CLASS 20
On January 5, Nos. 20142 Sir John Betjeman and 20189 left Kidderminster with barrier vans prior to collecting three-car TfW Rail Citylink tram-train No. 398004 ready to set off as the 6Q21 15.40 Old Dalby-Pengam and later 6Q22 23.45 Pengam-Pontypridd. Further moves for the Type 1s were scheduled for January 12, when problems with No. 398005 caused the trip to Pengam to be cancelled and the locomotives moved on to King’s Norton. A week later, on January 19, Nos. 20142 and 20189 duly returned to Old Dalby only for a points failure to thwart their efforts once again. Success was finally achieved on January 26, when Nos. 20189 and 20142 sandwiched No. 398005 on the 6Q21 15.40 Old Dalby-Pengam.
Instead of the usual quartet of RailAdventure High Speed Train power cars supplied to move a pair of new Class 777 electric multiple units from Warrington (Walton Old Junction) to Kirkdale TMD late on January 9, Nos. 43468+43480 were surprisingly accompanied by Nos. 20142+20007. Locomotive Services’ Nos. D8096 and D8107 Jocelyn Feilding 1940-2020 took charge of the 5Z97 09.16 Crewe HS-Eastleigh Arlington Works hauling four coaches before heading back to Crewe the next day along with No. 37409 Loch Awe, the latter newly repainted into erstwhile ScotRail livery.
CLASS 31
Privately-owned Brush Type 2 No. 31128 Charybdis ran from Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to the Wensleydale Railway on January 10, to collect No. 47701 following its use there over Christmas. Late that evening the pair ran south as the 5Z31 22.32 Northallerton to Burton Wetmore. A light engine journey, despite the reporting number.
CLASS 37
With six Eastern Rail Services Mk.3 coaches in tow, Rail Operations Group No. 37901 powered the 5Q42 13.30 Great Yarmouth-Crewe South Yard on January 5. Three days later the ‘37/9’ was the centre of attention as it journeyed from Worksop to Crewe with brand-new Rail Operations Assets (Ltd) tri-mode No. 93001 sandwiched between two barrier vehicles. The same entourage returned to Worksop Down Yard on January 12. Further stock transfers took No. 37901 from Crewe to Castle Donington on January 18, with the same half dozen coaches it had delivered to Crewe from Yarmouth two weeks earlier, while on January 23, it was entrusted with two
