Miscellany at Eastleigh, 22nd July 2026

 

Still Freightliner branded, Heavy Haul Rail 59203 crosses over the main lines with 6O68 09:11 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley.

66757 West Somerset Railway arrived from Western Docks, and later worked 6F10 11:48 Eastleigh - Wootton Bassett Civil Engineers train. This locomotive is understood to have re-geared and awaits renumbering to 66667.

Heavy Haul Rail 59101 Village of Whatley, working  0V16 11:55 Fareham-Whatley, has had 'Freightliner' branding removed, although not those for 'Zero Injuries - Our Goal Every Day', which originated with Genesee & Wyoming.

20205, now owned by Romic, approaches with 5O19 08:05 Kings Norton - Eastleigh, operated by Rail Adventure.

20205 entering platform 3. The locomotives and barriers are the same as those which brought coaches of 395008 to the Works for collision damage repair, on 12th December 2025.


20007 on the rear. Both locomotives now have Romic ownership plates.

69011 is now one of the designated super shunters.

66136 runs by with  4O39 09:35 Morris Cowley - Eastern Docks.


73212 Stephen Eaves + 73128 Kent & East Sussex Railway arrive as 0Y68 09:39 Tonbridge - Eastleigh.

Side view of 73128. The pair of locomotives later returned to Tonbridge with 73107 from the Works.

6K's in Fife, 1st March 2026

4 of them, at roughly hourly intervals, and currently the only daylight loco-hauled workings in Fife. All worked from Hilton Junction through Perth to Dundee for reversal, then crossing the Tay Bridge.

In early light, 66588 passing Aberdour at 07:45 with 6K04 06:00 Hilton Jn - Millerhill.

66588 at Kinghorn, with 6K03 06:50 Hilton Jn - Millerhill.

KFA wagon TIPH 93323 overhauled at Eastleigh in 2020, and now among the survivors of its type.

66422 Max Joule 1958-1999 at Burntisland with 6K02 07:30 Hilton Jn - Millerhill.

66199 at the site of Donibristle Halt, with the late running 6K01 08:45 Hilton Jn - Millerhill, fomed of a rake of YKA 'Osprey' wagons loaded with used track panels.

66705 Golden Jubilee on the rear of this train.

Moving 59001 to Eastleigh 'for paint', 10th April 2026

Following an extended heavy maintenance at Merehead, 59001 YEOMAN ENDEAVOUR 0Z59 11:00 Westbury Tarmac - Eastleigh Arlington (Zg). The locomotive encountered engine difficulties between Warminster and Salisbury, so 66551 (hired to Colas from Heavy Haul Rail) was cut off from preceding 6O41 in platform 1 at Salisbury, to position it to then drag 59001 to Eastleigh: one two three four five

There is an expectation that 59001 will be returned to the Foster Yeoman scheme of 40 years ago, as it was delivered in.

66551 leads across the East Junction.

Running through platform 2.

A last look at the Aggregate Industries scheme on 59001, which still bore its '30 Years' stickers from a decade ago.

The mismatched window rubber has been black since the 2019 period.

The shunt signal has the 'W' indicator for entry into the Works.

Eastleigh, 31st March 2026

 

D6851 FLOPSIE (37667) awaiting entry into the paintshop.

59206 John F Yeoman Rail Pioneer 6V62 13:21 Up Yard - Westbury Tarmac.

66514 4M61 12:56 Maritime - Trafford Park. The following 4E65 was routed via Laverstock.

66518 4O90 05:29 Doncaster Europort - Maritime.

69014, only one year out of the paintshop at Eastleigh, is relegated to super shunter duties in the yard.

66710 Karen Harrison, finished for Railway 200, 4M46 14:19 Western Docks - Trafford Park.


800310 Wing Commander Ken Rees 5X84 14:18 Eastleigh - Reading. This unit has had the full repair, visible after the yaw damper, having entered the Works on 19th January.

800310 proceeding into platform 3.

Two workings at Romsey, 30th March 2026

 

Heavy Haul Rail 66550 + 66953 work STP 0O93 13:25 Stoke Gifford - Eastleigh.


69010 NORTH NORFOLK RAILWAY 1975 - 2025 THE POPPY LINE + 70806 6V41 14:48 Eastleigh -Westbury, where 69010 is in its third week on these duties.


6V41 included three YKA 'Osprey' wagons, which are now planned for replacement from 2027. DB 996501 was built by GR Turner to Lot 2926 in 1956-57, so is almost 70 years old.

DB 996452 comes from the same lot.

Kirkby Stephen West, 7th March 2026

 

My first 47 picture of the year. 47593 Galloway Princess 1Z40 07:15 Hereford - Appleby, approaching Kirkby Stephen. Scaffold around the signal box, seen in 2022-23, has now been removed.

158792 seen with LMR style signage, working 2H89 1058 Carlisle - Leeds.

My first sighting of a Heavy Haul Rail locomotive, 66545 0M68 1118 Leeds Balm Rd - Carlisle New Yard.

A closer view of 47593 running in to pass the station platform.

D1924 Crewe Diesel Depot (47810) on the rear.

70817 wide open when working 'the Logs' 6J37 1244 Carlisle Yard - Chirk Kronospan.

A closer view of 70817.

Aggregates Workings at Eastleigh, 28th January 2026

The final day of Freightliner Heavy Haul, the company separating into Heavy Haul Rail Ltd at 02:00 on Thursday 29th January.

 

59205 leading 6O68 09:11 Westbury Tarmac - Crawley through Eastleigh.

The last wagon was JNA 81.70.5932.580-0.

59004 PAUL A HAMMOND approaches with 6V62 13:21 Up Yard - Westbury Tarmac.


59004 has now been in the UK for 40 years.

All of the wagons were Marcroft JNAs, trailed by NACO 3919.