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ON THESE PAGES you will find memories going back nearly 60 years, photos going back nearly 40 years, and videos going back nearly 20 years. Railway photos, videos, memories, main line, narrow gauge and models, you will find them all here. Just click the links below to go to the pages that interest you.

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Railway videos are being added into this section on a regular basis. View what has been happening recently and going back over the years.
Engineering trains take over ECML.
DRS class 57 no. 57303 'Pride of Carlisle' on hire to ROG hauls Europhoenix class 91's, 91117, 91120, down Gamston Bank with the 0E23 Peterborough Eastfield to Doncaster. ​
​Class 67 'Thunderbird' loco's at work around Retford and Doncaster on the East Coast Main Line.
Class 91's on Gamston Bank
Sundays are currently providing the rare sight of trains using the sharply curving line from the East Coast Main Line at Retford to the Lincoln to Sheffield line. 
​Intermodal trains in the fog
Two grubby class 66's on a Rail Head Treatment Train on the East Coast Main Line at Retford. 66161 and 66099 are seen pulling into platform 1 at Retford.
88002 Prometheus with the 4Z45, 13:50 Daventry Int Rft Recep Fl to Mossend Down Yard service. 
Classes 66 and 91 on Gamston Bank.
Azumas on Gamston Bank
A  Stoneblower, class 66 and condemned Mk4 stock AND class 88 and 68 working in multiple.
Two rarities through Retford.

Class 20's and other trains on the low level lines at Retford.

There might be a big reduction in coal trains through Retford low level lines, but with the new Sheffield to Gainsborough Central service there is a steady flow of traffic made more interesting by the passage of the Rail head Treatment Train.

Rail head treatment trains

Rail head treatment trains worked by class 20 locomotives.

West Coast Railways Diesels.

West Coast Railways class 37's, 47's and 57's working around the country.
British Railways 4MT locomotives in action on the Mid-Hants Railway and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Featuring 2-6-0's 76017 and 76079, 4-6-0 75029, and 2-6-4 tanks 80078 and 80072.
​In this video compilation we see my favourite steam locomotives (along with Stanier Duchess class), the Bulleid light pacifics in their original air-smoothed condition and in their rebuilt form.
Seen are 34046 masquerading as 34052, 'Lord Dowding' (which did not survive the cutter's torch), 34053, 'Sir Keith Park', 34081, '92 Squadron' and 34067 'Tangmere'.
Locations are the Mid-Hants Railway, Retford on the East Coast Main Line and the Nene Valley Railway .

Trains from the past, the present and the future through Retford, 11/01/19.

