A summer fouray to the West Country

When the weather plays ball there can be few places better to be than some of the idylic parts of the UK. With the forecast looking good and a few days off work last summer, things were aligning for a quick trip to the West Country.

I had a few aims, for which I would need to drive, both to access locations and also to ensure I had the equipment I would need. 

The main objectives of the trip were to access some of the locations around Dawlish that are not so easily accessible by public transport; such as the bridge at Powederham, and also achieve some shots that required a pole, drone, steps or even wellies- I'm pleased to report that I did ultimately use all of these!

On into Cornwall this time of year is perfect to capture the GWR Night Riviera Sleeper, a notoriously difficult train to photograph since so much of its route is only covered in darkness. There were some more shots of short 'Castle' HST sets that I wanted to try as well as the big prize of catching a china clay train at the famous location of Golant on the Fowey Branch.

If I achieved all of that I would be more than happy!

The first surprise of the trip came along almost as soon as I had finished the drive from south-west London. Having pulled open train times maps up on my phone I was surprised to see some odd digits- sure enough this did turn out to be one of those hard to come by freight trains in this area. While I'm sure I could have positioned myself better had I known, I was none the less pleased to see 66139 rounding the corner with 6V99 from Exeter Riverside to St Blazey. 14/06/2022. 

43154 powers 2C77 west from Dawlish, taken by pole at Horse Cove between Dawlish and Teignmouth. This was another shot I was very keen to achieve while I had the kit with me as since the erection of a paliside fence some years ago the shot is no longer possible without some sort of height enhancement. 14/06/2022.

150247 crosses the Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar as it heads into Cornwall. This was the final shot of the trip taken on a brief stop off at Saltash since the light was still so good before embarking on the long driver home. 15/06/2022.

Cockwood Harbour on the Exe estuary is another classic spot in this area, though the view from above by drone opens up a new perspective as 43378 heads west with 1V44 the 06:11 Leeds - Plymouth. 14/06/2022.

66165 crosses the causeway in the village of Golant working 6G05 the 20:15 empty china clay train from Fowey Docks to Goonbarrow. The train was fortunately running significantly early allowing the shot to be captured in good light. Our earlier attempt to photograph the inbound working had been caught by a spurious cloud, however waiting several more hours for the tide to come in also made a huge difference to the picture. 15/06/2022

The light doesn't last long on the front of eastbound services at Dawlish, and a shot here in this direction had long been on my list. Happily 43042 + 43009 were able to oblige. 14/06/2022.

43122 leads a class 255 'Castle' HST across the causeway at Cockwood Harbour. These trainsets are now scheduled to be withdrawn by December 2023. 14/06/2022.

43009 and 43042 are captured working an early morning service from Cornwall into Devon seen on the approach to St Germans. 15/06/2022.

A 'nearly' shot at Liskeard with 150261 on the Looe branch while a class 802 IET passes above on Liskeard Viaduct. The two photographs which have been combined to create this image were taken less than a minute apart- it nearly happened! 15/06/2022.

A 'Castle' HST powered by 43154 and 43170 is captured crossing Largin viaduct near Liskeard. I knew a shot here was possible but it took some fighing through vegetation to find a reasonably clear vantage point from which to see the trains. 15/06/2022.

A class 802 is captured near Restormel between Bodmin and Lostwithiel with a Penzance bound service. 15/06/2022.

43040 leads a 'Castle' HST up though Powderham along the Exe estuary as it approaches its next call at Exeter St Davids. 43088 is on the rear. 14/06/2022.

57605 is pictured at the head of 1C50 the 23:45 London Paddington - Penzance 'Night Riviera'. It is only possible to photograph this overnight sleeper train in high summer and we were certainly pleased that the weather played ball when it passed our location at Trerulefoot in full sun just after 06:00. After a late arrival at our hotel in Liskeard the previous night we had not had a lot of sleep, but getting the shot we were really after had made it worthwhile! 15/06/2022.

