Railway action if the U.K North west

kevsmith Jun 16, 2019

  1. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    So back in January things were not looking good when my precious Class 37/4 s were withdrawn from the Cumbrian Coast passenger trains. It looked like the coast was set to be dominated by the Class 156 DMUs, very efficient but boring.

    However it turned out that there was more variety of train moves than expected so I've set my stall out to do a monthly series on my youtube channel called the Miscellany series

    catching trains like the Black 5 hauled excursion

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    One of our Class 68s on a test train with the new CAF built rolling stock

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    Two of our Class 37s on a Network Rail infrastructure monitoring train

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    first video, May 2019, here



    I'll try and put as much info about the trains in the video descrption itself

    Kev
     
  2. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    However standing alone I've done a video of the '3 peaks challenge' charter train. This runs annually transporting charity volunteers attempting to scale the three highest mountains in the U.k in three days. Snowdon in Wales, Scafell Pike in England and Ben Nevis in Scotland.

    They get the chance to rest on the train between the peaks and we supply the locos, train crew and coaching stock to the organisers to support the venture.

    Friday saw the Bangor to Ravenglass section hauled by 68 033 . After the passengers disembarked it ran the empty stock back to Barrow carriage sidings for servicing before heading back to our Kingmoor depot light engine.

    later two Class 37/4 s were dispatched from Kingmoor to Barrow to haul the Barrow to Fort William. Loads of railfans turned out when they discovered that the lead loco was to be 37 419 'Carl Haviland' in its new, retro. Intercity Executive colour scheme along with 37 402 'Steve Midddlemore' still int is BR large logo guise.

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    video for this one at



    June is already lookg very interesting as well!

    Kev
     
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  3. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you, Kev.
     
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  4. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    June's action now uploaded



    Kev
     
  5. Doug Gosha

    Doug Gosha TrainBoard Member

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    I don't know how I missed this earlier. Beautiful and fascinating, as usual, Brilliant!

    Thanks Kev.

    Doug
     
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  6. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    So we had a bitter sweet weekend a couple of days ago, The excitement of our annual open day, held this year at our Carlisle Kingmoor depot, tempered by the sad news of the passing of one our colleagues Tony Kaye. Tony was a loco driver until his long term illness forced him off the footplate and he will be much missed.

    So we decided to place a wreath on one of his beloved Class 37/4s, 37 419 recently out-shopped in the retro Intercity executive livery, and do a celebratory thrash with it and 37 409 and a class 68 in the background adding to the clag!

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    Having exclusive access to the depot the day before I was able to film the complicated shunting required to line everything, complicated by a pair of Class 66s coming off the fuel road to go out on a job and moving a Class 57 that was refusing to start.

     
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  7. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    [​IMG]


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    The next generation? Our Brooklyn at the controls of a 68

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    And at the helm of a Class 37

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    Kev
     
  8. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    It wasn't long after the open day that the model railway show season started again. Both Republic Steel and Cuyahoga have been in action so far this Autumn so there is always a chance to find new places to film trains.

    Manchester Piccadilly station is realy busy and a short stopover let me catch a couple of our Class 68s, in TPE Livery, on driver training runs

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    68 020 'Reliance' was on a Longsight-York turn as it ran through Platform 14

    68 032 'Destroyer' was on the York-Longsight. Can't get used to locos with no yellow ends though.

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    In foul weather Class 7P 4-6-2 no. 70000 'Brittania' was in fine form on a Carlisle-Crewe excursion. Built in 1951 it is one of two survivors of the class with 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' . 70013's boiler ticket ran out in december so will be sidelined for a while

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    At the extreme opposite of the timespan brand new Class 195s are taking over many of Northern rails passenger services. Built by CAF in Spain there 25 two car units on order and 33 3 car units

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    Video starts at manchester Piccadilly and has all sorts of stuff on it!



    coming very shortly is more. This time with a still working industrial line, a British Rail 2MT 2-6-0 in action in the Peak District. and much more
    Kev
     
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  9. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    So I mentioned that I had photographed an industrial railway still in operation. It is the 'Ribble Rail' and serves the Bitumen works in the west end of Preston. It sits alongside the Ribble Steam railway and they share the tracks so you can see very modern tank wagons alongside 1950s diesel railcars

    Motive power on the day I took our Brooklyn was a Chain driven Rolls Royce Sentinel 0-4-0DH 'Progress'

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    The early 4 wheel diesel railbus was the mid week train when we were there.

