A revitalised Wakefield Kirkgate: Railtours, Diverts, Loco’s, Freight & more!

Trains at a revitalised Wakefield Kirkgate: Railtours, Diverts, Loco’s, Freight & more! With subtitles :) It was two railtours converging at Wakefield Kirkgate that attracted me to it. A few years ago I wouldn't have dreamt of loitering at this station, as it was run down and unwelcoming to say the least. However, the stations fortunes have turned around after significant refurbishment works and an enhanced service. As well as Grand Central trains operating between Bradford and London Kings Cross, Transpennine now offer connections to York and Manchester which has breathed new life into the station with the increased footfall. A pleasant cafe is also open on Platform 1. The main purpose of my visit was to film LSL's Intercity railtour from Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle - the Pennine Peak - hauled by vintage Peak Class diesel locomotive 45118 The Royal Artilleryman and with Class 47 47712 Lady Diana Spencer on the rear of a smart set of mainly Intercity branded retro-liveried rolling stock. A second railtour is also featured, also featuring historic traction and liveries, this time a classic British train; the HST (High Speed Train) Intercity 125 running from Derby to the East Lancashire Railway. This set is in a mixture of liveries including East Midlands, Midland Mainline and GWR. The power cars are 43259 and and 43089 operated by the 125 Group with RailAdventure being the TOC for the tour. Aside from the railtours, a number of local, regional and diverted express services are featured. The diverted expresses are Transpennine Liverpool-Newcastle services operated by class 802's in a smart livery, diverted due to the Transpennine core line being upgraded. A couple of Grand Central London services are also shown, being temporarily operated by Class 221 Voyager trains due to the unreliability of their Class 180 Adelante fleet. A number of Northern Sprinter's on local services are also shown as these old units probably won't be around too much longer. In terms of freight a mixture of Class 66's feature, with an 88 also making an appearance and also a Tamper. Thanks for watching :)