Photo Railfreight Livery Class 37074 Class 37101 UK Diesel Locos Basingstoke 1992

Class 37 Diesel Locomotives at Basingstoke Station

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

A summer day train photo of Railfreight General Livery, Class 37074 (leading) and Class 37101 UK diesel locomotives in a sad and thoroughly neglected condition, double-heading a container freight train through Basingstoke station, Hampshire, heading south on a sunny July day in 1992.

 

Run down UK diesel locomotives such as these, along with electric and diesel multiple units, were a common sight on Britain's railway network prior to rail privatisation in 1994 and 1997.

Class 37074 was built by English Electric Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns and released for service on the 17th September 1962 in a livery of BR green with half yellow end warning panels and allocated to Thornaby.

The loco was the third to have the nose rebuilt to centralise the headcode and remove the corridor connection in 1970 after receiving severe damage.

After years of service Class 37074 was officially withdrawn on the 22nd September 2005.  It was cut up at Booth's, Rotherham, 2nd November 2005.

Class 37101 was built at the English Electric Vulcan Foundry and released into service as D6801 on the 28th December 1962 and allocated to Darnall, Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

It was renumbered 37345 on the 2nd September 1994.

Sadly, 37101 was cut up at Immingham MPD on the 20th August 2003.


Basingstoke station historical note:
In the mid-1800s, a special train was permanently kept in a state of readiness by the London & South Western Railway for the sole use of the Duke of Wellington - hero of the Battle of Waterloo - at Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK, should he require it.


Wellington was not a fan of the 'new fangled railways' and it is not known if he ever used his train.

Class 37 Locos at Basingstoke on YouTube:

DRS Tractor 37603 at Basingstoke with DRS convoy.
DRS Class 37s with nuclear waste through Basingstoke.

Class 37s clag out of Basingstoke.

DRS Class 37 Convoy passing Basingstoke.

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Photo Ashford Train Station Sign and Classes 377521 and 465923 EMUs 2013

Ashford International Railway Station Platform Sign

Photo:  Charles Moorhen
  

Behind the large Ashford International station sign are Class 377521 (right) and Class 465923 UK passenger train electric multiple units at Ashford International station in June 2013.

 

An unidentified UK 'Colas Rail' diesel locomotive can also be seen in the background, far right of picture, on the sidings.

A photo of Electrostar Class 377521 EMU UK passenger train at Bedford station in 2015 can be seen elsewhere on this blog by clicking here.

More trains photographed at Ashford:
South Eastern Trains Class 395021 Javelin EMU 'Ed Clancy MBE' Ashford 2013
South Eastern Trains Class 375905 Electrostar
Southern Trains Class 171721 Turbostar DMU
Eurostar Trains 3001 and 3230, 2013

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Photo Class 455735 South West Trains Inner Suburban EMU 2014

Class 455735 Electric Multiple Unit, Woking Station

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

Photo of Class 455735 electric multiple unit, resplendent in the eye-catching blue, red and orange South West Trains livery, waits at Woking station in Surrey, England, in June 2014, whilst en route for London Waterloo station.

 

The British Rail Class 455/7 EMU, which draws its electrical power from a 'third rail' through a 'contact shoe' which sits on the lowest point between the bogie wheels, operates on the southern region and are all allocated to Wimbledon train depot.

The Class 455 electric multiple unit UK passenger train, built in the early 1980s, first saw service on British Rail on the 28th March 1983.  

Restricted to a maximum speed of 75 mph, these units do not offer first-class seating or toilets as they were designed specifically for inner suburban services.  They use the same body shell as the Class 317, Class 318 and the Class 150 diesel multiple unit.

Class 455 EMU Trains on YouTube:

South West Trains 455866 & 455718 leaving Woking.

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Photo Freightliner Powerhaul Class 70007 UK Diesel Loco Wolverton Station 2012

Class 70007 Freightliner Diesel Locomotive

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

UK Diesel-electric locomotive, Freightliner Powerhaul Class 70007 photo, distinctive in its yellow and green livery, hauls a container freight train as it passes through Wolverton station, Buckinghamshire, England, heading towards Northampton and Rugby in March 2012.

Manufactured by General Electric, Erie, Pennsylvania, 37 of the Class 70 locomotives completed the order for the UK railways produced between 2008 and 2017.

Operated by Freightliner and Colas Rail, the loco fleet numbers are, 70001-70020 and 70801-70817.

