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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

...this plaque with cast Regional Railways and Centro logos, on an electrification mast at Lichfield City (submission by, and photo ©, Hazel Nicholson). Electrification, eh? Imagine that.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Four contributors submitted artefacts records for four new stations, with three updated. Love this gate at Shrewsbury and SRA/Wales & Borders sign at Ludlow (both © Hazel Nicholson) and this plaque at Llandrindod Wells (© Brian Blackmore). stationheritageartefacts.org.uk/2026/06/30/l...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Had my occasional recurring thought that it is now a year later than the planned entry into commercial passenger service of the forerunners to Brittany Ferries' Regent ground effect ferries/gadgetbahns, which I am sure will definitely arrive by 2028. brittanyferriesnewsroom.com/brittany-fer...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

More artefacts records added today to stationheritageartefacts.org.uk, thanks to two contributors. Can't decide between Pitlochry's drinking water fountain (© John Martin) or Church Stretton's weighbridge (© Hazel Nicholson) so here are both. stationheritageartefacts.org.uk/2026/06/01/l...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Large weighbridge by Pooley of Birmingham at Droitwich Spa - one of just a handful of survivors on the mainline railway network. To see Droitwich Spa's other heritage artefacts both old and modern, visit: stationheritageartefacts.org.uk/artefacts-re...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Very lovely L&NWR footbridge plaque surviving at Crewe. To see this and all the other artefacts at the station (at least, all the ones we've found so far), have a look at: stationheritageartefacts.org.uk/artefacts-re...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

I am… still… on my way. Next train is the Sleeper from Inverness to Birmingham then Derby. The highly appropriate loco on the front is 66729 “Derby County”. I assume they knew that’s where I was headed. #CRA26 @communityrail.bsky.social

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Have set off on my travels to @communityrail.bsky.social’s Community Rail Awards this morning at sunrise on the ferry, leaving beautiful Orkney behind and hoping to get to Derby tomorrow early afternoon. I seem to be in advance of the hashtag so hoping it’s #CRA26 or #CRA2026 or something.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

2/3 - Lots of great stuff in the latest batch including a stone sleeper from the L&M (I assume) reused in a wall at Newton-le-Willows (© @railwayheritage.bsky.social), Lea Hall's artworks (© Hazel Nicholson), Abergavenny's BR(W) utility cover, the first so far submitted (© @jdk653.bsky.social).

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

I don’t blame the media for repeating GWR’s claim that its class 230 is “the UK’s first battery-only powered train” (news.gwr.com/news/great-w...) but - and I’m sure I’m not the first to point this out - the Derby Lightweight BEMU from 1958 would like a word.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

From the same book, thought of you when I saw the state of the double arrow on this Brush pre-production model of the Class 89. Interesting treatment of the Inter-City livery too.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Survived at Barking on platform buildings as late as 2022... stationheritageartefacts.org.uk/artefacts-re...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Sandown doesn't have the monogram in its spandrels and its columns are plainer than Shanklin or St Johns Road. (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sa...).

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Great photo! In answer to earlier question, Brading does have the IWR monogram in spandrels (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Br...) but its columns are plain.The island platform doesn't have the monograms I think; its columns are different.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Shanklin’s columns have an S on two opposite sides of the column capital but frustratingly I can’t quite make out what the red thing is on the other sides. Wish I could say for sure if it’s a V or R…

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

I found some more yesterday, at Newcastle Central platform 3.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Well, you know I love a heritage artefact at a railway station, so thank you very much for this. Another station which has air bricks of the same pattern is Knaresborough, so I guess they must have been a North Eastern Railway standard fitting.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

#9-series - No.32, Class 465/9 Thirty-four Class 465s were given a /9 classification when they were refurbished, fitted with first class seating, and allocated to outer suburban routes rather than their previous inner suburban role. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Categor...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

#9-series - No.31, Class 455/9 The 20 class 455/9s had various technical differences from the rest of the fleet, including relocated heating equipment, some being fitted with thyristor control, and a couple of trailer cars having testbed plug doors. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

A random thought occurs. Perhaps people (including me) might not be so down on the architecture (or lack thereof) at some recent British railway stations if we still called the small ones "... Halt". Maybe "Ashington Halt", "Thanet Parkway Halt" etc. would have tempered expectations?

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

The Railways of #Orkney, part 6 of an occasional series. Orkney rolling stock, round the back of the Scapa Flow Museum.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

#9-series - No.30, Class 423/9 Converted by Connex in the late 1990s to work inner suburban services, 19 4-VEPs had their compartments removed (leaving behind very strange bench seating) and First Class seats declassified, becoming 4-VOPs. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:42...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

#9-series - No.29, Class 411/9 Reduced from four to three car sets in the 1990s, becoming 3-CEPs in the process, these Class 411s were given the /9 sub-class to distinguish them from the surviving four-car sets. Photo: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CE...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

#9-series - No.28, Class 375/9 A disappointingly conventional /9 sub-class this time, the outer suburban version of Southeastern's (ordered by Connex South Eastern's) Electrostar trains, with 2+3 seating throughout standard class. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

#9-series - No.26, Class 373/9 It was always rather exciting to find spare Class 373 power car (37)3999 running in traffic. Here it is at St Pancras International in May 2015, on just such an occasion. Photos: me

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

#9-series - No.25, Class 321/9 Given a /9 sub-class because they were funded by WYPTE rather than BR, these three all-standard class units were bought for use on Doncaster-Leeds services. Very smart in their original livery but less and less so in various later liveries, as seen here. Photo: me.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Surely one of the most thrilling light rail moments available in the UK (definitely), mainland Europe (probably) if not the world (maybe): crossing the Tyne from tunnel to bridge to tunnel again on the Tyne and Wear Metro. Spectacular, and somehow inconceivable we could aspire to similar today.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

#9-series - No.22, Class 305/9 305935 was a mobile classroom for the East Coast Main Line electrification project. It was painted in Intercity colours, to startling effect. Seen here faded, and long after withdrawal, at Southall, with its later Class 302 driving car at one end. Photos: me!

