Hereford Signal Box seen here on the 18th December 2008. Originally called Aylestone Hill Signal Box it is the last surviving Hereford signal box and was renamed Hereford on the 9th June 1973 when it took over the areas formerly controlled by Hereford Station and Brecon Curve Boxes. Its area of control was further increased when Shelwick Junction Box closed with the singling to Ledbury on 11th November 1984 with the junction being added to Hereford's control area.

Tags:   18th December

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Two car class 158 DMU 158831 awaits departure from Shrewsbury with the 14:31 service to Birmingham International, 18th December 2008.
158831 is one of twenty four class 158 DMU’s (158818 – 158841) operated by Arriva Trains Wales based at Machynlleth depot for Cambrian Line duties, as well as supplementing the Class 175 fleet on other long-distance routes such as Cardiff to West Wales, Manchester and Holyhead. It still carries the obsolete Wales and Borders Alphaline metallic silver livery.

Tags:   18th December 158831

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Single car class 153 DMU 153367 awaits departure from Shrewsbury with the 14:05 Heart of Wales service to Swansea, 18th December 2008.

Unit History
153367 is one of eight class 153 units operated by Arriva Trains Wales and was originally numbered 57317 as part of a two car class 155 two car unit 155317 (built in 1988) until rebuilt as a single car unit and renumbered 57367 in 1992. I first saw this vehicle as part of 155317 in Birmingham New Street on the 3rd March 1988.

Tags:   18th December 153367

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In rapidly failing light 31285 brings into the stabling siding adjacent to Shrewsbury station a Network Rail test train for stabling overnight, 18th December 2008. Built at Loughborough in 1961 as D5817 it gave thirty four years service to British Rail before withdrawal in July 1995 when it was part of the Transrail infrastructure fleet based at Wigan Springs branch. Following eight years in store it returned to traffic as part of the Network Rail Infrastructure fleet when on the 11th October 2003 it ran from Derby to Barrow Hill and back (paired with 31128) transferring 47717 north from Derby and returning with 47716 from Barrow Hill.

Tags:   18th December D5817 31285

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Class 175 two car DMU 175001 awaits departure from Shrewsbury with the 13:53 service for Manchester Piccadilly, 18th December 2008.

Unit History
The class 175 DMU fleet consists of eleven two car units and sixteen three car units and were built by Alstom in 2000 at Washwood Heath Birmingham, allocated to Chester depot and operated by First North Western. In 2003, the fleet transferred to the Wales and Borders franchise and subsequently Arriva Trains Wales. However, under a contractual agreement, eleven units were leased back daily from Arriva Trains Wales to First North Western and then later to First TransPennine Express until mid-December 2006, for use on the Manchester Airport to Blackpool and Cumbria services. The entire fleet are is now currently (December 2008) operated by Arriva Trains Wales. During all these changes they have remained allocated to Chester depot. Repainting of fleet into the standard Arriva Trains Wales livery has begun at the Alstom Depot at Oxley.

Tags:   18th December 175001

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