POWERSCENE

Our authoritative class-by-class review of newsworthy locomotive workings.

Notable workings, Name Game, and Spectrum.

CLASS 20

WITH Direct Rail Services planning to take over the Garston-Dagenham car traffic fromGBRf, English Electric Type 1s Nos. 20302+20305 ran light from Gresty Bridge to the Garston terminal in South Liverpool on February 4. They returned to Crewe as the 0F67/06.34 departure from Garston, repeating the trip two days later and again on February 21, although some doubt exists as to whether the Type 1s will be suitable for shunting purposes at the Garston base.

February 21 also found two other Class 20s on the move. Now part of the Locomotive Services LSLO pool, the blue pairing of Nos. 20096+20107 accompanied EE type 3 No. 37667 (D6851) from Barrow Hill to Burton and, having collected Mk.2d coach

No. 3188, the trio formed the 5Z38/15.22 Burton Wetmore-Crewe HS.

Two examples from the MOLO pool, Nos. 20007+20205, ran light from Leicester to the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley on February 12, passing Loughborough at 10.13.

CLASS 31

BRUSH Type 2 No. 31128 (originally No. D5546 when new in August 1959) continues to prove itself useful. For example on February 6, it collected AC electric No. 86259 from Rugby and towed it to Nemesis Rail at Burton for a repair in readiness for a weekend railtour, returning to Lichfield Trent Valley next day fromwhence No. 86259 was able to make its own way back to Rugby. The next duty for No. 31128 occurred on February 21, when it was dispatched to Crewe. That evening it powered the 6X04/21.00 Gresty

Lane-Burton Wetmore hauling Matisa P95 Track Renewal Machine No.2 prior to moving the same formation from Burton to Sandiacre during the early evening of February 26.

CLASS 37

AMIDWEEK ‘Pendle Dalesman’ charter ran on February 12 when Nos. 37706 and 47746 operated the 1Z57/06.51 Carnforth-Carlisle via Preston and Blackburn to Hellifield, where the Class 37/7 was removed in favour of Jubilee 4-6-0 Galatea (currently disguised as classmate No. 45562 Alberta). The English Electric Type 3 rejoined the return service at Hellifield.

Rather more unexpected was the use of No. 37516 on the ‘Northern Belle’ (February 16). The Type 3 was heading from Carlisle to Carnforth having been on route-proving duties when summoned to Manchester Victoria to ‘top’ No. 57601 on the 1Z30/11.43 Crewe-Denton and 1Z31/15.15 Denton-Manchester Victoria, heading off through Sandbach, Crewe, Chester and Warrington.

With a pair of Greater Anglia Mk.3 coaches in tow, No. 37401 formed the 5Z55/09.35 Norwich Crown PointNeville Hill (Leeds) on February 17, and moved half a dozen similar vehicles from Wymondham to Crown Point on February 19. Early the next morning,

No. 37401 set off from Norwich hauling the same vehicles Nos. 12005/37/42/82/9 and 12143 to Sims Metals at Newport. On February 28,

No. 37402 moved two more Mk.3s to Neville Hill and returned with the 5L38/15.25 Neville Hill-Crown Point.

Nos. 37610 and 37612 took their test train from Doncaster to

Chesterfield on February 13, visiting Lincoln and Cleethorpes on the way. That same day found Nos. 37521

(as green No. D6817) and 37688 (originally No. D6905) heading from the Severn Valley Railway to Locomotive Services’ base at Crewe. On February 21, however, a trio of Nos. 37667+37190+37688 made their way from Crewe to Barrow Hill with the latter pair being left there.

Spalding resonated to the sound of a Type 3 when No. 37254 arrived there on February 18 with a test train from Sheffield.