The last of the Midland HST's

43272 is dwarfed by Ratcliffe Power Station as it departs from East Midlands Parkway working 1D48 the 15:34 St Pancras - Nottingham on 11th May 2021 - the final week of the Midland HST's.

The first half of 2021 saw a bittersweet ending to the 39 years of service accrued by the 'InterCity 125' High Speed Trains on the Midland Mainline. It was an end quite different to that afforded to most other popular trainsets- Covid-19 had made sure of that. 

The final couple of years history of the Midland Mainline HST's had been far from straightforward. The end of the East Midlands Trains franchise run by Stagecoach in summer 2019 had seen the HST's re-branding to that of the new incumbent, East Midlands Railway, an Abellio company. Further rapid changes however were on the horizon. EMR had pledged to remove its existing HST's from traffic by the end of 2019 as part of the governments directive to fulfill the Disabilities Discrimination Act. The East Midlands sets were the least modified of all HST vehicles then running. The Mk3's still had toilets which flushed to the track, no public address system and the power cars relied on the older VP185 power pack. 

EMR branded ex-EMT VP185 powered 43076 passes East Hyde (near Luton) on 21st March 2020, my last day out photting before the first national lockdown, working 1B49 12:50 Nottingham - St Pancras.

Shortly after de-branding from their modified East Midlands Trains livery, ex-Grand Central 43423 passes Attenborough nature reserve on 13th September 2019 with an ECS movement. The final Angel Trains buffer fitted power cars were withdrawn in December 2020.

There was however a slight problem- while the current HST's had to go, there was simply nothing to replace them immediately. The solution- the non-compliant HST vehicles would be replaced in the short term with 'less non-compliant' HST sets cascaded from the East Coast Main Line where they had recently finished with LNER. This stop gap plan would provide a better service for customers until the HST's could be replaced completely at the end of 2020. By this time electrification of the Midland Mainline to Corby would have gone live and released further compliant DMU's, and all of the class 180 'Adelantes' cascaded from Hull Trains would also be in service on the route. 

43295 at the helm of one of the shortened 'red' sets speeds through Syston with 1B23 on 12th May 2021.

Of course, as with all best made plans, things did not quite go to plan. The ex-LNER sets needed a much higher level of work to be re-instated onto the Midland than was predicted, both in terms of the power cars and the Mk3 stock, much of which was found to be in poor condition. The 2019 deadline to remove the old stock passed and while some of the refurbished ex-LNER MTU powered class 43's started to replace the VP185 power cars progress with the Mk3 coaches was even slower. 

Now in its final week as an HST, 1B63 is lead across the River Soar by 43251 on 11.05.21. The train is just a few minutes into it's journey from Nottingham and after entering Red Hill tunnel will emerge into East Midlands Parkway.

A regular Summer Saturday turn over recent years has been the 'Jolly Fisherman' trains to Skegness. 43076 stands at its destination having arrived as 1S01 the 07:53 from Derby on 1st August 2020. By the end of the summer season red ex-LNER power cars had taken over from the VP185's. 

Then Covid-19 came along, slowing progress with just about everything, not least the Corby electrification and the introduction of the troublesome Adelantes to the Midland. It took until December 2020 for the last VP185 power cars to finally be withdrawn, and even then most of the HST's still running on the Midland were formed of the 'new' red power cars sandwiching the original Mk3 stock. This situation was to end with the December 2020 timetable, which due to the next traunch of the UK lockdown saw a reduction in capacity across the network, reducing the requirement for the HST's and effectively curtailing the stock re-habilitation program at just a couple of sets. The great re-introduction of the full red HST's never did quite happen, with just enough stock and a few more power cars ultimately being available to provide just two weekday diagrams (now reduced to 6 coaches) into 2021 both based off Leeds Neville Hill. 

