24. A Leicestershire and Rutland triangle-14.04.23

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-2023 > 24. A Leicestershire and Rutland triangle-14.04.23

Andy and I had a plan for this day but we decided with the weather and the forecast being pretty poor on another plan whilst taking a coffee and sitting in the car at the start of the day. In the event, even this plan altered so the day just rolled really and made it all the more interesting; read on
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Images 1-19 of 19 displayed.

222001, EM 08.32 London St. Pancras-Sheffield (1F17, RT), Wellingborough station I have been saying it for some time now but time for the Meridians on the MML really is nearly up having been a feature of its operation for twenty years being introduced back in 2003 with this unit, 222001, being the first in service. It is seen passing through Wellingborough with the 08.32 St.Pancras to Sheffield ‘fast’ service with its first and next stop being Leicester at ninety-nine miles and taking just over an hour start to stop Keywords: 222001 08.32 London St. Pancras-Sheffield 1F17 Wellingborough stationEast Midlands meridian
222002, EM 07.52 Sheffield-London St. Pancras (1C23, RT), Wellingborough station Having seen 222001 a few minutes earlier working north subsequently numbered 222002 passes Wellingborough working the 1C23 07.52 Sheffield to St. Pancras ‘fast’ service. I first visited Wellingborough station back in 1980 and will have stood in a very similar spot to take this photograph, see…. https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/29653197204/x45112-up-working-wellingborough Keywords: 222002 07.52 Sheffield-London St. Pancras 1C23 Wellingborough station EMR EMT East Midlands Meridian
360110, EM 08.47 London St. Pancras-Corby (1Y13, RT), Wellingborough station Andy secures his photograph of our first train of the day that would take us just eight miles to Kettering. 360110 arrives at Wellingborough with 360107 at the rear working the 08.47 St. Pancras to Corby East Midlands Railway service. Keywords: 360110 08.47 London St. Pancras-Corby 1Y13 Wellingborough station EMR EMT Desiro
222013, EM 09.12 Nottingham-London St. Pancras (1B28), Kettering station Under a dramatic and looming sky at Kettering station Meridian 222013 leaves the station working the 1B28 Nottingham to St. Pancras service. The train is seen in a little weak sunshine that was actually the only bit of brightness we saw throughout the day that deteriorated to the point where Andy and I got absolutely drenched later whilst walking back to Leicester station! Keywords: 222013 09.12 Nottingham-London St. Pancras 1B28 Kettering station EMR EMT Meridian
222021, EM 09.00 Sheffield-London St. Pancras (1C21, 5L), Kettering station 222021 sweeps around the steeply cambered up fast line at Kettering station with the 09.00 Sheffield to St. Pancras East Midlands Railway service. Remember the days when this would have been an ETH Peak leading a set of Mk.II stock? Keywords: 222021 09.00 Sheffield-London St. Pancras 1C21 Kettering station EMR EMT Meridian
66099, 09.09 Radlett Redland-Mountsorrel Sidings (4D34, 1L), Kettering station Standing in the pouring rain now such is the devotion to our hobby! 66099 ‘#WeStandWithUkraine’ passes at speed on the down-slow line through Kettering station. The smartly turned-out DB Cargo Class 66 is leading the regular 09.09 Radlett Redland to Mountsorrel empty stone train composed of converted coal hoppers. This working is simply referred to by local spotters on the MML as The Redlands. Keywords: 66099 09.09 Radlett Redland-Mountsorrel Sidings 4D34 Kettering station #WeStandWithUkraine
180113, EM 09.50 Nottingham-London St. Pancras (1B31, 9L), Kettering station 180113 slows for its stop at Kettering station working EMR’s 1B31 09.50 Nottingham to St. Pancras train. After this stop this service will run fast all the way to London reinforcing further the poor service now afforded to passengers from Wellingborough, Bedford and Luton who have to put up with a slow-stopper service pattern travelling aboard a Class 360 Desiro. The Class 180s have been a relatively short-lived class on the MML coming into service following the withdrawal of the HSTs back in 2021 however, time is nearly up now with them about to be returned to their leasing company at the end of May with them facing a very uncertain future. Keywords: 180113 09.50 Nottingham-London St. Pancras 1B31 Kettering station EMR EMT
