Trains in my local area

[andersley]

We then moved up the line about 4 miles to Sleaford North Junction

Northbound HST approaching off the Sleaford line








Southbound HST passes under the A17 road bridge




The rear powercar of the above train

[andersley]

A northbound engineers train comes off the Sleaford line headed by a GBRf General Motors class 66










on the rear was another 66

[andersley]

A Hull Trains class 222 in waiting for the HST to clear the single track into Sleaford






The Hull Trains 222 now heads into Sleaford




My wife Irene takes video for me whilst I am photographing the trains

[Fluesheet]

Is it common to have a power unit on the front and rear of a train (such as in the photos of the GM Class 66 and one of the HST's) in your area? If so, is that normal operating practice, or do grades in your area require the extra power it? Is the second unit manned?

How many cars are in a typical freight train?

The learning runs are interesting - I'm surprised that resources (time and right of way) is set aside for a single unit running light.

That class 222 reminds me of a Peugeot automobile (the look), is it a French design, by chance?

Do you have any additional steam photos?

[Charlie B]

Alan, A big hearty "Thank You". Beautiful, and very interesting pictures.
Charlie

[cn nutbar]

Beautiful pictures Alan and welcome to the universal brotherhood of train nuts

[andersley]

Is it common to have a power unit on the front and rear of a train (such as in the photos of the GM Class 66 and one of the HST's) in your area? If so, is that normal operating practice, or do grades in your area require the extra power it? Is the second unit manned?

How many cars are in a typical freight train?

The learning runs are interesting - I'm surprised that resources (time and right of way) is set aside for a single unit running light.

That class 222 reminds me of a Peugeot automobile (the look), is it a French design, by chance?

Do you have any additional steam photos?

The HST's have always had a power car each end, so no locomotive changes are neccessary each end of the runs. They give about 4,500 hp per train. The electric powered trains on the east coast main line have an electric loco at one end and a driving cab at the other, rather like commuter trains in the US and Canada.

The freight trains usually have only one locomotive, but engineering trains often have one each end as they may have to reverse direction severa times during a work session. Again this saves an awful lot of running round the train.

The 222's (and earlier 220 and 221) were built by Bombardier.

I can certainly put up lots of steam pics. We have many preserved railways in the UK, and a good number of steam locos passed for main line operation. I will do a new thread for steam, and can include some scans of black and white shots I took between 1958 and the end of steam in 1968.

[Fluesheet]

Aha. I misunderstood what an "engineering" train was - I thought it was a type of freight. Having dual power makes sense in the context of a work train.

Thanks!