Operations Track Record
After a break of many months, a further delivery of new
Class 777 units occurred on March 15/16 when Nos. 777013+777015+777049 came through the Tunnel and were taken north by Class 66
No. 66021 on the morning of March 16 on an 02.44 Dollands Moor-Warrington move.
The Class 67 loco-hauled workings between Holyhead and Cardiff, nominally three per day each way Monday to Friday, were virtually all unit-worked in the first half of February.
On February 1, No. 67025 worked the 06.45 north from Cardiff, coming back the following day at 05.33 from Holyhead. The next working was on February 10 with No. 67010 north at 17.16, returning the following day at 05.33. Also, on February 11, No. 67025 came north at 17.16.
On February 14, No. 67025 worked the 05.33 from
Holyhead then on February 16 it worked the 05.33 from Holyhead as far as Chester, returning to Holyhead on the 20.34 from Chester. All other workings were units, including Class 153 Nos. 153323+153926 on the 05.33 from Holyhead to Cardiff on February 1, and Class 150 No.150242 on the 11.22 from Cardiff to Holyhead on February 2, quite a contrast to the booked Mk.4 sets.
There was an extra working on Saturday, February 12 in connection with the rugby international against Scotland at Cardiff. The booked 06.31 Holyhead to Maesteg unit was converted to Mk.4 stock behind Class 67 No. 67025, curtailed at Cardiff, and the same loco and stock came back on the 17.23 to Holyhead.
Movements of new Class 197 units reported included No. 197010 being taken by Class 47 No. 47830 from Donnington RFT to Crewe on February 14.
On March 2, two-car unit
No. 197004 was noted on test at Rhyl at 08.52, travelling westward towards Llandudno Junction. Three-car unit No. 197102 was in Platform 8 at Crewe at 10.15 the same day. The following day No.197003 was noted at Flint at 15.43 heading towards Chester. Also, on March 2 new Stadler unit
No. 231004 was noted on test at Newport passing westward at 13.41 and returning east at 14.18. Several more of these units were in the yard of the factory at Llanwern, visible in the distance from a passing train.
The first half of March saw a distinct improvement in availability of the Class 67s and Mk.4 stock for the three services each way between Holyhead and Cardiff Central. The locos involved were Nos. 67010 and 67025 to March 4, then Nos. 67017 and 67025, and, from March 14 Nos. 67010 and 67017.
Odd substitutions included Class 153 Nos. 153333+153367 on the 11.22 from Cardiff and 16.36 back from Holyhead on March 2. On March 4 Nos. 153369+153935 worked the 11.22 from Cardiff, but the
16.36 back from Holyhead was Class 158 No. 158832 as far as Shrewsbury. Here it met Class 67 No. 67025 on the 17.16 from Cardiff to Holyhead, and the two sets of passengers swapped over, with No. 67025 going back to Cardiff and No. 158832 back to Holyhead.
On March 7 the 11.22 from Cardiff and 16.36 back were Nos. 153303+153906. On March 8 the 17.16 from Cardiff was
No. 158827, going back on March 9 on the 05.33 from Holyhead. On March 14, No. 67010 worked the 05.33 ran ECS from Holyhead to Bangor, then to Cardiff. The 11.22 from Cardiff and 16.36 back from Holyhead had
No. 158825 instead.
Class 730 No. 730103 was top-and-tailed by Class 37 Nos. 37800+37510 from Oxley to Old Dalby on February 8. Three days later No. 730101 followed topand-tailed by Nos. 37884+37510.
A number of Class 196s units are now being stored at Long Marston pending an introduction to traffic. On February 10 H&H Class 50 No. 50008 Thunderer moved No. 196103 from Tyseley to Long Marston. This was followed by No. 196109 making the same move on March 1, hauled by Class 57 No. 57312, with the same loco taking
No. 196106 the following day.
New unit No.730005 was noted on test at Stafford on March 3, arriving from the Rugeley direction at 13.38.
Multiple incidents on February 21 caused significant disruption to EMR services. Heavy rain flooded the railway at Bradway Tunnel; there was a points failure at Derby North Junction and a landslide at Edale. This meant that Liverpool-Norwich services only ran between Nottingham and Norwich, London services started from/terminated at Derby or occasionally Chesterfield, while the Matlock branch was suspended altogether.
A journey was made from Blackfriars to East Croydon on Saturday, February 12, on the 14.03 Bedford to Three Bridges formed of No. 700120, rather than going via London Bridge it was routed through Loughborough Junction, Tulse Hill, Streatham and Streatham Common.
