Sunday 31 May 2020

Freight at Eastleigh, 28th May 2020


66534 pulls a well loaded 4O14 04:58 Garston - Maritime out of Eastleigh.

66119 runs through with 4O39 09:43 Morris Cowley M.A.T. - Eastern Docks.

66955 7V62 13:21 Up Yard - Whatley.

66559 approaching with 4M61 13:00 Maritime - Trafford Park.

Saturday 30 May 2020

25th - 30th May 2020


Monday 25th May:
Tuesday 26th May:
Wednesday 27th May: 
Thursday 28th May: 66207 5Z50 10:00 Wolverton - Eastleigh one two three
Friday 29th May:
Saturday 30th May:

Eastleigh Works: 07May - 12May - 13May - 14May - 15May



Friday 29 May 2020

Eastleigh Works, 28th May 2020


One of Locomotive Services 90001 or 90002 is being prepared in InterCity red-stripe colours.

Class 442 units in storage, expected to be for disposal.

66207 arrives with 5Z50 10:00 Wolverton - Eastleigh, a single Mk 3b royal train coach.

2922 'HRH The Prince of Wales's Sleeping Car', built in 1987.

08567 shunts 2922.

Wednesday 27 May 2020

Dunbridge, 26th May 2020


66610 7V16 11:56 Fareham - Whatley, via Southampton for this week, and this time the old wagons.

Two views of recently painted 59206 John F Yeoman Rail Pioneer 7V62 1321 Up Yard - Whatley. Believed to be its first visit into southern Hampshire since it was repainted.


66559 4M65 13:46 Maritime - Lawley Street.

66719 METRO-LAND 6V41 1448 Eastleigh-Westbury, mostly formed of auto-ballasters.

Monday 25 May 2020

Around Eastleigh, 20th and 21st May 2020


66739 Bluebell Railway arrived from Marchwood, and entered the T&RSMD to refuel. The 1960s extension building behind is planned for demolition (F/20/87841 - at Eastleigh Council).

It was preceded by 66710, which had earlier arrived from Westbury.

66846 departing with 6V27 13:27 Eastleigh -Hinksey.

66416 departs with 4M61 13:00 Maritime - Trafford Park.

08511 ws shunting.

The new JNA box wagons have been operating to Fareham, and a better picture than this one is desirable. 81 70 5500 824-4 appears to have arrived in the UK in February.

Sunday 24 May 2020

Two days of the Garston, Eastleigh, 20th and 21st May 2020


4O14 04:58 Garston - Maritime

20th: 66531 skipped time in the loop at Wallers Ash, so was held after Shawford (29 minutes early), and then close to the yard (11 minutes early),  before approaching Eastleigh (5 minutes early).

21st: 66569 leads a fully loaded train. This was 43 minutes early as it got alongside East Yard, but again departed only 5 minutes early.

Saturday 23 May 2020

Eastleigh Works, 21st May 2020


47848, which had failed on the 20th while on the way to Eastleigh, appears to have been repaired and was on test on the afternoon of 21st.

A few minutes earlier, 47848 is shunted before going onto test.

47848 passes 50026.

50026 Indomitable, with recently repainted bogies.

47614 (47853) continues under repair and test.

18th - 23rd May 2020


Two 47s at Eastleigh Works, 47771 and 47848, Thursday 21st May.

Monday 18th May: 73968 0Z73 10:06 Loughborough - Eastleigh one two three four
Tuesday 19th May:
Wednesday 20th May: 37716 0Z16 09:06 Willesden - Eastleigh one two, 37716 + 37069 0Z69 12:44 Eastleigh - Crewe one two; 57301 + 47848 (failed) 5O86 14:02 Leicester - Eastleigh one two three four five six
Thursday 21st May: 57301 + 442422 5Q77 13:44 Eastleigh - Wolverton one two; 37099 3Q39 22:54 Westbury - Romsey - Eastleigh - Southampton - Lymington - Totton - Fawley - Southampton - Eastleigh - Romsey - Bristol High Level Siding (earlier in day at Westbury)
Friday 22nd May:
Saturday 23rd May:

Eastleigh - Fareham closure 23rd - 29th May - the stone train is scheduled to run via Southampton, but will it need to be top & tail ?

The Morris Cowley (BMW Mini) train ran on 22nd, 66013 heading 4O39 and 'RUST' was removed from the signalling diagram.

Ten years since the end of the Lymington Slammer.

Friday 22 May 2020

57301 moves 442422 to Wolverton, 21st May 2020


57301 Goliath (leased from DRS to ROG) + 442422 5Q77 13:44 Eastleigh Arlington (Zg) - Wolverton Centre Sidings.

Gemini Rail have moved their re-traction package project activity from Eastleigh Works to Wolverton. The background for this change remains unclear - the shared plan has not been followed, as completion, even after revision, was not in December 2019. Indeed Class 442 is currently out of use in the emergency period.



Details of the new traction package under MBC 62958 - history for reference.

Further coverage on Flickr.

Thursday 21 May 2020

37716 picks up 37069 from Eastleigh, 20th May 2020


37716 0Z16 09:06 Willesden - Eastleigh
37716 + 37069 0Z69 12:44 Eastleigh - Crewe, via Willesden

37069 was started and running when awaiting collection, and was in multi with 37716 as it left Eastleigh. Shown as on 'TEST' at Crewe on 21st, then appears available for traffic by lunchtime.

37069 ready and running at the works, with 50026 making an appearance at the left.

'DRS London on a Mission' - 37716 arrives from Willesden. This locomotive was new from Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns on 27th February 1963 as D6794, first allocated to Gateshead, later 37094 from November 1973 (according to my notes, I first saw it as 37094 in 1981-82). Rebuilt as 37716 in December 1988. Sent to Spain in May 2001, numbered L034, later L23. Returned to the UK in August 2013, and stored for DRS. Returned to service in 2016.

37716 having arrived at the works. 

The pair running through platform 3.

When will be the next time for a pair of DRS 37s at Eastleigh?


Further coverage on Flickr.

Wednesday 20 May 2020

Dunbridge, 18th May 2020



66710 Phil Packer BRIT passes with 6V41 14:48 Eastleigh - Westbury.

66544 working 4O57  13:29 Wentloog - Maritime.

158886 with what is currently a rare stopping train, there are only four per day in each direction.

166212 passes with 1F22 14:23 Portsmouth - Cardiff.

Sunday 17 May 2020

Eastleigh Works, 16th May 2020


37069 (English Electric Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns, July 1962) has been reported and pictured outside of the works building since early April. It remains in pool XHNC (DRS Locomotives Nuclear Traffic).

08567 (BR Crewe, April 1959) continues to shunt.

47614, most recently 47853 (Brush, Loughborough, June 1964), of Locomotive Services has been in the works since 30th October, for heavy engine repairs, and was also off its bogies. Engine start-up tests were being performed.

Mk 3b FO 11068 (BREL Derby 1985) was recently delivered to the Locomotive Services fleet from Greater Anglia. It arrived at the works on 23rd April.

Mk 2f FO 3325 (BREL Derby, December 1973) is in the Riviera fleet, and was transferred to the works from Burton on 11th July 2019.

73133 (English Electric, Vulcan Foundry, August 1966), two unidentified Class 442 units, 142014, four remaining coaches of 442424, Riviera Mk 1 coaches, test emu 313121 and 442421.

No apparent change for 47771 (Brush, Loughborough, July 1966), but KFA wagon TIPH 93370 (Rautaruukki, Finland, 1987-88)is of interest, as it is not up to the visual standard for those  Touax examples in the Freightliner fleet, arriving at the works from storage at Dollands Moor on 28th March. Part of 314204 on the right.

70817 has been at Eastleigh Works since Monday, and is being prepared for application of the latest Colas logo, noting the safety rails which are used for Class 70 maintenance and repair.

442421 was brought to the works from Ely on 5th March, and like at least one other unit, has lost its driving end doors, likely retrieved as parts for SWR units. 

442424 has been in Eastleigh since January 2017, its power car has now been scrapped this month.

Former Gatwick Express coaches 72509 & 72635 were moved from Marchwood to Eastleigh on 15th December 2014. They are obscured here by stored wagons from the Slinger train.

72509 (left) was built as Mk 2f FO 3398, delivered in December 1973 from BREL Derby, , and converted to TFOH 72509 for GatEx in May 1984, running in 8210 until withdrawal in November 2001. Sold to MoD Marchwood, and again for sale in 2014.

72635 (right) was built as Mk 2f TSO 6128 delivered from BREL Derby in 1974, and converted to TSOH 72635 for GatEx in May 1984, running in 8210 until withdrawal in November 2001. Sold to MoD Marchwood in 2002, and again for sale in 2014.

23.87.4384.042-9 an IPA car carrier is now in the colours of 'Groupe CAT', a company originally organised in 1957 by Renault, then sold by them in 2001, with ownership now controlled by Two Continent Logistics, a company owned by Manuel Antelo. These vehicles were previously marked for STVA (Societe de Transports de Vehicules Automobiles), which was acquired into Groupe CAT in 2017.