Signalbox Safari - Lincoln

A pre-Christmas trip to Lincoln by train gave me the opportunity to snap a couple more signalboxes for my collection.

High Street signalbox, Lincoln, 22/12/14

High Street box is a brick-built Great Northern Railway type 1 structure dating from 1874 that stands by the level crossing at the west end of Lincoln Central station. Disused since Network Rail's resignalling of the area in 2007-2008 the box is now a listed building.

East Holmes signalbox, Lincoln, 22/12/14

East Holmes box stands a few hundred yards to the west of the station and is another GNR type 1 structure, this time of wooden construction dating from 1873, again it is disused and now a listed building.

Being pushed for time I didn't get to do much more exploring and so completely missed the remains of St Marks station that are now incorporated into the shopping centre a little further down High Street… A return trip is on the cards however…

Season's Greetings!

Just a quick post today to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I seem to be a bit lacking in the 'Christmas blog post photo' department so here's another shot from the Great Central Railway winter steam gala in January 2013, this time of Great Western Railway 2884 class 2-8-0 no.3803 (visiting from the South Devon Railway) running around its train at Leicester North in the snow…

GWR 2884 class 2-8-0 at Leicester North station, 25/1/13

A reminder…

As the shortest day approaches I like to remind myself of longer days and better weather.

This is another shot from the North Norfolk Railway and shows recent arrival at the NNR, London & North Eastern Railway class B1 4-6-0 61306 MAYFLOWER approaching Dead Man's bridge with the 12.00 departure from Sheringham on 12 September.

An absolutely gorgeous day with a calm sea that was hopefully causing no problems for the Sheringham Coastwatch coastal surveillance station that is just visible on the clifftop above the rear of the fourth carriage.

MAYFLOWER had changed hands in August 2014, being bought by Berkshire enthusiast David Buck from the Boden family who'd owned it since 1967. Built after nationalisation in 1948 by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow, 61306 carries the name originally bestowed on classmate 61379.

From the (digital) archives - The Garabit Viaduct

Following on from my last post, a short distance south from St Flour - Chaude Aigues on the ligne des Causses is the Garabit Viaduct that spans the Truyère River.

The Garabit Viaduct, 14/9/07

Constructed between 1882 and 1884 by Gustave Eiffel and opened in 1885 the viaduct was, when built, the highest in the world at 122m (400ft). With a length of 565m (1,853ft) and a principal arch of 165m (541ft) it is a very impressive sight, one that can be enjoyed from a rest stop (Aire de Repos de Garabit) alongside La Méridienne, the A75 autoroute linking Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers.

After an overnight stay in St Flour breakfast was a picnic overlooking the viaduct (in very dull weather) and we were just about to continue on our journey when a train rumbled into view with a pair of FRET-liveried SNCF class BB 67400 diesels in charge, 467467 and 467448.

SNCF class BB 67400s 467467 and 467448 head north across the Garabit Viaduct, 14/9/07

The train consisted of empty steel wagons returning to Clermont-Ferrand from the Arcelor Mittal plant at Saint-Chély-d'Apcher in the Languedoc-Roussillon Region, the loaded trains, even double-headed by two 2,367hp locos, run south in two portions due to the severe gradients on the line.

One fact that always pops up whenever the Garabit Viaduct is mentioned (and I'm not going to miss the opportunity to mention it myself) is that it was used in the 1976 film The Cassandra Crossing that starred Sophia Loren, Richard Harris and Burt Lancaster but was universally panned by critics and audiences alike.

Signalbox Safari - St. Flour - Chaudes Aigues

A signalbox from a bit further afield today…

Poste 1, La gare de St Flour - Chaude Aigues, 13/9/07

'Poste 1' is at the eastern end of La gare de St Flour - Chaude Aigues (St Flour station for those with even less of a grasp of French than I have) on the ligne des Causses that links Béziers in southern France with Neussargues in the Massif Central area.

I spent an hour in the station area on the day I took these photos back in 2007 and apart from a couple of bogie wagons carrying steel coils parked in a siding to the north of the station I saw nothing else on the rails… What I didn't realise at the time was that most of the passenger services in the area are by bus, indeed the current timetable for the line shows a service calling at the station every couple of hours but only two of them per day are trains!

