Blue, Grey and Red Skies.

Here are the next fourteen shots for today's post, 26th August 2014, sent in by five contributors.



WINWICK & ELSEWHERE


David Wood opens today with three shots - the first taken at Betwys -y -coed on 19th August 2014. The railtour was the 'Welsh Mountaineer' with Stanier class '8F' 2-8-0 No.48151 at the head.







David's second pic features WCRC class 37, 37518 Fort William/An Gearasdan at  Liverpool Lime Street 17th August 2014. The railtour was the 'North Wales Coast Express,' Liverpool - Holyhead.







Pic three from David shows the Gresley 'A4' class 4-6-2, No.60009 Union of South Africa,  this one taken at Llandudno Junction on 17th August 2014.







The following four pics are from Alan Rigby. The first shows GBRf class 66, 66702 Blue Lightning, at St Helens Junction on 21st August 2104.The working was LBT-Ironbridge.








A superb blue sky is next pictured at Toton in Alan's second shot taken on 4th August 2014; a line of stored class 60's can be seen in the foreground. The sky wins in this one, I think.








Alan's third shot was taken at Winwick on 21st August 2014. New class 68s of Chiltern Railways, 68010 and 68011, are shown double heading, light engine on a Carlisle - Crewe working.








The fourth shot from Alan was taken at Winwick on 13th August 2014. Pictured is new DRS class 68, 68007 Valiant.









David Quayle has sent in the next pic taken in Portugal on 8th August 2014. The scene is Porto Railway Station.









The next five shots are from Jeff Nicholls. His first was taken at Crow Nest Junction, Hindley, on 22nd August 2014. Depicted are class 142 'Pacers' 142028 and 142004 on a Wigan - Manchester Victoria service.








Next, from Jeff, is a Stafford pic taken on 15th August 2014. DRS class 37s, 37667 and 37405, are pictured on a Toton - Crewe working.








Jeff's third shot is one that all the Winwick faithful will recognise - sunrise over 'our bridge' taken early on 22nd August 2014. Nice one Jeff, what a sky.....








Chiltern Railways class 68s are up again in this shot, Jeff's fourth. 68010 and 68011 are pictured on a test train through Winwick on 20th August 2014.








Jeff's final shot features Network Rail class 97, 97304 John Tiley on an Arpley-Guide Bridge-Arpley route learning exercise. The location was near Culcheth and the date, 11th August 2014.







John Smith has sent in our final shot taken at Ulleskelf  (Selby) on 29th July 2014. The working was Drax Power Station - Tyne Dock empty biomass tanks.

Streak and Spam Can

Today's post, 15th August 2014, comprises a mixture of steam, diesel and electric traction pics including a narrow gauge option.

WINWICK AND ELSEWHERE

The first three pics are from Ieuan Wood. Pic one features John Cameron's 'A4' again, this one taken in Wales at Badorgan. The working was the reverse North Wales Coast Express to Crewe with No.60009 Union of South Africa at the head. The date was 3rd August 2014.

Ieuan's second pic shows one of the new class 68s of DRS, 68007 Valiant, on a Carlisle - Crewe working through Winwick on 13th August 2014.

WCRC class 47, 47804, is up next heading an empty coaching stock (ECS) move, Craigentinny - Southall, through Winwick on 13th August 2014. WCRC class 37, 37516 Loch Laidon was on the tail.

Geoff Monks has supplied the next three shots. His first shows the SKY set (DVT 82216 T with 91125 T) passing the famous signs at Shipton on an Edinburgh - Kings Cross working. The pic is dated 7th August 2104.

Geoff's second pic features the SKY set again returning north at Burn (near Selby); Kings Cross - Edinburgh. The date was the same, 7th August 2104.

Class 47, 47580 County of Essex is pictured next, at Colton South Junction with the Scarborough Spa Express railtour, diesel hauled, because of the fire risk. The date was the same as above, 7th August 2014.

The following four shots are all from Jeff Nicholls. The first is of Bulleid 'Light Pacific' 'BoB' class No.34067 Tangmere. The location is Bank Quay and the support coach working is dated 5th August 2014. Jeff has retro-graded the pic in monochrome. The working was Carnforth - Southall.

Jeff's second pic shows EWS (DBS) class 66, 66023, light engine at Bank Quay on 11th August 2014.

The popular nuclear flasks working is up next pictured by Jeff, north of Golborne on 9th August 2014. The DRS 37s T & T were 37218 and 37667. 

Jeff's fourth and final shot features GBRf class 66, 66703 Doncaster PSB 1981-2002, on route learning duties inside Crosfields. The pic is dated 13th August 2014.

Alan Rigby has sent in the final four pics. His first depicts double heading GBRf class 66s, 66752 (one of the latest in the country) with 66701 (one of the first) at Toton on 4th August 2014.  

