9. A day off work-04.02.22

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2022 > 9. A day off work-04.02.22

Unusually, a day off work coincided with some nice weather! I took a couple of short walks out timed with the passage of some more interesting workings on the nearby WCML in my home village of Roade.

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57312 & 769936, 10.42 Wolverton Centre Sidings-Reading Traincare Depot (5Q74, 12E) & 390131, VT 10.21 London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly (1H18, 1L), site of Roade station
Rather than travelling 'home' by heading south from Wolverton former Thameslink Class 319 769936 is dragged north to head south again after completing a southerly tour of Birmingham! Rail Operations Group have been contracted to undertake the drags of the units with 57312 leading with the ensemble passing through Roade as the 5Q74 10.42 Wolverton Works to Reading Traincare Depot on this ocassion. The Class 769s have been comprehensively re-built for bi or even tri-mode operation with GWR ordering nineteen for use in the Thames Valley as far as Oxford and for third rail services to Gatwick Airport. As can be seen to the right, 390131 'City of Liverpool' nearly spoilt the photograph fast approaching working the 10.21 Euston to Manchester service.
Keywords: 57312 769936, 10.42 Wolverton Centre Sidings-Reading Traincare Depot (5Q74, 12E) & 390131 VT 10.21 London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly (1H18, 1L), site of Roade station City of Liverpool

DR73923, 10.50 Nuneaton A Sidings-Bletchley CE Sidings (31L), site of Roade station
To see a Colas tamping machine always brightens up a photograph with its very distinctive livery whatever the weather! Regular performer DR73923 heads south along the WCML as the 10.50 Nuneaton to Bletchley move probably in association with some forthcoming weekend engineering work. The Tamper is seen passing the site of Roade station from the village's Gravel bridge as it is known locally.
Keywords: DR73923 10.50 Nuneaton A Sidings-Bletchley CE Sidings site of Roade station Colas Rail Tamping machine

66426, 10.03 Tilbury-DIRFT (4M07, 5E), site of Roade station
Yet another ridiculously light loaded Tesco express passes through Roade. With just seven boxes loaded and about the same number of empty flats trailing behind the 4M07 10.03 Tilbury to Daventry is led by 66426 that will have had a very easy time of it. For a number of weeks, the DRS services have all been very lightly loaded with me unable to find out the cause unless anybody can enlighten me.
Keywords: 66426 10.03 Tilbury-DIRFT 4M07 site of Roade station Tesco Express DRS Direct Rail Services

66541, 09.12 Felxstowe North-Trafford Park (4M63, 1L), site of Roade station
66541 passes through Roade in the winter afternoon sunshine leading the 4M63 09.12 Felixstowe to Trafford Park Freightliner service. Whilst this is more heavily loaded than the previous DRS train it is still not exactly at capacity.
Keywords: 66541 09.12 Felixstowe North-Trafford Park 4M63 site of Roade station Freightliner

66523, 12.16 Lawley Street-London Gateway (4L46, 4L), site of Roade station
With a particularly smokey exhaust, 66523 looks as if it needs some attention as it lays a blue haze across Roade leading the 12.16 Lawley Street to London Gateway Freightliner. With the security of the railways appearing to be Network Rail's obsession it is therefore surprising that the large access gate at the top of the photograph next to the former station master's house is wide open and remained so for the duration of the day and over the following weekend but with no railway staff in attendance.
Keywords: 66523 12.16 Lawley Street-London Gateway 4L46 site of Roade station Freightliner

88010, 13.51 DIRFT-Tilbury (4L48, 2L), Hyde Road bridge
88010 'Aurora' leads the 13.51 DIRFT to Tilbury 4L48 up Tesco Express through the shadows of Roade cutting taken from the village's Hyde Road bridge. Again, a very lightly loaded train with possibly a dozen boxes with even more empty flats symptomatic of problems with the supply chain or of trade in general; can somebody enlighten me? Another week or so and the train would have been in full sunshine at this time of the day (14.15) in the depths of the cutting, bring on spring and the longer days!
Keywords: 88010 13.51 DIRFT-Tilbury 4L48 Hyde Road bridge DRS Direct Rail Services Aurora

66955, 09.14 Southampton MCT-Garston (4M58, 35E) & 390009, VT 14.07 London Euston-Liverpool Lime Street (1F18, RT), Roade cutting
As 390009 'Treaty of Union' sweeps through Roade cutting working Avanti West Coast's 14.07 Euston to Liverpool Lime Street 66955 leads the virtually empty 4M58 09.14 Southampton to Garston Freightliner. Five HGVs could have been utilised to move the entire contents of this train making a bit of a mockery of the arguments of moving freight from road to rail! Something has gone dramatically wrong on the last month or so with many intermodal trains running at incredibly low capacity and I have yet to hear an explanation as to the reason for this.
Keywords: 66955 Southampton MCT-Garston 4M58 390009 14.07 London Euston-Liverpool Lime Street 1F18 Roade cutting Freightliner Treaty of Union

Images 1-7 of 7 displayed.