La gare de St Flour - Chaude Aigues, 13/9/07

For anybody with even the slightest interest in French railways I would recommend becoming a member of The SNCF Society, their website and journals are an absolute goldmine of information about every aspect of railways in France, standard and narrow gauge, prototype and model alike.

Industrial Action - An unsympathetic rebuild…

I.C.I. Ltd's 1960 rebuild of Avonside Engine Co Ltd 0-4-0ST RS8 (works no.1913 of 1923), 1/3/14

This monstrosity, displayed at the National Stone Centre in Wirksworth started out as an 0-4-0ST built by the Avonside Engine Co Ltd of Bristol in 1923 as works no.1913.

The rear view…

The Avonside name cast into one of the buffers.

As far as I am aware it spent the majority of its working life at Tunstead Quarry in Derbyshire where it carried the number RS8. When steam working at the quarry ceased in 1960 it was converted to diesel power with hydraulic transmission (making it an 0-4-0DH) at the I.C.I. Ltd's South Central Workshops at Tunstead and continued to work there until 1974 when it entered preservation with the Bahamas Locomotive Society at the Dinting Railway Centre.

Upon Dinting's closure it was put on display in the car park of the National Stone Centre beside of the trackbed of the Cromford & High Peak Railway, now known as the High Peak Trail.

I've been unable to track down a photo of RS8 before it suffered its rebuild but would imagine that it bore more than a passing resemblance to this…

Avonside Engine Co Ltd 0-4-0ST DORA (works no.1973 of 1927) at the Rutland Railway Museum, 29/8/99

A brand new loco!

On our way home from the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society's members' day at the North Norfolk Railway last month Joy and I popped into Wells-next-the-Sea for a bite to eat by the harbour and half way through my sandwich the sound of a diesel horn drew my attention to this…

Alan Keef Ltd 0-6-0DH THE DUKE approaches the Harbour station on the Wells Harbour Railway, 5/10/14

The Wells Harbour Railway is a 10.25in gauge line linking the harbour (where else?) with the Pinewoods Holiday Park at the seaward end of the line, a distance of roughly 1200 yards.

Although I'd seen the line in operation before I hadn't seen this particular loco and a closer inspection revealed that it had been built this year by Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye.

Alan Keef Ltd 0-6-0DH THE DUKE stands at the Harbour station on the Wells Harbour Railway, 5/10/14

Alan Keef Ltd works plate on 10.25in gauge 0-6-0DH THE DUKE on the Wells Harbour Railway, 5/10/14

An 0-6-0DH (diesel engine, hydraulic transmission) 'THE DUKE' is the third loco to be built by Alan Keef Ltd for the WHR (DENSIL b.1998 and HOWARD b.2005 are the others) and is the first that hasn't been made to resemble a steam engine.

Alan Keef Ltd steam outline 0-6-0DH HOWARD (complete with dummy saddle tank and chimney) arrives at the Harbour station on the Wells Harbour Railway, 9/7/10

A unique piece of history at the K&ESR

This unassuming railway van, photographed at Rolvenden station on the Kent & East Sussex Railway in 2009 actually holds a unique place in history.

SE&CR PMV 132 at Rolvenden, K&ESR, 8/9/09

Built at the South Eastern & Chatham Railway's Ashford Works in 1919 No.132 was the prototype Parcels and Miscellaneous Van, the design of which continued to be built by the SE&CR's successor the Southern Railway and also by British Railways as late as 1951 and as a result most, if not all heritage railways are home to at least one preserved example.

But this particular specimen is unique… It carried three bodies from Dover to London after the end of World War One.

The first was Edith Cavell in May 1919. Trained as a nurse, during 1914-15 she helped more than 200 allied Prisoners of War to escape from German-occupied Belgium before she was arrested and subsequently executed. Her body was repatriated and a state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey before her burial at Norwich Cathedral.

The second was Charles Algernon Fryatt, captain of the SS Brussels. In March 1915 his ship was ordered to stop by the German submarine U-33 but Fryatt attempted to ram the U-boat which crash-dived and escaped. In June 1916 Fryatt's ship was captured by the Germans and he was Court Martialled and later executed. His body was repatriated in July 1919.

The third body was that of The Unknown Warrior, his body was carried to London on 10 November 1920, prior to the funeral service at Westminster Abbey the following day.

Since the above photograph was taken the van has been fully restored following an appeal to raise £35,000 and was unveiled on the 90th anniversary of the carriage of the body of The Unknown Warrior.

