News Archive for April 2022

The Great Britian XIV

Published on 30th April 2022

The Railway Touring Company 'The Great Britain XIV' charter visited Taunton on Thursday 28th April 2022 working the south to Penzance and returned on Saturday 30th April 2022 returning to London Victoria.

Day 7 of the charter featured LMS 8P No. 46233 'Duchess of Sutherland' operating 1Z46 08:10 Cardiff Central - Exeter (later continuing to Penzance), the locomotive took a booked watering stop on the relief line at the south end of Fairwater Yard before continuing south. Day 9 of the charter provided the same locomotive returning. Having already worked from Penzance to Exeter during the morning period, No. 46233 'Duchess of Sutherland' operated 1Z56 14:32 Exeter St Davids - London Victoria where it took another watering / servicing stop on the relief line at Taunton. During the charter the train was shadowed by West Coast Railways Class 47 No.47802 which followed the tour light engine and provided logistical support where needed in Cornwall.

To view the gallery, please click here.

(Photo: Shaun Mockridge)

(Photo: S A Ginn)

(Photo: Brian Garrett)

(Photo: S A Ginn)

Devon Class 25 heads for Dorset

(Photo: Shaun Mockridge)

Published on 28th April 2022

South Devon Railway Class 25 No.D7812 (No.25262) departed for the Swanage Railway on the 26th April to take part in the Swanage Railway Diesel Gala & Beer Festival which is being held between the 6th - 8th of May.

The two-tone green Class 25 is pictured on the M5 passing Taunton hauled by S A Smith specialists in heavy haulage.

West Somerset Steaming up for Gala

(Photo: Quentin Hawkes)

Published on 25th April 2022

The West Somerset Railway Spring Steam Gala weekend will take place between the 5th and 8th May 2022 and will see two visiting locomotives.

Caledonian Railway Class 0-4-4T No.419 courtesy of the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, and BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No.75069 from the Severn Valley Railway. Visiting locomotives will run alongside WSR home fleet locos No. 7822 'Foxcote Manor', No. 7828 'Odney Manor', WSR 2-6-0 'Mogul' No.9351, 2-6-2 Large Prairie No.5199 and 94XX Pannier Tank No.9466. The Springtime feature an intensive timetable including double heading, local trains, goods train and banking. The Quantock Belle dining set will also be in operation. For further details please visit the West Somerset Railway website for more details.

The English Riviera Statesman

Published on 23rd April 2022

Locomotive Services Ltd (LSL) immaculate pair of Class 47 locomotives No. 47805 'Roger Hosking MA 1925-2013 ' (D1935) and No. 47810 'Crewe Diesel Depot' (D1924) double-head the 'English Riviera Statesman' on Saturday 23rd April 2022.

The pair hauled the 1Z79 05:20 Ely to Paignton and 1Z80 16:37 Paignton - Ely dining charter throughout. Both locomotives were superbly presented by LSL. Both locomotives once made daily appearances at Taunton when operating Cross Country services in the 90s through 2002.

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(Photo: S A Ginn)

(Photo: Tony Hayman)

(Photo: S A Ginn)

(Photo: Brian Garrett)

Wagons for Store

Published on 22nd April 2022

Mendip Rail transferred a rake of aggregate wagons from Westbury Cement works to Exeter Riverside for storage on the 22nd April 2022.

No. 59002 'Alan J Day' was used to operate the move, and is pictured passing Whiteball operating 0C28 09:30 Exeter Riverside - Merehead light engine.

(Photo: Mart Ball)

GFRf - 'Weed-Killer'

Published on 20th April 2022

GBRf Class 66/7 No. 66752 'The Hoosier State' and No. 66751 'Inspiration Delivered Hitachi Rail Europe' are pictured in Platform 3 at Taunton on the 20th April 2022 at 01:48 in the morning while operating 3Q98 21:27 Kings Norton – Cardiff Tidal smart weed-killer train.

