Class 67 locomotives

My last photo of a WSMR train, taken at 12:26 on Sunday 9th January 2011. 67001 propels a Wrexham-Marylebone train across Bescot Jct. WSMR's own carriages were in use by this stage, and they were subsequently used by Chiltern Railways. 67001 lost its EWS livery in favour of unbranded blue for use on Arriva-operated Holyhead-Cardiff services.
WSMR suffered a spate of loco problems during the 2009 Easter week, 67014 misbehaving again. But with 67010 being added to their original four locos you still wouldn't expect EWS-liveried Skips to be needed. Yet on Saturday 18th April only one WSMR-liveried loco was used on the three diagrams, the other two being covered by red engines. 67002 hauled the 06:18 Wrexham - Marylebone, and propelled the 11:24 return which is seen here passing Bescot on time at 13:46.
Yet more problems for WSMR on Sunday 19th April 2009. I understand that the last northbound train on Saturday 18th didn't run for some reason, meaning that they were a set short at Wrexham on Sunday morning. 67002 worked the 09:30 from Marylebone, due to arrive Wrexham at 13:30. It was stepped up to form the 13:11 return service, but this train necessarily started late. In fact it was 34 minutes down when it left Tame Bridge, and is seen here crossing the River Tame at 15:27.
The line between Shrewsbury and Wellington was closed for engineering work Saturday 20th February 2010. As a result WSMR trains were running via Crewe and Stafford, with bus connections from Salop stations connecting with the trains at Tame Bridge. This is 67010 on the 11:23 from Wrexham, passing Bescot at 13:46 about 50 minutes later than its normal time. The formation included three Virgin-liveried coaches, a Cargo-D blue and grey restaurant car, and a blue Chiltern-owned DVT at the rear.
67012 leads a southbound WSMR service through Bescot at 13:27 on Saturday 27th September 2008. It seemed that top-and-tail working, like the use of blue and grey coaches, would be transient. In the event the whole WSMR operation proved to be fairly short-lived.
67012 passes Bescot with the 12:17 Marylebone - Shrewsbury on Friday 20th March 2009. Due off Tame Bridge at 14:38, this service was running about 15 down when photographed at 14:59.
In early March 2009 WSMR dropped the 10:17 Marylebone - Wrexham train from their weekday schedule. However it was included in the special timetable for Easter Monday, 13th April. For some reason it started with a loco at both ends, which proved useful when 67014 expired not long out of London. 67013 propelled to Princes Risborough, where it ran-round to the front of the train. All of this meant that it was a little over 45 minutes late when it reached Bescot at 13:32.
67014 heads south through Wylde Green on the Sutton Park line at 17:03 on Monday 9th May 2005. The Merseyrail EMU (507014) was being conveyed to Eastleigh Works for refurbishment. This service ran south on Mondays, and returned an ex-works unit on Fridays.
67019 and 67014 top-and-tail 1J86, the 12:17 Marylebone - Wrexham, seen here running alongside the motorway just north of Bescot at 14:52 on Saturday 27th September 2008. The land in the foreground was once occupied by Bescot Drop Forgings, and some of the remnants of that factory can be seen in the bottom left of the pic.
Something of a trades description issue this, a WSMR train that didn't call at either Wrexham or Marylebone, missed a large chunk of Shropshire, and omitted Tame Bridge too. Engineering work on Sunday 13th October 2008 meant that 1P52 started from Shrewsbury at 14:01, ran via Crewe because the line through Telford was closed, was diverted via the Stour Valley calling at Galton Bridge, and terminated at Paddington rather than Marylebone. 67022 led from Crewe, with 67013 on the rear. It's seen here approaching Coseley at 15.26. The first public appearance of a WSMR driving trailer occurred on Saturday 12th October, so the routine appearance of EWS-liveried 67s on these services was just about to cease.
How quickly things change on the modern railway. 67029 pauses at Tame Bridge with a Marylebone-Wrexham service. in a shot taken at 18:29 on 4th January 2009. WSMR ceased operations on 28th January 2011, and Cargo-D, who supplied the blue and grey carriages used by WSMR for much of its life went into administration in October 2011. The colour has been removed from selected areas of this image.