ECML Peterborough to Newark

A misty morning at Helpston Level Crossing on the East Coast Main Line just north of Peterborough and 37521 comes out of the mist working 7H56 0941 Peterborough to Tallington Engineers Train.

The area to the north of Peterborough is flat and abounds with level crossings. The height of the overhead line equipment is most noticeable as 91115 approaches Woodcroft level crossing with 1D27 0935 Kings Cross to Leeds. The pantograph is well extended to give the greatest clearance on the crossing.

The morning sun is burning the mist off as the morning wears on. 66232 works south with 4Z90 0821 Wakefield Europort to Willesden Euro Terminal Intermodal service. The train is on the up slow line and the gradient has changed from 1 in 563 down to level at this point.

Loco 91104 is on the front of the most famous of named trains, "The Flying Scotsman", 1S18 1000 Kings Cross departure to Edinburgh.

43006 leads an up unknown working at Woodcroft Level Crossing. There was no HST set due at the time but it could have been deputising for a mkIV electric set.

66237 runs south on the up Stamford line with what I believe to be 6L96 TThO 0717 Stud Farm to Peterborough Yard stone train. The lead vehicle is a BYA steel coil carrier coupled ahead of the rake of bogie boxes.

Looking south into the bright sun and 66064 heads north along the down Stamford with a train of 28 loaded PAA covered sand hopeprs. The train is 6E84 TThO 0826 Middleton Towers to Monk Bretton. The sand is used in the glass making industry.

Moving north to Lolham Level Crossing and Freightliner 57010 runs south on the up slow with what is probably a route learning working.

DVT 82206 leads the southbound 1E04 0700 Glasgow Central to Kings Cross GNER express. This is the first Glasgow departure for Kings Cross.

Seen from the east side of the line at Lolham Level Crossing and 91107 crosses over the River Welland with 1D29 1033 Kings Cross to Leeds service.

A dark shot caused by shooting into the sun. 91119 makes good progress heading north with 1S21 1100 Kings Cross to Glasgow Central. The track is level at this point.

The unknown DVT trailing an unknown class 91 loco tears north on 1D30 1105 off Kings Cross to Leeds.

Essendine is a location etched into railway history when A4 pacific 4468 Mallard tore down Stoke Bank reaching 126mph on 3rd July 1938 and set the World speed record for steam traction. Today HST trains and mkIV electrically hauled ones like this one do it many times a day down hill and UP. Pushing down grade at 125mph is 91125 at the rear of 1A24 1140 Leeds to Kings Cross.

Further north on Stoke Bank and Swayfield is about 4 miles south of the Stoke Summit and Stoke Tunnel. GNER liveried Regional Eurostar set 3304 rips down Stoke Bank with 1X25 1205 Leeds to Kings Cross train.

43039 and 43119 provide the motive power for 1E06 0930 Edinburgh to Kings Cross service. Despite the age of the High Speed trains, they still provide front line high speed services for several companies like GNER.

Looking south at Swayfield and an unknown class 91 leads 1N07 1230 Kings Cross to Newcastle up Stoke Bank at a gradient of 1 in 200. Just beyond is a short level section before the climb continues at 1 in 178.

Not all the passenger traffic is formed by electric trains and HST's. A Central Trains class 158 sprinter 158787 runs north with 1M20 1149 Norwich to Liverpool Street. It will bear left at Grantham and head for Nottingham.

An up Hull Trains turbostar 170396 descends Stoke Bank with 1A93 1206 Hull to Kings Cross. This unit has only been in service for a few days when this photo was taken.

A well loaded Freightliner service passes by on the up slow line with 66568 in charge of a 45 minute late running 4L85 0858 MX Leeds to Ipswich Freightliner.

An unknown DVT leads an up service from Leeds with an unknown class 91 providing the traction for 1A27 1240 off to Kings Cross.

A GBRf working heads south with 66717 in charge of 4L78 1141 Selby to Felixstowe Intermodal service. A private halt once stood here.

Train 1S28 is the 1300 Kings Cross departure to Glasgow Central. The unknown loco and DVT pass Swayfield in glorious hot spring sunshine going UP Stoke Bank doing the kind of speed Mallard did going down!! Time to move on again.

Frinkley Level Crossing is now only a foot crossing but provides a wonderful location for watching the passing trains. Regional Eurostar set 3311 and 3312 come north with 1X36 1405 Kings Cross to Leeds.