222012, EM 09.45 London St. Pancras-Melton Mowbray (1M15, RT), Kettering station The second train of our East Midlands foray arrives at Kettering station. 222012 is working the 09.45 ex St. Pancras train that will terminate at Melton Mowbray travelling via Corby, Harringworth Viaduct and Manton Junction. For both Andy and I (though he was not absolutely sure) this is a virgin route that is quite unbelievable really as it is in my home county! We were also keen to take this particular train as it is the only one of the day to serve the Leicestershire town of Melton Mowbray with a balancing return service in the evening and from the new timetable in May it is not going to run anymore. On alighting at Melton a clue to the reason for its discontinuation was that in addition to Andy and I only one other adult with her two infants alighted from the terminating service. After a quick check by the train crew the unit then continued as ECS to Derby Etches Park via Syston North Junction. Keywords: 222012 09.45 London St. Pancras-Melton Mowbray 1M15 Kettering station EMR EMT East Midlands Meridian
170108, XC 10.22 Birmingham New Street-Stansted Airport (1L36, 3E), Melton Mowbray station In the rain again but this time at Melton Mowbray station sees CrossCountry’s 10.22 Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport service arrive worked by 170108. Melton Station’s LMS 1942 signal box can be seen towering above the train that I photographed from another angle and an unofficial spot back in 1981, see…. https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30036330555/melton-station-signal-box-lms-london Keywords: 170108 10.22 Birmingham New Street-Stansted Airport 1L36 Melton Mowbray station CrossCountry XC Turbo
66116, 10.57 East Midlands Gateway-Felixstowe Central (4L38, 3E), Melton Mowbray station 66116 brings the 4L38 10.57 East Midlands Gateway to Felixstowe Freightliner service slowly past Melton Station signal box easing down in readiness for access to the long loop just beyond the station behind me. The reason for it being looped was that it was passing this spot an eye-watering sixty-five minutes early after leaving East Midlands Gateway nearly fifty minutes ahead of schedule. Keywords: 66116 10.57 East Midlands Gateway-Felixstowe Central 4L38 Melton Mowbray station EWS Freightliner
66199, 08.00 Felixstowe S-East Midlands Gateway (4M79, 7L), Melton Mowbray station Going at quite a pace 66199 leads the 08.00 Felixstowe to East Midlands Gateway Freightliner through a wet Melton Mowbray station. Andy and I have seen this particular locomotive twice on our past travels, see… https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30016458795/x66199-12-40-newbiggin-arpley-west and …. https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/29595737004/x66199-66012-66247-66211-67019-66182 Keywords: 66199 08.00 Felixstowe South-East Midlands Gateway 4M79 Melton Mowbray station EWS Freightliner
170618, XC 11.22 Birmingham New Street-Cambridge (1L38, 2L), Melton Mowbray station CrossCountry’s 170618 arrives at Melton Mowbray in the pouring rain working the 11.22 Birmingham New Street to Cambridge service. These services were busy on this particular day due to a cancellation and late running. The train we were waiting for at Melton was the next westward service following a cancellation of the service an hour earlier. Keywords: 170618 11.22 Birmingham New Street-Cambridge 1L38 Melton Mowbray station CrossCountry XC Turbo
170398, XC 12.00 Cambridge-Birmingham New Street (1N53, 16L), Melton Mowbray station The third train of our triangular journey around Northamptonshire, Rutland and Leicestershire arrives at Melton Mowbray in the pouring rain. The 12.00 Cambridge to Birmingham New Street was already full and standing due to the cancellation of the previous service an hour earlier and now has to accommodate perhaps another fifty travellers waiting on the platform! Luckily for Andy and me, we only had a relatively short journey of some seventeen minutes to Leicester aboard 170398 so standing in the vestibule was not too much of an ordeal! However, for others who may be infirm, old or have hidden disabilities or those with luggage who were travelling further than us this situation would have been very uncomfortable. Keywords: 170398 12.00 Cambridge-Birmingham New Street 1N53 Melton Mowbray station CrossCountry XC Turbo
