Recent content by Wyrleybart

I think that depends on your interpretation of the line. My sister lived in Ammanford in the early 1980s and a couple of times I caught the DMU from Shrewsbury to Ty'r Dail which was the nearest station to her. Undoubtedly not end to end. Years later I took my father in law for a ride over the...

The benefits of hindsight eh ! If only TfW had got Vivarail to prove a prototype unit over the Borderlands route for two or three months before making their purchase. But they didn't and TfW are where they are. The point is that TfW would not need to acquire five 197s to replace the five 230s...

Arriva's Diamond service Huntington - Cannock - Walsall was equipped with new SN64xxx Streetlites and was going to be a flagship service. One by one the streetlites disappeared and the service was given anything the Cannock garage could muster. Then the route was deDiamondised. Arrival sold...

Has it yet operated under it's own power on anything other than the factory sidings ? Presume it moved on diesel or batteries at Loughborough, but probably not on AC. Presume the diesel can charge the batteries if necessary. You'd think ROG would trial it at Daventry moving trains in anc out...

As I understand it all nineteen units were returned to Long Marston off lease. Since then I believe two units were moved to Kilmarnock (possibly Brodies) have been delivered blue and now seem to be running trials in the Glasgow area. Last week i believe one or maybe two 769/9s were hauled...

AIUI Varamis is headed up by qualified train driver Phil Read, so we know for sure the train interfacing to platforms will have been thought through. I imagine the business model is DOO but there may well on board staff and trainees getting the feel of the operation and maybe opening and closing...

We had DH1 in Walsall similarly Didn't realise it had retired to Mulhouse though !! https://www.flickr.com/photos/131561068@N08/32698651108 EDIT Reading the text, it appears F1 and 1F were registered in Essex

Agree. There was a point around a year ago where a number of GC class 180s were temporarily reformed with cars from different units. AIUI the off leased ex AWC class221s were brought in to held catch up with the work needed on the class 180s. As far as I know there are now just two units...

Agreed. There re generally warranties on paint. Whilst they are not rail vehicles NXWM have a fleet of 64 plate Enviros which were delivered in red and white and are still in red and a mucky looking near white livery even though most other NXWM fleet are now maroon. Acres of vinyl is the...

Sadly they are captive in the scenario, but there have also been incidents at Stoke on Trent and Wakefield where police have been called. The dog handlers attending unruly people at Stoke.

Yup. You obviously knew him !!!

Then there's the special one with the giesl chimney !!! Had that on the ELR a few years ago, and confirm it is a monster.

Oh my lords !!!!! Takes me back a few years

Is this your prediction ? Mine is that Alstom will have eight of the ex Avanti 221s and XC will have the remaining twelve. Whether 142 and 143 go to Xc or Alstom I wouldn't like to predict, but AFAIK the pair are handed back at the end of their lease. AIUI they were taken on to get some...

Depends on your personal set of rules really. I gave up spotting in 1979 and only recorded haulage from that point on. so 90033 which was renumbered 90233 and was renumbered back to 90033 is all the same loco for me, but clearly not for others. I am still struggling to believe these are being...