'The Bath Christmas Market Express', Eastleigh, 12th December 2025

61306 MAYFLOWER + 47593 Galloway Princess T+T 1Z71 08:00 Three Bridges - Bath Spa.

61306 approaching platform 2.

Running through the platform.

FO 3122 (BR Swindon, Lot 30697, 1962).


47593 on the rear.

47593, built as D1973, new from BR Crewe in November 1965, allocated to 64B Haymarket, later 47272.


Shortly later, at Romsey. Video clip by Ian Knight.

8th - 13th December 2025

 

66536 prepares the stock for 4E65 13:13 Maritime - Doncaster Europort, 11th December.

66594 NYK Spirit of Kyoto 4O14 05:08 Garston - Maritime, arriving at Maritime, 11th December.

59202 Pride of Ferrybridge at Eastleigh with 6O68 09:11 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley, 12th December.


20205 + 395008 + 20007 passing St Denys, 12th December. Video clip by Ian Knight.

Monday 8th December: 47727 0O47 12:50 Leicester- Eastleigh one
Tuesday 9th December: 47739 (+ 701038) 5Q84 11:00 Marchwood - Wimbledon Park; 47739 0Z85 15:17 Wimbledon - Eastleigh; 71000 + 57311 + 1Z71 0729 London Victoria - Havant - Eastleigh - Salisbury - Bath Spa one two three four five six, 57311 + 47593 (one two)1Z72 17:56 Bath Spa - Salisbury - Eastleigh - Havant Victoria
Wednesday 10th December: 47727 0F94 09:47 Eastleigh - Leicester
Thursday 11th December: 20007 + 20205 T+T 5O27 06:20 Wembley - Eastern Docks one; 47739 0Z84 09:12 Eastleigh - Marchwood, 47739 (+ 701032) 5Q84 11:00 Marchwood - Wimbledon Park ("This service was cancelled due to a problem with the traction equipment (MC)."); 67027 + 66544 0Z27 09:05 Westbury - Didcot - Eastleigh Arlington one two
Friday 12th December: 20205  (+ 395008) + 20007 7Q28 10:30 Eastern Docks - Eastleigh Arlington one two three four, 20205 + 20007  5M29 14:00 Eastleigh - Wembley; 61306 + 47593 T+T 1Z71 08:00 Three Bridges - Bath Spa one two, 61306 + 71000 + 47593 1Z72 15:55 Bath Spa - Three Bridges one two three four five
Saturday 13th December: 34028 + 47802 1Z87 07:18 Three Bridges - Bristol one two, 1Z88 17:17 Bristol - Three Bridges (34028 5Z89 19:28 Salisbury - Swanage)

Freightliner Agree Deal with Porterbrook for 150 Intermodal Wagons - "a new design based on 40ft platforms" - so not quite an extension of the FFA-G type.

Engine problems hit GWR IET fleet with root cause not yet identified - fuel pumps are failing.

70009 has been returned from Colas to Freightliner pool DFHH, currently at Midland Road, Leeds.

20007 + 20205 move 395008, Eastleigh, 12th December 2025

20205 + 96605 + 395008 (39082 + 39081) + 20007 7Q28 103:0 Southampton Eastern Docks - Eastleigh Arlington (Zg), a specialised move operated by Rail Adventure.

20205 bringing the train along the Up Fast.

20007 leads back to the station .

While timetable for platform 2, the train ran through platform 3, as typically used for Works approaches.

Damaged 39081 of 395008 Ben Ainslie.

Universal Barrier Vehicle 96605 Ernest.


The train entering the Works. The 20s and barriers later worked back to Wembley.

1st - 6th December 2025

 

66620 6O68 09:11 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley, 3rd December.

66750 Bristol Panel Signal Box + 66710 Karen Harrison + 66130 0O41 10:14 Westbury - Eastleigh, passing Redbridge, 4th December.

Monday 1st December: 37401 (+ 3091) 5Z90 09:44 Eastleigh - Crewe (ran 4 hrs late) one two
Tuesday 2nd December:
Wednesday 3rd December: 47739 0O77 12:31 Leicester - Eastleigh
Thursday 4th December: 47739 0Z84 09:12 Eastleigh - Marchwood, 47739 (+701038) 5Q84 11:19 Marchwood - Wimbledon Park ("This service was cancelled due to a problem with the brakes", loco appears to have quickly sneaked back to Eastleigh quite soon after arrival at Marchwood.)
Friday 5th December:
Saturday 6th December:

313201 has been relocated to Llanelli, further info from the owning group.