170416, XC unidentified up working, 50007, 67027, 58023, 50049, 47749 & 60028, Leicester North With the cancellation and late running affecting many CrossCountry services I have been unable to identify 170416’s working. Certainly, it does not appear on RealTimeTrains so it could be an emergency ECS working from Derby to make up for the set that failed earlier. It is slowly making its way into Leicester station seen passing UKRL’s expansive and expanding depot taken from Swain Street bridge. In the depot from left to right is 50007 ‘Hercules’, 67027, 58023, 50049 ‘Defiance’, 47749 ‘City of Truro’ and 60028. It s gladdening that UKRL is making use of this old motive power even though the Class 58 centre stage here is not a runner. Keywords: 170416 unidentified up working 50007 67027 58023 50049 47749 60028 Leicester North
Andy looking at UKRL's stock, Leicester Andy peers through the trees from the pathway that passes above UKRL’s Leicester facility. Nearest to him is 47749 ‘City of Truro’ which was sitting at the fuelling point with it engine running. 50049 ‘Definace’ is behind the Class 47 with another unidentified Duff beyond that. It felt like spotting days of old with a selection of diesel locomotives scattered about the sidings awaiting their next turn of duty in a range of the older style liveries more associated with our youthful days on platform ends! Keywords: Andy looking at UKRL stock Leicester
222102, EM 13.12 Nottingham-London St. Pancras (1B52, 4L), Kettering station Having travelled up from Leicester on the 13.12 Nottingham to St. Pancras EMR service Andy has alighted at Kettering and I have turned my camera to 222102 prior to its departure. We have had to change here at Kettering as there are no ‘fast’ Meridian services now serving Wellingborough and all stations south from here that is something that EMR has rightfully received a lot of criticism over. Passengers have to change here and take a stopper local service operated by EMR’s fleet of hand-me-down Class 360 Desiros. Keywords: 222102 13.12 Nottingham-London St. Pancras 1B52 Kettering station EMR EMT Meridian
360104, EM 14.09 Corby-London St. Pancras (1H36, 1E), Wellingborough station Andy and travelled on the 14.09 Corby to St. Pancras EMR service from Kettering to Wellingborough. This was our last train of the day and worked by 360104 with 360118 on the rear. We travelled just over eighty-five miles on our little jaunt on this day with just the Wellingborough-Kettering return being the only repeat route. Notice the branding adopted by EMR adorning the flank of the Desoro 'Luton Airport Express'; a little misleading as most services that serve Luton Airport Parkway are stoppers that run between St. Pancras and Corby! Keywords: 360104 14.09 Corby-London St. Pancras 1H36 Wellingborough station EMR EMT Est Midlands Railway Desiro
66604, 11.10 Theale Lafarge-Hope Earles Sidings (6M91, 2L), Wellingborough station It was worth the ten-minute wait at Wellingborough station to capture the passage of the 6M91 11.10 Theale to Hope empty cement train as 66604 was a photographic cop! It was just beginning to pick up speed after being checked by a northbound EMR service as it needed to pass from the down slow to the fast at Harrowden Junction a short distance north of Wellingborough. Keywords: 66604 11.10 Theale Lafarge-Hope Earles Sidings 6M91 Wellingborough station Freightliner
Tickets, Wellingborough-Kettering-Leicester (via Melton Mowbray)-Kettering-Wellingborough A lot of tickets for our eighty-five miles jaunt through Northamptonshire, Rutland and Leicestershire. This was because after we bought the initial tickets at Wellingborough prior to departure our plans changed realising that we could take the EMR service to Melton Mowbray that would involve 'virgin' track for both Andy and me via Corby and over Harringworth viaduct to Manton Junction. Not a particularly cheap day but a thoroughly enjoyable one nonetheless! Keywords: Tickets Wellingborough-Kettering-Leicester via Melton Mowbray-Kettering-Wellingborough

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