Former LNER Coach G's sent for scrap

42117, 42163 & 42306, which were all Coach G TSO coaches from sets EC61, EC63 and EC62 respectively were delivered to C.F. Booth at Rotherham on 30th March. The former LNER sets are being reduced by one car ahead of eventual entry into service at EMR.

42163 in set EC63 at Inverkeithing on 22nd August 2018.

42306 in set EC62 at Inverkeithing on 19th November 2019.

TGVs in Northern France, July 1999

I drove from the UK outward on Sunday 11th July, business class turn up and go service via the tunnel, where you could park, freshen up, pick up meal to eat during the transit, in a neat wicker tray, which I still have, then be first to drive onto the next available shuttle - it now seems to be called Flexiplus. I am sure my access was a corporate deal. Onward via Antwerp and Aachen, to Mainz, Germany, with a load of materials to support a training course, probably the furthest I ever drove in one day. Return through two days with stops near Metz, for Hagondange (freight trains for Woippy), and Douai. Then to the hypermarket at Calais, from where, with the air-con set low, I drove my French groceries for the next week all the way back to Hampshire.

TGV Réseau set 550 makes a stop at Douai, Friday 16th July, heading in the Paris direction. The TGV Réseau series were developed from the preceding  TGV Atlantique, and were delivered between 1992 and 1996. 550 was the last built of the dual voltage sets, delivered in 1994, and remains in service. 

Similar set 526 and another beyond. This set has been reformed, in 2006-07 and this power car is now formed in a TGV Duplex of series 601.

TGV Réseau (English) - TGV Réseau (French)

The residents of Douai, and surrounding area, appear to have been recently fighting to retain their TGV service: 12Dec15 - 28Feb19  28Feb19 - 02Mar19 - 02Aug19. The underlying story, however, is that of economic decline of the traditional heavy industries led by coal and steel.

Douai was where the FIA, FSA, FTA, IKA, IFA and JGA wagons were constructed by Arbel Fauvet in the 1990s, now Millet AFR.

To the LGV Nord on Saturday morning, 17th July. It took an evening in 2020 to locate where I was in 1999, as I have no clear recall of the drive, however a review of my atlas, and of where I parked the car, led to a location, which is also characterised by the distinctive long building in the background, which turns out to be a Best Western Hotel near Fresnes-Les-Montauban, to the east of Douai. I believe that this was a second visit there, the previous being in 1994, and the location may have originally been chosen from an issue of Today's Railway's Europe.

TGV Réseau 528 is seen with a working from Paris heading towards Lille.

Thalys TGV PKBA set 4304, owned by SNCB, and likely a Paris - Brussels working.

20th - 25th April 2020

Monday 20th April: 67014 5Z14 09:40 Eastleigh - Cardiff; 20311 + 20314 + 47813 + 6340 + 42505 + 42284 + 40707 + 44043 + 40755 + 42361 + 6344 5O86 09:32 Ely Papworth - Eastleigh (47813 for C exam, HST trailers from various ex-GWR sets for Locomotive Services) one two three four five six seven, 20311 + 20314 5L46 15:54 Eastleigh - Ely one two
Tuesday 21st April: 60028 6Z91 16:16 Westbury - Up Yard one two three four five
Wednesday 22nd April: 60028 6Z90 07:49 Up Yard - Westbury; 47812 + 47848 0M59 10:21 Eastleigh - Leicester one two; 73961 + 73964 1Q66 10:59 Woking - ... - Basingstoke - Laverstock - Romsey - Eastleigh - Fawley (recorded as being there on RTT) - Eastleigh - Romsey - Laverstock - Woking one two three
Thursday 23rd April:  47805 + 90001 + 90002 5Z36 07:17 Crewe - Eastleigh (coaches Mk3A TSO 12171 Mk3B FO 11068 Mk3A TSOB 10411) one two three four five six, 47805 + 86101 5Z37 15:56 Eastleigh - Crewe (coach Mk2A TSO 5366) one two three four
Friday 24th April: 60028 6Z91 16:16 Westbury - Up Yard one two three (seems to return on Monday morning)
Saturday 25th April:

66731 came out of the paintshop at Eastleigh in a 'Thank You NHS' scheme.

70813 has the new Colas logo.

5-WES Class 442 MBC 62944 (442405) has been scrapped by Raxstar at Eastleigh Works.

