An Irish interlude for St Patrick's Day

It being St Patrick's Day tomorrow I thought I'd post a few photos taken during a trip to Dublin that Dad and I took way back in 2004.

A Ryanair flight and a quick bus journey got us to Dublin Connolly station/Stáisiún Uí Chonghaile by mid-morning and we spent some time photographing the Irish Rail/Iarnród Éireann diesel locos that were pottering about…

Iarnród Éireann 141 class Bo-Bo DE 156 at Dublin Connolly station/Stáisiún Uí Chonghaile, 30/6/04

The Locomotive Shed at Dublin Connolly station/Stáisiún Uí Chonghaile, 30/6/04

Then a tip-off from a member of station staff led us around the corner to see this…

LMS Northern Counties Committee Class WT 2-6-4T No.4, 30/6/04

No.4, a Class WT 2-6-4T, was built at Derby in 1947 for the London Midland & Scottish Railway's Northern Counties Committee. Preserved by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland No.4 was (and still is) regularly in use on special trains on the main line.

A less friendly member of staff then told us to 'clear off!' so we had a ride down the coast to Greystones station/Stáisiún na Clocha Liatha on a DART unit (Dublin Area Rapid Transit).

Greystones station/Stáisiún na Clocha Liatha with DART 8510 class 8614 heading for Howth in the platform, 30/6/04

A dash back across Dublin gave us enough time to take a few photos at Heuston station/Stáisiún Heuston (and enjoy a pint of Guinness!) before our flight home.

Iarnród Éireann 201 class Co-Co DE 234 at Dublin Heuston station/Stáisiún Heuston, 30/6/04

Sláinte!

Broken noses in Paris…

Passing through Paris by train recently gave me the opportunity to take a few photos at both Gare de Bercy and Gare du Nord and interestingly all three variants of basically the same locomotive type were seen.

The SNCF electric locomotive classes BB 7200, BB 15000 and BB 22200 are known as “Nez Cassés” (Broken noses) due to their cab styling by French industrial designer Paul Arzens who claimed the design had been inspired by the form of a “sprinter on the starting block”.

First up was class BB 7200 507246R wearing the colourful “en voyage…” livery at Gare de Bercy. 240 examples of this class were built between 1976-1985 and they are the 1500V DC member of the family. This particular locomotive is equipped for push-pull working as indicated by the “R” (Réversible) suffix to the number and was due to work a service to Dijon Ville.

SNCF Class BB 7200 507246 at Gare de Bercy, Paris, 2/8/16

On arrival at Gare du Nord class BB 15000 215016 was waiting at the buffer stops. Wearing the “Multiservices” livery, 215016 is one of a class of 65 built between 1971-1978 that collect traction current from 25kV AC catenary.

SNCF Class BB 150000 215016 at Gare du Nord, Paris, 2/8/16

Also at the buffer stops were class BB 22200 422208 (wearing the dull “Beton” (concrete grey) livery and 522274 (wearing the even duller plain grey “Ghost” livery). 205 of this class were built between 1976-1986 and they are the dual-voltage (1500V DC/25kV AC) member of the family. The 22200 class number is in fact the sum of 7200 (1500V DC locos) and 15000 (25kV AC locos).

SNCF Class BB 22200 522274 & 422208 at Gare du Nord, Paris, 2/8/16

Class BB 22200 locos can still be found at work all over France and are regularly in charge of the trains I catch between Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire and Paris. During the mid-nineties they even made it as far as the UK, handling freight trains through the Channel Tunnel before British Rail’s class 92 electric locos were available.

Postscript: While I was writing this post I passed through Paris again and managed to photograph a couple more liveries…

SNCF Class BB 150000 115003 & 115063 at Gare de l'Est, Paris, 18/9/16

At Gare de l’Est BB 15000 115003 wears the TEE-Arzens livery (pictured with “en voyage…” adorned classmate 115063) while Gare de Bercy produced uniquely-liveried (as far as I am aware) class BB 7200 507321R, carrying the Bourgogne regional livery of grey with red and yellow ends.

SNCF Class BB 7200 507321 at Gare de Bercy, Paris, 18/9/16

Spotted today - Metropolitan Railway No.1

I popped down to the Midland Railway-Butterley this afternoon to photograph visiting Metropolitan Railway class E 0-4-4T No.1, currently on hire from the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre.

Metropolitan Railway E class 0-4-4T No.1 arrives at Hammersmith with the 13.10 departure from Swanwick Junction, 8/5/16

The sole survivor of a class of seven, No.1, built in 1898, was the last locomotive built at the Metropolitan Railway's Neasden Works and was constructed as a replacement for accident-damaged class 'A' 4-4-0T No.1.

