16th - 21st March 2026

 

66751 Inspiration Delivered Hitachi Rail Europe + 66787 Three Bridges ASC 6O39 10:14 Westbury -Eastleigh, at Crampmoor, 16th March. The CWR train uses this headcode and route to be in the chosen direction upon arrival at East Yard.

Still carrying 'Freightliner' lettering, Heavy Haul Rail 59101 Village of Whatley 6O68 09:11 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley, passing Romsey, 20th March.


66766 Gail Richardson + 66010 + 66716 LOCOMOTIVE AND CARRIAGE INSTITUTION CENTENARY 1911 - 2011 6O41 10:14 Westbury - Eastleigh, at Romsey, 20th March.

66010 makes a first appearance on these pages.

Monday 16th March: 66775 (+801210) 5X66 10:52 Eastleigh - Reading (and onward one); 701060 new Legoland livery 5Y51 14:32 Bournemouth - Clapham Yard one two three four five; 68025 0Z86 10:10 Leicester - Eastleigh one
Tuesday 17th March: 800103 5X80 14:26 Reading - Eastleigh one
Wednesday 18th March: 57306 0O45 06:11 Leicester - Eastleigh, 57306 (+ 701055) 5Q45 13:00 Eastleigh - Wimbledon Park one two three
Thursday 19th March: 37421 3Q02 2003 Westbury - Romsey - Eastleigh - Dorchester - Eastleigh - Romsey - Westbury (seen earlier on Monday)
Friday 20th March: 66313 + 66748 T+T 5Z66 11:45 Eastleigh - Stewarts Lane (Britannic Explorer) one two; 4M04 19:11 Maritime - Lawley Street derailed 2 wagons while making departure - seems to have been resolved with services resuming after about 4 hours.
Saturday 21st March:

69010 has been noted on the Eastleigh - Westbury circuit on Monday - Thursday one two three four five six, then was moved to Westbury in 0V41 on Friday afternoon.

Heavy Haul Livery now on 66537.

455712 + 455732 are the last of their class, and are believed to have had their last usage on Friday 20th, including a trip from Waterloo - Basingstoke and return one two three four five six Flickr for the day.

Network Rail have started a procurement procedure as a first step towards replacing the YKA 'Osprey' track panel carrying wagons, which run on 1950s 'Salmon' underframes. They are looking for a quantity of 80 - 130 wagons, to replaee 125 YKAs, to be delivered from 2027. Expect something similar to a FEA-W like offering.

I am reading of a 2026 delivery of wagons for Mendip Rail, but no details. The Marcroft JNAs from 2000 are the oldest wagons, and were built with low track force bogies.

47355 is reported as being for the chop at Carnforth. Seen in better days, while labelled for Fragonset, on hire to Freightliner, at Southampton Maritime, 30th August 2003. Other images around that time: one two three four

800103 is the latets LNER Azuma to enter the repair programme at Eastleigh Works. Seen near Dalgety working 1S11 10:03 KingsCross - Aberdeen, 28th February. The heavier 8001xx appear to be getting priority.

Eastleigh, 16th March 2026

66004 approaching with 4O21 13:38 Didcot - Western Docks.

66004 is dressed in a 'Climate Hero' green scheme.

68025 arriving 0Z86 10:10 Leicester L.I.P. - Eastleigh Trsmd, where it may be expected to be vinyled for Chiltern.


66524 4S59 14:57 Maritime - Coatbridge.

701060 5Y51 14:32 Bournemouth - Clapham Yard following re-vinyling in a Legoland scheme.

The front and rear cars are marked 'Arterio Legoland Locomotive'. Oh dear.

Heavy Haul Rail 66620 working 4Y20 12:22 Mountfield - Millbrook, which stopped in platform 3.

Statfold 'Spectacle of Steam' 8th March 2026 2: Statfold Junction to Strawberry Park and Oak Tree

A parallel walkway runs between these two locations, where some of parallel lines are of different gauges.

Marchlyn (Avonside 2067 / 1933) and Sybil Mary (Hunslet 921 / 1906) climbing up towards Statfold Junction.

Howard (Hunslet 1842 / 1936) passing Strawberry Park.

Carnegie (Hunslet 4524 / 1954) providing cab rides on the 18" line. Originally supplied to Woolwich Arsenal.

  Minas de Aller No. 2 (Corpet-Louvet 439 / 1884) running alongside Sragi No.1​ (Krauss 4045 / 1899).

