 on the Avon Valley Railway – 16/04/2022

    The Class 31 mixed traffic diesels were built by Brush Traction of Loughborough from 1957 – 1962 and were one of the pilot Modernisation Plan locomotive classes ordered by British Rail in the 1950’s to replace steam traction. They were given the nickname ‘Goyles’ by train spotters, this being a reference to gargoyle because of their supposed ugly design. I rather like them and have a fondness for the class and their many variations.

    Firstbuild Class 31 No. D5500 which was renumbered as No. 31018 on display at the National Railway Museum in York – 03/07/2012

    Our day out was planned around picking up a train shaped flower planter we had ordered and on our way from the Avon Valley Railway we popped into Keynsham to catch a glimpse of passing Class 66 No. 66134 working to Westbury and a couple of Great Western IET’s.

    Class 66 No. 66134 working 1101 Margam T.C. to Westbury
    Fifteen minutes at Keynsham condensed – 16/04/2022

    We also had time to pop in at Cranmore for a cuppa and to see GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T No. 4555 which was working the passenger trains on the East Somerset Railway. Again Yoshi enjoyed all the attention and scritches he received.

    GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T Small Prairie No. 4555 at Cranmore – 16/04/2022
    GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T Small Prairie No. 4555 at Cranmore – 16/04/2022

    After picking up the planter in Somerset we drove home via Chard as engineering work was taking place over the Easter weekend between Yeovil Junction and Honiton. We were very kindly escorted on to the disused station platform at Chard Junction to take photographs of GBRf Class 66 No. 66793 in British Rail Railfreight Construction livery attached to the engineers train. The station was closed to passenger traffic in March 1966 and there have been many calls, over the years since, to reopen it.

    GBRf Class 66 No. 66793 – Chard Junction 16/04/2022
    GBRf Class 66 No. 66793 – Chard Junction 16/04/2022
    GBRf Class 66 No. 66793 – Chard Junction 16/04/2022

    Sunday afternoon we popped into Swanage to visit the Swanage Railway who were operating a two train service utilising SR Bullied 4-6-2 West Country Class No. 34028 ‘Eddystone’ and GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T Small Prairie No. 5526. We also got another glimpse of Class 33 No. 33012 and Class 50 No. 50026 stabled in the sidings close to the engine shed.

    Class 33 No. 33012 and Class 50 No. 50026 in the sidings at Swanage – 17/04/2022
    SR 4-6-2 West Country Class No. 34028 ‘Eddystone’ departs Swanage – 17/04/2022
    GWR 4575 Class 2-6-2T Small Prairie No. 5526 arrives at Swanage with a service from Norden
    Swanage Railway – Easter Sunday 2022

    For our first archive video this week, we return to Keynsham ( and Bradford-on-Avon ) for a glimpse of Great Western Railway Castle Class No. 5029 ‘Nunney Castle’. This locomotive was built at Swindon Works in 1934 and takes the name of a small castle near Frome, Somerset. She was withdrawn from service in December 1963 and sold to Woodham Bros. at Barry, arriving at the famous scrap yard in June 1964 being the last steam locomotive delivered to Barry scrap yard by rail. She was rescued after rusting away for 12 years and in May 1976 was the last Castle class locomotive to leave Barry. Throughout the summer season in 2010 ‘Nunney Castle’ hauled the Sunday ‘Weymouth Seaside Express’ trains organised by The Railway Touring Company, departing from the Bristol area bound for Weymouth and I have fond memories of hearing her exhaust beat echo around on her departure from Keynsham, as can be heard in the video below:

    5029 ‘Nunney Castle’ hauling the Weymouth Seaside Express excursion train – 15/08/2010

    Finally, to wrap things up, here is a short video of Class 31’s top and tailing a test train at Upwey in September 2007:

    Class 31’s No. 31602 and 31459 ‘Cerberus’ at Upwey – 25/09/2007

    Don’t forget if you’re thinking about traveling by rail between 25/04/2022 and 27/05/2022 South Western Railway and Great Western Railway are just two of the rail operators offering up to 50% discounts on advance bookings on off-peak tickets as part of ‘The Great British Rail Sale’ . This comes after the highest increases in rail fares in nine years came into effect last month ( March 2022 ). Vacuous Toby Jug Transport Secretary Grant Shapps ( the name he’s currently using ) announced the promotion in a video on Twitter saying it would ‘help with the cost of living’. Unless you can eat or burn the tickets for heating, I have my doubts about that claim.