Metropolitan Railway E class 0-4-4T No.1 runs round its train at Hammersmith station at the Midland Railway-Butterley, 8/5/16

Metropolitan Railway E class 0-4-4T No.1 stands at Hammersmith station with the 13.26 departure to Butterley, 8/5/16

According to the BRC's virtual stock book the Metropolitan Railway board wouldn't fund a replacement for the original No.1 only a repair but the Met's Operating Department somehow wangled an addition to the small batch of E class locomotives being built at Neasden at the time. The rest of the class carried the numbers 77-82 and presumably No.1 was numbered as such to help with the 'repair' subterfuge…

The wrong sort of voltage…

March 18th 2016 saw Virgin Trains East Coast unveil the first of their new Class 800 bi-mode IEP (Intercity Express Programme) units at London King's Cross Station. In the main the Class 800s will be powered by 25kV overhead electrification but they are also fitted with seven 940hp diesel engines to enable them to operate on non-electrified routes and to provide so called 'last mile' and 'get you home' power.

Whilst in France recently I photographed a couple of SNCF Class B 81500 AGC (Autorail à Grande Capacité) at Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire in Burgundy, like the Class 800s these units are bi-mode, each set being fitted with two 887hp diesel engines in addition to overhead current collection equipment. One of the units was in use on local services to Nevers and as it departed I noticed that it was obviously running on diesel power even though the line is electrified…

SNCF Class B 81500 AGC unit departs Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire with a service for Nevers, 23/3/16

The train was indeed running on diesel power, its ability to pick up power from the overhead electrification rendered useless because the line here is electrified at 25kV AC and the Class B 81500 is designed to pick up power from 1500V DC systems as used elsewhere in France…

I did think that the anti-railway elements of the British press would have a field day using 'The wrong sort of voltage' in a headline!

Spotted today - on Cromer Beach

Unlike a lot of British seaside towns whose B&Bs depended on the railways to deliver hordes of summer holidaymakers, Cromer still has a station connected to the national rail network.

Known as Cromer Beach until 1969 when the nearby Cromer High closed, the station is located on 'The Bittern Line' that runs between Norwich and Sheringham.

Steam trains returned to Cromer beach recently in the form of this…

Steam train in stones on Cromer beach, 5/6/15

Created in beach stones by year 5 pupils at the Highfields Primary School in Lawford in Essex the train was attracting quite a bit of attention.

'Mistley' as seen of the locomotive's 'nameplate' also still has a station, this time on 'The Mayflower Line' between Manningtree and Harwich Town in Essex, very close to the school.

Spotted today - Loo-less for over an hour!

Today I travelled to Portsmouth Harbour (from Angmering in West Sussex) to have a look at the Spinnaker Tower and was dismayed to find that in amongst all the shiny, new(ish) Class 377 'Electrostars' that Southern uses all over it's network there are also a number of these in use…

313201 stands at Portsmouth Harbour station, 21/5/15

A class 313/2, one of 19 three-car electric multiple units dating from the mid-1970s. Day in, day out, they ply their trade up and down the 'West Coastway' from Brighton to Hove, West Worthing and Portsmouth Harbour… The latter being a 45 mile journey that takes around 80 minutes.

313201 stands at Brighton station with another Portsmouth Harbour service.

Whilst I acknowledge that anyone taking a four minute trip from Brighton to Hove may not have need of a loo en route, a 45 mile, 80 minute journey on a train without a toilet is a very different prospect and the Class 313s are sadly lacking in that department! During my journey one young mum was forced to leave the train with her pre-school son for him to use a station toilet and of course would have to continue their journey on a later train. Perhaps the Class 313s should carry adverts for TENA® and Huggies® products?

Volk's Electric Railway - A taster!

Having a couple of hours to kill in Brighton this week I went looking for a historic little railway that runs along the seafront.

Volk's Electric Railway car No.9

The Volk's Electric Railway was the brainchild of one Magnus Volk, the son of a German clockmaker born in Brighton. An inventor and engineer, he was the first person in Brighton to equip his house with electric light and he went on to win the contract to provide the Royal Pavilion with the same.

In August 1883 he opened an electric railway running from the Aquarium to the Chain Pier. The line was later extended considerably and even though it was shortened in 1990 it still runs for over a mile!

I'm certainly planning to revisit this, the world's oldest operating electric railway, in the near future…

Spotted today - London Underground trains… In Nottinghamshire!