Isibutu Bagnall (2820 / 1945) passing Strawberry Park.


Howard arriving at Oak Tree from Cogan Halt.

9th - 14th March 2026

 

66716 LOCOMOTIVE AND CARRIAGE INSTITUTION CENTENARY 1911 - 2011 + 70816 + 70811 0O41 10:14 Westbury - Eastleigh, 13th March.

70816.

70811.

Monday 9th March: 57012 + LT 4-TC 5Z33 10:31 Southall - Eastleigh one two three four five six, 57012 0Z33 16:05 Eastleigh - Southall one
Tuesday 10th March:
Wednesday 11th March:
Thursday 12th March: 
Friday 13th March:
Saturday 14th March: 66743 5O22 09:28 Hamilton - Eastleigh one two three four (Britannic Explorer)

RMS Locotec 08871 reported as moved from Chesterfield to Eastleight on 13th - it is in the T&RSMD.

73962 + 73965 were allocated to the 1Q5x series of test trains, but were 'cancelled due to a problem with the traction equipment'.

Brighton Belle car 93 / 293 of 1932 is expected to emerge from Eastleigh Works as CELIA.

801210, which entered Eastleigh Works on 13th January is close to the end of its repair procedure by Hitachi ar Eastleigh Works

A number of 'Salmon' wagons were moved to EMR Attercliffe on 4th March, inlcuding YSA DB 996294, originally built by Head Wrightson to Lot 2534 in 1954-55. Here seen at Romsey on 30th August 2022.

Also included was YWA DB 996627 GR Turner, Lot 3067, 1957-58), which was a crane runner when seen at Eastleigh on 23rd February 2024.

They 'Salmon' are not yet all gone, the first wagon in 6O41 on 12th was YWA DB 996897.

Statfold 'Spectacle of Steam' 8th March 2026 1: Statfold Junction

A first visit to Statfold, to a 'Spectacle of Steam' event. I arrived about 08:30, exchanged my bar code for a wrist band,  and looked through the exhibition area before watching and riding the trains. I was present for 5 hours, and there was never a time without anything to see. Statfold is located between Tamworth, and Jct 11 of the M42.

Details of the locomotives are on Statfold's website, and on Wikipedia.

Sybil Mary (Hunslet 921 / 1906) and Marchlyn (Avonside 2067 / 1933) arrive to couple up at Statfold Junction.

Howard (Hunslet 1842 / 1936) and Harrogate (Peckett 2050 / 1944) on shed.

Harrogate waits to be called on to a train. This locomotive was for many years kept in storage at Boston Lodge, Ffestiniog Railway, for potential build into a locomotive suitable for that railway.

Sragi No. 1 (Krauss 4045 / 1899) and Lautoka No.19 Hudswell Clarke (1056 / 1914) departing.

Isaac (Bagnall 3023 / 1953).

Howard came off the shed, and awaiting forwarding onto a train.

Trangkill No. 4 (Hunslet 3902 / 1971 - the last engine built under the classical ownership) arrives, with two Darjeeling pattern coaches in the train, built at Ffestiniog Railway, Boston Lodge, for Adrian Shooter's Beeches Light Railway.

Cegin (Barclay 1991 / 1931) and Liassic (Peckett 1632 / 1923).

Lunchtime Loco Workings, Eastleigh 9th March 2026

The busiest weekday time at Eastleigh tends to be 13:00 to 13:40, in particular the latter 20 minutes. The weather on Monday 9th was somewhat misty.

66847 Terry Baker prepared to work 6V27 13:49 Eastleigh - Hinksey.

66733 Cambridge PSB 0V44 12:18 Marchwood  - Bicester.

66515 4M61 12:56 Maritime - Trafford Park.

66571 4O90 06:15 Leeds - Maritime.

59205, now a Heavy Haul Rail asset, 6V62 1321 Up Yard - Westbury Tarmac.

66507 4E65 13:13 Maritime - Doncaster Europort.

Miscellany at Eastleigh, 9th March 2026

 

Looking pretty manky, this is 73202 which is in a Southern livery. It has been at the Works since 15th December.

69014 and 69016 at rest, while 08511 did the shunting.

701019 pauses with 5Q50 12:32 Bournemouth T&R.S.M.D - Wimbledon Park Depot Sdgs.

66551 and 66544, both on hire to Colas.

57302 parked in a strange corner at the Works.