SWT442

Another one to add. I'd totally forgotten about catching one of the Chilten ones doing what it's supposed to! 68014 storms through Kings Sutton on the rear of 1H47 Birmingham Snow Hill to London Marylebone - 17.09.2015 Andy.

Thanks, glad you like them! Andy.

Here's a couple of shots I've got of the 68's. They very rarely come South, so trips to the Midlands have been my only way of getting a shot. Seen working the class' second proper mainline run, 68004 "Rapid" pilots 66433 on 4S44 Daventry IRFT to Coatbridge FLT intermodal. The 68 came off at Crewe, with the 66 carrying on to Scotland. 30.05.2014 Making a din, 68003 "Astute" gets the loaded 6U77 Mountsorrel to Crewe ballast run underway at Catholme. 29.05.2015 Literally 5 minutes after 68003 had passed, Chiltern liveried 68012 rolled through Catholme working 6Z96 Crewe to Toton engineers. 29.05.2015 Andy.

The layouts coming along great Rich! Looking forward to seeing it in the flesh at Brock! Andy.

A pleasure. No notifications about the wiring. The instruction sheet just gives a standard overview about how to go about fitting a decoder and speaker. The issue doesn't affect me as I run analouge. Andy.

Thank you, hope it's of some use! I use the trains to/from Eastleigh and their associated trip workings to influence my own modelling interests. When the Eastleigh to Wembley ran, it could sometimes throw up a Class 37. Around the early 2000's, Class 58's could also be booked to work it. I normally search Flickr using the headcode and a year to help find pictures that may be of interest to my needs. Andy.

Arriving from Hattons this morning was a parcel containing GBRf 73206. I've been looking forward to it for a while now but having been reading this thread for the last week, my enthusiasm for its arrival had dampened some what. Straight out the box, it's certainly a very nice model. I was a bit surprised at how light it was, I assumed it would be on the weighty side. The colours look good to me, with maybe the Yellow front being a little "off" but I can live with it. Unfortunately, there was a part rolling around in the box. One of the brake actuators that fits on the back of the bogie had fallen off, while on the same bogie one of the yaw dampers isn't even fitted. (It wasn't loose in the box). I plan to e-mail Dapol to see if a new bogie frame can be sent out, seems a faff to send it back for another loco. On my somewhat dirty track, it ran well. Would benefit from a running in though to just dampen down the growl it has. Not having opened it up yet, I'm not sure what the lighting layout is but the headlight at one end shines through bodyshell and not the headlight aperture, hopefully this'll be easy to remedy. The sand pipes will need trimming back as some do snag on the track. Overall I'm pleased with it, and looking forward to getting all the details attached, giving it a weathering and putting it into service. Going by what's said on here and from what I've seen on my model, I think the QC department needs a kick up the arse to stop the avoidable mistakes of wrong colours and loose parts. Saying that, I am quite tempted by Olivias model of 73141, it'd make a nice pair with 73206! Below are a few photos taken on the camera phone. (The missing yaw damper is on the bogie closest to the camera). Andy.

I can't answer for the 85' to '99 period you're aiming for (I wasn't born until 1990, so still hadn't hit double figures when '99 rolled around!) but I do have a few shots of workings out of Fawley in recent years. While not necessarily part of block trains, the workings out of Fawley in recent years went to Eastleigh where they went onto the enterprise working to Didcot, and formaly Wembley. What used to happen until around 2008(?) was that a block oil/bitumen train went to Tavistock running as 6V62. After bitumen stopped being carried, the working would go into Eastleigh Yard where a selection of TTA's would be dropped off and the train would reverse and carry on to Tavistock. It still ran as 6V62. When the Tavistock working ceased in October 2013, the working then became Tuesdays only as 6B62 and ran as far Eastleigh Yard. On Thursdays, another working running as 6B94 ran, again as far as Eastleigh Yard. These workings stopped in March 2015, leaving the working to/from Holybourne as the only oil train working to/from Fawley. At Eastleigh, the tanks would be formed onto the enterprise working to Didcot, normally running as 6V38 or sometimes 6X38, depending on what was also conveyed. This working had feeder trips from Marchwood MOD and Southampton Western Docks. Some TTA's would be tripped across to Eastleigh Depot. What I'm not so clear on is where the tanks went after arrival at Didcot. I think an amount continued on the Didcot to Bescot enterprise (6X65) for presumably Bescot Depot and maybe even some for Warrington. There is/was a Didcot to Wembley enterprise, so some may have gone on that for Ipswich. Some of the Eastleigh to Didcot workings could be short, I've seen it with just a handful of wagons. Normally though, the train could be quite long with it conveying containers and cars from Southampton and normally containers from Marchwood, although VGA's and very occasionally Warflats/Warwells would be seen. The inbound working is 6O15 Mossend to Eastleigh, which would contain empty TTA's returning to Fawley on a trip working from Eastleigh. The working to Didcot started around 2010(?), as it was origionally 6M44 to Wembley. Feel free to correct me, as I'm not 100% on all of it. Attached below are a few pictures of TTA's on some of these workings. There's a few links to some YouTube videos that may be of interest as well. Seen at Shawford, 66158 works 6M44 Eastleigh Yard to Wembley. 12.02.2009 Showing a fairly typical working, 66160 heads through Shawford with 6X38 Eastleigh Yard to Didcot. 23.04.2013 Heading through St. Cross, 66148 works 6V38 Eastleigh Yard to Didcot. 18.06.2013 Passing through Worting Junction, 66108 works 6O15 Mossend Yard to Eastleigh Yard. 24.02.2015 Hopefully I've not gone off on too much of a tangent and this is useful! Andy.

