geoff

http://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/top-stories/east-midlands-trains-considers-increasing-number-of-tracks-between-kettering-and-market-harborough-1-7295059 The above article appeared in the local news last week. It should stir up the natives. I haven't spotted any significant changes on the Corby line of late, but then I haven't been able to get out to look. Last night however there was a colourful visitor to the line just before sundown hence the rather grainy warm shot. Shown on RTT as just a locomotive I was not expecting the train and the tail end charlie, a well disguised all yellow NR class 73 and as I was too close to the bridge to get a going away shot, I didn't managed to get the number either. Geoff 73141 leads 1Z88, the 17:45 Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Hither Green Down Recp. towards Kettering at the Glendon Iron Coy’s bridge, 3 minutes late at 18:30 on Thursday 31 March 2016.

Information posted on another site, "Network Rail held an exhibition in Market Harborough Market Hall on 27 February to outline plans for realignment of the track and removing the 60 mph speed restriction. From the south end of the present station platforms the track will be realigned westwards through the car park, picking up the track bed of the former LNWR Rugby-Peterborough route. North of Great Bowden it will revert to the original Midland Railway formation, the 1885 deviation and flyover over the Peterborough line will be eliminated. The work is scheduled for late 2017 - early 2019, ahead of electrification north of Kettering. The station will gain 240 m accessible platforms and a footbridge with lifts. It is not yet decided whether to retain the existing listed main building for ticket office use or to provide a new facility on the Up side, where a new car park with up to 500 spaces will be provided. There is interest in putting the Midland goods shed to station use, this is said to be in good condition apart from the roof. Hopefully it will all happen this time, the platform buildings were rebuilt to facilitate line straightening in 1979!" Geoff

There is not much to see at the moment. The Sunday closures continue on the Corby line and I was told by a worker I spoke to while watching the unloading of some plant at an access point in town that the closures are to permit track upgrading on the existing line. Additional plant being moved onto site at the access point in town. Headlands Bridge, Kettering rebuilding completed.

Sunday 31 January 2016 saw the first of eight consecutive Sunday closures of the Kettering to Corby line for engineering work. I took a recce in the afternoon but could only find one worksite between Storefield and Geddington station site. There may have been others which I could not access. We need a "Captain Kernow" to keep us up to speed with this. Geoff Sunday 31 January 2016, the first of eight consecutive closures of the Kettering to Corby line finds 66125 ‘yinging’ away at the head of the engineering train while just in front of it work continues. The Rorail machine levels out the ballast under the gaze of the ever expanding Corby or Great Oakley, take your pick. Rorail machine spreading ballast. The windmills of Rushton wave their arms in vain but 66125 keeps on ‘yinging’. Des Res with potential, only three or four owners, no chain. Earlier form of Rorail machinery at work with the chimneys of the Corby power station on the horizon. 66125 sets of gingerly onto the reworked track and heads for Corby. As 66125 sets of gingerly onto the reworked track and heads for Corby 66207 tags along at the back.

A couple more pictures of work near the former Geddington station. Geoff 222002 a seven car set forms the 1M21, 10:01 St Pancras International to Corby service seen here running alongside the Corby Link road and approaching the former Geddington station, whose white gable end barge boards can been seen just past the bridge, about 3 minutes late at 11:09 on Monday 25 January 2016. Embankment reinforcement work near to the former Geddington station. Embankment reinforcement work near to the former Geddington station. Geddington Station building.

Hello Jim, Thank you for all the marvellous pictures you post and the insight into railway operations which your captions reveal. I have already given this picture a "like" but felt I needed to explain why. It is a night shot, you have shared with us many of those, but the two colleagues in the cab looking so relaxed and natural but at the same time could have been posed made the composition remind me of many of O. Winston Link's pictures taken on the Norfolk and Western Railroad in Virginia. Well done Jim. Geoff

Currently work is in hand to re-instate the second track to Corby. New crossovers are in place, but not in use, at Kettering North Junction and just south of Corby station. Significant lengths of the second track have been laid, but not in use, as the existing signalling structures stand in the way at some points. I do not expect that the old slow lines from Glendon South Junction to Glendon North Junction will be re-instated. Kettering North Junction permits access to the fast line towards Leicester and the junction at Glendon North was always awkward being on a heavily canted curve and with a gradient between the slow and fast lines. This will mean that until the second slow line south of Kettering South Junction is re-instated there will be four tracks from Bedford to Sharnbrook and from Kettering South Junction to Kettering North Junction. The Manton line through Corby was only ever double track. Geoff First stage of work at Kettering North Junction for installing new crossovers to accomodate double track on the Corby line. This work was carried out over the Christmas break, 2015. Corby North Junction and the new down line and partially installed crossover just south of Corby station. The start of the new down line through the station can also be seen in front of Corby North Junction’s signal, MJ28, which will have to be repositioned or replaced to enable the completion of the down line into the station. 222021 works the 1M36, 13:59 St Pancras International to Corby service ‘wrong line’ round the curve from Glendon South towards the Glendon Iron Coy’s bridge with the newly laid down line, which stretches from just north of Glendon South to a point some 200 or 300 metres further north towards Corby, alongside. 46233, Duchess of Sutherland, brings the 1Z29 06:31 London Victoria to York, York Yuletide Express round the curve from Glendon South, 7 minutes late after a protracted water stop at Kettering, 10:02 on Saturday 19 2015.n

