Miscellany at Eastleigh, 22nd July 2026

 

Still Freightliner branded, Heavy Haul Rail 59203 crosses over the main lines with 6O68 09:11 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley.

66757 West Somerset Railway arrived from Western Docks, and later worked 6F10 11:48 Eastleigh - Wootton Bassett Civil Engineers train. This locomotive is understood to have re-geared and awaits renumbering to 66667.

Heavy Haul Rail 59101 Village of Whatley, working  0V16 11:55 Fareham-Whatley, has had 'Freightliner' branding removed, although not those for 'Zero Injuries - Our Goal Every Day', which originated with Genesee & Wyoming.

20205, now owned by Romic, approaches with 5O19 08:05 Kings Norton - Eastleigh, operated by Rail Adventure.

20205 entering platform 3. The locomotives and barriers are the same as those which brought coaches of 395008 to the Works for collision damage repair, on 12th December 2025.


20007 on the rear. Both locomotives now have Romic ownership plates.

69011 is now one of the designated super shunters.

66136 runs by with  4O39 09:35 Morris Cowley - Eastern Docks.


73212 Stephen Eaves + 73128 Kent & East Sussex Railway arrive as 0Y68 09:39 Tonbridge - Eastleigh.

Side view of 73128. The pair of locomotives later returned to Tonbridge with 73107 from the Works.

800111 released from Eastleigh Works, 22nd July 2026

LNER Azuma 800111 entered Eastleigh Works on 20th May, and has received the full crack repair programme, noticeable above the yaw dampers. 

5X80 12:21 Eastleigh Works Gbrf - Reading.

800111, lead by PDTA 811111.

A closer view of 800111 as it ran to a stop in platform 2, showing the repair work above the first yaw damper. There is a missing unit number, which should be close to the yaw damper mount, about below the LNER logo.

MS coach 815111.

Detail of the repair above the yaw damper on PDTRBF 819111.


Leaving the station, heading for Allbrook and Shawford, and a return to LNER service on the East Coast Main Line.

The Dorset Coast Express, 22nd July 2026

47848 + 47237 1Z94 08:46 Victoria - Weymouth (retimed for Class 47 operation throughout).

47848 leading as the train passed the Signalling Centre at Eastleigh.

Flying through the station.


47237, believed to have last visited these parts on 26th July 2017, on the rear.

A short distance further along, 47848 passes St Denys. Image by Ian Knight.

47237 on the rear. Image by Ian Knight.

56051 and 69008 at Eastleigh, 21st July 2026

 

56051 Survival and 69008 Richard Howe.


69008 was prepared for 0V30 14:05 Eastleigh - Westbury. This locomotive was built at BREL Doncaster as 56038, and entered traffic in February 1978.


Richard Howe nameplate on 69008.


56051, which had arrived from Hinksay, was also built at BREL Doncaster, and entered traffic on 24th August 1980

A final view for the day, of the pair of classic locomotives.

Eastleigh Works and T&RSMD, 21st July 2026

 

73107 Tracy outside the Works, expected to depart to Tonbridge on 22nd.

Windhoff MPV DR 98931 has arrived. Not a regular in these parts, it seems to spend most time in Kent. Alongside is JNA  81.70.5500.023-3.

142007 and 59003 in similar positions to when previously seen on the 7th.

Two Locomotive Services owned Mk 3 coaches. On the left is former EMR TF 41208 (formerly 12112 and later 42406), which has been at the Works since 2nd August 2023, after which it appeared that parts were removed. More interestingly, on the right, former GWR TC 46006, which now sports its former number "41081 L/F" in chalk, as a TF. 46006 arrived on 11th June 2020, and was noted with cuts in the roof on 19th September 2021. Is it making a comeback? As a Lounge First?

Chiltern 68025 seen on a shunt at the T&RSMD.

13th - 18th July 2026

 

69008 Richard Howe working 6O41 from Westbury, seen at Lee, 14th July. Image by Roger Homan.

D1924 47810 Crewe Diesel Depot, passing Crampmoor, 18th July.


FO 3045 (Lot 30091, Doncaster, 1954).

D1645 47830 on the rear of the train. There are suggestions that Locomotive Services is "struggling with availability of its Type 4 fleet in early July"

Sunday 12th July: 66613 0W66 17:35 Alton - Maritime
Monday 13th July: 
Tuesday 14th July: 68019 (+ 6371 / 96371) + 68030 5M71 0850 Eastleigh - Stourbridge Junction one two three four five six seven eight nine 
Wednesday 15th July:
Thursday 16th July: 800032 5X81 13:16 Reading - Eastleigh
Friday 17th July: 69006 moved to Eastleigh one two
Saturday 18th July: 47810 + 47830 T+T 1Z07 06:25 Woking - Havant - Eastleigh - Salisbury - Kingswear one, 1Z08 16:35 Kingswear - Salisbury - Eastleigh - Havant - Woking, 5Z08 23:54 Woking - Eastleigh; 37240 + 47773 1Z34 07:45 Birmingham Snow Hill - Eastleigh - Portsmouth Harbour one two rhree four five six seven eight nine, 1Z41 16:40 Portsmouth Harbour - Eastleigh - Birmingham Snow Hill

31128, in these parts a week ago, worked 0Z31 18:02 Burton Ot Wetmore Sidings - Grosmont on 17th, to support a motive power shortage at the NYMR, this loco being capable of working to Whitby.

Post from Freightliner on LinkedIn: "In May 2026 Network Rail completed new gauge clearance on the Midland Main Line and associated routes, unlocking for the first time the ability to run high cube (9ft 6in) containers on standard height wagons. 

Starting this week, #Freightliner will take advantage of this new clearance by diverting our Southampton to Doncaster service via Nottingham and Newark, allowing it to directly access our Doncaster terminal from the South, without having to divert via Sheffield and take a longer route before running round North of the terminal. 

This will allow us to offer an earlier arrival for our service on this key South Coast to North East Corridor. This service will operate via this route 5 days per week."

These trains now run as 4E92 and 4O92.

Hamworthy: Proposal to restore Dorset branch line as a freight route - believed last used 8 years ago.

Loram to relinquish train operating licence and 950001 also likely to be withdrawn at that time.

HXA Coal Hopper 370529, seen at Barnetby, 22nd May 2015. New from Greenbrier in 2006; now tripped 6Z89 09:45 Hunslet Yard - EMR Attercliffe for disposal, on 14th July. This batch of 109 wagons had been intact until this disposal of nine of them.

'The End of Southern Steam', 9th July 2026

59 years since the end of Southern Region steam. 3 images from Ian Knight.

35028 Clan Line + 47802 T+T 1Z96 17:38 Weymouth - Waterloo

35028 approaches Southampton, at the Saxon Road footbridge.

A trailing view, having passed under the bridge.

47802 working on the rear, necessary because of the high fire risk conditions.