Back to blighty
Time for a British update. Yes, you read that correctly. I have uploaded images from the United Kingdom for once. It stemmed from some new wagons passing through Rugby recently whilst at work and culminated in me travelling to York via the East Coast Main Line. Why York? I gave myself many excuses as to why but eventually it comes down to the simple reason of “because I could”.
On the 15th of April 2016 GBRf 66749 heads North through Rugby (GB) with train 6Z66 the 10:48 hours service from Wembley Yard to Long Marston hauling 26 brand new JNA (Ealnos) wagons with Ermewa branding (GB-ERSA). These wagons had arrived from mainland Europe via the Tunnel but have been placed directly into secure storage at Long Marston awaiting their contracted use later this year.
66 749 passes through Rugby (GB) whilst working 6Z66 10:48 Wembley Yard to Long Marston on the 15th of April 2016.
A different batch of JNA (Ealnos) 81 70 5500 have the Ermewa (GB-ERSA) branding plus Tarmac branding on the opposite corner. These wagons are in use already as can be seen from the photograph below.
81 70 5500 014-2, TOPS Code JNA (Ealnos) passes South through Rugby (GB) in the consist of 6B30 12:55 hours from Mountsorrel to Northampton Sidings on the 8th of March 2016.
Whilst being at work I have been rather lucky to get shots of most of the new wagons to the United Kingdom, a few types have escaped me. Another new one to pass through has been the MMA (Ealnos) which is in service with DB Cargo (what was DB Schenker). Whilst in the same number range as the above 81 70 5500 for Tarmac etc there are differences.
MMA (Ealnos) 81 70 5500 103-3 heads South through Rugby (GB) in the consist of the 10:00 hours from Brigg sidings to Southampton Up Yard on the 9th of May 2016.
Another new-ish set for DB Cargo are these rebuilt steel wagons. The steel industry within the United Kingdom in decline (though some specialist services are doing well) there is a glut of wagons sat around with no work for them. The answer? Slap a box on the frame and hey presto, infrastructure projects for Network Rail suddenly have long wheel-based bogie wagons. These wagons are odd in that they have both their old number and a new European standard. On TOPS (the UK industry system for tracking stock movements etc) the old number is in use.
MXA 950178 also known as Sms 82 70 4703 070-1 passes through Rugby (GB) in the consist of engineering train 7R03 08:00 hours from Denbigh Hall North Junction to Bescot Engineering Sidings on the 15th of May 2016
Another new wagon through Rugby recently were these TOPS coded JGA (Uacns), also owned by Ermewa (GB-ERSA) with Tarmac branding.
JGA (Uacns) 81 70 7829 000-1 passes through Rugby with train 6Z11 the 13:18 hours from Wembley Yard to Tunstead on the 11th May 2016.
So going back to the start of this post, I gave myself a number of excuses to travel to York, one of which was the opportunity to view GBRf 66 779, the last Class 66 to be built for the European market. To celebrate this, GBRf arranged for the locomotive to be released in a livery known as BR Lined Green, which is the same livery the last steam locomotive to be built by British Rail, BR Standard Class 9F, 92220 ‘Evening Star’ resides in. At a naming ceremony within the Great Hall of the National Railway Museum at York on the 10th of May 2016, 66 779 was named Evening Star. GBRf have announced 66 779 will be donated to the National Railway Museum National Heritage Committee at the end of its working life. The opportunity to photograph both of them together will not happen again in theory for a long time. Considering the first Class 66 arrived in the United Kingdom in 1998 (18 years ago) and is still going strong I might be in my grave before 66 779 joins 92220 in the Great Hall.
GBRf 66779 ‘Evening Star’ sits next to BR Standard 9F, 92220 ‘Evening Star’ within the Great Hall at the National Railway Museum in York on the 17th of May 2016
After photographing the Class 66 & 9F at York I decided to pop over to Barnetby, via Doncaster to photograph some Biomass wagons which I hadn’t had the chance to photograph until now. When I arrived at Doncaster I found the wagon below sitting in Doncaster station yard. The last time I photographed this wagon it was surrounded by the dreaded buddleia, looking like it had reached the end of its working life.
FBA 600021 sits in ex-works condition in the station yard at Doncaster (GB) on the 17th of May 2016
The last image in this blog post is the very colourful, and I have to say, very smart looking Biomass wagons serving Drax power station, built by WH Davis. They are listed on TOPS as IIA, in line with all new wagon builds they have been given a European identity of ‘Tafoos’
IIA (Tafoos) 83 70 0698 055-6 heads East through Barnetby (GB) towards the coast in the consist of train 4R51 the 11:45 hours from Drax Power Station to Immingham Dock on the 17th of May 2016
United Kingdom Locomotives:
United Kingdom Wagons:
FBA, IIA (Tafoos), JGA (Uacns), JNA (Ealnos), MMA (Ealnos), MXA (Sms), TEA (Zafgns)
Gingespotting 