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Best places to photograph the sleepers in London?

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Tim R-T-C

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Hi folks.

I am going to be in London in mid Feb and keen to get some shots of the GW and SR sleepers.

How are Paddington and Euston for access? Could I get onto the platforms to shoot the trains there?

Are there any good places to photograph the SR ECS in a morning outside Euston?

Thanks
 
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gazthomas

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Hi folks.

I am going to be in London in mid Feb and keen to get some shots of the GW and SR sleepers.

How are Paddington and Euston for access? Could I get onto the platforms to shoot the trains there?

Are there any good places to photograph the SR ECS in a morning outside Euston?

Thanks

Paddington is much more photogenic than Euston
 

Tim R-T-C

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Willesden Junction does give reasonable photos for the morning ECS runs into Wembley.

Thanks, will they come past the Willesden Junction footbridge? Do any of the earlier tube stations have a view over the WCML or is Willesden the best spot?


Thanks, great shots, were you able to get onto the platform without a ticket or were you a passenger?
 

Nym

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Thanks, will they come past the Willesden Junction footbridge? Do any of the earlier tube stations have a view over the WCML or is Willesden the best spot?

DOn't know on that, but I've seen some good shots from Willesden Jcn, after there, the Electric (Watford DC / Bakerloo) lines tend to disappear off to one side behind Willesden Depot etc.
 

StripeyNick

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I believe the platform the sleeper uses at Paddington is the one to the far left as you enter the station and if I remember rightly, that side doesn't have a barrier.
 

Tim R-T-C

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Thanks for the pics. How is access to the platforms at Euston?

Do the Scottish sleepers get hauled into Euston on an evening by the loco that is going to lead them to Scotland or are they top and tailed?
 

12CSVT

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Do the Scottish sleepers get hauled into Euston on an evening by the loco that is going to lead them to Scotland or are they top and tailed?

ECS workings to / from Euston are booked for top & tailed 90s.

From my observations the top & tail loco used for sleeper stock between Polmadie and Glasgow Central can be just about anything in the DBS fleet (66s, 67s, 92s etc)
 

Peter Mugridge

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They're not strictly top and tail; I think the Highlander stock arrives like that but the Lowlander comes in conventionally; after the Highlander departs the loco that brought that stock in then couples up to the country end of the Lowlander and takes that out north.
 

causton

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Thanks for the pics. How is access to the platforms at Euston?

Do the Scottish sleepers get hauled into Euston on an evening by the loco that is going to lead them to Scotland or are they top and tailed?

The platform usually used is not barriered at Euston but it is a bit dark - would much rather try and get it from somewhere above ground if possible :) (if there is a service departing on the adjacent platform they may not be too keen on you going down there as there can be manual checks on the ramps!)
 

33056

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Not 100% sure but I think the Euston sleepers normally work like this:
pm:
5S95 (ECS for 1S25) top & tail to Euston.
5S96 (ECS for 1S26) single loco to Euston
Loco that brought 5S95 in works 1S26 north
Loco that brought 5S96 in returns light engine to Wembley Yard

am:
Light engine (0M11) off Wembley Yard to Euston and works 5M11 back to Wembley
Loco that brought 1M11 in goes on rear of 1M16 when it arrives and locos work 5M16 top & tail back to Wembley.

Variations of this can apply during altered working or if there are problems, particularly when the trains are diverted via the ECML as an extra loco is needed to take 1M16 into Euston after reversing.
 

Tim R-T-C

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Thanks for all the answers. Very helpful.

Just two final questions - I am getting the lowland down from Edinburgh - is there a second loco on that ECS move? The two legs combine at Carstairs - are there any photo ops here at midnight?
 

talltim

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Off topic, but, every time i see this thread title I think 'not Kings Cross Thameslink' (old version anyway)
 

Peter Mugridge

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Every time I've caught the Sleeper at Edinburgh the ecs comes in single locomotive and it runs round. Sometimes the one that's been stabled at Waverley all day is put on it and the loco off the ecs goes into the bay - that looks like a way of swapping the standby round more than anything else.
 
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