Class 59 operations

[US railfan]

I'm wondering if there are any trains that are 100% always running with a 59 or is it random trains from the mines such as Merehead or Foster Yeoman?

 

[Sun Chariot]

I'm wondering if there are any trains that are 100% always running with a 59 or is it random trains from the mines such as Merehead or Foster Yeoman?

6O68 Westbury to Crawley stone terminal, runs MoWeThFr and has used a 59/0, 59/1 or 59/2 on all-but-one occasion.

Photos of the service: post #73 onwards, on my thread here:

Loco hauled around Havant

A summer "challenge" deep in SWR/Southern land - Photograph loco-hauled, or light, services within within my locality. Focus is freight workings or uncommon traffic. I'll add to this thread during the year.

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[55002]

It’s a bit random, the Wootten Bassett, Colnbrook, Botley and Theale tend to be regular 59s along with the Crawley mentioned above. The Woking often has 59 on. The ones to London region can be either 59 or 66 but often the overnight Bow and Stewarts Lane are 59 hauled, but again can be 66

 

[littledude]

Just as an aside, the ‘mines’ are actually quarries - Merehead and Whatley

 

[Chingy]

The Theale trains are nearly always a class 59 as they’re too big/heavy for a class 66 to haul. On the very rare occasion they’re a class 66, only half a train can be sent up. Same with the Colnbrook.

 

[Anonymous10]

The Theale trains are nearly always a class 59 as they’re too big/heavy for a class 66 to haul. On the very rare occasion they’re a class 66, only half a train can be sent up. Same with the Colnbrook.

Are those the ones that run through to Pembrokeshire?

 

[Western Sunset]

Are those the ones that run through to Pembrokeshire?

Think you're mixing-up the oil trains from Robeston with stone trains from Merehead/Whatley. 59s don't visit South Wales on any regular basis.

 

[Chingy]

Think you're mixing-up the oil trains from Robeston with stone trains from Merehead/Whatley. 59s don't visit South Wales on any regular basis.

Yep, although there will be one going there on Friday!

 

[US railfan]

I'm coming over from late March to early April and wondering if there any amount of tonnage I should look out for. I'm preferably going to try and get one that runs down near Acton as I know quite a few of those can run with 59's.

 

[Western Sunset]

As others have noted, 59s seem to be used on more straight-out and back turns from Merehead/Whatley since the timetable change. So look out for ones from the quarries to Colnbrook, Wootton Bassett, Appleford, Southampton, etc. Might want to look at class 7 (45mph) workings in particular.
59003 tends to just shuffle between Westbury and Eastleigh on engineers' trains.

 

[55002]

I'm coming over from late March to early April and wondering if there any amount of tonnage I should look out for. I'm preferably going to try and get one that runs down near Acton as I know quite a few of those can run with 59's.

If you can get out to Reading West (25 mins Paddington to Reading and then get another train round the corner to Reading West) you will get great selection of freight including 59s. If you around Acton, the trains head empty back to the quarries from lunchtime. The full trains run in the early hours mainly and are split in the suburbs to go to various stone terminals.