Eastleigh Works: 09Apr - 14Apr - 15Apr - 16Apr

Class 707 to move to South Eastern. These were in the South Hampshire area in the mileage accumulation period in 2017.

How 23 Pacers in storage could save this Yorkshire heritage railway from collapse

Test Train at Crampmoor, 22nd April 2020

73964 Jeanette
6263 Generator van
977974 Track Inspection Coach 2 "TIC2"
72639  Plain Line Pattern Recognition vehicle "PLPR4"
9481 Support coach
73961 Alison

1Q66 10:59 Woking - ... - Basingstoke - Laverstock - Romsey - Eastleigh - Fawley (recorded as being there on RTT) - Eastleigh - Romsey - Laverstock - Woking

The pictures were taken at Crampmoor, on a single daily exercise on foot.

73964

6263

73961

Refurbished Mk4 set for Transport for Wales, 20th April 2020

67014 + 12217 + 12446 + 10312 + 11325 + 82216 - 5Z14 09:40 Eastleigh Trsmd - Cardiff Canton Sidings

The coaches are all from the former BN25, these arrived at Eastleigh as 5Z44 09:39 Doncaster - Eastleigh on 6th November. BN25 was sent to Worksop on 8th June 2019, then at some time to Doncaster, before the move to Eastleigh. The other coaches from BN25 have been scrapped at Booth's in Rotherham: 11294 (11Nov), 11425 (22Nov), 12464 (21Nov) & 12519 (14Nov).

67014 arrived at Eastleigh on 4th March as 0L27 11:05 Wembley- Eastleigh, following release from Toton paint shop on 27th February

The pictures were taken at Crampmoor, on a single daily exercise on foot.

67014, which was running for Wrexham & Shropshire a decade ago.

12217 Open Standard (End)

12446 Open Standard

10312 Kitchen Buffet Standard

11325 Open First (Disabled)

82216 Driving Brake Van, previously noted on 20th January, in preparation at Eastleigh.

Further pictures of this working.

Mainz Hauptbahnhof, 1999

Business travel used to take me to Mainz, Germany, on about half a dozen occasions in the 1990s and up to 2002. Within the constraints of expense, the first British Midland flight out of Heathrow on a Sunday could give the better part of a free day in Mainz, some of which could be spent at the Hauptbahnhof, and of course positioned me for business from first thing on Monday morning. It is strange to think that the work activity has become consigned to the dustbin of engineering history, but the train pictures remain meaningful.

Having looked at my travel records, I think that these pictures are from 17th October 1999, when I flew out on BD831 to Frankfurt, operated by G-MIDE, an A321-231, delivered in August 1998, later flying for Monarch until that airline's bankruptcy, recorded at 53428 hours, before a short period with Small Planet Airlines of Poland, until return to lessor AerCap in October 2018. Broken up at St Athan by September 2019.

110 415-7 departs with a train for the north or west. This Class 110.3 locomotive is of the later body design, originally E10-415. The locomotive was allocated to EDO (Dortmund) for all of its working life, and by the time of the picture was push-pull fitted, equipment coming from withdrawn examples of Class 141. When first introduced in 1956 Class E10 was the front line electric locomotive class of West Germany, but by 1999 they were being used in regional and local services, and the last examples were withdrawn in February 2014.

E10-415 was built by Krauss Maffei, entering traffic on 24th May 1966.  The locomotive is seen as repainted in DB "traffic red" at an overhaul at Dessau in January 1999. Withdrawn on 1st August 2012, and scrapped by 8th October 2012 by Bender at Opladen (one two)

Specification sheet for Class E10
Discussion of design differences
Preserved Class E10

218 375-4, with the rabbit ears, was looking rather the worse for wear, leading to overhaul in June 2000 at  HBX (Bremen). However it was destroyed in an accident in September 2002. Delivered from Henschel, it entered traffic on 19th February 1975 (just as the last Hymeks were being withdrawn), fitted with a MTU MA 12 V 956 TB 11 engine of 2060 kW (2800 hp), driving through a Voith L 3820 brs rb transmission, but unlike British diesel hydraulics it was fitted with ETH.

Preserving 218 128-4
Review of Class 218

101 116-2, delivered October 1998, is at the other end of the station facing south and east including towards  Frankfurt. At this time, the 6200 kw (8400 hp) Class 101 of was the flagship passenger locomotive of DB, having replaced Class 103. Still in traffic, it appears to be due for a 'revision' this year.

