Tractors on a Festive Test Train, Aberdour, 22nd December 2022

A pair of Tractors sent to Scotland for a rarer daytime test train.

37099 + 37175 T+T 1Q26 13:45 Edinburgh - Carnoustie - Perth - Aberdeen - Edinburgh.

Test train coaches were 6001 + 977997 + 72639 + 9481.

37099 MERL EVANS 1947-2016, was new from English Electric Vulcan Foundry as D6799 on 14th December 1962, so is now 60 years old.

A closer view of 37099, with the train running slowly on a yellow.

First coach 6001 had just received attention at Cardiff, and sported a fresh coat of yellow, and very clean bogies. In the later years of the last decade, this coach was in DRS ownership, and worked here on the Fife Circle in 2015 and 2019.

37175 on the rear, new from English Electric Vulcan Foundry as D6875 on 20th September 1963.

East Somerset Railway Gala, 19th March 2023

 Images from the camera of Ian Knight.

The gala marked the return to traffic of GWR '5101'  4110 (Swindon, 1936) following its long restoration from Barry scrapyard condition), finished at Cranmore for the Dartmouth Steam Railway, for whom it will eventually work. Here seen running round at Mendip Vale.  

Preservation stalwart GWR 45xx 4555 (Swindon, 1924) is also on loan from Dartmouth.


LMS 2MT 46447 (Crewe, 1950) is seen running around at Mendip Vale.

1719 Lady Nan (Barclay, 1920).

Class 108 DMBS 51909 with DTC 56271 (both Derby, 1960).

4110 on a return to Cranmore. The last coach is the glass fibre S1000S built at Eastleigh, and used on Hayling Island services.

East Somerset Railway
Wikipedia

20th - 25th March 2023

 

68003 + 68009 head through Redbridge on their way to Winfrith, 23rd January. Video clip by Ian Knight.

Monday 20th March: 37099 3Q51 04:20 Eastleigh -Woking; 20096 + 20107 (+ 35479 + 17013 + 1666 +  41160 + 44081 + 41108 + 6708) 5Z20 10:13 Eastleigh - Southall one Flickr for the day; 59103 + 59002 + 66544  0Z59 10:45 Merehead - Maritime
Tuesday 21st March: 59206 0Z16 08:00 Merehead - Eastleigh Works one, 7Z16 12:25 Eastleigh - Merehead (returning Touax HOA 81.70.6774.058-6 after repairs) one two; 47749 0O69 10:35 Leicester - Eastleigh one; 66418 (+ 59002 + 59103) 6E96 18:21 Maritime - Leeds
Wednesday 22nd March: 47749 (+ 701046) 5Q95 06:50 Eastleigh - Marchwood, 47749 0Z95 09:13 Marchwood - Eastleigh
Thursday 23rd March: 68003 + 68009 6Z62 01:00 Crewe - Winfrith one two three four, 6Z95 15:54 Winfrith - Crewe (returned without load) one; 47749 (+ 701043) 5Q96 11:30½ Eastleigh - Marchwood one two, 47749 0Z96 1400 Marchwood - Eastleigh; 57309 (+ 2 PFA, DRS 92779 & 92760) 6Z37 07:33 Crewe Coal - Eastleigh one two
Friday 24th March: 47749 (+ 701004) 5Q70 06:50 Eastleigh - Long Marston one two Flickr for the day; 57309 0Z37 09:00 Eastleigh - Crewe one two
Saturday 25th March:

Repainted D2991 / 07007 outside at Eastleigh works

DRS rumoured to be offloading Class 57/3s

Miscellany in Fife, December 2022

 

57313 Scarborough Castle passing Aberdour, 4th December, with 'Northern Belle' 1Z38 11:38 Glasgow Central - Perth.


47812 on the rear of the train.


800111 passes  Aberdour 1E19 1147 Aberdeen - Kings Cross, 4th December.

800103 came along later with 1W11 10:00 Kings Cross - Aberdeen.


800112 at Standing Stone Bridge, Dalgety with 1W11 10:00 Kings Cross - Aberdeen, 7th December.


43181 passes the site of Donibristle Halt with 1B80 12:07 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, 8th December.

