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RAIL
REPORTS 2007
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GLASGOW KISS
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Departure, arrival and
changing stations and haulage in bold.
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| At 20.16 on
the evening of Friday 23 February 2007 a Virgin
Trains Pendolino EMU had accelerated the 17.15
Euston - Glasgow working to 95 mph after a
routine station stop at Oxenholme, the junction
for the branch line to Windermere. Near to the
remote village of Grayrigg a defective point
derailed the nine carriage train, causing it to
rip up half a mile of track, bring down overhead
wiring, sever fibre optic signalling cables and
plunge down an embankment. One passenger died in
the accident and another twenty people -
including the driver who had heroically struggled
to control the train - were hospitalised
following their injuries. With the West Coast Main Line
blocked and Anglo-Scottish freight diverted over
the Settle-Carlisle route, passenger services
from Oxenholme to Penrith and beyond were
replaced with road motor coaches while new roads
had to be hastily built to allow heavy lifting
equipment access to the crash site. The line was
re-opened on a widened embankment - and with a 50
mph speed restriction - from Tuesday 13 March.
My journeys in the area
were necessarily disrupted by the Pendolino
disaster and as such I had less time in Glasgow
that had originally been envisioned.
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| STATION |
DEPART |
NOTES
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| 158
762 - sister unit to 158 767 and also bearing
First Transpennine livery - stopped at Gloucester
on 16 March 2007. The appearance of these new
markings in Gloucestershire indicates both the
takeover of the former Wessex franchise by First
Great Western and the displacement of Class 158
units by Class 185 Desirio diesel hydraulic
multiple units on Trans Pennine duties. |
THURSDAY 1
MARCH 2007
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| CHELTENHAM SPA |
1012
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150 221 (arrived from south and
formed the 1002 service to Taunton ) 158 767 (TransPennine livery,
southbound )
170 632 ( Central Trains,
bound for Nottingham )
180 101
221 121 "Charles
Darwin" ( southbound )
221 140 "Vasco
da Gama" to Preston
|
| BIRMINGHAM |
Approach to New Street via
Moseley Tunnel and Bordesley and Proof House
Junctions. Seen near Saltley were 170 508 and 221
105 "William Baffin" |
| CREWE |
D120 ( very rusty ) 50
031"Hood", 86 424, 350 115 61994 "The Great Marquess"
in lined black livery in steam at The Railway Age
|
| WARRINGTON |
08 857, 60 073, 66 188, 66 211, 175
112 "South Lakes Wild Animal Park SUMATRAN
TIGER" 390 007 "Virgin Lady" |
| PRESTON |
221 124 "Charles
Lindburgh" to Lancaster |
|
Desirio DHMU 185 126 prepared to
leave Lancaster
Castle station for Manchester Airport
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| LANCASTER |
156 466, 185 126, 390 041 "City
of Chester", 390 053 "Mission
Accomplished" 185 149 to Windermere |
FRIDAY 2
MARCH 2007
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| WINDERMERE |
185 115 to Oxenholme |
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| The
Road motor coach connection from Oxenholme to
Penrith on Friday 2 March 2007 was aboard DAZ
9372, a Van Hool bodied PSV with a Volvo chassis
in the red and gold markings of Gibsons of
Moffatt, Dumfries. |
| OXENHOLME |
185 130, Road coach from
Oxenholme to Penrith 390 006 "Virgin
Sun" from Penrith to Glasgow Central
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| CARLISLE |
142 011, 221 127"Wright
Brothers",390 045 "Virgin Valiant" Two four wheeled hopper wagons noted
being taken south on lorries on the M6 north of
Carlisle
57 306 "Jeff
Tracy" noted at Rutherglen
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| Still
dominating the Glasgow skyline was Clyde
Navigation Trustees's Crane Number 7, built by
Cowans Sheldon of Carlisle in 1931and installed
under the direction of Daniel Fife, Member of the
Institute of Mechanical Engineers and Mechanical
Engineer to the Trust. |
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| Also
seen tied up alongside the Scottish Science
Centre was the Paddle Steamer
"Waverley", the last ocean going paddle
steamer left in the World. It was built for the
LNER in 1947 and is often seen on the River
Severn. |
| GLASGOW CENTRAL |
1740
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91 101 "City of London",
91 119 "The Samaritans" 390 xxx to Carlisle, Road
coach to Kendal ( as opposed to Oxenholme, due to
SatNav not working ) 185 145 Kendal to Windermere
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MONDAY 5
MARCH 2007
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| WINDERMERE |
1228
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185 121 to Oxenholme, Road
coach to Lancaster. 220 018 "Dorset Voyager
" to Preston
221 127"Wright
Brothers" to Cheltenham
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| WARRINGTON |
66 118, 67022, 175 111 "Brief
Encounter" |
| CREWE |
08 780, 66
577, 90 027 "Allerton T&RS Depot",
350 101, 350 116, 350 129 50009 "Union of South
Africa" at Railway Age
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| WOLVERHAMPTON |
390 052 "Virgin Knight" |
| BIRMINGHAM NEW ST |
220 017
"BOMBARDIER Voyager"
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THE NAVY LARK
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Departure, arrival and
changing stations and haulage in bold.
