Ah glad to see you're back at the pointy end.

So after some kind soul felt it would be wise to bash my car with theirs and drive off without leaving a note the other week.
I'm now having the front bumper repaired.

I'll post the after later today when the chap has finished.

Sleepout 2025 I am currently working towards my Queens Guide award (the highest award in Girlguiding). As part of this I need to complete a community challenge. For this challenge I am supporting Railway Children b

railwaychildren.enthuse.com/pf/olivia-wa...

Keeping this short and sweet. At the end of February my wife will be sleeping rough at Leeds Station as part of an organised event to raise money for The Railway Children charity. Anyone fancy sponsoring her?

That's one interpretation of a tech agreement

I reckon there will be a separate tech payment for northern in the 2025 deal.

Ah we need a tech agreement for that though

Mate. You're definitely over qualified now. Just don't let the DVD play too long or you might get woken up abruptly.

Swap ya? I'm sure you can work out how to make it stop and go

I'm sure they'll find you something.

Mines all accounted for at the moment.

Yes they're all cancelled except the 1821 off Newcastle as that forms a Whitby tonight.

If @lner.co.uk want to repost any of these photos you are more than welcome to.

LNER train “Darlington” passing a building and a field

Today @lner.co.uk has named a train to mark Railway 200.

It’s called “Darlington” - the home of the modern railway and location of the S&DR200 Festival.

It's further on then you think. It's being awarded in next few months. It's been out to tender for 2yrs. So we will get an idea of what they'll look like and their spec and whose building them soon.

195 can still do SLB, WBY, ASH, Tyne Valley so Coast could use the 158s that we will also still have.

195 is the current plan for 2027 to 2030 as 156 are 40yo in 27 and need to be scrapped.

New units delivering in 2029 for 2030 launch. Giving a year for mileage accumulation and training.

Let's hope they can either make the 195 2027 plan work or find extra 158s otherwise the 156s are being life extended 3 years 😆

Mine ran the other day, 0817 off NCL and 1016 return. There has been a lot Cnx since though. Didn't help I failed 423 the other day as got fed up of unexpected kissing the windscreen as it kept sitting down.

Yes you'll briefly see me, should be on my break then.

I've got 1800 Whitby for the next two days, then death by Saltburn Fri and Sat.

All photography in this thread is ©️ Charlie Walker.

Finally, about 10 minutes later once 5M12 shunted to P2, the last bi-di service arrived. 800110 on 1W11 1000 London Kings Cross to Aberdeen running a mere +59 late. This was the last service to 'go round' 9E09 before it got moving again and 801207 Darlington could follow through right road.

Whilst 5M12 did its shunt, 1S10 0930 London Kings Cross to Newcastle vice Edinburgh (801228) also appeared wrong road at +70 late, and passed on the right hand side. This must've been confusing for the LNER driver having just passed the stricken TPE a few miles earlier, to then find another here.

Whilst waiting for the other bi-di services, TPE 5M12 (née 9M12 Newcastle-Liverpool), terminated at Darlington, and shunted to Platform 2.

Here is 802216 running Up on the Down Main during its shunt move from P1 to P2.

In the meantime however, I was fortunate enough to be able to witness, and photograph use of the rarely used Bi-Directional signalling with 3 services running 'wrong road' to get around the stricken Nova.

Here is 220012 on 1S37 0524 Plymouth to Newcastle vice Edinburgh, running +65 late.

It was a rocky road to get this shot of 'Darlington' however as 9E09 Liverpool to Newcastle - 802214 had an issue and decided to sit down at East Cowton, blocking the Northbound line for approx 2 hours. Causing massive delays in the area.
(Seen here on Diesel when it eventually got moving)

801207 '𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻' - 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟬.

The latest LNER livery, completed to recognise the 200th Anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The orange really works with the red and its nice to see my home town recognised.

Much prefer the expresses but still no complaints on stoppers, we get up there so infrequently it's a nice change.

Yeah. Midweek we only have 8 jobs a day, and 3 of them are exclusively expresses so not. So only leaves maybe 4 round trips unless we get geordie work...

I pretty much live on BIA-SLB or MBR-WBY. Prob do 4 Whitby for every Coast. And probably 10 SLBs for every Whitby.

I'd rather have BIA, the STPs are like 5x EAG-SLB. I'd rather do 1½ BIA-SLB.

Ive checked and the 5 shifts I have over those weekends are all spare so I'll land something that doesn't fit into existing diagram hours

Nearly 3hours York to Newcastle on the first 3 affected.

I saw the job was stopped at Durham. The first 3 services northbound that were affected were the same three stuck behind the TPE