Stanier's Last Stand
Possibly the last opportunity to capture one of the heritage AC Locomotive Group engines hauling Mk3/Mk2 Caledonian Sleeper stock in daylight?
Class 86/1, 86 101 "Sir William A Stanier FRS" - on hire to GB Railfreight - passes through Acton Bridge on the long journey from Polmadie to Wembley with a repositioning ECS move (5Z16).
The 67 hauling the Inverness portion (007) had failed at Dalwhinnie the night before and by the time 73 968 had made it from Polmadie to effect the rescue, the portion arrived in Waverley some five and a half hours late! By that time the Aberdeen and Fort William portions had already left for London as a half-rake, and the Inverness portion was cancelled at Waverley. After being returned to Polmadie, a move was then arranged to get the "missing" half-set to Wembley in time to form the stock for the Highlander to work back north that evening from Euston.
With the old stock being a few weeks away from withdrawal and the ACLG engines due to be off-hired soon after (as are not capable of hauling the new Mk5 stock) this could be one of the very last times one of these West Coast veterans is seen on the Sleeper stock.
Stanier's Last Stand
Possibly the last opportunity to capture one of the heritage AC Locomotive Group engines hauling Mk3/Mk2 Caledonian Sleeper stock in daylight?
Class 86/1, 86 101 "Sir William A Stanier FRS" - on hire to GB Railfreight - passes through Acton Bridge on the long journey from Polmadie to Wembley with a repositioning ECS move (5Z16).
The 67 hauling the Inverness portion (007) had failed at Dalwhinnie the night before and by the time 73 968 had made it from Polmadie to effect the rescue, the portion arrived in Waverley some five and a half hours late! By that time the Aberdeen and Fort William portions had already left for London as a half-rake, and the Inverness portion was cancelled at Waverley. After being returned to Polmadie, a move was then arranged to get the "missing" half-set to Wembley in time to form the stock for the Highlander to work back north that evening from Euston.
With the old stock being a few weeks away from withdrawal and the ACLG engines due to be off-hired soon after (as are not capable of hauling the new Mk5 stock) this could be one of the very last times one of these West Coast veterans is seen on the Sleeper stock.