40. A summer's evening variety-14.06.22

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2022 > 40. A summer's evening variety-14.06.22

A lovely summer's evening just a week before the longest day got me out for a walk after dinner. There were some interesting workings in the hour or so that I was out; I love this time of year!
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66518, 13.34 Ditton-Felixstowe North (4L92, 10E), Victoria bridge 66518 passes Victoria bridge just south of Roade leading the 13.34 Ditton to Felixstowe Freightliner service. After some heavily loaded trains passing in the last few months or so the 4L92 bucks the trend with a dearth of boxes in evidence behind the locomotive. Keywords: 66518 13.34 Ditton-Felixstowe North 4L92 Victoria bridge Freightliner
66508, 17.56 Bletchley flyover-Bescot (6Y55, 18L), Victoria bridge An unusual working for a weekday, normally confined to Sundays, was the 6Y55 17.56 Bletchley flyover to Bescot engineering train. The rake of empty eight eight-ton tonne HQA (E) auto discharge bogie ballast wagons are seen passing Victoria bridge between Roade and Ashton with 66508 leading the train. Given its origin, I suspect that the train was involved in ballasting of the East-West Railway somewhere between Bletchley and Bicester with work continuing to reopen the route be it pitifully slowly! Keywords: 66508 17.56 Bletchley flyover-Bescot 6Y55 Victoria bridge Engineering train
66517 & 66508, 17.56 Bletchley flyover-Bescot (6Y55, 18L), Victoria bridge 66517 brings up the rear of the 17.56 Bletchley Flyover to Bescot 6Y55 ballasting train with 66508 leading the train in the distance. This type of working is more usually associated with Sundays on the WCML so I was pleased that I had spotted it on RTT and that I made an effort to walk out after dinner to capture it. Keywords: 66517 66508 17.56 Bletchley flyover-Bescot 6Y55 Victoria bridge 88 tonne Auto Discharge Bogie Ballast Wagon HQA (E)
47749 & 360119, 15.29 Cricklewood South Sidings-Northampton EMD (5Q98, 1E), Victoria bridge What a waste of energy but I am sure there are reasons for it that I do not understand! EMR's 360119 is towed from Cricklewood to Northampton's King's Heath depot for maintenance of some kind. Quite why it is being towed by GBRf's 47749 'City of Truro' and not under its own power I am not sure as this is a regular drag operation; advice anybody? It's an interesting thought that the line that the EMR unit operates on is just thirteen miles away to the east from this spot just south of Roade but despite this, the unit is dragged over sixty-five miles from the north London depot! Why not simply drag it from Bedford to Bletchley via the Marston Vale line and then head north to Northampton....too easy I suppose? Keywords: 47749 360119 15.29 Cricklewood South Sidings-Northampton EMD 5Q98 Victoria bridge EMR East Midlands Railway City of Truro
221104 & 221103, VT 19.10 London Euston-Holyhead (1D93, 10L), site of Roade station This time next year images such as this should be confined to history! The ageing and tiresome Voyagers should have been withdrawn from operations on the WCML next year with the introduction of Class 805 bi-mode units as part of £350 million contract with Hitachi. In the meantime, consecutively numbered 221104 and 221103 work the 1D93 19.10 Euston to Holyhead service past Roade in some lovely evening sunshine. Keywords: 221104 221103 19.10 London Euston-Holyhead 1D93 site of Roade station Avanti West Coast Voyager
319012, LN 19.35 Milton Keynes-Northampton EMD (5N33, 10E), site of Roade station With the dramatic reduction in peak-time travel following COVID I remain surprised that London Northwestern retain and uses their small operational fleet of former Thameslink Class 319s. However, they do provide a slightly more intertsing alternative to the usual diet of constant Class 350s! Having run from London earlier in the evening 319012 returns to Northampton's King's Heath depot as the empty stock 5N33 19.35 from Milton Keynes. The train is seen passing the site of Roade's former station. Keywords: 319012 19.35 Milton Keynes-Northampton EMD 5N33 site of Roade station London Northwestern
43290 & 43274, 14.28 Derby RTC-Derby RTC (via Euston), (1Q28, 16E), site of Roade station Tuesday is the usual turn of the WCML to have the Network Rail testing train. Having missed the up working earlier in the afternoon I made a point to capture the return working. With two former LNER power cars working the train it is seen passing Roade in some superb evening lighting. 43290 leads the 1Q28 14.28 Derby RTC return working with 43274 at the rear. The rear power car gained celebrity status in 2021 being the only HST power car that was painted in EMR's house purple livery all to great fanfare, see..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxSKQD-kjyY It retains this de-branded livery today now seeing use with Network Rail but creating an unfortunate colour clash with their house yellow paint scheme as applied to the stock! Keywords: 43290 43274 14.28 Derby RTC-Derby RTC via Euston 1Q28 site of Roade station

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