Powerhaul 70 Pey

I think the DRS double headed 37's were in charge of a 4 day Pathfinder rail tour around of Scotland which started on Friday 25th September Exeter St Davids to Carlisle, Carlisle to Inverness (day one). Monday (day 4) was Inverness to Carlisle and then Carlisle to Exeter St Davids. I think the Railtour was "The Autumn Chieftain". I might be wrong, I am no expert! http://www.railtourinfo.co.uk/diesel.html

Excellent news, I hope I get chance to see it. How come colas have decided to put a 70 on it? Will you be the driver at any point next week and do you still stop at warrington for a crew change?

Hello Jim, thanks very much for the information. I will have to get to warrington bank quay to see that. Do you know if the 70 is coming off at any point or going all the way to chirk?

Here's a couple of Freightliner Class 70 container trains running to and from Garston Freightliner Terminal in Liverpool passing Acton Bridge on the West Coast Mainline this sunny morning. Not a bad haul of class 70's for a two hour period.

With class 92's well out of favour now with most operators DB Schenker has introduced pairs of 90's on some intermodal trains on the WCML, Here's another 90 combo on the Dollands Moor to Irvine working that used to be 92 hauled. Pictured just off M6 J41 north of Penrith with 90018 on the front.

46233 Duchess of Sutherland and an unknown steam behind it pass Acton Bridge on the WCML at Acton Bridge today with a movement from Carnforth to Barrow Hill around 11:20am today.

Could only start a job at 3pm at Liverpool Docks today so with a bit of time to kill I saw the Ironbridge to Liverpool Bulk Terminal Biomass train coming into the docks and managed to get some better pics. 66732 "GBRF The First Decade 1999-2009 John Smith MD" was in charge. 66732 running around its rake of hoppers. Having run around and re-coupled the train is slowly reversed under the loading tower.

Not the best photos I am afraid but I had to get to two jobs on the docks at Liverpool today and the loading process of biomass with the doors on the hoppers is so slow that even after 1/2 hour dinner the train was still a distance away. Some serious construction work is underway as GBRF 66772 slowly passes under the loading tower preparing for a Liverpool Bulk Terminal to Ironbridge Power Station loaded Biomass. There have been no coal trains for months now, just biomass. I am guessing that the loading tower under construction will be for biomass and the old one will revert back to coal. Full zoom! Unfortunately I could not hang around any longer for the train to have drawn forward enough to get better photos . . . maybe thursday when I am back in the area.

60085 on the logs today at Horrocksford Junction, Clitheroe, Lancashire.

66057 was the loco on the Avonmouth to Clitheroe Castle Cement train today. Location is Horrocksford Junction where the train heads down the sidings to the Castle Cement site. 66057 brings the train towards the jucntion. Then draws the train forwards, clears the points then reverses over the crossover onto the other line. Then draws forwards again and down the sidings. Also caught the Carlisle North Yard to Crewe Basford Hall engineers train at the same location later in the day. 66305 was the loco on the front.

Working in Clitheroe, Lancashire today and managed to catch the Mossend to Clitheroe Castle Cement with 66102 in charge of the train. Here's the train heading towards Horrocksford Junction where the train comes to a stop and is reversed over the crossover, across the main road and into Castle Cement. Here's the train reversing down the siding and disappearing through the foliage down the sidings towards the Caslte Cement facility. Working in Clitheroe again tomorrow so I might try to catch the train from Avonmouth if it runs.

Working in Clitheroe and I knew that The Fellsman Special fron Lancaster to Carlisle via the S&C was running today so I found a decent spot at Horrocksford Junction in Clitheroe, Lancashire. Heres 46115 having just passed the Signal box at Horrocksford Junction. And one more shot before the train runs past me and under the road bridge.

Great photo Russ. I might be wrong but it looks like the return to Leeds will be with a rake of wagons. If you look on realtime trains for Arpley junction it looks like one train from fiddlers to hunterston Had a loco swap and the other hunterston train the loco has gone back to crewe light engine. The fiddlers to Leeds return is showing a trailing load, not a light engine so it looks like its getting the empties that would have been going to hunterston. If all that makes sense??