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THURSDAY 26 JULY 2007
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| STATION |
DEPART |
NOTES************************************************************************************** |
| CHELTENHAM SPA |
0745 |
220
005 "Guildford Voyager" to Birmingham
New Street |
| BIRMINGHAM
NEW STREET |
0921 |
66
193, 158 841, 220 009 "Gatwick
Voyager", 221 132 "William Speirs
Bruce", 321 407, 321 413, 350 105 to Crewe [08
805 Soho]
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| WOLVERHAMPTON |
221
108 "Sir Ernest Shackleton", Network
Measuring Train. |
| CREWE |
1032 |
D120
( still very rusty ) 50031"Hood",
86901, 86 902, 175 104, 350 124, 390 038
"City of London", 6201"Princess
Elizabeth" ( Railway Age) 390 012
"Virgin Star" to Oxenholme
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| WARRINGTON |
08
389, 66 056, 66 077, 175 002 |
| OXENHOLME |
1205 |
221
141 "Amerigo Vespucci" 185 139
to Windermere |
SATURDAY 28 JULY 2007
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| Windermere Air
Show, although not suffering from the competition
of the more conventional air show at Walney (
unfortunately cancelled after rail tickets had
been bought ) lacked many of its usual
attractions including the RAF Falcons parachute
team and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Instead Saturday yielded flying displays by solo
Turcano and Hawk aircraft while Sunday lunctime
at Bowness offered The Red Arrows ( using more
singleton and small groups of aircraft than in
previous display seasons ) and the Eurofighter
Typhoon. The new Warton-built twin engined
fighter performed its agile display in a
remarkably small air space. Free attractions by the Lake
included a tent devoted to The Dambusters ( both
the film and the raid itself) and a Red Arrows
merchandise stand while The Rotary Club
Entertainment Area ( admission by programme ) was
more sparse than usual. Attractions on Sunday
included a short 71/4" gauge line offering
children's rides behind an 0-6-0T of the South
Lakeland Model Engineering Society and also a
static display of World War II US Army vehicles -
one Willy's Jeep and two Dodge trucks. Saturday
however offered the chance of inspecting Westland Sea King HAR3 XZ589: a helicopter type designed for
Naval use and indeed featured in RN HAS guise in
the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved
Me".
