Photo British Rail Class 317327 Network Southeast EMU Train Northampton 1980's

Class 317327 Network South East EMU, Northampton Train Station

Photo: Charles Moorhen

4-Car unit Class 317 327327 EMU in Network South East livery, allocated to Bletchley, stands at Northampton's Platform 2 in the 1980's on its way first to Rugby and then on to Birmingham New Street station, where seventeen of the class operated between 1987 and 1989.

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Class 317327 unit coach numbers are as follows: 77026  62687  71603  77074

This class of electric multiple unit replaced EMU Class 310.  The Class 317 was later to be superseded by EMU Class 321 operated by Silverlink Trains, and then by EMU Class 350 run by London Midland Trains. 

In all, 72 all-steel 4-car Class 317 commuter train units were produced in two batches between 1981 and 1987 able to reach a maximum speed of 100 mph.

 


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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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Photo GM Class 67017 Arrow Diesel Loco Leamington Spa 2000

Class 67017 Diesel Loco 'Arrow', Leamington Spa Station

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

Class 67 67017, built in March 2000 and allocated to Crewe International Electric T&RSMD, seen here in EWS livery, hauling a Chiltern Railways train, was photographed at Leamington Spa station.

A number of diesel locomotives are giving nicknames by railway enthusiasts, one such example was the once popular, Class 50 locomotives known as "Hoovers", and the Class 67 is no exception; though I wasn't aware of this when I took the photo. 

It was much later that someone on a platform somewhere informed me that they were called 'skips'. I couldn't imagine why they were given that particular name until someone suggested that I imagine the locomotive upside down.

The old saying, “what's in a name”, certainly rang true in this instance.


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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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Photo BR Class 09018 D4106 Diesel Shunter Loco Lives On 1988

Class 09018 (D4106) Shunter, Dover Marine Station

Photo: Charles Moorhen

Diesel Electric Shunter Locomotive 0-6-0 Class 09018 - original number D4106 - one of a class of 26, photographed as the sun is about to set on sidings close to Dover Marine Station (now a cruise liner terminal).  

Class 09018 (D4106) was built in November 1961 and allocated to Derby Locomotive Works (BREL).

Little shunters such as this, a variant of the Class 08, were built between 1959 and 1962 at the British Railways' Darlington Works.

The locomotive above was used for general shunting duties in the Dover area during the years of Channel Tunnel Construction.

The angle of the photograph is a bit odd as I had to get between the 09 and another train which was directly behind me, thereby severely restricting how I used the camera. Nowadays, Health and Safety would have had a fit if they'd seen me getting this photograph.

Unlike many ex-British Railways locomotives, 09018 escaped the fate of the scrapyard cutting torch.  

After a number of years it was eventually purchased by the Harry Needle Railroad Company who, in 2012, sold it to the Bluebell Railway in Sussex where it now resides working on the heritage railway.

D4106 (09018) on sidings at the Bluebell Railway

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