News 2026
2026
The start of 2026 was, like the last two months of 2025, very cold. Indeed on 2nd January 2026 there was a layer on snow on the Malvern Hills which form the backdrop to this photograph, taken by Andrew Smith, of class 800 5-coach unit No.800015. The train, photographed at Great Malvern Station, depicts train code No.1W15, 07.48 from London Paddington. This train had disgruntled passengers on it who had been dumped at Worcester Shrub Hill Station off the 06.48 from Paddington which was an amazing 27 minutes late and was terminated short. A totally unacceptable situation on such a cold day.
An unusual working took place on Monday 12th January 2026 when class 196 four-car diesel multiple unit No.196105 was sent from Tyseley to Long Marston (10.11, train code 5Q94) presumably for rectification work by Porterbrook. Robert Pritchard photograhed it from the bridge over the line at Wyre Piddle on a typical January day.
Class 57 diesel locomotive No.57306 towing No.701023 with the 14.40 from Long Marston to Wimbledon Park depot via a reverse at Worcester. From a viewpoint in Perry Wood Walk (also known as the Metal Box bridge), Robert Pritchard took this lovely photograph on Wednesday 28th January 2026.
Richard Branson dubbed his takeover of the Cross Country train operating contract as "Mission Impossible" so perhaps it is wrong to complain about the inadequacy of the accompanying new trains which didn't allow for the difference between commuters' and holidaymakers' luggage. At least his livery was cheerful. Arriva took over in 2007 and brought with it nearly two decades of awful brown.
On the eve of the Great British Railways takeover, the livery has reverted to red. The first reliveried DMU was 170101 a year ago and the first Voyager was 220033. On 26th February 2026 Robert Pritchard photographed it at Croome with the 10.05 Edinburgh - Exeter coupled in front of brown-liveried 221130.
On Saturday 28th February 2026 the Daventry to Wentloog Tesco container train (Code No.4V38, 12.12 from Daventry) was headed by class 68 diesel locomotive No.68002 instead of the normal class 66 locomotive. The train was photographed by Andrew Smith at Abbotswood Junction.