To complement the above shot of Freigtliner power on a DRS working here DRS' 66407 passes through Slindon, Staffordshire with a Freightliner Heavy Haul working. At the time two DRS 66's where on hire to FLHH allowing the rare sight of DRS traction on trainload and construction workings. The service was the 6G16 Stud Farm - Crewe Basford Hall spoil and the date was June 9th 2006, one of those summer days where the camera had to get some action - I nailed six freights here in a matter of hours in full sun, 28°C, shorts and t-shirt on... only gripe was the palisade fencing that NR had recently erected here.
66119 powers the 4T20 Toton - Daw Mill empty coal through Burton on Trent on 30th August 2005.
66620 is pictured at Norton, Worcestershire hauling the 6M67 Bridgewater - Crewe flasks. The failure of 20307 at Bridgewater saw DRS commandeer the loco to haul the consist which included 37605 on 7th September 2006.
66176 heads a Portbury coal service through Abbotswood during August 2006.
Freightliner 66561 approaches Shrivenham with the 4V60 Calvert – Bath - Bristol ‘Binliner’ on 20th September 2005.
66503 & 66534 haul this super powered Freightliner train through Moreton cutting on 21st September 2005. I believe the train was the 4S59 Southampton-Coatbridge although I cant be 100% sure.
66094 powers a consist of track plant through Moreton on 21st September 2005.
66127 passes the Elford loop with the 4O26 14:48 Burton on Trent-Southampton Intermodal at Elford on 30th August 2005. The great sunlight clean 'shed' and colourful deep sea containers made for a great photo.
One of two '5 Door' Freightliner low emission Class 66 MK II loco's No. 66951 is pictured here departing Rugby station having just coupled up with a rake of Railtrack liveried self discharge ballast hoppers. The working was most likely connected to the engineering work taking place in the Coventry area at the time. 20/08/05
The second train was headed by 67005 with a nice mix & match rake of Intercity, Anglia & Virgin coaches in tow. This working ran as 1Z47 Doncaster - Cardiff and was also well down when it passed me at Bromsgrove. Doncaster won the trophy by the way... beating Bristol Rovers 2 - 3.
67028 is pictured at Croome on 29th July 2006 at 08:27 with the 'Lost Gardens Flyer' an excursion from Derby to St Austell to visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan. The train was running as 1Z65 and although it looks sort of full sun some high level cloud was causing some problems so ISO 400 was the order of the day and I was lucky to get it in a patch of sun.
Celebrity skip 67029 heads a rugby special from London Victoria to Cardiff on the GWML at Bourton on 17th March 2007.
Another rugby special on the same day saw 67021 in action running 30 minutes later than 67029 and utilising the Northern Belle rake, this time at Shrivenham.
The 6G36 Bescot - Birch Coppice 'Enterprise' feeder and corresponding 6G42 return trips where one of the last EWS freight diagrams in England to be booked for class 37 haulage. When Bescot lost its allocation of 37's the trip was turned over to class 67 haulage with the working becoming part of the same diagram as the I'll fated Walsall DHL parcels service. The outward working is pictured at Water Orton on 7th March 2007 with 67014 in charge.
The return footex, 67005 heads back to Doncaster at Abbotswood, Doncaster having won the cup beating Bristol Rovers 2 - 3.
DRS's 66404 heads 4S44 Birch Coppice - Coatbridge through Winwick on 6th April, the trains origin is usually Daventry but was diverted due to engineering work.
