The class 59s

[ba14eagle]

On 31/08/2023 at 23:06, big jim said:

59 passing Swindon while I was on a ballast sit on, 5 minutes previous it was glorious sunshine!

Ah, the good old days of Swindon Panel - proper signalling.

[Mike_Walker]

14 hours ago, ba14eagle said:

Ah, the good old days of Swindon Panel - proper signalling.

Which can still be enjoyed at the Didcot Railway Centre.

[4630]

Just released after its lengthy spell under repair at Eastleigh, 59003 basks in the sunshine on 25th September 2023 awaiting its return to duty.

 

 

 

With Colas 70814 for company.

[Steadfast]

 

The timetable change on 10th December 2023 saw a huge change in the train plan of the Mendip services. The only trains to have retained their old headcodes are some of the point to point services, like Wootton Basset, Theale etc, and even some of those have changed. All the London trains have changed, gone are 7A09, 6L21, 7C77, 6V18 and the like. Another part of the railway I've known since I was a kid, changing slowly out of recognition, a process that seems to have been speeding up over the last year or so and showing no signs of slowing. 

As well as the timings and headcodes of the trains changing, some of the routings have too. Crawley was previously served as a portion off 7A09, going forward as 7O69 to Crawley. Now it runs via the Southern Region, outbound as 6O68 from Westbury Cement works after tripping from Merehead. Pictured here behind 59206 is the return, 6O69 Crawley FY (Foster Yeoman - a legacy of the terminal's history) to Merehead. The empties are seen here at a stand as the shunter cuts the loco off on the Down Reception at Westbury, ready to run round and depart for Somerset and journey's end at Merehead.

 

Jo

[Southernman46]

My last Wiltshire photo before departing to live in the barren wastes of Zummerset - 6 years ago 😲

59201 (1326)[6A83]FO Avonmouth Bennetts siding - Acton TC stone train at Great Cheverall on 30-06-17

 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

59201 has been repainted, since I took this photo of her on 22nd Nov at Westbury on a Whatley - Dagenham Dock working. Local driver Dave S is climbing up into the cab.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Dunno if more Class 59s are undergoing maintenance at the mo, but I spent 2.5 hours at Clink Road on Tuesday and didn't see a single 59 - just three 66/5 and two 66/6.

[4630]

Just in case it provides a few more photo opportunities, it’s been reported elsewhere that GBRf 59003 is going on hire to Colas from 12th February.  
 

The suggestion is that driver training will take place on 6M50, Westbury to Bescot Up Engineers Sidings, before then taking on 6M40, Westbury to Cliffe Hill Stud Farm.

 

It’ll make a change for it rather than its more recent potterings between Westbury and Eastleigh.

 

Information given in good faith.

[Steadfast]

15 hours ago, 4630 said:

Just in case it provides a few more photo opportunities, it’s been reported elsewhere that GBRf 59003 is going on hire to Colas from 12th February.  
 

The suggestion is that driver training will take place on 6M50, Westbury to Bescot Up Engineers Sidings, before then taking on 6M40, Westbury to Cliffe Hill Stud Farm.

 

It’ll make a change for it rather than its more recent potterings between Westbury and Eastleigh.

 

Information given in good faith.

Certainly word doing the rounds down here tallies with it going onto the bulky (6M40 / 6V14). I can't see the logic of hiring it over a 66, unless GB did it for a really good price. A standard 66 can do 6M40/ 6V14, or cover something else freeing up a 70. There's driver training and fitter training to consider, and it's hardly the most reliable of things either.

 

Here's one of 003 after being shutdown over the weekend, on a cold Monday morning.

59003 does its best impression of a class 56 as it attempts to smoke out Westbury. Sat in the New Sidings, the loco would later work 0O41 to Eastleigh. 

 

005 back in September

Since Freightliner took over the Mendip contract, Class 59s on the Avonmouth stone have been a rarity. 59005 is seen dodging the shadows at Newton St Loe, working 6C68 Avonmouth - Whatley, having taken another train load of stone for the construction of Hinkley Point power station. A couple of years back, the Mendip wagon fleet was largely silver or grey, the silver, maroon and blue mix still takes some getting used to.

 

Jo

 

 

[4630]

34 minutes ago, Steadfast said:

I can't see the logic of hiring it over a 66, unless GB did it for a really good price. A standard 66 can do 6M40/ 6V14, or cover something else freeing up a 70. There's driver training and fitter training to consider, and it's hardly the most reliable of things either.

Yes, I thought that it was slightly curious.

 

Hiring in a 66, or another Freightliner 70, you would have guessed would be the more straightforward option.  But clearly what’s actually available for hire and the hire charge would be significant factors too. 
 

I was always under the impression, rightly or wrongly, that 59003 was the ‘runt of the litter’.  Let’s hope it doesn’t sit down somewhere and cause an operational incident. 

 

[4630]

A stranger in these parts, 59104 Village of Great Elm passing Colne Bridge near Huddersfield on its way to Leeds Midland Road in the company of 66572, working as 0E59 from Crewe Basford Hall, on 12th February 2024.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 12 by 4630

[Steadfast]

24/2/24 59003 is seen about to depart Westbury Down Yard with its first train while on hire from GBRf to Colas. The working, 6C21 to Truro, was taking 3 Kirow cranes to Cornwall for use in the resignalling works that would see a large number of the county's semaphore signals consigned to history. The 59 would return light loco as 0C21 the following day.

 

Jo

 

 

Edited February 29 by Steadfast

[ModRXsouth]

Steadfast -

Any idea what is attached immediately behind 59003? Wagon with horizontal dark stripes (black, teal, grey?) - looks like a ribbed side so a special container on a flat? 
Thanks.

[Steadfast]

19 hours ago, ModRXsouth said:

Steadfast -

Any idea what is attached immediately behind 59003? Wagon with horizontal dark stripes (black, teal, grey?) - looks like a ribbed side so a special container on a flat? 
Thanks.

It's a support wagon for a Volker Rail livery Kirow crane. The container is in matching livery.

This picture from flickr shows the sort of thing. You'll have a container flat or two each side of the crane, carrying counterweights, lifting beams etc and the maintenance container. Each crane has its own support wagons, that unless on a worksite are never split from the crane. The whole lot stays together.

 

 

Jo

Edited March 3 by Steadfast