The former Scottish pairing of

Nos. 37419 and 37424 left Mossend with a test train during the afternoon of February 20 and, over the course of the evening, visited Ayr, Bathgate, North Berwick and then to Tweedbank and Anniesland overnight. Three days later No. 37259 had teamed up with No. 37419 to work the 1Q78/08.46 Inverness to Thurso and Wick with the same vehicles that EDLs Nos. 73963 and 73965 had taken from Rugby to Derby on February 17.

CLASS 47

ON the penultimate day of February,

LSL Type 4s Nos. 47501+47805 had the newly-repainted 87002 Royal Sovereign (repainted into InterCity swallow livery) for company at the head of the 5Z36/10.50 Eastleigh Arlington-Crewe HS empty stock movement comprising 10 pristine Pullman-liveried Mk.2s and routed via Basingstoke to Reading and Willesden.

With the 2020 railtour programme slowly getting under way, No. 47810 ‘tailed’ 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot on the 1Z80/08.40 Crewe-Blackburn

via Manchester Victoria, Preston, Carnforth and Hellifield on February 15, returning to Crewe by way of Bolton and Manchester.

West Coast Type 4 No. 47802 travelled north at the rear of the 1Z46/06.56 Ealing Broadway-York on February 15, with Pacific No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland in charge, and the Type 4 also ‘tailed’ the return journey behind Gresley A4 No. 60009 Union of South Africa.

No. 47746 was turned out to attach to the rear of the 1Z58/15.29 Carlisle-Keighley charter at Hellifield on February 22. Jubilee No. 45596 Bahamas had brought the train over the Settle & Carlisle line and took it through to Kirkstall Loop where the train reversed, and No. 47746 took charge for the final leg back to Keighley prior to removing the empty coaches to Carnforth.

The 1Z12/06.09 PeterboroughCarlisle was ‘top and tailed’ as far as

Preston by Nos. 47832 and 47746 on February 29. At Preston, No. 47832 was removed in favour of No. 46115 Scots Guardsman, allowing No. 47832 to head light engine to Carlisle to collect the return working, the 1Z15/16.08 Carlisle-Peterborough routed via the Tyne Valley and led by No. 47746.

Having spent two weeks in

Scotland on weather stand-by and route-proving duties, Nos. 47854 and 37518 sandwiched four long-withdrawn departmental coaches forming the 5Z37/22.18 Joppa Straight-Carnforth leaving late on February 27.

No. 47830 Beeching’s Legacy has continued to carry out staff training runs, and on February 12 powered the 4Z47/10.37 Basford Hall-Northampton and 4Z48/13.39 return with a rake of intermodal flats, repeating the trip next day. Light engine jaunts from Crewe to Peterborough and back followed between February 25 and 28, after No. 47830 had worked the 4F89/06.09

Basford Hall-Runcorn Folly Lane and 4K88/10.27 return (Winsford 10/50) on February 24. A rare outing on an engineering train occurred on March 1 when No. 47830 had charge of the 6Y63/09.18 Bidston East JunctionBasford Hall via Dee Marsh, Wrexham and Chester.

CLASS 56

ENGINEERING work over the weekend of February 29 and March 1 found four Colas Railfreight Class 56 locomotives on the Middlesbrough to Whitby line: Nos. 56078, 56087, 56094 and 56096.

On February 4, No. 56078 had a trip out from Nottingham CMD to Allington and back with Class 50 No. 50050, while on February 23 Nos. 56078 and 56096 ‘top and tailed’ the 6C60/07.10 Cow Green (Haughley Junction)-Whitemoor engineers’ train. The following morning, the same pair passed through Accrington with the 6E32/10.07 CR Ribble-Lindsey discharged bitumen tanks. Classmate No. 56090 handled the 6K38/10.05 Basford Hall-Longport ballast on February 27.

Displaced from their former work by the introduction of Class 60s, the DCR examples Nos. 56091 and 56103 have seen little work of late, with

No. 56103 out of action for most of February. No. 56091 was entrusted with the 6Z20/09.14 Chaddesden-Long Marston on February 18 and four days later hauled DVT No. 82302 from Bristol Barton Hill to Wembley LMD returning west with DVT No. 82303.

