31. 0Z60 & 5Z24-11.04.20

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2020 > 31. 0Z60 & 5Z24-11.04.20
I had spotted the 0Z60 on the RTT and was curious as to what it could be. Half expecting it not to run I casually had a look late morning and found not only was it running but that it was very early and due soon. I grabbed my camera and went for my once-a-day permitted walk across the field from home that became more of a jog! After it had passed, I was casually again looking at Open Train Times and noticed that the 5Z24 was already sitting at Wolverton's North Release siding meaning that it too was going to leave soon and, again, very early so I waited for that as well before walking home for a cup of tea.
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Images 1-7 of 7 displayed.

350266, LN 13.15 Northampton-London Euston (2N40, 1E), RoadeHill 350266 leads a probably empty 13.15 Northampton to London Euston service past Roade Hill in Northamptonshire. London Northwestern are operating a half-hourly service in both directions between Euston and Northampton during the COVID-19 emergency timetable. However, with so few passengers travelling this must be subject to some sort of review? In the background of this image is the M1 wind farm that with those driving along the adjacent motorway will be more intimately familiar with. Keywords: 350266 13.15 Northampton-London Euston 2N40 Roade Hill M1 windfarm London Northwestern Desiro
390117, VT 11.32 Liverpool Lime Street-London Euston (1A32, 3E), Roade Hill As it was so bright I decided to try a fast shutter speed rather than the more common pan method to capture 390117 passing Roade Hill in south Northamptonshire. However, even at 1/3200sec close up examination of the train reveals a little motion blur and it was not going particularly fast having just come off the Weedon loop. However, it would be ramping up now for the much straighter run towards Milton Keynes! The Pendolino was working the 11.32 Liverpool Lime Street to Euston that arrived at its destination, like most services at the moment, early! Keywords: 390117 11.32 Liverpool Lime Street-London Euston 1A32 Roade Hill Avanti west coast Pendolino
390138, VT 12.41 London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly (1H26, RT), Roade Hill 390138 'City of London' passes under one of Network Rail's gargantuan and ridiculously over-engineered signal gantries that carries just two colour lights for the up slow and up fast lines. I can see this gantry from my bedroom window and at night the coloured lights are easy to make out across the field. The Pendolino is working the 12.41 Euston to Manchester Piccadilly and is seen passing Roade Hill just south of the village and cutting of the same name. Keywords: 390138 12.41 London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly 1H26 Roade Hill city of London Avanti west coast Pendolino
60055, 12.00 Chaddesden sidings-Willesden DC sidings (0Z60, 48E), Roade Hill This was the light engine move that I had been half keeping an eye on whilst I had been busy at home building a dry stone wall. Suddenly, I realised that it was running nearly an hour early so I had to drop my tools and grab my camera to get across to the field from home. As it was pathed on the up fast Weedon loop it maintained its early running so I did not have long to wait until it passed me here at Roade Hill in south Northamptonshire. 60055 'Thomas Barnado' looks very smart in its DCR livery and ready for work. It was making the 0Z60 12.00 Chaddesden sidings (just north of Derby station) to Willesden light engine move. Class 60s have never been regular visitors to the southern end of the WCML so this was definitely worth the interruption to my jobs at home in order to capture an image of one. Keywords: 60055 12.00 Chaddesden sidings-Willesden DC sidings 0Z60 Roade Hill Thomas Barnado
DR75012, 10.00 Bletchley-Bletchley (via Wigston North & Nuneaton) (13E), Victoria bridge I had been tracking this mysterious move emanating from and returning to engineering works on the up and down fast lines south of Milton Keynes half expecting it to be a track machine. I was right; DR75012 passes Victoria bridge with the 10.00 Bletchley to Bletchley return that went via Nuneaton, Leicester and Wigston North Junction where I presume it reversed on the triangle. DR75012 is a Plasser and Theurer Unimat Dynamic Tamper that is owned and operated by Swietelsky Babcock Rail (SBRail) acting as a contractor for Network Rail. Keywords: DR75012 10.00 Bletchley-Bletchley Wigston North & Nuneaton13E Victoria bridge
390153, VT 12.35 Manchester Piccadilly-London Euston (1A36, RT), Victoria bridge Under brilliant blue spring skies 390153 heads south past Victoria bridge with the 12.25 Manchester Piccadilly to Euston service. As can be seen, nearly five months after taking over the franchise from Virgin, Avanti West Coast have made virtually no progress re-branding their assets. One wonders if the COVID-19 crisis will slow down the much-anticipated overhaul of the Class 390s that would result in the squadron wide re-building and re-painting of the sets that was announced earlier in the year. Keywords: 390153 12.35 Manchester Piccadilly-London Euston 1A36 Victoria bridge Avanti West Coast Pendolino
323206, 14.51 Wolverton Centre Sidings-Soho (5Z24, 68E), Victoria bridge 323206 passes Victoria bridge just south of Northampton as the 5Z24 14.51 Wolverton Centre Sidings to Soho EMUD. This move follows the unit receiving attention at Wolverton works with another unit having arrived earlier in the day. I was not intending to see this particular train, being kept busy at home but I casually checked Open Train Times before I set off from Victoria bridge and spotted it sitting at the north release siding signal 1499 some six miles south of where I was so I decided to wait. It was supposed to have been routed via the fast line and the Weedon loop but in the event control released it just under an hour early onto the slow with it eventually arriving at its Birmingham base sixty-eight minutes early. Such is the nature of our dramatically cut down railway at the moment. Keywords: 323206 14.51 Wolverton Centre Sidings-Soho 5Z24 Victoria bridge West Midlands Trains

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