Freightliner Class 70s, 23rd - 26th January 2023

 

70004 The Coal Industry Society with late running 4M65 13:45 Maritime - Lawley Street, passing Romsey, 23rd January.

70010 0Z47 09:35 Maritime - Banbury, at Eastleigh, 25th January.

70004 passing Millbrook with  4O14 05:36 Garston - Maritime, 26th January.

70008 departing past Millbrook with 4M61 12:24 Maritime - Trafford Park, 26th January.

70014 + 66561 DIT run through Millbrook with 4O90 06:04 Leeds - Maritime, 26th January.

23rd - 28th January 2023

 

66041 on 'The Cars' 4O39 09:43 Morris Cowley M.A.T. - Southampton Eastern Docks, at Eastleigh, 25th January.

66027 on the rear of the train.

458503 5B39 10:01 Wimbledon - Bournemouth (5th for C6 overhaul), passing Millbrook 26th January. 458509 returned later from Bournemouth after completion of  its C6..

Sunday 22nd January: 37099 3Z01 10:00 Eastleigh - Reading Triangle
Monday 23rd January:
Tuesday 24th January: 47727 (+ 701052) 5Q27 1320 Derby - Guildford - Havant - Fareham - Eastleigh one two
Wednesday 25th January: 47727 (+ 701019) 5Q96 11:29 Eastleigh - Marchwood one, 47727 0Z96 13:17 Marchwood - Eastleigh
Thursday 26th January: 47727 (+ 701016) 5Q95 07:31 Eastleigh - Marchwood, 47727 0Z95 09:55 Marchwood - Eastleigh, 47727 (+ 701022) 5Q96 11:29 Eastleigh - Marchwood one, 47727 0Z96 13:17 Marchwood - Eastleigh
Friday 27th January: 47727 (+6376 + 6377) 5M10 14:31 Eastleigh - Leicester one
Saturday 28th January:

Hook disruption may be targeted for 22nd February completion. 4Y19 from Mountfield operated via GWML this week, Woking stone via Fareham and Havant in both directions on some days. BBC drone footage - Network Rail update.

Class 69 temporary withdrawal from traffic.

Eastleigh Works: 04Oct - 05Oct - 06Oct - 11Oct - 25Oct (67027 repaint) - 26Oct - 27Oct

43046 + 43055 were noted outside the Works on Friday. Inside, more ex-FGW HST trailers are being painted into the Blue Pullman scheme, possibly heading towards a second set for LSL.

Rumour: 313202/214/217 to go to Eastleigh for spares recovery and scrapping in coming weeks.

Class 701s to Marchwood: "Rock and Alstom have been asked to move all non commissioned units off swr depots as swr need the space". More moves anticipated next week, the diagrams are in place on Monday 30th and Tuesday 31st, with loco arriving from Wembley early in the day on Monday. 47739 is currently at Wembley.

Aggregates watching: Only noted the Up Yard working twice this week, it was the same core set as last week, but the add-on JNA was changed to VTG 3437 by Wednesday 25th. Elsewhere, a JYA wagon has been noted westbound on the M62, heading fro0m Gascoigne Wood to a so far unknown scrapyard.

VTG 3437 at Eastleigh, 25th January.

Class 69 coming out of traffic

Reportedly grounded as of 01:00 Monday 30th, but apparently out of traffic from Friday 27th.

Multiple stories abound, like all rumours.

1. It appears that John Smith, MD of GBRf, rode 69002 on the Mountfield on Thursday 26th, where operational issues may have been identified.

2. A hairline crack may have been identified on 69004, in the engine, which may have endangered the crankshaft. In a Class 66, the engine is mounted to the frame, where the 69 is quite different. Information now refuted./

3. 69004 suffered bogie damage in a derailment, and awaits a trip to Longport for related repairs. However, the bogies are well understood Class 56 pattern. 69004 needed tyre turning after the derailment, and worked to Ashford for this under its own power.

All are at Tonbridge this morning, except 69005, which is at Doncaster Roberts Road, nominally for staff training.

WNXX has a quote ""GBRf are looking at quickest way to complete fleet mods and some cab improvements based on in service experience"" and says to expect all to move to Longport next week for work to commence.

Monday 30th update:

Tuesday 31st update: " The tyre turn was required due to a recent derailment due to track spread involving 69004. Regarding comments on social media (and there's been a lot) that the Class 69 has been grounded due to an issue with 69004, this is completely unfounded nonsense." via WNXX.

