Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

In the 1960s, the popular folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel had a hit record based on the traditional English ballad Scarborough Fair. The Fair in the song no longer takes place, but Scarborough remains a popular destination for rail travellers with almost a million passenger entries and exits at the station in 2019-20.

The town is served by TransPennine Express on the route to York and by Northern on the route to Hull. In the summer of 2021, West

Coast Railways operated a summer steam excursion from Carnforth several times each month.

There’s cause for excitement among rail enthusiasts as many of the TPE services are now powered by Class 68 diesel locomotives, replacing Class 185 diesel units after 15 years of operation.

In September and October 2021, there were four daily locomotive diagrams serving Scarborough, and crew training is taking place to allow an increase.

The timetable change on December 13 2021 alters the service so that instead of mostly shuttling between Scarborough and York, the locomotive-powered trains work across the Pennines to Manchester and Liverpool.

The photo shows a busy scene at Scarborough on October 22 2021. From left to right:

At Platform 1, TPE 185110 ⁄ 106 are waiting before departure with the 1134 to York.

At Platform 2, 68033 in DRS Blue livery is a rare sight at Scarborough, being on hire to TPE to take failed 68021 and its rake of coaches to Longsight Depot (Manchester).

At Platform 3, 68024 will work the 1234 to York, while 170473 is leaving Platform 4 with the 1100 to Sheffield via Bridlington and Hull.

Locomotives 68019 to 68032 are on long-term hire from Direct Rail Services to TPE and carry a dedicated livery to match the coaches. Unusually for the British network, these locomotives do not have yellow ends. Take the opportunity to enjoy a visit to Scarborough on a locomotive-powered train.