Network Rail HST

A rare evening shot showing the NR HST test unit returning to Derby from LLanelli through Aldridge at 1940 tonight.

Four DRS Class 37's

Test train 1Q77 Longsight - Derby RTC with 37608 tnt 37606, and coaches 5Z40 Plymouth - Crewe DRS with 37069+609 pass through Aldridge within two minutes of each other, afternoon of 28th January 2016.

Western and Colas Moves

D1015 Western Champion hauls Deltic 55019 from the SVR to Barrow Hill on Sunday 4th October. Colas loco 37219 was out on a test train the same day (with DBSO).

HST Test Train

The 'flying banana' NR HST test train is seen returning to Derby on the Sutton Park line during the afternoon of 22nd July, and also flask train 6M63 with 37612 + 37610 Bridgwater - Crewe CS around the same time. Both captured by the camera of Richard Coghlan.

1Q09 Recording Coach

97302 + 97304 open up with yet another test train passing through Sutton Park. 97304 has a red-backed nameplate 'John Tiley'.

The track recording coach DB 999508 was originally built at Swindon Works in 1960 as an inspection saloon. Converted to a recording unit the coach was then painted into the former Serco red and grey test car livery, before receiving her latest coat of Network Rail yellow paint.

1Q09 Derby - Machynlleth Monday 18th July 2011.

Class 97s with 1Q09

97304 'John Tiley' and 97303 top-and-tail a test coach across Sutton Park on 16th June. 1Q09 was heading for Machynlleth out of it's Derby base.

6M67 With Two Class 57s

Here come the 57s ! 57008 + 57009 are seen working the Bridgwater - Crewe flasks past East View Rd on 26th May. Also snapped by Richard on 20th April was 950001, the Derby test unit (ex Class 150).

Photo's copyright R.Coghlan.

Testing Tractors

Adding to Nick's effort from Streetly, here was the view from Walmley among the brambles!

Quebec Eight Eight

Thursday 28th April 2011 saw 2Q88 09.42 Banbury to Derby with 37069 and 37611 top and tail DB999508 passing through Hardwick Woods.

1Q69 Test Train

Smart-looking DRS loco 37087 runs down through the 'Blue Hole' cutting (near Rushall) on Friday afternoon with test train 1Q69 from Derby. The pantograph fitted to one of the coaches was unused as the train wasn't conducting tests anywhere under the wires, being routed to Hereford via Shrewsbury.

Q Train

97304 John Tiley and 97302 are seen at Streetly Gate working 1Q09 Derby to Machynlleth on Monday 10th January 2011.

Testing times (for foliage)

Otherwise known as where did that damn Birch shrub spring from ? ! BR blue-liveried 31106 does her best to hide behind the foliage as she passes through Daw End on the 23rd July with test train 1Q18 bound for Derby. On the rear of the set was departmental locomotive 97301.

Testing Pleck

Having passed Pleck Junction and with the sun glinting off the rails, locomotives 31459 + 31602 head for Walsall platform 3 with the Mentor pantograph coach early this afternoon.

Nick Broome took this fine shot of 97304+97301 working 5Z97, a Network Rail test train running from Derby to Shrewsbury, seen here approaching Ryecroft Jcn on 29th September.

Derby "Mentor" test coach

DRS loco's 37218 and 37607 hurry a Network Rail pantograph test coach past Aldridge this afternoon. The train had been testing OLE in the Stoke and Manchester areas and was returning to Tyseley for overnight stabling.

97301 with empty stock

Departmental 97301 working 2 empty yellow Network Rail coaches across the Sutton Park line, running from Derby to Shrewsbury, the first time i've seen one of these loco's at the head of a train.

Blue Pullman on test

A rare shot of one of the shiny new Blue Pullman sets at Aldridge in 1959. The Pullmans were built at the Metropolitan Cammel works in Washwood Heath, Birmingham, and were "road tested" across the Sutton Park line, running to Lichfield Road Junction and back.

Almost forerunners of the 1970s HST designs, 2 Pullman units went into service on the LMR (6-car sets, as shown here) and 3 units on the WR (8-car sets) in 1960.

Photo by PP Newell.

37s on test

A Serco track recording train seen on the 5th January 2009, with 37259 leading and 37605 at the rear.

Photo one shows the train passing a snow-less Burton (Nick Broome). The second shot sees the set heading away from Aldridge towards Walsall. The final two shots were taken at Streetly Gate by the Flying Ferret.

The train was recording throughout North Wales up to Machynlleth, and returned to Derby a couple of days later.

The Pinkness...

More views of pink 31601 with her yellow test coach train heading across the Sutton Park line on Tuesday. In both cases the loco was on the rear of the set.

On the case

No-one seems to have captured the working of the week (month ?) when 37423 took an engineers inspection saloon across the Park line this Wednesday on a totally unscheduled move, but I did receive these two recent shots.

Nick Broome photographed 37422 with the return Long Marston to Bescot empties on Friday 25th July at Ryecroft, and Ferret was on hand in Hardwick Wood when Network Rail's converted Class 150 test DMU 950001 passed through.

Nice going lads...