Operations
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CLASS 91 No. 91108 was noted running through Leeds station light engine on the 11.17 Neville Hill-Doncaster West Yard on July 31 prior to being taken out of traffic.
THE Neville Hill standby HST set, with EMT power cars Nos. 43075 and 43061 was used on the 09.06 King’s Cross-York on August 8. It had been stood down from regular use in mid-May with the introduction of‘Azuma’IETs.
A CORRESPONDENT travelled on Friday, August 23 on the 08.00 from King’s Cross that reached York on time. It was held there for almost an hour waiting a relieving train manager. He was on a southbound train, which was stuck behind a failed train at Northallerton. The train eventually reached Edinburgh more than an hour late.
They returned on Monday, August 26, on the 13.30 from Edinburgh, which left with every seat taken.
At Newcastle so many people crowded on board that the train manager stated the train would be held until those blocking the doors and vestibules got off, as he considered the over-crowding to be dangerous.
The train eventually left 20 minutes late, still with many people standing. No ticket checks were carried out.
The HST was diverted at Doncaster because of planned engineering works and went via Gainsborough Lea Road and the Lincoln avoiding line to regain the East Coast Main Line at Newark.
Arrival at King’s Cross was about 45 minutes late. TWO further Class 800 units delivered in recent weeks were No. 800207, which ran from Newton Aycliffe to Eastleigh on September 6, followed by No. 801205, from Newton Aycliffe to Doncaster Carr, on September 9.
A RAKE of Mk4 coaches – Nos. 10325, 11323, 12225, 12454, 82226 – was moved from Doncaster Wabtec to Eastleigh Works by Class 66 No. 66090 on September 5.
THE 07.06 GWR service from Exeter St Davids to Exmouth was formed of a Class 143/150 combination of Nos. 143617+150243, instead of the usual two Class 150s, when observed leaving Exeter Central on July 29.
THE 06.43 service from Exmouth to Paignton on August 8, with No. 150239 in charge, was 10 minutes late arriving into Exeter St Davids because of faults with the train. The train was then taken out of service, and the 07.18 departure for Paignton was cancelled.
On the same day, the 18.21 service to Exmouth was unable to access platform 1 at Exeter St Davids from the west because of a points failure, so it ran past platform 5 and reversed at the crossover to the east of the station before pulling up behind the SWR 18.25 departure to London Waterloo at the far end of platform 1.
The SWR left on time at 18.25, with the GWR service following it up the bank to Exeter Central and onward to Exmouth at 18.31.
PASSENGERS on the Down ‘Cornishman’enjoyed some rare track on August 16. In heavy rain, the leading car of No. 802004 developed a windscreen wiper fault. The train departed five minutes late from Reading at 15.35, and proceeded on the GWML until Tilehurst, where it reversed, using the freight-only Reading West chord to regain the Berks & Hants line.
CLASS 802 Nos. 802003 & 802017, working the 13.07 Penzance-Paddington on August 24, stalled on the climb to Doublebois just after the single
