Eastleigh to Redhill Light Locos

[Deepgreen]

Does anyone know the purpose of the Eastleigh to Redhill and return light loco runs this week? I assume route knowledge/driver training but I'm not clear for what purpose. Is it 769-related? 66539 ran today, seen passing Brockham.

 

[FGW_DID]

Does anyone know the purpose of the Eastleigh to Redhill and return light loco runs this week? I assume route knowledge/driver training but I'm not clear for what purpose. Is it 769-related? 66539 ran today, seen passing Brockham.
View attachment 96006

No, nothing 769 related. Colas are the FOC involved with all that stuff.
At Reading this afternoon I did however see a FL Class 66 light engine with that detachable rail monitoring / surveying camera rig attached to the front.

This was the camera rig (photo from t’interweb):

 

[fgwrich]

No, nothing 769 related. Colas are the FOC involved with all that stuff.
At Reading this afternoon I did however see a FL Class 66 light engine with that detachable rail monitoring / surveying camera rig attached to the front.

Sounds and looks like a monitoring trip with the Fugro RILA system then.

 

[Deepgreen]

No, nothing 769 related. Colas are the FOC involved with all that stuff.
At Reading this afternoon I did however see a FL Class 66 light engine with that detachable rail monitoring / surveying camera rig attached to the front.

This was the camera rig (photo from t’interweb):

View attachment 96039

No such equipment being carried that I could see. It's running again tomorrow too, and should have run on Monday, but was cancelled. The multiplicity of journeys suggests training rather than monitoring.

Same loco used again today, seen at Buckland crossing. No exterior equipment and what looked like an instructor sitting on the desk by the secondman's window. I'd put money on it being driver training/route learning - but for what?

 

[FGW_DID]

No such equipment being carried that I could see. It's running again tomorrow too, and should have run on Monday, but was cancelled. The multiplicity of journeys suggests training rather than monitoring.

Same loco used again today, seen at Buckland crossing. No exterior equipment and what looked like an instructor sitting on the desk by the secondman's window. I'd put money on it being driver training/route learning - but for what?
View attachment 96089

Cant help you there but its not 769 related.

 

[Deepgreen]

Cant help you there but its not 769 related.

Indeed - that's Colas. Other sources have surmised that it's Freightliner driver training, but surely there are no plans for freight on the NDL as it's (supposedly) at full capacity now with its 'intensive' 3tph?! The mystery remains.

 

[ExRes]

Indeed - that's Colas. Other sources have surmised that it's Freightliner driver training, but surely there are no plans for freight on the NDL as it's (supposedly) at full capacity now with its 'intensive' 3tph?! The mystery remains.

Just out of interest how long is the overnight gap between the last and first services?

 

[FGW_DID]

Route learning for a diversionary route? Route refresh for any forthcoming infrastructure / engineering trains?

nice phot at the crossing, I like that!

 

[Minstral25]

Great Photo - as it seems to be a deliberate trip for North Downs so perhaps Freightliner are learning for 769 testing on Reading Basingstoke and Reading Redhill??

 

[BRblue]

I would hazard a guess that this is for route refreshing/learning for engineering trains, possibly down to the August blockade of the Arun valley line.

 

[FGW_DID]

Great Photo - as it seems to be a deliberate trip for North Downs so perhaps Freightliner are learning for 769 testing on Reading Basingstoke and Reading Redhill??

769 Fault Free Running is being carried out by Colas drivers, they carried out route learning on the North Downs a while back.

 

[Deepgreen]

It ran again today, with the interesting RTT train number of 000Z! The suggestion of engineering train instruction makes sense. It'll be an interesting time on the route in August if that's the case! Regarding the Colas 769 training, I imagine they'll have to run more to refresh the drivers by the time they appear here, if ever!

 

[Peregrine 4903]

It ran again today, with the interesting RTT train number of 000Z! The suggestion of engineering train instruction makes sense. It'll be an interesting time on the route in August if that's the case! Regarding the Colas 769 training, I imagine they'll have to run more to refresh the drivers by the time they appear here, if ever!

That wont be the trains actual headcode. That headcode on RTT is scrambled. This is because most freight companies don't want their real headcodes showing on public facing websites. GBRF are the exception.

 

[Freightmaster]

That wont be the trains actual headcode. That headcode on RTT is scrambled. This is because most freight companies don't want their real headcodes showing on public facing websites. GBRF are the exception.

For the record, the 'real' headcodes for last week's moves were 0Z40 (Eastleigh to Redhill) and 0Z41 return.





MARK