Four Class 47s to West Coast

West Coast have acquired 47812, 47813, 47815 and 47848 from Rail Operations Group.

47812 at Eastleigh Works, 28th September 2017.

47813 at Exeter, 2nd February 2002.

47815 at Eastleigh, 2nd July 2015.

47848 at Southampton, 31st March 2002.

Discussion of the transaction: WNXXforum - RailUKforums.

At the same time, it appears that 47580 may not be returning to the active WCRC fleet.

22nd - 29th March 2020

59101 Village of Whatley is running about 47 minutes late, passing Crampmoor on 25th, with 7V62 1321 Up Yard - Whatley, all wagons being O&K JYAs. Somewhere between Dean and East Grimstead, the train lost another half an hour, for reasons not known. 59101 later worked to Theale.

Sunday 21st March: 37254 3Z47 09:49 Derby - Eastleigh one two three four five six seven eight, 3Q12 21:45 Eastleigh - Weymouth - Fratton - Southampton - Eastleigh
Monday 22nd March: 37254 3Q09 20:22 Eastleigh - Southampton - Hither Green one
Tuesday 23rd March: 
Wednesday 24th March: 73961 + 73965 3Q21 20:40 Hither Green - Eastleigh
Thursday 25th March: 73961 + 73965 1Z73 10:31 Eastleigh - Northam, 1Q67 14:27 Eastleigh - Cannon St (- Tonbridge); 37884 (+ 317659 + 317671 for scrap) 5Q86 11:51 Ely - Eastleigh one two three four five six, 37884 0Zxx 18:14 Eastleigh - Leicester; 47749 + 66798 0O66 13:53 Doncaster - Reading - Westbury - Laverstock - Romsey - Redbridge - Eastleigh one two three four five six seven eight nine ten; 37254 3Q21 20:40 Hither Green - Eastleigh
Friday 26th March: 47749 + 66798 Eastleigh East Yard - Works one; 66793 0Y62 09:42 Eastleigh - Basingstoke - Eastleigh one two, 66793 + 47749 5E02 12:34 Eastleigh - Doncaster one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve; 37254 3Q26 23:57 Eastleigh - Derby
Saturday 27th March:

66793 painted in Railfreight two-tone grey at Eastleigh, and one further view.

Eastleigh Works: 22Feb - 24Feb - 25Feb - 03Mar - 04Mar

08683 is now shunting at Eastleigh, having replaced 08511 about 5th March.

GBRf orders more intermodal flats, to be built by Greenbrier for Porterbrook.

Dunbridge, 18th March 2021

 
66706 running as VST 0Z44 11:30 Ludgershall Mod Gbrf - Eastleigh East Yard, having earlier arrived from Kineton.


66601 The Hope Valley with late running 7V16 12:16 Fareham - Whatley, formed fully of O&K box wagons.

59104 Village of Great Elm passes with 6V62 13:21 Up Yard - Whatley.

There were three KEA wagons in the formation, the first was VTG 3243.

Followed by VTG 3229 and VTG 3172. 3229 was one of those placed in store at Exeter in October, it is understood that all are back in traffic.

66710 Phil Packer BRIT continues to work on Eastleigh - Westbury, this is 6V40 14:05 from Eastleigh.

The sole wagon was OCA 112111 (BREL Shildon, 1981-82), which had worked in the opposite direction on Monday 15th.

66517 passing a little early with 7V09 13:41 Chichester - Merehead.

Activity at Dunbridge Yard, 18th March 2021

 Another re-activation, it appears by a different contractor.

Welfare facilities for essential needs have arrived in the yard. High Motive appear to be focused towarss telecommunications hire in their business.

L&W RRV143 (99709 910040-3) is a  Komatsu PW160 Megarailer. The check digit as applied is incorrect.

The accompanying wagon was RRT37 (99709 020207-5).

Snapshot at Eastleigh, 17th March 2021

 

70805 has mainly been active on Civil Engineers' train workings.

08460 continues to shunt the yards, it has been resident for almost two years.

66737 is close to destination to deliver 701025 running as 6X24 07:35 Derby - Eastleigh.

66739 Bluebell Railway was very early with 4M46 14:24 Western Docks - Trafford Park, this picture was taken at 14:10.

15th - 20th March 2021

 
66710 approaches Romsey with 6O39 10:14 Westbury - Eastleigh. 16th March. The first wagon was OCA 112111, second YQA DC 967638, and third OBA 110026 


66539 4M65 1346 Maritime - Lawley Street, 16th March.