The past, the present & the future through Retford on 11th January 2019.
L.N.E.R, class A3 60103 'Flying Scotsman' is seen working the 'Scotsman Salute' from Kings Cross to York. The train is first seen descending Gamston Bank at Retford as it slows for a stop in the loop at Babworth. The train is then seen getting back into it's stride after leaving the loop.
Also filmed that morning on Gamston Bank were an HST formation and a 9-car LNER-liveried Hitachi Azuma on test.
​Gresley A4 pacific 60009 'Union of South Africa' brings the 1Z40 down Gamston bank as it slows for a stop in Babworth loop, Retford. The second clip shows the train heading off again towards Doncaster as it leaves Retford.
In this video we see preserved examples of the original British Railways DMU fleet, now termed as Heritage DMU's.
The Metro-Cammell DMU was one of the earliest units to go into operation with BR, and was then developed into the class 101 units, one of the most numerous types around.
Also in this video, the original Derby Lightweight single-car unit is seen.
Trains are seen on the Great Central Railway, The North Yorkshire Moors Railway, the North Norfolk Railway and the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway.
Class 37's, maids of all work.
First entering service in 1960, the class 37's  (English Electric type 3's) are some of the oldest diesels still regularly running on the main line. Rated at 1750 bhp, they could be seen on just about any type of train from express passengers, to heavy freight and branch line work. In this video we see some of their workings I have managed to film over the last few years.
The video starts at Carnforth when DRS class 37's were used to top-and-tail Northern Trains services on the Cumbrian coast line. 37402 and 37218 are seen on these services.
04:17. A pair of Colas class 37's take a Network Rail test train south on the East Coast Main Line and are seen ascending Gamston bank to the south of Retford.
05:21. Network rail 97302 is seen on a test train at Retford on the Sheffield to Lincoln line which dives under the East Coast Main Line at the station.
06:35. Rail Operations Group 37884 'Cepheus' is seen on the East Coast Main Line at Retford station as it works a Toton to Leeds service dragging a crane. This train had been routed a long way round, going down to Grantham and then up the East Coast Main Line to get to Leeds. The loco is then seen later in the day returning a different crane to Toton by the same long way round.
09:12. A few months later I filmed 37884 again, this time on the West Coast Main Line heading south light loco through Carnforth.
09:55. West Coast Railways 37706 is seen descending from Whisker Hill Juncion to pass under the East Coast Main Line at Retford with a Branch Line Society charter train to Cleethorpes.
12:55. 37025 'Inverness TMD' brings a Network Rail Test train round the link from the Sheffield to Lincoln line into the main line platform 2 at Retford. The train the reverses and goes back onto the Sheffield to Lincoln line and then passes through the low level platforms towards Gainsborough.
15:22. 37264 is seen at Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
16:18. Back to the Cumbrian Coast line, and this time when the services were being worked by a single class 37 and DVT. A south-bound service with the DVT leading arrives in Ravenglass, and then 37409 is seen on a north-bound service.
18:15. West Coast Railways 37516 brings a south-bound charter service from Dumfries into Carnforth. The train is about to cross over into the loops to enable the class 37 to replaced by a steam locomotive for the rest of its journey south.
19:16. Finally, we see 37264 again on the North Yorkshire Moors railway with a service from Grosmont to Pickering.
A chilly September morning on Carnforth station. The first thing of interest was Jubilee class 4-6-0 no. 45699 Galatea coming off shed and heading for the good loops. Later on, a rail tour from Dunfries to Shrewsbury arrived behind a West Coast Railways class 37, which then pulled into the other goods loop to allow the class 37 to come off and the Jubilee to couple up.
In between this a pair of class 88's, working on diesel power are seen with a nuclear flask train for Sellafield.
The final clip shows a pair of Freightliner class 90's on an intermodal working.
One of my favourite diesel classes is the English Electric type 1 (class 20). 228 of these locos were built between 1957 and 1968, after the initial batch had been completed, more were ordered due to the failure of other type 1 diesels, particularly the Clayton type 1 which did not live up the expectations. Early builds had disk head codes, later versions had 4-character headcode boxes.

Surprisingly, this 60-year old design can still be found running on the main line on duties such as rail-head cleaning and they are distinctive by the whistle sound from the turbo-charger, a sound which they shared with their larger brothers, the class 40's.

