‘Scene’ in Scotland on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

I commented to Peter Rose that 2 classes of EMUs seen in the recent blog dealing with trains at Haymarket (posted 09/08/2021) were unfamiliar to me being exclusively Scottish.

 

Had he got anything I might recognise?

 

He duly obliged with these which are posted with his permission and my thanks.

 

170407 Turbostar ‘Scotrail’ ‘British Transport Police 61016’ livery. Bombardier Transportation built Diesel Electric Multiple Unit

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Pictured at Haymarket.

 

Working 1B08 Inverness-Edinburgh.

 

 

 

 

170413 and 170393 Turbostar ‘Scotrail’. Bombardier Transportation built Diesel Electric Multiple Unit

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Pictured at Inverkeithing.

 

Working 2K07 Edinburgh-Glenrothes with Thornton.

 

 

 

 

158707 and 158733 ‘Scotrail’. BREL Derby built Diesel Electric Multiple Unit

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Pictured at Haymarket.

 

Working 2K04 Glenrothes with Thornton to Edinburgh.

 

 

 

 

158707, 158726 and 158731 ‘Scotrail’. BREL Derby built Diesel Electric Multiple Unit

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Pictured at Inverkeithing.

 

Working 2G04 Glenrothes with Thornton to Edinburgh.

 

 

 

 

107 739 ‘British Rail’. British Rail Derby built  Diesel Electric Multiple Unit

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

I further commented how unsightly the mass of overhead wiring looked at Haymarket and wondered what it might have looked like prior to the wires going up.

 

He responded with this image which he took in 1990.

 

 

 

 

‘Scene’ at Clay Cross Junction in Derbyshire on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

The railway junction at Clay Cross lies six miles South of Chesterfield on what is known as the ‘Midland Main Line’.

 

At this point the line travelling South diverges with the Erewash Valley line turning East to serve Nottingham and the Amber/Derwent Valley line turning West to serve Derby.

 

Having left both Nottingham and Derby, the lines re-connect at Trent Junction and continue on Southwards to serve Leicester and on to London.

 

There was a station at the junction from as early as the 1840’s although any sign of it has long gone.

 

Many thanks are extended to friend Peter Rose for details of the train workings.

 

66565 ‘Freightliner’, EMD built Diesel Electric Locomotive

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

It is working 1050 Doncaster Up Decoy to Toton North Yard.

 

The site of the former station buildings lies beyond the locomotive where the railings are today.

 

 

 

 

Clay Cross Engine Shed

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’ 

 

The former engine shed still stands at the South of where the station buildings stood. 

 

It is still used for commercial purposes. 

 

At one time it housed a former’ Grimsby and Immingham Light Railway’ tramcar which currently resides at ‘Crich Tramway Village’. 

 

It can be seen by Googling  ‘List of tramcars at the National Tramway Museum’.

 

Then looking on the stock list for ‘Grimsby and Immingham Light Railway No. 14’.

 

 

 

 

158796 ‘Northern Rail’. BREL Derby built DMU

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Pictured working South to Nottingham as 1Y09 the hourly service from Leeds via Sheffield.

 

 

 

43484 ‘EMR’.  Paired with 43467 'Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’ /  ‘British Transport Police Nottingham’.  1C52  1400 Sheffield - St. Pancras. BREL Crewe built HST 

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

For those not familiar with the initials ‘EMR’. It stands for ‘East Midlands Railway’.

 

Pictured working North coming off the Derby line taking empty coaching stock to Sheffield.

 

It returned later in the day working via Derby to London.

 

‘EMR’ have started to put the identification numbers low down on the side of the units bodywork.

 

 

 

 

170419 ‘EMR’. Bombardier Transportation built DMU

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Just North of the junction and pictured working a driver training trip from Eastcroft (‘EMR’s depot in Nottingham) to Chesterfield and pictured here on the return journey as 5Z02.

 

The livery is the full ‘new EMR’ livery.

 

 

 

 

66587 ‘Freightliner’ ‘AS ONE, WE CAN’. EMD built Diesel Electric Locomotive

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Working 1218 Leeds FLT to Southampton MCT .

 

 

 

 

222021 ‘EMR INTERCITY’. Bombardier Transportation built DMU

on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

Pictured in ‘East Midlands Trains' livery earlier livery.

 

'East Midlands Trains' being the forerunner of 'East Midlands Railway'.

 

Working 1C42 from Sheffield to London St. Pancras.

 

‘Scene’ at Nottingham railway station on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

It is now almost a couple of years since Nottingham’s Railway Station was re-vamped and things seem to have settled down nicely.

 

Very much the preserve of ‘East Midland Trains’ with a regular service from ‘Arriva Cross Country’ to the West Midlands and the hourly service provided by ‘Northern Rail’ to Sheffield and Leeds.

