4. How many Class 66s on a Sunday?-09.01.22

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2022 > 4. How many Class 66s on a Sunday?-09.01.22

With the fast lines still closed for extended works being undertaken and taking advantage of the much-reduced timetable as a result of COVID two engineering trains were sat, engines off, across the field from home. With a Class 66 at each end of the two trains and another on the regular 4L48 meant that I observed and photographed five members of the class within about half an hour. In addition, I also captured the now regular Class 88 hauled 4S10 Tilbury to Coatbridge flow.
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Images 1-7 of 7 displayed.

88005, 08.45 Tilbury-Coatbridge (4S10, 23L), Roade cutting 
 88005 'Minerva' leads the 4A10 08.45 Tilbury to Coatbridge service through the wintery depths of Roade cutting. Whilst it is not good photographic practice to take photographs in deep shadow on a sunny day with such a grand location as Roade cutting available the rules have to be broken and Photoshop employed to put things right! 
 Keywords: 88005 08.45 Tilbury-Coatbridge 4S10 Roade cutting Minerva
390131, VT 12.30 Birmingham New Street-London Euston (1B21, 10L), site of Roade station 
 Diverted off the fast line due to an extended closure to, amongst other things, undertake drainage improvement work 390131 'City of Liverpool' passes slowly past the site of Roade's station. The Avanti West Coast Pendolino is working the 12.30 Birmingham New Street to Euston service that had been timetabled taking an extra thirty-six minutes to make its diverted journey actually arrived just one and half minutes shy of taking two hours to complete its journey. 
 Keywords: 390131 12.30 Birmingham New Street-London Euston 1B21 site of Roade station City of Liverpool
66427, 13.09 DIRFT-Tilbury (4L48,4L), site of Roade station 
 66427 emerges from the deep shadows of Roade cutting working the 4L48 13.09 Daventry to Tilbury Tesco Express. This particular Class 66 is one of my photographed examples with a quick search of my website finding it recorded on this train a number of times as well as at various other locations around the country. 
 Keywords: 66427 13.09 DIRFT-Tilbury 4L48 site of Roade station Daventry Tesco Express
66568, Crewe Basford Hall-Crewe Basford Hall (6Y10) & 66569, Crewe Basford Hall-Crewe Basford Hall return (6Y11), Ashton Road bridge 
 Switched off and idle consecutively numbered 66568 and 66569 sit side by side on the up and down fast lines between Roade and Ashton. Both locomotives were leading infrastructure stock with the fabled 'drain train' being nearest to the camera. 66568 was leading a loaded ballast train. I am not sure as to when they were started up and moved but at least one was still present on the following morning. 
 Keywords: 66568 6Y10 66569 Crewe Basford Hall 6Y11 Ashton Road bridge
66568, Crewe Basford Hall-Crewe Basford Hall (6Y10), 66569, Crewe Basford Hall-Crewe Basford Hall return (6Y11) & 390126, VT 09.34 Glasgow Central-London Euston (1M05, 1L), Ashton Road bridge 
 Whilst 66568 and 66569 sit switched off on the up and down fast lines between Roade and Ashton 390126 passes on the up slow line working the 09.34 Glasgow Central to Euston. The Pendolino was diverted from its usual route due to engineering work that the two infrastructure trains seen here were supporting. Rather than the more common Sunday closure as it would appear the engineering possession was part of a ten-day scheme to undertake various work on the Weedon line taking full advantage of the much reduced COVID timetable. 
 Keywords: 66568 6Y10 66569 Crewe Basford Hall 6Y11 390126 09.34 Glasgow Central-London Euston 1M05 Ashton Road bridge.jpg
66541, Crewe Basford Hall-Crewe Basford Hall (6Y10), Roade Hill 
 With just three of the field's resident alpacas in view, 66541 sits at the southern end of a rake of JNA loaded ballast wagons between Roade and Ashton just south of Northampton. The ballast train and the 'drain train', stationary on the up fast line behind, were waiting to be summoned by work teams engaged in drainage improvement work further north on the Weedon or 'old route' towards Rugby. 
 Keywords: 66541 Crewe Basford Hall 6Y10 Roade Hill Freightliner JNA wagon
66506, Crewe Basford Hall-Crewe Basford Hall return (6Y11) & 390002, VT 13.18 London Euston-Preston (9P77, 31L), Victoria bridge 
 Whilst 390002 'Stephen Sutton' heads north on the slow line at a very slow speed working the 9P77 13.18 Euston to Preston Avanti service 66506 is seen idle at the rear of an infrastructure train. This is the final Class 66 seen and photographically recorded during this particular Sunday afternoon foray. The Pendolino was the second of a procession of down services running signal to signal at a walking pace. In fact, they were probably in view of each other on the longer and straighter sections of the track behind where I am standing. The picture is taken from one of my favourite local spots, Victoria bridge that I have recently learnt was also known as Coronation bridge in earlier times. 
 Keywords: 66506 Crewe Basford Hall 6Y11 390002 13.18 London Euston-Preston 9P77 Victoria bridge 	Stephen Sutton

Images 1-7 of 7 displayed.