Barclay Posted November 16, 2020 Share Posted November 16, 2020 Sorry for the dodgy photo but I have just experienced the most interesting train-watching moment in 20 years of living in this house, which has a close but slightly obscured view of the Braintree branch line. In all that time, and especially sitting here working from home for the last 8 months I have seen nothing but the unrelieved boredom of an hourly class 321 unit. Occasionally, on Sundays, you might see a 317 (!) Once, about 10-15 years ago when they were renewing the track with CWR they did park a class 66 on a nearby bridge over a weekend, and about once a year, late at night I sometimes heard the weedkilling train, formerly top and tailed by class 20s and latterly by 37s. Never saw it of course. And now, sitting here today I hear the roar of engines and a train that looks like the weedkilling train - some tankers, some other things, top and tailed by 37s just cruised past heading into the terminus, to return the other way 10 minutes later. I think I caught one of the numbers - 37 422. A quick check of National Rail enquiries reveals the 3'o' clock train cancelled, so the poor souls on the platform will have to wait another hour in the cold. Is that common to run this train during the day, and cancel a scheduled service in order to do so, I've never encountered this before? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium iands Posted November 16, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 16, 2020 An RHTT perhaps? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DY444 Posted November 16, 2020 Share Posted November 16, 2020 (edited) It'll be a Rail Head Treatment Train. RTT shows one accruing a mysterious delay of 50-odd minutes at Witham between 1418 and 1511 so it must have taken an unscheduled scoot down the branch and back. Edited November 16, 2020 by DY444 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barclay Posted November 16, 2020 Author Share Posted November 16, 2020 Fascinating - thank you, although anyone waiting for the 15:00 to Liverpool St. must have found it less so.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DY444 Posted November 16, 2020 Share Posted November 16, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Barclay said: Fascinating - thank you, although anyone waiting for the 15:00 to Liverpool St. must have found it less so.... My guess is that the crew of one of the earlier passenger trips reported poor rail conditions on the branch and it was felt better to cancel one return trip to allow the RHTT to run down there. Edited November 16, 2020 by DY444 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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