Railways in Worcestershire

RAILWAYS IN WORCESTERSHIRE
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FREIGHT TRAINS IN WORCESTERSHIRE IN 2016

FREIGHT TRAINS IN WORCESTERSHIRE IN 2016

The weather forecast for Wednesday 20th January 2016 predicted bright sunshine in a clear blue but cold sky.  In the event the temperature never made it above freezing and fog lingered all day making it easier to hear than to see class 66 diesel locomotive No.66199 pass Abbotswood with the late running 10.20 Round Oak to Margam empty wagons. Video taken by Andrew Smith.



In January 2016 it was announced that 52,000 of the Magnox fuel rods had been removed from Oldbury Atomic Power Station and that as a result the first stage of decommissioning was complete. However this did not signal the end of the weekly (or thereabouts) trains of waste from the loading point at Berkeley to Crewe. On 25th January Robert Pritchard made good use of the available light to capture class 37 diesel locomotives Nos.37218 and 37610 at Defford.


The Winter of 2015/6 saw a dramatic reduction in freight in daylight over the ex-Birmingham & Gloucester Railway.
Apart from the morning Round Oak (video above), the Westerleigh to Lindsey tanks and the returning Corby to Margam empies the only other reasonably reliable working was the morning Daventry to Wentloog Tesco containers train. Robert Pritchard photographed it at Eckington on 22nd January 2016 with class 66 diesel locomotive No.66429 in charge.
The continuing decline of freight trains in the county continued into the Summer and, on Monday 1st August 2016, the only entertainment was provided by DB Cargo's class 66 diesel locomotive No.66075 which was sent from Bescot to Long Marston to collect a pair of blue tank wagons.  Andrew Smith photographed the train at Norton.
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