In the background, the station was under a major reconstruction.

An ICE 1 train arrives from the north or west. The ICE 1 trains entered service in 1991 - 1993, and entered further refurbishment from 2018, being shortened to nine passenger coaches, including a plan to fit 19 of them with ETCS through to 2021, for service until the mid-2030s. The signal box, on the right, was in the news in 2013, when summer staffing levels became critical, affecting services.

DB guide to ICE 1
Railfan Europe
German Wikipedia for ICE 1

13th - 18th April 2020

Monday 13th April: 66773 5O66 1030 Cardiff Tidal - Eastleigh one two; 142003 5Z42 07:27 Gascoigne Wood - Eastleigh; 73962 + 73964 1Q51 11:15 Derby - Eastleigh - Weymouth - Eastleigh one
Tuesday 14th April: 73962 + 73964 1Q52 10:37 Eastleigh - Portsmouth Harbour - Littlehampton - Portsmouth Harbour - Totton Yard - Fareham - Eastleigh - Woking - Lymington Pier -Eastleigh; 60055 6Z91 16:18 Westbury - Up Yard one (earlier, to Westbury); 37116 3Q01 23:37 Woking Up Yard Recp. - Eastleigh
Wednesday 15th April: 60055 6Z90 07:49 Up Yard - Westbury; 73962 + 73964 1Q53 11:48 Eastleigh  - Southampton Up Yard - Wimbledon Park - Southampton Up Yard - Wimbledon Park - Totton Yard - Eastleigh - Romsey - Eastleigh one; 37116 3Q03 23:42 Eastleigh - Brighton - Eastleigh one
Thursday 16th April: 73962 + 73964 1Q54 12:45 Eastleigh - Tonbridge; 37116 3Q04 21:18½ Eastleigh  Totton Yard - Reading Triangle Sidings
Friday 17th April:
Saturday 18th April:

Eastleigh Works: 25Mar - 27Mar - 31Mar - 02Apr - 03Apr - 06Apr - 07Apr - 08Apr

37069 has been reported as being tested at Eastleigh Works - may be shortly to return to DRS?

59003 remains at Eastleigh Works.

Freightliner parked all of their Class 70s at Easter, they are now located at Crewe Basford Hall and Leeds Midland Road: one two three four five

GBRf returned 66778 to service from storage at Eastleigh.

Limerick Junction, 1999

The date is believed to be in the autumn of 1999 when I had some business travel to the Limerick area. The layout at Limerick Junction is rather anachronistic, although some improvements were made in 2007.

121 Class GL8 127 of  December 1960 at the platform with a push-pull train to Limerick Colbert. Originally built with a 960hp EMD 8-567CR, this locomotive was by then running with a 1100hp EMD 8-645E, some of which came from the B201 class after their withdrawal. Scrapped sometime in the 2000s. 

The Mk3 push-pull coaches were assembled at Inchicore, specified with powered doors like Class 442, but no air conditioning, the first seen here is 6318.

201 Class JT42HCW 214 Abhainn na Brosnaí / River Brosna leads a Cork bound express formed of Mk3 stock, crossing the points away from the single platform. This 1994 delivered locomotive has been in storage since July 2009 as it is not among those which are push-pull fitted, following the introduction of dmu equipment to replace the Mk 3 coaches, which were mostly scrapped. 15 years of service seems to have fallen short of the business plan.

142003 to Eastleigh, 13th April 2020

142003 5Z42 07:27 Gascoigne Wood Sdgs Gbrf - Eastleigh Works Gbrf
 - started 125 min late, but 53 min early at Eastleigh.

Last week's prediction turned out to be correct. It is now reported that 142003 had to be left behind last Monday. Why it and the other units are at Eastleigh remains unclear, 142003 was understood as being preserved by a private individual, and there is even a report that it will be painted into GMPTE orange, but others report that the units at Eastleigh are for spares retrieval and disposal. We shall have to wait and see.

The pictures were taken at a footpath crossing near Crampmoor, on a single daily exercise on foot.

Further pictures from 13th April. Pictures when new in GMPTE orange.

