Yoshi waits for SWR Class 701 No. 701025 to depart Poole – 16/04/2021
This last week or so Yoshi has been making new friends and catching up with old ones – he’s a very sociable pup and seems to win over almost everyone with his lovable, if somewhat excitable, demeanour. Even those who don’t much care for dogs, if you can believe such tortured souls exist, often fall under his spell.
In advance of his own visit to the groomer later this week, Yoshi accompanied me when it was my turn to have my hair cut ( what’s left of it these days ) and was only slightly disturbed to find that the barber I frequent has a new kitten in residence. Yoshi certainly wasn’t likely to be organising a party in celebration of this discovery and after a few barks there was a tense stand-off situation in place until nine week old Abu, for that is the kitten’s name, was formally introduced to our boy and the barking started all over again. Abu couldn’t give a monkeys about the canine interloper and things soon calmed down with both protagonists unharmed by their close shave with each other.
This was followed by a long walk and after that an opportunity for Yoshi to chill out in his favourite chair….
A detailed look at the Real Time Trains website on Thursday evening revealed COLAS Class 37 No. 37175 would be paying a visit to Yeovil with a test train; 3Q07 Exeter Riverside to Exeter Riverside via Yeovil Pen Mill and Salisbury. It was a cold night and my initial thought was to head to Yeovil Pen Mill to capture the working, but as the service had been looped west of Crewkerne to allow a passenger train to get ahead of it, I thought better of this and we headed to Yeovil Junction. Because of the amount of salt spread around the car park and the station, Yoshi remained safely in the car while I went off to wait for the arrival of the test train. Unfortunately, the Class 37 was propelling the train which was a bit of a shame, but made for a different shot as it roared straight through the station abandoning any plan for it to head to Pen Mill.
37175 Yeovil Junction – 20/01/2022
The following evening I popped into Bournemouth to catch a glimpse of one of the new Class 701 Arterio units which are still on test more than two years after they were supposed to enter revenue earning service and South Western Railway currently have no date for their introduction. Indeed, SWR are yet to formally accept any of the fleet of 90 units which have been built in Derby. A statement from the train operator said; “SWR is waiting for Alstom to supply an Arterio train that meets our specification.” When this does happen, SWR have a planned programme of further testing and driver training.
Trains in this video include Class 444 Desiro 444040 working 2B51 1854 Southampton Central to Bournemouth / 5B51 1940 Bournemouth to Bournemouth / 2B76 1958 Bournemouth to Southampton Central, 444015 & 444027 5W32 Bournemouth Middle Sidings to Bournemouth / 1W32 1953 Bournemouth to London Waterloo and Class 701 Arterio 701031 on 5Q52 1724 Staines Up Loop to Eastleigh TRSMD. All seen at Bournemouth – 21/01/2022
As part of its 2017 franchise agreement, South Western Railway committed themselves to 750 new carriages, made up of 60 ten-car and 30 five-car trains intended to enter service on the Reading, Windsor and London suburban lines in late 2019. The units were given the name Arterio in 2020 when they were unveiled at Wimbledon depot. The name is meant to symbolise its role as an artery for connecting the capital and beyond.
Delays into service have been caused by complex new software integration and unions highlighting issues with cab design. As a result SWR has decided to retain 12 of its Class 707 ‘Desiro City’ trains until August 2022 rather than transferring them to SouthEastern as previously planned.
Class 701’s in store at Eastleigh – 19/09/2021701028 at Eastleigh on 24/10/2021
In 2021 Yoshi and I spent a few lunchtime walks around Poole in order to see 701’s on test runs.
701014 – 24/02/2021
701013 – 11/03/2021
701023 – 13/04/2021
701025 – 16/04/2021
701016 – 27/04/2021
On a July 2021 visit to Eastleigh we were lucky to see Brush Type 4 Class 47 No. 47727 ‘Edinburgh Castle’ hauling 701007 on 5Q10 Widnes Transport Tech to Eastleigh TRSMD.
47727 ‘Edinburgh Castle’ and 701007 at Eastleigh – 06/07/2021
We missed a late addition to the timetable last Sunday in the guise of GBRf Class 73 Electro-Diesels No’s 73965 and 73963 top and tailing 1Q51 1025 Woking Up Yard Recp to Woking Up Yard Recp via Weymouth as I was enjoying a fabulous nut roast followed by a delicious lemon cheesecake. This particular test train had been scheduled to run at night earlier in the month but had twice been cancelled. However, here’s a trio of videos featuring ED’s working test train’s on the Bournemouth to Weymouth line from previous years:
73963 ‘Janice’ and 73961 ‘Alison’ at Weymouth – 23/11/2020
73962 ‘Dick Mabbutt’ and 73963 ‘Janice’ at Poole – 14/05/2021
73963 ‘Janice’ and 73965 ‘Des O’Brien’ at Hamworthy – 20/12/2021
That’s all for this time – please check back again soon for more tales from Yoshi HQ.
