West Coast Railway Company: Heritage train operator prohibited from running rail services

Press Release from ORR (Office of Rail and Road)
The Weymouth buffer incident was on 5th September 2015.

Letter from ORR to West Coast Railway Company

RAIL magazine

BBC

WNXX Forum

National Preservation

Previous prohibition was from 3rd April - 8th May 2015.

37603 returns test train to Derby, Eastleigh, 13th February 2016

3Z09 10:49 Eastleigh Arlington - Derby, following 3Q05 22:29 (Fri) Eastleigh - Wimbledon - Portsmouth - Wimbledon - Eastleigh

37603 was completed new from English Electric Vulcan Foundry as D6739 on 18th May 1962, and allocated to 50B Hull Dairycoates. Air brakes were fitted in August 1971. It was renumbered 37039 in February 1974. Entered Crewe Works for Heavy General Overhaul in September 1985, and emerged as 37504  in March 1986. Renumbered 37603 in May 1996 and transferred to European Passenger Services, then to DRS  between November 2007 and February 2008.

BSO 9523, from BR Derby Lot 30861, entering traffic in June 1974. Since January 2013 operating for Network Rail as a Staff Coach /Brake Force Runner.

Ultrasonic Test Train coach 999605 has been through repairs and repaint since last seen in June 2013. Built in 1974 as 62482 and saw service in last build 4-REP 3015.

37603 is pushing through the works towards the exit. Since 37601, 37603 and 37604 spent more time idle with EPS, they have the lowest engine hours in the DRS fleet, and in early January this was 6251 hours, which compares with more than twice that number for locomotives now being disposed of.

Driving Trailer Coach (formerly DBSO) 9701.

37603 lays down some smoke as it moves the train slowly towards the station.

Approaching the platform. Rather unusually, one marker light was on while red lights were displayed as expected - this was resolved before Reading: one two.

The departure from Eastleigh station was 40 minutes early.

Further pictures: one two three

CE workings at Romsey, 13th February 2016

66088 draws into Romsey with 07:16 Eastleigh - Romsey, which, after a short break, proceeded into the section.

MLA 503518 (Wagony Swidnica, 2008) loaded with fresh ballast.

JNA NLU29381 (Astra Vagoane, Romania, 2003-05).

Nominally running one hour later, 66559 passes the station with track panels 6Y81 08:17 Eastleigh East Yard - Romsey, moving onwards directly. This locomotive worked from Crewe to Stoke Gifford on Thursday, and onward to Eastleigh on Friday.

40 minutes in the dark at Romsey, 11th February 2016

66507 leads  6Y19 17:50 Fairwater Yard - Micheldever

66951 on the rear.

70808 with 6V31 20:13Eastleigh - Westbury.

66067 leads 6E15 20:09 Eastleigh - Scunthorpe, slowly approaching a red signal. It also worked the earlier southbound working: one two

Perch YEA 979131 (Lot 4055 BR Doncaster 1985) in the consist. References: one two

8th - 13th February 2016

Sunday 7th February: 60039 0Vxx 20:05 Eastleigh - Reading - Westbury one two
Monday 8th February:
Tuesday 9th February: 66165 worked 6Z11 20:32 Dowlow Briggs Sdgs - Laverstock - Southampton Up Yard one
Wednesday 10th February: 66431 6Z70 01:27 Crewe - Eastleigh one two; 37603 3Z04 10:27 Hither Green - Eastleigh one two three; 66165 6Z14 14:48 Southampton Up Yard - Dowlow Briggs Sdgs one two three
Thursday 11th February: 73107 + 73138 1Q85 05:56 Woking  - Southampton GL - Southampton - Southampton DGL - Hither Green one two; 31452 0Y57 09:00 Derby - Eastleigh one two three; 37603 3Q15 21:45 Eastleigh - Brighton - Eastleigh one
Friday 12th February: 31452 Eastleigh - Crewe one two three; 37603 3Q05 22:29 Eastleigh - Wimbledon - Portsmouth - Wimbledon - Eastleigh
Saturday 13th February: 37603 3Z09 10:49 Eastleigh - Derby

60039 is now at Westbury one two three four five six

Eastleigh Works: 19Jan -20Jan - 21Jan

Miscellaneous Notes, 7th February 2016

Coal fired power station closures

This week's news brought news of an earlier than expected closure for most of Fiddler's Ferry Power Station. Updated: 11Feb to reflect Rugeley closure.

