European Railroad Discussion > Day in South Wales

A highlight of my visit back in the UK was a day spent with 86235 in Newport, South Wales. The day started for me getting to Paddington from Canonbury via Overground, Victoria and Circle lines, and then catching the 0745 GWR HST from London Paddington - or trying to catch it. A trespasser on the line at South Acton delayed departure by about 1/2 hour, but all was uneventful after that. Arrived in Newport about 10am, met 86235, and had a very enjoyable day touring the excellent photo locations available around Newport.
1) 0745 GWR Paddington-Swansea HST at Newport.
2) New 800 Class GWR Hitachi dual-mode (electric/diesel) trainset on a South Wales-London working. Photo shot from Somerton Road overpass at East Usk Yard. These sets are just being phased in and will replace the HSTs on this route (and on Virgin Trains East Coast route). These trains are configured as two 5-car sets, but there will also be some 9-car sets for both GWR and Virgin East Coast. Once electrification is energized, they will run in electric mode when under wires, switching to diesel mode for the outer ends of the route.
3) Classic GWR HST set on a London-South Wales schedule.

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4) 66198 on a coil steel train heading eastbound to Llanwern Steel works. Same location at East Usk Yard.
5) 70813 on an eastbound coal train
6) Moving to a new location - shooting from a parking garage near the Newport station - westbound GWR HST set approaching Newport at Maindee Junction (junction for line to Abergavenny and Hereford).

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7) GWR HST set on a London train on the bridge over the River Usk, just east of Newport Station. The plastic wrap for a rehabilitation project does detract slightly from the aesthetics of the situation! Only temporary, I hope.
8) Two GWR HST sets meet at a yard at the site of former Alexandra Docks Junction, with several trains waiting to depart in the yard. Not sure of the name of this yard.
9) Class 66 heading eastbound just west of Ebbw Junction. This shot from an overpass to a dairy - very busy with farm equipment!

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10) 66513 on an eastbound intermodal approaching Ebbw Junction)
11) The race is on! (With apologies to George Jones.) Train on right is an eastbound Cross Country Class 170 set, and is overtaking the Network Rail "Flying Banana" HST set, used for track geometry measurements.
12) The Flying Banana is on the Up Slow line.

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13) Westbound GWR HST set - note electrification masts for future electrification.
14) Moving to another parking garage vantage point - this one closer to the Newport station. Westbound GWR HST set approaching Newport, after crossing the River Usk.
15) Westbound Arriva DMU set approaching Newport. Note westbound freight stopped at red signal hiding behind tree.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/17 17:53 by dwatry.

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16) 66433 on westbound for Tesco warehouse (in Cardiff perhaps?).
17) Moving to a pedestrian bridge over the alignment in Stow Park, here is an eastbound GWR HST set entering Newport Tunnel.
18) Looking the other way from the same ped bridge - eastbound GWR HST set at Gaer Junction. Alexandra Docks junction is just out of sight to the left, and the branchline curving to the right and upgrade connects to the Ebbw Vale branch. This track connects to the track you'll see in later photos at Park Junction.

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19) GWR Class 800 Hitachi dual-mode set on westbound, popping out of Newport Tunnel.
20) GWR Class 150 DMU set westbound, crossing over at Gaer Junction from the slow lines to the fast lines.
21) 66198 on a westbound empty coil steel train, coming out of Newport Tunnel.

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22) 66060 on an eastbound steel train at Gaer Junction.
23) Close behind - 66107 on another eastbound steel train.
24) Moving to a location with semaphore signals - a pedestrian bridge at Park Junction. Class 150 DMU set with a Class 153 tacked onto the rear approaches on a Cardiff-Ebbw Vale schedule. Even though this line branches off the mainline in Newport, the main passenger service to Ebbw Vale comes out of Cardiff, not Newport. This junction used to have many more tracks when there was a direct line to the docks for coal coming out of the Vale.

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25) Class 153 on rear of Cardiff-Ebbw Vale working at Park Junction.
26) Arriva Class 158 DMU set on Ebbw Vale-Cardiff schedule at Park Junction. Last train of the day for daylight photos!
27) Back at Newport Station for 1940 train back to London. This unfortunate modern station headhouse has been grafted onto the old Newport station. Reminds me of something out of A Clockwork Orange or Alien.

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28) Inside the Newport station - Kind of looks like the corridors in the Starship Enterprise. The approaching passengers look a little bewildered by the interior.
29) Class 158 DMU set in Newport.
30) Back in London - GWR HST sets at Paddington.

That was the day! Thanks to 86235 for sharing his knowledge of operations, locations and history - made it a very enjoyable day.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/17 18:28 by dwatry.

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Very nice set of photographs.

The Tesco train runs to the Freightliner Terminal at Cardiff Wentloog. From there the containers run to the stores by road.

That's a great record of what was a fun day out.

Alexandra Dock Junction Yard is the (rather unimaginative) name of the yard at Alexandra Dock Junction. Looks like it was a good day out!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/17 01:12 by exhaustED.

I visited Newport by train a few years ago. The station there struck me as one of the most unfortunate examples of modern station architecture I have ever seen. It looks a gaint silver slug.

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A giant slug would be a good way to describe it. It seems to have something in common with the new Reading station, which has some of the same architectural elements out to the platforms.