The video starts with some scenes at Barrow Hill Roundhouse of class 20's stored, probably awaiting the next season of rail-head cleaning duties. Preserved locos are then seen on the Great Central Railway and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the video finishes with some shots of a rail-head treatment train in North Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire.
Some of the rail services through Retford on Monday August 27th 2018.
The first train is a Leeds to Kings Cross service propelled by 90 036, after which is a normal north-bound express hauled by a class 91.
Grand Central trains are then represented by a south-bound class 180 which passes another class 91-hauled north-bound service.
Next comes the main purpose of the visit. Railway Operations Group class 37, 37884 'Cepheus' passes through on the 07:15 Stapleford & S C C E Sdg to Holbeck Loco Sidings service which had taken a rather roundabout route via Peterborough.
I then visited Thrumpton level crossing to see 66777 on the 6F71 08:45 Immingham H.I.T. (Gbrf) to Cottam Power Station services just after it passed under the East Coast Main Line.
Leter on that day DB Cargo 66094 heads north through the station with the 08:09 Dollands Moor Sdgs to Scunthorpe Redbourn Sdg.
A Grand Central class 180, still in First Great Western livery rushes south through the station and then a LNER York-bound service pulls into platform 2.
This was closely followed by a class 800 IEP Azuma set on a crew train ing run, which after a short stop headed north.
There then followed a rare treat. As a Hull Trains class 180 heads north, the ROG class 37, 37884 pulls into platform 1 on the 1351 Holbeck Loco Sidings to Stapleford & S C C E Sdg. Although at first it appears to be the same service as had headed north in the morning, it had taken one crane north in the morning, and then brought a different one back.
The video finishes with the same loco that started the video, class 90 90 036 returning north with a Kings Cross to Leeds service.
A few hours spent on Retford station. Amongst the regular flow of LNER HST's and class 91's, and Hull Trains and Grand Central class 180's, there was a class 322 Northern EMU on it's way from Ilford to Leeds Neville Hill,  the Middleton Towers to Monks Bretton sand train and various Hitachi class 800 units on crew training.
One unusual sighting was an LNER HST is reverse formation (1st class at the northern end) and an East Midlands Trains power car on the rear.
A visit was also made to the low level platforms to record Sprinter units running between Leeds and Lincoln, and an Immingham to Cottam Power station coal train.
A morning spent on Doncaster station. Highlights included 90029 on a Leeds to Kings Cross service, 2 x Freightliner 66's on a southbound container train, class 800's on driver training (I presume), 66709 in M.S.C. livery, one of the 3-car class 158's no. 158752 on a Doncaster to Leeds service (deputising for a class 321?) and a beautifully clean DBC 66018 looking like it had just come out of the paint shop..
An afternoon spent on Gamston bank on the East Coast Main Line. This is a playlist (5 videos) of the various types of trains that I saw during my time there. The different videos are class 180's, HST's, class 91's, Hitachi IEP's, and class 66 and 90.
D9009 Alicydon descends Gamston bank on the outskirts of Retford with a Kings Cross to Edinburgh rail tour. Unfortunately, instead of rushing down the bank at full line speed, the train is slowing to be looped at Retford to allow a late running VTEC HST to overtake.
The ferry between Hythe and Southampton Town Quay is the reason for the existence of the Hythe Pier Railway, probably the oldest pier railway in the country. The small electric loco (3rd rail) is at the landward end of the train and propels up to 3 carriages and a luggage carrier, with the seaward carriage being a driving trailer.
The pier itself is 640 metres long and runs from the village centre to the edge of the deep water channel to connect with ferries to Southampton.
A visit to Haven Street on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway on 12/06/2018. Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2 tank 41298 was on passenger duty that day.
A few days away allowed me a little time for some video. First of all we see some trains entering and leaving Torquay station. From these shots you can see the curvature and inclines at each end of the station.
This is followed by some shots of trains on the sea front at Dawlish.
The New Measurement Train (The Flying Banana) is seen on Gamston Bank on the East Coast Main Line just south of Retford, along with a couple of VTEC HST's. The NMT had been held on the fast line in Retford station to allow a VTEC train out in front, so was not moving fast up the bank.
Out of the ordinary around Retford  07/04/18

There were some unusual trains movements around Retford on the 7th April 2018. First of all, as a class 91-propelled London service ascends Gamston bank, it meets a DBC class 90 90029 deputising for a failed class 91 on a Leeds service.

Following that was the Whitby Flyer hauled by 86259/E3137 with 'Peter Pan' nameplates on one side and 'Les Ross' on the other. The excursion paused long enough in Retford station for me to get there and record it leaving.

A little later a Cross-Country HST on hire to VTEC came through heading for London.

Then another excursion came through, the 'Geordie-Go-Round, hauled by EWS-liveried 90035 with 67008 at the rear.

Towards evening I returned to the station to get another shot of 90029 on a Leeds-bound service, nearly thwarted by a late-running HST occupying platform 1. Surprisingly, the HST was let out onto the main line in front of a class 91 service on the through line, which is then seen coming to a stop on the fast line while the HST cleared the section ahead.

