Rail Head Treatment Trains
Reports are now coming in as the Rail Head Treatment Train (RHTT) season gets underway. Class 57 No. 57306 Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate 175 was noted at Harwich International on 0Z06 on September 11, working an RHTT route-learner diagram, returning to its Stowmarket base as 0Z07 after a short 10-minute break. The first complete 3S60 Stowmarket – Stowmarket RHTT running, working the GEML southern branch lines, occurred on Monday, September 25 with Class 66 No. 66776 Joanne heading into Harwich International at 09.45 with No. 66753 EMD Roberts Road at the rear.
The 3S84, from Effingham Junction Carriage Holding Sidings to Effingham Junction Carriage Holding Sidings, was seen passing Wimbledon West Junction on Monday, September 25, formed of Multi Purpose Vehicle Nos. DR98973+DR98923. The diagram ran via Hampton Court, Surbiton, Basingstoke, Woking Up Yard Reception, Aldershot, Wimbledon, and Guildford.
RHTT 3W90, from Tonbridge West Yard to Tonbridge West Yard via Redhill, Brighton, Haywards Heath, Lewes, Newhaven Marine, Kensington Olympia, Sutton, Tulse Hill, East Grinstead, Uckfield, Norwood Junction, Horsham and Redhill, was seen approaching Haydons Road station on
Monday, September 25. The train was formed of two FEA flat wagons with the appropriate modules attached and was headed by Class 73 No. 73201 Broadlands with No. 73128 OVS Bulleid C.B.E at the rear of the train.
Observed at Westbury on October 5 at about 17.30, Class 66 Nos. 66155 and 66044 ran into the down platform avoiding line and, after a crew change, ran out again top-andtailing a RHTT.
Avanti West Coast
Observed at Crewe on Thursday, September 14 were new Class 805 units Nos. 805001+805003 working a 5Q31 from Oxley Carriage Maintenance Depot to Holyhead. Plastic covers were in place on the seats of No. 805001, but No. 805003 did not appear to have had seats fitted.
The first of the new Class 805 units to be delivered in full AWC livery, No. 805005 was moved by Class 56 No. 56081 from Newton Aycliffe to Oxley on September 26.
LNER
On Saturday, September 16, the first of this year’s East Coast diversions were observed passing Thankerton with the following units reported: 800101-04/07/11-13,800202/ 06/08/10, 801107/08/11. Reported on Sunday, September 17, were Nos. 800102/04/05/07/10-13, 800201/02/06/08/10 and 801103/07/13.
Great Western Railway
Reading Traincare Depot was viewed from a passing train on Friday, September 8. he three ex-Marston Vale two-car D-stock sets Nos. 230003/04/05 were stabled towards the western end of the sidings.
As will be evident to anyone travelling into Paddington station on a GWR train, progress is being made on the new HS2 station at Old Oak Common. The time is drawing near when the station works will have reached the point where the civil engineer requires a complete blockade on the Great Western Main Line into Paddington. The blockade will prevent GWR trains running east of Ealing Broadway, where passengers will be able to transfer to London Underground. Trains may also terminate at Reading, where passengers can transfer to South Western services to Waterloo.
On Friday, September 29, GWR chartered a train from West Coast Railways to explore the options for running services to Euston or Waterloo whilst Paddington is closed for HS2 works at Old Oak Common. The charter was first noted, from a passing London Overground service, stopped at Acton Wells Junction when working as train 2Z02 from London Euston to Acton Terminal Complex with Class 33 Nos. 33207 and 33029 top-andtailing inspection saloon No. 999506. A little later the train was seen again, passing Kensington Olympia running from Acton Terminal Complex to London Waterloo. The train was seen for a final time by platform 17 at Waterloo station. It had stopped at the country end of the platform to minimise the diesel fumes under the overall roof.
A GWR ‘Castle’set with power cars Nos. 43186 Taunton Castle/43189 Launceston Castle passes a field of cabbages at Crugwallins, near Burngullow in Cornwall, on October 7, with the 2C67/08.00Cardiff-Penzance. The December timetable change will see the remaining ‘Castle’ sets concentrated on services west of Plymouth.
CRAIG MUNDAY
Greater Anglia
The normally reliable and dependable Stadler Class 745 and 755s suffered two consecutive days of unit failures that caused frustration with travelling passengers. On September 25, No.745104 failed at Colchester and on September 26 when Nos. 755336+755338+755424 failed at Bow Junction. Both were hauled back to Norwich Crown Point by ROG’s Class 37/6 No. 37601 Perseus that was on hand at Orient Way.
The final two Class 321 units stored at Clacton, Nos. 321306+321314 left on September 29 to continue their storage at Walton Old Junction sidings, Warrington.
Abellio Scotrail
Ayr station was closed on the evening of September 25, when the nearby hotel was once again the victim of an arson attack. Services were suspended between Ayr and Irvine to the north and to Girvan in the south with a bus replacement being put in place. Two units were ‘trapped’ south of Ayr with Class 156 No. 156495 being observed in a siding at Girvan while No. 156503 provided a shuttle service between Girvan and Stranraer.
On Saturday, October 7, parts of Scotland saw a month’s rain fall in less than a day. A weather warning had previously been issued and Network Rail took the decision to impose a blanket speed restriction of 40mph, including on the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow Central and Lamington.
Avanti West Coast advertised all its services were cancelled north of Preston, however a very limited service was provided with trains leaving Glasgow for Preston at 07.22, 09.07, 11.15, 14.10 and 15.11, with a 17.09 to Carlisle and from Preston to Glasgow at 10.40, 13.34, 14.54, 17.09, 18.49 and 20.41. The sight of these trains passing Thankerton at just 40mph enabled your correspondent to see that some were well loaded.
TPE withdrew all its trains within Scotland. The temporary timetable in place because of the fire at the former Station Hotel at Ayr was modified with ScotRail trains only operating between Glasgow Central and Irvine. The usual ScotRail routes which are known to be prone to flooding were closed, West Highland Lines, trains between Helensburgh Central and Dalmuir/Glasgow Queen Street Low Level, Balloch and Hyndland and the Highland Main Line between Perth and Inverness. Other routes saw a reduced service being provided.
In the event, the amount of rain which fell was greater than expected, with one weather station recording 107.5 mm in a 12-hour period. Unsurprisingly, water courses were unable to cope with widespread flooding occurring. Services were suspended between Wemyss Bay and Glasgow after water levels rose significantly at Branchton station. At Bowling station, as seen on television news reports, the flood water was almost to platform height. At Langbank, flooding closed the route between Gourock and Glasgow Central. All services operating via Glasgow Central were suspended following flooding at a number of locations.
Services between East Kilbride and Glasgow Central were suspended due to flooding at Thornliebank. The Shotts route between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh was the next to be closed due to flooding in the Shotts area. The Glasgow Queen Street to Alloa services were unable to operate between Stirling and Alloa. Serious flooding was then confirmed at Achnasheen justifying the earlier route closure.