March 2023

A trio of Freightliner Class '70s' with 70020 nearest the camera bask in the afternoon sunshine at Midland Road (07/03/2023)

66850 passes its ultimate destination on a VSTP 0Z67 1415 Toton - Leeds Midland Road light loco move as Northern's 150220+150274 disappear into the shadows en route to Knottingley. The Colas machine was presumably booked in for tyre-turning on Freightliner's wheel lathe (07/03/2023)

Three days later, Nemesis Rail's 31128 'Charybdis' was also making the trip to Leeds for tyre-turning along with preserved 37264 from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Running as 0Z37 0738 Grosmont to Midland Road, the duo round the curve at Balm Road in Hunslet (10/03/2023)

Shortly afterwards 37264 is propelled through what was once Hunslet station by 31128 on their way back from Holbeck. Entry into the Freightliner site from the Stourton direction requires a double reversal, hence the unusual sight of the '37' briefly at the head of the convoy (10/03/2023)

With the lens open wider than I'd have liked to accommodate the considerably longer body of a modern Type 5 loco, an immaculate 66143 passes the same spot just over ten minutes later with the slightly delayed 6E97 1044 Newbiggin - Tees Dock gypsum empties (10/03/2023)

Shortly before dawn, LSL duo 47853 + 47805 await departure from Rugby with 1Z57 0600 'Statesman' charter to Inverness (11/03/2023)

More than thirteen hours later and after the train's passengers had made their way to their various hotels, the pair taka a well-earned rest in a near-deserted Platform 2 at Inverness. An engineering blockade at Carstairs meant we'd enjoyed a lengthy detour from Wigan via Copy Pit, Leeds, the ECML and Forth Bridge to get here (11/03/2023)

Day 2 dawned with 47853 at the head of 1Z58 0850 to Kyle. The former 47614 did enjoy short spells at both IS and ED in the 1980s and is seen here waiting to haul the train the short distance from Inverness station to Welsh's Bridge (12/03/2023)

47805 is pictured on the blocks at Kyle of Localsh after arriving from Welsh's Bridge with 1Z58. The loco has been here before in 2021 without actually working a passenger train when a lack of RETB equipment meant it had to act as the tail loco in both directions on another 'Statesman' trip. Following the recent demise of 47501 though it's gained the necessary signalling kit and that particular statistic has now been rectified (12/03/2023)

Later that afternoon 47805 is pictured again on the blocks at Inverness after dragging the return 1Z59 1355 from Kyle of Localsh into the train shed from Welsh's Bridge (12/03/2023)

47853 draws admiring glances as it departs for the sidings as the 5Z59 1735 empty stock. 66303 looks on as it waits to depart for Edinburgh later that evening with the Caledonian Sleeper to London (12/03/2023)

With snow falling on the final morning of the trip, 47805 + 47853 await departure with 1Z60 0816 Inverness - Rugby. The blockade at Carstairs also affected the return journey, which saw us routed via Stirling, Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Tyne Valley before joining the WCML at Upperby (13/03/2023)

218435 at Lübeck Hbf on the rear of RB11628 1912 to Neustadt (Holst). The short branch off the former 'Vogelfluglinie' to Puttgarden hadn't seen regular loco-hauled trains for many years until this daily diagram unexpectedly appeared in January and after an absence of a couple of weeks (which may have been related to an engineering blockade west of Hamburg) I'd been very pleased to see it reappear ahead of my trip the previous day (22/03/2023)

The following morning 218435 is pictured at Lübeck Hbf after arriving with RB11607 0615 from Neustadt. On the right is 112181, which was deputising for a pair of EMUs on RE11407 0710 to Hamburg Hbf (23/03/2023)

This time last year a '218' alongside a '112' at Lübeck at 7 o'clock on a weekday morning would have been an everyday occurrence. Now though with the 'RE8' circuit in the hands of '445' EMUs and the Kiel route in the hands of a private franchise using ex-DB DMUs it's something of a rarity. This is the view from the opposite platform shortly before I departed for Bad Oldesloe on the 'vice' turn that was still going strong when I returned later that evening (23/03/2023)

It's always good to arrive at Itzehoe and find a pair of 'Rabbits' waiting to take over from the incoming electric loco, because nowadays it' certainly isn't a given. 218397 + 218379 are about to be coupled up to the front of IC2214 0507 Köln Hbf - Westerland (23/03/2023)

Having worked back south on IC2215 1323 return to Köln, the duo are about to be stabled in the sidings at Itzehoe for the night after a visit to the fuelling point (23/03/2023)

I wasn't quite done with the Marschbahn for today though as 218448 + 218833 were waiting to work north on IC2374 1051 Frankfurt (Main) Hbf - Westerland. The train is seen here at Husum after I'd elected to alight earlier than intended due to a signalling problem that had started to unfold beyond Niebüll (23/03/2023)

The weather on the island of Sylt was equally as impressive the following day: 218412 runs round its train at Westerland after arriving with IC2214 0507 from Köln Hbf (24/03/2023)

A couple of hours later 218448 + 218833 nicely catch the afternoon sunlight at Itzehoe as they wait to work forward on IC2374 1051 Frankfurt (Main) Hbf - Westerland. The train on the right is the late-running IC2215, on which I'd arrived a couple of minutes earlier (24/03/2023)

In a change to my intended move, I made my way back out to Sylt the following morning. 218833 + 218448 are seen here at Westerland with IC2571 1053 to Frankfurt (Main) Hbf. On the left a couple of the local push-pull sets await their next 'RE6' duties (25/03/2023)

The 'Rabbits' have usually been un-hooked from the front of the southbound service at Itzehoe long before my camera gets anywhere near them but the shunter today was clearly not in a rush because I'd not only walked the length of the train and more but crossed through the subway to the opposite platform too. The tell-tale trail of exhaust indicates that 218833 + 218448 are about to make their way across to the fueller before working back north later that afternoon (25/03/2023)

As night begins to fall, 218435 poses beneath the steel arches supporting the roof of Lübeck Hbf as it waits to depart on the rear of RB11628 1912 to Neustadt (25/03/2023)

A couple of hours later and with its work for the day now complete, 218435 is pictured again at Lübeck after arriving with RB11635 2015 from Neustadt (25/03/2023)