XC HST Leeds - Swanage farewell tour 26/09/23

[Robin Procter]

This RTT picture is far more appealing, than the usual SWR Desiro images for my locality!

.... Wow! Hats off to Tom who runs RTT (and is a member here) - It even shows which Power Car is heading each diagram!

 

[DarloRich]

It isn’t. It’s at the premier HST depot.

Heaton?

Assume Neville Hill

 

[43096]

Assume Neville Hill

Indeed. And I’m a Lancastrian saying that about a Yorkshire depot!

Good to see some of NL’s top people on today’s tour - there’s no shortage of technical knowledge on board.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I hope all on board are having an excellent time. A photo taken at Totton, on my photo thread here, post #30

Loco hauled around Havant

A summer "challenge" deep in SWR/Southern land - Photograph loco-hauled, or light, services within within my locality. Focus is freight workings or uncommon traffic. I'll add to this thread during the year. Main line steam haulage in South Hampshire - my thread is...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[CarltonA]

Saw this at Reading this morning purely by chance. There was a very good turnout of gricers and photographers. Sorry to see them go but they had a good innings.

 

[sprinterguy]

Took a few photos on its way back north through Derby.

 

[Western Sunset]

Passing over Holes Bay, Poole, on its way back to Leeds.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Passing over Holes Bay, Poole, on its way back to Leeds.

Lovely photo - and at a location still on my "to photograph" list.

 

[tobiast]

I got a lovely view of the set returning to Laira via Droitwich this morning. An unusual sight and like something from a former age, with the semaphore signals.

 

[geoffk]

There was supposed to be a XC staff charter with an HST, Plymouth - Blackpool N and return, on Friday 29th, but I see it's cancelled.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

There was supposed to be a XC staff charter with an HST, Plymouth - Blackpool N and return, on Friday 29th, but I see it's cancelled.

ASLEF industrial action on Friday 29th September - overtime ban and XC relies heavily on Rest Day work since they increased their timetable in May this year.

 

[Robin Procter]

Crossing "The Mud" as it has been known by local railwaymen for over a century. Holes Bay, Dorset.

 

[geoffk]

ASLEF industrial action on Friday 29th September - overtime ban and XC relies heavily on Rest Day work since they increased their timetable in May this year.

So it might be rescheduled.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Superb photos and I really should get my camera down to Holes Bay.
Here's mine - Totton. My photos thread is linked in post 124.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

So it might be rescheduled.

AFAIK it’s game over for this, the staff-tour was originally planned for mid October but this gave insufficient time for hand-back work at the end of the lease of the sets. The industrial action over the next week and a bit has put paid to any more trips.

 

[Western Sunset]

Another photo; this time from Bournemouth...

 

[godfreycomplex]

It isn’t. It’s at the premier HST depot.

What’s it doing at Landore?!

(jumping on the bandwagon)

 

[43096]

AFAIK it’s game over for this, the staff-tour was originally planned for mid October but this gave insufficient time for hand-back work at the end of the lease of the sets. The industrial action over the next week and a bit has put paid to any more trips.

The lease expiry is mid-October!

 

[HamworthyGoods]

The lease expiry is mid-October!

Yeah you need to allow a couple of weeks really for hand back work/exams which doesn’t allow time for this to take place after the industrial action.

The spare parts supply chain is so slow for HSTs now they need that time to get them prepared for whatever happens next to them.

 

[Tractor37]

43184 back at Neville Hill today, coupled up to43304, ready for departure assumedly back to Laira at some point Sunday onwards

 

[43096]

43184 back at Neville Hill today, coupled up to43304, ready for departure assumedly back to Laira at some point Sunday onwards

43184 has been at NL for 10 days or so as the standby for the farewell tour.

 

[Tractor37]

43184 has been at NL for 10 days or so as the standby for the farewell tour.

It went back down to Laira for a few days. The only power car on Neville Hill was 43304

 

[43096]

It went back down to Laira for a few days. The only power car on Neville Hill was 43304

You seem to be the only person aware of this happening.

43184/366 worked 5Z43 LA-NL light engines on 15 September as standbys for the tour.
Following the discovery of defects on 43304 upon arrival at NL after working 1E63 on 14 September, 43304 was taken off set XC03 and 43366 put on, with 366+XC03+303 working 5Z43 NL-LA on 17th.

43184 remained at NL as standby for the tour and will work back to LA with 43304 now that 43304 has had a traction motor change and associated repairs from the top team at NL (reported elsewhere as having suffered sheared drive links on no. 3 wheelset - which pierced no. 2 bogie air pipework - and sheared bolts on no. 3 gearbox housing).

If you know of any working of 43184 solo from NL to LA and back again in that time, can you provide evidence - as no-one else on the planet has seen that move. There's not really any logic to such a move, either.

 

[Tractor37]

You seem to be the only person aware of this happening.

43184/366 worked 5Z43 LA-NL light engines on 15 September as standbys for the tour.
Following the discovery of defects on 43304 upon arrival at NL after working 1E63 on 14 September, 43304 was taken off set XC03 and 43366 put on, with 366+XC03+303 working 5Z43 NL-LA on 17th.

43184 remained at NL as standby for the tour and will work back to LA with 43304 now that 43304 has had a traction motor change and associated repairs from the top team at NL (reported elsewhere as having suffered sheared drive links on no. 3 wheelset - which pierced no. 2 bogie air pipework - and sheared bolts on no. 3 gearbox housing).

If you know of any working of 43184 solo from NL to LA and back again in that time, can you provide evidence - as no-one else on the planet has seen that move. There's not really any logic to such a move, either.

I was up at Neville Hill 2 weeks ago and it was stabled with 43304 next to the fuel tanks. It was still in the same place on the Thursday. I went up last Tuesday (a week and a half later) and only 43304 was visible and had been moved to a different siding near to the HST servicing shed. After the repairs it needed, I assume. I looked in the HST servicing shed and the old steam shed - the only two places 43184 would have been hiding. Unless it had another hidey hole somewhere else. It still wasn’t visible anywhere on Wednesday but had returned by the time I was up there at 7pm on Friday just gone coupled back upto 43304.

 

[43096]

I was up at Neville Hill 2 weeks ago today at 05.30 it was stabled with 43304 next to the fuel tanks. It was still in the same place on the Thursday. I went up last Tuesday and only 43304 was visible and had been moved to a different siding near to the HST servicing shed. I looked in the servicing shed and the old steam shed - the only two places 43184 would have been to be informed it wasn’t here. Still not there Wednesday but had returned by the time I was up there at 7pm on Friday just gone. I can only report what I see and had been informed of by another member of staff.

There’s more places than that it could have been. Just because you didn’t see it doesn’t mean it wasn’t there.

As you have provided no evidence of it going back south - and there have been NO reports of it doing so - it’s case closed. It never left NL.