CallySleeperKid
Member
I have just got back from a short break in Inverness, and there was a few interesting happenings along the way!
First of all we had a failed 158 at Nottingham, we had all got on, over on platform 6, and the guard popped his head in and said we all had to get off as the unit had failed and go over to another 158 on platform 2! For anyone that doesn't know Nottingham, platform 2 is a bay platform at the wrong end of the station to the direction of travel you need for the Liverpool service. The unit was intended for the Skegness run, but everyone was pulled off of that train and we all got on! We then went out of Nottingham in the wrong direction, stopped and went back non-stop through Nottingham, I know technically it wasn't non-stop, but I can honestly say I've never gone through Nottingham without stopping, and no doubt I never will again!
I am sure I caught a view of a class 70 passing us on 2 separate occasions during the journey from Liverpool Lime Street to Euston, but I can't be sure.
Network South East liveried class 86? at Wembley. (Well I think it was an 86, I'm never 100% sure on the 86s and 87s, and I didn't get a picture)
One of the sleeper coaches we had to pass through had lost all the main lighting, after a few malts in the lounge car this proved interesting!
While in Inverness we had another failed 158, this time on an Aberdeen service. Luckily this time we hadn't boarded and were only delayed while they bought another 158 in from another platform.
I managed to get a video and photos of a double headed Freightliner class 66 cement tanks train at Aviemore, which was passed in the station by EWS 66 on Stobart tanks, all finished off with the steam loco running round on the Strathspey Steam Railway (pictures up now and video to follow).
We had a signal problem north of Pitlochry and had to proceed with caution and crawl for a good 30 minutes until we were clear of the issues. We then arrived at Perth 25 late and were informed we were being re routed via Stirling and going non stop to Haymarket. Earlier on the air conditioning had failed on the, yes you guessed it, 158, and we had to have all the windows open just to breath, and the train was rammed! We were 30 late leaving Perth but that was dragged back to 15 on arrival at Waverley thanks to the re routing.
Outside Edinburgh I saw a West Coast 37 but didn't have my camera ready.
Also outside Edinburgh there was a rake of East Coast MK3s with a Porterbrook barrier vehicle on one end but the other end was hidden so not sure if it had a loco on. There was also a Cross Country HST stabled with only one power car!
North of Darlington I saw a class 60, 60054 named Charles Babbage, with EWS tanks, but only caught a blurry photo, with the cab of the engine missing.
Just outside Northallerton, on the branch was 60040 'The Territorial Army Centenary' light engine. Its not often I see a class 60 these days, but to see 2 in the space of 10 minutes or so was great, although I didn't manage to get a clear picture of either
Saw the New Measurement Train stables at Newcastle, the first time I have ever seen it! And got a photo!
Outside the NRM was an apple green LNER tender on its own, and poking its nose out the shed was 60019 Bittern.
Saw my first Grand Central 180 coming into York.
All in all it was an eventful and very enjoyable trip, will no doubt be doing the same again!
First of all we had a failed 158 at Nottingham, we had all got on, over on platform 6, and the guard popped his head in and said we all had to get off as the unit had failed and go over to another 158 on platform 2! For anyone that doesn't know Nottingham, platform 2 is a bay platform at the wrong end of the station to the direction of travel you need for the Liverpool service. The unit was intended for the Skegness run, but everyone was pulled off of that train and we all got on! We then went out of Nottingham in the wrong direction, stopped and went back non-stop through Nottingham, I know technically it wasn't non-stop, but I can honestly say I've never gone through Nottingham without stopping, and no doubt I never will again!
I am sure I caught a view of a class 70 passing us on 2 separate occasions during the journey from Liverpool Lime Street to Euston, but I can't be sure.
Network South East liveried class 86? at Wembley. (Well I think it was an 86, I'm never 100% sure on the 86s and 87s, and I didn't get a picture)
One of the sleeper coaches we had to pass through had lost all the main lighting, after a few malts in the lounge car this proved interesting!
While in Inverness we had another failed 158, this time on an Aberdeen service. Luckily this time we hadn't boarded and were only delayed while they bought another 158 in from another platform.
I managed to get a video and photos of a double headed Freightliner class 66 cement tanks train at Aviemore, which was passed in the station by EWS 66 on Stobart tanks, all finished off with the steam loco running round on the Strathspey Steam Railway (pictures up now and video to follow).
We had a signal problem north of Pitlochry and had to proceed with caution and crawl for a good 30 minutes until we were clear of the issues. We then arrived at Perth 25 late and were informed we were being re routed via Stirling and going non stop to Haymarket. Earlier on the air conditioning had failed on the, yes you guessed it, 158, and we had to have all the windows open just to breath, and the train was rammed! We were 30 late leaving Perth but that was dragged back to 15 on arrival at Waverley thanks to the re routing.
Outside Edinburgh I saw a West Coast 37 but didn't have my camera ready.
Also outside Edinburgh there was a rake of East Coast MK3s with a Porterbrook barrier vehicle on one end but the other end was hidden so not sure if it had a loco on. There was also a Cross Country HST stabled with only one power car!
North of Darlington I saw a class 60, 60054 named Charles Babbage, with EWS tanks, but only caught a blurry photo, with the cab of the engine missing.
Just outside Northallerton, on the branch was 60040 'The Territorial Army Centenary' light engine. Its not often I see a class 60 these days, but to see 2 in the space of 10 minutes or so was great, although I didn't manage to get a clear picture of either
Saw the New Measurement Train stables at Newcastle, the first time I have ever seen it! And got a photo!
Outside the NRM was an apple green LNER tender on its own, and poking its nose out the shed was 60019 Bittern.
Saw my first Grand Central 180 coming into York.
All in all it was an eventful and very enjoyable trip, will no doubt be doing the same again!
