Operations
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ON APRIL 10 a complete CrossCountry HST set plus power cars Nos. 43285+43357 were on hire to VTEC.
TWO new Class 800 units were delivered from Dollands Moor to North Pole depot on May 8 when Nos. 802003+802004 were moved by GBRf Class 66 No. 66778. Two further units – Nos. 800201 and 800202 – were reported out on test on May 9 working between Doncaster and Darlington
THE new IET Class 800 units are extending their range as more enter traffic, with unit No. 800032 being observed departing Great Malvern on March 29 with the 09.54 to Paddington running about 30mins late
BOTH Class 57 Nos. 57603 Tintagel Castle and 57602 Restormel Castle were observed stabled at Reading station’s traincare depot topping-and-tailing a rake of sleeper stock on April 14.
The same locos were again present at Reading on April 17.
The following day the empty stock from Reading Traincare depot to Paddington was seen passing Reading station and later at Paddington, with No. 57605 Totnes Castle at the front and No. 57604 Pendennis Castle at the rear.
The next day, No. 57602 stood at Old Oak Common again in charge of a rake of sleeper stock.
THE 17.30 Cardiff-Portsmouth Harbour service on April 27 was formed by Class 150/2 No. 150261 running 35min late, in place of the booked Class 158/9. It could not cope with the number of passengers, leaving some behind at Newport and Bristol TM, where there were also some platforms out of use because of signal failure.
CLASS 153 No. 153373 failed on Rattery bank on April 19 after leaving Totnes, and was rescued by Class 150 No. 150243, sent from Newton Abbot, which hauled the failed unit wrong-line back to Totnes.
AS FURTHER Class 800 units enter traffic so HST sets are leaving. On May 2, power cars Nos. 43003 +43142, with coaches Nos. 41135+42280+ 42502+42265+ 42279+42285, ran from St Phillips Marsh to Leicester. The following day Nos. 43031+43152, with Nos. 44004+44035+ 41010+42013+ 42553+42360+ 42012+42014, ran from St Phillips Marsh to Ely, with the power cars going forward to Derby.
CLASS 800 No. 800302 was noted on test at Cheltenham on May 11.
OBSERVED on April 7, Class 170 No. 170202 was running as a two-car unit without its centre car.
CANCELLATIONS and delays occurred in the late afternoon and early evening of April 12 on the Cambridge to Ely line. Sadly, a person was fatally injured by a train at Waterbeach just after 16.00.
DRS Class 57 Nos. 57002 and 57007 were parked up in the sidings next to Norwich platform 1 on April 27-28. THE HST power cars
