After a break of two weeks owing to engineering work, through services resumed on the section of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) via Beattock resumed on Monday, March 20. However, due to an early morning points failure at Carstairs, the first Glasgow Central to London Euston service on that section of line to depart from Glasgow Central was the 1M09/07.40, worked by Class 390 No. 390153.
DRS Class 57 No. 57307 Lady Penelope pulled Class 390 No. 390129 City of Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday, March 26 from Carlisle on the 5H88/14.02 to Manchester’s Longsight depot.
With the reopening of the WCML via Beattock, most AWC Anglo-Scottish services in late March were operated by Class 390 EMUs. One regular exception, worked by two Class 221 DMUs, was the 1S63/12.20 Euston to Glasgow Central, which was operated by Nos. 221109+221117 on March 31.
Three Class 91-hauled trains to Leeds were seen at King’s Cross on Sunday, March 19, with the 1D13/12.03 headed by No. 91106 and No. 82214 noted at the rear. No. 91114 Durham Cathedral was at the head of the 1D14/12.33 departure, with No. 82211 noted at the rear. A little later, No. 91127 was on the 1D17/14.03 departure, with No. 82213 noted at the rear. The following afternoon found two Class 91s side by side, with No. 91105 at Platform 7 seen leaving on empty stock to Ferme Park, while No. 91114 was at Platform 8 at the head of the 1D19/15.03 to Leeds, with No. 82211 at the rear of the service.
There has been no further indication as to when the trial of the former VivaRail battery trains on the Greenford loop may commence. On Saturday, March 4, Class 165 No. 165119 was seen at Platform 5 at West Ealing before working the 2G32/13.22 departure to Greenford. A move on April 3 saw Class 387 Nos. 387172-74 hauled from Reading to Peterborough by Class 37 No. 37608 for working with Great Northern.
Movements of new Class 720 units continue, with No. 720518 being top-and-tailed from Derby to Wembley by Class 50 Nos. 50007+50049 on March 15. Two days later, the Class 50s moved No. 720126 on the same diagram, followed by No. 720125 on March 21 and 720123 on March 22. No. 720128 was taken south on March 31, top-and-tailed between Class 56 No. 56098 and Class 50 No. 50049 Defiance. The consist also included barrier vans Nos. 6377, ADB975978, ADB975974 and 6376 and was observed passing Market Harborough en route to Wembley. This was followed on April 6, when No. 720127 made the same move escorted by Nos. 56098+50007 Hercules.
Greater Anglia has announced that to mark the upcoming withdrawal of Class 321 trains from service, it would run a special Class 321 Farewell charity charter train on Saturday, April 29 using two Class 321 units. The charter train was due to run from Liverpool Street to Clacton, Walton, Harwich Town, Stowmarket, back to Shenfield, to Southend Victoria and finally back to Liverpool Street, covering many of the core routes with which the Class 321s have been closely associated for much of their lives.
A visit to a cold and overcast Peterborough on March 8, which saw snow fall from about midday, found the 2L79/15.50 service to Ipswich, in the hands of Stadler Class 755/4 No. 755403, stand for two hours at Platform 6. Its departure was halted by a ‘failed’ Freightliner Class 66-hauled intermodal at Manea, with two other intermodals behind it between Peterborough and March, that necessitated a rescue locomotive being dispatched from Ipswich – a good 60-minute trip – to then haul it through Ely and onward to Felixstowe. This blocking of the cross-country route between Peterborough and Ely saw EMR services to Norwich and Cross-Country to Stansted cancelled and
