Call: 01507 529589 email: railway @mortons.co.uk
Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM.
IN AN incident on February 2, reports emerged that 1M19/18.40 Glasgow Central to London Euston, formed of Pendolino No. 390138, had requested the attendance of Scottish Fire and Rescue service due to an on-train fire incident just north of Lockerbie, as a result of a hot axle box detector being activated on coach No. 69138. The driver is reported to have tried to control the fire using on-board extinguishers but was unable to do so. Upon the arrival of the fire service, it was discovered that the wheelset and axle involved were glowing red hot.
Once the fire was extinguished, arrangements were made to use Transpennine Express’s 1S81/17.10 Manchester Airport to Glasgow Central, operated by 397007 (which was detained in Lockerbie station), to detrain the passengers. Once the passengers were safely transferred, 1S81 returned south to Carlisle. All passengers were detrained at Carlisle, with the unit forming an additional 5S81/22.16 Carlisle to Glasgow Central to ensure that it was in position for the start of service the next day.
Greater Anglia Stadler Class 745 No. 745005 climbs a snowy Belstead Bank, Ipswich, on February 8, working the 10.00 Norwich-Liverpool Street train.
KEITH PARTLOW
On Wednesday, February 3, single line working was in place between Wamphray and Lockerbie for the morning peak period. From about 10.00, both lines were blocked to allow wheel skates to be placed under the affected wheelset. The unit was then moved forward at very low speed into the Up passenger loop at Lockerbie. Once the movement had been completed, both lines were reopened and the backlog of freight traffic was slowly cleared. Substantial delays occurred to other services using the WCML, with the 1S82/15.57 London Euston to Glasgow Central passing Thankerton about 130 minutes late. The 1S06/19.10 from London Euston to Glasgow Central was terminated at Preston as the crew to work the train forward was still involved in the incident near Lockerbie.
THE use of Class 91s and Mk4 sets came to a temporary end on January 15, with the stock being stored at Neville Hill and Doncaster Belmont. Sets BN06 with 91124, and BN12 with 91107, ran from Bounds Green to Neville Hill. A further move on January 15 had No. 91127+BN17 run from Bounds Green to Doncaster Belmont via Newcastle-upon- Tyne to reverse the set. Similar moves followed on January 26 with 91101+BN13 and January 27 with 91114+BN15. The next day found the final departure from Bounds Green to Neville Hill, formed of Nos. 91130+91106+ 91119+12214+ 82205. This left 91109+BN26 to go north from Ferme Park to Doncaster on February 2, hauled by Class 67 No. 67001.
Class 170s are starting to appear in increasing numbers on East Midland Railways services, and No. 170417 is seen approaching Barthomley Level Crossing, between Alsagar and Crewe on February 11 with the 11.07 Derby-Crewe train. The yellow bag is protecting the coupling from the ingress of ice and snow.
STUART JHOOD
MOVEMENTS of Class 769 units reported include No. 769930 from Nemesis Burton to Reading on January 13, hauled by Class 37 No. 37884. This was followed the next day by No. 769946 making the same move, also behind No. 37884. A further move from Brush Loughborough to Nemesis, Burton, on January 22 involved Class 57 No. 57312 towing No. 769944. February 8 found No. 769959 being moved from Brush Loughborough to Nemesis Burton by Class 37 No. 37800.
NOTED on January 21 on the recommissioned track between Harwich International and Dovercourt were three Class 317s – Nos. 317649, 317654 and 317651. These would normally be‘warm-stored’in the nearby Harwich Parkeston Quay yard, but one can only presume they were moved because of lack of space in the sidings at weekends, where GA uses at least four sidings for parking its unused Class 321s, 745s and 720s units and, in the previous two weeks, two stopover intermodals from Doncaster iPort have also been booked in. Ex-Northern Class 321/9 No. 323901 was noted on January 23 working the Harwich Town-Manningtree branch service. Also noted in Harwich International station the same day was Class 321/3s Nos. 321309, 321321 and 321341. On January 28 two of the three Class 317s in‘warm storage’, namely Nos. 317651 and 317654, left their location on the recommissioned line between Harwich International and Dovercourt, and were Ilford-bound. That left classmate No. 317649 still in position, but now attached to it was Class 317/5 No. 317509.
TWO further Class 317 units – Nos. 317514+317653 – were taken by Class 37 No. 37884 on January 21 from Ilford to Raxstar at Eastleigh Works for scrapping.
SEVERAL new Class 720 Aventra EMUs have been moved around during January. No. 720535 was top-and-tailed from Worksop to Derby on January 21 by Class 47 No. 47727+47739. On January 22 No. 720545 was top-andtailed by GBRf Class 47 Nos. 47739+47727 as the 5Q70/11.00 Derby Litchurch Lane-Wembley Fan Sidings. The next movement was No. 720542 on January 25, worked by Class 56 No. 56081 + Class 47 No. 47739 as the 5Q21/11.11 Wolverton-Derby Litchurch Lane. The same Class 56+47 combination moved No. 720564 south the next day, January 26, as the 5Q70/10.56 Derby Litchurch Lane-Wolverton. A further move on February 2 found No. 720533 returned to Derby from Worksop by the same Class 47/56 pair. It was a return to Class 47 Nos. 47739+47727 on February 9 to move No. 720542 from Derby to Wolverton.
Northern bi-mode unit No. 769424 is operating on diesel power as it passes through Wigan North Western on February 10, with a Carnforth to Warrington Bank Quay driver training run.
PHIL WALLIS
NON-PRM Class 321s are being taken out of service and sent for scrapping. Nos. 321446+321357 were hauled from Clacton to Sims Newport by Class 37 No. 37884 on January 26. These were followed on February 5 by Nos. 321351+321350 making the same journey, also hauled by No. 37884.