SRPS Diesel Gala, 1st June 2025. Part 3: In the sheds and yards at Bo'ness

 

08443 (BR Derby, November 1958)

Working with Locomotive Services, and other engineering facilities, a programme is under way to upgrade the dual-braked SRPS main line coaches with Central Door locking. 3115 has been to Cranmore for some of this work, and awaits completion of bogie overhaul.

D2767 (North British, August 1960) was due to be started up later in the day.


'37309' is the new kid on the block. A cosmetically more pleasant 37214, a spares donor.


Wemyss Private Railway No. 20 (AB 2068 / 1939)

NCB Comrie No. 7 (Bagnall 2777 / 1945)

37261 remains on accommodation bogies.

SRPS Diesel Group

2nd - 7th February 2026

 

59103 Village of Mells, the last in the Hanson scheme, leading 6O68 09:11 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley, at Crampmoor, 2nd February.

67027 passing Romsey, 3rd February, on its way to Swanage for ETH testing.

66759 Chippy at Redbridge with 6O41 10:14 Westbury - Eastleigh, 4th February.


67027 returning at Redbridge, 4th February.

A closer view. The intended path was expected to be into the loop at Redbridge, but following signalling issues around Brockenhurst, it changed directions at Southampton Central.

Monday 2nd February:
Tuesday 3rd February: 67027 0Z67 07:05 Westbury - Corfe Castle one two three four five six; 802114 5X80 09:23 Eastleigh - Reading
Wednesday 4th February: 67027 0Z67 10:02 Corfe Castle - Westbury one; 800012 5X81 13:15 Reading to Eastleigh
Thursday 5th February: 43013 + 43062 1X23 15:28 Salisbury - Southampton - Salisbury (earlier one two)
Friday 6th February:
Saturday 7th February:

69013 was on 69013 6Y48 09:01 Eastleigh - Hoo on 4th, but appears to have failed in the Wallers Ash area, and was later recorded as running with 66798. 69013 arrived earlier from Hoo on 6Y44. 

GBRf to auction their Class 47s, 59003, Class 60s and some shunters in March.

455719, seen at Eastleigh on 30th June 2023, was dragged to Derby on 2nd, for disposal.

The cab of 43314, seen above on 5th November 2019, has been removed from Dereham to a location unknown, likely in the York area.

43317, seen on 24th December 2018, has been moved by road from Burton, to EMR Kingsbury, for disposal.

NMT at Romsey, 5th February 2026

43013 (+ 975984 + 977993 + 975814 + 977984) + 43062
1X23 15:28 Salisbury - Southampton - Salisbury

43013 Mark Carne CBE (BREL Crewe, May 1976) leading into Romsey.

This was the first time in 3 months that the train had run on this line.

A close view of 43013. 

975814 Conference Coach, originally a prototype HST TF coach 11000, later 41000, built to Lot 30848 at Derby in 1972. Converted to Test Car 10 in 1981.

977984 Staff Coach previously HST catering vehicle 40501 (BREL Derby, Lot 30884) as a TRUK once part of 253001 from November 1976.


43062 John Armitt on the rear.

Locos at Eastleigh, 28th January 2026

 

69006 Pathfinder Railtours was in the holding sidings at Eastleigh, following driver training tours in the West Country one two. 69016 performed similar duties this week, but returned to Eastleigh on 29th one two, and may be becoming confined to the yard. Nearly a third of Class 69 entered storage durng the week.

56051 Survival continues to be stored in the Colas sidings.

66316 arriving with 6O41, formed of a rake of auto-ballasters, originally planned for moving on the previous day, when the train was cancelled through flooding of the line.


On hire to Colas, 66544 arrived with 6O24 09:25 Hinksey - Eastleigh, then proceeded to the Colas sidings.

66206 passing through with 4O39 09:43 Cowley - Eastern Docks.

08511 shunting.

26th - 31st January 2026

 

69006 Pathfinder Railtours, Eastleigh, 28th January. After dark, it was moved to Doncaster within 6E15, and later to Roberts Road.


DRK 81613 a Kirow 1200UK crane, working for Volker Rail, Eastleigh, 28th January.

59005 KENNETH J PAINTER 6V62 13:21 Up Yard - Westbury Tarmac, at Romsey, 30th January.

81.70.5500.001-9 JNA, which arrived on 21st November. Eastleigh Works, 25th January.

