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156430 and 156447 arrive at Prestwick Town, with the 13:04 Ayr - Glasgow Central on Sunday 26 March 2006. The main line between Kilwinning and Paisley was closed for enginering work, and 156s were providing an hourly service via Klimarnock.

• one. 156418 worked the 10:00 Norwich - London Liverpool Street as far as Ipswich, on Thurday 2-March, in place of a Class 90 and stock.

• Northern. 156490 struck a tree near Carlisle on Thursday 9th March. Car 52490 suffered damaged pannels and a broken window. (Photo).
The unit was repaired and back in traffic by the 20th.

• 156463 has returned from Glasgow Works. It was noted at Carlisle on 10-March

• Some other notable Northern 156 workings reported on RailwayScene:

Thursday 2-Mar
156452 (barbie livery) on the 07:15 Lancaster to Leeds in place of a pacer.
156455 (plain blue) on 15:03 Carlisle - Leeds 156466 (barbie) on the 15:07 York - Blackpool

Saturday 4-Mar
156425 (Northern white) was on 10:30 Blackpool - York. It later worked 16:11 York - Harrogate - Leeds.
156455 (blue) and 156460 (white) worked 10:49 Leeds - Carlisle and 14:26 return.

Sunday 5-Mar
156455 (blue) on the 12:00 Newcastle to Middlesbrough

Monday 6-Mar
156425 worked 16:58 1E23 semi-fast to Leeds, starting at Skipton due to engineering works on the Settle & Carlisle route.

Wednesday 8-Mar
156470 (Northern Spirit) worked the 09:09 York - Blackpool in place of a 158.
156423 (barbie livery) was working between Manchester Victoria and Wigan in place of a 150.

Thursday 9-Mar
156469 (Northern livery) noted on Selby-Halifax-Wakefield turns.

Friday 10-Mar
156484 (Northern Spirit) noted on 13:11 Blackpool N. - Buxton
156491 (Northern Spirit) on 18:10 York - Blackpool North
142001 and 156460 (N.R. white) on 22:49 Manchester Airport-Blackpool N. (usually 2x156).

Saturday 11-Mar
156472 and 156475 (both Northern Spirit) worked 09:09 York - Blackpool North

Monday 13-Mar
156470 - 06:13 York - Blackpool North
156471 - 08:09 Blackpool North - Buxton.
156475 - 07:50 Preston - Manchester Airport with a 150/2.

Thursday 23-Mar
156483 and 153358 on 10:06 Preston-Carlisle via Barrow
156481 on 11:43 Leeds - Huddersfield and 12:31 return.
156488 on the Huddersfield-Sheffield via Penistone service.

156.490 departs Hellifield, with the 12:49 Leeds - Carlisle on 04 March 2006. From Monday 06 March, the Settle and Carlisle route has been closed for track repairs.

February 2006

On loan to 'one' from Central Trains, 156415 was working on the Sudbury branch on 21 February 2006. The unit is pictured at Marks Tey. Photo: Darren J.

• First ScotRail. 156439 has become the first of the Corkerhill fleet to be fitted with the new CCTV equipment.

• Northern. 156463 was noted en route from Heaton to Glasgow Works for overhaul, on February 10.

• Some other notable Northern 156 workings:

Saturday 4-Feb
156488 (Northern Spirit) with 156466 (First livery) on the Blackpool North - Buxton route

Monday 6-Feb
156488 worked 07:17 Blackpool North - Manchester Victoria

Friday 10-Feb
156479 on 07:30 Blackpool North - York.
156472 was used on the Colne branch after the failure of a class 142.

Tuesday 21-Feb
156425 (white Northern Livery) on the 07:30 Blackpool North - York

Wednesday 22-Feb
156455 (Plain blue) on the 18:07 Selby - York.

