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I'll title this update as "Revisiting Old Haunts" as the last few updates was, on the grand scheme of things, visiting old haunts; places which I haven't been too for some quite considerable time.
A session at Barrow Upon Trent and later on, Elford and Portway, on Wednesday 24th June was the order of the day. Originally, I was unsure of where to go for the day, but a message that 67001 and 67002 was taking 60010 from Crewe IEMD to Toton kind of sealed the deal and Barrow Upon Trent it was. So into the car and off I went. In the end, I stayed there for a good few hours in the sunshine, although we had an hour and a bit where nothing was due, this was cue to go and get fed and watered at the service station on the A50 near Willington.
Returning for the afternoon, it turned into a bit of a light engine fest what with 70807 and 70810 going on a jolly from Nottingham Eastcroft to Bescot, followed by 67002 and 67001 returning to Crewe, and finally 66560 and 66572 going from Toton - Crewe Basford Hall as 0K50. Although a nice surprise was Transpennine Express liveried 68028 working 6D95 Bescot to Toton, albeit with 2 JNA's in tow.
A move down the A38 after the passage of 4E49, which had 66427 at the business end, ensued, and my next port of call was Elford, near Tamworth. The drive down was quite effortless, and, despite lockdown being eased, the A38 didn't seem particularly busy.
Arriving at Elford, one thing did become really apparent, the amount of overgrowth which has encroached the site over the years such as the bushes getting bigger and the adjacent tree sprouting out further each time, needless to say, it hasn't buggered up the shot - just yet, but I guess that within the next couple of years then it could well do.
I had arrived at Elford a lot earlier than I had planned, I suppose I'd forgotten just how long it would take to drive there, I had came here to snap 6M00 Humber - Kingsbury, hoping for a Class 60, but it soon materialised that 66124 was on it, load 32 as well.
Having got 66124 easing it's load into the loop, my usual move of dashing round to Portway, it wasn't long for some action though as 66607 rumbled past with the empty box wagons from Small Heath back to Tunstead, followed just over a quarter of an hour later by 60059 working the 6E59 Kingsbury - Humber empty tanks. It wasn't long for 66124 to get the route set for the final few miles to Kingsbury. Over the years, I have heard how 66's struggle with loads over 30 tanks, but 66124 seemed to manage just fine.
Afterwards, and after, what I thought was a good day, it was home time, via the KFC in Hinckley - well it would be rude not to .
The day after the session at Barrow Upon Trent, I paid a brief visit to D.I.R.F.T., I was out doing some Eddie Stobart stuff nearby at M1 Junction 17, and went to D.I.R.F.T for the pair of Class 86's on 4M87 Felixstowe - Trafford Park.
66708 | 4M46 London Gateway - Hams Hall.
86632 + 86607 | 4M87 Felixstowe - Trafford Park.
A short video from the location is available here: