Good morning, afternoon and evening readers,
Welcome to the 4th edition of the “Traction!” blog! Today I will be covering the various trips I have taken during the month of August to Chesterfield, Kents Bank, and Northallerton Stations. Each of these trips had its own unique highlights, so I’ll dive into the details below.
Chesterfield (07/08/24):
I returned to Chesterfield Station with a fellow volunteer for more trainspotting. I won’t go into detail about the station itself, as I covered it in the May-June blog. Instead, I’ll focus on the locomotives we spotted, particularly for the locomotive enthusiasts out there.
The Class 66 dominated the scene, hauling container and wagon trains for DB, GB RailFreight, and Freightliner. These are often nicknamed “Sheds” due to their roof shape.
We also had a rare sighting of a Class 60, known as “Tugs” for their strong hauling capacity, large size and sluggish nature. It was a pleasant surprise to see one of these, as they’re mostly out of service due to frequent breakdowns. Seeing 60002 pass through Chesterfield was a highlight, given that most Class 60s are now in storage, and not being used at all by freight companies.
Lastly, we spotted an interesting sight, a Network Rail Class 153, originally a passenger service train, now repurposed for track maintenance and sporting a new light blue livery. They never met the passenger demand and were often full at capacity due to them being only one carriage with a cab on each end, often passengers were left at stations unable to board their train.
Kents Bank (14/08/24):
A week later, I joined the board of directors from Penistone Line Partnership for a visit to Kents Bank, a charming, picturesque station on the Furness Line in the northwest of England.
The purpose of this visit was to take part in a guided tour of the station itself and the station house, which is home to The Beach Hut Gallery and Kents Bank Station Library.
The station sees 2 trains an hour in each direction, one on the Barrow-in-Furness to Manchester Airport service, and the other on the Carlisle to Lancaster service.
Kents Bank station also boasts breath-taking views of “Morecambe Bay”, a sand dune which is filled by the Irish Sea during incredibly high tides.
The station is beautifully maintained by the Kents Bank Station Adopters, a group dedicated to community rail activities, gardening, and groundskeeping. Special thanks to Paul Salveson and Sarah Wells for organising this visit.
I would like to give thanks to Paul Salverson and Sarah Wells for organising the trip.
Northallerton (15/08/24):
To finish off August, I had an unplanned visit to Northallerton Station while en route from Sheffield to Whitby. My first train from Sheffield to York, ended up getting stuck behind a broken-down unit after passing Leeds Station. Eventually, we went back to Leeds, and then had to take a different line to York, meaning we arrived in York 80 minutes late. Because of this, I missed all my connections, and there wasn’t another Whitby train until 6pm, so with 4 hours to kill, I decided to board a train stopping at Northallerton, as that is a station I’ve wanted to visit for a long time.
Northallerton station is on the East Coast Main Line, and is a junction for the Longlands, Eaglescliffe and Newcastle Line, which begins at the station. Below the station is the Longlands Loop, which is a section of track that diverts freight traffic away from the station itself, to reduce congestion. The Longlands Loop crosses Boroughbridge Road level crossing, directly below the station, meaning spotters get a good view of the freight traffic from above.
Loco’s & Units Galore!
The station is managed by Trans-Pennine Express, and sees services from several TOCs call there, including:
- LNER (Edinburgh – London Kings Cross)
- Grand Central (Sunderland – London Kings Cross)
- And Trans-Pennine Express (Newcastle – Liverpool Lime St. Saltburn – Manchester Airport)
Not all services stop at the station, meaning several trains zip through every hour, at speeds up to 125mph.
I was fortunate enough to see 3 freight trains pass over the level crossing on the Longlands Loop. Here is the best example of a train comprising of two locomotives.
Even with all this in mind, I was still able to capture scenes of a class 66 passing over the crossing, while a cross country voyager class 220 passed through the station at the same time.
After my trainspotting brain was satisfied, I boarded the 17:08 service to Middlesborough, to connect with the 18:01 to Whitby. I had no more issues, as both services ran on time.
Overall, I have had several pleasant experiences doing what I love, spotting trains! I am still having a lot of fun volunteering for Penistone Line Partnership and taking part in various activities for them. Since joining, it has taken me to places I would never have expected, so I really encourage whoever is reading looking for voluntary work, to consider volunteering for your local community rail partnership, or to become a station adopter. You don’t have to have an interest in trains at all to volunteer, all interests are welcome in community rail.
See you all for next blog in September,
Matthew 😊🚂
Photo Credit: Matthew Walters & Sarah Wells