Weekly Overview.

Hello to all of our East Anglia Rail Scene viewers! This is the Weekly Overview:

  • David Cameron announced that rail passengers will be able to use Free WiFi across England and Wales from 2017 so that it can help business people and anyone else who needs the internet to work/find out information while on trains



Photos from this week:
Pic - © Jordan Mossom
A cracking shot from Jordan Mossom who has specially allowed us to use his photo of Class 68 locomotive's 68 002 & 68 005 respectively at Carlisle - Pathfinder tour ran for the Rugby game in Scotland.

Upon checking Real Time Trains, I saw that there was some moves from Willesden Brent DRS - Eastleigh Arlington and return, so while I was out and about shopping I decided to pop to Basingstoke where I saw 37 608 pulling 57 010 after work on the Class 57 locomotive had some work done to it. Below are the best two shots that I took, and to my surprise they came out well considering it was a rather dull and rainy Monday.
 










  • 61 306 "the Mayflower" departed Norwich on Thursday morning on a special journey to Windsor. It marks the start of 12 trips the Mayflower will make from the 12th February - 28th April. During these 12 tours she will visit places including Guildford, Winchester, Basingstoke, Cardiff, Bath, Bristol and many more locations.
Andy has sent some photos of the Mayflower in action at Farncombe and the approach to Woking respectively;
Pic - © Andy Crawley.

Pic - © Andy Crawley.
And finally these photos  has been sent in to us from Lewis with the photos of the interior of the Pretendolino!





That brings the weekly overview to an end, stay tuned for more posts soon!
Regards:

Our Popular Posts....

07/02/17: Recent Goings On

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Harry Here, Summarising Some Of The Interesting Fleet News Between Oct 2016 and Spring 2017...... 10/2016: 142073 heads to  Doncaster for overhaul , as all ArrivaTrainsWales are going into the new livery gradually. 27/01/2017: 37423 and an extra DRS MK2 arrive at Norwich from  Derby, for Short Set usage.  Meanwhile, 68021 and 68016 arrive to take over duty's on the 68 Hauled Anglia Short Set, because 68025 and 68005 both need exams.  01/17: Virgin East coast finish the overhaul of all 45 trains! 
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Abellio Greater Anglia to Abellio East Anglia

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As Many Of You Are Aware, The AGA Franchise Renews This October For Services In East Anglia, Including To Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. Abellio Continue The Franchise, But Renamed East Anglia Ltd.  Greater Anglia, as it was at first, began in February 2012 - operating the short term tender which was due to expire in July 2014. However, the Government later extended this franchise, and it then became the rebranded Abellio Greater Anglia.
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Reminder: Stock + Service Changes, Abellio East Anglia.

IN SUMMARY: - Free Wi-Fi on Many Trains and also an  improved WiFi service at stations .  - Additional seats on trains across the network, by increasing train lengths and capacity.  - CET toilets, so waste isn't flushed onto tracks. This is already on MK3s.  - Increasing train punctuality and performance. - Entire fleet replacement (stated below), so other units are displaced or withdrawn. - Norwich to Cambridge trains extended to Stansted, and Sudbury branch lines running to Colchester. - Lowestoft connections to London Liverpool Street reinstated, using the electro-diesel units, four times per day. - Trains half hourly to Great Yarmouth, plus later connections to Sheringham and Lowestoft.
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Exclusive ~ VirginTrains ~ Penguilino & Claus 91

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To get into the Xmas spirit, Virgin Trains have unveiled East Coast  82209 & 91128  and Virgin West Coast revealed Pendolino 390013 in their Winter-style livery, as designed by Madeleine Deakin (aged 11) and Amber Maxfield (age 9) whom won a competition earlier this season.  The units were unveiled at London Kings Cross this morning and will remain in the livery until January. Claus 91, as it's been named, operates on the East Coast mainline between Kings Cross and Scotland via Penguinborough, whilst the Penguilino can be found on Virgin Trains West Coast services between London Euston and The North (North Pole) via Ho Ho Crewe.
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SOUTH - Last Day of Class 458/0 Operations

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©Liam Jenkins Good Evening, Liam here, offering you a post regarding the last day of South West Trains Class 458/0 service. Enjoy! On Sunday 8th November 2015, South West Trains operated the last day of Class 458/0s on the units' final day of operations. These units are to be sent to Doncaster Works, where they will be refurbished with the Gatwick Express Class 460s into a new Class 458/5 class.
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Special - Rebuilding the 1960's Class 73's.

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It's Friday, and today's post is a special! Not as I'm here (Andy)... Class 73's were built in the 1960's and generally used in the Southern region. In 2013, it was announced that GB Railfreight would initially be re-building 5 Class 73's to make them Class 73/9's. The complete re stripping and rebuilding has taken place at Brush Traction in Loughborough.  The Class 73/9's first started testing in late 2014 (73 961 - 965) as there had been some issues, however they were all resolved pretty soon. The 73/9's are intended to work infrastructure trains (test trains under Network Rail) and also to be used on Rail Head Treatment Trains. As a result of the rebuild, it has given the Class 73/9's up to 25 years more in service, and more 73/9's are to be released over the coming months which should see them introduced on to the Serco Sleeper eventually!
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Peter Skuce Reports (6A)

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Chiltern 168. (C) P Skuce. Peter. Part A is for the Chiltern Line Modernisation. Part B will lead from this. During the 1960s British Railways built forty one, 4 carriage Class 115 DMU trains for the London Marylebone – Aylesbury Chiltern Line. One trailer carriage had entirely Standard Class accommodation with 106 seats, whilst the other trailer carriage was a composite, featuring First Class cabins with seating to the 2+2 layout and Standard Class with two toilets. They were powered by Leyland Albion engines, with mechanical transmission and their maximum speed was 70 mph. A new maintenance depot was built at Aylesbury to accommodate the trains.
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