Operations Track Record
movements to a stand. The first train to be stranded was the 23.01 Edinburgh to Dunbar which was able to coast into Musselburgh station.
AMONG the worst affected trains in the incident above on August 13 were the 1M11/20.45 Inverness to Euston hauled by Class 66 No. 66789 and Class 73 No. 73970 which lost 243 minutes between Linglithgow and Winchburgh Junction, The train left Edinburgh behind Class 92 No. 92033 and was terminated at Watford Junction some 292 minutes late. The 1S25/21.15 Euston to Inverness hauled by Class 92 No. 92043 terminated at Edinburgh some 175 minutes late. The 1M11/23.40 Glasgow and 23.42 Edinburgh to London Euston was 112 minutes late from Carstairs, and the 1S26/23.50 London Euston to Glasgow/ Edinburgh missed the Carstairs call and ran as a single train to Edinburgh Waverley with passengers for Glasgow being conveyed by ScotRail services.
Caledonian Sleeper liveried Class 92 No. 92033 pulled a rake of sleepers ecs from Edinburgh (dep 06.47) to Wembley on Tuesday, August 17. It is reported this was due to the 1M11 service from Edinburgh to
London Euston being cancelled by the operator.
A visit to Euston station on Wednesday, August 25 found empty stock train 5S95 from Wembley InterCity Depot arriving into platform 1 almost one hour late. The train was headed by Class 92 No. 92018 in Caledonian Sleeper livery. GBRf liveried No. 92020 was at the rear of the train and worked the train, the 21.17 to Inverness.
The Caledonian Sleeper is now back to 16 vehicles and fills platform 1 at Euston.
The 1M16/20.45 Inverness to London Euston Caledonian Sleeper on Wednesday, September 8 hauled by Class 73, Nos. 73967 and 73971 encountered problems before reaching Carrbridge.
No. 73967 was removed and dumped at Carrbridge. 1M16 was terminated at Harrow & Wealdstone. The following day Class 66 No. 66789 worked a 0Z16/08.40 from Craigentinny T&RSMD to Carrbridge to collect the defective Class 73.
SERVICES are beginning to see an increase in patronage as on August 7 when Class 156
No. 156444 arrived from the coastal line into Carlisle at 13.43, full and standing. Ten days later, on August 17, a visit to Liverpool Lime Street found the local trains coming into Liverpool had plenty of passengers on board – many more than our correspondent had been seeing earlier in the year. The concourse at Lime Street was very busy indeed.
With a bus replacement operation covering the Monday to Saturday once-a-day train service from Lancaster to Heysham, the week’s only train into Heysham station was the Sundays only 2H66 from Leeds. On August 22 this, and the 13.04 (2Y11) return to Leeds, was worked by Northern Class 158 No. 158795.
WITH the impending use of Class 802 units on the WCML from the December timetable change, driver training is taking place on a regular basis with the 802s working from Craigentinny to either Preston or Carlisle.
The train then runs to Glasgow, returning to either Carstairs, Carlisle or Preston. The Carstairs trips return again to Glasgow before heading to Carlisle.
The unit finishes the diagram by returning to Craigentinny. Observations have produced
No. 802206 on August 3;
No. 802212 on August 14;
No. 802201 on August 15 and No. 802216 on September 15.
Class 185 No. 185128 was noted on the 10.41 York Siemens-Manchester Victoria via Castleford and Leeds ECS working on September 1, with No. 185146 on the same diagram on September 7, and No. 185134 on September 15.
Surprise working of the day through Woodlesford on September 1 was TPE Class 68 No. 68032 light engine working the 09.42 Scarborough-Leeds via Castleford. It was running 24 minutes late. The same loco was observed again light engine on the same diagram on September 7.
FIRST Hull Trains has been loaning out units for driver training for the upcoming
First East Coast services, now designated ‘Lumo’, Class 803s that are due by the end of the year. When observed on August 13, Class No. 802 No. 802303 was seen passing Morpeth heading north at around 15.00.
THE summer Saturday trains on August 21 were worked by Class 67 No. 67013 Holyhead to Crewe, and No. 67015 back to Bangor. The final Saturday Class 67 workings for this year ran on August 28. No. 67015 hauled the 10.05 Holyhead to Crewe train, but this only made it as far as Chester. The 14.45 from Crewe to Bangor was worked by
No. 67008.
An interesting rail move on September 7 was the transfer, under its own power, of Class 197 No. 197001 from Crewe Carriage Sidings to Donnington Freight Terminal. It was taken back to Crewe LNWR by Class 66 No. 66551 on September 15. New unit 197002 was seen passing eastbound through
Rhyl on test at 15.20 on September 13.
The loco-hauled service from early June was one round trip from Holyhead to Cardiff and back, Monday to Friday. This was increased on September 13 to two train sets providing three round trips. On that day Class 67 No. 67015 worked 06.45 and 17.16 Cardiff to Holyhead, and 11.33 back, while
No. 67010 worked 05.33 and 16.36 Holyhead to Cardiff and 11.22 back.
NEW Class 730 No. 730003 was top-and-tailed by Class 37 Nos. 37601+37611 from Old Dalby to Oxley on August 13. Its place at Old Dalby was taken on August 24 when the same Class 37s moved No. 730101 from Derby.
Movements of Class 196 units saw No. 196109 top-and-tailed from Donnington RFT to Tyseley on August 23 by Class 37 No. 37601+37611. This was followed
on August 31 when No. 196012 was moved to Tyseley by
Class 37 Nos. 37800 and
37611, and No. 196009 moved on September 3 by Class 37 Nos. 37608+37510. Space at Tyseley is clearly limited as on September 1, Nos. 196007+ 196006+196011 ran south to Bletchley. These were followed on September 6 by Nos. 196010+196104.
Refurbished Class 323
No. 323240 was moved from Doncaster Wabtec to Soho on September 1, by Class 57 No. 57312, with the same loco taking No. 323214 in the opposite direction on September 3.
If the pandemic was not enough to worry about, a low level of legionella was found during testing in a small number of Class 700 train toilets. The trains were taken out of service and the toilets drained, bleached, and had their tanks completely refilled. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union is considering strike action over the threat of the bacteria.
TWO further Class 707 units arrived at Grove Park on September 9, with Nos. 707011+707012 moving across from Wimbledon. PROBLEMS with the reliability of the Class 313 units continued through August. On August 6, Class 377 units Nos. 377125, 377148 and 377457 were used on the Class 313 diagram workings. Nos. 377208+377428+377429 were noted on the 14.55 service to Bognor Regis while Class 313 No. 313216 was berthed at Littlehampton for the 18.55 service to Portsmouth & Southsea. It was the turn of Nos. 377156, 377429 and 377468 on the 313 diagrams on August 11. On a happier note, Class 377 No 377442 has returned to traffic as a four car formation following fire damage at Gatwick Airport. It was seen passing Ford on August 11 working the 13.00 Brighton to Portsmouth Harbour service also covering a 313 diagram. Class 313 substitutions continued on August 13 when Class 377 Nos. 377131, 377442 and 377468 were all noted at Littlehampton working the Bognor Regis and Portsmouth services. Variations in stock workings continued on August 31 when Nos. 377121 and 377155 were noted at Barnham on the LittlehamptonPortsmouth and Bognor Regis services. August 14 saw the start of a line blockade between Arundel
Junction, Three Bridges and Dorking meaning that all train attachments and detachments were done at Littlehampton, and on Sundays, they were done at Worthing. A replacement bus service operated between Littlehampton, Horsham, Dorking and Three Bridges for nine days.