European Railroad Discussion > A foreigner visits Rugby, UK

I spent parts of August 22-23, 2025 in Rugby, UK, about an hour north of London on the West Coast Mainline. Looks like I arrived at 11:14 AM on an Avanti West Coast service from Euston Station. Because the station is gated (ticketed passengers only), I remained within the station until almost 5 PM. Another difficulty with photographing here is that the coveted freight trains pass through on opposite sides of the station so you basically have to commit to either northbounds or southbounds at any given time.

1. An overview of the station taken the following morning from my hotel. I could only watch the passing of several freight trains that Saturday morning as the app that had all my train tickets was not working (corrupted somehow). Then to add insult to injury, passenger operator Cross Country was on strike that day so I could not use my ticket to Derby anyway. I had to go back to London Euston, shift over to St. Pancras, and go up to Derby on an East Midlands Railway service.

2. Parked at Rugby was this vintage electric, E 3137 on this end. A possible leftover from the Greatest Gathering of locomotives that had just occurred in Derby three weeks prior.

3. On the other end we have 86-class #259, the "Les Ross."

---

---

---

4. The primary local passenger service is provided by London Northwestern with EMUs in three(?) different paint schemes.

5. The primary long distance passenger service is provided by Avanti West Coast with two(?) styles of modern electric train sets.

6. Another London Northwestern pair of EMU sets. In the background is a southbound Freightliner container train that was in a siding and I never got over there before it departed.

---

---

---

7. Another Avanti West Coast train arrives at the station.

8. A light engine move of a 68-class diesel with no particular paint scheme. The Internet suggests that this is an ex-Trans Pennine unit now leased by passenger operator Chiltern Railways. Chiltern operates between London and Birmingham, but not through Rugby.

9. Another unusual move was this Network Rail track inspection rail diesel car.

---

---

---

10. Just south of Rugby is a container terminal served by Freightliner and this pair of electrics was parked near the station prior to a later departure.

11. A different pair of Freightliner electrics has a container train in the siding while a set of rogue West Midlands Railway EMUs passes through on the southbound freight main (track 6). Note the large Network Rail building in the background that I believe houses dispatchers and presumably a lot of signal-related electronics.

12. I had just packed up to move to the other side of the station when this equipment move showed up on track 5. A vintage and beloved 37-class diesel in a British Rail paint scheme hauling some London Northwestern EMUs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/25 12:22 by NMlurker.

---

---

---

Nice coverage - thanks!  Especially like #11 - doubleheaded electrics are always a favorite of mine!

13. A Freightliner 66-class diesel in the attractive green and yellow scheme has taken the siding with a stone train.

14. This train sat in the siding for awhile until receiving a signal to proceed without ever being passed by another train.

15. I found the plaque on this one to be quite interesting: "Railways Illustrated Annual Photographic Awards."

---

---

---

16. Switching over to Platform 1 for some northbound freight action we have a container train behind a 66-class diesel of Great British Railfreight.

17. A meet between a southbound London Northwestern EMU and a northbound Avanti West Coast train.

18. In a slightly different version of the GBRf paint scheme, another 66-class diesel leads another northbound container train.

---

---

---

19. There were Avanti West Coast trains that did not stop at Rugby and they flew by leaving the catenary bouncing. Note the heart-shaped pattern on the nose.

20. Earlier in the day, this same train was soutbound and I captured the heart pattern that is composed of bees.

21. The last freight that I photographed was this northbound container train operated by Freightliner. The sun was gone and I was tired after a day of travel and dragging my suitcase around the station but this was just day one of my UK adventure.
 

---

---

---

You really wound up with a great variety of train types and locomotives across the board. Thank you for sharing these.

Thanks for the great show.  Gerry