Operations
STORM Hector resulted in the closure of the WCML on June 14 because of strong winds blowing trees on to the wires. Virgin‘Super Voyager’No. 221113 was noted operating the 14.00 service from Glasgow Central to Carlisle only, because of weather-related problems south of Carlisle.
HIRED-IN EMT Class 43 Nos. 43075+43061 were seen at Doncaster on May 31 working the 17.18 King’s Cross-Hull service.
CLASS 801/1 No. 801103 worked 5X05, the 08.53 Doncaster Carr IEP Depot-Edinburgh test train as far as Newcastle only, returning 12 minutes later as 5X06, the 11.08 Newcastle-Doncaster Carr IEP Depot on May 28. On June 6, Class 800/2 Nos. 800201 and 800202 passed through York in diesel mode at around 17.10. Class 801/1 No. 801101 passed north and southbound through Doncaster during the afternoon of June 12. Nos. 800201+800202 travelled north to Inverness on June 29.
STORM Hector impacted on VTEC services on June 14. The 10.00 King’s Cross-Aberdeen was one of several East Coast services hit by what VTEC described to passengers as‘strong winds’. Obstruction on the wires between Darlington and Newcastle resulted in the service arriving at Waverley 51 minutes late. This delay increased to 55 minutes at Haymarket, and 61 minutes late by the time the train reached Stonehaven.
OBSERVATIONS of the Night Riviera on Sunday, June 3 found train 5C99, the empty stock from Reading Traincare Depot to London Paddington, passing Reading station and later at Paddington, with Class 57 No. 57604 Pendennis Castle at the front and 57602 Restormel Castle at the rear.
A visit to London Paddington on the evening of Wednesday, June 27 found the Night Riviera stock at platform 1. This had worked from Reading Traincare Depot as empty stock train 5C99 with Class 57 No. 57306 Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate 175 at the front and 57604 Pendennis Castle at the rear.
Earlier on the same evening, No. 57603 had been seen with Class 08 No. 08836 at Reading Traincare Depot. The following day, Nos. 57602/03/05 were all seen on Reading Traincare Depot. On Friday, June 22 the Down Night Riviera service was boosted to 10 coaches. As usual on a Friday night an extra sleeper coach was added to the normal four sleepers, two seated coaches and lounge car, but in addition, two coaches freshly back from refurbishment were in the consist, although locked out of use. One was No. 10217, the first of the redesigned buffet/lounge cars, on its way to the Long Rock depot for final acceptance and staff training before entering service.
Class 57 No. 57604 Pendennis Castle was in charge of the train from Paddington with No. 57605 Totnes Castle on the rear. However, concerns over whether the bigger load could get over the Devon banks led to No. 57605 running round the train and double heading the service from Reading after a 45-minute delay.
Much of this was regained by Plymouth, but with slower acceleration the train continued to lose