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    later on my way to take the layout to Loughborough model railway show I called in at the Ecclesbourne Valley railway. This has preserved the former Midland Railway Wirksworth branch line and motive power was the diminutive British Railways Standard 2MT 2-6-0. These were a straight copy of the LMS Ivatt design designed for light branch line use.
    78018 was outshopped in 1954 from the Darlington Works

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    the railway hosts an eclectic mixture of rolling stock and is becoming a centre of excellence for the restoration of what we in the U.K call 'First generation DMUs' the result of British railways modernisation drive. The program that swept away steam locos like 78018

    A rare Derby lightweight is not far off completion

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    Last edited: Sep 26, 2019
  10. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST Henry Ellison came out of the Kilmarnock works in 1947

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    Back on the real railways we sent no less than four locos out with three clas 68s diesel electrics and one class 88 Diesel/25KV AC Hybrid. there was method in the madness as the train splits at Crewe with the little PFA four wheelers heading for the South coast and the FNA-D Nuclear flask wagons heading for a power station

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    68 004 leads the formation past Park South signalbox.

    The 68s were out on charter train work in September on a NENTA railtour from Carlisle to Norwich. Seen at Dunnerholme with the Cumbrian fells in the background

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    Video at



    That is our Brooklyn scuttling about on the platform at Preston!

    roll call of the video

    21/08/2019 Preston 4wDHR Perm MTU 001 of 1991 98404
    21/08/2019 Preston 4wDH RR 10283 of 1968 Progress Shunting Bitumen tanks
    24/08/2019 Plumpton Class 68 68 001 Evolution & 68 004 6C53 Crewe CLS-Sellafield
    24/08/2019 Plumpton Class 68 68 003 Astute & 68 017 0K73 Sellafield-Crewe CLS
    30/08/2019 Wirksworth BR Std 2MT 2-6-0 78018 Wirksworth-Duffield-Wirksworth
    07/09/2019 Park South Class 68 68 004 Rapid &88 004, 68 033,68 034, 6K73 Sellafield-Crewe CLS
    07/09/2019 Dalton in Furness Class 68 68 004 Rapid &88 004, 68 033,68 034, 6K73 Sellafield-Crewe CLS
    07/09/2019 Dunnerholme Class 68 68 017 Hornet &68 005 1Z06 Carlisle-Norwich
    12/09/2019 Scout Green Class 88 88 003 Genesis Mossend-Daventry
    12/09/2019 Scout Green Class 68 ? 374E Carlisle-Crewe TPE test run
    14/09/2019 Roose Class 68 68 034 &68 002 6C53 Crewe CLS-Sellafield
    14/09/2019 Roose DMU 195 124 1U94 Barrow-Manchester Airport
    14/09/2019 Thwaites Flat Class 68 68 034 &68 002 6C53 Crewe CLS-Sellafield
    14/09/2019 Thwaites Flats Class 88 88 009 Diana &88 002 6K73 Sellafield-Crewe CLS
    14/09/2019 Lindal in Furness Class 88 88 009 Diana &88 002 6K73 Sellafield-Crewe CLS

    Kev
     
  11. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Somehow Progress lacks the panache of the Rolls Royce vehicles I'm familiar with here in the States. Though it's a beefy little thing. :p

    I always enjoy your postings, Kev. Thanks. :cool:
     
  12. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    So now he is a little bit more grown up it seemed right to let Brooklyn loose with one of the Panasonic camcorders. we were after LMS Jubilee 45690 Leander on a Carlisle to London Euston excursion. Picking it up first across the Duddon estuary he then filmed it as it passed through Kirkby in Furness before we shot over the hill to catch it again at Lindal in Furness. He was hampered by the tripod as it was a bit notchy but al in all not a bad effort for a first time.
    Kev

     
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  13. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    What is "Ribble Rail"?
     
