Look Who it Was Random video

Network Rail NMT at Paddington / Reading 25th July 2014

107 views · Published 27 July 2014 · 4:33 · Indexed 20 October 2026

Channel: spark001uk · 2014 · Travel & Events

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After a very long time, a day off work and a suitable place/time finally coincided.

Working 1Q19 Plymouth - Paddington, and then back out 1Q20 to Derby RTC, this was an unusual consist of 6, with a mixture of mk2, mk3, and even the old OLE test coach "MENTOR". I'm told this is due to some of the mk3 being refurbished.
Power cars were 43013, and newly named 43014 "The Railway Observer".

Arriving into Paddington it was accompanied by a couple of big claps of thunder if you listen carefully. After it departed for Derby, I jumped on a service to Reading, and it just so happened it was recording on the slow, so I beat it to Reading and got another shot of it there as well.
Fortunes changed after that though, I hopped on the 1504 back into Paddington. Stood by the window as it was quite busy (nothing new there), got as far as Ruscombe (just past Twyford) and the rear power car got hit by lightning! Never heard a bang like it, it didn't damage the power car but it was enough to flip some of its circuit breakers and bring us to a halt. Got going again and made it to Paddington eventually, only to be stuck there nearly 3 hours as it had also taken out the signals!

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