Eleven years ago (almost to the day) I had the best carvery lunch of my life at the Pullman Inn in Widmerpool, Nottinghamshire. Lunch was interrupted by a Virgin Trains Class 390 'Pendolino' flashing past the window as the Pullman Inn was located at Widmerpool station on the former Midland Railway line between Nottingham and Melton Mowbray that went on to form the Old Dalby Test Track (used to stage a crash between a Class 46 locomotive and four BR Mk.1 coaches into a nuclear flask on 17 July 1984).

Driving past the now closed Pullman Inn today I spotted this…

London Underground S7 stock at Widmerpool, 2/5/15

Just one of many London Underground S stock units that are undergoing testing on the line at the moment.

S Stock as far as the eye can see!

More S Stock stabled at the south end of the station, 2/5/15

The new Hitachi IEP units (the first of which recently arrived in the UK from Japan) will also be tested at Old Dalby.

Spotted today - Van bodies in Ashbourne

Two entries in two days? Blimey!

One of my many interests is what are known as 'Ghost' signs (see my gallery of them on flickr) and while photographing one in Ashbourne today I also spotted this…

Improvised storage shed, Ashbourne, 25/4/15

Railway van bodies as used as storage aren't unusual, even in areas far from the nearest railway line and Ashbourne was served by both the North Staffordshire Railway and the London & North Western Railway but this particular pair are the products of the Caledonian Railway's workshops at St. Rollox in Glasgow!

How long before these are snapped up by preservationists?

Spotted today - 'Proper' locomotives at Derby

For a long time dad has been running a 'scene today' series of entries on his blog (Rails, Roads & Runways) and I thought it was time I did something similar…

On my way to Sheffield today (coincidentally dad's home town) I was pleased to spot a couple of 'proper' locomotives at Derby amongst the 'Turbostars', 'Meridians' and 'Voyagers' that populate the modern railway scene.

31601 & 31190 stand at Derby station, 24/4/15

Two class 31s (or Brush type 2 if you prefer) were sitting in the sunshine in the north dock siding and I quickly took a couple of snaps before boarding an East Midlands Trains class 222 'Meridian' unit northwards.

31601 (the former 31186, originally D5609) carries a plain green livery with DCR (Devon & Cornwall Railways) branding whilst 31190 (the former D5613) not only carries British Railways green livery (complete with white stripes and small yellow warning panel) but its original number too!

31190 stands at Derby station, 24/4/15

Both locos are owned by British American Rail Services and are often to be seen moving other locos and rolling stock around the country and don't look half bad considering they entered service 55 years ago!

Return to Butterley… Chop! Chop!

After the grumbling about the Midland Railway-Butterley in my last post you might be surprised to know that I was back there today buying a ticket!

The reason for my return visit was the news that not one but two Class 20s would be running today, one of them for the first time in preservation.

20205 (the former D8305) not only had never run in preservation but is believed to have not worked a train at all since 1989! (apart from a test train yesterday that is).

20205 & 20189 arrive at Swanwick Junction, 8/2/15

Also running were Balfour Beatty liveried 20189 (the former D8189) and MR-B resident 20048 (the former D8048), topping and tailing a packed rake of six BR Mk.1 coaches with 20205 swapping ends throughout the day.

The published timetable (on the PLEG website) was thrown into disarray quite early on by unscheduled stops at Butterley (to cope with the volume of passengers I suspect) and 20048 running out of fuel part way through the day didn't help either!

20205 drags 20048 off to be fuelled at Swanwick Junction, 8/2/15

On display at Swanwick Junction were fellow class members 20142 (the former D8142) and 20057 (the former D8057), looking a lot less tatty than it did when it arrived at the MR-B a year ago.

D8057 (20057) at Swanwick Junction, 8/2/15

20142 at Swanwick Junction, 8/2/15

The mild weather made up for the lack of train heating and brought out the lineside photographers in force! (Including my Dad, read his blog post here).

I understand that 20205 is to join the ranks of its classmates (known as 'Choppers' by enthusiasts) in action on the national network (including 20189 and 20142) where they are put to a variety of uses day in and day out…

Heads out of windows to enjoy 20205 & 20048, 8/2/15

Just a thought…

I've got a couple of photographic projects on the go this year one of which is a Photo-A-Day and as a result I'm always looking for something different to photograph…

Yesterday saw me paying a brief visit to my local heritage railway, the Midland Railway-Butterley who were advertising 'Winter Warmer Trains' on their website.

Railbus 141113 trundled in from Swanwick Junction at 12.30 and stopped to allow a few passengers on board before setting off with the 12.40 departure, I took a couple of photos and headed for home… noticing that the cost for a rover ticket for today was a whopping £11.50!