43320 leads 1C15 at Cossington early on a cold and crisp 12th April 2021. Full red 43238 was on the rear, regrettably for the photographers the set had been turned having run via Barrow Hill due to a signal failure earlier in the journey.

The weekday diagrams provided just enough work to keep the HST's entertained:

Set 1:
1C15 05:19 Leeds - St Pancras
5C15 09:10 St Pancras - Cricklewood

5D48 15:02 Cricklewood - St Pancras

1D48 15:34 St Pancras - Nottingham

1B69 17:45 Nottingham - St Pancras

1F70 20:01 St Pancras - Leeds

Set 2: 

1B23 06:34 Leeds - St Pancras (via Nottingham)

5M17 10:20 St Pancras - St Pancras (Route learner Wednesdays excepted via Leicester and Melton Mowbray)

1D43 14:35 St Pancras - Nottingham

1B63 16:45 Nottingham - St Pancras

1D66 19:04 St Pancras - Leeds

Weekend work varied due to engineering work but would typically see both sets complete one return trip from Leeds to London St Pancras.

The route of 5M17 via Oakham and Melton Mowbray was usually only used by HST's on diversions. on 23rd April 2021 43309 and 43372 are captured crossing Harringworth Viaduct on the route learner.

One of the celebrities of the new Midland fleet, 43238 passes New Mill End (south of Luton) working 1C15 the 05:19 Leeds - St Pancras on 30th March 2021. The locomotive wore the striking livery variation of plain red in its latter LNER days after being de-branded of a special livery promoting the National Railway Museum and became particularly popular with enthusiasts in this guise, lasting until just a few weeks before end of MML HST operation. 

While on the face of it there were very few HST worked trains left, and enthusiasts longed for the very recent days of hourly services all day, there was still scope to have a good day out chasing the sets- particularly with the addition of the 5M17 route learner. This was one of the few benefits Covid had brought- rather than a whole group of drivers occasionally cramming into the cab of a Meridian to cover the route between Kettering and Leicester via Oakham and Melton Mowbray now each driver required their own private cab space. The solution was to run the route learner almost daily and with HST stock which, due to its non-compliance, was kept away from passenger service wherever it could be.

A shot I had been longing to try (for I can get almost as enthused by power stations as I can by trains!), 43274 in its unique East Midlands Railway purple livery leads 1B69 at Ratcliffe-upon-Soar. The background is dominated by Ratcliffe Power Station, itself also soon to be made redundant with electricity generation from coal to cease here no later than 2025. Taken with the use of a pole on 23rd April 2021.

Semaphores and crossing boxes are not common on the Midland Mainline these days, however 43309 and 43272 encounter just such infrastructure at Ashwell on the returning 5M17 route learner via Melton Mowbray and Oakham on 23rd April 2021.

With the UK locked down for so long over the winter, as restrictions began to ease the Midland HST's became the obvious target for the cameras, attracting a great number of photographers for 'just another HST'. East Midlands Railway added their own catalyst to the cameras - world record holding power car 43302 was re-painted into Intercity Swallow colours by the team at Neville Hill, re-united with its old identity; 43102, and named 'The Journey Shrinker' to commemorate its record breaking run of 148.5 mph achieved on 1st November 1987. The record for diesel traction still stands to this day.

43102 'The Journey Shrinker' resplendent in Intercity Swallow livery is at the helm of 1B23 as it passes Great Bowden on the 30th March 2021.

43102 later the same day on the rear of 1D66 19:04 St Pancras - Leeds in fading light at Radwell (north of Bedford).

Not content with the fame of 43102, EMR outshopped one last surprise from Neville Hill. With just weeks of HST operation remaining 43274 was turned out in the new purple livery of East Midland Railway, providing one final subject for the cameras. 

Saturday turn, 1C61 the 14:31 Leeds - St Pancras with 43274 at the helm crossing the Great Ouse at Radwell (north of Bedford) four days after its unveiling in the Purple EMR livery. Taken with the use of a pole on 18th April 2021.

