Monday 6th July 2020 seen another trip out, this time to the Leicestershire location of Cossington on the Midland Mainline, between Loughborough and Leicester, (or Leicester and Loughborough - depending on which way you look at it). Another spur of the moment trip too, as there was some info about that a couple of Class 37 workings were due through, plus several passenger services operated by the venerable High Speed Train (HST).

Usual routine, of getting in the car and heading towards Cossington, a leisurely drive through Hinckley to access the M69 at Junction 2, which only has an on/off slip road if you're either heading to Leicester or coming from Leicester although there are proposals to add on/off slips Southbound, this has became more apparent with the proposal to obliterate Burbage Common with a railfreight terminal - more on that in the future.

Back to the current situation, the drive to Cossington encompasses the M69, M1, A46, before going onto country lanes to access the location, despite the lifting of lockdown rules, it is still evident that the roads are still not as busy as pre-Covid levels, and the traffic was easy going.

Arriving at Cossington, my first shot was of the former LNER HST duo; 43257 and 43318 working 1D18 09:34 St. Pancras International - Nottingham. The HST being one of several sets displaced from the East Coast Mainline by the newer, and indeed sleeker Class 800 Azuma trains. The HST's are indeed on borrowed time on the Midland Mainline, as the new operator; East Midlands Railway are also replacing the HST's and Class 222 Meridian trains with a brand new Class 810, based on the Hitachi A-Train design. 33 new 5-car bi-mode have been quoted and will most likely run round in pairs forming 10 coach sets, with at a guess, a spare being used on standby, even I know 33 doesn't divide into 2 lol. My advice to enthusiasts is, get the HST's and Meridians while you can.

Another nice HST duo which made an appearance was former Grand Central duo; 43480 and 43484 working 1D21 10:05 St. Pancras International - Nottingham, this was caught later on in the day working 1C52 14:00 Sheffield - St. Pancras International, having worked an ECS manoeuvre from Nottingham to Sheffield.

What About Freight?.

The Midland Mainline isn't really that busy for freight services, it can, and indeed has, had it's moments over the years, but in recent times, the freight has dwindled. There use to be coal services from Daw Mill Colliery to Ratcliffe Power Station but this ceased back in 2013 due to a fire at the mine, as well as the ever increasing green agenda being pushed by the government, from a personal point of view, I really hope it doesn't come back and bite the UK up the derriere. 

The main staple of freight on this section of the Midland Mainline tends to be services serving the nearby Mountsorrel granite quarry, with the occasional oil trains from Theale or Westerleigh to the Lindsey refineries, steel trains from Margam to Corby, or the somewhat more frequent cement trains from Dagenham or Theale to Hope cement works in Derbyshire. On this day however, I was blessed with 3 services; 2 services going to the aforementioned Mountsorrel Quarry, and a cement train heading to Hope from Theale.

And The Specials??.

"This town, is coming like a ghost town"

OK, not the band from Coventry, but the special moves that prompted me to head to Cossington in the first place.

First up, 37421 was going on a jolly to Crewe with inspection saloon Caroline (975025 for you number crunchers out there), taking a somewhat circuitous route via Leicester, Nuneaton, Stafford and Crewe, and returning the same way - well that was the plan anyway but it sort of went Pete Tong later in the day. I was a bit miffed that the 37 was propelling the saloon, in other words was pushing, but it's one of those things, but alas I though to myself that she would be leading on the way back which was one of the factors in making a day of it.

Less than half an hour later, the second special was due, 37099 and 37025, which looks the dogs wotsits in BR Blue Large Logo, complete with Inverness TMD nameplates, just unfortunate that she was tail gunning on the rear of the ensemble, still one can't complain, as after all, how often do you see a split-box Class 37 on the mainline, let alone 2?. Both of these venerable locomotives were working 1Q51 Derby RTC - Eastleigh, and with a combined age of 117 YEARS, both look in extremely fine fettle. 37025 was of course released to traffic in August 1961, whilst 37099 followed just over a year later in December 1962.

37421 herself being 45 years old, being released to traffic in February 1965 as D6967, later becoming 37267 and finally 37421.

Meridian Medley.