CLASS 57

THIS year’s ‘Northern Belle’ sorties got under way on February 13, when Nos. 57314 and 57601 ‘top and tailed’ the 1Z20/11.24 York-Hull via Harrogate and 1Z21/14.35 Hull-Leeds routed through Knottingley before taking the Harrogate loop a second time. Next day, the duo ran from

Chesterfield to Grantham, thence to Nottingham by way of Worksop and Sheffield, and on February 15 took the prestigious train from Coventry to Chester via Shrewsbury and back to Birmingham International.

The ROG Class 57s have been regularly employed on the movement of former GWR HST coaching stock, with No. 57312 so employed between Plymouth Laira and Long Marston (Warwickshire) on February 10 and again two days later. On February 21 the same locomotive took similar vehicles from Long Marston to Sims Metals at Newport Docks, and repeated the trip four days later this time ‘top and tailing’ with No. 57305.

CLASS 60

FEW Class 60s have carried a blue livery, so the four currently operational ones often catch the eye. No. 60028 (Cappagh) was recorded at Warrington Bank Quay close to 19.00 on February 3, atop the 6Z20/15.46 ChaddesdenCarlisle Kingmoor Yard and early the next morning was at Northampton bound for Willesden with the 6Z60/22.10 return trip fromKingmoor.

The same locomotive powered the 6Q74/13.33 West Ealing-Wembley on February 18, with YIA/YDA vehicles, prior to heading off to Chaddesden (Derby) and taking over the 6Q76/15.46 Chaddesden-Carlisle as far as Warrington Arpley on February 19.

No. 60026 (Beacon Rail GBRf) was a regular performer on Tyne Dock

Drax traffic during the month before teaming up with No. 66736 to work the 6D63/12.46 Tyne Dock-Hexthorpe with a single wagon on February 23. Two days later, the Class 60 reached Toton depot for maintenance. Meanwhile, both Nos. 60021 and 60095 (GBRf blue) have been regular visitors to

Drax during February from Merseyside (60021) and the north-east (60095). The other five Class 60s ever to have carried blue liveries (out of the 100 built) are No. 60006 (British Steel), Nos. 60011/44/78 (Mainline Freight) and No. 60074 (Teenage Cancer Trust).

CLASS 66

DURING the evening of February 11,

No. 66736 Wolverhampton Wanderers, in charge of the 6S45/06.25 North Blyth-Fort William Alcan tanks, ground to a halt just north of Rannoch station, a more remote and unfriendly spot on the national network would be hard to find! In blizzard conditions, the locomotive could not move its 1000-plus tonne train any further, effectively blocking the West Highland line. Eventually, the train moved back to Rannoch to await assistance the next morning from

West Coast Type 3 No. 37668. After a portion of the freight had been taken off the rear by the Caledonian Sleeper locomotive No. 73966, 6S45 was able to go forward behind the combination of Nos. 37668+66736.

Direct Rail Services took over operation of the Garston Car Terminal to DagenhamDock services from February 24, when No. 66434 handled the 6L48/15.49 fromGarston, albeit running two hours latewhen noted at Acton Bridge. Stablemate No. 66430 was noted atop the 6X41/00.35 from Dagenham Dock to theMerseyside terminal early on February 27.

The attractive Newell& Wrightliveried No. 66747 (a former Dutch Crossrail AG locomotive) seems to have caught the eye of late with reports from several areas of the country. On February 5 it passed Water Orton with 16 JNAs destined for store, forming the 6Z84/07.44March-Long Marston, before handling the 6X01/10.18 Scunthorpe Trent Yard-Eastleigh on February 13 and again the following day.

On February 17, No. 66747 passed Melton Mowbray at 18.56 with the 4M86/17.15 March-Peak Forest, and hauled the 6J56/09.54 Peak ForestManchester Hope Street next morning prior to taking charge of the 6O35/01.38 Whitemoor-Hoo Junction on February 22. No. 66779 Evening Star worked the

6X01 on February 27.