 

 

 

 

Class 43 052 ’East Midland Trains’ HST Diesel Multiple Unit

on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

Class 222 021 ’East Midland Trains’ Meridian Diesel Multiple Unit

on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

Class 153 381 ’East Midland Trains’ Diesel Multiple Unit

on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

Class 156 415 ’East Midland Trains’ Diesel Multiple Unit

on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

Class 158 847 ’East Midland Trains’ Diesel Multiple Unit

on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

Class158 864 ’East Midland Trains’ Diesel Multiple Unit

on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

Class158 856 ’East Midland Trains’ Diesel Multiple Unit

on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

Class 170 114 ‘Arriva Cross Country’ Diesel Multiple Unit

on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

 

Class 170 114 ‘Arriva Cross Country’ Diesel Multiple Unit /2

on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

 

 

Class 158 850 ‘Northern Rail’ Diesel Multiple Unit

on ‘Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’

 

‘Scene’ at Norwich

Earlier this year, I had a day out on the North Norfolk Railway (NNR) which runs from Sheringham via Weybourne to Holt. The day was a father’s day outing paid for by my son Andrew and his wife Joy.

 

We got there by way of ‘East Midland Trains’ from Nottingham to Norwich and then by ‘abellio-greateranglia’ to Sheringham.

 

158812

This unit carried us to Norwich. The journey was painfully slow, arriving something in the region of 50 minutes late.

 

The Class 158 is a product of Derby works being built between 1989 and 1992.Totaling 182 units built, they are my favourites amongst the various modern diesel units being fast (normally), warm and comfortable.

 

Norwich is at the end of a fast connection into London terminating at Liverpool Street.

 

The services are run with class 90 electric loco’s and Mark 3 coaches in push-pull mode with the loco at the London end.

 

The Class 90’s were built at Crewe between 1987 and 1990. there were 50 of this Bo-Bo design built to replace many of the earlier electric loco classes such as the 81, 82, 83, 84 and 85‘s which dated back to the 1960’s.

 

90013

 

Although not currently named, it has in the past carried ‘ The Law Society’ and ‘The Evening Star: Pride of Ipswich 1885 to 2010-125 years of serving Suffolk’.

 

 

90008 'The East Anglian'.

 

90012 'Royal Anglian Regiment'.

The coaches used are standard Mark 3’s which are a comfortable ride.

 

The ‘country end’ of these trains is provided with a Driving Van Trailer (DVT). The batch of which 82152 is a member of were built by Derby works in 1988. Used initially by  ‘Virgin Rail’ on the West Coast Main Line before being cascaded East with the introduction of the Pendolino fleet on that route.

170 273

 

Seen on the buffer stops at Norwich. Another Derby product. One of a batch of 4 sets (170 270 to 273) built by Bombardier in 2002 specifically for the then ‘Anglia Railways’ Norwich -Peterborough services.

 

 

156 416

 

Seen at Sheringham after carrying us there from Norwich. Another product of the late 1980’s this time built by Metro Cammell and designated as a ‘Super Sprinter’. One of 114 two car sets produced.

 

Operating Norwich-Great Yarmouth shuttles due to a lack of suitable DMU’s were a pair of  ‘Direct Rail Services’ (DRS) Class 47 loco’s operating in top and tail mode with a couple of ‘DRS’ liveried coaches. These were the first ‘DRS’ livered coaches I had seen.

 

The history of the Class 47’s is to long to recount in any detail here. Suffice to say, they were a product of the 1950/60’s and became one of the most successful of the U.K. diesel classes produced.

 

Produced by Brush and powered by engines that were built by Sulzer of Swiss origin.

 

47 501 ‘Craftsman’

 

 

47 805 ‘John Scott 12.5.45-22.5.12’

 

A 2 car unit was made up by coupling two Class 153’s together. In this case 153335 (named Michael Palin) and 153314.

 

Andrew spotted this. Norwich possesses neither subway or footbridge access......!

 

 

 

 

'Scene' at Nottingham Railway Station

The ‘blockade’ of Nottingham Railway Station during the re-modeling of the trackwork there and other associated building works has been well documented on television and in the press.

 

The massive operation undertaken to keep passengers moving using a multitude of buses has been an undoubted success and congratulations to all concerned are offered.

 

I have visited several times and I have been impressed with the organisation and good humour with which it has all been achieved.

 

My most recent visit took place now that the trains are running again.

 

A lot has been done but there is still much to do. 

 

The station frontage is still wrapped in polythene although the clock tower is now re emerging and there is still a bit of a trek down the side of the building to the temporary ticket office.

At the. start the ticket queue was only partially covered but I am pleased to see that with the arrival of the autumn weather that the level of cover has been improved.

 

 

All the platforms are readily accessible but there is still a lot of the blue shuttering in place whilst presumably building or cleaning work goes on behind it.

A lot of the trackwork re-modeling has taken place on the approaches to the station

 

This view to the East shows some of it. East Midland Trains (EMT) depot is visible through the first arch.

 

The view to the West.

 

 

So what else was on view ??

 

As might be expected Nottingham is EMT country and their fleet was well represented.

156497

 

153376

 

HST power car 43043

 

222 022

 

 

 158770

 

 

 

Visitors were from ‘Cross Country’ in the shape of Class 170’s in 2 and 4 coach formations. I think that of all the modern units these are the most attractive. 

 

170518  

 

 

170113 

 

 

‘Northern Rail’ Class 158790 about to start its return journey back to Leeds.