Not intended as a definitive list, but to give scope to the downsizing of merry-go-round operations which we have seen over the last 50 years. A transition to gas will reduce railway traffic, and we already hear of modern coal hoppers being sent for scrap, Unfortunately this can only be expected to continue, as more than half of our recent historical coal fuelled capacity will be closed by April.

Name	County	Operator	Units	Capacity	Closure	Notes
Aberthaw	S Glamorgan	RWE	3 @ 520MW	1.6GW	by 2023	Also burning biomass
Cottam	Notts	EDF	4@ 500MW	2GW	by 2025
Drax	N Yorks	Drax Group	6@ 660MW	4GW		3 units burning biomass
Eggborough	N Yorks	Eggborough Power	4@ 500MW	2GW	Mar-16	773MW retained in reserve to Mar -17
Ferrybridge C	W Yorks	SSE	4@ 500MW	2GW	Mar-16	Latterly only 1 unit
Fiddler's Ferry	Cheshire	SSE	4@ 500MW	2GW	Apr-16	Was contracted to 2019, 1 unit to continue derated
Ironbridge	Shropshire	E.ON	2@ 500MW	1GW	Nov-15
Longannet	Fife	Scottish Power (Iberdrola)	4@ 600MW	2.4GW	Mar-16
Ratcliffe-on-Soar	Notts	E.ON	4@ 500MW	2GW	by 2025
Rugeley	Staffs	Engie	2@ 500MW	1GW	summer 2016
West Burton	Lincs	EDF	4@ 500MW	2GW	by 2025

Sources 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_stations_in_England
http://www.drax.com/media/66437/hyr-2015-presentation-final.pdf

Of the total of 20.5GW nominally available, going into winter 2015-16, 9.9GW will close by April - 48%, although 0.8GW is to be kept in reserve at Eggborough. This equates to about 20% of typical UK demand, which can be monitored here.

As I write this on a Sunday afternoon, with comfortable temperature for February, coal is providing 5.4GW into the National Grid, this has however peaked at 14 to 15GW during the recent coal snap - and we will only have 10GW nominal total capacity next year.

With the announced closure of much of Fiddler's Ferry, and that at Longannet, the future of Hunterston deep water facility again appears challenging. Originally constructed as an importation location for iron ore for Ravenscraig, this has dispatched coal to both Longannet, Fiddler's Ferry and Drax, the latter generating 2 trains a day in each direction over the Settle & Carlisle route. Fiddlers's Ferry also has gypsum traffic from Newbiggin on the S&C.

FT article 7th February

New Class 66s - the last of the line.

Given the above item, I suspect that more Class 66 may be exported within Europe, as some operators may have excess capacity.

DRS Tender List & disposala

20312 has been withdrawn from the list - so that it can be used for spares for repairs on the remaining fleet, currently at Barrow Hill.

47805 + 20312 + 47790 were dragged to Crewe by 68003 on 5th February: one two three four five six seven eight nine

The 47s are due to transfer to Locomotive Services, where already resident 47501 is understood to have been repainted for further usage.

66519 at the virtual quarry, Eastleigh, 6th February 2016

66519 had arrived at the East Yard with 6O26 from Hinksey, including 60039 in consist (not that I was aware at the time!). It then proceeded to the virtual quarry to collect a train of ballast, seen here hooked up while the train was being checked and counted.

Now edging forward. 66519 is EMD 998145-14 / 2000 and is leased to Freightliner from Eversholt.

MHA 394239 an open box wagon, running on the former underframe of a HAA merry-go-round coal hoppers of 1964 - 77 construction. The conversion was made in 1998 at 'RFS(E) Doncaster' marked by the plate on the underframe, also marked with a disk 'Genly Repaired 1001 1 1998'.

MTA 395066 is an open box wagon, converted at RFS, Doncaster in 1999-2000 and running on the former underframe of TTA tank wagon SUKO 65518.

Similar MTA 395090 was TTA SUKO 65717.

MHA 396153, similar to 394239 in being re-built on the underframe of an HAA, this time at Marcroft, Stoke in 2007, but with some visible detail differences.