Photo Class 350105 London Midlands Desiro EMU Train Enters Wolverton Station 2013

Class 350105 London Midland Trains EMU Heading For London

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

UK passenger train Class 350105 electric multiple unit (DMU), in London Midland Trains livery, photographed entering Wolverton station, Buckinghamshire, with a regular commuter service to London Euston.

London Midland Trains would, on the 10th December 2017, be taken over by West Midlands Trains whose franchise will run until March 2026.


Wolverton railway station historical note:
It was at Wolverton railway station in Buckinghamshire, on the 9th September 1845, that bare-knuckle fighter, Bendigo, stepped from a carriage of a London & Birmingham Railway train surrounded by a horde of his supporters.

His destination was the nearby town of Newport Pagnell where it was arranged that he would take part in an illegal fight with Ben Caunt.

At the last possible moment, for various reasons, the venue was switched to the village of Lillington Lovell, 4 miles north of Buckingham.


The match went ahead with Bendigo being heralded the winner after 96 gruelling rounds.

 

 

 

Two Class 350 EMUs Pass at Bletchley Station

 

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Photo Freightliner UK Diesel Loco Class 66536 Leaving Banbury Station 2012

Class 66536 Freightliner Diesel Loco Powers Out of Banbury

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

As the summer sun begins to set, Class 66536 Freightliner UK diesel locomotive is photographed passing through Banbury rail station in August 2012, heading in the direction of Didcot, Oxfordshire, England.

Cab-Side Number
  Photo: Charles Moorhen

Photo: Charles Moorhen

 

 

More Class 66 Locomotive Images on 'Along These Tracks'.

Class 66005 at Wellingborough

Class 66013 & 66502 at Rugby (Scroll down for '502' image)

Class 66044 at Northampton

Class 66086 at Didcot

Class 66086 and 66237 at Didcot

Class 66117 at Northampton

Class 66130 at Banbury

Class 66145 at Banbury

Class 66187 at Wellingborough

Class 66206 at Northampton

Class 66414 at Northampton

Class 66509 at Wellingborough

Class 66551 at Rugby

Class 66717 at Wellingborough

Class 66729 at Wellingborough 

Class 66765 at Wellingborough

Four Unidentified Class 66s Didcot.

Four Unidentified GBRF Class 66s Wellingborough

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Photo Chiltern Railways Class 168003 Clubman DMU Train Banbury 2012

Class 168003 Diesel Multiple Unit, Banbury Station

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

Chiltern Railways Trains diesel multiple unit, UK passenger train Class 168003, photographed as it waits to depart Banbury rail station in 2012.

Clubman UK diesel multiple units, such as Class 168003, were constructed between 1998 and 2004, with the earliest examples entering service on the 20th May 1998.

In all, 19 trainsets were built with 2/3/4 cars per set.  With a top speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), 4-car unit Class 168003 offers 272 seats with air-conditioning throughout.

The 168 Clubman Class of dmu can be found operating on the Chiltern Main Line, London to Aylesbury Line, London Marylebone - Oxford, Princes Risborough - Aylesbury Line.


Network South East, then operated by British Rail, originally planned the Class 168 for their expansion of services on the Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham Snow Hill or New Street stations. In the event, privatisation put and end to the Network SouthEast.  

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Photo Class 31173 British Rail UK Diesel Locomotive Peterborough 1988

BR Class 31173 Diesel Loco, Peterborough

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

A close up view of UK British Rail Class 31173 diesel locomotive in BR Blue livery pulls into Peterborough station hauling a train of postal coaches, an operation long since confined to history and memory, in 1988.

Class 31173 was built at Brush Traction, Loughborough, in February 1960.  The locomotive was withdrawn from British Rail service on the 14th April 1989 and subsequently scrapped at MC Metals in Glasgow.

 

Class 31 Diesel Locomotive Historical Note:

Whilst hauling a train in which Queen Elizabeth II was travelling on 4th January 1961, D5667 (31240), broke down south of Cambridge.

  

Two onboard Brush fitters, on hand to deal with any mechanical problems that may occur, were unable to fix the problem and a steam loco had to be sent for in order to rescue the stricken diesel adding over an hour to the completed journey.

 

 

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Photo British Rail Blue Class 31168 UK Diesel Loco Bletchley 1988

Class 31168 Diesel Locomotive, on Bletchley Sidings Waiting To Be Scrapped

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

Looking in a sad state of affairs, with its rusty bodywork and oil-soaked underframe, UK British Rail Class 31168 diesel loco in BR Blue livery stands on the sidings at Bletchley station.

Sandwiched between two other Class 31s, 31168 which was built at Brush Traction, Loughborough, in February 1960, was withdrawn from service on the 20th December 1991 and subsequently scrapped on the 31st May 2001.

