With various lines closed
due to flooding or restricted due to repairs, Crewe seems to
be taking a fair proportion of North/South traffic. Virgin trains
running from London to Manchester are using Crewe and Birmingham
and freight traffic which normally uses the Wrexham route is
also being diverted through the Grand Junction. In the space
of one hour there was quite a lot to see as the pictures reveal.
First out was 175003
on a Holyhead-Birmingham train so the Chester line was now open
after being flooded yesterday. 7/11/2000
Next was Class
87 number 87001 "Royal Scot" on a Virgin train,
so they were also running. 7/11/2000
Another Virgin
train this time with Inter-City liveried Class 86 number 86234.
These locomotives can be distinguished from the Class 87's by
the windscreens, Class 87's have two panes. 7/11/2000
Mainline liveried
37216 was on the Middlewich-Warrington freight again. 7/11/2000
86401 "Hertfordshire
Railtours" entered platform 12 with a mail train and
soon departed up the West Coast Main Line. 7/11/2000
Class 47 number
47843 "Atlas" left the Diesel Depot and took
the centre road before departing along the Chester line. 7/11/2000
Another Class 86 hauled
Virgin train departed South. 7/11/2000
Class 60 number 60003
"Freight Transport Association" entered the
centre road with a steel coil train which, I understand, should
have run via Wrexham. The Wrexham line was closed due to flooding.
7/11/2000
Another mail train
this time double headed by Class 67 number 67030 and Class 47
number 47736 "Cambridge Traction & Rolling Stock
Depot". 67030 is the last member of its class to be
introduced. 7/11/2000
The train, comprising
13 vans, stopped at the North end of platform 12 where the two
diesels were detached and Class 90 number 90028 took over. The
diesels then went onto the depot yard to join 67011 and 67029
- 10% of the Class. 7/11/2000
90028 "Vrachiverbinding"
takes over at the head of the mail train, presumably en route
to Warrington. 7/11/2000
37421 arrived in
platform 11 on 1D71 the 12.07 Birmingham-Holyhead. 7/11/2000
Meanwhile 60003
with its load of steel strip was still waiting for a green at
the North end of the station. 7/11/2000
While round the
back of the station, the two diesels off the mail train were
heading for Crewe Diesel Depot. 7/11/2000