New footbridge at Millbrook. 16th March. Not all of us can see over the edge. Image by Roger Homan.

Monday 15th March: 37099 + 37254 1Q51 11:15 Derby - Eastleigh - Weymouth - Eastleigh one Flickr for the day; 66706 + 69002 0O69 13:00 Longport - Eastleigh one two three four Flickr for the day; 73961 + 73965 3Q10 20:48 Derby to Eastleigh 

Tuesday 16th March: 47749 0F94 09:10 Eastleigh  - Romsey - Salisbury - Leicester Flickr for the day; 37099 + 37254 1Q52 10:37 Eastleigh - Portsmouth Harbour - Littlehampton - Portsmouth Harbour - Totton Yard - Havant - Guildford - Havant - Fareham - Eastleigh - Winchester - Woking - Lymington Pier -Eastleigh Flickr for the day; 73961 + 73965 3Q01 21:31 Eastleigh - Wimbledon - Basingstoke - Reading - Basingstoke - Woking - Eastleigh one
Wednesday 17th March: 37099 + 37254 1Q53 11:48 Eastleigh - Up Yard - Wimbledon - Up Yard one two three Flickr for the day, 1Q53 18:04 Up Yard - Wimbledon - Totton - Romsey - Eastleigh; 66737 + 701025 6X24 07:35 Derby - Eastleigh one two Flickr for the day; 73961 + 73965 3Q03 23:42 Eastleigh - Brighton - Eastleigh

Thursday 18th March: 73961 + 73965 1Q54 12:46 Eastleigh - Tonbridge; 37099 + 37254 3Q04 21:19 Eastleigh - Totton - Reading Triangle one two 

Friday 19th March: 

Saturday 20th March:

59003 continues to reside within Eastleigh Works.

Waterside Transport Strategy: Facebook update - the report

Eastleigh Works and T&RSMD, 17th March 2021

All of the really interesting locomotives seemed to be inside the works buildings. I understand now that I may have seen the 484s across the allotments, that will be for another time.

317890 was under disposal, it would appear that DTS(A) 77033 has proceeded first into the cutting area.

33.70.7899.054-2 is a TIA, which appears to have been soled and heeled, having arrived on the works on 12th September. Built by Arbel Fauvet in 1987.


78243, a TDA, arrived on the same day, and has received similar attention. Built by Marley Industrie in 1991-93.

This line up is 701013, 701004, 701016, and 701015.

Chi-stone empties, Redbridge, 16th March 2021

66524 with 7V07 12:41 Chichester - Merehead, running early, having not been held in Southampton Down Loop. A pause was required at Redbridge to wait for a passing Voyager.

Creeping into the station at Redbridge.

66524 at rest awaiting the signal.

The first box wagon was 81.70.5500.852-5, a JNA delivered in 2020.

3410 is a JNA, running on former tanker wagon bogies. It was built by Marcroft, at Stoke, in 1998. Of visual note is that this example is twin-piped, which Mendip Rail are understood to be keener to retain. The train was coupled as twin piped at the locomotive end. While still marked with logo for CAIB, this is a VTG wagon, following acquisition in 2002.

3950 is a JNA, built for NACCO by Marcroft in 2000-01. NACCO was acquired by VTG in 2018, and a start has been made to changing the prefix of the wagon numbers from NACO to VTG, as seen here. NACCO SAS, headquartered in Paris, founded in 1972, was a division of CIT Group since 2014.

Tractors on the Test Train, 16th March 2021

37099 + 37254 1Q52 10:37 Eastleigh - Portsmouth Harbour - Littlehampton - Portsmouth Harbour - Totton Yard - Havant - Guildford - Havant - Fareham - Eastleigh - Winchester - Woking - Lymington Pier -Eastleigh

Formation: 6261 + 1256 + 999550 + 977969

An evaluation took place last week of Class 70s for working on Test Trains. But can Class 70s reach the parts which Class 37s can reach, thinking of Lymington?

 

With 37254 leading, the train passes Millbrook. Image by Roger Homan.

Approaching Redbridge, a short time later.


Passing Redbridge.

37099 on the rear.

Following the wait at Totton, the return through Redbridge, led by 37099. Image by Ian Knight.

Further coverage on Flickr.

Aggregates Bristol East - Southampton Up Yard, 15th March 2021

This ran on 15th March, running in the path of the Whatley services from and to Westbury. The stock was Freightliner box wagons, this may have been a first visit for these in daylight to the Southampton area, some having been previously brought to pass the Swaythling detector?