I say 'whopping' because 141113 was the only train in service and belongs to a group of trains known as 'Nodding Donkeys' which are universally disliked by both enthusiasts and the poor souls who have to suffer them day in, day out on the national network!

The nearby Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, operating a fleet of heritage DMUs, charge £10.00 for a rover ticket while Peak Rail only charge £8 to travel behind a steam loco, so yes, I thought £11.50 was a bit pricey!

Should you fancy a ride on a 'Nodding Donkey' then you could do much worse than travel from Sheffield to Chinley through the beautiful Hope Valley, with an off-peak day return setting you back £10.80.

Just a thought…

HST Power Cars - A selection of liveries

It's funny how a person's opinion of something can change over the years… As an avid trainspotter in my teens whenever a High Speed Train (HST) turned up on a passenger train (instead of the much preferred 'Peak' or class 47) I'd be very disappointed and mutter under my breath 'tram!'

Fast forward 30-odd years though and things have changed… HSTs now make a very pleasant change from the passenger train norm of DMUs and EMUs and I go out of my way to photograph them and where possible travel on them too.

A brief trip to London recently gave me the opportunity to do both…

43049 Neville Hill stands at London St Pancras International, 7/1/15

I travelled down to London on the 08.32 East Midlands Trains (EMT) service from Nottingham, a train originating at Leeds that is 'booked' for an HST, in this case class 43 power cars 43049 Neville Hill (named after the Leeds depot where EMT's HSTs are serviced) and 43061 were in charge.

Having arrived at St Pancras International I crossed Pancras Road to pay a visit to King's Cross, a station I hadn't visited since 1988.

43302 stands at London King's Cross, 7/1/15

43302 (the former 43102) and 43310 (the former 43110) were waiting to depart with the 12.03 East Coast service to Leeds and I grabbed a quick photo of 43302 before going for a spot of lunch.

Fortified, I returned to the platforms to find 43465 (the former 43065) and 43423 (the former 43123) standing at platform 8 with the 12.53 Grand Central service to Sunderland. 43423 carries the name 'VALENTA' 1972-2010 which refers to the Paxman Valenta engines that were originally fitted to the HST power cars (since replaced by MTU 16V400 or Paxman VP185 engines, 43123 being one of the final two power cars to be refurbished in 2010).

43465 stands at London King's Cross, 7/1/15

So, no 'Peaks' at St Pancras, no 'Deltics' at King's Cross… but for the moment we've still got the venerable HSTs… I can live with that.

Industrial Action - 'Steamer' = Heritage?

Back in September I passed through Stratford (regional) station in East London and was surprised to find a steam loco 'plinthed' between the railway and bus stations…

'ROBERT' (works no.2068 of 1933) is a product of the Avonside Engine Co Ltd in Bristol and I found myself wondering why it was on display here.

I'm still not sure…

'ROBERT' (originally named Lamport No.3) spent all its working life at the Staveley Coal and Iron Ltd's Lamport Calcine Sidings in Northamptonshire before moving into preservation at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre in 1970.

After passing through a number of heritage railways it ended up on display at the Windsor Terrace entrance to Beckton Gasworks in East London.

Apart from a temporary move to the East Anglian Railway Museum while work was carried out in the area in preparation for the 2012 Olympics 'ROBERT' has been on display outside Stratford station since 2000.

In fact, apart from now being painted a colour known as Colchester Crimson, a shade used by the Great Eastern Railway (whose main workshops were located at Stratford) I can't find any link between the loco and the area where it is displayed… Did somebody indeed think that a random 'Steamer' would add a bit of heritage to the area?

Signalbox Safari - Lincoln

A pre-Christmas trip to Lincoln by train gave me the opportunity to snap a couple more signalboxes for my collection.

High Street signalbox, Lincoln, 22/12/14

High Street box is a brick-built Great Northern Railway type 1 structure dating from 1874 that stands by the level crossing at the west end of Lincoln Central station. Disused since Network Rail's resignalling of the area in 2007-2008 the box is now a listed building.

East Holmes signalbox, Lincoln, 22/12/14

East Holmes box stands a few hundred yards to the west of the station and is another GNR type 1 structure, this time of wooden construction dating from 1873, again it is disused and now a listed building.

Being pushed for time I didn't get to do much more exploring and so completely missed the remains of St Marks station that are now incorporated into the shopping centre a little further down High Street… A return trip is on the cards however…

Season's Greetings!

Just a quick post today to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I seem to be a bit lacking in the 'Christmas blog post photo' department so here's another shot from the Great Central Railway winter steam gala in January 2013, this time of Great Western Railway 2884 class 2-8-0 no.3803 (visiting from the South Devon Railway) running around its train at Leicester North in the snow…

GWR 2884 class 2-8-0 at Leicester North station, 25/1/13

A reminder…

As the shortest day approaches I like to remind myself of longer days and better weather.

