Railway Herald
On 14th September 2019, due to engineering works at Calton Tunnel at the east end of Edinburgh Waverley Station, ECML Services had to be diverted via Carstairs, Carlisle and the Tyne Valley. Here, LNER Class 800/1 Hitachi Bi-Mode 'InterCity Express' No. 800112 passes under the 1896 Grade II gantry cabin signal box on its approach to Hexham station (which opened in 1835 and is one of the oldest railway stations in the world, built to link the lead mines of the North Pennines to the Tyne Docks at Blaydon), working the 08:24 London King's Cross to Edinburgh Service. With the introduction of the Hitachi IET sets on Edinburgh - London King's Cross Services, enough crews work this new traction to allow them to be used as part of the diverted service. The unit would have worked north from London King's Cross to Newcastle Central on electric power, swapping to diesel power across the Tyne Valley and returning to electric power from Carlisle onwards, proving the versatility of these new Bi-Mode trains.
Mike Brook