1st February: 69007 + 69003 + 69001 + 69006 moved as 0Z69 Tonbridge - Peterborough.one two

69002 at Eastleigh, 10th July 2021.

Class 701 Eastleigh - Marchwood drag, 26th January 2023

47727 (+ 701022) 5Q96 11:29 Eastleigh - Marchwood, seen passing Millbrook.

The working approaches on the down fast.

Two closer views as 47727 approaches.

47727 was new on 17th October 1964, as D1629 to 16A Toton.

701022 has unfortunately been "tagged" while in its extended storage in the airport sidings at Eastleigh/ The 47 is seen in the distance.

New FEA-G wagons in 4M19. Eastleigh, 25th January 2023

200 new FEA-G wagons are in course of delivery from Astra Rail (Greenbrier) for GBRf usage. At platform level, these appear to be more or less identical to the Network Rail yellow FEA-W type. The ORR approval letter covers the range 81.70.4663-001-5 to 81.70.4663.200-3. The first 20 wagons arrived at Wembley on 19th November 2022.

66730 Whitemoor runs through the station with 4M19 11:50 Western Docks - East Midlands Gateway.

81.70.4663.020-5 .

Data panel on 81.70.4663.020-5.

The pair is made up  with numerically adjacent 81.70.4663.019-7 FEA-G. This was the only pair in the train consist.

Class 701 Eastleigh - Marchwood drag, 25th January 2023

47727 (+ 701019) 5Q96 11:29 Eastleigh Trsmd - Marchwood Mod Gbrf. SWR are understood to have arranged storage space for up to 9 of these units at this location, and 47727 has two further possible trips to make on 26th, before a planned return to Leicester.

47727 drags 701019 from the T&RSMD towards the yard, through platform 3 at Eastleigh.

A closer view as the train runs through the platform.

Having run around, as 0Z96, involving a short stay in platform 3, 5Q96 proceeds through platform 2.


A closer view as the train comes to a stand to await a passing Weymouth train.

Detail of the special linkages between 47727 and 701019.

A classic Class 47 awaiting departure from platform view.


Departure.

Twenty minutes later, passing Redbridge. Image by Ian Knight.

Aggregates Watching, 19th January 2023

The snapshot suggests that the box wagon situation is little changed from when last reviewed two months ago. Marcroft 1998 JNAs are still being used as single additional wagons, and Marcroft 2000-01 JNAs were also noted on a Fareham return working earlier in the week.

The newest wagon noted is still 81.70.5932.604-8, again noted this week - wagons delivered are up to 610-5.

The 81.70.5932.521 - 550 delivery of 19th August, seems under-represented, and could be utilised in other flows [update: several reported in East Usk - Machen Quarry traffic]. I have seen only 2, while noting 25 of the following 30 wagons.

All stored Mendip Rail wagons at Exeter are now reported to have been removed. 

66553 leads 6V62 13:21 Up Yard - Whatley, passing Romsey. The set was all Greenbrier JNA, with one exception, and loco and wagons were also on the same working on the previous day.

The exception was Marcroft 1998 JNA, VTG 3424.

66561 came along later with 6V07 13:41 Chichester - Merehead, with an all Greenbrier set of wagons.

JNA 81.70.5932.590-9 .

JNA 81.70.5932.586-7 .

Freightliner Class 70s, 18th - 19th January 2023

Since last reviewed, 70015 was stored at Leeds in early December, following what appears to have been a last working on 4E91 from Maritime on 14th November. Last noted here on 5th September. 

70011 4O15 06:40 Lawley Street - Maritime, Eastleigh, 18th January.

70004 4O14 05:36 Garston - Maritime, Eastleigh, 18th January.


70016 4M61 12:24 Maritime - Trafford Park, Eastleigh, 18th January.

70011 4M65 13::45 Maritime - Lawley Street, Romsey, 19th January.

16th - 21st January 2023

 

47727 Edinburgh Castle / Caisteal Dhùn Èideann arrives at Eastleigh, 18th January.

66709 Sorrento 6O31 17:30 Westbury - Eastleigh, Romsey 16th January.

68016 and 68018 return from Winfrith, passing Redbridge, 18th January. Video clip by Ian Knight.