    Train operators and Network Rail have been told by the Department of Transport ( DafT ) to find cost savings of 10% to 15%, after the Treasury spent an extra £15bn subsidising rail for lost revenue over the past two years during the Covid pandemic. The DafT said reforms to the sector due to be introduced after the Williams-Shapps review plan for Great British Railways (2021) could see more such network-wide sales across rail fares.

    Thanks for reading!

  • Heaton Lodge Junction

    Something a little different this week. On Sunday, Yoshi stayed home with his mum while I went off to Shepton Mallet and the Bath & West Showground who were hosting Britain’s Biggest Model Railway – Heaton Lodge Junction. With over three miles of track, the ‘O’ Gauge layout took eight years to build and can accommodate over 25 full length model trains. The detailed scenic model railway perfectly recreates the childhood memories of its main builder Simon George who took a year to practise and refine the modelling techniques employed in the layout in addition to three years of research to create a pictorial map of the 1.5 mile location. Everything, from drain covers to signal gantries are placed exactly where they should be. Back in the early 1980’s Simon spent much of his school holidays perched on a bridge parapet watching the trains go by. In fact, Simon is himself included in the model in the very location he spent so much of his time.

    The following video gives a flavour of operations on the layout which normally runs in an automated mode with trains being pre-programmed. The system senses exactly which section a train is occupying and depending on the route of each train, the signals and points change accordingly.

    I was accompanied on my visit by my brother and my nephew, and we were all really impressed by Heaton Lodge Junction and look forward to future viewings including the planned, detailed additions of a typical 1980’s BR station, marshalling yard and depot. Viewing the model layout has really given me renewed inspiration to get started on building my own model railway. I still need to fully board the loft at home before building the baseboards for the track work and have decided that I will lure my brother, and anybody else, in with the promise of cheese and beer to help get this done. Although I’ll be modelling in ‘OO’ gauge, the images below show what it’s possible to achieve with a lot of hard work and skill and I hope I can have at least a fraction of the ability which went into creating this masterpiece.

    The next few images show the scale of the model. Many thanks to staff at the Bath & West Showground who gave me access to the balcony area to take the photographs.

    As well as Heaton Lodge Junction, there were several other layouts on display. All highly detailed and impressive in their own way.

    Of particular local interest for this blog are the two following railway layouts of Wimborne from The Wimborne Railway Society and the former Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway southern terminus at Bournemouth West: supported by Model Railway Solutions (MRS) of Poole:

    A detailed reconstruction of Wimborne Railway Station
    Bournemouth West

    It was fantastic to see all the model railways on show in addition to Heaton Lodge Junction. The Bournemouth West display employed very authentic ‘live steam’ locomotives and the dedication to realistic modelling was evident throughout the hall.

    Things have been quiet on the full size railway this week in Dorset – although Class 701 test runs continue to visit Poole and Bournemouth, Sunday engineering work at Branksome didn’t produce any locomotive hauled engineers trains and the regular Class 73 hauled test train scheduled for Monday 11th April, although activated early doors, didn’t move from Derby and was eventually cancelled. So instead, here’s a photo of Yoshi from last year alongside GBRf Class 73 Electro-diesel No. 73128 ‘O.V.S. Bulleid C.B.E.’ which visited Weymouth on 6th September 2021 whilst on route learning duties. For some reason I am unable to fathom the driver greeted me by saying ‘it’s the man with the barking dog!’

    73128 ‘O.V.S. Bulleid C.B.E.’ Weymouth – 06/09/2021

    A video of the light-engine at Hamworthy and Weymouth. If you listen carefully, you might just hear Yoshi bark his approval:

    Our archive video for this week comes from March 1995 and a visit to Eastleigh when it looks like I used a tripod and actually set it up correctly for the most part as trains are not consistently going up or down hill. Although it would appear I still overused the zoom function.

    For comparison, you might like to watch the following compilation video filmed mostly around Eastleigh in the more recent 2020’s:

    That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading – comments and corrections always welcome. Why not support your local heritage railway this coming Easter Weekend, they would welcome your support!