In the forums: "DB Cargo has won a 5 year contract to move electric cars for Jaguar from Halewood to the port of Southampton."

395008 - the two coaches at Eastern Docks are expected to move to Eastleigh Works next week.

Eastleigh Works: 19Nov - 20Nov - 25Nov - 26Nov (departure of scrapped 57007) - 27Nov

Ten minutes at Eastleigh, 2nd December 2025

 

59104 Village of Great Elm 6V62 13:21 Up Yard - Westbury Tarmac.

66533 4O90 04:55 Doncaster Europort - Maritime.


66419 Lionesses' Roar 4E65 13:13 Maritime - Doncaster Europort.

Miscellany at Eastleigh, 28th November 2025

 

59201 Westbury PSB crossing over the main lines with 6O68 09:11 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley.

66520 4O15 06:40 Lawley Street - Maritime.

69009 WESTERN CONSORT has been introduced to the Westbury circuit, seen arrriving as 0O41 10:14 Westbury - Eastleigh.

66419 Lionesses' Roar 66419 4O14 05:08 Garston - Maritime.

59202 Pride of Ferrybridge 6O70 11:00 Westbury Tarmac - Eastleigh.

66124 4O39 09:43 Morris Cowley - Eastern Docks.

59104 Village of Great Elm 6V62 13:21 Up Yard - Westbury Tarmac.

66594 NYK Spirit of Kyoto 4O90 04:55 Doncaster Europort - Maritime.

66505 4E65 13:13 Maritime - Doncaster Europort.

24th - 29th November 2025

 

59204 at Crampmoor with 6O68 0911 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley, 26th November.

70020 at Maritime, 23rd November. Image by Roger Homan. By Thursday morning 27th, no Freightliner Class 70 was present or working in the South, with 70020 working from Earles Sidings.

68022 + CH12 5Q69 10:43 Eastleigh Trsmd - Banbury Depot, Eastleigh, 28th November.

Monday 24th November: 69006 + 56051 6O31 17:25 Westbury - Eastleigh
Tuesday 25th November: 59003 (+ Britannic Explorer) 6S20 07:30 Eastleigh - Tuebrook (Network Rail did not permit 59003 to go beyond Preston, so changed at Tuebrook to 66732 - Hamilton) one two three four five; 68021 0Z95 Eastleigh - Loughborough one two three
Wednesday 26th November: 59003 0Z59 11:00 Tuebrook - Eastleigh one two three four five
Thursday 27th November: 56051 + 70813 0Z13 08:52 Eastleigh - Westbury
Friday 28th November:
Saturday 29th November:

70009,  currently leased to Colas, is not expected to return to the Freightliner Heavy Haul fleet, which will be 18 units ahead of the company transaction.

Freightliner have ordered a further 150 FFA-G Ecofret wagons, to add to the previous 230 in the 81.70.4846.xxx-x series.

Class 455s now seem to be heading to Derby for disposal, as Unimetals' at Newport is in liquidation. 455731 was one of a pair moved on 24th, seen here at Eastleigh Works when being equipped with a Vossloh Kiepe traction package, 23rd September 2016.

Remains of 57007, seen earlier on 12th November, removed in two halves from Eastleigh Works to a local scrap yard (Bryan Hirst, Bullington Cross), 26th November.

57007 Freightliner Bond, Maritime, 27th November 2004.

Clayton Equipment Co, manufacturer of Class 18, is entering administration.

Eastleigh Works: 30Sep - 01Oct - 02Oct - 07Oct - 09Oct - 21Oct - 22Oct - 28Oct - 29Oct - 07Nov - 12Nov - 13Nov - 14Nov - 18Nov

Freightliner at Eastleigh, 21st November 2025

 

66597 Viridor 4O15 06:40 Lawley Street - Maritime.

66547 4O14 05:08 Garston - Maritime.

59205 6O70 11:00 Westbury Tarmac - Eastleigh.

The last wagon was HOA 81.70.6774.210-3, delivered in January 2025.

66519 4M61 12:56 Maritime - Trafford Park.

