July & August 2018
Domestic matters have kept me away from the lineside until Monday 9th when DRS Norwich Crown Point to Cardiff ECS (an AGA DVT) and GBRf's 6Z81 empty military train from Donnington to Cardiff Pengam tempted me out. It got even better on Wednesday with another loaded train from Warminster to Donnington which, after recessing at Cardiff Pengam overnight, ran over the Marches Line in the early morning light.
On the 17th I drove over to Abbotswood and Croome in Worcestershire, on the Bristol to Birmingham line, primarily for the new CAF TPE loco hauled stock which was being ferried from Portbury to the depot in Manchester. There was a surprise on the 4V44 Daventry to Wentloog, 57303 subbing for 66426 which I presume had developed a fault. In addition I caught a couple of trains diverted on account of the Oxford blockade; 6X01 carrying lengths of CWR from Scunthorpe to Eastleigh and the 6O30 Castle Bromwich to Southampton with Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery, Jaguar SUVs and Jaguar saloons for export.
Hereford is not normally a freight hotspot, at best there are a handful of trains in daylight hours but on Wednesday 25th it was very different. The previous evening the 6M51 Baglan Bay to Chirk had limped in to Hereford 166 minutes late where it was terminated. The following day I drove over to take a look, it was sitting on the up relief, the Colas staff were concentrating their efforts on either the 10th or 11th wagon but there was no sign it was going anytime soon.
In Hereford's CE sidings a pair of IHA coil carriers had been sitting since early June. The loaded one had been dropped in late May by either 6M86 or 6M76 en route to Dee Marsh with a fault. The empty one had been tripped up on June 4th with the intention of transferring the coil from one to the other. However that required a crane and that didn't materialise until July 25th!! By mid morning the transfer had been complete and at lunch time 66506 running as 0M86 appeared, entered the CE siding and took both wagons onwards to Dee Marsh, recoded 6M86. This sort of excitement doesn't happen very often in Hereford.
On 30th July, almost a month earlier than last year, Fiddlers Ferry started taking coal from Portbury, both 6M02 and 6M12 running. One returned empty to York, the other formed the 4V22 to East Usk. Summer's not even over and I'm reminded of autumn and winter :-(
The first week of August saw an abundance of vintage diesels out on the national network. GBRf Charity Railtour's Dub and Grub brought 50s 50049 Defiance and 50007 Hood to the Welsh Marches on Sunday and Wednesday saw Whistler D213 Andania on a Crewe to Crewe proving run now she's contracted to the Locomotive Services (TOC) Ltd fleet. Both the 50s and D213 looked and sounded superb, the latter opening up past Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate box with that characteristic turbocharger whistle.
On Thursday August 17th we set off for a holiday in Scotland, our ultimate destination being Orkney. We stopped in Edinburgh for a couple of nights with friends and in Kingussie In Badenoch, which gave me the opportunity for some pictures. I also shot some ferry pictures too, next best thing to a train.
Read MoreOn the 17th I drove over to Abbotswood and Croome in Worcestershire, on the Bristol to Birmingham line, primarily for the new CAF TPE loco hauled stock which was being ferried from Portbury to the depot in Manchester. There was a surprise on the 4V44 Daventry to Wentloog, 57303 subbing for 66426 which I presume had developed a fault. In addition I caught a couple of trains diverted on account of the Oxford blockade; 6X01 carrying lengths of CWR from Scunthorpe to Eastleigh and the 6O30 Castle Bromwich to Southampton with Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery, Jaguar SUVs and Jaguar saloons for export.
Hereford is not normally a freight hotspot, at best there are a handful of trains in daylight hours but on Wednesday 25th it was very different. The previous evening the 6M51 Baglan Bay to Chirk had limped in to Hereford 166 minutes late where it was terminated. The following day I drove over to take a look, it was sitting on the up relief, the Colas staff were concentrating their efforts on either the 10th or 11th wagon but there was no sign it was going anytime soon.
In Hereford's CE sidings a pair of IHA coil carriers had been sitting since early June. The loaded one had been dropped in late May by either 6M86 or 6M76 en route to Dee Marsh with a fault. The empty one had been tripped up on June 4th with the intention of transferring the coil from one to the other. However that required a crane and that didn't materialise until July 25th!! By mid morning the transfer had been complete and at lunch time 66506 running as 0M86 appeared, entered the CE siding and took both wagons onwards to Dee Marsh, recoded 6M86. This sort of excitement doesn't happen very often in Hereford.
On 30th July, almost a month earlier than last year, Fiddlers Ferry started taking coal from Portbury, both 6M02 and 6M12 running. One returned empty to York, the other formed the 4V22 to East Usk. Summer's not even over and I'm reminded of autumn and winter :-(
The first week of August saw an abundance of vintage diesels out on the national network. GBRf Charity Railtour's Dub and Grub brought 50s 50049 Defiance and 50007 Hood to the Welsh Marches on Sunday and Wednesday saw Whistler D213 Andania on a Crewe to Crewe proving run now she's contracted to the Locomotive Services (TOC) Ltd fleet. Both the 50s and D213 looked and sounded superb, the latter opening up past Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate box with that characteristic turbocharger whistle.
On Thursday August 17th we set off for a holiday in Scotland, our ultimate destination being Orkney. We stopped in Edinburgh for a couple of nights with friends and in Kingussie In Badenoch, which gave me the opportunity for some pictures. I also shot some ferry pictures too, next best thing to a train.
July 11th, Pandy
The military flats from Monday returned from Warminster to Cardiff Pengam yesterday and from Pengam to Donnington this morning, running as 6Z84 and passing Pandy at 06:41.
