4630

Still operating this season, but I'm guessing not for much longer, DR98912/DR98962 pass through Deighton on 8th December 2023 working 3S08, Wigan LIP to Wigan LIP. Either this set hasn't been used much this Autumn, or it's already been treated to a power wash session, as it looks unusually clean.

On 8th December 2023, one of the few trains along the Huddersfield line, Rail Operations Group 37601 'Perseus' with 331005 in tow, working as 5Q17, Allerton Depot to Neville Hill T&RSMD. This is one of the planned swaps across the Pennines of 331/0 three-car units heading east, in exchange for 331/1 four-car units heading west. Previous recent unit swaps have been routed via Skipton.

There's a certain irony if that does happen as Chiltern has form in acquiring rolling stock from TransPennine Express, albeit when it was the First/Keolis franchise, courtesy of the DfT being tardy in making a decision. Nine Class 170s moving to Chiltern and now operating as 168/3s with that operator.

The penultimate one. 68030 and TP06 worked the later service, 1K42 to Manchester Victoria. According to a post elsewhere that's it now. All done in passenger service for TPE as, and I quote from someone employed there who is in a position to know, 'The order to finish today coming from "high up"'. So it would seem unlikely that they'll be any out on Saturday. It's likely though that there will be movements out from Longsight TMD at some stage to wherever they plan to store the Mark5A sets, although there doesn't appear to be anything scheduled yet.

You picked a good day, and almost the last day, to experience the journey. A quick look at Realtime trains, which I know isn't always 100% accurate as it relies on external data, shows the following situation for today; For the majority of the day the two class 68/Mark 5 sets currently on the east side of the Pennines (68026+TP11 and 68030+TP11) are shuttling between Scarborough and York. The day time service between Manchester Piccadilly and Scarborough is provided by class 185s today. Both 68026 and 68030 finish their diagrams today back at Longsight TMD tonight, leaving none at Scarborough or York; 68026+TP11 should work 1U80 19/48 Scarborough to Manchester Piccadilly (22/10), then 5H80 to Longsight. 68030+TP06 should work 1K42 20/43 Scarborough to Manchester Victoria (22/50), then 5H84 to Longsight. With the ASLEF strike affecting TransPennine Express tomorrow there won't be any services. Which leaves Saturday 9th. Previous Saturdays haven't always regularly featured class 68s and Mark5As across the Pennines, so it may well be that today will be the last day for them in service with TransPennine Express.

In the last few days of operation now. On 6th December 2023, with an overnight heavy frost evident, 68030 Black Douglas and set TP06 speeds towards Heaton Lodge East Junction with 1U39, Manchester Piccadilly to Scarborough.

The sad passing of Felix, one of Huddersfield's two railway station cats, has been announced today by TransPennine Express. https://mediacentre.tpexpress.co.uk/news/tpe-mourns-the-loss-of-its-beloved-station-cat

This from TransPennine Express expands on the post from @Mol_PMB a little earlier. https://mediacentre.tpexpress.co.uk/news/tpe-mourns-the-loss-of-its-beloved-station-cat

Freightliner 70016 hurries through the gloom towards Deighton on 4th December 2023 with a lengthy rake of JNA wagons, working as 6E53, Crewe Basford Hall to Gascoigne Wood Sidings.

Certainly as far as the part of the route that this announcement refers to - Huddersfield to Ravensthorpe - from my observations there's been an increasing amount of enabling works going on in and around the railway boundary over the past six months. I'm probably more optimistic now that the upgrade of the line between Colton Junction (south west of York) - Leeds - Huddersfield will actually be completed. That's guarded optimism though, as I'm not going to underestimate the potential for de-scoping, or a slow down of the work at some stage, in the name of 'cost saving'.

Oh yes. The “Here today, gone tomorrow politician” who got a tad upset in an interview at the time with the late Sir Robin Day. YouTube here for anyone wanting to relive the experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP_nutGc7p0

Yes, as per Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty from 1949. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_17120.htm

For those wanting a bit more of the detail, the Serpell Report can be found here; https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoT_Serpell001.pdf The maps showing the railway network from the various options that Serpell’s report outlined can be found from page 68 onwards.

Closure of the mainline west from Salisbury to Exeter was one of the options (Option C3) included in the 1983 Serpell Report.

On 30th November 2023, with an overnight snow shower still evident, TransPennine Express 68030 Black Douglas and set TP06 pass through Deighton with 1U39, Manchester Piccadilly to Scarborough. A video of the above, plus TPE 68026 Enterprise with set TP11 working 1U36 Scarborough to Manchester Piccadilly, is available here; https://vimeo.com/889969988?share=copy

On 29th November 2023 with the temperature hovering around zero and with the overnight frost still lingering in the shadows, Freightliner 66588 leads sisters 66587 ‘AS ONE, WE CAN’ and 66623 ‘Lest We Forget’ at Colne Bridge heading towards Huddersfield, working 6M25 from Hunslet Yard to Crewe Basford Hall.

With less than two weeks left in public service now with TransPennine Express, Mark 5A set TP13 approaches Colne Bridge in steady rain on 27th November 2023 with 1U36, Scarborough to Manchester Piccadilly. Motive power was provided by 68027 'Splendid'.

Locomotive Services Limited's D213 "Andania' whistles its way west along the Calder Valley line approaching Brighouse on 27th November 2023, working 0Z72, York Parcels Sidings to Crewe Holding Sidings.

Four TransPennine Express liveried class 68s within 15 minutes pass Colne Bridge in heavy rain on 27th November 2023. 68025 'Superb' and Mark 5A set TP02 heading east with 1U39, Manchester Piccadilly to Scarborough... ...followed a few minutes later by 68019 'Brutus' and 68020 'Reliance' with a pair of FNA-D nuclear flask carrier wagons, working as 6Z30, Crewe Coal Sidings to Leeds Balm Road... ...whilst passing in the other direction, 68027 'Splendid' and Mark 5A set TP13 with 1U36, Scarborough to Manchester Piccadilly.

It’s an interesting short film. It really reinforces how ‘cutting edge’ BR’s use of technology was in this part of its operations at that time, to improve efficiency.

A copy of Bits, Bytes and Bauds, together with other useful information about TOPS, is available here; http://www.samhallas.co.uk/railway/bbb.htm Scroll down the page to ‘direct link’

I saw similar reference yesterday in a couple of other railway forums that I frequent so it may be accurate, or at least reasonably close to it. There are only four DB Cargo class 60s currently operational in the active 'WCAT' pool; 60024, 60040, 60062 & 60074.

Showing evidence of working through this years RHTT season, Colas 66847 Terry Baker approaching Brighouse on 20th November 2023 with 3S14, Grimsby Town to York Thrall Europa, via all points of the compass in Yorkshire... ...with 66849 Wylam Dilly on the rear.

Which seems a tad unfair to Sainz and Ferrari as it was impact damage from the drain cover that necessitated the change of PSU, if the media reports are accurate.

“In September 2020, Alstom signed the sale and purchase agreement to acquire Bombardier Transportation with revised price terms, which reduced the price range by €300m. The updated terms revised the price range for the acquisition of all Bombardier Transportation shares from €5.5bn to €5.9bn compared with the initially announced range between €5.8bn and €6.2bn. The revised offer was reportedly the result of Bombardier’s poor quarterly performance and the Covid-19 pandemic.” The above quote is from railway-technology.com It would be interesting/amusing/concerning (delete as appropriate) to learn how much of the issues with manufacturing and the various Aventra contracts at Derby were uncovered during Alstom’s due diligence work prior to their purchase of Bombardier.