On a recent rail trip to London I was reminded of a visit to Stewarts Lane depot, a large train servicing facility near Battersea which our train passed on the way into Waterloo Station. The depot is situated amongst a maze of railway lines and when much younger it was a marker on the journey to London and a brief glimpse was afforded as we hurtled past. The site was originally a steam depot and locomotive works for the London, Chatham and Dover Railway which opened in 1862. The Lane was converted to maintain diesel and electric locomotives in the 1960’s and is currently home to both DB Cargo UK’s special trains operating unit and Govia Thameslink. In my train spotting days the depot code was ‘SL’ – you can probably work out why!
On the 10th April 1988 Stewarts Lane hosted an open day and invited visitors to take a shuttle service from London Victoria to the depot. I have some brief notes about my visit, which is sadly a rare occurrence and I am left to rely on my memories. But on this Sunday morning I left from my local station in Dorset being propelled by push pull Class 33 diesel loco’s No’s 33111 and 33117 as far as Bournemouth when passengers had to detrain and join a bus service to Brockenhurst. Here awaited a fresh train headed up by Class 73 Electro-Diesel No. 73132 to take us on to Clapham Junction.
73203 passes through Clapham Junction – 10th April 1988
Transport from Victoria to Stewarts Lane was provided by Class 205 diesel-electric multiple unit No. 205002. These DEMU’s managed 47 years in service between 1957 and 2004 and several examples survive in preservation.
One thing that I must always remember about Open Days is that if I expect to get clear photographs of the exhibits free of other visitors there is really no point in going. Fellow enthusiasts and other visiting members of the public often make it their mission to examine the smallest bolt in minute detail or decide to have a lengthy conversation right in front of a shooting gallery of increasingly frustrated photographers.
A variety of Class 33 and Class 73 locomotives were on display or in the process of being worked on in the maintenance sheds alongside Class 55 Deltic D9000 ‘Royal Scots Grey’. A selection of images from the Stewarts Lane Open Day 1988 can be found below.
COLAS operated Network Rail New Measurement Train passes Sutton Bingham Reservoir on 13th January 2022
This week saw Yoshi celebrate his third birthday. That’s 28 in the human years equivalent. Although Yoshi has calmed down a great deal in the last twelve months, he’s still very much a puppy in his attitude and outlook, and with a few minor exceptions, we wouldn’t want it any other way. They say the best parties are the ones you can’t remember, or that may just be our beleaguered Prime Minister’s view on things, and Yoshi marked his special day with a set of new soft play balls, a rope toy and some chew treats and kept the partying to a minimum…
Yoshi, looking all grown up, saw in his birthday with a sunrise walk in the local park and nature reserve
A quick round up of local main line railway activity we’ve managed to catch so far in 2022 kicks off with a visit in the early hours of 11th January to the Bournemouth to Weymouth line of Class 37 No. 37116 on a Network Rail Test Train. The locomotive is seen passing through Hamworthy with 3Q02 2200 Hither Green Pre Assembly Depot (P.A.D.) to Woking Up Carriage Holding Sidings (C.H.S.):
January 12th 2022 – a late evening visit to Branksome to capture Class 66 locomotives No’s. 66846 and 66849 ‘Wylam Dilly’ pass through on their way to Parkstone with a ballast drop.
66849 and 66846 wait to depart Poole for Bournemouth – 12/01/2022
Trains seen in this video: 444042 – 5W83 2228 Bournemouth to BournemouthT&RSMD 444039 – 1B63 2048 Winchester to Poole 66846 & 66849 6C17 Eastleigh East Yard to Bournemouth Balfour Beatty operated MPV – 8Y85 Totton Yard to Totton Yard 444037 – 2W84 2230 Weymouth to Bournemouth
January 13th 2022 – a sunny lunchtime outing to Sutton Bingham, Somerset and Bradford Abbas, Dorset to catch sight of Colas operated New Measurement Train worked by High Speed Train power cars 43290 and 43299.