Monday 26th January: 66501 failed on 4E91 between Micheldever and Worting with a traction motor fault, rescued by 66532, with 66501 into Basingstoke North Yard one two three - 66501 later recovered and moved in 4E91 02:00 Maritime - Leeds (for Midland Road) on 27th; 66100 (+ DR 73957) + 66128 6Q60 09:28 Swanage - West Ealing one two three four
Tuesday 27th January: 
Wednesday 28th January:
Thursday 29th January:
Friday 30th January: 67007 0Z25 1010 Wembley - Eastleigh, 67007 (+ 99534 / 245 IBIS + 99543 / 284 VERA) 5Z25 13:02 Eastleigh - Stewarts Lane
Saturday 31st January:

GBRf have stored 47727, 47739 (both at Leicester), 47749 is on maintenance at Leicester. Also 69003, 69007, 69011 (at Longport), 69012 and 69015 (shunt duties at Whitemoor) and 69016 may soon be becoming confined to Eastleigh Yard, to replace Class 08s, as Class 69 becomes dormant. 69014 was dragged to Eastleigh by 66304 in 6O01 from Doncaster on 30th one two.

The Freightliner split transaction with CMA-CGM was completed at 02:00 on 29th, creating new company Heavy Haul Rail Ltd. Away from the Mendips, the only regular Heavy Haul working in these parts is 'the Mountfield' recently worked by 66618, and this has been recorded on TOPS as at 'MBRKFLT' (Millbrook). But then, Heavy Haul 66413 turned up on intermodal 4O77 from Lawley Street on 30th.

Storm Chandra: On the morning of 27th, Salisbury - Southampton, Eastleigh - Fareham, and Brockenhurst - Bournemouth were closed because of flooding.

On Salisbury - Southampton, northbound intermodals 4V51 0256 Maritime - Wentloog and 4M95 03:21 Maritime - Trafford Park were the last trains on the Salisbury line. GWR operated a couple of shuttles Portsmouth - Romsey. A 5R54 from Salisbury was the first train to operate, about 16:00, but stopped several times en route, taking 3 hours for a run around the circle back to its origin. 2R70 was the first normal  service, departing at 18:56, but the pattern remained that of cancellations, with normal services resuming on 28th.

Flooding at Sway: Cross Country ECS started from Eastleigh but got no further than Brockenhurst and Totton Loops (one holding there as 5M38, then proceeded to Reading. SWR 1B14 05:00 Poole - Waterloo was held at New Milton - services resuming about 09:45, to terminate at Brockenhurst in favour of the following train to Waterloo.

Eastleigh - Fareham returned to use in the middle of the day.

Mendip Quarries lifespan: Torr Works (Merehead) may be 2040, and Whatley 2030. It could be a strategy to run the Class 59 for all of this period.

This equipment was noted at Romsey on 26th. The ZKL 3000 RC is a remotely controlled track circuit operating device.

Freightliner Intermodal, Eastleigh, 28th January 2026

The final day of Freightliner as an Intermodal and Heavy Haul operation, before sale of Intermodal to CMA-CGM was completed at 02:00 on 29th January. All of the trains are Class 66 powered by members of the DFIM (Freightliner Intermodal Class 66 Standard Fuel) and DFIN (Freightliner Intermodal Class 66 Short Fuel) pools, and, frankly, it's become rather boring without Class 70s in the mix. Even 'Pink ONE' 66587 will no longer be on Intermodal workings.

66597 Viridor 4O15 06:40 Lawley Street - Maritime.


66567 4O14 05:08 Garston - Maritime.


66525 4M61 12:56 Maritime - Trafford Park.


66513 4O90 04:03 Doncaster Europort - Maritime.

66592 Johnson Stevens Agencies 4E65 13:13 Maritime - Doncaster Europort, ruuning through on the up fast line.

Aggregates Workings at Eastleigh, 28th January 2026

The final day of Freightliner Heavy Haul, the company separating into Heavy Haul Rail Ltd at 02:00 on Thursday 29th January.

 

59205 leading 6O68 09:11 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley through Eastleigh.

The last wagon was JNA 81.70.5932.580-0.

59004 PAUL A HAMMOND approaches with 6V62 13:21 Up Yard - Westbury Tarmac.


59004 has now been in the UK for 40 years.

All of the wagons were Marcroft JNAs, trailed by NACO 3919.