Photo Class 222015 DMU East Midland Trains Wellingborough 2014

Class 222015 DMU In Black & White

Photo: Charles Moorhen

In the summer of 2014 I visited Wellingborough railway station on the Midland Mainline to photograph the Grade II listed former Midland Railway goods shed situated at the 'London' end of platform one; something I had been meaning to do for a number of years.

 

Although the weather was slightly overcast I did manage to record enough images of the old building to make the trip worthwhile. (The results can be seen in a 'Along These Tracks' blog post by clicking here).

In addition to photographing this surprisingly well-preserved example of railway architecture, I also fired off a few frames of DMU's, locomotives and Intercity 125 Class 43's that came and went throughout my time at the station.

Noting that the available light was deteriorating as the day wore on, I reluctantly made the decision to pack up and go home.

However, as quickly as I had made that decision...I reversed it.

I was at the furthest point I could be at the southern end of platform one when the sound of a diesel engine attracted my attention. The noise came from an approaching East Midlands Trains Class 222 DMU.

It was obvious from its speed that it was a stopping service, but, even so, the distance between train and station was shortening rapidly.

Would it be worthwhile going for the shot I thought as I instinctively grabbed the camera from its bag? Class 222015 - one of a fleet of 27 trains sets - was by now making an impressive attempt at completely filling the frame by this time.

Acutely aware that the dmu was bearing down on me, I hastily checked the exposure, framed the shot, hit the shutter button – all in one panicky movement - and prayed as I was aware a second later of the air turbulence as 222015 swept by me.

Had I been too late? Would this shot become yet another victim of my camera delete button?

Fortunately, this time, there was no need for the dreaded delete button. As I examined the picture on the rear screen I saw that I had captured the only decent image of a train that day!

 

 

Class 222015 DMU was built between 2003 and 2005 and allocated to Derby Etches Park.

Class 222015 DMU unit coach numbers are as follows: 60255  60925  60635  60535  60175.

News Update:

Seeing East Midlands Trains colourful livery of red, white, orange and red flashing along the railway tracks, will soon become a thing of the past.

Abellio will take over the East Midlands Trains franchise on Saturday 18th August 2019. The Class 43 HST Intercity 125 and Class 222 diesel multiple unit will gradually be phased out by brand new Hitachi trains that will be a variant of the bullet-nosed Class 800 bio-mode DMU.

The new trains will have a lavender livery and be branded with 'EMR' on both sides.

Other Class 222 DMU blog posts:

East Midlands Trains Class 222 002 Train at Wellingborough Station

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Night Photos Various Diesel Multiple Units Leamington Spa Station 2016

Various Diesel Multiple Units Travelling at Night

A  selection of Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains photographed at night operated by 'Cross Country', 'Chiltern Railways' and 'London Midland Trains', following a  photography session at Leamington Spa railway station towards the back end of 2016.

Class 220010 DMU at Leamington Spa
Photo: Charles Moorhen

Cross Country Trains, Class 220 220010, 4-car Voyager DMU stands in Leamington spa station before continuing on to Southampton Central.

Class 165006 DMU at Leamington Spa
Photo: Charles Moorhen

Chiltern Railways, Class 165006 2-car DMU, about to leave heading for Banbury.

  Class 172344 DMU 
  Photo: Charles Moorhen 

Standing at platform 1 of Leamington Spa station, London Midland Trains Class 172 DMU 344, is stabled for the night awaiting its morning's work.

  Class 220 028 DMU   
  Photo:  Charles Moorhen

Cross Country Trains, Class 220 028, Voyager DMU about to continue on to Birmingham New Street.

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Night Photo DMU Class 222002 East Midland Trains Wellingborough Station 2016

Photo Class 222002 DMU, Wellingborough

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

Night photo of East Midlands Trains, Class 222002 'The Cutlers' Company' , DMU, seen here at Wellingborough railway station in September 2016. 

 

With Class 66005 in the background, this placed me in a bit of a quandary when it came to taking its photo.

At that particular time I was intent on photographing the Class 66 when a Class 222 DMU, - one of a fleet of 27 train sets - pulled into the station.  

Glad that the Class 66 was safely stored on my camera memory card, I quickly re-positioned the tripod, reset the camera and prayed that the East Midlands Trains dmu would not move before the required amount of seconds had passed to produce an exposure. 

