European Railroad Discussion > Summer in London

This last week as brought us our first real taste of summer, with days of prolonged sunhine and temperatures up to 33C (and on Tuesday not falling below 22C at night). Of course with the sun and the warmth comes high humidity and the chance of the odd torrential downpour too.

Last Saturday Duncan (dwatry) and I spent the morning around East London. Shortly after we met up at Stratford we shot the 4L89 Coatbridge (Scotland) to Felixstowe Freightliner intermodal. As usual its motive power was a pair of 50 year old class 86s - Cans. Here it is bisecting the former Olympic Park as it approaches Stratford. And a close up of 86627 which first emerged from Doncaster works in June 1965.

After another shot of the Cans at Forest Gate we caught the train to Ilford, an East London suburb, from where we went by bus the mile or so to Barking for the 6L35 Didcot to Dagenham empty car transporters, which will be filled up over the weekend and return to Didcot, and from there to the North of England and Scotland with Ford cars



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/16 22:34 by 86235.

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On Monday I had to go to Bexleyheath in SE London for a meeting in the morning, returning to work from home in the afternoon. As is usual at the moment I changed trains at Lewisham where I shot a pair of Southeastern's class 376 EMUs waiting at platform 3 on a Barnehurst to Cannon Street whilst a class 465 Networker on a Cannon Street to Hayes crossed in front. From being a suburb that was a byword in urban decay Lewisham is now rather trendy with plenty of new apartment blocks surrounding the station where old light industrial units used to be. Returrning just after lunch I had to change again, this time my arrival coincided with the 4Y19 Mountfield to Southampton empty gypsum containers behind 66706 Nene Valley. It waited in platform 1 to follow a Charing Cross service towards Lewisham Vale Junction. The junction at Lewisham station itself would benefit from some attention by the weedkiller train, although I suspect the presence of the River Quaggy beneath the station might be a reason why general spraying hasn't been carried out.

From Lewisham I caught a London Bridge train and from there a Northern Line train to Camden Town where I caught the same 86s as I'd seen on Saturday on the 4M87 Felixstowe to Traffird Park. The algae bloom on the water of the Regents Canal at Camden Lock is very, very noticeable.

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On Monday evening I set off on a 25.5 km bike ride to Kilburn and back, primarily to catch Chiltern's two final loco hauled services of the day from Marylebone - the 18:15 to Kidderminster and the 18:18 to Oxford Parkway.

Here's the empty coaching stock (ECS) of the 18:18 heading to Marylebone from Wembley
I like pictures like this, north and southbound Jubilee and Metropolitan Line trains are all in shot. The S stock train in the foreground is a fast Chesham service, maximum speed on this section of the Met is 60 mph
The 1995 stock on the Jubliee Line are no slouches either, despite stopping at all stations



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/16 14:32 by 86235.

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Tuesday was officially the hottest day of the year in London and SE England, reaching 33C

At lunchtime the 7Y36 Cliffe to Crawley stone train exiting from Merstham Tunnel

Later in the evening on my ride home from Blackfriars I stopped at Canonbury for the 4L90 intermodal behind 90043 which now carries the 'a Genessee and Wyoming Company' under the Freightliner herald.

On Wednesday Bombardier were testing their new 110 mph class 387/1 EMUs for Great Western on the third rail network, here passing Three Bridges just south of Gatwick Airport

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And finally this evening, I spent an hour along the North London Line.

At Dalston Kingsland 90043 was once again on the 4L90, no one gave it a second thought as it drifted through the eastbound platform.

A few miles west at Camden Road I shot, firstly, the 4L40 a diversion away from the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, carrying BMW Minis for export and, secondly, the 4S88 Felixstowe to Coatbridge, which these days is diesel powered on account of power supply issues on the Great Eastern Mainline during the evening rush hour.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/16 22:28 by 86235.

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Thanks for posting! I love the old Class 86 electrics and the new diesel Class 68!

Posted from iPhone

Great set of photos in the warm weather.

Rich

All good stuff Nick. I especially liked the Dalston Kingsland shot of 90043. The first couple of days my dad and I were over in Britain in Sept 2013 it still got up to 30 during the day. We found out that air conditioning in the older hotels was provided by an oscillating fan placed by an open window.

Jim

Fascinating pictures. First time I've seen pix of electric power on freights. Some of these locations are familiar, as our Son and Daughter[-in-law] live in London, and we've done a bit of train riding when visiting.

Beautiful set of photos!

Lively pics, Number 8 is a hotshot.
Thanks
Erwin from Austria

Very nice shots!  Thanks for sharing.

MP190 Wrote:
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> Very nice shots!  Thanks for sharing.

+1....!!