6th - 11th April 2020

Monday 6th April: 142056 + 142007 5Z43 07:27 Gascoigne Wood - Eastleigh
Tuesday 7th April:
Wednesday 8th April: 60055 + 12027 12041 12151 11094 12019 12115 12026 12012  5Z56 09:33 Norwich - Eastleigh one two three four five (entered T&RSMD, former Greater Anglia coaches said to be for Chiltern)
Thursday 9th April: 60055 0Z60 09:36 Eastleigh - Willeseden one two three; 43014 + 43062 1X23 15:13 Salisbury - Millbrook - Salisbury
Friday 10th April: 
Saturday 11th April:

Eastleigh Works: 16Mar - 17Mar - 18Mar - 19Mar - 20Mar - 24Mar - 06Apr

Stone trains to Chichester don't appear to have run, all other local destinations have been served this week.

Gypsum traffic has ceased.

Monthly test train from Derby did not run.

4O95 12:18 Leeds - Southampton on 8th April "dragging Brakes on fire has caused several lineside fires and loss of signalling near Swinton" & "Train was inspected by the driver at Barrow Hill and found GERS 97743 to have been dragging brakes" but recovered time, only to lose it again and was not recorded after Aynho although loco was recorded as at Maritime on Thursday morning.

Storage: Most Colas 56s are in some degree of storage, although some allowed out this weekend for engineering duties. Various DB Cargo, Freightliner and GBRf 66s are stored, including 66778 stored at Eastleigh Yard.

One more class 142 delivery expected to Eastleigh on Monday 13th.

Rail journeys at 5% of normal levels as UK stays home.

Perth, 10th September 1990 (Part 2)

Following on from the recent part 1.

Continuing from the previous part, 37087 backs the stock out of Perth General before heading to Dundee Tay Bridhge, and on to Montrose. I don't have the coach numbers, but my recollection is that at least one was hired back from the SRPS or Caledonian Railway, and carried paper notices to this effect. Related pictures from the previous week: one two three four five .

37708 + 37405 arrive from Inverness with PCA cement empties, likely for Oxwellmains.

37708 was new as D6789, allocated to Gateshead, on 18th January 1963. Renumbered to 37089 in February 1974. Heavy General Overhaul and converted to 37708 in February 1988, transferred to Eastfield, November 1989, then to Immingham April 1981. Stored June 1999, to France August 1999, and returned July 2000. Briefly returned to service October 2002, then stored. Cut up at Booth's March 2008/ Two days before the picture above, 37708 had rescued 'The Clansman'.

37405 Strathclyde Region was new as D6982 on 13th May 1965 to Cardiff Canton., later 37282. Heavy General Overhaul and ETH, renumbered 37405, September 1985, reallocated to Eastfield. Named 11th April 1986 at Glasgow Queen Street. Stored by EWS December 2010, and sold January 2011 to DRS, kept in storage through 2012, ex-works at Barrow Hill in January 2013, returned to usage in August 2013.

West Highland Terrier for an Eastfield allocated freight locomotive,

PCA 10893 was built by Procor about 1982, and remains in service on Scottish cement workings.

156483, was new in March 1989, and remains in traffic with Northern. This was allocated to Neville Hill, and I gave checked the number on two photographs, as its presence in Scotland seems unusual, although it may have arrived at Corkerhill over some diagrams through the G&SW line, and then deployed into Scottish work.

47704 Dunedin arrives with an Inverness bound train.

The locomotive was new as D1937 on 7th April 1966 as D1937, and allocated to Cardiff Canton. Renumbered to 47495 in February 1974. Overhauled at Crewe and converted to 47704 in February 1979. In November 1990 reallocated to Crewe, and joined the Parcels Sector thereafter. It worked Waterloo - West of England services in the period between Class 50 and 159 workings. Withdrawn in May 1997, and sold to Fragonset in December 2001. Cut up at Ron Hull, Rotherham in December 2006.

Earlier in 1990 it received the attentions of the fire brigade at Inverness: one two .

PCA 10743 (BREL Ashford, 1981) is still in traffic.

5188 is a vacuum braked Mk2 TSO built to Lot 30751 at BR Derby, entering traffic in April 1967, transferred to Scotland in 1975, and withdrawn  in April 1988. Now preserved at the Caledonian Railway, Brechin. Adjacent BG (NAV) 80735, new from BRCW in 1955, and withdrawn in November 1988, is similarly preserved at the same railway.

ADE 320692 was originally a LNER Dia 40 BTK built in 1926, with BR number E62540E, later 16175, and by this time was a BTU tool van. Later, Internal User 096060, and was still at Perth until 2000.