Alan's second shot depicts Freightliner class 66, 66615 at Peak Forest, with an Earles Sidings - Guide Bridge working. The pic is dated 4th August 2014.

Class 90, 90011 Let's Go East of England, is up next in Alan's shot taken at Brundall on 2nd August 2014. The loco is on the rear of Great Yarmouth - Liverpool Street service. 

Alan's final shot, also the last in this post, was taken on the Bure Valley Railway (BVR)  at Wroxham on 2nd August 2014. The 2-6-2 tender locomotive No.7Spitfire,  is pictured 'running round' its train. It was built in 1994 influenced by Indian Railways' ZB design, specifically for the BVR. It is liveried in 'Brunswick Green' with GWR fittings. The BVR is a 15inch narrow gauge example situated in north Norfolk.




ADDENDUM. This pic was added on 16th August 2014, taken by David Wood at Winwick. Pictured is WCRC class 37, 37518 Fort William/An Gearasdan  with an empty coaching stock move, Carnforth - Crewe, on 15th August 2014. The livery is BR InterCity (dark grey/white/red/white).

More class 68s

As the title suggests this post, 5th August 2014, includes several shots of a famous 'A4' which has been out and about in the area on several occasions, lately. Sixteen shots from five contributors.

WINWICK AND ELSEWHERE

Our first four shots have been sent in by Jeff Nicholls. First up is the 'A4' 4-6-2 of Scottish farmer John Cameron, No.60009 Union of South Africa. The locomotive is depicted heading the 'North Wales Coast Express'. The location was Culcheth and class 57, 57316 was on the tail. The pic is dated 3rd August 2014.

Jeff's second pic shows a NRTT at Winwick on 1st August 2014. Class 97, 97301 was at the head with class 31, 31465 on the tail. 

DRS class 47, 47841 is up next, in Jeff's third pic. The location was Sankey Viaduct and the date, 5th July 2014.

The fourth and final shot from Jeff was taken on his recent Spanish holiday. Pictured is a Spanish 'Avant' unit at Antequera Santa Anna on a Seville - Malaga service. The date was 28th July 2014. Jeff adds that these trains can reach 160mph.

John Smith has been busy lately and has sent in no less than six shots; the first pair showing what a difference a couple of months can make on track appearance. First up is a pic taken 2nd May 2014 looking west off Broad Lane bridge at Collins Green. The loco is EWS (DBS) class 60, 60065 Spirit of JAGUAR. The second pic was taken at the same spot, of the same working, on 25th July 2014 and shows how the scene has changed as electrification of the L&M line progresses. The loco in this pic is EWS (DBS) class 66, 66066.

Pic three from John features double heading class 47  locos -  47815 Great Western, in Riviera Trains livery and 47812, in BR two-tone green livery. The working was Drax Power Station - Doncaster gypsum and the location was Hambleton Junction (near Selby, N.Yorkshire). The pic is dated 29th July 2014.

Ulleskelf (Selby, N Yorkshire) was the location for John's next shot - of Stratford 47 Group's, class 47, 47580 County of Essex, heading the 'Scarborough Spa Circular'. The pic is dated 29th July 2014.

The 'Streak' is up next again in John's fifth pic. No.60009 Union of South Africa is pictured at Winwick on the 'Cumbrian Mountain Express' on 26th July 2014. Pushing from the tail was class 57, 57316 because of the fire risk. According to my 'Platform Five' guide, the latter loco is a WCRC loco running in the livery of Arriva Trains Wales/ Welsh Government sponsored, dark blue.

John's final shot shows the latest Chiltern Railways liveried class 68 'Vossloh UKLights' locos, leased from DRS - 68010 and 68011. DRS class 68, 68009 is also in the pic, with DRS class 57, 57012 at the head. The working was Liverpool - Crewe; the location was St Helens Junction.

My own shot of the 'Streak' is up next, taken at Red Bank on 26th July 2014. The 'Special' was the 'Cumbrian Mountain Express' and the 'fire risk' loco doing the pushing, was WCRC class 47, 47245.

Next are two shots from Ieuan Wood. First up is class 37, 37518 Fort William/An Gearasdan, heading 'Cumbrian Mountain Express' coaches at around 5.30am on 26th July 2014 at Rainhill. 

Ieuan's second shot features that 'Streak' again 60009 Union of South Africa; this one taken at Winwick on 26th July 2014. The railtour was the' Cumbrian Mountain Express'.

David Wood has sent in the final three shots in this post. The first depicts DBS class 90, 90035 heading the 'Border Raider' railtour through Red Bank, on 5th July 2014.

David's second shot shows DRS class 47, 47810 Peter Bath MBE, 1927-2006 (tail) and 'Northern Belle' liveried class 47, 47790 Galloway Princess (head) at Red Bank on 7th July 2014. 

The third shot from David, also the final example in this post, features Colas Rail class 70, 70810 at Whiston, on 3rd June 2014.