Two Thameslink units were reported at Littlehampton on Driver Route learning trips, with No. 700115 appearing on February 22, and No. 700149 on February 25.
A bridge strike on Monday, February 13 on New Street
Hill, between Grove Park and Sundridge Park, resulted in the suspension of services on the Bromley North branch. The Southern services through Kensington Olympia are never short of interest. On Sunday, February 6, a journey was made from Harrow & Wealdstone to Clapham Junction on the 14.23 from Watford Junction to Clapham Junction formed of Nos. 377209+377202. Due to engineering works south of Wembley Central, although travelling in the up direction, the train took the down Willesden Relief and down West London returning to the up line at the Mitre Bridge crossover.
On February 12, the Brighton Main Line was closed for weekend engineering work and services to and from London were as usual diverted via Littlehampton.
Two Class 313s were taken out of service at Littlehampton as requested by fleet control on February 12 and replaced by Class 377 Nos. 377130 and 377155 as the Class 313s were required at Brighton Depot.
Nos. 313201 and 313215 were the only Class 313 units on the Littlehampton, Portsmouth and Bognor Regis services on February 12. The Brighton to
West Worthing services were extended to Littlehampton with units Nos. 313217+313219 and Nos. 377412+377418 to maintain better connections for London.
A nine-day blockade on the Brighton Main Line saw various Classes of 313, 377, and 387 at Littlehampton in addition to a Class 73 No. 73202 Graham Stenning acting as a thunderbird. On February 25, the following alterations were made to services: the BrightonSouthampton-Brighton services started from Littlehampton; the Brighton-London-Brighton services were all diverted via Littlehampton; the BrightonPortsmouth-Brighton services started at Littlehampton; and the Littlehampton-Bognor RegisLittlehampton services started at Brighton.
The thunderbird Class 73 made two moves during its stay at Littlehampton. On February 25 it made a trip to Havant and return while on February 26 it ran to Southampton and return via Portsmouth & Southsea.
Two class 455s, Nos. 455809+ 455830 were noted stored in Hove Yard on March 4.
A further Brighton Main Line closure for engineering work occurred on March 5 and 6, with services again diverted via Littlehampton. For a change, more Class 387s were utilised especially on March 6.
Class 377s are still being utilised on the Littlehampton, Portsmouth & Bognor Regis services. No. 377116 replaced Class 313 No. 313202 at Barnham after it was declared a failure on March 9. During the evening No. 313202 was dragged to Brighton by Classmate No. 313214. Class 377 No. 377103 was noted on a similar working the next day.
On March 11, Class 377s continued to dominate the west-bound services from Littlehampton when Nos. 377103 and 377460 were noted on such services instead of the booked Class 313s. Movements of Class 456 units away from Wimbledon continued with Nos. 456007+ 456011 being moved to Long Marston by Class 37 No. 37884 on February 14. The three
remaining units at Wimbledon Nos. 456001/03/17 were all taken away by road to Sims Metals, Newport between February 28 and March 3. Whilst the new Class 701 units have yet to enter traffic, additional sets continue to be delivered either to SWR or for storage at Worksop. On February 17 No. 701026 was top-and-tailed from Derby to Worksop by Class 56 Nos. 56098+56081. This was followed on February 24 with No. 701027 making the same journey hauled by Class 47 No. 47749. On March 11 No. 701041 was delivered to Eastleigh by Class 47 No. 47739. The same Class 47 also took No. 701042 to Eastleigh on March 16. On Sunday, February 20 services between Barnes and Clapham Junction were replaced by buses due to engineering works. Train services were recast with some trains from Reading and Windsor & Eton Riverside to Waterloo routed via Kingston with a reversal at Twickenham. An all-stations shuttle service operated between Barnes and Kingston. A journey was made on the 14.33 from Barnes to Kingston formed of No. 455857. The train left from platform 1 at Barnes, which is normally used by up trains to London Waterloo. Having left on the up line, the train passed over Vine Road Barnes level crossing and then used the crossover to the Down line. Approaching Kingston, and having passed over Kingston Bridge, the train used the crossover to the down line and then terminated in the Bay, platform 1, at Kingston station.
Engineering works affected services again on Sunday, February 27 with a bus substitution between Hounslow and Ascot. Richmond had an up service consisting of one fast and two stopping trains from Hounslow and one Kingston Loop stopping train per hour. The times were so arranged that the fast train from Hounslow overtook the Kingston Loop train at Barnes.