Furness Railway Memorial, Barrow-in-Furness station

I can't find the right words for this post, the pictures say it all…

World War One Memorial, Barrow-in-Furness station, 10/7/14

World War One Memorial, Barrow-in-Furness station, 10/7/14

Remember, remember, the 5th of November…

With this Wednesday being 'Guy Fawkes Night' I thought I'd post a photo of something I spotted at Llanuwchllyn station on the Bala Lake Railway a couple of months ago.

Gunpowder Wagon at Llanuwchllyn station on the Bala Lake Railway, 15/8/14

This 2ft gauge gunpowder wagon was originally used for transporting explosives around the Oakeley Quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog when blasting for slate and had arrived from the Llanberis Lake Railway for restoration a few months earlier.

Whilst the metalwork needs some attention, the interior protective wooden panelling (presumably used to prevent the quarrymen's hob-nailed boots from striking sparks) is to be completely replaced by the BLR's Carriage and Wagon Department.

Despite constant disputes over the rates for slate shipment the Oakley Quarry sent slate over the Ffestiniog Railway until the railway closed in August 1946 but also had a connection to the London & North Western Railway exchange yard in Blaenau Ffestiniog and large tonnages of slate were sent out via this connection until the closure of the quarry in 1970.

'Ghost' sign at Chester station

Earlier this year I posted a photo of an old sign at Chester railway station and today's post is another from the same place.

One of my interests (one of many!) is what are known as 'Ghost' signs, typically they tend to be painted onto brick or stone walls and over the years have weathered to varying degrees of illegibility

'Ghost' sign at Chester railway station, 30/6/14

This particular sign is (or was) tucked away at the western end of the station, behind platform two and points the way to the 'Second Class Refreshment Rooms' looking distinctly out of place amongst the modern signs advertising 'Costa Coffee' and 'caféxpress'.

I may be wrong but I got the impression that the station building was undergoing some work at the time of my brief visit back in June so the sign may be no more…

More of my 'ghost' sign photos can be found on Flickr.

A contrast at Blaenau Ffestiniog

Travelling along the North Wales coast back in June I just had time for a quick trip down the branch line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Arriva Trains Wales liveried 150257 stands at Blaenau Festiniog, 30/6/14

Recently repainted Arriva Trains Wales 150257 was shuttling up an down the branch, taking an hour to cover the 27 mile journey before pausing for 25 minutes to make a connection with Ffestiniog Railway services.

Ffestiniog Railway 0-4-4-0T Double fairlie DAFYDD LLOYD GEORGE/DAVID LLOYD GEORGE arrives at Blaenau Festiniog, 30/6/14

Double Fairlie 0-4-4-0T DAVID LLOYD GEORGE/DAFYDD LLOYD GEORGE arrived with the 13.35 service from Porthmadog and even in its temporary plain grey livery (having only returned to service following overhaul the previous month) still looked fantastic and had no problems handling a heavily loaded ten coach train.

So which is older? The 1ft 11½in gauge, coal-fired steam locomotive working on the world's oldest narrow gauge railway or the shiny diesel multiple unit that covers hundreds of miles every day on the national network?

That's right, 150257 is older, built by British Rail Engineering Limited, York in 1987 whilst DAVID LLOYD GEORGE/DAFYDD LLOYD GEORGE was built at the Ffestiniog Railway's Boston Lodge Works in 1992.

Industrial Action - BTH Bo-BoDE 'Ford No.1'

BTH Bo-BoDE 'Ford No.1 (b.1932) at Rolvenden on the Kent & East Sussex Railway, 8/9/09

This boxy, American-looking locomotive was actually one of three built in Britain for the Ford Motor Company in 1932 for their new car plant at Dagenham in Essex.

The original specification was for a 150hp diesel electric locomotive with a weight of 44 tons and also stated that "all materials will be of British manufacture", something difficult to imagine these days.

The locomotives were fitted with American fixed-pattern buckeye couplers, sanding equipment, automatic bell and air whistles and at the time of building were unique in Britain and attracted considerable interest being regularly seen crossing the former London, Tilbury & Southend Railway mainline that passed between Ford's sidings to the north and the company's jetty on the River Thames to the south.

Built by British Thomson-Houston Co Ltd in Rugby they had bodies and frames made from Sheffield steel by Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Co Ltd and six-cylinder engines supplied by W.H. Allen, Sons & Co Ltd of Bedford thus fulfilling the 'British manufacture' part of the specification.