On the 8th November 2009, two locos (70001 and 70002) were unloaded at Newport Docks, with four more arriving at the docks on the 2nd December 2009.

To date (2019) only two of the Class 70's have been named - 70001 'PowerHaul' and 70004 'The Coal Industry Society'.


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 Court.

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.

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Photo EWS Class 66187 UK Diesel Freight Loco Wellingborough 2011

Class 66187 Diesel Locomotive, Wellingborough Station

 Photo:  Charles Moorhen

EWS heavy haul UK freight diesel locomotive Class 66187 photographed at Wellingborough on the freight-only line whilst towing a track tamper machine through the station in September 2011.

Loco Class 66187, one of a large fleet of the commonest freight motive power on the British railway network, was built in January 2000 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD).

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 66206 at Northampton

Class 66414 at Northampton

Class 66509 at Wellingborough

Class 66536 at Banbury

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 EWS Class 66086 UK Diesel Loco and Coal Hopper Train 2004

Class 66086 EWS Diesel Locomotive Didcot Parkway

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

EWS Freight, Class 66086 diesel loco hauling a long rake of 102 tonne coal hopper wagons, photographed about to enter Didcot station on a bright summer's day in 2004.

UK Diesel locomotive Class 66086 was built in April 1999 by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD)

The three remaining Didcot Power Station cooling towers, seen top right of photo, were demolished in August 2019.

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 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 66536 at Banbury

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 Class 390154 Virgin Trains Pendolino Through Lichfield Station 2014

Virgin Pendolino Tilts At Lichfield

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

Virgin Trains Class 390154 EMU Pendolino tilting train which will, a few days after this photo was taken, carry the name, 'Matthew Flinders', is seen flashing at speed through Lichfield Trent Valley station on the 7th July 2014.

 

Pendolino Class 390154 electric multiple unit UK passenger train was named 'Matthew Flinders' at a ceremony on the 18th July 2014 at London's Euston station.  The Duke of Cambridge performed the naming.

Please note: Second Virgin Penolino photo at bottom of page

 

Mystery of the Missing Body

There is an interesting mystery surrounding Captain Matthew Flinders.  Even more so due to the fact that it has a UK railway connection.

Matthew Flinders was born on the 16th March 1774 in Donington, Lincolnshire, England, the son of a surgeon, and became a navigator and map maker, circumnavigating Australia in 1795.  He said his love of the sea came from reading the novel, Robinson Crusoe.

However, Flinders' career as a Royal Navy officer was short.  He died at the age of 40, on the 19th July 1814 from kidney disease at his London home, 14 London Street - later renamed Maple Street - now the site of the BT Tower.

It is at this point that the mystery begins.

Matthew Flinders was buried in St. James's Church burial ground, opened in 1788 in Piccadilly, London.  When Flinders' sister-in-law, Isabella Tyler, went to visit his grave a mere 28 years after his death, the location of his burial plot was already lost.  Nothing remained to suggest that he had ever been laid to rest there.

In 1878 the cemetery became St. James's Gardens when built over to allow for the expansion of Euston Station.    

Rumours abounded as to what had happened to the burials disturbed during the Euston expansion.  What happened to the coffin and body of Captain Matthew Flinders?  Some people believed that he was in fact lying beneath platform 4.  Others say it could well have been platform 12, while others 'knew for a fact' that it was platform 15.

Now fast-forward 205 years to January 2019, and the excavation site for the proposed HS2 line to be built between London and Birmingham.  

Archaeologists respectfully unearthing graves from the lost site of St. James's cemetery, of which there are estimated to be around 40,000, they came across a grave with a coffin nameplate laying on the skeleton.  
Other nameplates had also been uncovered in the area, but they were made of tin and totally rusted and illegible.  This particular nameplate however had been made from lead and still in excellent condition.

The name on the coffin nameplate was none other than the explorer, cartographer and navigator - Captain Matthew Flinders.  

The life of Captain Matthew Flinders was highlighted recently on the BBC TV programme, 'Britain's Biggest Dig'.

 

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On the same day that I photographed Class 390154 Pendolino EMU flashing through Lichfield, I managed to capture this shot of Class 390010 just as I was about to leave for home.

                                              

Class 390010 Virgin Pendolino at Lichfield      Photo: Charles Moorhen

 

 

 

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