Operations

RHTT

The RHTT season on the MML continued through November with the 3J95/05.27 Kentish Town-Bardon Hill, 3J98/09.34 Leicester-West Hampstead Thameslink and 3J01/13.48 West Hampstead Thameslink-Toton TMD being operated by regular locos Class 66 Nos. 66084+66100 Armistice 100 when seen on November 2. No. 66084 had been replaced by No. 66186 when observed on November 4, 7 and 11. No. 66084 was back again with No. 66100 on November 14, 21, 25, 26 and 28.

Operations in East Anglia found Class 66 Nos. 66426 and 66126 at Harwich International on November 10 on the 3S60 Stowmarket-Stowmarket run via Harwich International, Shenfield, Southend and Clacton, while Nos. 66108 and 66428 Carlisle Eden Mind were noted at Ipswich on the same run the following day.

A correspondent’s venture to Stowmarket on November 11 noted Class 57 No. 57002 Rail Express outside the Stowmarket DRS temporary RHTT depot, with Class 66 No. 66424 Driver Paul Scrivens 1969-2021 parked in one siding with ROG’s Class 37/6 No. 37608 Andromeda heading the next siding behind Nos. 66126 and 66426 either end of an RHTT unit. Movement of the RHTT unit and the Class 66s around 12.30 saw the Class 37 extracted and attached to No. 66424 before powering through Stowmarket station at 13.43 on 0Z23 to Whitemoor to pick up another RHTT set and convey it to the Stowmarket compound.

Class 57s are also in evidence on the RHTT diagrams out of Stowmarket and on November 16 Nos. 57307 Lady Penelope and 57312 – believed to be the first time a pair of Class 57s have worked the 3S60 diagram on the southern GEML branches – stopped at Mistley on the Harwich branch for about an hour before finally getting underway again to resume the route.

Class 57 Nos. 57307 Lady Penelope and 57312 have also been visitors to the site but the former and No. 66108 left under 0Z07 on December 2 back to Crewe Gresty Bridge via an overnight stop at Willesden Brent DRS and were replaced the following day by Nos. 66432, 57306, 68001 Evolution and 88007 Electra. Nos. 66432+57306 appeared straight away on December 5 when noted at Harwich International on the daily 3S60 RHTT diagram incorporating the Harwich, Southend and Clacton branch lines.

The pairing of Nos. 68001+88007 was working together on the 3S30 overnight RHTT diagram but made their first daylight appearance on December 7 when they were noted on 3S60 in Harwich Parkeston Quay yard, sadly not making Harwich International station for the reversal up the Harwich branch, much to the annoyance of a waiting correspondent!

Observed at Wivenhoe, on the Clacton branch on December 8, the 3S60/09.00 Stowmarket to Stowmarket was observed on the up line towards Colchester running 26 minutes early at 15.36 headed by Class 37 No. 37401 Mary Queen of Scots, with Class 68 No. 68001 on the rear, returning from Clacton to Colchester, producing two named locos, both first in class or sub-class, and two different classes, rather than the usual pairing of same class locos.

Seen at London Victoria, just arrived in Platform 1, on Friday, November 11 was Class 69 No. 69001 Mayflower and Class 73 No. 73119 Borough of Eastleigh, the presence of the Class being unusual.

In the early evening of Monday, November 14, the 3S14 from Grimsby Town to York Thrall Europa was seen leaving Sheffield station headed by No. 66849 with No. 66848 at the rear.

The heavens opened, soaking the photographers, on Tuesday, November 15 as the 3J51 from York Thrall Europa to York Thrall Europa, via Scarborough and Hull, came to a stand at Bridlington station. The train was hauled by Class 37 No. 37425 in Regional Railways livery, with No. 37419 at the rear carrying a coat of RHTT grime under which the InterCity livery could just be discerned.