BTH Bo-BoDE 'Ford No.1 (b.1932) at Rolvenden on the Kent & East Sussex Railway, 8/9/09

After 34 years of service at Dagenham, Ford No.1 was acquired by the Kent & East Sussex Railway where I photographed it (at Rolvenden) in 2009 and it still sees occasional use at special events.

From the (digital) archives - The Royal Albert Bridge (again)

Just a quick post today with another shot of the Royal Albert Bridge…

The Royal Albert Bridge recreated in LEGO, 23/10/09

Quite an accurate replica made from LEGO and seen at LEGOLAND® Windsor during a visit with friends in 2009… Even the High Speed Train crossing the bridge is made from LEGO (if a bit short, and in the wrong livery!)

From the (digital) archives - part 1

I've mentioned before that I tend to focus on the less 'mainstream' aspects of railways and I think that this particular post pretty much confirms that…

I'm trying to get my digital photographic archive in some sort of order at the moment and in doing so this image caught my eye.

Great Eastern Railway station seat from Yarmouth South Town, displayed at the NRM, 11/8/10

This is a Great Eastern Railway station seat from Yarmouth South Town station that was on display in the Station Hall at the National Railway Museum when I visited in 2010.

The station closed on 4 May 1970 and for more information I can do no better than point you in the direction of Nick Catford's Disused Stations website.

For hundreds of years Great Yarmouth was a major fishing port and the decoration on this seat reflects that: ropes, nets, fish and seashells all feature on the cast ends… Did the GER use this design anywhere else I wonder?

BR's last standard gauge steam loco?

August 1968 is well known as being the end of main line steam on British Railways, the final surviving locomotives being mainly ex-London Midland & Scottish Railway class 8F 2-8-0s and class 5MT 4-6-0s with a smaller number of BR standard types (not forgetting the three 1ft 11¾in gauge ex-Vale of Rheidol Railway 2-6-2Ts).

But this particular locomotive is believed to have still been in service with BR as late as 1972!

LMS class 3F 0-6-0T 47564, 17/8/14

This LMS class 3F 0-6-0T 'Jinty' No.47564 was built by the Hunslet Engine Co Ltd in 1928 as LMS No.16647 and was withdrawn in March 1965 before being converted to a stationary boiler (No.2022) for carriage heating at first Holyhead then Red Bank Carriage Sidings in Manchester… where it remained until 'preserved' in 1972.

Acquired by the Midland Railway Trust for spares it is one of four 'Jintys' to be found around the Swanwick Junction site… I doubt it'll ever turn a wheel under its own steam again though… or heat a carriage for that matter.

An undated photo of the loco in its latter BR days can be found on this page (scroll down to 'Manchester Red Bank') on the excellent AbRail Rail Databases website along with a huge amount of information and photographs relating to other stationary boilers.

A South-western Ramble, part 4 - Farewell to Cornwall…

Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge spans the River Tamar and the border between Cornwall and Devon and even partially shrouded in scaffolding it's still a magnificent sight!

The Royal Albert Bridge, Saltash, 6/8/14

Here 43151 leads* the 14.00 First Great Western service from Penzance to London Paddington 'The Royal Duchy' across the bridge and into Devon on 6 August signifying the end of my trip to Cornwall… Trains slow considerably along the single track section across the bridge and that, coupled with the tight curve leaving Saltash station make such images possible.

Built for the Cornwall Railway's 7ft ¼in broad gauge line from Truro to Plymouth the bridge was opened in May 1859, four months before Brunel's death and the lettering 'I.K.BRUNEL ENGINEER 1859' was added as a memorial by the directors of the Cornwall Railway Company.

In 1889 the Cornwall Railway became part of the Great Western Railway, a company that had operated the line since 1877 who converted the track gauge on the bridge from 7ft ¼in to 4ft 8½in in one single weekend in May 1892! A feat hard to imagine these days…

*For the record 43195 was on the rear of the train.

A South-western Ramble, part 3 - Two Beres please!

Having already travelled over the Royal Albert Bridge linking Devon and Cornwall I decided to travel under it (by rail, not river) with a trip up the 'Tamar Valley Line' to Gunnislake.

The line splits off the West of England main line west of Plymouth at St Budeaux Junction and winds its way up the Tamar estuary to Bere Alston before reversing onto the line to Gunnislake passing over the Calstock Viaduct (and into Cornwall) roughly three miles from Gunnislake station.