Another early start on 23rd April 2021 to catch 43274 heading south with 1C15 near Braybrook (Market Harborough). Taken with a pole and a helping of luck that the camera fired at the right moment!

The protracted Midland Mainline HST farewell must have been one of the most photographed railway events yet. The combination of the special liveries, some surprisingly good spring weather in the UK, classic trains and a nation finally being able to stretch its wings after lockdown (not to mention the excellent 'UK HST Enthusiasts Group' Facebook page with it's invaluable information) provided the perfect conditions for photographers up and down the country to get in their cars and head for the Midland. Throughout the spring I enjoyed a number of days out both alone and with friends racing against the clock (and traffic at times) to record the last of the classic HST's on the route. 

A previous car chase sees 43089 at Barrow-on-Soar 13th September 2019 shortly after removal of its EMT branding following the change in franchise. 43089 is now in the custody of the '125 group' for preservation together with 43044, 43048 and 43159.

The first of the afternoon trains,1D43 the 14:34 from St Pancras to Nottingham is led by 43272 at Kilby Bridge to the south of Leicester on 23rd April 2021. This pairing of power cars with 43309 on the rear was to be the second set working alongside 43102/43274 on the final day a few weeks later.

The end ultimately had to come and with Covid restrictions still not entirely lifted the final day on 15th May 2021 arrived without much fanfare. The final trains were limited to the first 200 ticket holders due to social distancing requirements and at 20:02 43102 'The Journey Shrinker' led 1F70 from St Pancras to Leeds for the final time, complete with a headboard marking 'The Last HST from London'. Upon arrival at Leeds to a crowd of enthusiasts the final slam-doors were closed and the HST departed for Neville Hill ending another chapter in railway history. 

Refurbished, PRM compliant HST's (complete with automatic doors) remain operational with Cross Country and in short formations with GWR and Scotrail. The latter of these are likely to remain in traffic until around 2030.

The end - 1F70 the 20:02 St Pancras - Leeds has arrived at its destination on the 15th May 2021, becoming the last HST from London and the final regular passenger service (excluding the Night Riviera Sleeper) to use slam door stock in the UK.

Island Line Class 483 Farewell

From left to right 006, 004 and 002 all wearing the rather garish 'Dinosaur' livery stand outside Ryde St Johns depot on 1 August 2007.

009 is seen south of Brading on 1 August 2007.

I have had a connection with the Isle of Wight all of my life, my mum's side of the family having originated there and with my grandparents living in Ryde throughout my childhood and teenage years. This meant wonderful summer holidays on the Island exploring its myriad of tourist attractions, beaches and, of course its railways. 

The house on the Island was a stone's throw from the sandy beach of Ryde, and that also meant it was just a few minutes walk from the railway. Some of the first trains I would have come across in my childhood would have been the ex-1938 tube stock which worked the Island Line, designated class 483. 

002 trails a 4 car formation lead by 006 which is about to plunge into Ryde Tunnel. The train is just at the point where a younger me would be standing on top of the tunnel waving to the driver and hoping for a toot on the whistle in return. The line to the left has been out of use for a number of years leaving just a single track serviceable up the pier. 2nd August 2003. 

In the final months on 18th October 2020, 006 is about to
depart from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin. 

I distinctly remember standing on the top of the tunnel at Ryde waving to the drivers of Network South East liveried tubes as they plunged into the tunnel- more often than not receiving a toot on the whistle from the driver as they did. 

More than any other town on the Island, the railway is an intrinsic part of Ryde. You can see and hear the train rumbling up the 681m pier from the Esplanade to meet the boats and watch the trains from the beach and as you are going about your shopping in Union Street.

008 is Ryde bound as it passes the popular photo spot in Los Altos park, Lake on 1st August 2007.

A smart looking 009 approaches Sandown on
1st August 2007.