Seconds passed by at the rate of one an hour as I nervously waited, holding my breath, and crossing for luck everything I had.  

Luckily, photographing the Class 222 turned out ok with only a few seconds to spare before it began to move away.  A close look at its lights will show that it slipped back slightly before gaining grip.


Class 222002 DMU was built between 2004 and 2005 and allocated to Derby Etches Park. The unit coach numbers are as follows: 60242  60346  60342  60622  60562  60544  60162.

 

 
Other Class 222 DEMU blog posts:

Class 222015 DEMU Train Approaches Wellingborough Station

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News Update:

Seeing East Midlands Trains colourful livery of red, white, orange and red flashing along the railway tracks, will soon become a thing of the past.

Abellio will take over the East Midlands Trains franchise on Saturday 18th August 2019. The Class 43 HST Intercity 125 and Class 222 diesel multiple unit will gradually be phased out by brand new Hitachi trains that will be a variant of the bullet-nosed Class 800 bio-mode DMU.

The new trains will have a lavender livery and be branded with 'EMR' on both sides.

Don't forget to subscribe to  'Along These Tracks' railway blog to get all new posts and updates sent directly to you.

Blog update:

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All blog posts are now listed alphabetically on the right side of your screen; under the heading, 'Previous Photo Posts'.


"I hope this makes your search easier".

Night Photo General Motors EMD Class 66005 EWS Diesel Loco 2016

Class 66005 EWS Loco In The Shadows

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

While carrying out some night photography at Wellingborough railway station - trying to record some of its interesting architecture, I happened to be at one point in the evening's activities at the northern end of the station taking the opportunity to photograph East Midlands Trains DMU Class 222 222002 in September 2016.

As I did so I noticed out of the corner of my eye diesel locomotive a General Motors EMD EWS Class 66 locomotive slowly coming into the station heading north on the freight-only line.  

Knowing I had no chance of taking a night photo of a moving Class 66 locomotive using a long exposure, I was satisfied to simply jot down the number, pick up my tripod/camera and go back to taking night photos of the station when, lo and behold, DMU Class 222002 pulled out and there stood diesel locomotive Class 66 66005 - one of 455 in operation - in a perfect pose.

I hoped and prayed that it would not move before I had a chance to set up the camera again and hit the shutter button.

As well as the above I also captured one more train that night during my night photography session - East Midlands Trains Class 43066 paused before continuing on to London St. Pancras.

Class 66005 diesel freight locomotive was built in August 1988 and allocated to Toton TMD (Notts.),

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If you would like to see more photos from this Wellingborough railway station night photography session, please click here.

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Other Class 66 locomotive blog posts you may wish to see:

 
Class 66013 and 66502 Pause at Night at Rugby Railway Station

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Night Photos of Wellingborough Train Station England 2016

Wellingborough Station In Pictures

Wellingborough Railway Station Entrance 
   Photo: Charles Moorhen

Grade II listed Wellingborough Wellingborough railway station on the Midland Main Line, and built by the former Midland Railway, is situated approximately one mile from Wellingborough town centre in Northamptonshire.

Wellingborough Station Platforms 1 and 2 
 Photo: Charles Moorhen

Designed by architect, C.H.Driver, who was also responsible for the Sao Paulo railway station opened in 1867 in Brazil, Wellingborough railway station was opened in 1857 as a main line station - London St. Pancras is only 65 miles away - and for the branch line to nearby Higham Ferrers.

Known at the time of opening as Wellingborough Midland Road, the station originally boasted five platforms which, over the decades, has been reduced to three.  Two are used by the travelling public while the other borders a freight-only line.  

Platform five exists in situ but is weed-strewn and overgrown and all but one of its buildings have been demolished. Their is no public access to this platform.

By the time that Wellingborough Midland Road had opened, another station, Wellingborough London Road, operated by the London & North Western Railway, was already in use.
It had opened in 1845 and closed completely in 1966.  Sadly, nothing remains of the London Road station.  It was completely obliterated by road improvements to the nearby A45.

Wellingborough Station LMS Goods Shed Diamond-Shaped Lattice Window
 Photo: Charles Moorhen

Ridge and Furrow platform canopy and filigree metal work on Platform 1 (upper left)    
Photo: Charles Moorhen

Wellingborough Midland Road and nearby Kettering were the first two Midland Railway stations to display their impressive ridge-and-furrow metal and glass platform canopies and finely crafted filigree metalwork.