A journey was made from Richmond to Waterloo via the Kingston loop on the 11.18 from London Waterloo to London Waterloo, which was formed of Nos. 455742+455872. At Barnes the train ran in to platform 1 where it waited for the 11.59 from Hounslow to pass on the up fast. On departure from Barnes the train took the crossover from the up slow to the Up Fast so as to call at platform 2 at Putney.
Charter Trains
Class 87 No. 87002 Royal Sovereign was observed passing Thankerton in charge of the 1Z59/06.58 Euston to Inverness ‘The Clansman’ charter train on February 26 and later whilst working the 0Z60/15.20 Mossend up yard to Carlisle on Saturday, February 27. In connection with the charter, LSL Class 47s No. 47593 Galloway Princess and No. 47614 ran light from Crewe (dep 08.45) to Mossend on February 25, observed passing through Lancaster at 10.26.
They were then employed to work the charter from Mossend to Inverness on February 26 and back to Mossend on February 27. The pair returned south light again on February 28 to Crewe. Scrap metal trains reported, all hauled by Class 66s, included No. 66199 on a Liverpool-KingsburyLiverpool move on February 9. A further move on February 14 had No. 66067 on a LiverpoolSwindon-Liverpool diagram. Class 66 No. 66023 worked a Llanwern to Portbury steel train on February 10, the steel being exported from Portbury. The Cardiff Tidal-BurtonCardiff Tidal steel trains reported included No. 66170 on February 11 and No. 66142 on March 10. The Boston steel trains reported included Class 60 No. 60039 on February 11 on a Bescot-Boston-Wolverhampton diagram. No. 60007 was observed on March 4 on the same diagram. The same Class 60 worked a Bescot-BostonSwindon diagram on March 7. The regular spoil trains from Acton to Peterborough reported included No. 66151 on February 15 and No. 66050 on February 18. Observed at Woodlesford on February 16, Class 66 No. 66093 was on the 08.35 Lindsey-Neville Hill loaded tanks. Class 66 No. 66039 was noted waiting in the centre line at Hereford at 12.40 on March 2, working a Dee Marsh to Margam steel empties. It was later seen passing Newport at 13.49. EWS liveried No. 66194 was seen passing Cardiff Central at 14.41 the same day, heading the 13.50 steel coils from Margam to Llanwern. The runs-as-required morning Mossend to Daventry container train is usually pulled by two DB Class 90s. On March 4 this fully loaded train (dep Mossend 07.02) was pulled by DB liveried Class 66 No. 66100. DB Class 90s Nos. 90020+ 90034 double headed on March 5 a fully loaded Saturdays only Daventry (dep 11.17) to Mossend container train on March 5. No fewer than seven locomotives were seen along the West Coastway route on March 6, all on engineers’ trains heading towards Eastleigh from the Brighton Main Line blockade. Noted were DB Cargo Class 66s Nos. 66103, 66155 and 66168, along with Nos. 66718, 66746, 66848 and Class 70 No. 70810 from GBRf and Colas. The regular Tallington-Isle of Grain-Tallington trains conveying concrete segments for London’s super sewer were observed on March 7 when Class 66 No. 66112 was in charge and No. 66183 two days later. Class 60 No. 60066 was observed on the regular LindseyJarrow-Lindsey oil train on March 7. Observed through Woodlesford on March 9, Class 66
No. 66170 was on the 08.35 Lindsey-Neville Hill loaded tanks.
Class 66s Nos. 66059+66114, both in original EWS livery, ran as a light engine duo on March 11 from Carlisle (dep 14.35) to Crewe. Class 59 No. 59102 Village of Chantry was seen passing platform 8 at Reading station at the head of train 7C64 from Acton Terminal Complex to Merehead Quarry on Wednesday, February 2. The train arrived at Reading on the Down Main rather than Relief line, probably the knock-on event of a fatality at Slough earlier in the afternoon. Class 66 No. No 66562 was seen passing through Barnham on February 4 working an empty long welded rail engineer’s train from Gatwick Airport to Eastleigh. During the afternoon of Saturday, February 5, Class 66 No. 66554 was noted, from a passing train, on a short engineering train at Vauxhall station having apparently arrived in the possession as train 6Y85 from Eastleigh East Yard to Queenstown Road Battersea. Class 66 No. 66506 was seen parked at Purley on February 10 whilst its train was being unloaded of gravel and aggregates.