Call: 01507 529589 email: railway @mortons.co.uk
Call: 01507 529589 email: railway @mortons.co.uk
Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly competitive rates are paid,especially if exclusivetoTheRM.
Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly competitive rates are paid,especially if exclusivetoTheRM.
RHTT
CLASS 37 No.37419 in InterCity liverywas observedonOctober 12, top-and-tailing with No.37402 in large BR logo livery on the 3S14/11.16 Grimsby Town-Bridlington RHTT, past Addingford Lane, Horbury, en routetoHuddersfield. Thepairing had changed on October14when Class 37 Nos.37407 and 37419 were observedtop-and-tailing past Healey Mills,towards Wakefield Kirkgate,after reversing at Huddersfield. Afurther change on November 4found Nos.37407+37423 on the diagrampast BroadcutLock, Calder Grove, wherethe HorburyJunction to Sheffield via Barnsley line crosses the Calder and Hebble Navigation canal. Thetrain then travelled via Sheffield,back through Barnsley,Wakefield Kirkgate, Selbyand Hull beforereaching Bridlington. TheHorburyJunction to Sheffield line via Barnsley runs through lots of deep tree-lined cuttings and is used by many DMU services,between Leeds, Sheffield and Nottingham, so it is imperativethe track is cleaned by the RHTT. Class 37 Nos.37423 and 37402 were on the Grimsby to Bridlington RHTTonthe afternoon of November 16.
THE RHTTfromEffingham Junction carriage holding sidings to Effingham Junction carriage holdingsidings, which works the Windsor lines,was seen on Wednesday, November 4between Barnes and Putney, formed of Nos.DR98974 and DR98924.
THE RHTTseason along the southern section of the Midland Main Line continued with the locos used forthe 3J92/23.19 TotonTMD-West Hampstead North Junction and 3J93/12.01 return being Class 66 Nos.66116+66199 on November 4, 9and 11. On November13the pairing had changed to Nos.66116+66060, but by November 16 and 20 it was back to Nos.66116+66199. Afurther change had occurred when next seen on November 23, 25, 27 and 30, when it wasback to Nos.66116+66060.
IN THE south, Class 66 Nos.66722+66741 in filthy condition worked a Tonbridge to Tonbridge via the Brighton Main Line on November 11. Seen passing Folkestone West on a Tonbridge to Tonbridge circuit at 12.02 on November 13 was 3W02, top-and-tailed by GBRf Class 66 Nos.66736 and 66749.
CLASS 66 Nos.66426+66428 was noted entering Harwich International station on November 12, arare sight as normally the RHTT unit stops in Harwich Parkeston Quay yard.
RHTT on the East Grinstead line are now being operated by loco-hauled sets.Seen at East Croydon on November 18 was a set top-and-tailed by GBRf Class 73 Nos.73141+73213.At East Grinstead station on the following day were GBRf Class 66 Nos.66722 and 66741.
DB CargoClass 66 No.66098 in very grimy EWS livery was one of two Class 66s top-and-tailing a train of RHTT tanks passing through Tilehurst East Junction at 08.03 in the Down direction on November 21.
A CORRECTION is needed to our report last month regarding the use of Class 165s workings between Reading and Oxford/ Banbury.
This is not at all an unusual working –in fact there are several Class 165 workings between Reading and Oxford/ Banburyeveryday(Monday to Friday), which have been virtually unchanged since local services between Paddington and Didcot Parkway were switched to electric operation, many months ago.
These workings were introduced toprovide a through service in the peak hours for local stations between Reading and Oxford.
What would be slightly unusual would be use of aClass 166‘Turbo’as most of these have now been transferred to the West of England.
A NUMBER of late Saturday night and early Sunday morning workings have been withdrawn because of timetable changes on December 13.
Among the casualties is the Sunday 07.58 Oxford-Paddington IET,which had the distinction of being the only IETservicetocall at Goring & Streatley since the two former peak-hour workings to and from Paddingtonwerewithdrawnin December 2019.
This train regularly managed the 8.75 miles in Goring to Reading in around seven minutes,but unfortunately the last twoworkings of this service were both cancelled: on November 29, avictim of overrunning engineering works (which also caused the next stopping service to be 40 minutes late)and on December 6 because of‘a problem with the traction equipment’,according to Realtime Trains.
Above: Wheelset problems with Class 37s on Rail Head Treatment Trains led to Class 20s from Harry Needle being drafted in to work on Southand North Yorkshire circuits.Nos.20132 and 20118 pause at Filey station on December 11,returning to York.
CHRIS GEE
GWR first blamed‘crew shortage causing a delay’and droppedthe stop at Goring to make up time,but subsequently cancelled the service altogether because of it‘being late from the depot’.
This is nothing new so far as this service was concerned – and on at leastone occasion it was noted running on time but failing to stop at Goring.
FORMER Northern EMUs reported included No.321902 on the 09.28 Harwich Town-Colchester on November 11. Another ex-Northern EMU appeared on the same service the following day, that being No.322481 –possibly on its first official workings on the GE mainline since returning to the area.
DELIVERIES and movements of Class 720 units included No.720554 top-and-tailed by Class 47 Nos.47727+47749 from Derby toWolverton on November 12, followed the next day by No. 720556 also from DerbytoWolverton.
On November 16, the Class 47s moved No. 720522 from Worksop to Crewe followed by No.720547 the following day. The Class 47s were in action again on November 19 when they took No.720521 from DerbytoWorksop.
A change of power on November 23 found Class 66 Nos.66716+66725 move No.720549 from Worksop to Crewe.