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…

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 - 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!