Loaded: 6O53 05:57 Bristol East Depot Dbc to Southampton Up Yard (Fl)
Empties: 6V62 13:21 Southampton Up Yard (Fl) to Bristol East Depot Dbc

Location of Bristol East, which is listed as an aggregates handling site by Network Rail.

Led by 66622, the train is seen returning past Crampmoor. The train arrived at Bristol East from Stoke Gifford on Sunday, having arrived there as 6Z82 empties from Lafarge Small Heath on Saturday. Small Heath is another distribution location, typically served from Tunstead, this consist having arrived from there as loaded 6G67. Having returned to Bristol, it is scheduled to work forward as 6M92 02:50 to Banbury.

66622 powers past Crampmoor.


81.70.5891.019-8 is an MWA from the 2016 green batch.

502199 is a MJA from 2005-06 period, and was built as a single wagon as an experiment - running with buffers at each end, rather than as a bar-coupled pair. This experiment led to the big box Network Rail IOA wagons.

81.70.5891.529-6 is an MWA from the 2018 batch, delivered in a G&W grey scheme.

81.70.5891.001-6 is the first of the 2016 batch of  Freightliner MWA wagons.

Consist was: 

81.70.5891.019-8 MWA Greenbrier, Poland, 2016
81.70.5891.033-9 MWA
81.70.5891.058-6 MWA
502199 MJA                   Wagony Swidnica, Poland, 2005-06
81.70.5891.515-5 MWA Greenbrier, Poland, 2018
81.70.5891.511-4 MWA
81.70.5891.531-2 MWA
81.70.5891.529-6 MWA
81.70.5891.571-8 MWA
81.70.5891.052-9 MWA
81.70.5891.517-1 MWA
81.70.5891.513-0 MWA
81.70.5891.003-2 MWA
81.70.5891.505-6 MWA
81.70.5891.017-2 MWA
81.70.5891.042-0 MWA
81.70.5891.001-6 MWA

Further pictures: one two three

Snapshot at Romsey, 12th March 2021

 Two consecutive freight workings, and more light in the later afternoons.

59206 John F Yeoman Rail Pioneer approaches with  7O40 13:35 Merehead Quarry (Fhh) -Eastleigh F.Y. Agg (Flhh).

A closer view of the Class 59, which entered service in October 1995.

Nine minutes later and 66571 similarly approaches with 4O57 13:29 Wentloog - Maritime.

66571 was delivered in 2003.

8th - 13th March 2021

66601 The Hope Valley working 7V16 11:55 Fareham - Whatley passing Crampmoor, 8th March.

59003 is in Eastleigh Works, so 66710 Phil Packer BRIT  hauled 6V41 to Westbury on 11th March, with a consist of auto-ballasters, which have an interesting history.

Soon after leaving Maritime, 66537 is in charge of 4M65 13:46 Maritime - Lawley Street, on 12th March. Image by Roger Homan.

Monday 8th March:
Tuesday 9th March:
Wednesday 10th March: 37219 3Q25 22:55 Hither Green - Eastleigh
Thursday 11th March: 70810 + 70812 5Z70 10:12 Eastleigh - Waterloo - Eastleigh (Ultrasonic Test Train trial 96604 + 6260 + 9808 + 62287 + 9703 proving run for Colas Class 70 usage on test trains) one two three four five six seven; 43299 + 977995 + 977984 + 975814 + 977993 + 977994 + 975984 + 43062 1X23 15:13 Salisbury - Southampton UGL - Salisbury; 37219 3Q28 20:58 Eastleigh - London Area - Reading Triangle 
Friday 12th March:
Saturday 13th March:

More on the recent trial run by 70017 on a Merehead - Acton load, which was for evaluation of hydro-treated vegetable oil as a fuel.

Class 69 testing on the Severn Valley Railway, three videos: one two three

"Union connectivity review: interim report" 

Former Network Rail crane exported from Southampton - ADRC96710 - bidding note, a thread from the BDCA, and a picture of the crane in the docks on 24th February.

New aggregate contract echoes historic Southampton shipment for Solent Stevedores - onward distribution by road ?

SWR Traincare, Salisbury, 7th March 2021

 DMUs at Salisbury on a Sunday morning.

159017 in platform 2.

158881 and 158888.

159103.

159108 in the station, where 30 years ago on a Sunday you could often find a surviving Class 50. The Class 159s are now 29 years old.