66587 AS ONE, WE CAN 4O90 04:55 Doncaster Europort - Maritime.

66413 4E65 13:13 Maritime - Leeds. This was Lest we Forget, the name since transferred to 66623, and now bears logos for aggregates customers Tarmac and Fox Group.

Eastleigh Works, 21st November 2025

 

Locomotive Services 37401 Mary Queen of Scots arrived from Crewe on Tuesday 18th.

800309 appears to be clsoe to the end of its cosmetic attention following earlier repair.

47818 was rather more visible than 5 days beforehand.

JNA wagon move from Mountsorrel, Eastleigh, 21st November 2025

Ten Ermewa JNA-T wagons, also labelled for Tarmac, and among the earliest of their type, seen here when new, being moved to Eastleigh Works for overhaul / repair.

66139 approaching Eastleigh.


81.70.5500.001-9

81.70.5500.017-5

66139 06:52 Mountsorrel Sdgs to Eastleigh Arlington (Zg)

81.70.5500.007-6

81.70.5500.003-5

81.70.5500.001-9

81.70.5500.011-8

81.70.5500.002-7

81.70.5500.010-0

81.70.5500.009-2

81.70.5500.016-7

81.70.5500.012-6

81.70.5500.017-5

17th - 22nd November 2025

 

35028 Clan Line running through Eastleigh, 15th November. Image by Roger Homan.

66531 6Y85 11:31 Romsey - Eastleigh, approaching Eastleigh, 16th November.

66547 arriving at the Redbridge end of Maritime, having arrived with 4O15 06:40 Lawley Street - Maritime, 19th November.

57303 (+701047) at Redbridge, 19th November. Image by Ian Knight.

57303 later worked light engine from Wimbledon to Fairwater Yard (Taunton), via Eastleigh for a crew change. Seen passing Romsey.

Monday 17th November: 73961 + 73962 1Q51 11:15 Derby - Eastleigh - Weymouth - Brockenhurst - Eastleigh one two

Tuesday 18th November: 68026 (+ CH11) 5Q94 07:25 Eastleigh - Long Marston one two three; 73961 + 73962 1Q52 10:46 Eastleigh - Portsmouth Harbour - Littlehampton - Barnham Chichester - Portsmouth Harbour - Totton Yard  - Havant - Guildford - Havant - Fareham - Eastleigh - Winchester - Basingstoke - Woking - Lymington Pier - Eastleigh; 37401 0Z37 08:33 Crewe - Eastleigh one two three four; 57303 (+ Britannic Explorer) 5O77 13:31 Wellingborough - Eastleigh one
Wednesday 19th November: 57303 0Z77 09:12 Eastleigh - Marchwood, 57303 (+ 701047) 5Q84 11:19 Marchwood - Wimbledon Park one two three (ran over 2 hours late after brake problems at Marchwood), 57303 0V57 1512 Wimbledon Park - Eastleigh - Redbridge - Salisbury - Westbury - Fairwater Yard; 73961 + 73962 1Q53 12:00 Eastleigh - Up Yard - Wimbledon - Up Yard, 1Q53 18:05 Up Yard - Wimbledon - Totton - Romsey - Eastleigh
Thursday 20th November: 70812 + 56051 0Z56 09:24 Eastleigh -Westbury; 73961 + 73962 1Q54 12:55 Eastleigh - Reading one
Friday 21st November:
Saturday 22nd November:

59001 is receiving a heavy exam at Merehead, expected to be out of traffic until April period. Some suggestion that it will return in the Yeoman colours of 1986. It has been moved to the DDII pool (Heavy Haul Class 59).

Active Freightliner Class 70 locomotives have been allocated to the DDHH pool (Heavy Haul Class 70).

66701 - 66722, leased from Eversholt are expected to be released by GBRf once the Class 99 fleet is into traffic. The expected destination for them is Colas, to displace the Class 56 fleet.

‘Hotshot’ thermal imaging cameras to help prevent delays on SWR (450056 Hotshot).

Ten 2019 built Mendip Rail HOA hoppers have been moved for storage at Fiddler's Ferry, on 19th ,- 20th via Alexandra Dock.

One of these stored, 81.70.6774.027-1 at Eastleigh, 28th August 2025.

Britannic Explorer set expected to be returned 6S20 07:30 Eastleigh Works Gbrf - Hamilton Gbrf (Assenta Rail) on Tuesday 25th.

The Ballad Of St Paddy & Nimbus - I saw them all.