This is another shot from the North Norfolk Railway and shows recent arrival at the NNR, London & North Eastern Railway class B1 4-6-0 61306 MAYFLOWER approaching Dead Man's bridge with the 12.00 departure from Sheringham on 12 September.

An absolutely gorgeous day with a calm sea that was hopefully causing no problems for the Sheringham Coastwatch coastal surveillance station that is just visible on the clifftop above the rear of the fourth carriage.

MAYFLOWER had changed hands in August 2014, being bought by Berkshire enthusiast David Buck from the Boden family who'd owned it since 1967. Built after nationalisation in 1948 by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow, 61306 carries the name originally bestowed on classmate 61379.

From the (digital) archives - The Garabit Viaduct

Following on from my last post, a short distance south from St Flour - Chaude Aigues on the ligne des Causses is the Garabit Viaduct that spans the Truyère River.

The Garabit Viaduct, 14/9/07

Constructed between 1882 and 1884 by Gustave Eiffel and opened in 1885 the viaduct was, when built, the highest in the world at 122m (400ft). With a length of 565m (1,853ft) and a principal arch of 165m (541ft) it is a very impressive sight, one that can be enjoyed from a rest stop (Aire de Repos de Garabit) alongside La Méridienne, the A75 autoroute linking Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers.

After an overnight stay in St Flour breakfast was a picnic overlooking the viaduct (in very dull weather) and we were just about to continue on our journey when a train rumbled into view with a pair of FRET-liveried SNCF class BB 67400 diesels in charge, 467467 and 467448.

SNCF class BB 67400s 467467 and 467448 head north across the Garabit Viaduct, 14/9/07

The train consisted of empty steel wagons returning to Clermont-Ferrand from the Arcelor Mittal plant at Saint-Chély-d'Apcher in the Languedoc-Roussillon Region, the loaded trains, even double-headed by two 2,367hp locos, run south in two portions due to the severe gradients on the line.

One fact that always pops up whenever the Garabit Viaduct is mentioned (and I'm not going to miss the opportunity to mention it myself) is that it was used in the 1976 film The Cassandra Crossing that starred Sophia Loren, Richard Harris and Burt Lancaster but was universally panned by critics and audiences alike.

Signalbox Safari - St. Flour - Chaudes Aigues

A signalbox from a bit further afield today…

Poste 1, La gare de St Flour - Chaude Aigues, 13/9/07

'Poste 1' is at the eastern end of La gare de St Flour - Chaude Aigues (St Flour station for those with even less of a grasp of French than I have) on the ligne des Causses that links Béziers in southern France with Neussargues in the Massif Central area.

I spent an hour in the station area on the day I took these photos back in 2007 and apart from a couple of bogie wagons carrying steel coils parked in a siding to the north of the station I saw nothing else on the rails… What I didn't realise at the time was that most of the passenger services in the area are by bus, indeed the current timetable for the line shows a service calling at the station every couple of hours but only two of them per day are trains!

La gare de St Flour - Chaude Aigues, 13/9/07

For anybody with even the slightest interest in French railways I would recommend becoming a member of The SNCF Society, their website and journals are an absolute goldmine of information about every aspect of railways in France, standard and narrow gauge, prototype and model alike.

Industrial Action - An unsympathetic rebuild…

I.C.I. Ltd's 1960 rebuild of Avonside Engine Co Ltd 0-4-0ST RS8 (works no.1913 of 1923), 1/3/14

This monstrosity, displayed at the National Stone Centre in Wirksworth started out as an 0-4-0ST built by the Avonside Engine Co Ltd of Bristol in 1923 as works no.1913.

The rear view…

The Avonside name cast into one of the buffers.

As far as I am aware it spent the majority of its working life at Tunstead Quarry in Derbyshire where it carried the number RS8. When steam working at the quarry ceased in 1960 it was converted to diesel power with hydraulic transmission (making it an 0-4-0DH) at the I.C.I. Ltd's South Central Workshops at Tunstead and continued to work there until 1974 when it entered preservation with the Bahamas Locomotive Society at the Dinting Railway Centre.

Upon Dinting's closure it was put on display in the car park of the National Stone Centre beside of the trackbed of the Cromford & High Peak Railway, now known as the High Peak Trail.

I've been unable to track down a photo of RS8 before it suffered its rebuild but would imagine that it bore more than a passing resemblance to this…

Avonside Engine Co Ltd 0-4-0ST DORA (works no.1973 of 1927) at the Rutland Railway Museum, 29/8/99