  14. Doug Gosha

    Doug Gosha TrainBoard Member

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    I ALWAYS enjoy your posts, pictures and videos, Kev, the British countryside is beautiful, and I bet Brooklyn has the times of his life. And, a Rolls Royce "Blue Shadow". \:^)

    Doug
     
  15. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    Ribble Rail is the commercial division of the Ribble Steam Railway. It serves the bitumen plant at the east end of the line swapping full and empty tank wagons which are moved across the country between Preston and the Lindsey refinery on the other side of the country in North Lincolnshire by Colas rail.

    It is booked to run daily, Monday to Friday

    Kev
     
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  16. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    Actually I have a Rolls Royce at work! Sort of

    Loco 5 is a small Hunslet 0-4-0DH which was formerly based at the Royal Navy's Chatham dockyard where it was known as 'Allington Castle' we acquired it a few years ago after a major refurbishment although it is due to come out of service soon. I'm hoping to preserve it once it is withdrawn (Don't tell the wife !)

    It is fitted with a C Series 6 cylinder normally aspirated Rolls Royce engine which smokes like mad to the point where we tried fitting a catalytic converter with very little success. The drivers like it because unlike our other 5 locos it is literally 'Fly by Wire'. there is a throttle cable from the handle to the pump on the engine

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    As you can see it is very small

    It is rare to see rail action inside Sellafield but here is a short piece on the end of one of our traffic flows from a Nuclear power station



    it features Loco 6, one of our 6 wheelers in action

    Kev

    Kev
     
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  17. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    North West rail action September-October 2019

    So the weather is starting to close in since the clocks went back but there is still an interesting variety of rail moves to film in the North west of England at this time of year

    We start with the new Class 331 EMUs in the first weeks of deployment seen at Kirkham and Wesham, Poulton Le Fylde and Preston with a soon to be withdrawn (Maybe) Class 142 still handling a Blackpool South train. The CAF built 331s share a common bodyshell with the new Class 195 DMUs

    331 007 headed for Blackpool North passes 142 094 on a Blackpool South to Preston. As the 142s head for the twilight I'll run a seprate thread on the bus bodied relics


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    At the once pretty station at Poulton le Fylde, now ruined by the erection of the overheads 331 008 passes 319 378

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    331 008 heads for Liverpool Lime street through Preston station

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    Kirkby in Furness sees a DRS Barrow RD to Sellafield move with 68 004 and 68 018 'Top and tailing'

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    more soon

    Kev
     
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  18. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    Jubilee 4-6-0 'Leander' still in British rail black livery on an excursion followed shortly after by a pair of LSL heritage class 47s on a special

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    BR 4-6-2 70000 Britannia was found cooking nicely at Crewe station before a positioning move[​IMG]

    At the nicely preserved station at Cumwhinton at the start of the southbound climb on the settle & Carlisle was a GE Built Colas class 70 with a good load on the 'Log train'

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    more soon
     
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  19. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    next at Carlisle Citadel, where a pair of Class 90s are in charge of the Mossend to Daventry intermodal this was followed by a debranded Class 390 Pendolino. The Virgin wrapping has been removed pending First group-Tren Italia branding being applied following their successful bid to take over the West Coast franchise.


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    We end with a Colas Class 70 on the Dalston to Grangemouth tanks passing through Carlisle

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    video at




    Kev
     
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  20. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    In this latest instalment of my North West miscellany I concentrate on the recent track renewals on the Cumbrian Coast line. Starting with a Class 66 on driver route learning.

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    There is then an extended section of the relaying of the single line section between Park South and Barrow in Furness. In action is a Kirow 25 ton Diesel hydraulic crane placing preformed curved track panels for the tight curve at Thwaite Flats

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    Followed by an Autoballaster wagon running radio controlled on the ballast, shuttling stone from the rest of the train to the delivery point. I did not know they could do this! This bit has been edited down as it moves really, really slowly.

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    A close up of one of the YDA wagons

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