First Great Western loco hauled workings

[Steadfast]

Right lets try again, just lost the last hour of typing this post.... 

So, the news of the Bachmann Mk2Fs seems to sparked some interest on here in the FGW loco hauled trains, so I thought I'd provide this as a bit of a reference to them, if anyone has anything they'd like to add, feel free! The initial contract was for a pair of DB Schenker class 67s top and tailing four Cargo-D blue and grey Mk2s due to the delayed cascade of class 150/1s from London Midland and London Overground. 67016 and 67017 were the usual pair provided on this diagram between Taunton and Cardiff and as well as the blue and grey set, a maroon EWS BSO was provided, but I didn't see it in use that often.

 

 

67017 stands at Cardiff Central after arriving with 2U20 12.47 Paignton - Cardiff 30/6/10

 

 

67017 and 67016 complete with recently applied silver paint to the light clusters and buffers pass Pilning on 2C79 14.00 Cardiff - Taunton 24/11/09

If a loco needed an exam or other work doing, a replacement would be sent to Barton Hill to cover the work.

 

 

With regular 67016 on the rear, 67001 prepares to stop at Severn Tunnel Junction with 2C79 14.00 Cardiff - Taunton 1/9/09

Occasionally both locos would go away together, in which case a new pair were provided.

 

With both 67016 and 017 away at Toton, 67006 leads 2U20 12.47 Paignton - Cardiff towards Pilning, with the other Royal livery 67, 67005, on the rear 12/2/10

Some of you may have noticed  Paignton cropping up there. In the December 2009 timetable change, a second diagram was introduced, working from Cardiff to Paignton, with GBRf taking over the Cardiff - Taunton work. This comprised a hired in Riviera Trains set of Mk2s, in either debranded Anglia (with an ex Virgin BSO repainted to match) or Intercity Swallow livery. With GBRf having no suitable ETS fitted locos, Virgin class 57/3s were hired in for this work. Reliability wasn't great, and they only lasted 6 months or so on this work, more of which in a bit.

So, the standard appearance was a pair of red and silver 57s with 4 turquoise Mk2s as seen here.

 

 

57305 and 57306 at Pilning on 2C79 14.00 Cardiff - Taunton 18/5/10. On rare occasions, an Arriva 57/3 could appear on the train, but this was far from usual, I only managed one catch, 57316.

 

57316 at Pilning on 2C79 14.00 Cardiff - Taunton 18/1/10

Reliability of the class 57s wasn't brilliant, leading to some variations of the formation, including class 66s, which despite their 75mph top speed seemed to keep to time ok.

 

 

57305 at Pilning on 2C79 14.00 Cardiff - Taunton. The train was running with a single loco due to several failures 29/6/10

 

 

66721 stands in for an unavailable 57/3 on 2C79, the 14.00 Cardiff - Taunton 17/6/10

 

 

66402 arrives at Cardiff Central working 2U14 11.02 Taunton - Cardiff. The train was tailed by 57312 and this was the final week of GBRf operation 30/6/10

A point to those modelling these trains, they normally ran with the rear loco shut down and a flashing tail lamp on the lamp iron. The only time this didn't happen was when the rear loco was running to provide ETS, using the integral tail lights and requiring a crew member in the cab. 

The first week of July 2010 saw the original Taunton diagram revert to DB Schenker. At first running with the 'spare' Intercity liveried set with 67029 and 67018, the Anglia set came back into use soon after. Locos tended to swap around a lot more in this period, but still featuring 67016 and 017 most of the time.

 67018 (with 67029 on the rear) approaches Pilning with 2U14 11.02 Taunton - Cardiff. This was the first week of the second stint of DB Schenker operation on this diagram, with GBRf handling it since the previous December's timetable change 6/7/10

The coaching stock was soon mixed up, with both trains using a mix of Cargo-D and Riviera stock, as well as 67016 and 67017 getting split between them.

 

 

 

67029 calls at Patchway working 2U20 12.47 Paignton - Cardiff, 67017 bringing up the rear 10/8/10  

 

 

67019 passes Bartlett's Bridge near Parson Street, Bristol, working 2U14 11.02 Taunton - Cardiff 7/10/10  

Autumn of 2010 saw the end of these trains, but on summer Saturdays during their duration they were used on a Bristol - Weymouth turn. With the normal class 67s in use most weeks, the last run of each season saw something a little different.

 

 

67017 passes Dundas with 67016 on the rear on 2O72 09.09 Bristol Temple Meads - Weymouth 27/6/09

 

 

Typical summer weather for a trip to the seaside! A rumour was doing the rounds on online groups at the time that the red and silver locos (67018 and 67029) were not allowed to lead the outward trip as this would lead to a large increase in people 'bashing' the train out and back, taking up space that could be used for day trippers. Not sure myself...

Midway through the 2010 season the trains changed to operated by a single 'skip', running round at Weymouth 

 

67017 passes Avoncliff with 2O72 09.09 Bristol Temple Meads - Weymouth 7/8/10

As I mentioned, the last train of each summer would some alternative traction provided. In 2009 it was provided by DB Schenker, with a nice pair of 'traaatters', reliving the old Bristol - Weymouth trains of the 1990s. 

 

 

37670 and 37401 at Westbury with 2O72 Bristol TM - Weymouth summer Saturday additional. The EWS livery BSO is included for extra seating capacity due to the 37s appearing 5/9/09

A year later saw a First Great Western 57/6 provided, the loco in question, recently repainted GWR 150 livery 57604, running from Old Oak Common to Bristol to work the train. This was the final time this train was loco hauled, from 2011 onwards it was a strengthened sprinter set, usually four or five vehicles I think.

 

 

57604 rounds the curve at Freshford with the final loco hauled summer Saturday Weymouth extra, returning to Bristol as 2V67 4/9/10

 

I hope this is of interest to those thinking of modelling these workings!

 

jo

 

 

[60026to]

It certainly is of intrest Joe, many thanks for finding the time to post and with all that info, absolutely great.

 

Anglia Mk2s, yes very nice, I remember travelling in those way back in 2003 on our hols in Great Yarmouth, good times.

 

Like the variety of locos, didn't know that 66s also helped out, how about a 60 ? Now that would be the ultimate in 

 

Cheers,

 

Matt.

[Steadfast]

Cheers Matt, that's what I shared it for, the best bit of the Internet is sharing the odd titbits here and there.

Sadly no 60s, believe me I'd have been there if one had! The period coincided with the pre overhaul period when the 60s were getting run down.

A DB 66 did run as a 67 stand in one night, I remember a text from a friend saying he was on it.

 

jo

[brushman47544]

Interesting, thanks jo. Let's hope Bachmann doesn't copy the B/G ones though and put the "Inter-City" branding too low down the bodyside.

[Glorious NSE]

For completeness, this is the maroon BSO, 9494, ironically it's an ex FGW (from 'fag packet' days) Mk2D BSO with disabled toilet, which changes the saloon windows on the pictured side. Oddly looking back through my pics every time I shot the working it had this instead of the blue/grey one (not to mention always 67016/17!!) - hence my assumption this was the regular and the blue grey was the spare. Hey ho.

 

[Steadfast]

Cheers Martyn, I do like EWS Mk2s. Feels like a good excuse to model 37670 and 37401, despite having nowhere suitable to run it. Not quite right at Laira or Whatley...lol

 

jo