{"id":4407,"date":"2022-11-30T20:31:50","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T20:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/?p=4407"},"modified":"2022-12-07T15:23:18","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T15:23:18","slug":"a-peak-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/?p=4407","title":{"rendered":"A Peak Week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

23rd November to 29th November 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Brush, Loughborough – 24\/11\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Brush, Loughborough – 24\/11\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Brush, Loughborough – 24\/11\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Brush, Loughborough – 24\/11\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Brush, Loughborough – 24\/11\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Brush, Loughborough – 24\/11\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Brush, Loughborough – 24\/11\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Brush, Loughborough – 24\/11\/2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

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