The transfer of former LNERMk.4 coaches across the Pennines saw

No. 66756 hauling 11 vehicles including DVTs Nos. 82200 and 82227 as the 5Z19/08.47 Worksop-Widnes on February 3, being recorded at Maltby, Hebden Bridge and Manchester Victoria (12.30). The following day, No. 66763 hauled the 5Z18/08.59 Doncaster Wabtec-Crewe CS through Hebden Bridge with a further half dozen Mk.4 vehicles in tow. Subsequent stock transfers have included No. 66779 hauling the complete BN22 set (with

DVT No. 82230) for storage as the 5Z91/09.26 Bounds Green-Worksop Yard on February 17.

On the other side of the coin,

TPE set 02 (stored at Longtown, near Carlisle, since August 13 last year) was hauled to Crewe CSFL behind No. 66512 on February 27, prior to entering traffic. This was the last of the TPE Mk.V sets in store at Longtown.

CLASS 67

THIS winter’s first running of the VSOE (Belmond British Pullman) occurred on February 12 when the regular duo of Nos. 67021 and 67024 ‘top and tailed’ the 1V80/09.46 London Victoria-Bath Spa. Both 67s accompanied No. 92036 on the 4B64/23.46 Dollands MoorWembley Yard, leaving Kent late on February 18.

The following night, No. 67021 appeared at Stafford running almost 300 minutes late with the 1S96/16.21 Willesden PRDC-Shieldmuir mail train, having been procured to assist Class 325 electric units Nos. 325008/009/014. With the same trio in tow, No. 67021 returned south the following day in charge of the 1M44/16.20 Shieldmuir-Warrington RMT and the 1A97/19.25 forward to Willesden PRDC.

Sporadic training runs with Mk.4 coaching stock in NorthWales have featured No. 67008, based at Holyhead with DVT No. 82226 and four coaches. On February 12, the set formed the 3J88/11.33 Holyhead Old-Crewe and 3J89/14.35 return. Meanwhile,

No. 67014 has acquired Transport for Wales white, grey and red livery and was hauled from Toton to Crewe IEMD by

No. 67010 on February 27. Elsewhere, No. 67015 hauled a Mk.4 set along with AC electric No. 91119 as the 5Z09/10.15 Edinburgh-Bounds Green (London) on February 16, while

No. 67012 passed Water Orton on February 5 hauling an intermodal flat forming the 6Z26/15.00 Toton YardBescot.

CLASS 70

ON February 5, Freightliner example

No. 70005 moved Railvac No. 6 as the 6X50/15.13 Toton Yard-Basford Hall being recorded at Madeley. That same day saw No. 70002 heading 10 HHA hoppers on the 6E76/11.52 York YardShirebrook (WH Davis).

Pioneer No. 70001 handled the Runcorn (Folly Lane) to Pendleton traffic on several occasions during the middle of November – normally a Class 66 duty – while No. 70003 had charge of the same diagram during the last few days of February.

CLASS 73

DESPITE an uncertain future not so many years ago, the Class 73 electro

diesels have subsequently become a useful tool in several areas of operation. Of the 49 built at Eastleigh (6) and Vulcan Foundry (43) between 1962 and 1966, two dozen remain active on the national network and only 10 have been scrapped. The balance ismade up of stored locomotives (9) and those in preservation (6).

Nos. 73107/9, 73119, 73128, 73136, 73141, 73212/3 have all been active during February on various duties, including ‘top and tailing’ snowand ice treatment trains, while the ‘73/9’ sub-class continued to tour the network on test trains and on sleeper traffic in Scotland.

Nos. 73951/2 are regular performers eachmonth on test trains in the North-West, visiting the conurbations of Liverpool and Manchester from their Crewe base. They visited Buxton on February 17, before heading to the Wirral and covering Merseyrail’s Northern lines the following night, then going to Stalybridge, Rose Hill and Hadfield on February 19.

