43055 is seen heading north through Wigan Boars Head G.F. along with 43046 "Geoff Drury 1930 - 1999" bringing up the rear working 5Z43 07:02 Crewe H.S. to Carlisle on the 10th May 2021.

Stock :- 41176, 41108, 40802, 41059, 41182, 40801, 41169, 44078.

© Andy Parkinson 2021 - No Unauthorised Use Please.

And another horrid day...

As new Stadler units continue to come online across East Anglia, test runs to iron out more faults and introduce drivers to their new equipment also continue across the network.

In rather grim weather conditions, 755401 passes by Stansted Mountfitchet working 5Q06 10:50 Cambridge Recp 1&2 Dbc to Orient Way Cs, a relatively rare venture of a 755 south to London 28/02/20

Bee Network Stagecoach Manchester MX08 GSV 19283 seen at Bury on Driver Training duties

Arriva Midlands Volvo B10BLE/Alexander ALX300 9501.V601DBC with Driver Under Instruction at Derby Bus Station on the 10th April 2015. (Ex 3601 (Wardles)

Volvo B7RLE with Wright Eclipse Urban body transferred to driver training duties in Sheffield South Yorkshire.

And so the trains are back...

As the coronavirus continues to cause disruption to daily life across the world, the UK railway network moves forwards in progression.

Recent months have seen Class 720 and 745 units for Greater Anglia begin testing purpose on the West Anglian lines, in preperation for their entry to service in due course.

Passing by the fields, Class 745 EMU 745002 approaches Elsenham working 5Q93 14:24 Cambridge C.S.D. to London Liverpool Street on test.

745002 is a example designated for use on the Norwich express services, different from the Stansted Express designated 745/1 sets, however in practice it is expected that sets will become mixed into either route operation 19/05/20

TransPennine Express 68026 'Enterprise' seen coming into Leeds Platform 17 on a driver training run

That cloud was hinting at rain, it never proved so...

With their entry to passenger service likely only a few months away, Greater Anglia Class 720 EMUs 720515 and 720511 race through the Essex countryside past the outskirts of Widdington working 5Q23 14:17 Cambridge C.S.D. to London Liverpool Street.

The Class 720 order for Greater Anglia breaks down into 22 seperate 10-carriage units (720/1) and 89 seperate 5-car units (720/5), designed to displace the Class 317, 321 and 379 type EMUs 14/07/20

GM27 and GM22 with a Southern Shorthaul Railroad driver training movement from Nhill and Dimboola on their way back to Dynon as they pass Corio.

SSR will shortly begin a contract with emerald grain to run grain trains in Victoria to Western Victoria (Dimboola and Nhill) also North East Victoria as well as NSW Oaklands and The Rock.

Monday 31st July 2017

Appears this spot is overgrowing itself again...

With the summer weather bringing the lineside plants back to life, Greater Anglia Class 720 EMU 720548 approaches the Twyford Road crossing to the south of Bishops Stortford starting out its working on 5G61 12:39 Bishops Stortford Up Loop to London Liverpool Street.

No date for passenger introduction of 720s to West Anglia appears to yet be set, however with the fleet of 317/7s now withdrawn from use and other 317s hitting the scrapyards at a rapid pace, their entry to service cannot be far off... 10/06/21

T19 (519CLT) passing by Streatham Station on driver training.

Travel West Midlands 4163, was an Alexander bodied Dennis Trident. It was one of many purchased by TWM from 2001 onwards. These buses came as part of TWM's on-going fleet replacement in favour of low-floor buses.

New to Wolverhampton, 4163 was transferred to Walsall garage in 2006. In 2011, it was moved further afield to Birmingham Central garage.

In June 2017, 4163 returned to Wolverhampton to see its service days out. Withdrawal came in January 2019. After a period of storage, 4163 was sold for breaking to a Barnsley based scrap merchant in July 2019.

In happier times, 4163 is pictured when new at Park Lane bus garage before entering service. The bus is standing on the garage apron being used for driver familiarisation training.

14th May 2001.