Whilst the bulk of sightings was indeed the Class 222 Meridian units, as mentioned previously, these are on borrowed time, and as such having a final fling with them doesn't seem a bad plan, especially as I think that they're quite photogenic trains, whether the same can be said for the Class 810's when they start in a couple of years remains to be seen, but from what I've seen, I think they will, especially in a nice bit of sun. Of note, it seems East Midlands Railway are still more or less running a full, pre-Covid lockdown service on their Intercity routes (half hourly to Nottingham and Sheffield mainly), although the regional services appear to be 2-hourly at best between Leicester and Nottingham (which stop at the local stations).

Caroline Stood Me Up!!.

As the afternoon drew on, I was also following the progress of 37421 and saloon Caroline on their jolly back from Crewe to Derby RTC, which was booked the same route as the outward run, but a number of delays, especially around Stafford, reasons unknown, had seen a quick change of plan, and the duo were diverted at Lichfield Trent Valley up to the little used high level line between Lichfield Trent Valley and Wichnor Junction on the main Birmingham - Derby line, thus missing out Nuneaton and Leicester, and of course the small, socially distanced gallery which had assembled at Cossington, including myself.

Cementing Friendship.

Since I came off social media - or should that be anti-social media??. I no longer see what other people in the hobby are doing or having a bit of banter or sharing photo's, but nevertheless, I met one at Cossington, who was also there for the 37, so it was nice to have a catch up and chat. The last train of the day, before calling it a day, was 66616 working 6M91 Theale - Earles Sidings (Hope) cement working.

The Sightings.

• 10:56 43257 + 43318 1D18 St. Pancras International - Nottingham.
• 11:36 43480 + 43484 1D21 St. Pancras International - Nottingham.
• 11:39 975025 + 37421 5Z79 Derby RTC - Derby RTC via Nuneaton and Stafford.
• 11:51 43058 + 43045 1D23 St. Pancras International - Nottingham.
• 12:06 43318 + 43257 1B38 Nottingham - St. Pancras International.
• 12:16 37099 + 37025 1Q51 Derby RTC - Eastleigh.
• 12:25 66176 4D31 Radlett - Mountsorrel.
• 13:05 43045 + 43058 1B43 Nottingham - St. Pancras International.
• 13:05 43073 + 43059 1D28 St. Pancras International - Nottingham.
• 13:54 66761 6M60 Whitemoor Yard - Mountsorrel.
• 14:05 43059 + 43073 1B48 Nottingham - St. Pancras International.
• 15:01 43484 + 43480 1C52 Sheffield - St. Pancras International.
• 15:50 43257 + 43318 1D43 St. Pancras International - Nottingham.
• 15:56 66616 6M91 Theale - Earles Sidings.

HST Formations.

1D18 09:34 St. Pancras International - Nottingham.

43257 

44070, 42152, 42157, 42156, 42155, 40700, 41069, 41079

43318

1D21 10:05 St. Pancras International - Nottingham.

43480

42404, 42401, 42584, 41206, 40221, 41207

43484

1D23 10:34 St. Pancras International - Nottingham.

43058

41071, 41072, 40753, 42329, 42139, 42140, 42140, 44048

43045

1D28 11:34 St. Pancras International - Nottingham.

43073

44051, 42149, 42148, 42341, 42328, 40756, 41076, 41075

43059

Of course, some sets made a couple of appearances, but as it happens, of the 5 sets out, I managed to get 4. 

The week commencing 22nd June seen some pretty nice weather over the UK, and as such I made the most out of it.

As viewers to this site have probably guessed, I am also into my road transport as well as rail and aviation, and the 23rd June seen a visit to one of favourite locations where I go for trucks, the location is Packington Lane near Coleshill in Warwickshire, which spans the M6 Toll as well as the normal M6, I haven't been here for a bit though as work was underway to turn this section of the M6 into a so-called smart motorway. Luckily work is now complete, and subsequently overgrowth was cut back which has actually opened up the shot making it better than it previously was, I didn't venture to the bit that spans the M6 Toll as nothing much really uses it.

409 BX59 GCU A Beverley Transport Services MAN unit heads a boat load past the Packington Lane overbridge, complete with it's escort vehicle.

