Photo Class 45118 'The Royal Artilleryman' British Rail Peak Diesel Loco 1990s

'Peak' Diesel Loco Ravaged Before Restoration

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

Photographed in the early days of restoration and repair on the Northampton & Lamport Railway in the 1990s, 'Peak' UK diesel locomotive Class 45118 'The Royal Artilleryman' - original number D67 - was one of a fleet of 127 built at both BR Derby Works and Crewe Works between 1960 and 1962.

Used regularly on scheduled services between London St. Pancras and Manchester, the Midland Mainline was their main theatre of operations as was the case for their predecessor the Class 44.

The Class 45/1s were to be found across the British railway network following their gradual displacement with the introduction of the Class 43 Intercity 125 High Speed Trains.  

The writing was on the wall for the Sulzer 12LDA28-B power units as their withdrawal from main line service began in 1977, with the final locomotives being taken out of service in 1988.

UK diesel loco, Class 45118 'The Royal Artilleryman', built in May 1962 at Crewe Works (LNWR/LMS/British Railway) was originally purchased for restoration and preservation on the Northampton & Lamport Railway, Northamptonshire, following withdrawal from British Rail.

After an attack by cable thieves, which left the diesel locomotive inoperable and extremely expensive to repair, it was moved to Railway Vehicle Engineering Limited  (RVEL) - now Loram - at Derby in 2009 for repairs.

It moved from Derby after purchase by Locomotive Services Limited, (LSL), Crewe Diesel Depot.  In 2019, Class 45118 was on the move again, this time for repairs at Barrow Hill Roundhouse Railway Museum and Engine Shed near Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

Whether it will ever return to main line or preserved/heritage railway operations is at the present moment uncertain.

In total, 12 of the 'Peak' Class 45 diesel locomotives have survived.

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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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Night Photo Chiltern Railways Class 165036 Network Turbo DMU Train Banbury 2012

Class 165036 DMU in Banbury Station Bay Platform

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

Photographed at night and portrayed in black and white, Chiltern Railways Trains UK passenger train Class 165036 diesel multiple unit, is seen stabled for the night in the sole remaining bay platform at Banbury station in 2012.

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Photo Class 43151 First Great Western Intercity 125 Train St Austell 2016

First Great Western Train Class 43151 Intercity 125 

Photo: Charles Moorhen

An early evening photo of UK trains First Great Western trains, Class 43151 HST Intercity 125  express passenger train, waiting at St. Austell station, Cornwall, before heading towards Paddington station, London.

In 1988, Class 43151 Intercity 125 carried the name, 'Blue Peter II'.

While on the subject of Class 43 motive power, it is interesting to note that the first-built production High Speed Train power car, 43002 (also numbered 253001) Sir Kenneth Grange, now stands in its new home - the National Railway Museum.

The iconic Victorian lattice-work iron station bridge which had deteriorated over the decades, a small section of which can be seen in top left corner this photo, was removed in February 2019 and re-homed at the Helston Railway, Cornwall. 

The Present and The Past

Express train, Class 43151 Intercity 125, is a far cry from the type of passenger trains once seen on the Great Western Railway back in the days of steam.

Back then it would have been possible to have witnessed a Castle class steam locomotive, such as 4-6-0 Castle class 5010, at St. Austell station, Cornwall.

4-6-0 Castle Class 5010 'Restormal Castle'         Photo: fromoldbooks.org

4-6-0 Castle Class 5010 'Restormal Castle' was built at Swindon Works in July 1927.  It was withdrawn from service in October 1959 and subsequently scrapped.
Incidentally, a sister locomotive of the same class, 5004 'Llanstephan Castle', appeared in the 1949 Ealing Studios film, 'Run For Your Money'.

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Photo Class 153382 First Great Western Super Sprinter DMU Train St Austell 2016

First Great Western Class 153382 St. Austell Station

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

In bright blue First Great Western livery, UK passenger train diesel multiple unit (DMU) Class 153382 Supersprinter, working in tandem with an unidentified Class 153, leaves St. Austell station in Cornwall heading for Exeter St. David's.

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