New ground was broken on 13th May when for this informal station and location observation we moved to Chesterfield. Eleven members took part and for some peculiar reason the Liverpool group having travelled via Sheffield spent the day on the station itself - whilst the Chester group having travelled via Derby, still in its rebuilding throes, spent most of the time on the footbridge ten minutes walk north of the station in order to gain a better photo vantage point. There was a brief amicable gathering together in true Dr Livingstone mode before the Liverpool group headed back home first. It was good to see the East Midland Trains HSTs hard at work and there was the bonus of seeing the preserved diesels working south.

The listing of observations with the additional information is provided in good faith.

Passenger traffic

EM Trains (Northbound)
11.30 43052/43072 09.25 St Pancras - Sheffield
12.32 43049/43044 10.25 St Pancras - Sheffield
13.33 43076/43050 11.25 St Pancras - Sheffield
14.30 43064/43047 12.25 St Pancras - Sheffield
15.32 43058/43048 13.25 St Pancras - Sheffield (New EM livery)
16.28 222004 14.25 St Pancras - Sheffield

EM Trains (Southbound)
11.45 43043/43061 11.27 Sheffield - St Pancras
12.40 43072/43052 12.27 Sheffield - St Pancras
13.42 43044/43049 13.27 Sheffield - St Pancras
14.40 43050/43076 14.27 Sheffield - St Pancras
15.44 43047/43064 15.27 Sheffield - St Pancras
16.40 43048/43058 16.27 Sheffield - St Pancras (New EM livery)

EM Trains (Southbound)
11.52 158785 + 153379 09.52 Liverpool - Norwich
12.55 158882 10.52 Liverpool - Norwich (SWT livery)
13.52 158756 11.52 Liverpool - Norwich
14.52 158799 12.52 Liverpool - Norwich
16.07 158864 13.52 Liverpool - Norwich

EM Trains (Northbound)
12.25 158865 08.57 Norwich - Liverpool
13.20 158858 09.57 Norwich - Liverpool
14.20 156406 10.57 Norwich - Liverpool (New EM livery)
15.20 158862 11.57 Norwich - Liverpool
16.18 158846 12.57 Norwich - Liverpool

Cross Country (Northbound)
11.34 22???? 06.40 Plymouth - Newcastle
12.00 221114 07.30 Bournemouth - Aberdeen (non-stop)
12.36 220033 10.00 Bristol - Newcastle
13.02 220028 08.25 Plymouth - Edinburgh (non-stop)
13.37 220021 11.00 Bristol - Newcastle
14.02 221131 09.45 Bournemouth - Edinburgh (non-stop)
14.37 2200?? 10.02 Paignton - Newcastle
15.04 221116? 08.30 Penzance - Dundee (non-stop)
15.36 22???? 13.00 Bristol - Newcastle
16.01 220010 11.45 Bournemouth - Glasgow (non-stop)
16.34 220020 11.50 Plymouth - Newcastle

Cross Country (Southbound)
11.40 22???? 09.35 Newcastle - Bristol
12.04 2211?? 06.38 Dundee - Plymouth (non-stop)
12.44 220026 10.25 Newcastle - Plymouth
13.34 221117 07.33 Dundee - Bournemouth (non-stop)
13.38 220034 11.25 Newcastle - Bristol
14.08 22???? 09.00 Glasgow - Penzance (non-stop)
14.36 220004 12.19 Newcastle -Plymouth
15.04 220014 08.20 Aberdeen - Bournemouth (non-stop)
15.41 220029 13.33 Newcastle - Bristol
16.11 221123 12.05 Edinburgh - Plymouth (non-stop)
16.36 220015 14.22 Newcastle - Cardiff

Freight traffic

When group arrived the up goods line was blocked for engineering work so southbound freight had to be routed through the platform road.

11.45 66522 4G01 Leeds - Tyseley (5 coal hoppers for repair)
11.50 66021 4E69 Southampton - Wakefield (through down platform road).
11.53 66621 6H80 Ratcliffe - Tunstead

Up goods line reopened around 12.00

12.20 - 1222 31105 propelling 9714 on a Derby - Derby working crossing from down main to goods .
12.20 66151 6Z59 Mountsorrel - Doncaster (given precedence over the 31).
12.38 60020 + 66096 (DIT) 6M73 Doncaster - Toton departmental
12.38 66424 4G35 Ratcliffe - Doncaster
12.46 66724 towing 37275 & 20096 to Barrow Hill
13.01 31105 propelling 9714 on a Derby - Derby working (on up main)

Up goods line closed again from 13.00 to 15.00, so southbound freight once more routed though the platform road.

14.05 to 14.10 57006 6Z70 Stockton - Cardiff (held at Tapton Junction to allow Voyager through on fast line) .
14.34 66114 6E87 Peak Forest - Peterborough
14.38 66528 4Z96 Ironbridge - Immingham (thanks to Freightmaster for ID on this)
14.46 66612 6M23 Doncaster - Mountsorrell
15.01 66068 6F94 Daw Mill - Cottam (through down platform and then crossed to goods line).

Up goods reopened

15.21 66624 6M75 Hatfield Main - Ratcliffe
15.25 D1015 towing D182 from Grosmont - MRC (Butterley)
16.05 66560 6M19 Barham - Dowlow (through down platform road).
16.30 66579 4E44 Southampton - Leeds
16.40 60096 6M87 Ely - Peak Forest (through down platform road).

For those who travelled via Derby, 66719 was seen in Metronet livery at about 10.45. It had been used for the first scheduled Fastline coal train from Daw Mill to Ratcliffe, the stock of which then recessed at Chaddesdon sidings Derby while the loco went to Etches Park (Derby) for fuel. 66730 was seen from the Stoke line at LNWR Crewe still awaiting attention.

RWN/GM

13/05/08