Go North West (ex Go North East) NK54NUJ 4979 seen outside Bury Interchange on driver training duties

Bells Lane, Stubbington

Go North West YX13EFY 64006 seen passing Piccadilly Gardens on driver training

First York YJ69CXC 39502 seen on Rougier Street, York on driver training duties

Go North West (ex Go North East) NK54NUP 4982 seen on Corporation Street, Manchester on driver training duties

No sun for this one .

68026 " Enterprise " passes Chaloners whin with 5M68 the 11.05 Scarborough to Longsight Car. M.D. driver training run 19/08/2019.

First West Yorkshire YJ05VVD 66762 seen turning onto Kirkgate, Huddersfield on Driver Training duties

Photographed south of the viaduct 47839 is seen crossing Ribblehead on a driver route training outing.

Contax 645

80mm/F2

250/F11

Fuji Astia

Rossendale Transport (Rosso) Driver Training vehicle 400 FD02SFJ at Transdev Blackburn Depot. Optare Excel L1180 new to Nottingham City Transport no: 559.

www.flickr.com/photos/db3435/39700263115

DB Cargo Class 67 No. 67005 "Queen's Messenger" passes Dinting as it works the 0Z50 09:50 Peak Forest Up Sidings to Peak Forest Up Sidings crew training run on 22nd September 2020.

Training time.

Stagecoach in Cumbria were busy training new recruits during my short visit to the area in July 2021, with a Dart spotted heading through Bowness-on-Windermere one day, and two Darts seen in Carlisle the following day. One of the Carlisle Darts, 34688, was seen soon after I had arrived in the city.

In recent months nine Enviro 300s have filtered into the Driver Training fleet of Stagecoach East Midlands. One of them, numbered 22573 has yet to receive the house standard red and white corporate colours of the training fleet

Gleaming in the sunshine is one of the current regular Lincoln based vehicles which has seen the demise of the once stalwart Darts in this capacity.

Volvo B10M with Northern Counties body on driver training duty in Buxton Derbyshire February 2008

Working its first mainline train, 37025 "Inverness TMD" (owned by "The Scottish Thirty-Seven Group") passes Miskin with 6B11 13:08 Barry - Barry Driver training run on 27/1/2016.

Former First Leicester, Volvo B7RLE / Wright Eclipse KX05 MGY ( 66975 ) has joined the First West Yorkshire Training fleet. Fresh out of the Hunslet paintshop.

And so ends the Christmas break...

Whilst teething problems have slowed the progression of the new units across the Greater Anglia reaches, testing of the Class 755 units still continues.

755329 is seen slowing for a simulated station stop at Stansted Mountfitchet on the working of 5Q34 13:36 Cambridge to Bishops Stortford C. Sdgs 02/01/20

Borders Buses 11906 YX19 MRU In Golden Square Berwick Upon Tweed On Driver Training

Metroline Manchester (Wythenshawe depot) BV10WVX VW1840 seen on Hollyhedge Road, Wythenshawe on driver training duties

And another month is go...

Testing and driver training for the new lfeet of Class 755 bi-mode units for Greater Anglia continues at pace, with a view to them entering service on the Norwich - Stansted Airport route in December.

755421 is seen passing through Stansted Mountfitchet working the test duty 5Q34 13:47 Cambridge to Bishops Stortford C. Sdgs in preparation for service 01/11/19

Dublin Bus Volvo B7TL AV85 now a Driver Trainer.

GB Railfreight Class 73/9 No. 73962 "Dick Mabbutt" stands at Glossop as it works the 0Z61 20:59 Warrington Bank Quay to Hadfield route learning trip on 3rd May 2021.

Go North West (Bolton depot) BJ10VUV 6231 seen at Salford Shopping City on Driver Training/Route Learning duties

Erdington, Birmingham, England UK - www.robertcjones.co.uk

On driver training duties.

Manchester, turning from Chapel Street into Victoria Street, 08/01/2020.

Borders Buses 11210 AE12 AZD In Golden Square Berwick Upon Tweed On Driver Training

West Midlands Ambulance Service, England UK - www.robertcjones.co.uk