On a non-strike Thursday, 15th December, but with no passenger services, DRS 66122 psses Aberdour as 0Z60 0842 Grangemouth - Motherwell, running to Thoornton for driver training runs to Earlseat on the Leven branch.

43130 (+ 43036) with 1B74 09:04 Aberdeen - Edinburgh, passing Aberdour, 31st December.

Millbrook, 14th March 2023

5 images from Roger Homan.

66708 66708 Слава Україні Glory to Ukraine with 4M19 11:50 Southampton Western Docks - East Mids. Gateway.


70010 with 4O14 05:36 Garston - Maritime

66718 Sir Peter Hendy CBE with 3F03 12:18 Marchwood MOD - Kineton MOD

70016 4M61 12:24 Maritime - Trafford Park.

66085 with 4O43 03:59 Wakefield Europort - Southampton Western Docks.

13th - 18th March 2023

 
Monday 13th March: 47749 (+701040) 5Q69 xx:xx Wembley - Eastleigh one two, 47749 0F70 13:10 Eastleigh - Leicester one two Flickr for the day; 73963 + 73964 1Q51 11:15 Derby - Eastleigh - Weymouth - Eastleigh Flickr for the day
Tuesday 14th March: 73963 + 73964 1Q52 10:47 Eastleigh - Portsmouth Harbour - Littlehampton - Barnham- Portsmouth Harbour - Totton Yard - Havant - Guildford - Havant - Fareham - Eastleigh - Winchester - Basingstoke - Woking - Lymington Pier - Eastleigh one Flickr for the day; 37099 3Q01 23:38 Woking - Eastleigh
Wednesday 15th March: 73963 + 73964 1Q53 12:00 Eastleigh - Up Yard - Wimbledon - Up Yard, 1Q53 18:05 Up Yard - Farnborough Wimbledon - Totton - Romsey - Eastleigh; 37099 one two 3Q02 21:40 Eastleigh - Dorchester South - Fareham - Fratton - St Denys - Eastleigh
Thursday 16th March: 73963 + 73964 1Q54 12:55 Eastleigh - Tonbridge one; 37099 3Q04 21:14 Eastleigh - Totton - Basingstoke - Eastleigh
Friday 17th March: 20096 + 20107 0Z20 08:55 Crewe HS to Eastleigh Flickr for the day; 37099 3Q03 23:52 Eastleigh - Preston Park - Eastleigh
Saturday 18th March:

57311 is expected to emerge from Eastleigh Works in a LNWR / BR black scheme. Overhaul work is under way on 57302.

07007 has been named Bruce at Eastleigh Works, and has change of ownership of Bruce Knights to Arlington.

There will be no Royal Scotsman Grand Tour of Great Britain this year.

Romsey, 9th March 2023

 

220027 working 5Z20 10:06 Eastleigh Trsmd - Eastleigh Trsmd trainer duty arrives at Romsey from Southampton via Redbridge, for reversal to return to Eastleigh via Chandlers Ford.


70017 4M65 13:45 Southampton M.C.T. - Lawley Street F.L.T. After a week sidelined at Midland Road, 70017 returned to traffic on Monday 6th.


66764 Major John Poyntz 6V40 14:05 Eastleigh East Yard - Westbury Down T.C.

43272 leading 1X23 1513 Salisbury - Southampton UGL - Salisbury.

43290 on the rear, the train was the same formation as 4 weeks previously.

Aggregates watching, week of 6th March 2023

All pictures at Romsey. No 1998 pattern Marcroft JNAs were noted this week./

Tuesday 7th March:

First was a dud, no train, as the working from Whatley was 3 hours late. 59101 Village of Whatley returns as 0V62 13:21 Southampton Up Yard (Fl)- Whatley Quarry F Liner Hh.

59004 PAUL A HAMMOND running with an all-Greenbrier JNA set 7V07 1341 Chichester Recp. (Flhh) -Merehead Quarry (Fhh).

JNA wagon 81 70 5932 608-9 is the highest numbered that I have seen, and 3rd last of the confirmed deliveries made to Merehead.

Thursday 9th March:

66592 6V62 1321 Southampton Up Yard (Fl) - Whatley Quarry F Liner Hh. The wagons were partly those in the same train a week before.

