South Wales Mainline

Now off-lease 43175 leads a Swansea - Cardiff HST for Great Western Railway through Undy - 07/09/2018

70810 has recently emerged from the Severn Tunnel with the Moorswater -
Aberthaw cement working- 07/09/2018

The South Wales Mainline is one of those places I had thought about coming to for years- Back in the mid-noughties when I was coming to sample rugby specials to Cardiff, and or course the 37's on the Rhymney valley it always looked as though there were some good spots with a good variety of traffic. Like so many things though the distance just meant it never happened. By 2018 the views should all have been impossible as the Great Western electrification program would have brought poles and wires to all of the classic locations. Of course we all know now how late that project has run, and amazingly while travelling up to a wedding in Wales in September 2018 my opportunity finally came to check out a couple of the spots.

Arriva Trains Wales 158822 heads west at Magor - 07/09/2018

Traffic has changed somewhat from when I first eyed up these locations more than 10 years ago. EWS has gone through several incarnations and is now DB Cargo- it's class 60's which were once common in South Wales now number only a few examples and oil traffic between Roberston and Westerleigh is now the only reliable traffic to feature the class. Colas Rail has also entered the scene with a regular flow of cement between Aberthaw and Moorswater- usually handled by it's class 70 locomotives. In freight terms one of the most notable losses of traffic is coal- some traffic still exists in South Wales, but as with most of the UK the traffic has declined to only a tiny percentage of what existed only a few years ago.

Still a good bet for a class 60 - the Westrleigh - Robeston empty tanks is in the hands of 60091 at Undy. 07/09/2018

The face of the future - GWR IEP 800020 'Elizabeth Ralph' speeds towards
Newport and Cardiff. These trains will make full use of the electrification
once works are finally completed sometime in 2019. - 07/09/2018

On the passenger front the most notable change is the almost elimination of the HST fleet over the last 12 months as the much delayed InterCity Express trains have finally started to be deployed in large numbers on their former Great Western routes. At the time of this trip only a handful of HST's reached Cardiff - My joy at capturing one of them in full sun conditions felt quite strange given these trains were two-a-penny just a few months earlier! Further changes will be evident in the passenger fleet in the coming years as Transport for Wales have now taken on what was previously the Arriva Trains Wales franchise- promising a new livery and many new trains.

43018 leads only the second HST in a long stint on the South Wales Mainline.
Sadly not a complete set in the new GWR Green. The location at Magor is
still free from OHLE equipment- but for how much longer? 07/09/2018

As can be seen from the photos electrification is continuing here, and it is only a matter of time until many of these photo spots are lost for ever- however there are still some clear views, and with electrification of the South Wales Mainline now not expected to be completed until the second half of 2019 there may be a little bit of time left still - but you will have to be quick!

The Snow March

1st March 2018 dawned bright and with a dusting of snow in South West London. 450124 leads a morning commuter service in to Surbiton.

As March arrived in the UK and the days started to draw out, most would be forgiven for not expecting snow. However March 2018 has been unseasonably cold with two blasts of arctic weather sweeping the country bringing widespread snow (and all the travel chaos that goes with it!). In the south of the country the first bout of snow arrived overnight providing a coating by the morning of Thursday 1st March. The white stuff continued to fall across the weekend but brought with it poor light and only slight accumulations in the London area. Other areas saw much deeper snow fall with further issues caused by drifting due to the dry nature of the snow coupled with strong winds. Across many parts of the country lines were closed due to being blocked with snow and Network Rail dispatched many of their snowplows to clear routes.

A 10 car formation from Guildford to Waterloo is led into Surbiton by 5713. 01/03/18

Wearing the new South Western Railway colours 158887 calls at Basingstoke with a heavily snow encrusted service to London. 01/03/2018

444006 kicks up the powdery snow as heads towards London at speed following the second wave of snow to hit the south of the UK. Sunday 18th March 2018.

444030 makes an impresive sight kicking up snow as it heads through Potbridge (near Hook). The M3 crosses the SWML on the lower of the two bridges. The roads did not escape the travel disruption with many in this area being quite treacherous. 18/03/2018.

Despite the cold snap weekend engineering still had to take place. 66847 had been involved in a possession in the Portsmouth area and now heads through Potbridge back to Eastleigh 

450112 brightens up the bleak landscape with a Basingstoke - Waterloo service seen at Potbridge on Sunday 18th March.

Temperatures had returned to more normal levels by the second week of March however forecasts of further snow began to surface. The weather forecasters once again got it right with another dose of snow covering much of the country on Saturday 17th March. The snow continued across the weekend with accumulations of several centimeters widely across the south east by the end of Sunday. This was to be the last of the snowfall with skys clearing the following week and the snow then rapidly melting as just a few days after it fell temperatures made it to double figures. While always a challenging time for the transport industry snow is a rare commodity in the UK and certainly provided some photographic interest!

