Operations
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THE 12.00 London King’s Cross-Inverness was observed passing Thankerton at 18.02 on Thursday, January 9. The LNER service had been diverted via the Tyne Valley and West Coast Main Line following a person-hit-by-train incident in the Cramlington area, which had resulted in the closure of the ECML.
THE mileage that trains cover in a day is not always appreciated. Observations of Class 91 No. 91118 on January 13 found it on the 07.03 King’s Cross-Leeds and 09.45 return. Later in the day it appeared at York on the 13.00 King’s Cross-Edinburgh service.
TWO further rakes of Mk4 coaches have been moved to Worksop, with set BN20 hauled north from Bounds Green by Class 66 No. 66702 on January 17. This was followed on January 27, when Class 66 No. 66755 hauled BN21, also from Bounds Green.
THE first HST vehicles to go to Sims Metals, Newport, for scrapping – Nos. 44027+42225+42227 +42194+40805+41068+41112 – were hauled south from Tyne Yard by ROG Class 57 No. 57312 on January 23.
CLASS 47 No. 47593 moved two Mk3 vehicles Nos. 41062+41154 from Tyne Yard to Crewe Diesel depot on January 29. TWO Class 91s – Nos. 91122+ 91128 – were hauled from Bounds Green to Leicester on February 1 by Class 57 No. 57312, where they will be used for testing of the OHL equipment on the Midland Main Line.
VARIOUS moves of Class 387 units destined for Heathrow services have been reported.
On January 7, Class 57 No. 57306 Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate 175, in DRS blue livery, was seen passing Hanwell station, transferring No. 387136 from Reading Traincare Depot to Ilford EMU Depot.
Two Class 387 units – Nos. 387131+387132 – were hauled back to Reading from Bristol St Philips Marsh by Class 57 No. 57305 on January 15.
A further move on January 31 again employed No. 57306 to move Nos. 387130+387141 from Reading to Ilford.
AN EVENING visit to London Paddington on Wednesday, January 8, found the stock of the 1C50/23.45 to Penzance ‘Night Riviera’ at platform 1. Class 57 No. 57603 Tintagel Castle was at the buffer stop, having worked the empty stock train 5C50 from Reading Traincare Depot, while Class 57 No. 57604 Pendennis Castle was at the front waiting to work the service west.
BACK-to-back GWR HST power cars Nos. 43187 and 43122 passed through Abbotswood Junction on February 5 on the 0E23/08.55 from Plymouth Laira to Doncaster Wabtec Works.
THE first of the new Class 720 units for Greater Anglia – No. 720509 – was delivered to Ilford on January 13, top-and-tailed by Class 47 Nos. 47749+47727. A further unit, No. 720513, was moved from Derby to Old Dalby on January 31 by the same pair of Class 47s.
THE first of the Class 745 ‘Flirt’ inter-city trainsets – No. 745007 – entered service on Wednesday, January 8. It was followed by No. 745010 on January 24. Stadler is supplying ‘Flirts’ for Greater Anglia’s London Liverpool Street to Norwich main line route.
ROG Class 57 No.57312 passed though Lancaster at 11:55 on January 14 pulling a Class 317 No. 317342 from Brodies, Kilmarnock to Ilford. Later, the Class 57 took No. 317508 from Ilford to Brodies. This in turn was returned south on February 6, hauled by No. 57301.
STADLER ‘Flirt’ Electric 745002, in warm storage, and de-branded Class 90 No. 90002 Eastern Daily Press 1870-2010 Serving Norfolk for 140 years, with its rake of MK3 coaches, were noted in Harwich Parkeston Quay yard in the early morning of January 16. Unusually, the latter was in situ much later in the day.
Later in the morning, at Ipswich, Greater Anglia had several of its new Stadler ‘Flirts’ in
