News page - 156 Super Sprinter
156 »   Current Scene • Fleet Survey • Liveries • Time-Line • News

Please send noteable sightings, and any news items from magazines to:
newsdesk@super-sprinter.co.uk.

A Yahoo email group has been set up for those of us interested in Class 156 Sprinters.
Go here to find out more.

ScotRail's 28 units in SPT livery are now undergoing a programme of repaints at Glasgow Works. The new ScotRail 'Saltire' livery is to be applied, but the first unit, 156494, was outshopped on Thursday 22nd in plain blue without branding. 156494 at Glasgow Central on January 27th 2009. Photo: Jonanthan McGurk

• East Midlands Trains. On Monday 5th, a woman was killed when her car ended up in the path of a train at South Drove level crossing, near Spalding (news story). The train was 156413 on the 08:33 Peterborough - Lincoln service.

Vehicle 57413 required minor repairs after the accident (photo). With 52415 also out of traffic, a set formed of 57415 + 52413 was created at Derby on 8th (photo). When repairs were completed, a 57413 + 52415 pairing was made on 29th, running until the units could be correctly reformed.

Diagram changes in December 2008 mean an EMT class 158 is now booked to work NXEA's 05:45 Norwich to Lowestoft and 06:40 return, before forming the 07:57 Norwich - Liverpool. On Saturday 10th, 156404 reached Lowestoft on this diagram (photo).

December 2008

• East Midlands Trains On Monday 15th, 156403 arrived in Liverpool Lime St having worked the 14:57 from Norwich. Thursday 18th saw 156415 at Liverpool Lime Street (photo). On Friday 19th 156404 departed Norwich on 1157 Norwich-Liverpool, and 156403 arrived later in the evening and returned on 1R72 1857 Norwich - Nottingham. On Weds 24th 156403 was again in used on the route (photo).

• Northern Rail added Nottingham to its network at the timetable change with direct services from Leeds. These are planned to be worked with class 158s, but 156423 was on the 09:05 Leeds-Nottingham on 22nd December.

• NX East Anglia. Norwich Crown Point created a hybrid set consisting of 52419 (NXEA) and 57407 (Wherry Lines), which was out on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th. 156419 had been correctly reformed on 14th.

'Chapelfield' unit 156402 ran from Norwich to Ilford depot for tyre turning on 17th, returning next day (photo)

November 2008

East Midlands Trains 156408 at Liverpool Lime Street, ready to form the 16:52 departure to Sheffield on November 27th 2008. Photo: Mark Youdan

EMT 156s noted working between Chesterfield and Norwich towards the end of November included:
Monday 24th: 156410, Tuesday 25th: 156404, Thursday 27th: 156406 (photo), 156415 (photo), Friday 28th: 156403 (photo)

156411 visited Neville Hill depot in Leeds on Friday 21st to collect a repainted 153 unit.

• NX East Anglia. The last of the 9 Norwich based units to receive 'National Express' branding was 156422. It was noted with the short white stripes on 18th November.

• Northern Rail Class 156 units sightings in Yorkshire during November:
Thurday 13th, 156488 (still in Northern Spirit livery) was working the 17:13 Leeds - Hebden Bridge.
Saturday 15th, 17:19 Leeds to Goole was operated by 156451.
Sunday 16th, 156438 with a class 150/2 working Leeds - Harrogate - York.
Friday 21st, 156480 worked the 1437 Leeds - Manchester Victoria.
Tuesday 25th, unidentified 156 wokring on the Leeds - Barnsley - Sheffield Route.
Thursday 27th, 156482 was on the 1343 Leeds to Huddersfield.

The 'Yorkshire Wheel' adverts on NRM branded 156490 have now been removed.

October 2008

• NX East Anglia. 156402 now has white stripes with National Express branding on the cabsides, first noted on 17th. (photo).

The driving cab of 57402 has been experimentally fitted with Creactive's Cabcool system.

On Monday 27th, 156409 worked 1P47 15:30 from Norwich to Colchester, after the failure of the inward push/pull train from London.

• East Midlands Trains. Due to Engineering work at Bradway Tunnel, services on the Liverpool - Norwich route are running as separate trains north of Sheffield and south of Chesterfield until December.

After stabling overnight at Norwich, 156406 worked the 1M08, 0728 Cambridge - Chesterfield on Monday 20th. On the same day 156413 worked 1M22 1257 Norwich - Chesterfield (photo)

• Northern Rail Class 156 units noted in east of the pennines:
Tuesday 7th, 156443 13:08 Sheffield-Leeds via Barnsley,
Saturday 11th, 156454 noted on 0947 Leeds-Carlisle.
Tuesday 14th, 156475 14:27 Lincoln - Adwick (photo).
Friday 17th, 156454 on 17:28 York - Hull.
Friday 24th, 156481 worked 14:13 York - Blackpool to Leeds where it was swapped for the booked class 158. 156481 then worked 16:04 to Knottingley.

Reports from Northern Railway Forum and Class_156_Sprinters, Scot-Rail, Anglia-Gen.


Older News »»»