6th - 11th March 2023

 

66302 with auto-ballasters as 6V41 14:50 Eastleigh East Yard - Westbury Down T.C.

Monday 6th March:
Tuesday 7th March: 68023 0Z37 13:50 Crewe - Eastleigh
Wednesday 8th March: 68023 6Z38 1046 Eastleigh - Crewe one Flickr for the day
Thursday 9th March: 43272 + 43290 1X23 15:13 Salisbury - Southampton UGL - Salisbury
Friday 10th March: 47749 (+ 701024) 5Q70 06:51 Eastleigh - Wembley; 37800 (+ 313202 + 313214 + 313217) 5Q86 10:24 Brighton - Eastleigh one two three four Flickr for the day, 37800 0M58 15:45 Eastleigh - Derby
Saturday 11th March:

Miscellany at Eastleigh, 2nd March 2023

 

66005 Maritime Intermodal One lies between civil engineering duties.

701013  passing with5Q40 08:31 Eastleigh -Staines Up Loop.

66302, formerly Endeavour, positions to later move as 0V40 14:05 Eastleigh - Westbury.

66789 British Rail 1948 - 1997 + 66730 Whitemoor 3Y88 10:10 Totton Yard - Totton Yard SITT.

Intermodals at Eastleigh, 2nd March 2023

 

66543 with 'Fresh Air Express' 4O15 06:40 Lawley Street- Maritime.

70004 The Coal Industry Society departs with 4O14 05:36 Garston - Maritime.

66144 4O43 05:47 Wakefield - Western Docks enters platform 3 from the East Yard./

66301, formerly Kingmoor TMD, recently leased by GBRf, with 4M19 11:50 Western Docks - East Midlands Gateway.

66534 OOCL Express 4O90 06:04 Leeds - Maritime, approaching the station.

Aggregates watching, week of 27th February 2023

Tuesday 28th February

66506 6V07 13:41 Chichester Recp. (Flhh) - Merehead Quarry (Fhh), with an all-Greenbrier JNA rake.


81.70.5932.604-8, which remains the highest numbered JNA that I have seen.

Wednesday 1st March

59201 leading 6V16 11:55 Fareham Hanson Aggs (Flhh) - Whatley Quarry F Liner Hh past Crampmoor.

This train was notable for the number of 1998 Marcroft JNA's in the rake. Are they being gather together before retirement? This happened with the KEA wagons in 2022.

• VTG 3406
• VTG 3454
• VTG 3410
• VTG 3457
• VTG 3424

VTG 3454.


VTG 3424.

Thursday, 2nd March

59203 at Eastleigh with 6V62 13:21 Up Yard - Whatley.

The rake was much the same as on 15th February, including JNA wagon VTG 3453.

27th February - 4th March 2023

142014, 319380 and 43308 at Eastleigh Works, 25th February.

66302 6V41 14:50 Eastleigh East Yard - Westbury Down T.C., passing Romsey, 28h February.

Monday 27th February:
Tuesday 28th February:
Wednesday 1st March: 56113 0Z72 08:30 Westbury - Eastleigh, 56113 + 70802 DIT 0Z98 10:30 Eastleigh - Romsey - Salisbury - Bescot Flickr for the day (70802 has since moved to Wabtec, Doncaster, again behind 56113); 800113 5X94 13:58 (Doncaster -) Reading - Eastleigh one two three
Thursday 2nd March:
Friday 3rd March: 67027 0Z67 15:20 Eastleigh - Leicester Flickr for the day; 47749 0Z10 17:18 Leicester - Eastleigh
Saturday 4th March:

Only 5 Freightliner Class 70s actually working in the past week: 70002, 70004, 70006, 70014 and 70016. 70008 is at Maritime.

Eastleigh Works: 03Jan (work has resumed on 47771) - 04Jan - 05Jan - 09Jan - 10Jan - 11Jan - 17Jan (work started on 57302) - 24Jan - 26Jan - 02Feb

JNA box wagons latest delivery 81.70.5932.641.8 - 670-9 are reported to have arrived at Wembley on 25th, but still to determine if they are for Mendip Rail.

701512 + 701509 have been out on test since Tuesday, the first testing of the 5-car units.

701512 + 701509 5Q51 11:15 Waterloo - Eastleigh, at Eastleigh, 2nd March.