Sitting on the up line just north of Kilsby Tunnel on January 5, is GBRf No. 66798 with an engineering train collecting spoil from excavations. The train had worked to the site from Bescot yard along with No. 66706. New drainage pipes are visible in the foreground and adjacent compound.
CHRIS MILNER
A WEEK-LONG closure of the West Coast Main Line between Rugby and Milton Keynes was undertaken by Network Rail between January 4-12, to carry out flood alleviation works.
Sections of the line between the two stations have suffered from serious flooding at times of heavy rain, particularly in the Kilsby Tunnel area, forcing diversions. This closure has presented an opportunity to install new drainage in a bid to alleviate the flooding. With the closed section from Hanslope to Hillmorton Junctions for the duration of the work, all services ran via Northampton, adding an additional 25 minutes to journey times.
Timetables were modified for both Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern, with the latter’s Euston-Crewe service being cut back to run Rugby-Crewe.