Yesterday a special train passed our garden. Luckily I had my camera to hand and just managed to get a grab shot of the locomotive, a Cotswold Rail class 47 at the head of about a dozen ex-Virgin Mk 3 coaches. [ September 28, 2005, 05:06 PM: Message edited by: Alan ]
Almost too late, I realised there was another class 47 on the rear of the train! This time one in Anglia livery. Another grab shot! [ September 28, 2005, 05:06 PM: Message edited by: Alan ]
Ken, CR provide locomotives and stock for special trains, or to other train operating companies, sometimes on a 'power by the hour' basis, I think. They probably own the Anglia class 47 also. I think it is one they had on long term hire with Anglia and painted it in Anglia colours.
It's wonderful when seredipity rules...nice shots. I also like what appears to be striped livery of the first coach, wish you had had a chance to capture more. Now for an ignorant question from a Colonial: does "Cotswald Rail" have any relationship to the Cotswald area of Oxfordshire? (aren't the Cotswold Hills in Oxfordshire, and a long way from your neck of the woods? ) [ May 01, 2005, 08:13 PM: Message edited by: Hytec ]
I was expecting the train to return during the evening. It did, but going in thr same direction again!! This time the locomotives were on the opposite ends, so the train must have gone up to Lincoln, across to Newark, down the main line to Peterborough, then back to Spalding and was returning to Birmingham and Wolverhampton by a circuitous route
Very interesting,,,apparently they do not offer any scheduled service, only brokerage and charter services.
Nice photos Alan! Care to speculate on why the train was operating? Was it occupied? BTW I noticed on the TV news some coverage of Mr.Blair campaigning. Also there were some interviews of the "man on the street". AFAIK the coverage was live coverage from yesterday (or possibly Sunday). The weather seemed to be quite pleasant and I noticed most of the crowd in shirtsleeves. We've been freezing here in Chicago with gloomy,rainy skies. Last night we set a record low temperature. I was below freezing ! CT
Charlie, the train ran to Spalding (where I lived for 35 years, until last year) for the annual flower parade. In days past, there used to be 20 or more special trains to the parade from all parts of England! Lately there has been none, so this year it was good to see this one. But why it came up to Lincoln, etc. I don't know
Two years ago I rode on a chartered train from London to Edinburgh but I don't know if it was provided by Cotswald Rail. The coaches were all older and were lettered EWS. We did not go as fast as the scheduled trains as we were being passed by them.
Russell, most trains on the East Coast Main Line travel at 125mph. The only diesel locomotives we have are the EWS class 67's. So most charter trains are run with 90 or 100mph locomotives and fitting them into a high speed railway is not easy, so they have to be overtaken frequently. They do now sometimes insist on the 67 if the train is to run for lengthy distances along a high speed line. None of those problems along "our" line, as it is a 60mph one
This was a good thing as a few in our group missed the train at King's Cross but caught an express and were waiting at the platform in York for our train.
This was a good thing as a few in our group missed the train at King's Cross but caught an express and were waiting at the platform in York for our train. </font>[/QUOTE]
I found some photos of the engine on the train I rode. I belive it was an electric. <a href="http://www.railimages.com/albums/russellstraw/amk.sized.jpg" target="_blank">ZOOM </a> <a href="http://www.railimages.com/albums/russellstraw/amn.jpg" target="_blank">ZOOM </a>
That is a class 90 electric. Maximum speed is 110mph, which was the maximum on the West Coast mail line before the recent (costly) upgrade to a 125mph line. The west coast is now mainly worked by the new Virgin tilting Pendolino trains (designed for 140mph running, but they could not afford the hi9gh cost of upgrading the line to allow the higher speed).