COLAS Class 43 HST power cars No. 43290 and 43299 with a Network Rail New Measurement Train, Bradford Abbas on 13th January 2022
Trains seen in this video: 159018 – 1L17 0820 London Waterloo to Exeter St. Davids 159001 – 1L40 1025 Exeter St. Davids to Basingstoke 159005 – 1L21 0920 London Waterloo to Exeter St. Davids 43290 & 43299 – 1Q23 0556 Reading to Salisbury via Exeter 159107 & 159018 – 1L25 London Waterloo to Exeter St. Davids 159106 – 1L44 1125 Exeter St. Davids to Basingstoke
Sutton Bingham Reservoir is situated near the village of Sutton Bingham in the civil parish of Closworth, Somerset. The reservoir was built in the 1950’s to supply water to Yeovil. The remains of Sutton Mill are under the water, and close to the shore is the 12th century Church of All Saints. These days the reservoir is home to overwintering wildfowl and migrant birds, a sailing club and fishing. The weather on Thursday January 13th was perfect for watching both birds and trains!
January 14th 2022 – A late addition to the timetable saw GBRf operated Snow & Ice Treatment Train top and tailed by class 66 locomotives make its second visit to the Weymouth line this year.
Trains seen in this video: 444028 – 1B63 2048 Winchester to Poole 66757 ‘West Somerset Railway’ & 66755 ‘Tony Berkeley OBE RFG Chairman 1997 – 2018’ – 3Y89 2212 Totton Yard to Totton Yard
Yoshi also partook in his first shower of the year. The boy seems to quite enjoy his showers and willingly submits. This is the immediate aftermath:
We’ll be back soon for more archive railway features and cockapoo related happenings.
Class 56 No. 56078 stands at the buffer stops adjacent to Horton Road Level Crossing, Gloucester on 30th December 2021
Over the New Year we were lucky enough to spend a few days in the beautiful Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. On our journey to our hotel we made a slight diversion via Gloucester as COLAS liveried Class 56 No. 56078 had worked 0Z51 Bescot Up Engineers Sidings to Gloucester on 29th December and was sitting at the buffer stops adjacent to Horton Road Level Crossing before her onward journey to Port Talbot on New Year’s Eve. As can be seen in the video below, our brief interlude at Gloucester Railway Station also produced a couple of CrossCountry Voyagers and the Direct Rail Services (DRS) Daventry to Wentloog Tesco service. 221132 can be seen sitting at Gloucester platform 4 with the 1S43 0725 Plymouth to Edinburgh Waverley service which had been terminated at Gloucester because of “severe flooding beyond that which could be mitigated on Network rail infrastructure.” Stablemate 221130 arrives with the 1S47 0927 Plymouth to Edinburgh. Class 66 No. 66427 is working 4V44 Daventry DRS (Tesco ) to Wentloog ( Freightliner ) passing Horton Road Level Crossing, Gloucester on 30th December 2021 and the same loco can also be seen working 4Z36 1530 Wentloog ( Freightliner ) to Daventry DRS (Tesco ) passing through Lydney on 31st December 2021. The wait at Lydney was made all the more interesting chatting to a young rail enthusiast, and his dad, about his love of all things Direct Rail Services. He was visiting the station with a banner wishing DRS a Happy New Year. Fabulous and well received by the driver of 66427 if the deployment of the locomotives’ horn is anything to go by! The CrossCountry Voyager units preceding the Daventry working are 220013 and 221127 forming the 1Z53 1227 Plymouth to Edinburgh service which escaped the disruption to XC services due to industrial action over the role of train guards on New Year’s Eve.
While in Lydney, we made a visit to Lydney Harbour which has contributed to centuries of prosperity to the local economy and also that of Britain. Lydney Harbour was where the vast majority of Forest coal, iron ore and other commodities was loaded into ships bound for Bristol, the West Country and Ireland. In the late 18th and 19th Centuries, a network of horse drawn tramways proliferated the Forest of Dean built to transport coal and ironstone to local ironworks as well as the harbour at Lydney. These tramways were replaced in the mid-nineteenth century which saw the introduction of railways to the Forest.
Yoshi at Lydney Harbour
The Lydney and Lydbrook Railway was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1809. This became the Severn & Wye Railway and Canal Company and the current canal and basin complex at Lydney was constructed by them between 1810 and 1813, the outer harbour being completed in 1821. A horse drawn tramway was the first evidence of rails at the harbour. This was converted to Great Western Broad Gauge in 1868 and finally to standard gauge in 1872. Where the River Severn narrows is the site of the Severn Rail Bridge which was built 1875 – 1879 and was seriously damaged in an accident on 25th October 1960.