To the SRPS at Bo'ness in 2001. The body was broken up, but the underframe went to the NYMR. It has been shortened and now supports ECJS 189, and will run on Fox bogies.

One could not stray far into the carriage sidings on that day as the Royal Train was in the carriage shed, with a presence of the 'polis'.

Pacers to Eastleigh, 6th April 2020

142056 + 142007 5Z43 07:27 Gascoigne Wood Sdgs Gbrf - Eastleigh Works Gbrf

142056 + 142003 + 142007 + 142040 worked from Barrow to Heaton on 4th January one two three four five

142056 + 142003 + 142007 moved Heaton - Gascoigne Wood on 5th January (142003 is widely reported as nominated for preservation)
142040 was sent to Newport for scrap on 16th January, with 142063 + 142067, this group earlier sent from Heaton - Gascoigne Wood on 9th January.

Is there a sixth Pacer coming to Eastleigh? Will it be 142003?

The pictures were taken from Oxlease Copse, near Crampmoor, on a single daily exercise on foot.

Further coverage on Flickr.

30th March - 4th April 2020

Monday 30th March:

Tuesday 31st March: 313121 5Z14 10:43 Ferme Park to Eastleigh Works (self powered); 142089 + 142032 + 142014 5Z43 07:07 Gascoigne Wood - Eastleigh

Wednesday 1st April: 60028 6Z91 15:38 Westbury - Up Yard 

Thursday 2nd April: 60028 6Z60 07:49 Up Yard - Eastleigh East Yard, 6Z62 10:12 Eastleigh East Yard - Willesden DC Rail one two; 70812 + 56096 + 56090 + 56087 (56s reported as being stored, rumour pointing towards Marchwood) 0Y69 07:15 Barnetby - Eastleigh but cancelled at Westbury, then 70803 replaced 70812 for 0Z32 14:00 Westbuiry - Bristol High Level Siding, and then assigned for 0F84 to Cardiff Canton.

Friday 3rd April:

Saturday 4th April:

Eastleigh Works: 12Mar - 13Mar

The newly arrived Pacers are now understood to be owned by Arlington, with a further three pathed for Monday afternoon, 6th April.. Intriguing!

47812 has been modified at Arlington to be able to haul multiple units without translator coaches, and will be the first of four.

Eastern Docks line has effectively been placed out of use:

A reduction in stone workings is anticipated next week, with further coming after Easter.

Freightliner have stored 66419, 66502, 66512, 66508, 66510,  66518, 66528, 66536, 66540, 66562 and 66593. GBRf has also stored some Class 66 locos.

56078 was reinstated for a forthcoming civil engineering job in Scotland, but note the additional Colas 56 locomotives reported above as being stored.

SWR has taken over the management of Romsey, Mottisfont & Dunbridge and Dean stations.from 1st April.

,

#StayHomeSaveLives  - including the sunny days

Archive: the Pacers at Eastleigh

Four images kindly supplied by Dave Mant, related to the arrival of the three Pacers at Eastleigh this week. While Dave had seen all of these before, my notes show that 142032 was new to me.

142014 (with 142044) at  Manchester Victoria on  20th August 1987. The original bi-folding doors seen here were replaced in the 1990s due to reliability issues. The long platform to Manchester Exchange is on the right, this viewpoint is now dominated by the Manachester Arena. 142001 to 142014 were delivered in Greater Manchester PTE Orange and Brown livery in 1985.

142032 at Chester on 2nd July 2001.

142089 at Shildon, 12th August 2013. My own picture from October 2018.

143621 passes West Grimstead on the way to Eastleigh for overhaul, 1st April 2009.

Perth, 10th September 1990 (Part 1)

A quick return to Scotland for social events in September 1990, including a short visit to Perth on 10th September. While I was elsewhere, the introduction of Class 158 into Scotrail services was a difficult period. Units (709/711/708) worked the first public service on 17th Sept 1990 on the Edinburgh-Glasgow route.

In May 1990 Scotrail drafted Class 156's onto express services, when the push-pull sets were reassigned to InterCity. The ongoing problems led to the short term usage of Class 37 locomotives with Mk 1 stock, some borrowed back from the SRPS or Caledonian Railway.

37087 in the platform at Perth with a 2 coach train. It would reverse out from here, and is recorded as later working 2A74 1712 Dundee - Montrose and 2Y46 1808 Montrose - Perth, similarly the next day. 

