'Royal Scotsman', May 2025

 

66746, which was bulled up at Bo'ness ahead of this private charter 1H89 13:45 Edinburgh - Boat Of Garten, seen passing Aberdour, 15th May.


66743 on the rear of the train.

66746 approaching Dalgety Bay with a late running 1H79 13:45 Edinburgh - Keith, 19th May.

'STATE CAR No.4' has been changed and is now a rebuild of Pullman Kitchen First 315 (E315E) HERON. The Royal Scotsman now has indicator lights for Central Door Locking.

A further view of 315. The underframe equipment appears similar to 316 introduced in 2024.

66743 with 1H79 13:45 Edinburgh - Keith, approaching Aberdour, 26th May.

66743 again with 1H79 13:45 Edinburgh - Keith, in Dalgety parish, 30th May.

Another angle on the'new' STATE CAR No.4.

Pockerley Waggonway, Beamish, 6th June 2025

 

Puffing Billy of Wylam Colliery, where the 1813 original locomotive is in the Science Museum.

The Pockerley Waggonway is part of the 1820s Landscape at Beamish.

A guard is in charge of the reverse return journey.

Puffing Billy is attached to a chaldron wagon.

NMT at Romsey, 26th June 2025

43062 (+ 977994 +  975984 + 977993 + 975814 + 977984) + 43013
1X23 15:28 Salisbury - Southampton - Salisbury

Perhaps only another 20 or so of these runs for the NMT, or its alternatives, as the yellow fleet may be replaced after a proposed date of 26th February 2027.
Procurement notice: Rail Infrastructure Monitoring Service Replacement
Network Rail Commits £1.2bn to Modernize Monitoring Fleet
Transforming Railway Infrastructure Monitoring: Network Rail’s Vision for the Future

43062 John Armitt leading from Salisbury. 

A closer view as 43062 (BREL Crewe, September 1977) runs through the station.

977984 Staff Coach (HST catering vehicle 40501, as a TRUK once part of 253001 from November 1976).


43013 Mark Carne CBE (BREL Crewe, May 1976) on the rear of the train.

Power is applied to 43013 on the return to Salisbury.

This and That, Saturday 28th June 2025

 

66747 Made in Sheffield 5X43 07:55 Salisbury - Eastleigh (was 5Z43 17:24 Hamilton - Salisbury)

'Britannic Explorer' Sleeping Car 99104. This is believed to have been Irish Rail Standard Open 7158, which was built at Inchicore. I have seen the coach again, and it had a paper label 'Waterford' in the window which would actually correlate with Irish Rail 7129, which was built at Derby.

A going away view of 99104. This move leaves 99105 to be delivered from Hamilton.


57604 Pendennis Castle approaches Eastleigh as 0O57 10:01 Reading - Eastleigh T&RSMD, where it has now arrived for a repaint, following a lengthy repair from Autumn 2023 to Spring 2025.

This may have been the first visit of a GWR 57/6 to Eastleigh, worked by Hanson & Hall. In its earlier life, 57604 was 47209.


The return working for the Hanson & Hall crew was this short-notice rerouted 5X50 12:55 Eastleigh - Salisbury, seen approaching Romsey with 50049 Defiance in charge.

A closer view of the locomotive, which was to return to Kidderminster later in the day.

The repainted coach was 10534, which was worked to Eastleigh over this route on 14th June.

23rd - 28th June 2025

 

57002 Winston Churchill arrives at Eastleigh, Monday 23rd June.

The recently applied nameplates, in Bulleid style.

66508 City of Doncaster passes Romsey, 26th June, with 4O57 13:28 Wentloog - Maritime.

59104 Village of Great Elm 6O68 09:11 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley, passing Crampmoor, 27th June.

