Network Rail have scheduled work on the WCML for a number of weekends this year which has resulted in a number of diversions over the Chiltern line with a few freight and also Virgin services which are being covered by pairs of Voyagers except for a Sunday morning! It had been rumored for a few weeks that Virgin would use a 57 plus Mark 3’s for the 11:00 Euston – Wolverhampton service but nothing materialised until two weeks ago with the first working.
A week was missed but then it looked certain it would be working again today. I decided to head to Princes Risborough as I don’t have much knowledge of locations on the Chiltern line. I left home in dull but dry conditions but arrived in a downpour and I didn’t have a coat! It didn’t help that it was running 20 minutes late either as I got drenched. Finally 57313 glided out of the gloom on 1Z40 Euston – Wolverhampton with a full Mark 3 set plus DVT (82101) and 57309 on the rear.
Fastline Freight have won a contract to move coal out of Portbury docks in Bristol and in preperation for this work the drivers have begun route learning. The empties will run down the Lickey but as Fastline have no banking loco the loaded return working will have to run via Oxford. Last week they were learning the line from Derby to Oxford but this week they are going the whole way to Portbury.
The good thing about the route learners are they are using Class 56s which I haven’t seen in the Thames Valley area for many years. The only downside is they won’t be used to haul the proper workings which will be handled by Fastline 66s plus presumably hired locos as they are a bit lacking at present. Running as 0Z57 Portbury – Derby I photted 56303 pounding through Radley a few minutes late at 14:23 today.
I have something a bit different for you today as Pathfinder Railtours had organised a trip, ‘The Dorset Coast Explorer’ to Weymouth featuring a pair of WCRC Cromptons. The trip started from Crewe and ran down through Bristol in the morning with the return routed via Oxford which meant I would be out for the return working.
The day had started with glorious sunshine by by the return rolled around it had clouded over so I didn’t go far. I went out to Culham and had a surprise when I found the lane out to the bridge is now a restricted byway meaning no motor vehicles. I had to park back at the school and then had a 15 min walk to the bridge. I still made it with a few minutes to spare and pretty much bang on time 33025/33207 came storming around the curve on 1Z34 Weymouth – Crewe.
