76. Wellingborough station-06.11.19

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2019 > 76. Wellingborough station-06.11.19

Whilst en-route out for a curry with my former work colleagues, I stopped off at Wellingborough station to see how work was progressing with the electrification and the reinstatement of platform four (the former platform five). I tested my camera's capabilities by taking some pictures in the darkness of a November evening and it coped admirably!

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Images 1-9 of 9 displayed.

43467, EM 18.37 Corby-London St. Pancras (1P41, 2L), Wellingborough station
43467 'British Transport Police Nottingham' pauses at Wellingborough station at the rear of the 18.37 Corby to London St. Pancras service. There were very few people on-board the train that does seem a little over-the-top for an evening train from Corby, I suspect that the outward down working would have been a different kettle of fish altogether. As the 16.50 off St. Pancras, it would have been very busy with the passengers hopefully appreciating the space and ambience of an HST over a cramped and noisy Meridian!
Keywords: 43467 18.37 Corby-London St. Pancras 1P41 Wellingborough station

Nameplate, 43467, EM 18.37 Corby-London St. Pancras (1P41, 2L), Wellingborough station
Ex Grand Central HST power car 43467 carries two names. On this side, it is 'British Transport Police Nottingham' and on the other side it carries a red plate, 'Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue'. The power car was named in a short ceremony at Nottingham station on 12.02.18 after the two key teams that dealt with the fire at the station a month earlier on 12.01.18. This naming ceremony also marked the reveal of East Midlands Trains' new livery as applied to the former Grand Central buffer beam fitted power cars. The train is seen pausing at Wellingborough on a chilly November night at the rear of the 18.37 Corby to St. Pancras.
Keywords: Nameplate 43467 18.37 Corby-London St. Pancras 1P41 Wellingborough station HST

Class 43, EM 18.19 London St. Pancras-Sheffield (1F63, 7L), Wellingborough station
I enjoy the opportunities afforded by nighttime photography. The quality of light is totally different, with everyday scenes taking on completely different atmospheres. In the case of this image, I have embraced something that, in normal railway photography, we avoid at all costs, motion blur. By using a long shutter speed of 1/5th of a second, the HST passing through Wellingborough station takes on an almost ethereal appearance. It is forming the 18.19 London St. Pancras to Sheffield. However, photographs such as this require need some work in Photoshop with a relatively new problem shown up in this image. The light temperatures of traditional lighting and the more modern low energy units create areas of yellow 'warmth' verses the 'cool' blueish/white of light-emitting diodes.
Keywords: Class 43 HST 18.19 London St. Pancras-Sheffield 1F63 Wellingborough station

222020, EM18.12 Nottingham-London St. Pancras (1B72, 7L), Wellingborough station
East Midlands Railway's 222020 pauses at Wellingborough station with the 18.12 Nottingham to London St. Pancras. There are no electrification masts in this view but I suspect that this will change as there is one just behind the footbridge and one just behind my right shoulder. This gap is too long for the wiring so, according to my back of a fag packet calculations, the mast should go right through the Midland station canopies on the up and down platforms in the middle of this view. We will see what solution the engineers will come up with!
Keywords: 222020 18.12 Nottingham-London St. Pancras 1B72 Wellingborough station

Re-building of platform 4, Wellingborough station
With the contractors' buildings brightly lit in the background, Wellingborough's relief line platforms are seen. Whilst platform three is still in use platform four is in the process of being rebuilt for a return to use again. This is partly to serve the growing town of Wellingborough with its huge Stanton Cross housing area situated to the east of the portacabins. There will also be some new buildings on the platforms with an additional ticket office and the inevitable barriers. The recently rebuilt footbridge that joins platforms one and two will also now need extending.
Keywords: Re-building of platform 4 Wellingborough station

Re-building of platform 4 & relaying of up slow line, Wellingborough station
Looking north from Wellingborough station the up and down slow line platforms are seen. Whilst the up platform has been re-built, the track stops abruptly with a stop sign marking where it ends. In the fullness of time, it will be connected to the next section that stops just beyond the new concrete bridge seen in the darkness. Notice the huge signal gantry towering above the line and where the electrification wires will hang. Quite why these structures have to be so over-engineered is beyond me, compare it to the 1980s MAS signal on the platform end!
Keywords: Re-building of platform 4 relaying of up slow line Wellingborough station

Class 222, EM 18.00 Sheffield-London St. Pancras (1C73, 5L), Wellingborough station
An unidentified class 222 Meridian passes through Wellingborough station forming the 1C73 18.00 Sheffield to St. Pancras. By using a 1/10th-second shutter speed the motion blur of the train, something we normally strive to avoid, has been exaggerated creating an interesting image.
Keywords: Class 222 18.00 Sheffield-London St. Pancras 1C73 Wellingborough station

Re-building of platforms 4 & 3 Wellingborough station
Looking south at Wellingborough station reveals, to the left, works underway to re-construct what will become platform four (former platform five). Directly in front work is also being undertaken to extend platform three thus widening the island platform at the southern end of the station. This spot was where the former bay platform three was located. Notice, just the right of the bright red colour light a firework in the November night sky probably as part of Irchester's firework's display.
Keywords: Re-building of platforms 4 3 Wellingborough station

43054, EM 18.34 London St. Pancras-Leeds (1D64, 12L), Wellingborough station
Looking very smart and complete with its new EMR branding, HST power car 43054 pauses at Wellingborough station on the rear of the 18.34 St. Pancras to Leeds. In this image, it looks as if I need to straighten it up in Photoshop but the datum points of the lamp posts and electrification mast tells me that it is level. The power car looks tipped as the camber of the track at Wellinborough's platform one is quite harsh, a situation that creates a huge and alarming drop between the train and the platform edge.
Keywords: 43054 HST 18.34 London St. Pancras-Leeds 1D64 Wellingborough station HST

Images 1-9 of 9 displayed.