New Class 66 delivery today

[Ossie]

Running as 054V Newport Docks to Doncaster Depot, I saw this travelling south down the Sutton Park Lane at 15:25, more or less on time.

66706 "Nene Valley" (+ headboard I couldn't read in the gloom!) hauling 66769/68/72/71/70/67/66.

[Tony]

Running as 054V Newport Docks to Doncaster Depot, I saw this travelling south down the Sutton Park Lane at 15:25, more or less on time.

66706 "Nene Valley" (+ headboard I couldn't read in the gloom!) hauling 66769/68/72/71/70/67/66.

Bristol Bluebirds was the headboard, I photographed them at Tame Bridge just before it got dark!

[Roy]

There was a large crowd of photographers at Stourbridge Junction at about 1410.

[mikestone]

I would estimate about 50 at Walsall!

[Ossie]

Well, there was only me in East View Road, LOL!  :D

And I was lucky - 66554 went north with Freightliner coal hoppers about 1 minutes before the 66 convoy came south; they could just as easily have crossed in front of me ....

Thanks for the heads-up on the headboard, Tony. 

[Tony]

Well, there was only me in East View Road, LOL!  :D

And I was lucky - 66554 went north with Freightliner coal hoppers about 1 minutes before the 66 convoy came south; they could just as easily have crossed in front of me ....

Thanks for the heads-up on the headboard, Tony.

As you can see Tame Bridge Parkway was nice and peaceful as well. I saw the crowd at Walsall, and the fact it was booked through platform 3 and soon decided Tame Bridge was better

[windy miller]

There were at least 30 of us waiting in the cold at Water orton too..although being some 24 minutes up at worcester I believe, both the convoy and the preceeding wolves-Immingham steels were held at ryecroft for at least 10 mins..The convoy passed water orton @ 15.44pm..far too late for any decent photo's this time >:(     Earlier 68004+66515 had passed with mixed ballast pres on Crewe-Toton

[Tony]

There were at least 30 of us waiting in the cold at Water orton too..although being some 24 minutes up at worcester I believe, both the convoy and the preceeding wolves-Immingham steels were held at ryecroft for at least 10 mins..The convoy passed water orton @ 15.44pm..far too late for any decent photo's this time >:(     Earlier 68004+66515 had passed with mixed ballast pres on Crewe-Toton

A photo of 6804/66515 will be on the main site when Ipage sort out my uploading problem

[mikestone]

I suspect there may have been some problem at either Park Lane or Castle Bromwich Junction as while I was sitting on the 16.01 New St-Liverpool the Bridgwater flasks rolled through platform 4!
;
On the subject of New St there is some bumf on the NR website about breaking through for the atrium - I assume that was somewhere inaccessible?

[Ossie]

There were at least 30 of us waiting in the cold at Water orton too..although being some 24 minutes up at worcester I believe, both the convoy and the preceeding wolves-Immingham steels were held at ryecroft for at least 10 mins..The convoy passed water orton @ 15.44pm..far too late for any decent photo's this time >:(     Earlier 68004+66515 had passed with mixed ballast pres on Crewe-Toton

Shame you didn't get your photos, WM.  :-[

FWIW, at around 15:15, one of the usual (Lickey banker) suspects, running light engine, went south in front of the 66 convoy.  66058 was travelling very slowly, looked like 20-30 mph stuff through the cutting towards Bishop's Walsh School - I assumed it was heading for Saltley.  I don't know if anything was immediately preceding it.  Looks like a fair bit of congestion on the line just at the crucial time?

[Tony]

There were at least 30 of us waiting in the cold at Water orton too..although being some 24 minutes up at worcester I believe, both the convoy and the preceeding wolves-Immingham steels were held at ryecroft for at least 10 mins..The convoy passed water orton @ 15.44pm..far too late for any decent photo's this time >:(     Earlier 68004+66515 had passed with mixed ballast pres on Crewe-Toton

Shame you didn't get your photos, WM.  :-[

FWIW, at around 15:15, one of the usual (Lickey banker) suspects, running light engine, went south in front of the 66 convoy.  66058 was travelling very slowly, looked like 20-30 mph stuff through the cutting towards Bishop's Walsh School - I assumed it was heading for Saltley.  I don't know if anything was immediately preceding it.  Looks like a fair bit of congestion on the line just at the crucial time?

The 66s just waited at Worcester for their path through Old Hill. They were smack on time from Worcester to Walsall