Saturday 25-Feb
156482 worked 09:02 Leeds - Ilkley

Monday 27-Feb
156464 (White Northern) worked 05:54 Manchester Victoria - Selby, and was later on the 13:54 Selby - York and 14:59 York - Hull
156475 (Northern Spirit) and 156460 (White Northern) worked 17:28 Leeds - York and 18:14 York - Hull
156466 (First livery) worked the following Tyne Valley diagram:
07:28 Kirby Stephen - Carlisle, 08:30 Carlisle - Newcastle,
10:24 Newcastle - Carlisle, 12:30 Carlisle - Newcastle,
14:24 Newcastle - Carlisle, 16:30 Carlisle - Newcastle,
18:24 Newcastle - Carlisle

Tuesday 28-Feb
156440 (First livery) worked 07:28 Kirkby Stephen diagram.
156466 08:50 Carlisle - Leeds and 12:49 Leeds to Carlisle
156455 (plain blue) 06:30 Blackpool North - York

Reports from RailwayScene and Northern_Rail.

156.461 at Manchester Oxford Road, with a Liverpool - Manchester Airport service on 04 February 2006. The Northern branding and web site address were added in the last week of January 2006. Photo: Rob Knight

January 2006

• one. An investigation has begun after the 18:05 Marks Tey to Sudbury service on Friday 27th January 2006 was involved in a low speed collision with the buffer stops on its arrival at Sudbury Station.

The unit involved was 156422. [news story]

• To help ease a unit shortage while its Class 170s are receiving interior mods, one has taken 156415 on loan from Central Trains. It is expected to stay for 9 weeks.

The unit arrived at Norwich Crown Point on Saturday 19-Jan, and worked its first train on Monday afternoon, the 16:45 Norwich to Sherringham.

• During the last week of January 156461, in the 3rd version of Northern Rail livery, finally received branding. The unit was painted in the blue and lilac scheme in May 2005.

• Northern. 'Barbie' liveried 156440 was an unusual sight in Newcastle on Friday 27-Jan. It had worked 1135 Carlisle - Newcastle and later the 1804 Newcastle - Metrocentre.

On Monday 30-Jan it was in use on the Middlesbrough - Whitby line.

Reported on Northern_Rail and North-East-Gen.

• Some other notable Northern 156 workings:

Monday, 16-Jan.
153301 joined with 156468 for the 1006 Preston-Carlisle, an Arriva pairing for a four hour journey via the Cumbrian Coast.

Tuesday, 17-Jan.
153357 joined up with 156425 (turquoise and a VERY dirty white, what an odd combination!) to work 1006 Preston-Carlisle via Barrow.

Friday, 20-Jan.
156482 on 1130 Blackpool-York [usually a 158].
156498 worked 1353 Blackpool South-Colne from Preston, taking over from a sickly 142.

Thanks to 'Vavavoom'.

• First ScotRail borrowed Northern unit 156448 on Wednesday 4-Jan.

It worked 1S50 06:54 Newcastle - Glasgow Central, 1K95 11:42 Glasgow - Stanraer, 1K94 14:37 Stranraer - Glasgow, 2J22 17:23 Glasgow - East Kilbride.

Reported on Scot-Rail.

• The Northern Rail fleet has seen some reallocations, with Northern Spirit liveried 156468/70/71/72 moving to Newton Heath from Neville Hill, joining 156498 which moved in June 2005.

Newton Heath's class 153s have moved in the opposite direction.

156497 was also briefly allocated to Newton Heath, but has returned to Neville Hill.

	• The Northern Rail franchise started in December 2004, together with the launch of a new Sheffield - Leeds fast service. To celebrate the 1st anniversary Northern have applied special branding to Heaton based 156469, with images of Sheffield and Leeds on either side of the carriages. [news story] 156469 is seen at Middlesbrough on 17.Dec.2005, on a Darlington - Saltburn service.

• The unique First ScotRail liveried 156446 was fitted with RETB and used to launch the new 07:09 Arrochar & Tarbet commuter train to Glasgow Queen Street, on December 12.

It later worked the 12:40 Glasgow - Mallaig.

• 156514, the last of the 28 Strathclyde PTE sets to be fitted with Passenger Information Systems, has been released from overhaul at Alstom's Springburn works.

The first set to be fitted was 156437 in December 2003.

All SPT 156s now have 'SPT/rail' branding and yellow gangway covers.