Odd Trains Around Malvern

I'm starting to accrue a little collection of videos and photos of trains around Malvern in the course of doing this project, so I'm going to have one dedicated page for all the odds and sods that I pick up along the way. I've been on the lookout for rarer trains passing through Malvern recently in a bid to break up the usual London Midland/Great Western duopoly; there's been a few recently, so I'll upload them here to avoid spoiling the continuity of the main Malvern-Ashchurch Midland Railway project!

Note: I'm experimenting with my camera at the moment, learning how to shoot pictures in RAW format and getting used to manual settings as well as using some new equipment. As such, some of these pictures may be of less than perfect quality, but I'll keep taking snaps and will replace the worse ones with better attempts in due course.

Passenger Trains

Great Western and Network Rail HSTs

43002 'Sir Kenneth Grange' in original Inter-City 125 livery.

43002 closer up.

43003 'Isambard Kingdom Brunel'

43004 'First for the Future/First ar gyfer y dyfodol'

43005

43013

43014 'The Railway Observer'

43018

43021 'David Austin - Cartoonist'

43023 'Sqn Ldr Harold Starr - One of the Few'

43026 'Michael Eavis'

43027 in the Queen's 90th Birthday vinyl

43028

43030 'Christian Lewis Trust'

43031

43034 'TravelWatch SouthWest'

43035

43042

43053 'University of Worcester'

43063

43070 'The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers'

43087 '11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment Royal Logistics Corps'

43093

43122

43125

43126 in 'Bristol 2015: European Green Capital' vinyl.

43127 'Sir Peter Parker 1924 - 2002 Cotswold Line 150'

43128

43130

43131

43132 'We Save the Children - Will You?'

43134

43136

43139 'Driver Stan Martin 25 June 1950 - 6 November 2004'

43142 'Reading Signal Box 1965-2010'

43145

43146 in 'Building a Greater West' vinyl.

43149 'University of Plymouth'

43151

43156 'Dartington International Summer School'

43159

43161

43162

43163 in 'Visit Plymouth' vinyl

43169 'The National Trust'

43170

43172 'Harry Patch - The Last Survivor of the Trenches'

43174

43179 'Pride of Laira'

43180

43183

43187

43188

43189 'Railway Heritage Trust'

43190

43191

43192

43196

43197

43198 'Oxfordshire 2007'

Class 180 Andante

For the past few years, Great Western have been running Class 180 'Andante' units on their Paddington services. Rumours abound that these may be getting withdrawn in future, so I got a snap of one in the July sunshine.

Class 172

 
Class 170 'Turbostar'

Class 166

Class 158

Class 150

June 2016: New Livery GWR HST

GWR have begun to repaint their HSTs following their rebranding from First Great Western. This video shows a reliveried HST passing in front of the scenic Malvern College, while the picture below shows 43005 leading 43041 'Meningitis Trust Support for Life' on the return leg a few days later.

14 June 2016: The Peak and Fells Explorer

The only railtour passing through Malvern this year was this West Coast Railway charter which train left Hereford for Carlisle at 5.00am and returned there at around midnight. Deciding whether to get up early or stay up late to see it pass through Malvern was Hobson's choice, but I eventually decided on the latter. The train was pulled by 47237 with 57315 bringing up the rear.

Freight Trains on the Malvern Hills

August 2016: Diverted Steel Trains

10/08/16 1550 Round Oak to Margam T.C. pulled by 66082

10/08/16 1550 Round Oak to Margam T.C. pulled by 66082

09/08/16 1550 Round Oak to Margam T.C. pulled by 66058 'Derek Clark'

09/08/16 1550 Round Oak to Margam T.C. pulled by 66058 'Derek Clark'

09/08/16 0316 Margam T.C. to Round Oak pulled by 66058 'Derek Clark'

09/08/16 0316 Margam T.C. to Round Oak pulled by 66058 'Derek Clark'

 08/08/16: 0315 Margam T.C. to Round Oak pulled by 66126

 08/08/16: 0315 Margam T.C. to Round Oak pulled by 66126

 
24th July 2016: Network Rail Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)

98960

98910

18-19 & 25-26 June 2016: Malvern Wells Works

14-15 June 2016: Driver Training Programme

Network Rail have been running some route familiarisation runs for drivers to get them ready for freight runs through Malvern later in the summer.  These are locomotive-only tests running between the Bescot Engineering works and Hereford and if you blink, you'll miss them.

67006 heads down through Great Malvern, 17/06/16.

67006 on its way back through a June storm, 17/06/16.

67005 rushes through Great Malvern, 15/06/16.

66055 approaching Great Malvern, 14/06/16.

66055 passing through Great Malvern, 14/06/16.

8 June & 5 July 2016: Network Rail New Measurement Train (The 'Flying Banana')

The New Measurement Train (NRT) has been around Malvern a lot recently to help with the track and signalling renovation works going on at Malvern Wells. I caught it on a scorching hot day and the yellow livery certainly stood out against the green of Malvern Common.