Class 31 Diesel Locomotive Historical Note:

Whilst hauling a train in which Queen Elizabeth II was travelling on 4th January 1961, D5667 (31240), broke down south of Cambridge.  

 

Two onboard Brush fitters, on hand to deal with any mechanical problems that may occur, were unable to fix the problem and a steam loco had to be sent for in order to rescue the stricken diesel adding over an hour to the completed journey.

 

 

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Night Photo Class 168002 Chiltern Railways Clubman DMU Train Banbury 2017

Class 168002 DMU, Banbury Station On a Wet Night

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

A night photo of Chiltern Railways Clubman UK diesel multiple unit, Class 168002 commuter train, as it waits in the rain at Banbury station before continuing on to Royal Leamington Spa on a stormy night in January 2017.

 

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Photo Well Worn BR Class 31101 Diesel Loco Northampton 1988

Class 31101 BR Diesel Loco, Northampton Station

Photo: Charles Moorhen

In BR Blue livery, Class 31101 passes through Northampton station on the 27^th July 1988 hauling a rake of empty flatbed trucks. 

The locomotive was built in October 1958 at Brush Traction in Loughborough and originally numbered D5518 and allocated to Crewe TMD.

Although in 1988 the Class 31's were coming close to the end of their working lives on British Rail, they were still a fairly common sight on Northampton's sidings, or passing through the station on various freight duties.

An unidentified Class 31 diesel locomotive entering Northampton station in the 1980's

 

Photo: Charles Moorhen

 

 

Recorded in my old spotting notebooks I found that during a short time, over a two-day period in 1988, the following Class 31 locomotives were seen at Northampton and Bletchley stations.

Northampton: 31101 31317 31135 31112 31141 31205 31215 31420 31108.

Bletchley: 31166 31296 31306 31168 31434 31152 31284.

According to information provided on the Avon Valley Railway website, the locomotive was the first Class 31 to work passenger services on the Southern Region and as a Royal Train locomotive.

 

 

Class 31 Diesel Locomotive Historical Note:

Whilst hauling a train in which Queen Elizabeth II was travelling on 4th January 1961, D5667 (31240), broke down south of Cambridge.  

 

Two onboard Brush fitters, on hand to deal with any mechanical problems that may occur, were unable to fix the problem and a steam loco had to be sent for in order to rescue the stricken diesel adding over an hour to the completed journey.

 

Finally withdrawn from service on British Rail on the 11^th January 1993, Class 31101 escaped the fate of the scrapyard and, along with sister locomotive 31130 “Calder Hall Power Station”, has been preserved and resides on the heritage Avon Valley Railway at Bitton Station, Bath Road, Bristol, South Gloucestershire BS30 6HD.

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Freightliner Diesel Locomotive Class 66509 Wellingborough 2015 Photos

Class 66509 Freightliner Diesel Loco, Approaches Wellingborough Station

Photo: Charles Moorhen

General Motors EMD Class 66509 diesel loco in Freightliner livery, as it approaches Wellingborough station from Kettering heading towards Bedford, after passing under Mill Road bridge on the 28th July 2015

Class 66509 was built in June 2000 and allocated to Leeds Midland Road TMD.

Close-Up of Freightliner diesel locomotive Class 66509
Photo: Charles Moorhen  

Class 66509 Approaching Wellingborough Station 
 Photo: Charles Moorhen   

More Class 66 Locomotive Images on 'Along These Tracks'.

Class 66005 at Wellingborough

Class 66013 & 66502 at Rugby (Scroll down for '66502' image)

Class 66044 at Northampton

Class 66086 at Didcot

Class 66086 and 66237 at Didcot

Class 66117 at Northampton

Class 66130 at Banbury

Class 66145 at Banbury

Class 66187 at Wellingborough

Class 66206 at Northampton

Class 66414 at Northampton

Class 66536 at Banbury

Class 66551 at Rugby

Class 66717 at Wellingborough

Class 66729 at Wellingborough 

Class 66765 at Wellingborough

Four Unidentified Class 66s at Didcot.

Four Unidentified GBRF Class 66s at Wellingborough

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Class 66765 GBRF Diesel Locomotive Wellingborough 2015 Photo

Class 66765 GBRF Diesel Loco

GBRf  Class 66765 Loco
Photo: Charles Moorhen   

Class 66765 diesel locomotive in two-tone GBRf livery, and allocated to GBRf Peterborough, enters Wellingborough station on the freight-only line on the 28th July 2015, heading towards Bedford.

At the same time, East Midlands Trains Class 222 018 dmu, built between 2003 and 2005 and allocated to DY Derby Etches Park T&RSMD, enters the station alongside platform 1 heading north.