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| Continuing the
nautical theme, Saturday afternoon also offered
the chance to visit The Autograph Shop in
Windermere and meet Caroline
Munro,
star of the submarine - and assault ship - based
Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me" |
MONDAY 30 JULY 2007
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| WINDERMERE |
185
150 to Oxenholme 390 036 "City of
Coventry" to Glasgow |
| CARLISLE CITADEL |
6201"Princess
Elizabeth" ( minus nameplates ) 57 311
"Parker" 57 313 "Tracy
Island" |
| KINGMOOR |
66
021, 66029 [ 67 011 Motherwell ] |
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| The
original Victorian Glasgow subway was the World's
only cable hauled underground railway, but
converted to dc electrification in 1935 and was
further improved by 1979. The original St Enoch's
station is now a travel centre with the modern
glass and metal Underground entrance slightly to
the North. |
| GLASGOW |
66
134, 156 436, 90 034 plus a visit to the Glasgow
Transport Museum ( with its impressive model ship
gallery ) by way of a complete anticlockwise
orbit of the Glagow Underground from St Enoch's
station. 390
025 "Virgin Stagecoach" to Oxenholme
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| KINGMOOR |
57
305 "John Tracy" 66 094, 66584 |
| OXENHOLME |
390
047 "Heaven's Angels" |
TUESDAY 31 JULY 2007
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| WINDERMERE |
0938 |
185
134 to Oxenholme |
| OXENHOLME |
1013 |
221
115 "Sir Francis Chichester"
390 020 "Virgin Cavalier" to Crewe |
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221 115 "Sir Francis
Chichester" ( named after the round-the
-world yachtsman) arrives at Oxenholme from the
South past signal CE 52 on Tuesday 31 July 2007
Click
on picture for more about tilting trains
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| LANCASTER |
150
135, 156 470 |
| WARRINGTON |
66
011, 66 101, 66 144 |
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| 47
813 "John Peel" at the south of Crewe
station. Click on picture for more on Cotswold
Rail in Gloucester |
| CREWE |
1200 |
47
813 "John Peel", 158 783, 221 102
"John Cabot", 323 226, 350 108, 390 022
"Virgin Hope", 390 024 "Virgin
Venturer" 350 130 / 129 to Birmingham
New Street
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| STAFFORD |
57
307 "Lady Penelope" 220 002 "Forth
Voyager" |
| WOLVERHAMPTON |
323
209, 390 032 "City of Birmingham" |
| BIRMINGHAM NEW
STREET |
1310 |
170
104, 220 011 "Tyne Voyager" to
Cheltenham |
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STREAKY BACON
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Departure, arrival and
changing stations and haulage in bold.
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THURSDAY 30 AUGUST 2007
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| Adelante
diesel hydraulic multiple unit 180 112 forms
First Great Western's 1835 to Paddington at
Cheltenham |
| STATION |
DEPART |
NOTES************************************************************************************** |
| CHELTENHAM SPA |
1903 |
66
204 (northbound with cars and vans, seen again at
SALTLEY) 158 746 (to Malvern), 158 773 (to
Nottingham), 170 102 ( to Cardiff), 170 104, 180
112 (FGW 1835 to Paddington), 220 014 "South
Yorkshire Voyager"(to Newcastle) 220 023
"Mancunian Voyager" ( to Cardiff), 221
105 "William Baffin" (to Plymouth), 221
118 "Mungo Park" (1812 to Glasgow) 221 119
"Amelia Earhart" to TAMWORTH
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| Central
Trains 158 773 prepares to leave for Nottingham
as Virgin Super Voyager 221 105 heads for
Plymouth |
| TAMWORTH |
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390
005 "City of Wolverhampton" to
OXENHOLME |
FRIDAY 31 AUGUST 2007
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| WINDERMERE |
185
xxx to OXENHOLME |
| OXENHOLME |
66
408 (DRS, northbound freightliner) 221
112 "Ferdinand Magellan" to Preston |
| LANCASTER |
390
030 "City of Edinburgh" |
| PRESTON |
57
309 "Brains", 221 109 "Marco
Polo", 221 141 "Amerigo Vespucci" 158 784 to
Blackpool
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Blackpool Illumination celebrations
held in Bonny Street area ( formerly Blackpool
Central station ) hosted by Dale Winton and
featuring Natalie Imbruglia, Natasha Bedingfield,
The Ghosts, Gareth Gates and McFly. Illuminations
switched on by Dr Who ( David Tennant ), emerging
from the TARDIS and hindered by a gold Dalek.
Illuminations themselves featured a Dr Who themed
section.