69001 Mayflower + 70816 + 70814 + 70815 passing Redbridge as 0O41 on 27th June. Image by Ian Kinight.

Sunday 22nd June: 43049 + 43050 5Z43 12:45 Eastleigh - Crewe one two three four
Monday 23rd June: 57002 0Z38 14:50 Southall - Eastleigh one two
Tuesday 24th June: 57002 (+ 6394 + 35333 + 10212 +6393) 5Z37 09:42 Eastleigh - Crewe one two three four
Wednesday 25th June: 802101 5X80 10:49 Eastleigh - Reading one two; 47804 + 47802 T+T  1Z92 08:45 Victoria to Swanage one two three four five six seven eight nine, 1Z93 16:35 Swanage - Victoria one
Thursday 26th June: 33012 0Z33 09:20 Swanage - West Ruislip one two three; 69009 0Z05 07:32 Leicester - Eastleigh one two three, 69009 + 57306 0Z06 14:23 Eastleigh - Leicester one two three (57306 was at Bristol East on 21st, unsure how it got to Eastleigh, recorded there by Monday morning, may have been dragged by 66720 0O76 22:05 Bristol East - Eastleigh on 21st); 802112 5X84 13:15 Reading - Eastleigh; 50049 0O49 11:09 Kidderminster - Eastleigh one; 43013 + 43062 1X23 15:28 Salisbury - Southampton - Salisbury
Friday 27th June: 802003 10:49 5X80 Eastleigh - Reading one
Saturday 28th June: 66747 (+ Britannic Explorer 99104) 5X43 07:55 Salisbury - Eastleigh (was 5Z43 17:24 Fri Hamilton - Salisbury) one two three; 57604 0O57 10:01 Reading - Eastleigh T&RSMD (for paint) one two three four; 50049 (+ 10534) 5X50 12:55 Eastleigh - Salisbury (onward to Reading as 5V50) one two three

37409 remains at Eastleigh Works.

Redbridge, 26th June 2025

33012 (D6515) Lt Jenny Lewis RN 0Z33 09:20 Swanage - West Ruislip Lul.

This was a positioning move before weekend tour duties with the 4-TC.


DR 75009 6Q65 10:22 Eastleigh - Salisbury - Eastleigh.


66709 Sorrento 6O45 0722 Kineton - Marchwood.

66593 3MG Mersey Multimodal Gateway draws forward with a shunt at Maritime.

Class 47s at ..... Totton, 25th June 2025

47804 (+ 3340 + 3326 + 99712 + 3304 + 3386 + 3390 + 1200 + 6176 + 9527) + 47802
1Z92 08:45 Victoria - Swanage

47804 leads around the corner adjacent to Totton Yard.

Closer to, and about to go under, the Brokenford Lane footbridge.


BSK 9527 was a Riviera Trains coach, overhauled at Eastleigh in 2016, and hired to DRS for the Fife Circle.

47802 powering on the rear.

A couple of minutes earlier, at Redbridge. Image by Ian Knight.

Observations at Eastleigh, 23rd June 2025

 

69001 Mayflower + 70815 +66792 Collaboration (hired to Colas) 6V41 1448 Eastleigh East Yard to Westbury Down T.C.

66751 Inspiration Delivered Hitachi Rail Europe was shunting in the yard.

70005 approaching with 4O03 11:01 Lawley Street - Maritime.

66415 You Are Never Alone leads away with 4S59 14:57 Maritime - Coatbridge.

66206 approaching with 4O21 09:20 Trafford Park - Western Docks.

66522 running through with 4Y19 12:22 Mountfield - Western Docks. The 16 wagons were all from the 19 which arrived last October.

81.70.5500.551-3 on the rear.
    

70002 approaching with 4O38 09:52 Lawley Street - Maritime.

Summer Solstice at Eastleigh Works and T&RSMD, 21st June 2025

37409 Loch Awe outside, following its fuel tank issue, with 59003 YEOMAN HIGHLANDER sitting behind.


08696 shunting in the Works yard.


Believed to be 802101, PDTRBF 839101.

Caledonian Sleeper scheme 9804 (nearer) and 9809 (farther) are Open Brake Unclassified Mk 2e coaches built as TSO's 5826 and 5890 to Lot 30844 at BREL Derby in 1972-73, and now in Locomotive Services inventory.

701004 (brought from Marchwood, 28th May) + 701503 (from Long Marston 18th March) appear to have been pretty static of late. Typical Class 701.