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

#9-series - No.20, Class 302/9 Assuming I haven't overlooked any DMUs or DEMUs, next up are the seven Class 302 conversions - four for Royal Mail and three for Sandite application, which saw these trains reduced to three-car length. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:30...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

#9-series - No.19, Class 150/9 Whoops, missed one (it was bound to happen). These Class 150s were hybrid sets with Class 150/1 outer cars sandwiching a 150/2 centre car to make 3-car sets. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:15...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

I stayed in a hotel last weekend and this happened. I for one welcome our new vacuum cleaning robot overlords.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Yes it was nice and flat and the ferry was as comfortable as ever. I love the idea of steaming across a moonlit sea while I sleep. Having arrived safely in Aberdeen the nice people at @lner.co.uk are shortly taking me south to Newcastle. #CRA25

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

It is nearly 11pm and I’m waiting to get on board the Aberdeen ferry on my way to tomorrow’s Community Rail Awards in the far South (Newcastle Upon Tyne). I’m proud to say that this year I’m attending as a judge of three categories. See all you #CommunityRail-ers tomorrow! #CRA25

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

#9-series - No.18, Class 158/9 (2nd use) Although a (re)numbering range rather than a strict sub-class, various franchise operators used the 1589xx numbers for hybrid three-car sets. Photo: me.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

#9-series - No.17, Class 158/9 (1st use) The WYPTE-owned Class 158s were given the /9 subclass to reflect their non-BR ownership. Spitefully, the DfT later forced their sell-off in return for central government investment in the Leeds Rail Growth Package. Photo: my Dad.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

#9-series - No.16, Class 156/9 Onto the DMUs, and a /9 I'd completely forgotten about. Nine Class 156s transferred from Greater Anglia to EMR in the late 2010s, and got this classification to denote different on-board information systems. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:15...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

#9-series - No.15, Class 98/9 Class 98 is used for preserved steam locos running on Network Rail tracks. The sub-class refers to the power classification, and there's only one Class 98/9, which is 98920, better known as Evening Star. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ev...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

#9-series - No.14, Class 97/9 Tyne and Wear Metro's stock has TOPS numbers for working across Network Rail-owned tracks on the Sunderland line. That includes its three shunters, numbered in the departmental Class 97 series. Here is 97901. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ty...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

#9-series - No.13, Class 86/9 The 86/9 sub-class comprised two Class 86s, converted by Network Rail into mobile load-bank testers for checking the workings of the overhead power supply. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ne...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

#9-series - No.12, Class 81/9 According to the AC Locomotive Group (who know whereof they speak) 81020 was renumbered 81901 in 1987 but didn't carry its new number: www.aclocogroup.co.uk/index.php/81... I can't find a shareable 81020 so here's 81017 instead, via commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:81...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

#9-series - No.11, Class 73/9 (2nd use) A number of 73s were re-engined and re-engineered in the mid-2010s by Network Rail (7395x) and by GBRf (7396x) including locos dedicated to Caledonian Sleeper services. Photos: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:73... commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:73...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

The Railways of #Orkney, part 5 of an occasional series (haven't done one for a while). On North Ronaldsay pier, this 100-yard railway, standard gauge, was for launching the mail boat. I don't really understand this; maybe it was like launching Fireball XL5. More here: canmore.org.uk/site/3676/no...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Fellow fans of Pip the Tugboat might be as pleased as I was to see that the big real-life tugboats were in Stromness Harbour today.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Mine this morning: from behind the safety of a window, cackles aggressively at a rook in the garden. Rook slowly turns head to look at window. Cat runs to furthest corner of room for suddenly urgent inspection of the floor. Absolutely useless.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

#9-series - No.10, Class 73/9 (1st use) Shipped from the south to Merseyrail for Sandite duties, and usually hard to photograph as they were sandwiched in the middle of the formations, several class 73/0s were reclassified as 73/9s. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Me...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

#9-series - No.9, Class 66/9 The lower emission variant of the Class 66 was numbered in this sub-class. In some ways, perhaps a little disappointing that out of a class of around 500 locos, just seven are lower emission versions. Seen here is 66953. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:66...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

#9-series - No.8, Class 47/9 (2nd use) Ex-Class 97s and other test-train hauling Class 47s were renumbered in the 479xx range in the late 1980s / early 1990s. Some had non-standard fittings, like the jumper cable connector seen here on the front of 47976 in 1991.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

#9-series - No.7, Class 47/9 (1st use) 47901 (ex 47601, ex 47046) was testbed for the Class 58 locos, fitted with a 12-cylinder Ruston engine. It had previously (as 47601) been a testbed for the Class 56 locos, fitted with a 16-cylinder Ruston engine. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:47...

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Made it to Thurso (via pre-booked taxi, it’s the only way…) and my train south. The Flow Country is really something, the lineside dotted with the slowly decaying remains of snow fences.

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Daniel Wright @danielhwright.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Up early this morning for a trip on Scotland’s best public transport route, the Pentland Firth ferry operated by MV Hamnavoe. She looks very pretty, doesn’t she?

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