Finally, as it was getting dark, 90035 and 67008 came back through with the return working of the 'Geordie-Go-Round'.
A visit to Gamston bank on the East Coast main Line to film two class 800 services coming up from London. Whilst there I took the opportunity to film other services.
First of all there is the 6E83 08:20 Middleton Towers Gbrf to Barnby Dun Roc. Glass Gbrf behind 66768.
The second clip shows a Hull Trains class 180 accelerating away from its Retford stop and passing a class 800 forming the 5X63 12:11 London Kings Cross to Doncaster Carr Iep Depot.
The 08:10 Dollands Moor Sdgs to Scunthorpe Redbourn Sdg is then seen descending the bank behind 66167 and is met on the bank by a VTEC HST service with two East Midlands Trains power cars.
Finally, the 5X31 13:11 London Kings Cross to Doncaster Carr Iep Depot descends the bank formed from two GWR class 800's, slowing for a stop in Retford station.

15 classes of trains in one morning at Doncaster.

23/03/18 proved to be an interesting morning at Doncaster. In a 3-hour visit, the following classes were filmed -

Classes 43, 60, 66, 67, 82, 90, 91, 142, 144, 153, 158, 180, 185, 220, 322.

Of special interest were a pair of Scotrail HST's in the yard, a couple of class 90's deputising for class 91's and a class 60 running around the area light engine.

Enjoy the variety from operators GBrF, DBC, Freightliner, VTEC, Trans Pennine, Northern Trains, East Midlands Trains, Cross Country,  Scotrail, and Grand Central.
A visit to Doncaster on 23/03/18. I was hoping to see a class 90 deputising for a class 91 on a VTEC service, but in the end saw two! First of all is 90 018 'Pride of Bellshill' on a London-bound service, and then later on 90 029 was propelling another London service. Over in the yard was 90 038 or 90 039 (I couldn't quite get the number), still in EWS livery.

Later on the 0Z12 09:21 Bounds Green to Doncaster arrived. I had been following its progress north, expecting it to be a Thunderbird class 67, but, surprisingly, it was class 91 no. 91 122 running light engine.
A few interesting movements through Retford today (16/03/18). First of all the first 9-coach Azuma I have seen, (all the others have been 5-coach units) on the 5X62 09:53 Doncaster Carr Iep Depot to London Kings Cross. Then one that was puzzling me - the 10:05 York Parcel Sidings to Norwich Crown Point. Shown on Realtime trains as a light loco timed for 75mph. Could it be steam? No, it turned out to be 88 008. It was due to stop in platform 1, then reverse into the up sidings for a short while before continuing south. In the event, although the points into the sidings were changed for it, it decided to sit at the south end of the station before resuming it's trip. A little later the 08:23 Darlington Down Sidings to Grantham Up Sdgs came through, and then the 10:11 Newark North Gate Sidings to Holbeck Loco Sidings.
Soon to be history, in this video we see HST's working through Doncaster. The Grand Central HST's no longer exist, and later this year the Virgin Trains East Coast ones are due to be replaced by the new Azuma trains. Also seen are East Midlands Trains HST's on hire to VTEC.
Various freight operating companies working through Doncaster during several of my visits there. Of interest is the 66779 'Evening Star', 66743 'Royal Scotsman' and a triple-headed class 66 working, all on coal empties,
Grand Central HSTs are now just a memory with having been replaced by class 180 units from Great Western. The HST's have now moved on to a new operator (East Midland Trains I believe).
The HST's are seen around Retford, Doncaster and north of York.
A brief trip to Retford station on a very dismal morning  resulted in an unexpected view of an Azuma running from Doncaster to Kings Cross. When I had checked earlier it did not appear that it was going to run, so nearly caught me out. 
The main purpose of the visit was to view the New Measurement Train. A class 91 express was let out of platform 1 onto the main line ahead of it, resulting in it running slowly through and then being held for a short while before resuming its run from Heaton to Cambridge.
A few trains filmed through Retford whilst waiting for a class 37-hauled Network Rail test train (see https://youtu.be/Dz59sgRL4vco). Unusually, some trains were let out of the platforms in front of other services, causing some trains on the fast lines going rather slowly. Also seen is an ex-First Great Western class 180, now un-branded and working a Grand Central service.
37025 'Inverness TMD' is seen at Retford high and low level platforms working the 07:14 Immingham TMD to Doncaster  West Yard service. This train travelled the Gainsborough to Sheffield line several times, at one point coming round the link to platform 2 on the ECML, and then returning to Whisker Hill junction before then coming through platform 4 on the low level on its way to Cottam Power Station.
On 13/02/18 the 1A93, 10:30 service from Hull to London Kings Cross arrives in Retford 35 minutes late after technical problems before leaving Hull. Surprisingly, the service was then let out onto the main line right in front of the 1E08 Edinburgh to Kings Cross service which was already 6 minutes late leaving Doncaster and then had to crawl through Retford on the fast line resulting in it being 12 minutes late at Newark.