And I've just noticed this post. I remember you, we must have been stood near to each other on the bridge! I was the geezer with the long hair. Snap! There'd been a few days of spotting beforehand, so here's the rest of the Class 60's we got. First up, 60100 storms through Clay Mills working 6E54 Kingsbury to Humber Oil Refinery discharged tanks. 29.05.2015 Seen at Catholme, 60024 "Clitheroe Castle" works 6E41 Westerleigh to Lindsey Oil Refinery. 29.05.2015 Not long after, 60059 "Swinden Dalesman" flies through with 6E08 Wolverhampton to Masborough. 29.05.2015 And finally, 60010 heads through Burton-on-Trent hauling 6E54 Kingsbury to Humber Oil Refinery. 30.05.2015 Andy.

Time for a few more, this time non-EWS pictures. Rolling under Campbell Road bridge, 66414 is seen working 4O15 Hams Hall Parsec to Southampton Maritime. The loco has since been repainted into the Frieghtliner "Powerhaul" livery. 04.11.2014 Accelerating through Worting Junction, 66416 is seen in charge of 4O18 Lawley Street to Southampton Maritime. 24.02.2015 Ambling under Campbell Road bridge, 66709 "Sorrento" is working 4Y19 Mountfield to Southampton Western Docks containerised Gypsum. 16.05.2015 With an assortment of departmental wagons, 66726 "Sheffield Wednesday" slows to take the Crewe line at Wichnor Junction while working 6K50 Toton to Crewe. 29.05.2015 With 73107 doing most of the work, 66741 "Swanage Railway" heads away from Swanage during the 2015 Diesel Gala. 08.05.2015 With the Corby to Margam steel just passing in time, 66771 flys through Clay Mills working 6Z32 Tinsley to Coton Hill aggregate hoppers. 29.05.2015 Rushing down through St. Cross, near Winchester, 66847 works 0Z66 Hinksey Yard to Eastleigh East Yard. 06.03.2015 Andy.

Been awhile since I posted anything, so here's a selection of odd shots. First of the class, 66001 is seen on Battledown Flyover with 6M48 Southampton Eastern Docks to Halewood Jaguar empty cars. 04.03.2015 With an additional working due to the landslip near Banbury, 66012 tows 6Z15 Didcot to Eastleigh East Yard through Worting Junction. 04.03.2015 With one of the last empty fuel oil workings into Fawley, 66025 is seen at Frost Lane, Hythe, with 6B93 Eastleigh East Yard to Fawley Refinery. 19.03.2015 Crawling through Brinklow on the WCML, 66056 has discharged cement tanks in tow as it works 6Z51 West Thurrock to Tunstead. 28.05.2015 A day later from the above shot, 66056 is seen again but this time at Clay Mills working 4M11 Washwood Heath to Tunstead. The coal hoppers are being used as aggregate wagons. 29.05.2015 An early start for this one! As day just starts to break, 66128 powers through Worting Junction with 6Z52 Northallerton to Ludgershall MOD train. 04.03.2015 With a single Class 378 coach in the consist, 66174 ambles past Gordons Lodge with 7X01 Derby Litchurch Lane to Wembley. 28.05.2015 With the end nigh, 66194 flys through Millbrook with 6B62 Fawley Refinery to Eastleigh East Yard loaded fuel oil tanks. 17.03.2015 Andy.

Found this on Flickr of 66418 and it's additional branding. Fairly discreet, which is nice. https://www.flickr.com/photos/68455781@N02/18425713490/in/photolist-u5dAFm-rhWMyb-r92Zy5-qNpBUD-qrarxy-rgTW58-rgTVEk-qGPyzY-rexKv8-raGqs3-qH3tqD-qviFkU-rE11oo-pJGiLP-qxPvkA-rbu7CJ-rG2jUd-qMGku6-qGqWmr-raMgSV-tpMbVh-ujtigU-rAbrM7-tQ5dm6-ua1mFa-sThpCu-txHesC-tQiu9n-rzCuBW-sqxLaV-skmXyu-sjutXd-sqxL3R-sKYgjz-tN1oga-tMRVYW-u5Bdta-tMSs9Y-t8rgAq-tMSxFu-tN1gTa-tN1hgV-u5BpRR-t8rkU5-tMSvpq-t8BAhn-t8BBiF-t8Br8F-t8rnYW-tMRY7J Andy.