Picture of the Day 2 January 2011

A very cold and wintery scene at Liskeard, Cornwall, recorded on 22 December 2010 shows First Great Western Class 153 No. 153305 awaiting to depart eastbound forming the 17.49 all stations service for Plymouth. Note the short arm Great Western Railway wooden semaphore signal.
Tony Christie

Picture of the Day 3 January 2011

Major improvements to the Manchester Metrolink light rail system are due to take place during 2011 and 2012 with new lines opening to Chorlton, Droylesden, Oldham and Rochdale. On Monday 3 January 2011, Bombardier M5000 Flexity Swift tram No. 3005 crosses Radcliffe Viaduct on the original section of the Metrolink route with a Bury to Altrincham service.
John Binch

Picture of the Day 4 January 2011

During November and December 2010 a number of 'rock armour' stone trains operated over the West Somerset Railway, working from Merehead in the Mendips transporting sea defense rocks to an off-loading site in the Minehead area. On 17 December 2010, the stone train is seen at Williton with empty wagons bound for Merehead via Westbury. The train is powered by DB Class 66/0 No. 66018.
Bradley Cottrell

Picture of the Day 5 January 2011

We use an image of a Freightliner Class 70 as todays Picture of the Day, to record the off-loading at Newport Docks of locos Nos. 70008-70012 which will soon be entering service. On 2 September 2010, No. 70006 is seen powering train 6M04 from Portbury to Rugeley on the approaches to Severn Tunnel junction.
Jamie Squibbs

Picture of the Day 6 January 2011

The new Media City UK stop on the Manchester Metrolink Eccles line is currently only open on Monday to Saturday between 10.00 and 16.00 (excluding public holidays) to allow improvements to be made to the signalling system which controls access to the short branch. At other times trams travel directly to Eccles from Manchester. On Thursday 6 January 2011, Bombardier M5000 Flexity Swift tram No. 3009 arrives at the terminus with an Eccles to Manchester Piccadilly service.
John Binch

Picture of the Day 7 January 2011

On 4 January 2011, HST powercar No. 43303 failed while at the head of XC's 06.32 Dundee - Plymouth service. While attempting to return to Birmingham New Street the HST failed on the Lickey incline with just one power car operational. The train was dragged to Bromsgrove Loop by Freightliner No. 66555 after detraining passengers at Bromsgrove. The set was then left overnight at Bromsgrove and was collected the following day by Virgin standby loco No. 57308 which hauled the set to Central Rivers depot. The Bromsgrove to Central Rivers stock move is seen passing Pikes Pool as it climbs past the site of the previous days failure.
Matt Wilson www.railpictures.net

Picture of the Day 8 January 2011

Described by the photographer as 'being in the right place at the right time', I think we would all agree. This was the scene just north of Basingstoke on 7 January 2011, with Class 450 'Desiro' and Class 158 Nos. 450029 and 158883 in Barton Mill sidings, with 'Desiro' 450004 passing with a London bound service. Heading south is Class 159/0 No. 159003 leading a nine coach Exeter bound service while Freightliner Class 66 No. 66523 creeps down the slow line with train 6O49, the 10.51 Neasden to Wool empty sand train.
Mark V. Pike

Picture of the Day 9 January 2011

The Dartmoor Railway in Devon operated their 'Dartmoor Class 31 Weekend' on 8/9 January 2011. A three car passenger formation was 'top and tailed' by British American Railroad Class 31s Nos. 31190 and 31454, which operated three round trips during the course of each day. On Sunday 9 January 2011, green-liveried No. 31190 is seen arriving at Okehampton with the 12.55 from Coleford Junction. On the rear of the train is InterCity-liveried No. 31454.
Colin J. Marsden

Picture of the Day 10 January 2011

Arriving in the UK over the Christmas period, the two Turkish 8Fs bought by the Churchill 8F Group stand in Portbury Docks on Sunday, 9 January 2011, ready for their move to new homes. Left is 45166, with 45170 to the right.
John Stretton

Picture of the Day 11 January 2011

The ultimate ‘Green Machine’. On Monday 10 January 2011, Freightliner Heavy Haul Class 70 No. 70006 blends into the landscape alongside the River Mersey Estuary between Helsby and Frodsham with the 12.07 (6F02) Ellesmere Port to Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station loaded coal hoppers. The locomotive is about quarter way through its weekday diagram having started out earlier in the morning with the 07.41 (4F02) Crewe to Ellesmere Port empties, which after loading formed the service photographed. After returning empty from Fiddler’s Ferry with the 15.15 (4F03) train the locomotive will then load up with more imported coal at Ellesmere Port prior to forming the 19.09 (6F03) departure back to the power station. The locomotive will then end the day by hauling the 22.45 (4F04) empty hoppers from Fiddler’s Ferry to Liverpool Bulk Terminal (if required).
John Binch

Picture of the Day 12 January 2011

A lot of railway media and enthusiast interest has surrounded the arrival at Newport of the latest batch of Class 70s for Freightliner. As most people will have seen on the internet, when loco No. 70012 was being lifted from the hold of the transporting ship, it fell several feet back into the ships hold and was seriously damaged, the loco ending up with a bent frame and other structural damage which will require its return to the USA. The other four locos of the delivery Nos. 70008-70011 were moved on 11 January 2011 from the docks bound for Stoke Gifford. This view shows the locos crossing the River Usk bridge at Newport, shortly after leaving the docks. The locos are, in order from the front 70009, 70010, 70008 and 70011. The cavalcade was due to run direct to Stoke Gifford, but No. 70009 soon set off the hot box detector and the locos were stabled in East Usk Yard. The fault saw the loco removed from the consist to await repairs.
David Smith