Hopefully it is a new coal flow to Fiddlers Ferry and, dare I say it on Class 66 photos thread, that it will be booked for one of Freightliner's class 70's! I don't half miss the Class 70's with their noise and clag in the north west. The Ellesmere Port Manisty Wharf to Fiddlers has now ceased with the closure of Manisty Wharf. Liverpool Bulk Terminal seem to be concentrating on the Biomass market with no coal trains from here to Fiddlers Ferry for a couple of months now. Also heard a rumor that a new Biomass flow will be starting from Liverpool to Drax so it makes sense to have a new flow of coal from a different location. Fiddlers Ferry are only running one unit out of four at the moment but hopefully as we head into winter, Fiddlers Ferry will need to start bringing in more coal and a new flow will commence. . . . . . hopefully!

Thanks very much for your information. This has been happening since last monday. I did notice on Realtime Trains that there were two workings booked, one back to Leeds and one to Guide Bridge Sidings so they must choose at very short notice where the loco travels back to. Apart from one day (I think) the loco has always gone back to Leeds. One one occasion the working was cancelled when it arrived at Latchford Sidings. There isn't much happening at Fiddlers Ferry at the moment, I have not looked yet but there is probably only two coal trains from Hunterston that will run until Friday when one train heads back to Garston and the other to Carlisle North Yard. I know in the past Freightliner tend to do loco swaps at Latchford sidings where the loco runs around the train with the light engine coming from Crewe Basford Hall. There only seemed to be one driver in the loco today.

For the past week there has been a working every day from Leeds Balm Road Loco (FHH) to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station and back again. This is the link on Realtime Trains http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R03411/2015/08/24/advanced. I have no idea what the purpose of this train is but here is Freightliner Class 66, 66623 passing what was Sankey Bridges Station in Warrington on the now freight only line that starts at Latchford Sidings. There has been other locos used on this but 66623 is the only one I have caught to photograph.

DB Schenker 66065 brings an engineers train through Warrington Bank Quay this morning from Bamfurlong Junction which is situated between Warrington and Wigan on the WCML.

On my way home from Droylesden today I thought I would stop by the WCML in Golborne and catch the Sinfin to Grangemouth tanks and the Carlisle to Chirk log train that were both due to pass around 17:45. Missed the tanks but caught the logs through the fence and foliage. Colas Rail 60085 on the logs. Might try to catch the Preston to Lindsay tanks tomorrow if possible.

The Dutchess of Sutherland approaching Wigan North Western station on the West Coast Main Line just before 9.00am on Saturday 15th August 2015 with The Cumbrian Mountain Express Special.

West Coast Railway Company were running a charter from Holyhead to Edinbrugh today. 47851 was at the head of the train today. With 47786 on the rear.

67019 "Keith Heller" was in the bay at Warrington Bank Quay yesterday. Which ran to Stockport today setting off around 9:30am.

Great photo of an interesting working. Do you know how long the trial is going to last and whether a 70 will be used again this coming week?

37604 in charge of the Preston to Barrow train today. 37402 on the rear.

67022 was in charge of the Arriva Trains Wales service from Manchester Piccadilly to Holyhead pictured at Warrington Bank Quay today.

Some class 66 photos from the last couple of days from the Warrington area on the WCML. The Hunterston to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station coal trains are finally running again and there have been 3 per day, all class 66 hauled. Here's 66518 heading up Slutchers Lane to run around at Walton Sidings. The loco ran light from Crewe to Garston (Liverpool) where it collected the rake of hoppers. Having run around at Walton Sidings 66518 brings the train onto the WCML and heads north back to Hunterston with the empties. 66752 heads through Warrington with the Ironbridge Power Station to Liverpool Bulk Terminal biomass empties. 66551 was in charge of another coal train to Hunterston and brings the train onto the WCML and heads north back to Hunterston with the empties. One of the workings which was a bit strange was this one below. Freightliner 66598 hides in the foliage just outside of the station and eventually draws forward around 11am. 66598 was in charge of the Avonmouth Hanson Sidings to Castle Cement in Clitheroe, this is usually DB Schenker class 66 hauled.