Class 483 operation on the Isle of Wight commenced in October 1989, shortly before my 1st birthday. It goes without saying that I do not remember the 1923 'Standard' VEC/TIS stock which preceded it. The trains were formed of driving motor coaches of former London Underground 1938 stock, already 50 years old when it arrived on the Island. It had been refurbished for Network South East and delivered to the Island to run on the 8 1/2 mile line between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin, the last remaining part of what had once been a sprawling network covering some 55 1/2 route miles serving all four corners of the island. 

006 arrives at Lake station from Shanklin on 3rd November 2020.

006 still wears NSE moquette when it was
photographed internally on 19th Sept 2004.

Despite regularly seeing the trains it was some years before I actually remember being able to ride one, our family holidays always involved driving and taking the car ferry, and thus the train did not feature in our travel plans. It was when I was a little older and allowed out myself that I first remember using the Island Line, by which time all of the trains had been repainted into the, shall we say 'questionable' Dinosaur livery to celebrate the Islands claim as the Jurassic Island after a number of dinosaur fossil finds. It is a regret to this day that I was never able to photograph the trains in their NSE that I remember them wearing so well. 

006 heads towards Brading on 3rd November 2020. I had unusually chosen to drive to the Island on this occasion, in a large part due to expecting just a one train, hourly service due to the other unit 008 being unavailable until the afternoon. Having the car did allow me to take a pole to give just a little extra height.

008 emerges from Ryde Tunnel and approaches the
Esplanade on 1st August 2007. The bridge remains a popular 
spot to watch both trains and the Islands unique hovercraft.

By my mid teens I was no longer relying on persuading Grandma that we should visit somewhere by train as I was allowed out on my own- and by now I had a camera. Much use was made of an Island Day Ranger ticket offering outstanding value (especially on a child fare) for a day out on both the electric trains on the Island Line and the steam trains on the beautifully restored Isle of Wight Steam Railway. 
It was 2003 when a little more interest was sparked- somehow escaping the 'Dinosaur' scheme which had bestowed the rest of the fleet, 007 was outshopped from the works at Ryde St John's Road in a version of its original London Transport red livery, complete with lettering. It looked great and it was probably this unit that persuaded me to get out and record the line with my camera. 

The original London Transport liveried unit, 007 is pictured entering Ryde St Johns Road station looking ex-works during its first summer in traffic in the heritage colours, complete with lettering which was never replicated on further units. 2nd August 2003.

008 is viewed near Brading on 1st August 2007.

Soon after a second unit, 009, was outshopped in red, though it never gained the lettering of 007. This enabled a 4 car formation to be run combining the two units- the regular service pattern at the time requiring three units for traffic providing a two car and four car unit for the 20/40 minute interval service. 

By this time the original fleet of 9 trains (a tenth was provided as a source of spares) had been reduced to 6 working examples; 003 and 005 had been withdrawn and quickly scrapped while 001 spent several more years in the headshunt at Ryde St Johns as a source of spares. 

The remaining fleet of 002, 004, 006, 007, 008 and 009 would become the trains I would get to know over the next 17 years as I spent time photographing the line and enjoying my days out on the old electrics. In time the 'Dinosaur' units also lost their livery to give a uniform fleet of LT red trains, though no others ever did receive the 'London Transport' decals originally applied to 007. 

006 is about to head up the pier from Ryde Esplanade on 28th May 2006.

Ex-works 006 arrives into Ryde Esplanade on
28th November 2017 bound for Ryde Pier Head.

As time went on my links to the Island reduced as family moved, or passed away and my summer sojourns became far less frequent, not least as I now had my own agenda to follow. I still liked to visit though to travel on the unique railways of the Isle of Wight and relive my wonderful childhood summers. Those visits, along with a few specifically to photograph the 38' stock in its final year have produced many of the pictures I have displayed here spanning 18 years of the class 483's. 

007 + 009 work together on 21st September 2013.

