023 & 088

Rob Reedman has recently sent in a number of pics to TT, including this portrait of two of Toton's inmates.

60074

Rob Reedman has been kind enough to send in the above pic of 074 at Willington working last Thursday's 6M57 (see "Five Alive"). Typical January weather serves to emphasise the gloom hanging over the Class in a phot full of atmosphere, thanks Rob.

Five Alive

Class 60 returned to 6E41 on Tuesday, 60051 doing the honours and again the following day. I wonder if even two 66s at the head wasn't satisfactory for the working?

DBS seems to have settled down to a small fleet of five locomotives, today these were allocated thus:

WN pool @ 0715 60063 Doncaster TMD no allox

WC pool @ 0718 60009 6N03 Lindsey - Jarrow

60040 Immingham TMD no allox

60074 6M57 0715 Lindsey - Kingsbury dep Lindsey right time

60096 6G61 0321 Liverpool BT - Ironbridge passed Madeley Jn @ 0712, 39 late. Next allox 6F96 1100 Ironbridge - Walton Old Jn MSC Sdgs

(thanks to "TRAIN ON LINE" on 60-Gen for this info)Tug Tracker has been added to "Tugs on the Web", a site well worth a lengthy browse.

The Morning Commute

Following a snowy period just before Xmas, Arctic conditions have returned with avengence to the UK in the early part of 2010. Traditionally the driest region in Britain with little snow-fall, East Anglia hasn't been spared, although we've not had it half as bad as elsewhere in the country.
NXEA have managed to get me to work in the mornings though, which is more than they managed on two occasions when it was five degrees warmer and no snow!

6E41 Succumbs

It seems I may well have put a jinx on 6E41. No sooner had I asked my pet Bobby for the times of what I thought was THE solid Class 60 working, than it was reported it had gone over to Class 66 haulage. Fume! As this train often loaded to 2000+ tons with a Tug in charge, I can only assume that DBS have lightened it considerably in order that the 66 can cope. It remains to be seen if E41 will remain with 66s, but I'll keep my hopes up that 60s will return.

Five 60s have apparently been kept in traffic, so there must be work around that requires the superior pulling power. One candidate is the coal traffic between Liverpool docks and Fiddlers Ferry power station, not a job I am familiar with, maybe a trip to Merseyside is in order.

I'll keep my eyes and ears open and as soon as I know for definite which workings will produce a 60, I shall post the times.