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Right: A busy scene at Bethnal Green on February 18, as various Greater Anglia Class 720 and London Overground Class 710 ‘Aventras’ climb and descend the 1-in-70 bank out of Liverpool Street.
ALEX AYRE
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With many West Coast Main Line (WCML) train services north of Preston being cancelled due to Storm Dudley, on February 17 some Avanti Class 390s had to be repositioned. One such was No. 390005 City of Wolverhampton which ran Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) from Carlisle 5Z45/13.08 to Preston. This unit then, on a rescheduled service, departed Preston at 15.17 for Euston via Birmingham.
With Storm Eunice causing Anglo-Scottish WCML services out of Euston to be cancelled on February 18, the only through passenger services to Scotland were the two overnight Caledonian Sleeper trains which departed the night before. These were the 21.18 for Edinburgh and Inverness and the 23.50 for Glasgow.
On Thursday, March 3 serious disruption occurred on the WCML when the 4S43/06.23 Daventry IRFT to Mossend Euro Terminal hauled by DRS Class 88 No. 88006 Juno encountered difficulties just short of the summit at Beattock. Assistance was requested. A 1Z99 in the form of Class 66 No. 66303 was seen passing Thankerton shortly after 14.00. The much delayed 4S43 was eventually observed passing Thankerton at 15.40, some 140 minutes later than usual.
The 9S54/08.43 Euston to Edinburgh operated by Pendolino No. 390001 was 130 minutes late and was followed by a queue of very late-running services.
A brief visit to King’s Cross on Saturday, February 12 found three Class 91s in the station. No. 91106 was seen leaving on the 14.35 to Leeds, with DVT No. 82208 at the rear of the train. No. 91109 Sir Bobby Robson was at platform 6, with DVT No. 82211 at the rear, on the 15.06 to York. No. 91119 Bounds Green in Intercity swallow livery, with DVT No. 82213, was at platform 7 on the 15.35 departure to Leeds.
Four locos, four liveries captured at Barnes on February 7 as Nos. 66413 (Genesee & Wyoming livery)+66793 (retro Railfreight grey)+66778 (GBRf)+66554 (Freightliner) head the 6Y48/09.01 Eastleigh East Yard to Hoo Junction Up Yard movement of Balfour Beatty Kirow crane No. DRK 81 602 and its runners.
CHRIS WEST
News from GWR is that the 09.03 Brighton to Great Malvern and 17.03 to Bristol will no longer be running in the new timetable, leaving Brighton with no GWR inter-regional service. Services will be starting from Portsmouth Harbour with the rest of their schedules, leaving the Gatwick to Reading the only other GWR services from the Southern.
Movements of Class 769 units from Wolverton to Reading has seen No. 769935 delivered by Class 57 No. 57312 on February 11; No. 769923 on February 28; No. 769947 behind No. 57310 on March 9; and No. 769944 hauled by Class 37 No. 37884 on March 11. Units are also going to Eastleigh Works for attention with No. 769927 going south from Reading on February 16 and Nos. 769930+769943 following from Long Marston on March 4.
The new Class 720 units continue to attract much attention.
Movements reported included No. 720527 from Derby to Oxley behind Class 47 No. 47727 on February 9. The following day No. 720541 was top-and-tailed by Nos. 47727+56081 from Old Dalby to Worksop. Class 47 No. 47749 was used on February 25 to move No. 720526 from Derby to Oxley.
The same Class 47 was in use again on March 4, moving No. 720587 from Derby to Wembley, followed by No. 720588 from Derby to Oxley on March 9. A further move on March 10 found No. 720507 top-and-tailed from Worksop to Derby by Nos. 56081+47739.
A further move from Worksop to Derby followed on March 15 when No. 720508 was top-andtailed by Nos. 47749+56081. Further units now in passenger service include Nos. 720525/27/72/79/85/86/87.
The movement of Class 379s from Ilford for storage at Harwich Parkeston Quay yard and back continues apace. On February 9, Nos. 379004+379009 arrived at HPQ at 14.25. The following day Nos. 379003+379016 returned to Ilford EMUD.
On February 11 it was the turn of Nos. 379026+379029 to make the journey back to Ilford, leaving Harwich International at 10.55 and the crew returned with Nos. 379006+379023. The following week there were just two movements from Ilford with Nos. 379003+379016 arriving on February 14, Nos. 379008+379013 on February 15. On February 17, there were eight Class 379s on the recommissioned line from Parkeston East Jct to Dovercourt and 12 units stored across three sidings in Harwich Parkeston Quay (HPQ) yard.
The to-and-froing of Class 379 between Ilford EMUD and Harwich Parkeston Quay yard continued during the week commencing February 21. Nos. 379004 and 379009 headed back to Ilford on February 23 and a visit to the yard the following day revealed that at some time Nos. 379024+379025 had also left while Nos. 379018+ 379028 had moved from the ‘through’ siding to Dovercourt into HPQ yard.
By the afternoon of February 25, Nos. 379026+379030 had arrived from Ilford EMUD and been positioned on the ‘through’ siding with Nos. 379018+379028 tucked in behind, again making 10 units in this lineout.
The merry-go-round movement of Class 379 units from and to Harwich Parkeston Quay and Ilford EMUD continued with transfers to the latter of Nos. 379008+379013 on February 28; Nos. 379003+379016 on March 1; and Nos. 379002+379011 on March 3, while Nos. 379004+379009 and 379021+379025 moved the other way on February 28 and March 1 respectively. Nos. 379008+379013 returned to Harwich on March 10.
The following day Nos. 379003+379024 ran north from Ilford to Norwich for storage in the Wensum sidings.
On Thursday, February 17 the opportunity was taken by a correspondent to ride on some of the services still worked by Class 317s. Travelling from Tottenham Hale to Liverpool Street found the 11.53 from Cambridge North formed of Nos. 317506+317337; continuing on the 13.42 departure to Hertford East, formed of Nos. 317881+317344, which was taken as far as Enfield Lock, then back to Stratford on the 14.15 from Bishops Stortford, which was formed of Nos. 317884+317513.