A little while later the 0Z12 09:13 Bounds Green T&R.S.M.D. to Doncaster West Yard came through 9 minutes early with 90 034 hauling dead locos 91 105 and 91 120.
A visit to the Mid Hants Railway (The Watercress Line) on a freezing 28th December 2017. I made a journey from Medstead and Four Marks to Ropley behind S.R. Schools 925 Cheltenham which had taken a very long time to make the climb from Alton. 
After a look around Ropley, it was on to Alresford behind Standard 4MT 76017, and a chance to ride in a Bullied coach. 
A brief stop at Alresford with just time to grab a coffee and pastie, then back on the train for a trip all the way up to Alton where 76017 is seen running around its train. 
Then it was back to Medstead and Four Marks and the final shot showing 76017 heading away downhill towards Ropley.

Grove Road Crossing and Gamston Bank (Retford ECML).
A morning visit to Medstead and Four Marks station on the Mid Hants Railway which happened to coincide with the start of their Summer Steam Gala.
In a couple of hours I had filmed 34052 'Lord Dowding', 34053 'Sir Keith Park', 34081 '92 Squadron', 80078, and 76017.
The final few clips were to me the most satisfactory, with lovely sound from 76017 climbing from Ropley into Medstead and Four Marks, and then leaving to head for Alton.

A visit to Doncaster on Friday 28th April, 2017. The main purpose was to film a West Coast railways ECS service from Carnforth to Norwich. Just as the class 47-headed train came into view, a freight came through on the down fast line, blocking the view, then a Trans Pennine Express unit to Manchester came into platform 3, again, blocking the view. Luckily, the ECS was held beside the station for a while, so I did manage to scoot to the other end of the station and get some shots as it departed south.

66743, Royal Scotsman on coal empties, plus other trains at Doncaster.

A visit to Doncaster on 14-03-17. Normally much of my video is done from the south end of the station, but this time I decided to concentrate on the north end. The first train filmed was 66743 in Belmond Royal Scotsman livery on coal empties. The north location then allowed some shots of 08669 shunting X-Country stock. After a normal selection of rolling stock, including a Thunderbird class 67 returning to Doncaster, the video ends with a 7-car Virgin HST formation with East Midlands power cars at each end.

The unusual sight of an Abelio Greater Anglia class 156 on Gamston bank, ECML.

The very unusual sight of an Abelio Greater Anglia class 156 on the East Coast Main Line at Gamston Bank near Retford. This unit was forming the 10:03 Norwich Crown Point T.&R.S.M.D to Doncaster West Yard.
Also recorded are a few of the other trains passing in the couple of hours I was there, including the 11:25 Doncaster West Yard to Bounds Green T&R.S.M.D formed of an empty class 92-propelled set which was held in platform 1 at Retford due to running late.