Two river barges hit one of the piers on the bridge, causing two spans to collapse into the Severn. As they fell, parts of the structure hit the barges causing the oil and petrol they were carrying to catch fire. Five people lost their lives in the incident. In the January 1961 edition of The Railway Magazine hopes were expressed that the bridge would be repaired as, in the 1959 British Transport Commission report to the Ministry of Transport on the re-appraisal of the plan for modernising British railways, it was stated the Severn Railway Bridge route would be developed to relieve the congested Severn Tunnel. However, further collisions with the bridge piers in the years following resulted in British Rail demolishing the bridge between 1967 and 1968 as it was felt to be beyond economical repair. A memorial to those who lost their lives in the 1960 accident is situated at Lydney Harbour.
Memorial to those who lost their lives during the Severn & Wye Railway Bridge disaster
For the duration of our visit to the Forest of Dean, we stayed at The Speech House Hotel, a former 17th Century hunting lodge built for King Charles II. Built in 1676 the hotel is situated close to the centre of the Forest on a site used for the holding of the Forest Courts at which the Foresters settled matters of dispute and privilege concerning mining and Forestry Law and custom. The hotel was enlarged in the later part of the 19th Century but nearly all the original building remains and has been refurbished to offer modern facilities and luxurious rooms while retaining its period features. The Speech House Hotel also has dog friendly rooms and our four legged companions are allowed in The Orangery which serves light meals and afternoon tea. We found the menu, devised by Head Chef Gareth Jenkins, varied and interesting showcasing local produce from the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley. It was also extremely tasty! Our room was clean and comfortable and the New Year’s Eve meal and entertainment enjoyable whilst observing covid guidelines.
Our stay included a guided walk through a part of the Forest which was formerly the track bed of the Severn & Wye Railway Mineral Loop which ran from Drybrook Road near Cinderford to Tufts Junction, just south of Whitecroft. The section from Drybrook Road to New Fancy Colliery / Mallards Pike is now a cycleway and footpath. Construction of the Mineral Loop began in September 1870 and was built to standard gauge as the Great Western Railway was at that time converting from broad gauge. The line was opened to traffic by May 1872. During the Second World War, the Forest of Dean was used for ammunition storage and to facilitate this, the Mineral Loop was severed in May 1942, the track being relaid some 19 months later in December 1943. By the end of the war all the collieries located along the Mineral Loop had closed, the military depot at Moseley tunnel providing the sole traffic for the line. In March 1951 the Mineral Loop was cut at Moseley Green and the line south of this point closed as far as Pillowell. The remainder of the line was closed in June 1953 with the exception of the section between Pillowell and Whitecroft. The Forest of Dean Railway Trail and Mineral Loop is a 6.8 km loop trail located near Cinderford, Gloucestershire that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for walking, running, and mountain biking and is accessible year-round.
Following our walk and a very welcome spot of lunch, we headed into nearby Coleford primarily to visit The Great Western Railway Museum Coleford, which I had gleaned from their website was open on Fridays and Saturdays. Perfect as our stay coincided with a Friday. However we soon learned, not a Friday which happens to fall on December 31st. Completely understandable, but a pity the website had not been updated to reflect this prior to my email to the museum to enquire about their next scheduled opening sent on 31st December. The museum is housed in one of the last remaining permanent railway buildings in the Forest of Dean on the site of the former Coleford railway yard. Have to say, it looks an interesting location with an exciting collection of artefacts and we will hopefully find time to visit another time in the future.