150126 at Bere Alston, 6/8/14

I hopped off the train at Bere Alston and snatched a quick photo of 150126 as the guard abandoned his ticket machine on the platform and went off to change the points for the line to Gunnislake completely missing this!

Bere Alston signalbox, 6/8/14

Having swapped sides for the journey back to Plymouth I spotted the signalbox on the now disused island platform as the train pulled back into Bere Alston and I detrained once more to investigate. A London & South Western Railway type 3b box dating from 1890 it was closed in 1970 and is now apparently used by the owner of the former station-master's house… I'm not sure what for but wouldn't it make a superb summer house?

Bere Ferrers is the last station before the line re-enters the Plymouth suburbs and is home to The Tamar Belle, a small railway heritage centre that also offers overnight accommodation in a pair of London & North Eastern Railway carriages! Sadly, a lack of time prevented a visit but I managed to take a photo of a couple of the centre's locomotives before continuing on my way.

Hunslet Engine Co Ltd 0-4-0DM (works no.3133 of 1944) and Peckett & Sons Ltd 0-4-0ST 'Hilda' (works no.1963 of 1938) at the Tamar Belle Railway Heritage Centre, Bere Ferrers, 6/8/14

Information on this pair is sketchy but the diesel is a Hunslet Engine Co Ltd product, an 0-4-0DM and believed to be works no.3133 of 1944, supplied new to the Admiralty's Lodge Hill & Upnor Railway in Kent and subsequently moved to the Admiralty depot at Bullpoint, Plymouth in 1962. The 0-4-0ST was built by Peckett & Sons Ltd in 1938 as works no.1963 and I would welcome any details as to its history.

A South-western Ramble, part 2 - Now that's more like it!

You may remember that last year I photographed the First Great Western 'Night Riviera' service as it passed through Exeter St Davids on its way to London Paddington.

Last year 57602 Restormel Castle was in charge of the train, wearing the First Group dark blue livery that I thought was applied to all of FGW's locomotives and HST power cars…

So I was pleasantly surprised when this turned up!

57604 PENDENNIS CASTLE at Exeter St Davids, 6/8/14

57604 PENDENNIS CASTLE (converted from Class 47, 47209 in 2004) wearing Great Western Railway lined green complete with the GWR coat-of-arms on the cabside, a much more attractive and 'railway-like' livery than those applied to the rest of FGW's fleet in my opinion.

A South-western Ramble, part 1

31 years after I last stood on Truro station during my first visit to Cornwall on a family holiday I made a return visit a few weeks ago while travelling on a Freedom of Devon & Cornwall (3 in 7 days) Rover ticket.

I'd wanted to travel on the Falmouth branch train (marketed as the 'Maritime Line') that begins its 12 mile journey at Truro and just had time to do so before continuing my journey down to Penzance.

150238 prepares to depart from Truro with the 15.51 FGW service to Falmouth Docks, 4/8/14

I made the return trip to Falmouth Docks on 150238, passing 153373 and 153329 at Penryn travelling in the opposite direction on both the outward and return journeys.

Truro signalbox and GWR/WR lower quadrant signal, 4/8/14

Upon arriving back at Truro I had time to take a few photographs before catching 'The Royal Duchy' for the short hop to Penzance, Truro still being blessed with a traditional Great Western Railway signalbox and semaphore signals not to mention some lovely GWR platform benches (although these are more than likely reproductions), now if only First Great Western would adopt a more traditional GWR-style 'chocolate and cream' paint scheme!

Signalbox Safari - Leeming Bar

Time for another signalbox…

Just over a year ago I wrote about Dersingham signalbox on the former line between King's Lynn and Hunstanton in Norfolk and a recent visit to Leeming Bar on the Wensleydale Railway gave me the opportunity to photograph another signalbox from that line, albeit one transplanted to Yorkshire.

The former North Wootton signalbox now restored at Leeming Bar on the Wensleydale Railway, 11/7/14

North Wootton was the first station out of King's Lynn and like Dersingham a number of its buildings outlived the line itself with the station buildings now forming a private residence. The signalbox, another Great Eastern Railway 'type 7' structure, this time dating from 1901 survived as a scout hut until 2007 when the 14th Woottons Scout Group, unable to afford its restoration (or even insurance) decided to give it away.

