Operations

A brief visit to King’s Cross station on Saturday, March 19 saw the departure of the 15.03 to Leeds from platform 2 headed by Class 91 No. 91105 along with DVT No. 82205 in Flying Scotsman livery at the rear. The 15.35 to Leeds was then seen alongside platform 7 headed by No. 91107 Skyfall 007 with DVT No. 82208 at the rear.

Class 801/2 Azuma No. 801202 was observed on March 25 passing Askam Bar, south of York, on the 12.00 Edinburgh Waverley-King’s Cross service.

It is reported the white liveried Class 387/3 borrowed by Great Western from c2c have now had their lease formally transferred. No. 387302 was seen at platform 1 at Reading station on Wednesday, March 2 prior to forming the 17.10 departure to Newbury. The c2c logos on No. 387302 have now been replaced with GWR and Great Western, but incongruously ‘Part of Trenitalia UK’ remains. The change of the lease appears to have resulted in a change in the workings of the white trains. While they had previously worked on their own and were generally restricted to the Reading to Newbury service, they are now working on the Great Western Mainline between Paddington and Didcot Parkway, and as far as Cardiff.

Movements of Class 769 units reported included No. 769930 running from Eastleigh Works to Reading on March 18. This was followed by the move of No. 769940 running from Eastleigh Works to Long Marston on March 30. In the opposite direction, No. 769928 ran from Long Marston to Eastleigh Works on April 8.

The full Night Riviera service resumed from Monday, March 21, having been suspended for eight weeks due to engineering works near Parson’s Tunnel in south Devon. The stock on Reading Traincare Depot was noted from a passing train on Wednesday, March 23. Class 57 No. 57604 Pendennis Castle was on the stock of the sleeper train with another Class 57 on the other end of the train.

Passing Reading Traincare Depot again on Friday, March 25, Class 57s Nos. 57603 Tintagel Castle and 57604 Pendennis Castle were stabled at either end of the sleeper stock. Later that evening, No. 57603 was seen drawing into platform 1 at Paddington at the head of empty stock train. No. 57604 was at the rear of the train to work it forward at 23.45 to Penzance.

Not many years ago, before the service to Reading and Didcot was electrified, Class 165 Networker Turbos were a common sight at Paddington station. They are now distinctly unusual, so it was a pleasant surprise on Thursday, March 24 to find the 12.07 from Paddington to Bedwyn formed of three-car No. 165112. Although pathed as Class 80x, the Class 165 was almost able to keep to time, arriving at Reading just over two minutes late, which was made up by shortening the station stop. Eventual arrival at Bedwyn was three minutes late.

Returning to Bedwyn on Friday, March 25, the 12.07 from Paddington to Bedwyn was formed of Hitachi IET No. 802006. Great Western has made known that from the May timetable change the Paddington to Bedwyn direct Hitachi IET off-peak services are being withdrawn and replaced by diesel shuttle services to Newbury. If, as has been reported, some of Reading’s Class