After spending the evening celebrating the arrival of 2022 we were up early on New Year’s Day as we had booked a steam train ride on the Dean Forest Railway, an 85 minute nine mile round trip starting at Norchard Station. The train heads south to Lydney Junction and north to Parkend before returning to Norchard. The train stops for around 20 minutes at each end of the line where the engine runs around its train which provided ample time for photographs and for anyone who wishes to do so, to visit the footplate of the locomotive, although I’m not sure if dogs are allowed! The Dean Forest Railway started life as a tramroad in 1810 and was retained by British Railways until 1985. Today’s Dean Forest Railway Society began heritage operations on a small siding at Parkend in 1971 with the aim of preserving and operating the last remaining section of the Severn and Wye Railway. They moved to develop the Norchard site in 1978 followed by extensions towards Lydney Junction in 1995 and Parkend in 2006. Everyone we met representing the railway was extremely friendly and helpful. The locomotive for our January 1st trip was 4575 Class small Prairie tank engine No. 5541 which was built by the Great Western Railway at Swindon Works in 1928. She spent much of her working life in Machynlleth having been previously briefly based at Swindon shed and Bristol Bath Road. During 1960 she moved again to Plymouth Laira where she stayed before being withdrawn from service on 10th July 1962 having completed 921,589 miles in revenue earning service. In September 1962 she was sold for scrap and taken to Messrs. Woodham Bros of Barry where she remained until 1971 when 5541 was saved and moved by rail to the Dean Forest Railway at Parkend; the 25th locomotive to leave Barry Scrapyard for preservation. She arrived at her new home on 10th October 1972 in time for the October Gala Day. Restoration was undertaken on the siding behind the down platform at Parkend and was completed, and first steamed on 29th November 1975. On 16th January 1978 in light steam, she joined the movement of stock from Parkend to Norchard and was a regular performer on the short track constructed at the Steam Centre. The 4575 Class were popular engines on the GWR, they were versatile and well-liked by crew. They were an improved version of the 45xx Class engines, the main modification being the larger, sloped tanks and cast motion brackets.
The videos below show a taste of our 2021 visit as well as a previous visit of mine made in 1995:
Yoshi waits for the departure of the first train of the day from Norden to Swanage on 3rd January 2022
To mark the 50th anniversary of the last scheduled British Rail passenger train from Wareham to Swanage on 1st January 1972 the Swanage Railway held a three day event utilising a heritage diesel-multiple unit (DMU) running between Norden and Swanage.
A Class 117 DMU built in 1960 operated five return trains a day on Saturday 1st January 2022, Sunday 2nd January 2022 and Monday 3rd January 2022. To mark the occasion the first fifty tickets sold online for each of the three days were set at the January 1972 price of 50p per person. A special commemorative Edmondson card ticket was also produced for all ticket holders travelling on these services.
Our tickets alongside the special souvenir Edmundson card ticket produced for the 50th anniversary of the Swanage branch closureThe Class 117 DMU after arrival at Swanage Railway Station
The Dorset branch line from Wareham to Swanage was opened in May 1885 and controversially closed, despite a sustained campaign for its retention by local people and councils, on the morning of Monday January 3rd 1972. Because no services ran to Swanage on a Sunday in the winter timetable the final train ran on New Year’s Day 1972, departing Wareham at 2145 and carrying 500 passengers. The final BR return service from Swanage departed at 2215 and arrived back in Wareham at 2240. The tracks between Swanage and half a mile east of Furzebrook were torn up six months later. The track from Furzebrook being retained for the export of Purbeck ball clay by train.
The special trains carried a commemorative wooden headboard made by Swanage Railway volunteer signalman Malcolm Munro who travelled on the last train in 1972 as a 16 year old
After four years of campaigning the Swanage Railway Society was granted a one year lease of the boarded up Swanage station in 1976 and the rebirth of the Swanage branch began culminating in reconnection to the national railway system at Worgret Junction near Wareham in 2014 thanks to an innovative signalling system linking the heritage railway with Network Rail. During the summer of 2017 the Swanage Railway ran a 60 selected day trial diesel train service to Wareham which saw four trains a day operate from Swanage and Corfe Castle. In 2020 the heritage line won a government grant of up to £50,000 from the ‘Restoring Your Railway Fund’ to pay for an updated feasibility study and business case with the aim of reinstating a train service reconnecting Swanage and Corfe Castle with the main line at Wareham and reversing the 1967 decision by British Rail to close the line following a review of unprofitable branch lines. The Swanage branch was not mentioned by Dr Richard Beeching in his ‘Reshaping of British Railways’ report which decimated much of Britain’s rail network. Dr Beeching was the first chairman of the British Railways Board – the successor to The British Transport Commission – and was hired by Ernest Marples, Conservative Transport Minister who coincidentally happened to be a road construction businessman. Beeching axed 5,500 miles of track, sacked 67,000 workers and shutdown 2,363 railway stations. This was a third of the track network and 55% of stations.
A Happy New Year to you all! Whatever you’re doing this New Year’s Eve let’s hope for a good 2022. On December 31st 1994, I found myself in Whitchurch, Hampshire awaiting the arrival of a very special train hauled by Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive 35028 ‘Clan Line’; The Auld Lang Syne run by rail tour company Flying Scotsman Services.
