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Power Hour 8

To celebrate 20 years since the release of the very first Power Hour programme, this latest addition to this popular series has all the ingredients of its seven predecessors. If you have seen any of them, you will know that this one features a variety of main line diesel locos hard at work on the national rail network. And we do mean hard at work! Each scene meets one or more of the following criteria - full-on power, stiff gradients, or standing starts. With some added clag and wheelslip, the result is a series of spectacular scenes, filmed over an eight year period from 2012 to 2019. It features main line traction - old and new - in a variety of liveries on a diverse range of workings from around the country. Here are a few examples…

FREIGHT WORKINGS: Colas Class 56s and 60s hard at work on timber traffic over the Settle-Carlisle line, 60044 performing a standing start on the 3,000 tonne Lindsey-Kingsbury tanks, extraordinary non-stop thrash from 37716 shunting at Peak Forest, 50008 thundering over Lickey summit hauling a rail grinder, Gerrards Cross tunnel being blasted by 20311 & 20132 on a London Underground S Stock move, 68023 on full power hauling the short-lived but heavy Barrow Docks to Drigg aggregates, 70816 performing a standing start at Dunblane with the Oxwellmains-Aberdeen cement, 31452 storming away from Leicester...and 37602 & 37609 staggering up Old Hill bank on the Wentloog-Daventry Tesco boxes!

PASSENGER WORKINGS & RAILTOURS: the unusual combination of 33207 & 37516 working in multiple over Copy Pit, lively performances from DRS Class 37/4s on Cumbrian coast and East Anglian passenger work, 55022 blasting through Sleights on the tranquil Esk Valley line, 40145 climbing to Copy Pit summit, Maybach music from D1015 Western Champion, 50007 & 50049 climbing Rattery bank heading for Penzance, 37409 blasting its way up the steeply graded Preston Docks branch, 47810 & 47501 in multiple powering a Statesman charter, Class 40 D213 Andania pounding away from Blea Moor on its first main line passenger train in 34 years...and 37518 & 37706 & 37669 all working in multiple, storming out of Crewe!

POWER HOUR 8 features 15 different locomotive classes - 20, 31, 33, 37, 40, 47, 50, 52, 55, 56, 57, 60, 66, 68 and 70 on a variety of passenger and freight duties, hard at work on Britain’s national rail network.

Programme Fact File