For the few hours I was there, it was noticeably quieter than it usually is, one thing that was apparent was the lack of coaches, again owing to restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic that is currently causing mayhem in the UK as well as abroad.

Pics from the day (420 in total), with hauliers such as Eddie Stobart and Turners featured, can be found HERE

Revisiting Old Haunts Part Deux.

Following the session from the 23rd June, I was at a bit of a loose end, and wasn't sure where to go, the sun was out, it was warm and as such I was going to go somewhere, but where??.

Some gen was received that 60010 was being taken from Crewe IEMD to Toton for attention, and 67001 and 67002 was doing the honours in taking the stricken loco back to base, that for me, was the deciding factor; Barrow Upon Trent in Derbyshire, which is on the freight-only line between Sheet Stores Junction and Stenson Junction. Again, this is one location which I haven't been to for some considerable time, in fact according to my records, it was May 2017 since I last came here, and indeed Stenson Junction. I never visited Stenson Junction on this occasion, but hopefully at some point in the not too distant future I will go back there.

67001 60010 67002 Barrow Upon Trent.67001 leads 60010 and classmate 67002 through Barrow Upon Trent working 0F54 Crewe IEMD - Toton. The Class 60 going for attention. 67001 leads a crippled 60010 through Barrow Upon Trent, with 67002 tail gunning on the rear.

Upon arrival, a glance at RTT seen that there was some decent stuff due through, although there was a gap of about 90 minutes about lunch time, so you may ask "What did you do for 90 minutes??". As it happens, it's an ideal time to go and get fed and watered, in this case the services on the A50 by Willington has everything you need, from a shop in the Shell garage which appeared to be well stocked to several fast food outlets, all bar one being shut because of Covid, hopefully we'll see them return in the not too distant future. KFC was the only one open, even then it was a drive-thru only operation.

The 90 minutes is ample time to whip across to the services to get supplies, and of course to take care of your toilet needs before returning to Barrow Upon Trent - of course it is also within reach of Stenson Junction too for those that are there.

With a satisfied hunger and thirst, it was back to Barrow Upon Trent for the afternoon shenanigans, according to one of the lists; 66415 was allocated to 4O95 Leeds - Southampton, alas 66547 materialised instead. I was hoping for 66415 as it is now in the Genesee and Wyoming livery whereas 66547 is still in bog standard Freightliner Green. Still never mind, always another time eh??.

Once everything had passed Barrow, it was time to move on.....

Revisiting Old Haunts: Part 3.

OK, so where does one go after visiting Barrow Upon Trent??, there was really naff all worth going to Stenson Junction for, besides the sun would be in the completely wrong place for stuff coming North, not that there was anything anyway apart from your usual diet of CrossCountry Voyagers and Turbostars. In fact the only ideal place to go in the area at that time of the afternoon is Elford, near Tamworth, which again it has been a few years since I last visited although the timing on this day would be about right for when the Kingsbury - Lindsey tanks would be rattling past after discharging it's load at the Warwickshire oil terminal. 

Into the car I went and took the most direct route I could; straight down the A38 to Alrewas and then turn off to take the scenic route to Elford.

Now usually the main shot at Elford is an occupation bridge at the bottom of Elford Loop - ideal to film something leaving the loop which nowadays is the oil traffic waiting a path into Kingsbury, or something heading North as the line is on a more adequate axis compared to Stenson Junction. Alas, I really couldn't be bothered to walk down to the bridge; the temperature was touching 30° and I had exhausted all of my liquid refreshment at Barrow Upon Trent, so I took the lazy option; drive to Portway. 

Whilst Portway is still adequate, you can't get a full length train in owing to a road over bridge a bit further down the line, as well as the associated overgrowth. Portway is also a farmers bridge, but, despite the ongoing Covid pandemic, is still open for people to use. Personally, I do ask that ANYONE who does visit the bridge, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do take your rubbish home with you and not just leave it - same with the occupation bridge at Elford too.

