Summer railfanning in the U.K

[kevsmiththai]

I've been on my travels recently so thought you'd like to see where I've been and what I spotted.

 

Hartlepool, in the North east of England, is on the former North Eastern railway and was once staggerlngly busy with coal and steel traffic, quieter now it still has some interesting stuff passing through

 

main class of diesel power is the Class 66. GBRF's celebrity engine 66 721 'Harry Beck' in its distinctive white colour scheme was on a Tyne-Drax hopper working

 

 

You can see the curvature of the line through the station that sits on a quite severe S bend.

 

Passenger services are a  mix of Northern Rail for suburban services and Grand Central, with their Black and Orange HSTs for London service expresses

 

 

video of a mix of trains around the area at

 

https://youtu.be/qbxcpfsO1-o

 

66 751 in the normal colours

 

 

More in a mo

[kevsmiththai]

The following day I was loading up my 'Republic Steel' Z scale layout to take it to TVNAM. This is an all American Model railway exhibition held in the Midlands.

 

I took a break to catch two of our Class 37s on the 'Three Peaks challenge' charter train. 37 09 and 37 605 are seen at White Bridge at Askam

 

 

Once I had filmed the return Empty stock on its way to Barrow for servicing I jumped in the car and headed south, the plan being to spend a couple of hours at Rugeley Trent Valley station after I had checked into the hotel.

 

Rugeley TV is on the LNWR Trent Valley line which is a real racetrack. Pendolinos, Voyagers, Class 350 EMUs and Intermodal trains running at Class 4 blast past every couple of minutes

 

A Freightliner Class 70 leans into the bend on a northbound container train

 

 

 

A pair of Class 86 25Kv electrics first introduced in 1965 still put in the miles on another intermodal bound for Trafford Park

 

 

A GBRF class 66 heads an empty car train south

 

[Wonderbolt]

The 37s and 86s are nice xD, saw two 66s in the Paris area today those things get everywhere lol.

[kevsmiththai]

At the weekend I was taking my Republic Steel Z Scale layout to TVNAM and all USA model railway show in the Midlands.

With the layout loaded in the car I shot up to 'The White bridge' in Askam as we were hauling the 'Three peaks challenge' charter train. This was full of hardy souls ascending the three highest mountains in the U.K for charity in three days. We had allocated 37 605 and 609 for the job with a rake of coached in the classic railblue/grey colour scheme

 

 

Once I had filmed the return empty stock returning to Barrow for servicing it was time to hit the M6 and head south to Rugeley in Staffordshire to set up the show. the plan was to spend a couple of hours at Rugeley Trent Valley station on the former LNWR line. This is a real race track with Virgin Pendolinos and Voyagers, GBRF and Freightliner intermodals blasting past at line speed while on the single line between the station and Rugeley Town local services potter about.

 

Freightliner are still using the venerable Class 86 electrics introduced in 1965 on Intermodal trains to Trafford Park and 86 605 and 86 628 are really motoring northbound on a Trafford Park bound service.

 

 

GE's hideous looking Class 70 s are also common. God knows what the designers were thinking of. A Freightliner example leans into the curve on the Down line on a container train

 

 

A GBRF Class 66 heads south on an empty Car train

 

 

 

[kevsmiththai]

The Royal Mail Postal Class 325 EMUs struggle to find work but two units were caught heading South.

 

Starting in the

 

The video starts in the morning at White Bridge in Askam  37 609 and 605 head North on the Three Peaks Challenge charter train. At Askam station 142 043 heads to Carlisle before the two 37s bring the empty stock back to Barrow for servicing.

Later,and 170 miles further south, Rugely Trent Valley was a busy scene as a procession of passenger and intermodals blasted through punctuated by local trains coming and going to Walsall and Birmingham.  Freightliner and GBRF class 66, 70 and 86 to the fore and a pair of 325 Postal Emus.

 

https://youtu.be/3Wepf_OUl28

 

Now back in Cumbria we still have our interesting mix of ultra modern Class 68s on freight services and our venerable class 37s on the Cumbrian Coast passenger trains

 

68 003 and 68 030 are trundling through Sowerby Lodge on a Saturday morning Crewe to Sellafield working

 

 

Despite appearances 37 403 is propelling 2C32, The Carlisle-Barrow train as it approaches Barrow station

 

 

In this early morning shot of barrow carraige sidings two loco hauled Cumbrian Coast trains are in the company of some 156 and 153 DMUs

 

[kevsmiththai]

Now the video for this bit is a bit different. The annual Askam parade and carnival coincided with West Coast running an excursion. Diesel hauled rather than steam hauled it was top and tailed by two class 47/8s but their passage through the village was soundtracked by Askam band playing James Bond Themes!. The rest of the video features a mix of 37s and 68s at various locations.

 

 

 

cheers

Kev

Edited July 6, 2017 by cteno4
fixed youtube embed

[Kiha66]

Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos Kev.  I never knew that Britain had Postal EMUs, or that the post still used trains at all! 

[westfalen]

I spent an interesting afternoon videoing trains at Rugely Trent Valley in 2010 while staying in Birmingham for a few nights, it is certainly a good train watching spot.