More diseasels tonight. A dirty 37 on minerals, a dirty 24 on suburbans and a clean 47 on fish vans

Class 37 with minerals on Heatherley by Mick Hollyoake, on Flickr

Weathered class 24 with crimson suburbans on Heatherley by Mick Hollyoake, on Flickr

Class 47 with fish vans on Heatherley by Mick Hollyoake, on Flickr

Tonight I took the Blue Pullman, the Kato IET800, a blue Hymek with blue parcels stock and this.
I've posted clips of the others before so just the one this evening. If anyone can confirm this could have or did happen please let me know.........

D1043 Western Duke with 'Freightliner Limited' on Heatherley by Mick Hollyoake, on Flickr

Probably Rule 1 Mick



https://community.hornbyhobbies.com/forums/topic/32919-did-class-52-westerns-ever-haul-freightliners/

Question and answers here

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/53140-westerns-on-freightliners/

If that helps mainly south Wales to Fishguard for the Rosslare Crossing



J. Vanes
Danygraig Swansea with Fishguard portion
4E70 to London Stratford c 1975



https://www.railmagazine.com/operations/freight/freightliner-s-50-years
Suggests c 1968
A short lived Par Plymouth to London Park Royal service
52 hauled

Quote from: Newportnobby on July 23, 2025, 09:59:23 PMTonight I took the Blue Pullman, the Kato IET800, a blue Hymek with blue parcels stock and this.
I've posted clips of the others before so just the one this evening. If anyone can confirm this could have or did happen please let me know.........

Well it looks like it happened to me. Maybe confirm with another club member who was definitely there as to whether you were there too? 

Quote from: crewearpley40 on July 23, 2025, 10:08:12 PMQuestion and answers here

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/53140-westerns-on-freightliners/

Good stuff. To quote 'Pathfinder' off RMWweb

hope this is of some use to someone, yes they did work Freightliners, and on a daily basis, its just nobody took pics !

Quote from: Newportnobby on July 24, 2025, 09:54:59 AM

Quote from: crewearpley40 on July 23, 2025, 10:08:12 PMQuestion and answers here

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/53140-westerns-on-freightliners/

Good stuff. To quote 'Pathfinder' off RMWweb

hope this is of some use to someone, yes they did work Freightliners, and on a daily basis, its just nobody took pics !

Well, bless my soul. You learn something new every day. I'd have thought there'd have been some years between Westerns & Freightliners.

Quote from: emjaybee on July 24, 2025, 10:25:30 AMWell, bless my soul. You learn something new every day. I'd have thought there'd have been some years between Westerns & Freightliners.

@emjaybee I could be wrong but I seem to recall the early Freightliners coming through Wolverton in the late 60s/early 70s but, in those days, they were AL electric hauled. I've also seen an EE Type 4 hauling them. Having never seen them in the wild on the Western Region, I thought I'd ask the question as it's one of the trains I'll maybe take to the Leyland show

Im glad its been of educational help and improved ones knowledgeable. The photo was taken at a station near Swansea on the way to Cardiff and im not going to spell , pronounce it. Definitely Rule 1 and why not Mick something different.  I remember Freightliner trains AC electrics hauled or 47s, but growing up in Crewe 25s, 31s, 40s, 47s could turn up. As for western hauled the links give clues

Apart from my 'iconic' trains e.g. Poppylino, IET800 and HST sets I try to refrain from 'Rule 1'
Unless something is plausible, it won't be run

Late to the party, but I remember my dad taking me to Southampton docks (the old ones, not Western which opened in '77) to see the newfangled container shipping after I'd been given a couple of Hornby Freightliner bogie wagons and a blue diesel aged 5 - making it 1969.  I think it was '68 they started. As I recall all the locos looked the same (to me) but some were much longer than others, so I suspect it was all Hymeks and 47s that day - they reminded me of lorries...     52s certainly visited the area, and certainly hauled containers - that traffic increased exponentially from 1968, to the extent I can't recall seeing much else in the way of freight on the lines near where I lived by 1978.

Example pic of a 52 at Eastleigh:



52/Freightliner at Cardiff in 1973



...but yeah: Rule 1 above all others!