Classes 172212 2-Car and 172331 3-Car London Midland Trains DMUs Leamington Spa 2016

Class 172212 and 172331 DMUs, Leamington Spa Train Station

Photo: Charles Moorhen 

On a bright, sunny August day in 2016, 3-car diesel multiple unit Class 172/3 172331 allocated to TY - Tysley TMD (Birmingham) sits in bay platform 1 at Leamington Spa station alongside 2-car DMU Class 172/2 172212 allocated to TY - Tysley TMD (Birmingham), both in the green, white and black London Midland Trains livery

Class 172331 unit coach numbers are as follows: 50331  56331  79331.
Class 172212 unit coach numbers are as follows: 50212  79211.


Built by Bombardier at their Derby Litchurch Lane Works, the Class 172 Turbostar diesel multiple units were introduced into service from July 2010.

39 Class 172 commuter trainsets were produced in a combination of both 2-car and 3-car sets, and are operated by London Overground, Chiltern Railways and West Midlands Trains (formerly London Midland Trains).

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BR Loco Class 86221 Named 'BBC Look East' Northampton 1990s

Class 86221 'BBC Look East' Diesel Electric Loco

Photo: Charles Moorhen 

Named After a BBC TV News Programme

Seen here on a sunny day at Northampton train station in the 1980's/90's, photographed on 35mm film, Class 86/2 86221 was one of 100 of a locomotive class that were built at two locations - Doncaster Works and the English Electric Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows.

Primarily, the Class 86 locomotives were built to replace steam on the then newly-electrified West Coast Main Line from London Euston, to Birmingham, Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool and later on to Preston and Glasgow.

In the early 1980's the locomotives were employed on passenger trains from and to, London Liverpool Street to Cambridge, Harwich, Ipswich and Norwich.

At times during its lifetime, Class 86/2 86221 carried two names.  From 1979-87 it was named Vesta, after the Roman goddess of hearth and home.  From 1987-2003 it carried the name, Look East, after the BBC regional news programme which began broadcasting in October 1959 and continues to this day.

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

After a lifetime of both passenger and freight work in a wide variety of liveries, 86221 was scrapped in 2003.

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Class 60016 Brush Mirrlees 'Rail Magazine' EWS Diesel Loco Didcot 2004

Class 60016 EWS Diesel Loco on Didcot Sidings

Photo: Charles Moorhen   

On my first ever spotting trip to Didcot railway station, Oxfordshire, on the 6th October 2004, I was lucky enough to photograph a good number of locomotives such as Class 66s, Class 67's, a Class 37, a couple of Class 57's, as well as Class 43s and a number of Chiltern Railways DMUs.  

Unfortunately, for some reason or other, the majority of the images taken at the time were lost. Though a few did survive.  

Amongst the survivors were Class 66086 and Class 66237; plus the image above of EWS Class 60016 diesel locomotive.  

It wasn't until a little later that I discovered I had actually photographed the scruffy-looking 60016 with its 'Rail Magazine' nameplate (previously the loco had carried the name 'Langdale Pikes') which it would carry for only one more month before being renamed 'Pathfinder Tours 30 Years of Railtouring 1973-2003'.

Class 60016 was built on 9/2/93 at Brush Traction, Loughborough.

Photo: Charles Moorhen

 

UPDATE at time of writing: 
Following the 500th issue of 'Rail' magazine, Class 60016 was renumbered 60500 and stands on a 'scrap' line at Toton Maintenance Depot/Toton Sidings.

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