Some unusual motive power was provided for 6M67, the 13.02 Bridgwater to Crewe nuclear flask train on 16 March 2010. The normal power is a pair or DRS class 37s, or sometimes class 20s or more rarely, a combination of the two and in recent times a couple of their 66s. I don't recall class 57s being used on flasks in this area before so decided to hang around the Abbotswood area for a shot. This train is booked to run to Crewe via Worcester and Kidderminster but has been known to go up the Old Road so it seemed sensible to place myself somewhere south of Abbotswood Junction to be sure of getting my photograph. Here then are 57009 + 57008 heading north at quite a speed considering that they had been held in Eckington Loop to allow an Arriva Cross Country HST to pass. The speed seemed a likely indicator that 6M67 wouldn't be turning left a few hundred yards north at Abbotsood Junction and I later heard that it was indeed sent main line. One of my earlier shots of 57009, this time double-heading with 57004 was taken at Hatton in 2006.
A land cruise, operated by Green Express, ran from Huddersfield to Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford on Saturday 11 April 2009. I can just about raise enough enthusiasm for a railtour to my home town so took a walk along the towpath of the Stratford-upon-Avon canal to a boarded crossing just on the south side of Bearley Junction to get a photograph of 57601 topping the train with 47854 on the rear. The semaphores in this location are due for replacement in the near future when the North Warwickshire Line is resignalled so I was more than happy to get a locomotive hauled train here. The tour, 1Z73, was spot on time as it pulled away from Bearley Junction after waiting a few minutes for the preceding class 150 on a Stourbridge to Stratford service to clear the section.
The departure of 1Z74 from Stratford-upon-Avon when it headed for Oxford was scheduled for 14.10 which had given the passengers plenty of time for some lunch and a look around the town. The train was headed by 47854 and is here seen at Songar Crossing on the single track between Bearley and Hatton West Junctions. There are very few worthwhile locations along this section of line, especially if the sun is out, so I was quite content to drive for no more than 5 minutes from home to obtain a record shot. I don't usually take "going-away" pictures but did take this one of 57601 as it tailed the train through the newly blossoming blackthorn bushes along the line because class 57s are not exactly commonplace hereabouts.
A rare outing for one of DRS' under-utilised class 57s took place on 12 March 2009 when 57010 took a rake of 6 vehicles as 5Z58 from Crewe to Eastleigh. This news was originally that a pair of class 20s was to haul this ECS move, but I wasn't too disappointed when the 57 was allocated as this was my first sight of one of the company's examples of the class. I had really expected the train to run via Coventry to Leamington Spa and on to its destination but was much happier when it was routed on the GWR line through Solihill and Hatton. The group of seven photographers on the footbridge at Bentley Heath was wondering with some apprehension if the train would arrive before the cloud, and as here seen, it did; but it was a bit too close for comfort...
Here is 57601 shortly after leaving Worcester with the 2nd of the shuttles to Cheltenham Races on 16 March 2007. As can be seen from the sky, there was quite a bit of cloud building up and threatening to spoil the fun, but for once things ran well and every shot I took was well lit.
Another Race special was the return of 57601 + 47826 running as 2Z66 from Cheltenhan to Worcester on 13 March 2007. This wasn't for the best part of an hour which gave me plenty of time to move a couple of miles in the Worcester direction to an occupation bridge near Norton Barracks. 57601 is here seen heading 2Z66 under the M5 and towards its destination. This bridge is locally known as "Dog Bridge" because of the normally incessant yapping of a couple of mutts in the garden of a nearby house. However, today all was silent...
Following on from some photographs of the Cheltenham Race specials earlier in the week, I decided to have another go at them on Friday 16 Match 2007. The locomotives on the Birmingham (New Street) to Cheltenham shuttles were in the reverse order so I did no more than go to the same locations as previously so that a direct comparison could be made. Additionally, I was only really interested in seeing the trains on the section between Worcester and Abbotswood Junction, where, apart from a few steel trains to and from Round Oak, locomotives are less common than on the main Cheltenham line. Here is 57601, just about spot on time, passing the lower quadrant bracket signal at Norton Junction with 1T66.