The Railway Magazine dated October 1994 was of the opinion that this tour was part of the best ever programme of steam specials launched since the end of steam on British Rail 26 years previously. It’s amazing to see that steam, now complimented with heritage diesel and electric traction, is still very much in evidence on the main line in the UK.
Clipping from The Railway Magazine October 1994
Whitchurch was chosen for a scheduled stop on the tour so that passengers could celebrate the New Year complete with piper on the station platform. I do remember getting lost on the drive to the station, so was pleased and relieved to get there in time to see the celebrations and record this video:
The next morning I was up in time for the drive from Dorset to Wiltshire to watch Ivatt Class 2 No. 46521 and British Rail Standard Class 4 2-6-4T No. 80079 working a Didcot to Kidderminster special through Swindon. Originally rostered for 5029 ‘Nunney Castle’ the pair of substitute locomotives were called in following the Castle’s withdrawal from the main line duty roster by the Special Train Unit (STU) after she unbelievably ran out of coal while working a London Paddington to Stratford-Upon-Avon Shakespeare Express excursion on December 18th 1994. The locos coal consumption being very heavy and its performance poor resulting in very late running was criticised by the STU and would be ‘actively pursued with the owners and the Great Western Railway Society’.
I remember arriving at Swindon Railway station just as the New Years Day special was approaching in the near distance and managed to get some wobbly shots of the arrival and departure from both ends of the station as can be seen in the video below.
Six LNER A4’s in one place – a feat probably never to be repeated again
Prior to the 75th anniversary of the world record speed run by LNER A4 Pacific 4468 ‘Mallard’, I imagined there would be some kind of event to mark this achievement, possibly a return to steam and a celebratory rail tour. What the NRM actually devised was something few people can honestly have imagined and when it was announced two of Mallard’s sister locomotives long since exported from these shores would be reunited with the other four remaining GB based members of the class, I was very keen to be among the visitors to view the spectacle. Not since 1966 and the days of British Rail steam have so many A4’s been together in one location at the same time. Expecting the line up to be very popular (but I didn’t quite foresee the huge crowds who would turn up to share in the celebrations), I took advantage of booking an early doors photo pass which would allow crowd free photography before the museum opened for business at 10am on 4th July. In the event some of the thirty or so people who had booked the same ticket made it their first ambition to stand in front of the gathered locomotives from the get go. This I found a little frustrating. Surely the small group could have been managed in such a way that people were held back enabling clear shots of the line up prior to letting us roam amongst Mallard and her sisters? But with a little patience (that not everyone exhibited, it must be said) I think I managed to achieve what I set out to do. Although, that was a close thing as after two hours of happily snapping away, the SD card in my camera suddenly decided it didn’t want to be read and refused to allow my camera to play back the photos I had taken that morning, or let me to take any further shots. I was mildly annoyed to say the least. Attempts at copying the image files to CD via a couple of photographic outlets in York failed to rescue the photos and it wasn’t until I got home a few days later that I was able to transfer the majority of the images to my computer one by one with only around ten images deemed unrecoverable. I was pleased that most of the photographs I took survived – a sample of which can be found in the gallery below.
A selection of A4 video below, beginning with 60007 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ going full pelt with The Shakesperian rail tour on 11th October 1997. This working, organised by Steamy Affairs, ran from Cleethorpes to Stratford-Upon-Avon, although I have no note as to where I filmed the train!
Yoshi takes an interest in No.9 on a visit to Weymouth Station in 2019
60009 ‘Union Of South Africa’ recently retired from active service following the discovery of a small crack on the driver’s side outer firebox wrapper near the foundation ring, and a perforated small tube. It was considered that repairs would be unviable because of the short time left on 60009’s boiler certificate – which is due to expire in April 2022 – and the intention of her owner, John Cameron, to retire the locomotive anyway. 60009 will like sister locomotives 60008 ‘Dwight D. Eisenhower’ and 60010 ‘Dominion Of Canada’ be placed on static display, although as yet her final resting place has yet to be confirmed. In happier times, the video below shows Number 9 working on the main line in 2019.
The last video selection for this entry features 60019 ‘Bittern’
60019 Bittern masquerading as lost sister locomotive 4492 ‘Dominion Of New Zealand’ 4468 ‘Mallard’ on static display at the National Rail Museum, York – 14th February 20094468 ‘Mallard’ at The Railway Museum, York and the commemorative plaque she carries on her bodyside
This is a revised post previously uploaded elsewhere in 2013 – that seems a very long time ago now – thanks for reading.