The locomotive was new as D6787 from Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn on 31st December 1962, allocated to Gateshead. Overhauled at Doncaster in April 1990, when it was repainted into Departmental Grey, and transferred to Eastfield. Later stored in March 1997, and to Harry Needle in October 2002, sold to DRS in February 2005, overhauled through until March 2006, and returned to traffic. Withdrawn in June 2012, delivered to Booth's in February 2013, and broken up within the following three weeks.

37088 Clydesdale on the far side of the wall, with a newly constructed Cash & Carry beyond located where there were once sidings. The track where 37088 is stopped is similarly now gone, as Perth has continued to be rationalised,, the same spot seen in more recent years. It was sharing the Montrose working with 37087 through until Friday 14th September 1990, seen here with the two coach train on 12th.

D6788  was new from Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn on 14th January 1963, allocated to Gateshead. Renumbered 37323 and named Clydesdale in July 1986 when allocated to Motherwell, with strengthened couplings and modified brake blocks for working the heavy trains to Ravenscraig, Renumbered back to 37088 in September 1989. Transferred to Eastliegh when at Glasgow Works for overhaul, completed in June 1990, repainted into Departmental Grey. Stored serviceable in June 1996, assigned for component recovery in 1998, arriving at Wigan CRDC in July 1999. Removed from the CRDC in July 2002, and cut up at Booth's by October 2002.

158703 was still on driver training and mileage accumulation, given the tribulations of getting the 158s into service. There was no unit number on the other end.

08712 shunted at Perth for many years. Delivered from BR Crewe as D3879 to 64A St Margaret's on 28th April 1960, later to Bathgate, Haymarket (both in 1966) and Grangemouth in 1974. Overhauled at Glasgow Works in April 1976. It was reallocated from Grangemouth to Dundee in 1977, then to Dunfermline in the early 80s, when Dundee shed was closed. This was followed by a shuffle to Ayr and back to Dunfermline, then Thornton when the new shed  building was opened. Overhauled and air-brake fitted at Swindon in March 1984, formally allocated to Perth about 1987, and back to Thornton by 1991. Some of the allocations may have been a game of finding a depot closest to Perth, but latterly to Eastfield. Withdrawn on 11th December 1992 at Motherwell, and cut up at MC Metals at Motherwell MPD by 15th September 1993.

Pictures at Perth from other photographers: one (27May77) two (07Apr79) three (06Jun84) four (24Jul84) five (06Aug84)  six (06Sep87) seven (02Jul90) eight (06Dec90) nine ten eleven

1730 is a RBR completed in November 1960, which in August 1988 ran as 99818, returning to 1730 in April 1990, as part of its transition into the SRPS Railtours fleet, today based at Bo'ness.  The adjacent coaches were I believe in the similar usage, but there have been changes in the train consist in the intervening period, 1730 has spent longer with the SRPS than it did with BR.

2821 was originally 2612 a SLSTP built in 1960 at BR Wolverton, converted in 1971 to SLEP 2821 and withdrawn in October 1983, and sold to Fulmar Marine at Invergordon for worker accommodation, acquired by the SRPS and moved to Falkirk in 1984. After Perth, moved to Bo'ness and scrapped in 2005.

LMS 12059 Third built 1930 later SC11406M and DM395918 in Departmental service, acquired by the SRPS in 1996, and in the core collection. "This "Period 2" coach is now a gutted shell, and at risk in open storage. It is the only survivor of this type of high-capacity non-corridor carriage built for branch lines and suburban services in cities".

Pacers to Eastleigh, 31st March 2020

Wow! I think the first Class 142 units to Eastleigh, although some Class 1436xx units were overhauled there, with 143611 present at the 2009 Works Open Day - one two three.

142089 + 142032 + 142014 5Z43 07:07 Gascoigne Wood - Eastleigh Works, which was 55 minutes early into Salisbury, and passed Romsey 48 minutes early. There was no conflicting SWR service in this hour.

The same three units worked together on 4th January, as 5Z43 09:56 Heaton- Gascoigne Wood, so have remained as a group, and the purpose of their arrival at Eastleigh is not yet known.

Noted passing Crampmoor, on a single daily exercise on foot. Dave Mant earlier took a video of them at West Grimstead, similarly close to his home.

Further coverage on Flickr.

Note: This is real news, and not related to today's date.