The former North Wootton signalbox before restoration, 2/6/08

The Wensleydale Railway took the project on, carefully moving the box to its Leeming Bar headquarters in September 2007 and in 2009, after a painstaking restoration supported by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant it was reopened and apparently now forms the WR's control office.

The Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway

I make no apologies for featuring another of Hunslet Engine Co Ltd's products in these pages, this time in the shape of 'Austerity' 0-6-0ST REPULSE (works no.3698 of 1950).

Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd. 0-6-0ST (works no.3698 of 1950) at Haverthwaite station, 9/7/14

391 locomotives of this class were built between 1943 and 1953 for the Ministry of Supply and War Department with a further 93 being built for industrial users. Hunslet built the majority but Andrew Barclay, Hudswell Clarke, W.G.Bagnall, Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns and Vulcan Foundry were also involved in the construction and examples from each manufacturer still survive in preservation.

The Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway's example "REPULSE" (named after the World War II battle cruiser) spent all it's pre-preservation life working for the North Western Area of the National Coal Board, finally being withdrawn from service in 1975 from the Ladysmith Coal Preparation Plant, Whitehaven.

On the day of my visit REPULSE was handling all of the passenger services on the L&HR's three mile line, transporting a seemingly endless stream of passengers to and from the 'Steamers' that operate over the whole 10.5 mile length of Lake Windermere.

Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd. 0-6-0ST (works no.3698 of 1950) runs round its train at Lakeside station, 9/7/14

More photos from my visit to the L&HR can be found on Flickr.

Le Tour Yorkshire

Cycling is a sport about which I know nothing… Actually all sports fall into that category if I'm honest but even I hadn't failed to notice that the Tour de France was coming to Yorkshire this weekend.

As the roads will be crammed with folk wearing lycra Northern Rail have put in place additional train services and a special 'Le Yorkshire' ticket for the weekend.

They've also adorned a number of DMUs with 'Gearing up for the Tour' logos as seen here at Sheffield on Class 144 DMSL 55829 (144006) forming the 09.06 service to Leeds on 2 July.

'Gearing up for the Tour' logo, Class 144 DMSL 55829 (144006), 2/7/14

I can't help but wonder what visitors to the area will make of Northern's fleet of ageing Class 142s, 144s and 150s though, especially if the predicted two million spectators all want to travel by train!

And (almost) 85 miles later…

I actually was on my way to Holyhead when I took the photo used in my last post and was pleasantly surprised to find my second ’Industrial Action’ item a short distance from Holyhead station.

Anglesey Aluminium began to produce Aluminium at its smelter near Holyhead in 1971 and at its height was one of the largest employers on Anglesey with over 500 staff. Also employed was this Hunslet Engine Co Ltd 0-4-0DH (diesel engine, hydraulic transmission) locomotive built in 1971 as works no.7183.

Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd. 0-4-0DH (works no.7183 of 1970) at Anglesey Aluminium's Penrhos Works at Holyhead, 25/6/14

The plant closed down in 2009 following the end of an energy deal with the nearby Wylfa nuclear power station and is mothballed pending the possible opening of a biomass power plant on site.

Assuming that the loco is also mothballed I'm surprised that a spot for it couldn't be found under cover, somewhere away from the coastal weather.

I managed the above shot (through a mucky Class 158 window) by setting the camera's focus on infinity and cranking the ISO up to 800 to allow a fast enough shutter speed to counter the movement of the train. The image is also cropped quite severely from the original thanks to the wide(ish) lens used.

I was only… 85 miles from Holyhead

(To the 'Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa' tune obviously…)

Sign at Chester station showing distances to London and Holyhead, 25/6/14

This sign hangs on the wall between platforms 3 and 4 at Chester station, now orange in colour I suspect that it was once painted London Midland Region maroon and over the years the weather has taken its toll…

Its location, high on a wall beside the fast line through the station probably means that it will never be repainted again and so it lingers on, a reminder of the days when railways still erected signs like this one, of little or no use to the railway itself and of only casual interest to passengers using the station.

(The dead bird will probably be there for a while too…)

Industrial Action - Hunslet 0-6-0ST 2705/1945

Industrial locomotives have become something of a passion of mine in recent years and although some are still used by industrial concerns most have now passed into the hands of the preservation movement.

One such locomotive is BEATRICE at the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway, a Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd. 0-6-0ST built in 1945 as works no.2705.

Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd. 0-6-0ST BEATRICE (works no.2705 of 1945) at Bolton Abbey station, 1/6/14

BEATRICE came to Embsay from Ackton Hall Colliery near Pontefract in West Yorkshire and is shown as still being located (and in use) there in 1976 in the Industrial Locomotives book published by the Industrial Railway Society in that year.

Recently overhauled and returned to steam, BEATRICE was in action during my visit on 1st June, easily handling her load of five BR Mk.1 carriages on the 1 in 100 climb out of Bolton Abbey station.

Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd. 0-6-0ST BEATRICE (works no.2705 of 1945) at Embsay station, 1/6/14

In addition to views of the wonderful North Yorkshire countryside the E&BAR has an interesting collection of industrial locomotives and a number of beautifully restored vintage carriages that form Stephen Middleton's Stately Trains fleet that have appeared in a number of film and television productions and is well worth a visit.

Southern units… In Rugby!

Having spent a bit of time in the Brighton area recently I quickly became accustomed to seeing Southern's fleet of Class 377 'Electrostars' plying their trade along the south coast and up to London and back.

What came as a bit of surprise though was seeing two such units as far north as Rugby under their own power this week!

Class 377/7 'Electrostar' 377703 at Rugby, 11/6/14

Eight five-car Class 377/7s have been built by Bombardier in Derby with dual-voltage capability allowing them to run on both 750V DC third rail and 25kV AC overhead power supplies.

Dual-voltage Class 377/7 'Electrostar' PTSO 65604 (377704) at Rugby, 11/6/14

The units are due to enter service later this year but are currently undergoing mileage accumulation runs on the West Coast Main Line in pairs with 377703 and 377704 in action on Wednesday.

As an aside, Bombardier recently celebrated completion of their 1000th vehicle for Southern in the form of MSO 70707 which is included in unit 377707.

WD 820, D-Day veteran…

I’m a bit late with this piece given that the 70th anniversary of The Normandy Landings was on Friday but better late than never eh?

Drewry Car Co. 153hp 0-4-0DM WD 820 stands at Caverswall Road station on the Foxfield Railway on 25/7/12

WD 820 was built by Vulcan Foundry in 1941 (from mechanical components supplied by the Drewry Car Co. and frames, wheels and bodywork supplied by English Electric) as part of an order for the Ministry of Supply. Overhauled at the Longmoor Military Railway in April 1944, WD 820 (then numbered WD 30) and three sister locomotives, WD 29, WD 32 and WD 33 crossed the English Channel during Operation Neptune, better known as D-Day, and was one of two locomotives actually landed on Utah Beach!

When relieved by larger locomotives in August 1944 WD 30 was posted further inland, taking up shunting duties around Bayeaux and was renumbered as 70030.

Returning to the UK in 1946 the locomotive was overhauled at Baguley’s works in Burton-on-Trent before being posted to the MoD depot at Bicester where it was renumbered again as WD 820 in 1952. A further tour of duty abroad to Germany followed from 1958-1969 at a British Army of the Rhine (BAoR) depot.

Upon returning to the UK (again) it was posted to two Royal Ordnance Factories, the first being at RoF Birley in Co.Durham and then RoF Radway Green in Cheshire before finally being preserved in 1992.

The photograph was taken during a visit to the Foxfield Railway that Dad and I made in 2012 and at the time I don't think that either of us recognised the significance of this tiny diesel that was tucked away in a corner…

'Twas on a fine May morning…

Except that it wasn't… It was an awful morning with horizontal rain and just enough of a breeze to chill you through once you were soaked!

But I'd made up my mind to pop out and photograph Compass Tours 'The Canterbury Tales Explorer' rail tour as it stopped at Langley Mill this morning so off I went…

37402 and 37405 pause at Langley Mill, 28/05/14

The tour started off from Crewe at 05.23 and was due to arrive in Canterbury (via a circuitous route) at 13.46 for a three hour stop before making the return trip. 37402 Stephen Middlemore 23.12.1954-8.6.2013 and 37405 seemed to be making light work of a multicoloured rake of nine coaches and departed bang on time at 08.05.

Compass Tours have an interesting and varied programme of trips with starting points all over the country and although I haven't yet travelled with them I've heard very good reports from those who have and I'm very tempted by one of their Scottish tours.

Now, if only they could do something about the weather!