Monday 16th January:

Tuesday 17th January: 47830 0M47 0902 Maritime - Basford Hall one; 37116 + 37610 3Z52 16:37 Reading Triangle- Eastleigh, 1Q52 21:50 Eastleigh - Lymington Pier - Eastleigh
Wednesday 18th January: 68016 + 68018 +T 6Z62 01:00 Crewe - Winfrith one, 6Z95 16:03 Winfrith - Crewe one; 37116 + 37610 1Q53 12:00 Eastleigh - Up Yard - Wimbledon - Havant - Fareham - Up Yard one two three four five, 1Q53 18:05 Up Yard - Farnborough Wimbledon - Totton - Romsey - Eastleigh; 47727 0Z47 10:06 Wembley - Eastleigh, 0Z48 15:00 Eastleigh - Wembley; 37099 3Z01 13:00 Woking - Havant - Fareham - Eastleigh one two, 3Q01 21:30 Eastleigh - Redbridge - Salisbury - Redbridge - Eastleigh (although unplanned, two Class 37 hauled trains within 10 minutes at Romsey)
Thursday 19th January: 37116 + 37610 1Q54 12:55 Eastleigh - Tonbridge one two three four;  37099 3Q04 21:39 Eastleigh - Reading Triangle
Friday 20th January: 47727 (+ 701051) 5Q10 09:12 Derby - Guildford - Havant - Fareham - Eastleigh one two, 47727 0M10 19:13 Eastleigh - Leicester; 37099 3Q40 2353 Reading Triangle - Northam - Basingstoke - Eastleigh
Saturday 21st January:

Hook landslip - this affected the Class 37 operated test trains this week. "The Mountfield" down working 4Y19 routed via Havant on Thursday and Friday. 

 - Friday update

43030, which was the rear power car in the 2020 Carmont accident, has been scrapped. In years past, seen at Romsey, and then in Scotland.

Eastleigh Works: 02Sep - 05Sep - 06Sep - 09Sep - 10Sep - 14Sep - 15Sep - 29Sep

Tractors on the Test Train, Eastleigh, 18th January 2023

 

37610 of HNRC, leased to Colas for test train use. Originally D6881 released by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns, Darlington, 21st October 1963.


999550, the last Mk2 coach, built in 1976 as the High Speed Track Recording Train coach.


1256 is Plain Line Pattern Recognition coach PLPR3, converted 10 years ago.


37116 moving up the yard in a shunt. New as D6816 from EE Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows, on 1st March 1963. 


37116 running through platform 3 as 1Q53 12:00 Eastleigh East Yard - Southampton Up Yard.


37610 later returning from Up Yard after reversal. 

37116 on the rear of the train. The return working appears to have run via Guildford - Havant - Fareham - St Denys, given the current problems at Hook.

Eastleigh Works, 18th January 2023

 

50021 Rodney which should soon be seen being movement tested inside the Works area.


43308 has been released from its coupling to 43296, to which it remained attached since first arrival in March 2021. The two LNER red cars are expected to be for spares usage.

701031 and 701025 have migrated from the T&RSMD to the Works.

TIPH 78253, a TDA, has been present at the Works since about November 2021.

Test trains in Fife, 6th and 8th December 2022

 

EMR purple base colours on 43274 (43074, January 1978), leading the NMT 1Q26 13:45 Edinburgh - Slateford at Aberdour, 6th December.

43299 (43099, September 1978) on the rear. The preceding stage of the working left Derby 3 hours late, but then skipped a Glasgow area itinerary to proceed to Edinburgh from Carstairs. Still running over an hour late, the train proceeded to Carnoustie and Perth, where it left to time after a shortened break. However, 1Q26 terminated at Dundee, and the train returned to Slateford using a VSTP schedule.

Former Edinburgh - Glasgow DBSO 9708 leading 3Z01 1330 Slateford - Carnoustie - Perth - Dundee - Slateford, on 8th December, between Dalgety Bay station, and the location of the former Donibristle Halt.

The first tour of test train working for newly painted and overhauled 37607 of Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC), brought it to Scotland. Plenty of Tractor Thrash on the rear, as it runs through the location of the former Donibristle Halt.

This was a working of Ultrasonic Test Train UTU-3, where the second coach was 999602, which is a former 4-REP DMS, 62483, delivered in December 1974 in unit 3015.

Again under power uphill, 37607 now leads, on the return to Slateford, passing Aberdour.

37607 was new as D6803 from EE Vulcan Foundry, on 9th January 1963, later 37103 and 37511.

Test train consist was 96604 + 977986 + 977985 + 9803 (ex-Caledonian Sleeper) + 999602 + 9708