Also on platform one, at the 'London' end so to speak, stands a small Grade II listed goods shed that has survived for well over a century displaying its original lattice windows - an architectural signature of the Midland Railway.

The interior of the small building still retains a wooden-plank loading platform and two manually operated cranes once employed for the loading and unloading of open-top waggons.

(A more descriptive blog post, with photos of the shed interior and cranes, can be seen by clicking wellingborough goods shed still survives).

East Midlands Trains  Class 43066 at Wellingborough Station
Photo: Charles Moorhen

On the 2nd of September 1898, around 8.22 pm , Wellingborough Midland Road railway station became a scene of carnage and tragedy.

A railway porter's trolley being used for the transportation of mail bags ran out of control, rolled off the platform and ended up on the railway tracks minutes before an express train was due to pass through.

Despite desperate attempts by station staff to remove the trolley from the path of the oncoming train, time ran out.  The express collided with it at speed.
The crew of the derailed steam locomotive were killed as were five passengers when the coach they were travelling in disintegrated.  

In all 65 people were also injured.

Wellingborough Station Platform 1    
 Photo: Charles Moorhen

During 2005, Wellingborough station briefly basked in the glare of the movie spotlight when it featured in the film, Kinky Boots; temporarily renamed 'Northampton' for the location footage.

A British comedy-drama, the film was based on the true story of a family-run shoe factory, W.J.Brooks Ltd., of Earls Barton, Northamptonshire.

At time of writing (2017), East Midlands Trains operate train services at the station, and during the years, 2015/16, 0.969 million passengers have used Wellingborough railway station.

Photo: Charles Moorhen

     Commemorative plaque attached to the front wall of Wellingborough railway station.

Wellingborough Railway Station Platform 1 
  Photo: Charles Moorhen

Wellingborough Station Platform Sign in front of LMS Goods Shed wall 
 Photo: Charles Moorhen

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Day and Night Photos of Leamington Spa Station Platform Sign 2016

GWR Leamington Spa Station Platform Signs

Photo: Charles Moorhen

I visited Leamington Spa railway station a few summers ago on a train spotting/photography session, and couldn't resist taking this picture of the railway platform sign surrounded as it was by a fantastic variety of colourful flowers.

It was a pleasant encounter to discover an old-fashioned wooden platform sign such as this  which for me brought back memories of the days of locomotive smoke, steam and whistles; the waving of green flags and the morning milk train - when compared to the plain, bland metal platform signs that are so numerous at stations across the UK now.

During the summer of 2016 I once again visited Leamington Spa station, this time during the evening.  During a break in the railway traffic, where I captured a number of diesel multiple unit images, I decided to photograph the same sign again; this time with a tripod and a long exposure.

After a few trial exposures I believed that I'd got it right, and back at home I was pleased when I compared the two images on the computer.

I hope that as a new or regular blog visitor you will also enjoy them.

  Photo: Charles Moorhen

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Night Photo Milk Churns on Kidderminster SVR Train Station Platform Trolley 2016

Shining in the Night

Milk Churns on Platform Trolley
Photo:  Charles Moorhen

"Drinka Pinta Milka Day"!

Milk churns such as these - photographed at night in October 2016 on a platform of the Severn Valley Railway, Kidderminster - were once a common sight at railway stations throughout Britain's rail network.

The churns were collected from farms or dairies and delivered to the local station.  

To identify the owner of the churn either a metal nameplate was attached to the container or the farm/dairy name was stamped into the metalwork.  In addition to this, a label was attached to the handle stating whether or not the milk churn was full or empty.

This system of transporting milk survived for decades until a modern system was introduced whereby milk was collected directly from farms by motorized tanker vehicles.  The milk was subsequently transferred to specially-built milk tank wagons operated by the railway.

Along with barrows loaded with wicker racing-pigeon baskets and others piled high with packages for transport on the trains, seeing platform barrows containing milk churns was a common sight back in the days of steam.

Travelling between Kent and Hampshire as a young lad with my spotting book ready on my lap as my train - usually hauled by a Southern Region steam locomotive - sped through country stations, saw milk churns standing in the shade of a platform canopy.

In the early 1920's around 282,000,000 gallons (339,000,000 litres) of milk was transported by the four national railway companies.

The system ceased completely in the 1970's.

 

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