Frinkley is several miles to the north of Grantham. 91108 powers another Leeds bound service, this one is 1435 off Kings Cross, 1D37.

A familiar train from nearer to home, the up Northern Lights 1E12 0955 off Aberdeen to Kings Cross. The line is climbing at 1 in 300 in the direction of travel.

This location is ideal, the line is on a bush free embankment and the sun is perfect in the afternoon. DVT82231 leads a mkIV set with 91128 propelling at the rear. The working is 1A33 1505 Leeds to Kings Cross.

3303 and 3304 is seen again heading back to Leeds after a 20 minute turn round at Kings Cross. 1X38 departed at 1505. GNER hire three Regional Eurostar sets for their Kings Cross to Leeds services running under the White Rose title.

I missed the number of the DVT but the train loco was 91130. 1A34 1405 Newcastle to Kings Cross tears past at 125mph with the previous Eurostar just visible in the left background.

The very rare sight of an EWS mail train. 67011 powers a featherweight load of four empty NIA vans forming 1M78 1436 Tyne Yard to Willesden Railnet.

This is the second time this HST has been seen this day. Having arrived at London at 1408, it sat for 82 minutes refilling with consumables and passengers before heading back to Scotland as 1S01 1530 Kings Cross to Aberdeen.

A southbound freight heads along the double track East Coast Main Line at Frinkley, south of Newark behind 66075. The train is 6L55 1414 Wakefield Europort to Felixstowe Intermodal. It does not appear well loaded.

Regional Eurostar set 3309 3310 charges south taking on the gentle 1 in 300 climb with ease. The working is 1X37 1605 Leeds to Kings Cross.

With the overhead wires ending at Edinburgh on the east side of the country, all services to Aberdeen are diesle hauled. So Kings Cross services run under the wires all the way to Edinburgh, all 393 miles. This is 1S32 1600 off London to Aberdeen.

New turbostar unit 170396 heads north with its 1H06 1608 Kings Cross departure to for Hull.

Moving again to Newark and the famous flat crossing. The evening sun glints off the front windscreens of 66159 which is held at the signal at Newark Crossing East Junction which protects the flat crossing at Newark on the Lincoln to Nottingham Line. The train will bear left here and join the ECML and head south to Peterborough.

An unknown DVT leads 91107 over the flat crossing with 1A40 1740 Leeds to Kings Cross. This crossing had just recently been replaced.

Sprinter 156419 takes the sharp curve between Newark Crossing South and East Junctions with a class 2 working, 2T74 1840 Newark North Gate to Grimsby Town.

Transrail branded 60061 had been waiting for a while to get the road over the ECML. After several trains had gone by, the road is cleared and the type 5 lifts its 25 empty TEA tanks away. The freight is 6E59 WX 1526 Kingsbury to Lindsey empty oil tanks.

Unidentified powercars and mkIII set clatters over the famous crossing with a late running 1D02 1720 Kings Cross to Hull working.

A sole class 153 sprinter unit forms a class 1 service from Nottingham to Sleaford. It straddles the ECML as it forms 1E80 1823 Nottingham to Sleaford.

A west bound freight thumps over the crossing with 60082 hauling a trailing load in excess of 2,600 tonnes. Train 6M03 1706 Lindsey to Kingsbury Oil tanks is loaded to 26 full 100 tonne tanks, haulage for this is a class 60.

This is a wholly unidentified photo. I couldn't get the powercar numbers and I couldn't identify the train. It may have been 1D43 1733 Kings Cross to Bradford Forster Square substituting for an mkIV electric set.

GBRf 66708 had been sitting patiently in the station at Newark for a while waiting for the road. It finally gets away with 4E19 1201 Mountfield to West Burton Power Station with a rake of empty gypsum containers on the drawbar and a gap in the buildings allows the weak evening sun to light the train.

The length of the Eurostar sets is evident in this photo of 3304 and 3303 with 1X42 1805 Leeds to Kings Cross. The front of the train has passed over the crossing and the rear is on the bridge over the River Trent.

After a long wait in the station at Newark North Gate, 67019 finally gets away with an unusual empty stock move. It has a pair of mkI slam door third rail 4 CEP EMU's, 1563 and 1556, on the drawbar enroute to Immingham for scrapping.

67019 takes 1563 and 1556 on their last journey, 5Z10 1330 Ramsgate to Immingham ECS, for scrapping. They make clearly the shot of the day. A pair of class 411, 4 CEP, on the ECML and the famous flat crossing at Newark. Time to call it a great day.