A fatality on the West Coast Main Line on Monday, June 26 at Oxenholme around 09.00 meant buses replacing passenger trains between Preston and Carlisle. After the 1M07/06.30 departed from Glasgow Central, worked by Class 390 No. 390039, bound for London Euston, that day’s next direct AWC from Glasgow to London was not until the 1M14/14.01, operated by No. 390128. Northbound on that day after the arrival in Glasgow at 10.38, the next direct arrival from Euston was at 18.21 with service 1S69 worked by No. 390124.
Whilst most AWC Anglo-Scottish services are worked by Class 390 units, on Sunday, July 2, the 9S54/11.10 Crewe to Edinburgh and 9M47/15.51 return was worked by Class 221 units Nos. 221110+221115.
The Highland Chieftain, 12.00 ex-London King’s Cross, was observed running 20 minutes late at Darlington on May 28, due to delays in the Grantham area. The power issues affecting the southern part of the LNER network had still not been resolved two hours later as the 13.30 departure from King’s Cross to Edinburgh was seen leaving Darlington 20 minutes late at 16.41.
Class 91 departures from Leeds to King’s Cross on July 3 were noted as No. 91106 at 11.15; No. 91105 at 12.45; and No. 91110 at 13.15. Of these, No. 91105 and its train came from Neville Hill depot, as the inward working from London, due at 12.16, had been cancelled.
Reading Green Park opened on Saturday, May 27. A personal first visit to the new station was made by a correspondent on Tuesday, June 13, arriving on the 2J55/17.15 Reading to Basingstoke, formed of No. 165111 and returning to Reading on the 2J52/17.19 from Basingstoke formed of No. 165127.
Reading Green Park station is quite substantial, having all the necessary facilities, although it can hardly be described as attractive.
The GWR website reported that normal timetable services resumed on Saturday, June 10, following the reopening of the railway line between Oxford and Didcot Parkway. Network Rail completed repairs to Nuneham Viaduct, near Abingdon, ahead of schedule, allowing some services to operate between Oxford and Didcot Parkway on Friday, June 9.
A correspondent made a journey over the reopened line on Thursday, June 15, on the 1W27/13.50 from London Paddington to Great Malvern, formed of No. 800011. Passing over Nuneham Viaduct it was evident that although the line had reopened there were still cranes and workmen in high visibility jackets on site.
Thursday, June 15 was race day at Newbury with a full card of races. To assist racegoers some Newbury to Bedwyn services were extended back to serve Newbury Racecourse station.
To try these services a correspondent made a journey from Newbury to Newbury Racecourse using the 2Z12/10.55 from Bedwyn to Newbury Racecourse, formed of No. 165124.
The train left from platform 2 at Newbury station, which is adjacent to the Up Newbury Loop. It then used the crossovers to the east of the station to access the Down Westbury Line to stop at Newbury Racecourse. This section of the Down Westbury is actually bidirectional.
The 2Z13/11.26 from Newbury Racecourse to Bedwyn, which was also formed of No. 165124, was then used as far as Kintbury. This train ran on the same routing as the eastbound service stopping by platform 2 at Newbury station. It then used the crossovers to the west of Newbury to join the Down Westbury Line, which was used through Kintbury towards Bedwyn.
Damage to a pantograph led to a complicated rescue operation for a GWR IET on June 16/17. The 1A86/11.18 Newquay to London Paddington was diverted via Swindon after an earlier problem with the train but then it hit an obstruction on the overhead lines near Uffington.
The train was terminated at Didcot Parkway and an inspection revealed one of the pantographs had been bent back and could not be retracted. Delays were caused to services to London as capacity at Didcot was reduced by the failed train.
The unit spent the night at the station while a rescue plan was formulated. Engineers could not
