D8098 departs Loughborough with the 12:15 service for Leicester North, 7th March 2010

Locomotive History
D8098 was built by English Electric at the Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn works, Darlington. It entered traffic in November1961, allocated to Eastfield MPD for Scottish lowlands, and Fife coalfield duties. It migrated to Toton in the early 1970’s but was back at Eastfield by the beginning of 1973. Renumbered 20098 under the 1973 TOPS re-numbering scheme it had by 1982 again come south being allocated to Tinsley. By 1991 it was a Thornaby engine and it was stopped with a seized turbo charger in May 1991. This proved fatal as far as it BR career was concerned as it was withdrawn a month later in June 1991. However all was not lost as it was bought for preservation in September 1991 and towed to MC Metals Glasgow for asbestos inspection, followed by transfer by road to the Great Central Railway on 22nd May 1992.

Tags:   7th March D8098 20098

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Mark I Tourist Second Open (TSO) E3809 in faded British Railways Maroon livery stands in the yard at Swanwick, 21st March 2010.

Vehicle History
With the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, the newly formed British Railways inherited four distinct designs of passenger coaching stock, which continued to be built after nationalisation. However, British Railways soon embarked upon the design of a standard passenger coach for future requirements. By taking the best elements of each of the four pre-nationalisation railways and also adding in an improved requirement for crash worthiness, the Mark I design was introduced. This featured a steel underframe designed to withstand end forces about three times greater than previous stock, onto which was constructed the specific body required. Following Pullman Company designs, all coaches had buckeye automatic couplings and Pullman gangways (for ease of maintenance). The bodies were constructed from steel using standard components, such as windows, doors, fixtures and fittings. The first coaches appeared in 1952 and they continued to be built until 1963. Many different internal layouts were built for specific services, each having a specific code allocated for the layout. E3809 was built at York in 1953 as part of lot 30079 and feature 64 second class seats in an open plan layout (eight bays of four each side of a central aisle). These coaches had the highest seating capacity of all the Mark I’s built and were primarily built for excursion traffic. E3809 was withdrawn in the 1980’s and is still in as built condition (i.e. vacuum braked, steam heat, B1 bogies) and clearly demonstrates area’s of the design prone to corrosion.

Tags:   21st March 3809

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Stored 60018 had been recently transferred across to Toton Old Bank sidings from the Depot, 7th March 2010.

Locomotive History
60018 was built in 1990 and I first saw this locomotive at the Brush Falcon works, Loughborough on the 1st August 1990. It was officially accepted by British Rail on the 30th October 1990 and allocated to Thornaby MPD. It was stored on the 1st June 2009 with 17866 engine hours since its last repair. This is its sixth period in store since its initial storage on the 7th September 2004.

Tags:   7th March 60018

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The low winter sun reflects off the smooth side of Northern operated three car 158755 as it heads north through Ulleskelf with a service for York, 4th March 2010. 158755 was built as a two car unit however it has now acquired a centre car (58702) built originally as part of unit 158802.

Tags:   4th March 158755

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An unidentified Arriva Cross Country class 220 Voyager heads north through Ulleskelf, 4th March 2010. The unit is running in the path of the 08:28 Penzance – Glasgow Central service. With the unit numbers only displayed in small characters on the leading valence class 220/221 unit recognition can also be difficult.

Tags:   4th March

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