Waiting for a train at Doncaster

A short wait on Doncaster station gave me the chance to do a bit of filming. As I was recording a class 158 in platform 0 the station announcer was letting everyone know that the London-bound Hull Trains service was stuck outside the station due to a signal fault. The next clip shows a London-bound Virgin Trains HST unusually having to use platform 4 as the Hull Trains class 180 creeps into platform 3. Later, as a Trans Pennine Express class 185 snakes across the layout to gain the Sheffield line, a Virgin Trains class 91-hauled northbound can be seen in the distance as it is held at signals before it can gain entry to platform 4. The last clip shows an East Midlands Trains class 222 Meridian unit on a service from St.Pancras to York (the first of these units I have seen here).

2016 highlights around Retford

LATEST UPDATE             29/11/16

Challenging lighting conditions at Doncaster.
A cold (-3 degrees), but bright morning on Doncaster station on 29/11/16 brought difficult lighting conditions for my camera, forcing me to think a bit differently whilst filming. I must say that the camera (Panasonic HC-V770) coped much better with the conditions than I expected.
Highlights were a Wabtec class 08 shunter venturing into West Yard, the new Trans Pennine Express livery, and a class 67 diesel dragging  a failed class 91 formation. This train was supposed to pass through on the down goods line on its' way to Bounds Green, but in the event was stopped at the signals, and then after a while, the loco was shut down and the train left there. Enjoy the variety of trains that pass through this busy junction.

UPDATE                               28/10/16

Another trip to Doncaster to video the trains.
​My 2nd visit to Doncaster station, this time on 28/10/16. Highlights on this visit include a view of the new platform 0, a very clean Grand Central HST on a Heaton to Roberts Road service, and the class 144e evolution Pacer.
00:00 - Platform 0 nears completion. When opened, this will be used to terminate local trains from Hull.
00;17 - The current situation with terminating trains from Hull. Once passengers have been unloaded, the train has to vacate the platform, either to the north or south, to allow other services to use it, before returning to load up.
00:38 - A Leeds-bound HST with power car 43238 'National Railway Museum 40 Years 1975 – 2015' at the rear.
01:20 - Class 66 no 66735 takes a Doncaster Down Decoy Gbrf to Immingham H.I.T. (Gbrf) empty coal train through on the down fast line.
02:03 - A Grand Central HST accelerates away from a signal check and runs through on the up fast line with a Sunderland to Kings Cross service.
02:30 - DBS (EWS-liveried) 66132 passes on the goods lines on its' way from Knottingley T.M.D. to Masborough F.D.
03:15 - A Kings Cross bound train arrives into platform 1, the Hull Pacer unit seen earlier can be seen waiting to return in the background.
04:07 - A Cross Country class 220 Voyager crosses all the lines to get from the down main line into platform 8 on its' way from Newcastle to Southampton.
04:42 - As a class 321 EMU arrives from Leeds, 91116 leaves for the north.
05:38 - A Network Rail track machine passes through platform 3 on its way from Selby Brayton Sdg (Etru) to Grantham Up Sdgs.
06:14 - A sparkling Grand Central HST runs from Heaton T&R.S.M.D. to Doncaster Roberts Rd Rp Gb.
07:05m- The class 144e Evolution 144 012 leaves with a Lincoln via Sheffield service. This Pacer unit has been refurbished by Porterbrook to a much higher standard than previous units.
07:44 - Two Freightliner class 66's, 66585 and 66951 head south on the goods lines running from Leeds Balm Rd Loco (Fhh) to Whitemoor Yard L.D.C Gbrf.
08:24 - Grand Central class 180 unit leaves on a Kings Cross to Bradford service as Virgin Trains Leeds to Kings Cross service arrives in platform 3.
09:36 - EMU 321 902 leaves on a local service to Leeds.
10:14 - An Edinburgh to Kings Cross service rushes through on the up fast line.
10:26 - Trans-Pennine class 185 unit no. 185 124 on a Cleethorpes to Manchester Airport service snakes across the running lines to reach the Sheffield route.
11:02 - 158 855 on another Hull local returns to platform 1 after having vacated the platform to the south this time.
11:33 - A York to Kings Cross service leaves platform 1.

