Spotting 2025 – Week 18

Well, after so much else going on it was always going to be short week on the railways – But what a week it turned out to be!

Thursday and I hadn’t really decided what to do. Ultimately I chose to try and pick up some of the Class 455’s for haulage while checking up on the status of the Class 701’s. Of the latter, I think that a comment on I read on Bluesky speaks volumes – “Off to Long Marston – The Farce Continues”. That’s a slight paraphrase to give clarity for the non-spotting community. Long Marston is a place where units that aren’t fit for service for whatever reason are sent. However I picked up some new ones at Clapham Junction and also ‘517 at Wimbledon Depot – That’s one that Trainlogger still thinks is at Long Marston. They seem to be shuffling them around! Ultimately you will be seeing too many images of Class 701’s as and when they take over the world 😅

I travelled down via Kentish Town to pick up the Thameslink – Here’s one of their Class 700 Units on a Sutton to St Albans service…

…Drifting through the light and shade of the deep cutting near Kentish Town. I did one of my usual diverse routes down to Waterloo where I wandered out to Wimbledon on a hunt for some Class 455 haulage. I did pick up a couple of 455’s for haulage and then – once back at Clapham Junction – I stopped for Lunch.

There are some freights booked through Clapham around lunchtime and they can make for some nice photographs. Before I scoffed my Wrap and while chatting with a fellow enthusiast, I photographed 66785

…Operating a Crawley to Tonbridge West train of rather mean looking hoppers. There’s an irony here in that this same train will return to Clapham Junction in a couple of hours time having lost a lot of time in the South Acton area but it will route through the other side of the station!

Just after grabbing my lunch, a well known YouTube Spotter turned up and that meant we were due for something out of the usual – he follows things around😅👍 We had a good chat and discovered that we were to be treated to a pair of Class 56’s. I can remember these entering service in the twilight of my past period of spotting before I walked away and took up flying.

Here we go – 56301 leading 56103 coming around the curve from Longhedge Junction…

…And then blasting up the hill after seeing the all clear…

…Lots of loud screaming Diesel 😎👍That totally crowned the day!

I travelled back via one of my convoluted routes picking up 6 for haulage during the day. I also got 6 new out of 131 logged so a good return 😎 Last shot taken at Upper Holloway was 59005 ‘Kenneth J Painter’…

…Following through after my Suffragette service on a Hanwell to Dagenham Dock stone working. .

I went out again on the Friday – This time to photograph freights on the North London. It’s a fact that recording what I see there is a bit of a ‘mission’ 😎 I know almost everything will be Class 66’s but lets get what’s now on camera because the present soon becomes the past.

I was back at Upper Holloway for the 09:33 passing of the Hams Hall to London Gateway Intermodal hauled by 66307 ‘Ipswich Town’ – Some of you might recall that I missed out on photographing this service just a couple of weeks ago…

…The trees look wonderful in their riot of spring green!

On this occasion Hampstead Heath would for the focus of my activity. Here’s 66597 drifting through with a Trafford Park to Tilbury intermodal…

Popping to Finchley Road & Frognal gave a rather nice shot of 66715 catching the sunshine…

…While West Hampstead allowed a shot of 66421 on the Tescoliner…

…Then back to Hampstead Heath where 66547 would be the only new sighting of the day…

…Hauling a Ditton to London Gateway intermodal through the cutting outside Hampstead Heath Tunnel. 66175 closed out the fun…

…Working the Tilbury Container Services to Trostre Works. I doubt the young lady heard it with her earpods – she also missed out on the friendly wave from the driver acknowledging my salute as he passed 😀

A new week of spotting lies ahead but I also have a bank holiday and some outstanding things relating to my passed Brother-in-Law to negotiate. Hopefully I’ll have some trains to share next week 😎👍