More Class 47 Cross Country trains at Stafford and Birmingham. 23rd May 2002

47841 departs with the 09.13 Liverpool Lime Street-Plymouth which on this day started at Crewe, 90014 is seen at the head of the 08.55 London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly, 87018 a Liverpool Lime Street-London Euston service, Freightliner's 66533 on a Northbound Freightliner and 86256 on the 10.13 Birmingham International-Manchester Piccadilly. 87007 speeds through with the 09.30 London Euston-Preston, 87033 heads for London with the 07.20 from Glasgow Central, 86249 is seen on the 10.31 Birmingham International-Edinburgh, Loadhaul liveried 37710 pulls away from a signal check and 47843 arrives with the 09.32 Reading-Manchester Piccadilly. Next came 47828 with the 11.15 Manchester Piccadilly-Bristol Temple Meads, 47732 and 47737 arrived into the Royal Mail platform with a Serco test train, which carried on its way a short while later and I again headed to Birmingham on the 08.40 Glasgow Central-Penzance which had 47805 at the sharp end. 47805 is then seen departing Birmingham New Street, followed by 47817 on the 08.46 Penzance-Manchester Piccadilly and 47826 which was on the 15.16 Birmingham International-Manchester Piccadilly, which I got back to Stafford. A 'claggy' departure from 47826 at Stafford was followed by 87006 arriving with the 15.00 London Euston-Liverpool Lime Street and 87023 which is seen in the background on the 15.45 Liverpool Lime Street-London Euston, 66150 heads to Crewe light engine, 86632 and 86609 speed North with the 4M87 Ipswich Yard-Trafford Park Freightliner and 86240 is seen with the 16.18 Birmingham International-Manchester Piccadilly. 220021 and 220008 arrive with the 12.30 Glasgow Central-Poole which had recently gone over to Voyager operation, 66533 slows to a stop with the 4029 Trafford Park-Millbrook Freightliner, 47712 in Fragonset Railways livery departs with the 16.57 Birmingham New Street-Manchester Piccadilly which had 86256 on the rear, 56091 was just captured working the 6Z86 Attercliffe-Liverpool Docks scrap metal and 90029 arrives in the Royal Mail platform with the 1S96 Willesden-Shieldmuir mail. EWS owned 86430 arrives with the 16.00 London Euston-Liverpool Lime Street, and my time at Stafford concluded with 47828 arriving on the 15.35 Bristol Temple Meads-Edinburgh. 47828 is seen again after arrival at Preston, 67005 heads through with the 1M05 Motherwell-Walsall parcels service, 47828 was removed from the train after a lengthy wait for a driver and whilst we waited for our Class 86, Intercity liveried 86249 arrived with the 17.10 Edinburgh-Derby. 86226 was finally brought out of the sidings and coupled up to the train, which departed 22 minutes late. By the end of the summer timetable in September all the Class 47 and Class 86 hauled Cross Country trains, along with most of the HST services, would be replaced by the cramped, noisy, uncomfortable Voyagers all in the name of 'progress'.