Following snow over the weekend the sun put in an appearance on Monday 19th March. As can be seen the snow has already started to melt around the stabling point at Eastleigh where 66061 shunts past some if it's competitors stabled locos.

66519 accelerates away from a crew change at Eastleigh. 19/03/2018.

Photographed from the nearby public road 57003 can be seen collecting snow within Eastleigh Works. 19/03/2018

377158 emerges from Southampton Tunnel with a Southern service. 19/03/2018

158957 passes St Denys bound for Southampton while working a Portsmouth - Cardiff service. 19/03/2018

Another view from St Denys with 66092 heading north east with a container train from the ports. 19/03/2018

What a drag- ECML diversions

1A45 the 17:45 Leeds - Kings Cross arrives into Peterbrough behind 67010 which has dragged the service from Newark Northgate via Lincoln and Spalding due to engineering works in the Grahtham area on the ECML. 18/11/2017

67003 backs on to 91131 to drag the 08:48 Kings Cross - Leeds
via Spalding and Lincoln to reach Newark Northgate.

The East Coast Inter City franchise has long established the value in running through trains during times of engineering works. While journey times can be significantly extended when the usual 'direct' ECML route is closed it is still far preferable to have passengers on one train rather than having to de-camp and change onto a rail replacement bus only to have to repeat this process at the other end of the journey. During November a series of works in the Grantham area have once again necessitated Virgin Trains East Coast to divert services away from the ECML between Peterbrough and Newark/Doncaster. Most services are in the hands of HST's which leave the main route at Peterbrough and travel by way of Spalding and Lincoln. Trains which serve Newark Northgate then diverge to the left while those continuing on the more direct route north continue through Gainsbrough Lea Road to re-join the ECML at Doncaster. The diversions cause the HST fleet to be worked particularly intensively and inevitably there are not quite enough sets to go around- VTEC therefore turns to the loco-hauled option with several trains each day booked for Intercity 225 sets (Class 91 with Mk4 coaches) which are then dragged by a DB Cargo class 67 over the non-electrified routes.

67022 prepares to drag 1E21 15:30 Edinburgh - Kings Cross away from
Doncaster. This longer divert would travel by way of Gainsbrough, Lincoln
and Spalding to re-join the ECML at Peterbrough. 18/11/2017

I sampled the diversions on Saturday 18th November where three class 67's were in use, 67003, 67010 and 67022. I travelled on 1D09 the 08:48 Kings Cross - Leeds (to Doncaster) which was dragged by 67003 between Peterbrough and Newark (via Lincoln) and returned on 1E21 the 15:30 Edinburgh - Kings Cross (from Doncaster) which was dragged over the longer route from Doncaster to Peterbrough (via Gainsbrough and Lincoln) by 67022. Journey times were extended both by the diversions and also the time allowed to attach and detach the loco at each end of the drag (around 15 minutes on each occasion)- however the willingness to provide a through service should be commended, and the chance to enjoy some fairly unusual loco haulage is also something for the enthusiast to savour. Aside from the VTEC diversions Hull Trains and Grand Central were also diverting their services via Lincoln using their usual class 180 DMU's.

Crofton on the Berks & Hants

43163 in a special 'Visit Plymouth' livery speeds towards the west country past lock 57 on the Kennet  at Crofton. 11/04/2017

The hamlet of Crofton in Wiltshire is a well known railway location and somewhere I have intended to visit for several years. Until now however there have been other 'priorities' in this part of the world- namely photographing the Great Western main line before electrification ruined many classic photo spots forever.

43015 leads a westbound HST approaching Crofton.

With hideous masts and catenerary now plaguing the main line it was time to head a little further south to this delightful spot where the Berks & Hants line between Newbury and Westbury parallels the Kennet & Avon canal.

59206 leads a loaded stone train as a barge negotiates lock 57.

At Crofton there are a series of locks which are overlooked by the railway allowing a number of pleasing images of the railway. Further interest is added by the presence of Crofton pumping station, housing one of the countries oldest working beam engines. These engines once pumped water to the top level of the locks to keep the Kennet & Avon canal flowing. Today this job is carried out by an electrical pump, however the steam powered beam engines are restored to working condition and several times a year are fired up to perform the task they were originally built for. Not only is the pumping station fascinating (even when cold) but also provides a cafe and facilities so you can grab an ice cream and a cake between the trains!

An empty stone train returns to the Mendips behind 59104 'Village of Great Elm'

Traffic mainstay of traffic on the Berks & Hants is GWR HST's however there are also a good number of stone trains the vast majority of which work to and from the Mendip quarries at Merehead and Whatley in the hands of Class 59 and 66 locos.
Crofton was the perfect location to explore on a warm and sunny spring day and I will certainly be back.

A Great Western HST speeds towards London- the chimney of the Crofton Pumping Station can be seen above the power car.