After recent testing on the Severn Valley Railway GBRf are now operating weed control maintenance trains on the National Network. The company has been working with Bayer Environmental Science and Network Rail to develop high tech on-board detection cameras to direct herbicide to weed infestations on the trackside. Data can then be uploaded to cloud-based programs using GPS software for evaluation and allow operatives to better pinpoint weed infestations. In years gone by weed control was in the hands of the well known Hunslet-Barclay Class 20 locomotives, and in latter years Network Rail MPV vehicles. This new approach is aiming to revolutionize the ‘war on weeds’ around the UK.

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(Photo: Ash Bere)

Freightliner Activity

Published on 19th April 2022

Freightliner Class 66 No. 66618 'Railways Illustrated Annual Photographic Awards' passes Whiteball on the 12th April 2022 operating 6C28 13:30 Exeter Riverside - Westbury empty aggregate wagons.

Freightliner Class 66 No.66511 and No.66560 operated in 'top and tail' formation to the Norton Fitzwarren triangle on Easter Monday 18th April 2022. No.66511 is pictured having arrived with 6C75 10:25 Fairwater Yard - Bishops Lydeard loaded spent ballast to processing at the Norton site.

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(Photo: Mart Ball)

(Photo: Jason Prole)

Colas Engineers

(Photo: Simon Harling)

Published on 13th April 2022

Colas Rail Freight Class 66 No. 66847 'Tom Baker' passes Creech St Michael on the 13th April 2002 while operating 6C99 05:08 St Erth - Westbury.

The train was returning from an overnight rail drop in Cornwall.

Intercity Devonian Pullman

Published on 13th April 2022

The Midland Pullman returned to the southwest on Wednesday 13th April 2022 with INTERCITY 'Swallow' liveried No. 43049 'Neville Hill' leading the set south.

The immaculate powercar is generally used as a 'hot spare' to stand in for other LSL powercars when they are out of service. No. 43049 'Neville Hill' (Intercity) teamed up with No. 43046 'Geoff Drury 1930-1999' (Blue Pullman). This most colourful of trains passed through Taunton around 12:00 operating as 1Z50 05:15 Bangor to Kingswear.

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(Photo: Simon Harling)

(Photo: S A Ginn)

Colas - Mentor

(Photo: Adam Hiscock)

Published on 8th April 2022

Former EMR-liveried Colas Rail Freight HST powercar No.43274 leads Ex LNER powercar No.43272 north at Beambridge on the 8th April 2022.

The pair were operating the Network Rail 'Mentor' test train as 1Z18 16:22 Exeter St Davids - Taunton. The HST had been plagued by late running throughout its operations in the south west during the day, and had to cut out part of its normal diagram in order to make up time. The Exeter - Taunton leg was to allow the test train to re-join its final diagram to London Paddington.

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GBRf - 'Lesia' makes her Devon debut!

Published on 7th April 2022

GB Railfreight collected a Network Rail crane from Goodrington Sidings (Paignton) on the 7th April 2022.

The crane had been used for recent track renewals between Newton Abbot and Paignton. GBRf provided No. 66737 'Lesia' (making its debut visit to Devon) which operated light engine to Goodrington in the morning, before the unusual consist returned as 6X73 14:12 Goodrington - Westbury.

This was the first visit to Taunton for No. 66737 'Lesia', the carried enlarged numbers '37' on the bodyside. The locomotive was named after the wife of GB Railfreight's Managing Director John Smith on 7th May 2011 in Kettering. The loco also still carries the former GBRf 'Europorte' livery which is yet to be updated.

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(Photo: Simon Harling)

(Photo: Brian Garrett)

Colas - RILA

Published on 6th April 2022

Colas Rail Freight operated the RLIA track geometry/ infrastructure alignment acquisition system on the 6th April 2022.

The booked diagrams were not fully followed and were revised for on the day operations which resulted in early running of over 200 minutes. Pioneer Class 70 No.70801 is pictured passing Creech St Michael operating 0C10 15:22 Taunton - Westbury.

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(Photo: Phil Izzard)

To view news stories from March 2022 click here, or for news from May 2022, click here.