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Class 73 No. 73201 Broadlands leads No. 73119 on 3W90, the Tonbridge West yard circular rail head treatment train at Norbury Park in the Mole Valley on October 23.

JAMIE SQUIBBS

RHTT

A VARIETY of Railhead Treatment Trains have been reported in recent weeks. The RHTT season on the southern end of the Midland Main Line began on September 28.

The service next ran on October 2, and then daily. The working is the 23.19 Toton TMDWest Hampstead North Junction and 3J93/12.01 return.

When seen on October 5, 7 and 9 the locos were DBC EWS-liveried Class 66 Nos. 66199+ 66030. The locos had changed to Nos. 66114+66111 when observed on October 10, 12, 14 and 16.

By October 24 the pairing had changed again to Nos. 66119+66116 and was the same on October 26. However, when seen on October 28, 30, and 31 it was Nos. 66114+66111.

THE late-running 09.09 Slade Green T&RSMD-Tonbridge West Yard via Strood and the Maidstone East route was observed at Strood Station, Kent, on October 15. It was worked by Class 66 Nos. 66708 Jayne leading and 66721 Harry Beck on the rear and getting very grubby! This seems to be a Class 66 working this year rather than a self-propelled Windhoff MPV unit.

MPV Nos. DR98962+DR98912 were seen passing through Stockport with the 3S09 Wigan to Wigan diagram on October 18. On the same day, Class 56 Nos. 56105 and 56087 were in Gloucester yard with an RHTT rake. Also on October 18, Class 56 Nos. 56096+56113 passed Prestatyn at 13.23 (12 minutes early), en route from Holyhead to Shrewsbury Coleham with a railhead treatment train.

CLASS 37 Nos. 37422 and 37425 Sir Robert McAlpine/Concrete Bob were on RHTT duties on October 22 down into Harwich Parkston Quay yard.

The following day the set was in the hands of Class 66 Nos. 66426 and 66428 Carlisle Eden Mind. The sets are stored in the engineering sidings at Stowmarket with Class 57 Nos. 57002 Rail Express and 57003, 37038, and Class 37 Nos. 37059 and 37069 also involved in these daily duties along the GEML and branch lines.

On November 3, Class 37 Nos. 37038 and 37069 were seen travelling towards Cromer and crossing the River Bure south of Hoveton and Wroxham station.

CLASS 66 Nos. 66030 and 66114 top-and-tailed an RHTT diagram past Attenborough Junction on the afternoon of Monday October 26.

ADVERSE weather conditions on October 29 meant a temporary Avanti Preston-Glasgow-Preston shuttle service being put into action. One such service was 1Z47, seen arriving in Lancaster 25 minutes late at 16.43 from Preston, operated by Class 390 No. 390103.

UNTIL recently a Class 165 working on the Great Western mainline into Reading would not have been worthy of comment, but such workings are now quite rare. One such working is an evening train from Oxford to Reading and then return. On Thursday, October 8, the 17.07 from Oxford to Reading was formed of two-car unit No. 165119; having worked into platform 13 at Reading station, No. 165119 then formed the 18.22 from Reading to Oxford.

MOVEMENTS of Class 720 units reported include new No. 720548 being top-and-tailed from Litchurch Lane to Worksop on October 15 by Class 47 Nos. 47749+47727.

The same Class 47s moved No. 720550 from Litchurch Lane to Wolverton on October 22.

The following day they moved No. 720547 from Derby to Worksop, followed by No. 720523, also to Worksop on October 26.

The next day they took No. 720553 from Worksop to Derby, followed by No. 720519 from Derby to Wolverton on October 28, when the locos employed were Nos. 47749+47739.

The same pair were in use again on November 2 when they took No. 720542 from Ferme Park to Worksop, reportedly in need of replacement wheel sets.

It was back to Nos. 47727+47749, being used on November 10 to take No. 720545 from Wolverton to Old Dalby.

TWO Class 317 units - Nos. 317672+317657 - were moved from Ilford to Ely for storage on October 16 by Class 66 No. 66701.

Two of the Class 317 units in warm storage at Harwich Parkeston Quay yard - Nos. 317665 and 317667 - returned to Ilford EMUD on October 22. These two were replaced by two more Class 317s from Ilford the same day, Nos. 317505+317661. When viewed on November 3, No. 317661 had left.

Nos. 317665 and 317667 have subsequently been taken to Ely Papworth sidings by Class 66 No. 66774 on October 30.

A visit to Harwich International on the morning of November 7 revealed two Class 317s - Nos. 317655 and 317664 - sitting at platform 3, having been released from temporary warm storage at the adjacent Harwich Parkeston Quay yard.

The sets left at 11.47 for Ilford EMUD, but before he left the station the driver did reveal he had brought two Class 317s down - Nos. 317666 and 317670 - earlier that same morning.

FORMER Northern Class 322 No. 322484 was seen for the first time on the Harwich Town to Manningtree branch service on October 17.

This would normally have been a Class 360 diagram at weekends so it may well be the latter are being readied to depart the Greater Anglia scene.