222 018 Wellingborough

Photo: Charles Moorhen

East Midlands Trains Class 222 018 DMU (above) on a previous occasion enters Wellingborough station from Kettering heading towards Bedford.

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Photo British Rail Diesel Shunter Loco Class 08909 Bay Platform Rugby 1988

Class 08909 BR Shunter, Rugby Station

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

 

Once a common sight pottering around Rugby station, British Rail  Class 08909, built between 1952 and 1962 and allocated to Bletchley TMD, in BR blue livery, similar in design to its sister Class 09 is seen parked up in one of the station's bay platforms at the eastern end in November 1988.

The condition of Rugby station roof is a sad testament to how derelict the station canopy had become before its refurbishment that was to come years later.

Class 08909 diesel shunter loco survived until 2011 when it was sent to C.F. Booth's for scrapping on the 10th August of that year.

A total of 996 examples of the Class 08 diesel, or 'Gronks' as they were nicknamed by the railway enthusiast fraternity, were produced for British Railways. 

 

 

Class 08 Shunter Historical Note:
At Tinsley Marshalling Yard near Sheffield, UK, six '08' shunters were coupled in three pairs for shunting operations.  In each pair one locomotive cab was removed; its power controlled from the 'cabbed' 08.  This combination of power units were classified as Class 13.

The three pairs worked together in Tinsley Yard for twenty years until early 1985 when hump-shunting came to an end.

 

They were numbered thus:

D4500 (D3698  D4188), D4501 (D4189  D4190), D4502 (D3696  D4187).

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Photo Class 66086 and Class 66237 Diesel Locos Didcot Sidings 2004

Class 66086 and 66237 Locos, Didcot Station

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

On my first ever trip to Didcot railway station in Oxfordshire, in 2004, I was fortunate to capture an image of these two General Motors EMD EWS Class 66 diesel locomotives stabled on Didcot sidings - Class 66 66086 and Class 66 66237.

 

Class 66086 was built in April 1999 and allocated to Toton TMD (Notts.).

Class 66237 was built in May 2000 and allocated to Poznam (ECR Poland).

The way they look it is almost as if they were deliberately posed.  "Oh! to have that sort of power!" 

On the same day that I took the above image I was fortunate enough to photograph Class 60 60016 'Rail Magazine' one month before it was renamed, 'Langdale Pikes'.


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Photo DR73116 Network Rail Plasser & Theurer Tamper Northampton 2014

Class DR 73116 Network Rail Tamper Machine, Northampton Station

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

During the modernisation of Northampton railway station in 2014, Network Rail's track machine, DR 73116, passes through, heading in the general direction of Rugby on the 17th July.

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Photos Classes 67006 'Royal Sovereign' and 67026 'Diamond Jubilee' Locos 2014

Two 'Royals' Stop at Northampton Station

 

Royal Train Loco Class 67006

 Photo: Charles Moorhen

Class 67026 'Diamond Jubilee' Locomotive    

Photo: Charles Moorhen

During the reconstruction of Northampton's railway station in 2014, I decided to take a trip there in June to see how things were progressing and if there would be any traffic coming through that would be worth photographing.  

As it turned out it was well worth the time and energy consumed that afternoon.

In addition to the usual Class 350 EMU's, a number of Class 66's and Freightliner Class 70017, I was lucky to photograph a couple of Class 67 diesel locomotives; Royal Train locomotive Class 67 67006 'Royal Sovereign', and, Class 67 67026 'Diamond Jubilee', coupled together and running light.

Class 67006 was built in February 2006 and allocated to Toton TMD (Notts.).
Class 67026 was built in March 2012 and allocated to Crewe International Electric T&RSMD.

Class 67006 is just one of a long line of locomotive providing the motive power for the Royal Train.  The first official Royal Train locomotive was broad gauge engine 2-2-2 Phlegethon of the Firefly class, driven by Daniel Gooch and assisted by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, where it hauled the train containing Queen Victoria from Slough to Paddington on the 13th June 1842.

Since that time many locomotives have provided the pulling power for the Royal Train, with a few examples listed here:
6233 Duchess of Sutherland  - LMS Princes Coronation Class 4-6-2.
6024 King Edward I  - GWR 'King' Class 4-6-0.
60163 Tornado - Peppercorn Class A1 4-6-2.
60028 Walter K. Whigham - Gresley A4 Pacific 4-6-2.
30938 St. Olave's - Maunsell 4-4-0.
70000 Britannia - BR Standard Class Britannia Pacific 7MT 4-6-2.

Running the Royal Train does not come cheap.  
In the year ending the 31st March 2012, the total cost of operaing the train, for a mere 13 trips covering a total distance of 912 miles, was a staggering £900,000; equating to £69,230 per trip!  

By Appointment Plaque on Class 67006 'Royal Sovereign

Photo: Charles Moorhen

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