The GBRf pairing of Nos. 73963 and 73965 appeared briefly at London Victoria on the morning of February 15, while heading from Tonbridge to Derby, albeit via Ashford International and later Wembley Central. Two days later they ‘top and tailed’ four test coaches forming the 1Z01/12.23 Rugby-Derby via Alrewas, and later returned south with four different coaches bound for Eastleigh Arlington. During the evening of February 20, No. 73963 teamed up with No. 66721 to power a train of loaded ballast from Eastleigh Yard to Hoo Junction.

CLASS 86

FOLLOWING attention at Burton Nemesis on February 7, No. 86259 Les Ross/Peter

Pan left Euston the following morning on the 1Z86/07.10 ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ to Carlisle, the AC electric working as far as Carnforth. Once No. 46115 Scots Guardsman had taken the tour to Carlisle and back over the Settle & Carlisle line, as the 1Z87/14.13 Carlisle-Euston, No. 86259 was ready to handle the homeward leg from Preston to London. A further CME ran on February 29 with No. 86259 handing over to Pacific No. 35018 British India Line.

West Coast Railways took delivery of No. 86401 on February 14 when the former No. E3199 ran light from Wembley Traincare to Carnforth.

CLASS 88

THE pairing of Nos. 68005+88001 were regular mid-morning visitors to Sunderland inmid-February, handling the 6E44/07.38 Carlisle Kingmoor-Seaton flasks on February 17, 20 and 24.

No. 68005 was also out partnering

No. 88003 on February 12, when noted on the 6C51/12.47 Sellafield-Heysham and 16.19 return.

No. 88003 spent the last two weeks of the month under repair at Kingmoor depot.

Out of use for a month, No. 88002 returned to traffic on February 26when replacing No. 88007 at Carlisle on the 4S44/12.16 Daventry-Mossend.

The combination of Nos. 68004+ 88005 handled the 6V73/04.33 Crewe CLS-Berkeley traffic on February 20, twoweeks after Nos. 68003+88004 had traversed the Sharpness branch (February 6) with the same train.

On February 25, No. 88004 took escort coaches Nos. 9419 and 9428 on the short trip from Kingmoor to Longtown, returning with two others Nos. 9506/8 and four IKAs as the

5C92/10.00 Longtown-Kingmoor. Nos. 68002 and 88004 were then paired together to take the IKAs south as the 4Z96/11.53 Carlisle Kingmoor-Daventry.

Having last worked a train on January 30, No. 88008 moved fromCrewe Gresty Bridge to Kingmoor on the morning of February 17, accompanied by Chiltern Railways’ silver-liveried No. 68010.

CLASS 91

FEBRUARY 1 found Nos. 91122/28 being moved from Bounds Green to Leicester (joining classmates Nos. 91117/20 there) behind No. 57312 with a view to the ‘91s’ being used for overhead line testing on the Midland main line. Later, No. 91128, sandwiched between Nos. 57301 and 57312, ran from Leicester to Melton Mowbray via Syston Junctions in order to turn the Class 91.

A survey of East Coast passenger services on February 27 found 16 of the 31-strong fleet in action: Nos. 91102/5/7/9, 91110-91116, 91119, 91121/6/9 and 91130.

CLASS 92

FOLLOWING the cancellation of the 1C11/23.40 Edinburgh-Carstairs on January 31, No. 92043 traversed the West Coast Main Line on Sunday, February 2, hauling eight Mk.5 sleeping cars as the 3Z15/09.45 PolmadieWembley empty stockmove.

That night, the Caledonian Sleeper services suffered further disruption when No. 92038 had a circuit breaker fault when leaving Edinburgh with 1C11, and eventually left Haymarket station 186minutes late. No. 92006 on the 1M16/20.26 Inverness-Euston was over 200 minutes late leaving Edinburgh, while the 1M11/23.15 Glasgow-Euston stood at Carstairs from23.50 until 03.48.