UPDATE           21/10/16

A morning spent on Doncaster station
Considering I have lived 18 miles from Doncaster for more than 40 years, I have to admit that this is the first time I have visited the station specifically to film the trains! The other choice was to go round the shops with the wife, so, what choice did I have? All in all, I spent an interesting 3 hours there. The highlight of the films for me was to see 66779 Evening Star, the last of the class 66's.

UPDATE                           15/10/16

Selected trains through Retford 15/10/16.
I decided to just film one of each operating companies class of train through Retford on the morning of 15/10/16 and ended up with quite an interesting selection. The trains are -
Freightliner class 70's 70019 and 70016 with a Felixstowe to Leeds container train running 15 minutes early resulting in being looped through platform 2 to be held in Babworth loop.
DBS (EWS-liveried) class 66's 66167 and 66150 top and tail a charter service from Kings Cross to Scarborough.
VTEC class 91 91130 with a Kings Cross service.
Grand Central class 180 on a Bradford to Kings Cross service.
Grand Central HST on a Sunderland to Kings Cross service.
GBRf class 66's 66725 'Sunderland' and 66750 'Bristol Panel Signal Box' run through Retford 43 minutes early with a Doncaster Decoy to Peterborough empty sand train.
VTEC HST with a Stirling to Kings Cross service.
Hull Trains class 180 with a Hull to Kings Cross service.

UPDATE                                          12/10/16

A visit to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway
A trip on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in Derbyshire, 11/10/16. Twin class 101 power cars were in operation, one in blue livery and one in lined green. Of interest, in the yard was an original single car Derby Lightweight DMU that had just returned from a visit to the Dean Forest Railway and was being unloaded from a Heanor Transport lowloader.

UPDATE                                                         10/10/16

A class 321 EMU on the East Coast Main Line
Although the sun was not in the right direction, when I realised that a class 321 EMU would be forming the 5L50 09:20 Doncaster West Yard to Ilford E.M.U.D. service after refurbishment at Doncaster works, I decided to film it at Grove Road crossing, Retford, as this would give me the longest view of the train. So, here is 321 303 heading south into the sun up Gamston bank on 10/10/16.  Included are a Grand Central class 180 and a Virgin Trains class 91 which were running as I was waiting.

UPDATE                                                            06/09/16

Cumbrian Rail Trip

A trip round the Cumbrian Coast Line to visit the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway gave us the opportunity to travel on the DRS class 37 hauled trains between Lancaster and Ravenglass (much more comfortable than the Pacer/Sprinters) and then a trip up the narrow gauge line behind Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway no. 7, 'Typhoon'. On the return to Ravenglass we witnessed the unusual occurrence of engine and tender having to be separated for turning on the turntable!.

Update

23/08/16

Class 66's through Sheffield Meadowhall.

A 30 minute wait to change trains gave me a bit of opportunity to do some filming. Surprisingly, in that short time I was able to film 2 freight trains, which was 2 more than my last visit which was for over 4 hours! These were the 12:17 Peak Forest Cemex Sdgs to Selby Potter Group and the 12:22 Dewsbury Blue Circle to Hope (Earles Sidings) Fhh. The trip out that day was a run from Retford to Cleethorpes buying first of all a Retford to Meadowhall return and then a Meadowhall to Cleethorpes return. The thinking here was it was cheaper than booking through going via Lincoln, it took no longer, and meant we could travel in a TP express rather than Pacer/Sprinter all the way. Good move? No! The TP Express was crammed filled with lots of kids going to the seaside, all of them excited. How long did we spend in Cleethorpes? 45 minutes, and then came back in a pretty empty TP Express unit, still, it was a day out.

Update

20/08/16

A few hours at Retford, but ignoring the procession of Virgin Trains.

Trains at Retford (minus Virgin Trains, plus surprises!). Well, almost! Looking at the Realtime Trains website for 19/08/2016, I realised that there would be quite a lot to film without recording the regular procession of Virgin Trains East Coast. One or two Virgin Trains photo-bombed the shots, but, here is the result of 4 hours on Retford station with some surprises such as a First Great Western class 180 on a scheduled passenger service and a failed class 91 being dragged to Doncaster by a Thunderbird class 67.

