Virgin Thunderbird 57306 stands in one of the stabling roads at Crewe on standby in the event of a Pendolino failure. The photo was taken from the support coach for A4 60009 Union of South Africa. 23/7/07.
This was the first day of a week tours and engine movements for the BR green A4. 60009 leads Princess Coronation class pacific 6233 Duchess of Sutherland away from Crewe for York.
Two tone green D1916 and 08868 stand outside the main LNWR maintenance shed at Crewe between the Stoke line and the main WCML.
Also at the shed is withdrawn Freightliner 47224.
60009 and 6233 run into Derby heading to York. It is thought that this was the first time a Duchess and an A4 have been paired. Both locos were being positioned for Scarborough Spa Express duties.
Also at Derby is Brush type 2 31601 in the light purple livery of the now defunct FMRail.
Coupled next to 31601 is BRCW type 3 33103 in the former livery of FMRail. Four years later I would have a secondman's turn on this loco on the 2011 Swanage Diesel Gala. https://cromptoncorner.smugmug.com/Trains/Swanage-Diesel-Gala-May-2011/i-jCmP5JR
The next day at York Holgate Sidings and the sun glints off the side of 66524 as it waits time to work 4S08 0815 Drax Power Station to New Cumnock empty coal hoppers. Beside it is 66556. 24/7/07
Another view of the two Freightliner Heavy Haul locos in Holgate Sidings. 66556's train is not known.
At the south end of York's Holgate Sidings is 66515.
At 0923 66524 gets way with the long run to South West Scotland ahead of it. Open cast coal is loaded at New Cumnock and the train will route via the ECML and the Tyne Valley route to Carlisle.
Neville Hill depot on the outskirts of Leeds is passed by as the steam working heads back to York on the Harrogate circular route. 43058 is a former Midland Mainline HST powercar has had its cab removed.
At the other end of the four powercars is a more complete 43081.
The following day 60009 Union of South Africa stands at York waiting for a fallen tree to be cleared from the Scarborough branch. I risked being left behind as I crossed the footbridge to grab a couple of shots and return to the safety of the support coach. 25/7/07
West Coast Railways Company 47826 sits at York and is employed as a rescue loco and stock shunter. Behind it is the York Eye in the grounds of the National Railway Museum. 26/7/07
43118 is the rear powercar of 1E02 0600 Edinburgh to Kings Cross service. The set is on the up main and is passing below Holgate Bridge.
One of Freightliner's first low emission class 66 locos is rostered to 4S08 0815 Drax Power Station to New Cumnock empties. 66951 is identical to its sisters in appearance apart from a smaller fuel tank and a fifth door to access the engine room on one side.
A head on view of 66951 in Holgate sidings.
After three days on the Scarborough Spa circuit, 60009 and support coach heads for Bury on the East Lancs Railway to stable for the night before working a Manchester Victoria to Carlisle return tour the next day. En-route the trip takes us past Healey Mills depot and the lines of withdrawn locos awaiting their fate. 27/7/07
Six class 37 locos are visible in this shot including EWS liveried 37668, 37706 and 37717.
It is 05.15am on the morning of the 28th and we have been up for a couple for hours. 60009 slips away from Bury shed and passes 08994 which is one of three 08 shunters that were cut down for use on the Burry Port to Cwmmawr freight branch in South Wales. Now all three are employed on the works trains for the Bury Tramlink project. 28/7/07
The yard at Bury is used as a railhead for Tramlink works trains. EWS type 5 60083 sits shut down and quiet at Bury and is used on moving works trains about the yard before the 08 shunters take them onto the tramline.
The other two cut down 08/9 shunter are found at Bury. 08993 and 08995 sit beside 60083.
Out on the main network 60056 pauses in the Down Goods loop at Castleton with a train of new rails.
There is a PW depot here and this could be an engineers train ready to leave for a relaying job somewhere the next day.
After a northbound run over Shap to Carlisle, 60009 arrives at the border town. In one of the through roads is silver Cotswold Rail 47813 at the head of two intermodal flats running as 6Z45 Carlisle to Crewe.
A short while after 60009 arrived at Carlisle, another steam hauled working appeared behind exLMS pacific 6201 Princess Elizabeth. It worked 1Z62 0858 Preston to Carlisle. The class 8 loco has come off its train and parked up on Wapping Sidings.
At the back of Carlisle Citadel station are three Virgin West Coast Thunderbird locos, 57313, 57311 and 57304.
The trip back to Manchester from Carlisle went via the Settle and Carlisle route. GBRf 66711 waits at the exit signal KT22 at Kirkby Thore with 4E16 1717 Newbiggin to Doncaster empty gypsum containers.
The usual water stop is taken at Appleby and Fraser and myself sit on Lindsay's seat with Marilyn behind us. Lindsay once said "Appleby needs a seat for support crews to rest their weary arses". So after he died we installed one, and these arses are weary!!
Day seven and 60009 returns to York from Bury. Again we pass Healey Mills and Loadhaul liveried 60059 is on shed. Behind it is 66056 at the head of a west bound scrap train recessing for the weekend. 29/7/07
The former National Power depot at Ferrybridge became part of the EWS empire when they took over the rail part of NP. Latterly it was used to repair 08 shunters. Now it houses withdrawn locos.
On Ferrybridge depot are withdrawn type 5 56067, 56107, 56109, 56054 and 56083.
The liveries are a mixture of EWS, Loadhaul and Transrail.
South Milford Yard is an important staging point for EWS coal traffic. 66046 almost hides between the coal hoppers.
Back at York and Midland Mainline class 222 Meridian unit 222007 is stabled in Holgate Sidings. It worked in as 1F01 SuO 1010 from Leicester and will depart back again at 1725 as 1B57.
These units are based on the Voyager class 220 sets but run as eight coach units and not four.
DRS Brush type 4 47237 sits where 47826 was the other day. I do not know the reason for it being there.
91102 propels its London bound train into York station, 1A36 SuO 1455 from Newcastle. After 7 long days of steam running, A4 60009 cools down at the NRM and I will head home the next day extremely tired after a great week. Originally I planned to go to Barnetby for the day but I was knackered.