The Saturdays only 4O02 11.14 Lawley Street to Southampton freightliner was, at the date of this photograph, booked for double-headed locomotives, presumably to enable one to reach Southampton after an unbalanced working. It was quite often a 57+66 combination, but on 12 August 2006, 2 class 57s were provided. As there are not many of this sub-class left in traffic I went to Hatton to record 57009 with 57004 DITL passing the station bridge pretty much on time at 12.14.
I was at Long Marston when I received a phone call saying that Virgin Voyager 221105 had failed with brake problems at Fenny Compton whilst working 1O12 to Bournemouth on 10 October 2006. By an enormous piece of good fortune 57301 was in the area on a traction training exercise for Saltley crews prepraring for such an eventuality. The Voyager limped to Banbury where the train was cancelled and rescheduled as 5D12 13.00 to Central Rivers. In the meantime I drove over to Hatton North Junction for this rather large working instead of going for a shot of 47714 at Norton Junction, as I had planned. Here is 5D12, which has just left Hatton down goods loop after being recessed to allow a Chiltern unit to pass.
It strikes me as odd that Freightliner's class 57s have recently become a bit of a hit with enthusiasts. People have short memories. When they were first introduced they were derided as class 47 "bodysnatchers" and largely ignored. Now that the end of their working life with the company is in sight, they have become the latest target of the the "must get a shot at all costs" photographers. On Thursday 5 April, it was a bit of surprise when 57011 turned up on 4M55 from Southampton to Crewe. Here it is on the ascent of Hatton Bank running just a few minutes late in some lovely spring sunshine with fewer containers than is normal on the service, which usually runs very well loaded.
The first, and as it happened, the last of the scheduled freights I went to Hatton North Junction to see on 11 April 2007 was 4M55 in the hands of 57004. This was some 90 minutes late when it passed me and it was later reported that there was a major signalling problem in the area. I stood there for nearly 3 hours and only one Chiltern Trains unit went north - just in front of 4M55. I gave up on the others I had been hoping to photograph at 4pm and came home.
During the morning of 4 September 2007 I was thinking about getting ready to drive to Hatton North Junction to photograph Pandora the Bubble on a Derby to Eastleigh when an email arrived on my Black Berry saying that 57004 was coming north on 4M55 from Southampton to Lawley Street. I arrived at the bridge at North Junction at 11.45 to give myself a few minutes to decide from where to take my shot to discover that a lot of vegetation, which some of us like to use as a prop in our pictures, had been hacked down by those waiting for kettle 6233 to come from the Stratford-upon-Avon line on the previous Sunday. This being so I decided to use the footbridge rather than the field and here is 57004 breasting the summit of Hatton Bank at 12.13 with a decent load of containers in tow.
Friday 14 September 2007 saw the running of 2 private charters with exotic motive power through "my patch". The first was 1Z57, the 09.55 Kensington Olympia to Chester, via Oxford, Leamington Spa, Coventry, Nuneaton and Crewe, which employed Virgin's 57315 and 57316 topping-and-tailing the antediluvian, but attractive, Queen of Scots coaching stock. I was told that this was a jolly for some of Virgin Trains' senior management, hence the very unusual use of class 57/3 motive power. The light was dreadful but I fancied a shot because it was just so unusual so went to a bridge just south of Leamington Spa where the rather odd-looking ensemble appeared a few minutes early at 12.25.
Cotswold Rail/Advenza Reight has recently acquired 2 class 57s formerly owned by Freightliner and one of them, 57005, made the first appearance for the class at Long Marston on Monday 21 January 2008. I was unable to cover this working and in any event the weather was absolutely filthy, so when I was told about a repeat working the following day, I was pleased that I was able to go and take a few pictures. Here is the locomotive arriving at Long Marston as 0Z98 from Gloucester, complete with an "Advenza Freight" headboard.