SBS4DCC - ESU LokSound Motor Auto-Tune Follow this link for instructions on the autotune feature in Loksound decoders, V4 only. It also applies to Lokpilot decoders too. Geoff

37421 heads the 2Q08. 09:57 Derby R.T.C. Network Rail to Rugby C.S. DB Infrastructure Monitoring (TRU) Wednesday only working, 4 minutes early at 09:53 as it rolls down from Corby towards the Glendon Iron Coy’s bridge on Wednesday 11 November 2015. 97301 brings up the rear. This is what you saw. Geoff

One for Jim. 37219 powers the 1Z05, 12:10 Hither Green Down Recp. to Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) Infrastructure Monitoring UTU train through Glendon cutting at 14:54, 16 minutes late, on Tuesday 8 September 2015. Geoff

Corby freight traffic. 66085 eases off the branch to Corby Steelworks and into Corby station with the 10:22 Corby B.S.C. to Margam T.C. steel coil empties at 10:20 on Tuesday 14 April 2015, 19 minutes early. 66607 powers through Corby station at the head of the 07:35 Hope (Earles Sidings) Fhh to Theale Lafarge Fhh cement tanks, 1 minute early at 10:28 on Tuesday 14 April 2015. Geoff

10:45 Peterborough Maint Shed Gbrf to Wellingborough Up Tc Gbrf 3 minutes early at Burton Latimer, Wednesday 18 February 2015. Geoff

It looks as though my memory was a little inaccurate as I have found my copy of the write up dated 1975. Mods, if this is likely to cause problems please remove it. Geoff

Hello Colin, It is good to have you back on here, I hope your recovery is all going to plan. I posted about the axle bearing drill to save you the effort of writing it up if someone has a copy of the original article. Your version is almost identical to that earlier model save for a little refinement in the manufacture which is not entirely necessary. Ultra scale do not appear to offer their device any more, I seem to recall it was a freeby with certain orders. Yes there is an American product which will clean up the manufacturers bearing mouldings and will work on our models. How right you are about the different plastics and their ease of adaptation and glueing or not as the case may be. I saw your railway at the Nottingham show a few years back and was very impressed so I am looking forward to your new one with anticipation. I am not a 'southern electric' modeller but you and others who model the third rail empire have certainly done much to raise its profile. Keep up the good work and look after yourself. Geoff

There was a write up of the making of a tool such as this in the Railway Modeller back in the sixties, if my memory serves. I had one made but it is lost now along with the copy of the article. Ultrascale also offered a 'tune up tool' for a while. I don't know if it is still available. Geoff

37602 leads the 10:14 Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Hither Green Down Recp. working past the footbridge at Isham, 2 minutes late at 12:21 on Thursday 22 January 2015 with 37259 at the rear. The footbridge is to be “closed on Monday 26 January for eighteen weeks for essential improvement works.” Geoff

DR73947 stands in Nuneaton yard while staff attend to its needs. 13:40, Thursday 20 November 2014. Geoff

66426 (4J13) 04:28 Coatbridge F.L.T. to Daventry DRS (Dirft1) speeds past platform 5 Nuneaton, at 11:42, 1 minute early on Thursday, 20 November 2014. Would someone please confirm the reporting number? I have just transposed the letters and numbers shown on RTT ( 413J).

31163 & 31255 pass a freight waiting on the down slow to cross to the down main at Glendon North Junction, 16:34, 8/4/1975

5 December 2013, Kettering yard. Geoff

66147 coasts down from Seaton tunnel onto the Welland Valley (Harringworth) viaduct with the 05:51 Margam T.C. to Corby B.S.C steel coil train on time at 15:12 on Friday 17 October 2014 while Seaton church spire keeps watch in the distance. Geoff

Welland Valley viaduct Friday 24 October 2014 from Cessna 172 G-ZACE. Geoff

66147 coasts across the Welland Valley (Harringworth) viaduct with the 05:51 Margam T.C. to Corby B.S.C steel coil train on time at 15:12 on Friday 17 October 2014 while Harringworth village church guards its passage. Geoff

One after another, numerically. 66613 powers through the sunshine and showers up the gradient towards Desborough at Glendon, on time at 15:46 with the 12:20 Colnbrook Lafarge Fline Hh to Bardon Hill Quarry Fhh empties. Wednesday 8 October 2014. 66614 rolls down the grade from Corby towards the former Glendon South Junction at 16:34, 12 minutes early on the 11:49 Tunstead Sdgs to West Thurrock Sidings Fhh service, Wednesday 8 October 2014. Geoff

One for Beast! 66606 at the head of the 12:40 West Thurrock Sidings Fhh to Hope (Earles Sidings) Fhh powers up the bank towards Desborough at Glendon North 2 minutes early at 17:11 on Saturday 27 September 2014. Geoff Apologies for the inadvertent tree lopping, also the original picture is sharp.