00:23 Doncaster D.C.E. Sidings to Welwyn G.C.F.D. track maintenance vehicle.
00:42 GBRf 66708 on a West Burton Power station to Doncaster coal empties.
01:16 ESW-liveried Thunderbird 67023 on a Doncaster to Kings Cross swap move.
01:45 Hull Trains class 180 on the 5Z80 empty stock working from Bounds Green to Hull slowed to a crawl on the through fast line.
03:24 Lincoln to Retford Volker Rail machine enters platform 1 and then reverses into the up sidings.
04:41 the 1D71 Kings Cross to Bradford Interchange Grand Central service.
04:50 1A63 Bradford interchange to Kings Cross Grand Central service.
05:15 1N92 Kings Cross to Sunderland Grand Central service brought to a brief stop on the through main line.
06:37 A pair of West Coast Railways class 57's top-and-tail the 5Z67 Carnforth to Norwich empty stock working.
07:00 Freightliner class 66 no. 66504 with a Felixstowe to Leeds service running 98 minutes late and so looped through platform 2 to run into Babworth loop and allow an HST pass.
09:09 The 6E83 sand train from Middleton Towers to Barnby Dun sand train with 66751.
09:34 A First Great Western class 180 forms the 1A94 Hull to Kings Cross service.
10:15 Freightliner 66528 with a Leeds to Felixstowe service.
10:40 Thunderbird 67024 drags failed class 91 no. 91121 through as the 0Z91 service from Kings Cross to Doncaster service as it swaps places with 67023 seen earlier on.
All in all, an interesting time without intentional filming class 91's or HST's.
Camera used - Panasonic HC-V770

Update

Timetable chaos on the East Coast Main Line

12/08/2016
12/08/2016. The day didn't go as planned! The plan was to spend a couple of hours at Retford station, mainly to film a track maintenance machine that was due to leave the up sidings, run through the up platform, cross back onto the down platform, and then head north. It didn't move! And, after a couple of other trains, nothing else moved!
The first clip shows the 1E05 Edinburgh to Kings Cross HST passing Retford on time. Just south of Newark, the train was involved in a fatality causing everything to be stopped. The 1Y82 York to Kings Cross arrived in Retford 6 minutes down and was then held in the platform for another 200 minutes. 
In the end, I stayed filming for 5 hours to record the story when, first of all the northbound services started to move, and then, once the 1E05 was able to be moved,  things started to head south again. Near the end of the video, the HST involved in the incident is seen heading back to Craigentinny as the 5F05 14:35 Grantham to Craigentinny T.&R.S.M.D empty stock train.
I hope I have managed to correctly identify each service and how late it was running. 
Camera - Panasonic HC-V770

Update

14/06/2016

DMU's galore at Sheffield Meadowhall (plus I thought I was about to film a crash in the 1st clip!)

A few hours spent at Sheffield Meadowhall on 13/06/16 whilst the wife went shopping! It seemed like a continual stream of trains going to and from Sheffield, at times I could see the headlights of 3 trains heading up the incline out of the city. Although DMU's dominated, the variety was quite surprising with classes 66, 142, 144 (2- and 3-car), 150, 153, 158, 170, 185, 221, 222 and Sheffield Supertram. With the junction for the Barnsley line there was plenty of interest happening. These are just some of the trains I recorded during that morning. Of particular interest was blue Freightliner class 66 no. 66623 'Bill Bolsover' running through light engine.
Camera used - Panasonic HC-V770

Update

04/06/2016

The Spirit of the Lakes Pullman, Cleethorpes to Portsmouth

On Friday 3rd June 2016, West Coast Railways ran their Spirit of the Lakes Pullman train from Cleethorpes to Portsmouth Harbour. This video is a memory of that trip and includes trains at each end of the trip, and video shot around the harbour area including video from the Gosport Ferry.
Camera used - Panasonic HC-V770.

Variety through Retford

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway
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