Originally a stand alone franchise upon privatisation in 1996, 'Island Line Trains' was operated by Stagecoach, which was then incorporated into their much larger 'South West Trains' network upon the renewal of the franchise in 2007. The trains and stations were spruced up to reflect their heritages status, but other than that very little changed on the Island Line despite the advancing age of the stock. 

By 2017 when South Western Railway took the reigns of the franchise it was clear that the future of the islands railway had to be discussed- the trains were now 79 years old, the oldest fleet in mainline service in the UK and the infrastructure was in need of repair. 

Seventeen years since the previous picture, 006 passes through Los Altos park bound for Lake on 3rd November 2020. The train has changed colour and the vegetation on the fence has grown up now making the shot difficult without the aid of a pole (which was used here). 

006 emerges from the trees south of Brading on 3rd November 2020.

The consultation into the future of the railway considered several options, some rather unfavorable to continued operations of the line in its present state, including options to convert the route into a tramway, however ultimately the winning one retained a heavy rail service over the Island Line which would be upgraded and receive replacement stock as part of a £26 million investment. Continuing the tradition of recycling ex-London Underground units the line would receive stock from the 'D-Train' family, former sub-surface stock from the District line which would be re-built by VivaRail. Finally the writing was on the wall for the venerable class 483. 

007, under overhaul and 008 in for general maintenance at Ryde St Johns Road depot on 29th May 2019.

A four car formation formed of 006 + 002 is seen departing 
 Smallbrook Junction on 2nd August 2003. Unit 007 can be 
seen in the distance waiting to enter the single line towards 
Brading.

The upgrade couldn't come soon enough- the 38' stock was by now really showing its age and availability was at an all time low with repairs being ever more difficult to execute, in large due to the inability to obtain spare parts. By the beginning of 2020 the fleet was down to just two serviceable examples, 006 and 008 providing all services with 007 on a prolonged overhaul; the three year timescale again due to issues obtaining parts. The days of four car trains had finished several years before and now it was becoming common for services to be reduced to just an hourly service with a single unit if one of the trains required repairs or an exam. By the end of the year the growing struggle of keeping the 483's going was really showing and on more than a few occasions the line was reduced to no service at all with rail replacement buses being provided - fortunately the Coronavirus meant that this did not affect as many passengers as normal. 

Autumn colours are in evidence on 3rd November 2020 as 006 is seen between Lake and Shanklin.

009 leads a 4 car formation into Smallbrook Junction on
28 April 2014 on the occasion of a UK Railtours 'Ticket to 
Ryde' excursion which brought many enthusiasts to the Island. 

The final day of class 483 operation was set for the 3rd January 2021 after which the line would close for 3 months to allow for upgrade works, including the long term goal of reinstating the loop at Brading to allow a regular 30 minute service. 

The service over Christmas had been sporadic, though did feature the highlight of 007 returning freshly overhauled for the final weeks of 38' stock operations. Unfortunately Covid-19 restrictions have made it impossible for the units to receive the send-off that they really deserve and ultimately the service on the final weekend was much reduced.

Having entered traffic just for the afternoon following an exam, 008 is pictured at Ryde St Johns at twilight headed for Sandown on 18th October 2020.

006 approaches Lake on 3rd November 2020.

When the line re-opens in April the class 483's will be no more, replaced by the Vivarail Class 484, derived from ex-District Line D78 stock - itself already more than 40 years of age. Five two car units have been ordered to provide the 30 minute service and will bring a step change in terms of passenger comfort, access and information. 

It is understood that several of the remaining class 483's will be preserved; 007 is thought to be heading the short distance to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway while a second unit, expected to be 006 or 008 is expected to head to the Epping Ongar railway in Essex, itself a former London Underground branchline.

006 heads down Ryde Pier on 16th September 2020. The unique spectacle of the railway running along the pier is paramount to its existence, providing the connection to the passenger ferry to Portsmouth.