Picture of the Day 13 January 2011

After seeing our Picture of the Day of the repatriation of the 8F's from Turkey (8 January) Ken Aveyard, the
Editor of 'The Corkscrew', the Magazine of the Wimborne Railway Society took a look through a collection of recently obtained material from all over the world, whilst he did not find a picture of No. 45166, he was able to find a picture of No. 45170 at Zile depot taken on 26 May 1976.
Keith Smith - Wimborne Railway Society Archive

Picture of the Day 14 January 2011

Now devoid of its battered Mainline 'aircraft blue' livery, this is a bright shining ex-works Class 60 No. 60011now displaying full DBS red liver. Brightening up a dull day as it approaches Cam & Dursley on 13 January 2011, the loco heads train 6B13 the Robeston to Westerleigh oil train. This is first Class 60 to sport DBS red livery.
Mark V. Pike

Picture of the Day 15 January 2011

Just prior to Christmas 2010, FGW-operated Class 142 No. 142009 was returned from repainting at Newton Heath, Manchester into base Northern Rail livery in advance of transfer to the Northern Rail operation from May 2011. The set in all over blue, off-set by a gray roof, looks very smart and is seen in this view passing Hollicombe between Torquay and Paignton on 9 January 2011 forming the 10.24 Exmouth to Paignton service.
Alex Martin-Brown

Picture of the Day 16 January 2011

On Saturday 15 January 2010, FGW management agreed to the use of a full HST set over the Exmouth branch, to cater for extra passenger traffic generated by a rugby match played during the evening at the Exeter Chiefs ground adjacent to Digby and Sowton station. The HST set formed with power cars Nos. 43086 and 43194 with passenger set OC30 first formed the 20.46 Paignton to Exmouth all stations service and then formed train 2E60, the 22.04 Exmouth to Exeter (extended to Newton Abbot). The view above shows the train in the platform at Exmouth. This was only the second time an HST set had ever visited Exmouth, the previous working was on 20 September 1996 when a then CrossCountry set formed with power cars No. 43071 and 43080 visited the terminal twice on the same day as part of the naming event of power car No. 43071 Forward Birmingham. HST sets have operated over the Exmouth branch on a handful of other occasions but only as far as Lympstone Commando station forming troop trains from or to the Midlands.The TRC has been told that the use of HSTs over the Exmouth line is unlikely to become a regular feature.
Tony Christie

Picture of the Day 17 January 2011

National Express East Anglia is still hiring in DBS traction to cover for non-available Class 90/0 locos. On Saturday 15 January 2011, No. 90018, with typical faded EWS numbers and lettering, stands at London Liverpool Street having arrived on the 10.30 from Norwich. Alongside, NXEANo. 90014 is propelling the 13.00 departure to Norwich out of the station under the Great Eastern Railway roof, thankfully this part of the station is not part of the subterranean gloom of the suburban platforms!
Paul Nash

Picture of the Day 18 January 2011

‘Trains and Boats and Planes’. With narrow boats moored on the River Thames below and Lufthansa flight LH6614 from Hanover on its approach to Heathrow Airport Terminal One above, First Great Western Class 165/1 unit No. 165136 crosses Bath’s Island Bridge in Windsor on Wednesday 1 December 2010, with the 15.00 shuttle from Windsor and Eton Central to Slough. Windsor Castle can just be seen to the left of the unit, while the flock of Common Gulls were being fed by a riverside dog walker and almost ruined the photograph!
John Binch

Picture of the Day 19 January 2011

By January 2011, just seven of the seventy-six strong Class 357 fleet retained the attractive but obsolete purple c2c livery. On Tuesday 18 January 2011, one of them No. 357222 makes an interesting contrast with No. 357037 in the current National Express ‘bright white’ colours as they form the 14.20 Southend Central to London Fenchurch Street service past Hadleigh Castle near Leigh-on-Sea.
John Binch

Picture of the Day 20 January 2011

A very rare visit of a Class 56 to the Dawlish Sea Wall took place on 20 January 2010, when Colas-operated, BAR-owned Class 56 No. 56312 Artemis powered train 6Z76, the 07.35 Tavistock Junction to West Ealing formed of track machine vehicles DR76601, DR92440 and DR92377. On the rear of the train was Colas Class 47 No. 47739. Even as early in the year as 20 January the sun was still high enough to illuminate the railway along Marine Parade, where this image was recorded of the train approaching Dawlish station.
Colin J. Marsden

Picture of the Day 21 January 2011

With the 25th anniversary of the first Class 59 touching down on UK soil coming up on 24 January 2011, what better tribute than this! On 20 January 2011, when train 7A09, the 07.12 Merehead to Acton arrived at Westbury station it was hauled by Hanson (ex ARC) No. 59104 and Aggregate Industries (ex Foster Yeoman) No. 59005 but obviously there must have been a shortage of locos in the London area as the train departed with almost 10,000hp at the drivers disposal (yes all were working in multiple) after EWS (ex National Power) No. 59204 was attached to the point - giving one of each sub-class.
Mark V. Pike

Picture of the Day 22 January 2011

Photographed on Tuesday 18 January 2011, a cold sunny day on the Drax Power Station branch near Gowdall, shows GB Railfreight Class 66/7 No. 66719 in Metronet livery crossing River Aire with a rake of GB Railfreight coal empties. In the background the power station can be seen.
Robin Patrick

Picture of the Day 23 January 2011

Its winter holiday time. The Editor has now departed on a winter vacation to Canada in search of snow and trains. In this view recorded during his 2010 Canadian trip we see CN5287 and CN(GTW)4916 pass Middlesex Centre - Thorn Drive,south of London, Ontario with train 144 the 'Triple Crown' road-railer from Chicago to Oshawa, Passing train 397 from Toronto Mac Yd to Memphis on 10 February 2010.
Colin J. Marsden