A pleasant hour was also spent at Portway, as not only did the outbound and inbound tanks make an appearance, but I also had the Small Heath - Tunstead empty box wagons go by too which was a bonus. 60059 Portway.60059 Swinden Dalesman passes through Portway working 6E59 Kingsbury - Lindsey empty bogie tanks. 60059 passes Portway with the return 6E59 Kingsbury - Lindsey empty bogie tanks. As you can see, the road bridge and overgrowth restricts the shot marginally but it's still a good place to go to.

After these had passed, it was home time again.

Revisiting Old Haunts; Part 4.

Another day which seen glorious weather, this time I headed down the A5 to the M1/M45 Junction, just inside Northamptonshire, again it's been about 2 years since I was here last so it was nice to get to. Usually, this bridge does attract a number of people at times, but, despite the good weather, I was on my own.

PO18 NUP | Eddie Stobart.Isabelle Elise. Eddie Stobart Scania R450 "Isabelle Elise" heads South down the M1. The M45 from Coventry is seen joining from the right.

I then took a quick visit to Daventry International Railfreight Terminal for a couple of Northbound freight services, which included a pair of Class 86 electric locomotives which are due to be phased out soon by Freightliner. The location was known as Barby Nortoft in old money but D.I.R.F.T has somewhat encroached the surrounding area over the last few years.

86632 86607 D.I.R.F.T.In what is now possibly the last couple of weeks of use before retirement, 86632 leads classmate 86607 past the Daventry International Railfreight Terminal Complex working 4M87 Felixstowe - Trafford Park freightliner. 86632 and 86607 rattle past D.I.R.F.T. working 4M87 Felixstowe - Trafford Park freightliner. 86632 was new to the rail network in April 1966 as E3148, and 86607 was new in August 1965 as E3176.

As ever, once I had my fill of action, it was back home I went. I do have intentions to visit these locations again in the future but when exactly I don't know, soon hopefully :).

Cheers

James

So, it's June 16th 2020, and I've ventured out to my local lineside spot of Burbage Common, near Hinckley. It was overcast, and although there was rain forecast, at this particular moment in time, it was relatively dry. I had seen some gen that 37884 Cepheus was taking 3 former East Midlands Railway HST Power Cars; 43052, 43054 and 43066 (not in that order I may add) from Long Marston to Leicester L.I.P, I understand that these HST power cars will eventually be used for high speed testing on the Midland Mainline from St. Pancras to Kettering and Corby.

Anyhow, getting to the location, and walking across to the foot crossing, the weather began to turn, and it began to drizzle, OK not enough to warrant a hasty retreat to the car so I persevered, but as the time went on, and subsequent passage of 66506 Crewe Regeneration working 4M81 Felixstowe - Crewe Basford Hall freightliner, the rain got heavy. Eventually I made the decision to retreat to the car, after all it was literally a stone throw away, and I do mean, I could throw a stone from the crossing and hit my car. By time I got back to the car, it was a full torrent of rain and my T-Shirt was more or less soaked.

I continued to follow the train, which was running as 5M60 due to the barrier coach at the rear, and it was at Water Orton, making good progress Eastwards, I was faced with 2 choices. Do I:

A) Make a retreat back home.

or

B) Just sit in the car and watch it pass.

In the end, I did neither as I decided to bite the bullet, and say "Bugger the rain" and wandered back to the crossing, where I had also left my steps as well, what with the forecast for rain and potential thunder and lightning, I opted to use my steps instead of my pole.

Getting back to the crossing, and the cavalcade was passing Nuneaton, so in the pouring rain, I set the shot up, got my desired settings on my camera and it was a case of fingers and toes being crossed. At this point the sky was clearing to the South but there was no way that the clear sky would reach me in time.

Sure enough, 37884 appeared around the corner in the distance, and I took position on my steps, as soon as they came into the frame it was a case of rapid shooting, by the time I hit the shutter, I was absolutely soaked through, so much so I had to take my T-shirt off and wear an old jacket which I had left in the car boot, itself an old jacket from work as we've recently had new clothing to wear.

So, was I absolutely bonkers for stopping out in the rain??.

No, I more like to call it dedication. However, the real kick in the knackers was, about 5 minutes after I took the shot, the clear sky got to me, the rain stopped, and the local area was lit up in glorious Summer sun.

Still, that's the way the cookie crumbles right?.