It was good that the sun was shining for this train as a bit of decent light makes all the difference. The move was laid on in order to take a rake of TDAs to Bescot, and the rake of 15 tanks is here seen in road 2 of the exchange sidings. The Motorail Logistics crew had been on site for a while checking that all was well so that an on-time departure would be achieved. This was important today as another train, 47847 with a GNER buffet coach from Doncaster was scheduled to come in in the early afternoon.
The headboard was soon attached to the leading end of 57005 and the locomotive was coupled to the tanks. It was strange to hear the distinctive GM whine of a 57 standing here - the body is the same as the many 47s that have stood in the same spot, but the traditional Sulzer "thump" was missing. Both the locomotive and MR crews were making their final checks and the driver can be seen walking along the train ready to perform a brake test. The length of 6Z98 was just right with the class 57 nicely angled on the exit from the siding so that the sun could illuminate the bodyside and front. I like the long lens shot here as the compressed perspective shows well the hills surrounding Long Marston - the primary reason for an airfield and associated MOD facility being constructed here during World War II, as the hills helped to hide the site from marauding enemy aircraft.
The booked departure time for 6Z98 was 12.30 but it was a few minutes early when 57005's engine was wound up and the long train gently made its exit from the sidings and onto the Honeybourne branch. The sun had been fading for a few minutes behind some thickening cloud but it found a fortuitous clear patch just at the right time. I'm all too aware that a lot of my photographs show this spot and the previous views but there really is very little choice of location here and I find it satisfying to record the enormous variety of motive power, wagons and coaches that have been here since regular operations started in September 2006. Not many branch lines across the UK have seen such a diversity of workings, and I consider myself fortunate to live so close to Long Marston.
Not long after joining the branch, 57005 stopped for a few moments and this gave me plenty of time to make the run to Honeybourne to try for a shot as 6Z98 came around the curve onto the East Loop. The sun had faded a little but the light still was perfectly reasonable as the impressive-looking ensemble came to a halt just short of the points of the spur giving access to the main Cotswold Line. It would be interesting to learn to what future use these tanks will be put. To an untutored eye they look in pretty good condition so it is to be hoped that they will be used again, and not sent for scrapping.
When a good working is standing in decent light it is difficult to resist taking loads of shots and today was no exception. I took about 20 exposures while 57005 was standing on the East Loop at Honeybourne and this slightly wider view with a 200mm lens took my fancy. The HST stop board had only just been erected and the Network Rail van with its crew was still in the car park at the adjacent station. HSTs have been working the Worcester and Hereford trains since the December timetable change and are gradually taking over these Paddington workings from the class 180 Adelante.
It wasn't many minutes before the second man left the cab of 57005 and walked to the cabin containing the instruments and telephone for contacting Evesham signalbox. Permission for 6Z98 to join the main line was obtained and the points were moved across to facilitate the move. Here is 57005 swinging across the spur at Honeybourne before stopping in the station to pick up the second man and then making its way to Evesham, Worcester and Bescot.
A new freight flow of scrap metal operated by Advenza has just started running from Stockton to Cardiff Tidal Sidings. The preferred motive power is one of the company's class 57s and on 11 March 2008 the lucky locomotive was 57005. 6Z75 is here seen passing the site of Defford station, near Pershore in Worcestershire, in a patch of sun that came from nowhere in an otherwise stormy sky. The wagons are KEAs and in a previous life this one still with a Trans Manche Link roundel was used to transport Channel Tunnel lining segments around Kent. Much as I like the Advenza 57s, they don't sound quite as good as the pairs of 33s used on the tunnel traffic which loaded to over 2000 tonnes!
There were 2 Advenza Freight moves booked during the morning of 4 March 2008. The first should have been a 6Z45 09.10 Gloucester to Long Marston conveying a couple of derelict class 37s owned by the HNRC. In the event 6Z71, the 10.05 Gloucester to Stockton, headed by ex-works 57006 came first. The train was 12 large bogie wagons. The general feeling amongst the photographers who witnessed this move was that a load of scrap may be picked up at Stockton and brought south, in connection with Advenza's new flow from Cornwall South Wales. A light aircraft can just be made out in the right background and this is about to land at Staverton Airfield.