Setera S315GT-HD C49ft coach BX05 UVE currently operated by Templar Travel, Nottingham stands in Beeston interchange, 24th September 2024.

BX05 UVE was delivered new to Pullmanor, Hearne Hill in April 2005 and has since been operated by a number of companies and for a time carried the registration M777 MOC before being acquired by Templar Travel around 2019.

Tags:   24th September BX05 UVE M777 MOC

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Derby Lightweight Driving Trailer Composite Lavatory diesel multiple unit 79612 stands in the yard at Wirksworth on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, 21st September 2024. Restoration has moved on since I last photographed this vehicle 10 years ago when it was based at the Midland Railway Centre.

Unit History
The Derby Lightweight diesel multiple units, were the first production series units to be built for British Railways. The units were built at Derby Works from 1954 to 1956 and twelve power-twin two-car units, eighty four power-trailer two-car units, and four, four-car units were built. 79612 was built in 1956 and was partnered by Driving Motor Brake Second 79018. These units had either Red Triangle or Yellow Diamond coupling codes however the following diesel multiple unit builds were generally Blue Square so these units became non standard and were withdrawn at the end of the 1960’s. Following withdrawal 79018 and 79612 were taken into Departmental stock and converted into an ultrasonic test train being renumbered DB975007 and DB975008 respectively. This ensured their survival for an extra 20 odd years into the 1990’s, long enough for their historical importance to be recognised.

As the only surviving Derby Lightweight two car set, they were purchased by the Derby Lightweight Preservation Group, asbestos stripped at Doncaster Works and moved to the Midland Railway Butterley in 1997 for restoration. 79018 was selected to be restored first, consequently 79612 was put into storage. 79018 was completed in 2004 and in 2008 the restoration of 79612 started after eleven years in storage. The vehicle was stripped down and primed, the external departmental modifications such as relocated doors/windows were returned to original configuration and the vehicle received a protective coat of paint. Since then progress has been very slow with long periods of .what appeared to be inactivity

Tags:   21st September 79612 Ecclesbourne Valley Railway New Photo Distillery

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HELP Required

My “summer holiday” in 1978 was a First Class Eastern Region Railrover and I had stocked up with 35mm transparency film for the week ahead. Or so I thought because when it came to processing the week’s photography I realised that one roll of film was in fact a colour print film!!! An additional problem is I seem to have lost any records that went with this roll of film and therefore here we see an unidentified class 47 approaching Manningtree with a Liverpool Street express, 30th May 1978.

As a colour photograph this left a lot to be desired however this black and white version just about passes muster..

Any ideas on the identity of this class 47 gratefully received.

Praktica LTL

Tags:   30th May Praktica LTL Epson 4490

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08761 standing in the yard at Dundee Tay Bridge, 30th August 1976.

Locomotive History
08761 was originally D3929, built at Horwich Works and entered traffic in March 1961. allocated to Ardrossan MPD. Although Ardrossan closed in February 1965 it was still used up to 1969 as a stabling point and then in 1972 the four road straight shed was used to store withdrawn locomotives and contained twenty eight Clayton type 1’s (class 17) when I made my one and only visit, on the 25th April 1972 before the shed was demolished in 1975. D3929 had departed Ardrossan when the shed closed transferring to the nearby Ayr, however as Ayr then provided the Ardrossan pilot it would still no doubt visit until it transferred to Dundee in March 1971 and apart from a brief spell allocated to Aberdean in 1972 would spend the majority of the rest of its career in the Fife area. It was withdrawn in March 1992 and broken up by MC Metals, Glasgow during October 1993.

Praktica LTL, Orwochrome UT18

Tags:   30th August D3929 08761 Praktica LTL Orwochrome UT18 Epson V600 New Photo Distillery

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Autumn has arrived and daybreak is getting later and has not long arrived as we find East Midlands Railways 170422 standing in platform 5 at Derby working 2A10. 06:52 Nottingham – Matlock, 26th September 2024.

Tags:   26th September 170422 New Photo Distillery

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