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SATURDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2007
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| NORTH
PIER |
Blackpool
Tram 713 to CLEVELEYS |
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| English Electric built 1934 vintage Blackpool double
deck trams 701 and 713 at Cleveleys |
| CLEVELEYS |
723
to FLEETWOOD |
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| London
Transport AEC Routemaster RM196 - registration
VLT 196 - at Fleetwood |
| FLEETWOOD |
London RM and
Leyland Olympian buses taking part in RNLI Open
Day along with various lifeboats near the Knott
End Ferry Terminal. 648 to BISPHAM and 719 to
STARR GATE
600, 633, 642,
643, 700, 701, 703, 707, 710, 712, 762
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| RNLI inshore
lifeboat B-773 was one of a number afloat at
Fleetwood. |
SUNDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2007
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| BLACKPOOL |
150
215 to POULTON-LE-FYLDE |
| POULTON-LE-FYLDE |
150
211, 156 423, 185 136 150 135
POULTON-LE-FYLDE to PRESTON |
| PRESTON |
221
101 "Louis Bleriot" to OXENHOLME 185
xxx to WINDERMERE |
TUESDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2007
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| WINDERMERE |
185
116 to OXENHOLME |
| OXENHOLME |
1057 |
66
406 (Tesco Freightliner northbound ), 66 606 (
northbound, ballast ) 221 109 "Marco
Polo", 221 139 "Leif Erikson", 390
038 "City of London" 185 116 to
MANCHESTER PICCADILLY |
| CARNFORTH |
390
011 "City of Lichfield" [156 475
LANCASTER] [ 158 907, 185 111 PRESTON ] |
| CHORLEY |
185
136 [ 220 026 "Stagecoach Voyager"
SALFORD CRESCENT] |
| DEANSGATE |
142
005 [ 175 101 OXFORD ROAD ] |
| MANCHESTER
PICCADILLY |
1254 |
142
042, 150 139, 185 115, 323 235, 323 233, 390
021"Virgin Dream", 390 039 "Virgin
Quest" 220 027 "Avon
Voyager" to BIRMINGHAM N ST |
| LONGSIGHT |
08
696 [ 323 232 MACCLESFIELD ] [ 220 030
"Devon Voyager" STOKE ON TRENT] |
| STAFFORD |
57
309 "Brains" |
| WOLVERHAMPTON |
66
044, 150 102, 220 001 "Somerset
Voyager", 350 119 |
| BIRMINGHAM NEW
STREET |
220
019 "Mersey Voyager", 323 201, 323 221 220 034
"Yorkshire Voyager" to CHELTENHAM
[66 216 ABBOTSWOOD
JUNCTION]
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TERMINAL VELOCITY
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Departure, arrival and
changing stations and haulage in bold.
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FRIDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2007
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| 170
639 - formerly of Central Trains - was the first
train I had seen with the new Arriva Cross
Country logo. |
GLOUCESTER
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1002
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47
375 ( blue ) 47 703 "Hermes" ( names
removed, Fragonset colours ) 158 765, 170 639,
180 101 143 612 to Swindon
47 200 at Horton
Road
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| SWINDON |
a 1052 d 1111
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43093,
43152,43197 43031
to Paddington
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| DIDCOT |
60
075, 66 008, 66 106 |
| READING |
43192,
165 124, 180 102, Class 458 Juniper set 8010 |
| PADDINGTON |
43001
. Arrival at Paddington was around 7 minutes late
due to engine problems with the rear power car of
the train east of Burnham. |
| From
Paddington I walked to Marylebone ( not an easy
station to photograph nowadays but at least the
toilets are free! ) before continuing through the
very beautiful Regents Park - with its urban
herons - and along Mornington Crescent to a point
just north of Euston station. As with Marylebone,
high surrounding walls and bridge parapets made
photography difficult. I then proceeded to Kings
Cross and the new St Pancras International. |
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| Kings
Cross offered only one practical outside view -
from the top of Gasworks Tunnel - and the trains
were heavily obscured by overhead catenary
equipment. However, the only above-track
viewpoint for St Pancras was via some land owned
by the local boat club and inaccessible to non
members. However, the domestic side of St Pancras
station itself was easily entered ( through a
crowd of busy builders in hi-vis vests despite
the Royal official opening earlier in the week )
and boasted such impressive features as a
Gloucestershire designed statue at The Meeting
Place. |
| KINGS CROSS |
43108
"Old Course St Andrews", 43 167
"DELTIC 50 1955-2005" ( blue nameplate
) 91 115 "Holyrood", 91 125
"Berwick Upon Tweed" 91 130 "City
of Newcastle", 365 508 / 365 512, 365 536 |
| From
Kings Cross I took the TFL Victoria line to
Victoria, saw 465 152 and took a classmate to
Bickley |
SUNDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2007
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| BICKLEY |
1246 |
465
033, 465 191 465
042 to Elephant and Castle, changing to TFL
Bakerloo line for Paddington
My thanks
to Kevin McArdell for the picture above!
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| 43125
then provided haulage from Paddington
to Swindon at 1407 arriving
on time at 1517 after which 180
111 formed the 1529 to Gloucester
ariving at 1619. 66 188 was
observed en route at Acton Main Line |
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