Further time was lost at Carlisle after No. 92014 developed a problem, and 1M11 went forward 333 minutes behind time with No. 92028 assisting the failure.

On a brighter note, No. 92006 took charge of a freight train for the first time in more than a decade on February 23, when entrustedwith the 6Z48/08.56 Garston-Wembley Reception, which consisted of GBRf flat wagons prior to the DRS takeover of the car traffic. On the morning of February 26, No. 92043 rescued the 4S83/17.35 London Gateway-Coatbridge Freightliner. Hauled by Nos. 90047+90016, the former suffered a loss of power between Greskine and Harthope on the climb to Beattock Summit and the train eventually passed Abington 166 minutes late with No. 92043 at the head. At Carstairs, the Class 92 removed

No. 90047 from the train allowing

No. 90016 to go forward alone.

Following overnight engineering work on the Merseyrail network, split-box No. 37099 and green-liveried No. 37057 head south through Daresbury (Cheshire) with five autoballasters as the 6C91/07.30 Birkdale to Crewe Basford Hall on March 1. Andy Parkinson

Mainline-liveried No. 37419 pauses at Inverkeithing on February 25, while working the 1Q79 test train working ‘top and tail’ with classmate No. 37259. Jordan Kearney

Most unusually, Freightliner’s Type 4 No. 47830 was sent on an engineering trip to Merseyrail overnight on February 29, seen returning the next day passing Waverton, between Chester and Beeston Castle, working the 6Y63/09.18 Bidston East JunctionCrewe Basford Hall with Balfour Beatty Kirow crane No. DRK81611 in tow, plus three KFAs. David Rapson

A pair of Colas ‘Grids’ were in action across the Pennines on February 24 as Nos. 56096+56078 are seen passing the site of Stansfield Hall station, near Todmorden on the Copy Pit line, with the 6E32/10.07 Preston-Lindsey discharged bitumen tanks. Peter R Foster

After the first Class 70 pictured at Whitby in last month’s issue, further engineering work on the Esk Valley line brought Colas ‘Grids’ Nos. 56087 and 56094 to the route, seen reforming the Balfour TRT at Danby ready to leave as the 6C80 to Doncaster Decoy Yard on March 1. The work also saw classmates Nos. 56078 and 56096 in use that day. Andrew Mason

With three out of its four Class 60s stopped for repairs at Toton on March 2, DCR hired in DBC’s red-liveried No. 60017 to work the 6Z39/09.40 Chaddesden (Derby) to Wembley stone empties, which is pictured just after departure. Phil Chilton

Phil Barnes Track work near Littlehaven station, West Sussex, on February 22 sawGBRf’s No. 66701 in a possession at the head of engineering train that afternoon. Work was focused on the left-hand (down) line, so the dip on the up line in front of the loco – exaggerated by a telephoto lens – remained to be fixed at a future date. The photo was taken from a public foot crossing.

Brian Dobbs The wet weather caused a large overflow fromCarr Mill Dam (St Helens) into the Sankey Brook on February 25, seen here as GBRf’s No. 66774 crosses Carr Mill Viaduct with the 6F64 Tuebrook (Liverpool) to Ashton-in-Makerfield (Manchester).

Ryan Hayward Get them while you can, as Greater Anglia’s current derogation to continue using loco-hauled Mk.3 stock on the Great Eastern Main Line runs out on April 1. On February 17, No. 90004 passes Haughley Junction, north of Stowmarket, with the 1P41/13.30 Norwich to Liverpool Street.

Steve Sienkiewicz Heavy rain has dominated the winter weather, but snowwas on the ground at Salt lake Cottages, just south of Ribblehead on the Settle & Carlisle line, on February 27, as GBRf’s Royal Scotsmanliveried No. 66743 heads the 11.25 ArcowQuarry to Bredbury Tilcon loaded stone.