(L) 25117 (front) and 25237 manage to drag the 07.35 Euston - Aberystwyth just about 200m out of Dovey Junction station before stopping. The brakes on 25237 had started to stick when leaving Machynlleth and the driver hadn't realised that was why the train had been struggling. On departure from Dovey Junction the seriously overheated brakes had 'welded' themselves onto the wheels of '237 and the train ground to a halt just outside the station. For almost two minutes the driver attempted to get the train to move by applying maximum thrash to the now stationary train. The guard applied the train brake just seconds before we did! Unfortunately by then six of the train's eight traction motors had burnt out or failed.
(C and R) 25237 and 25117 (far) reverse back into Dovey Junction station where John and Dave inspect the damage. This was to be the last passenger train that 25117 worked.
(L) Dave Wing and John Cowburn alongside 25237.
(C) After a lengthy discussion the 'powers that be' decided to reverse the train back to Machynlleth. With just half a damaged loco available that didn't seem like a good idea to us but regardless of that 25117 gets ready to give it a go.
(R) 25117 and 25237 start to reverse the train out of Dovey Junction and back towards Machynlleth. As we expected they didn't quite make it and that simply added to the delays! The loco off the next train had to be detached to rescue these and eventually, after a four hour wait at Dovey Junction, it finally arrived.
40135 arrives at Dovey Junction with the 10.10 Euston - Aberystwyth and (R) the same train following its arrival at Aberystwyth. Because of engineering works the diesel loco for this train had to be sent to Nuneaton to work it from there and that loco was this Class 40 rather than the two Class 25s that were waiting at Birmingham. A 'fix' of course but had it not been for the failure of the previous pair I would never have gotten these pictures.