Class 37's on the Rhymney Valley Line - June to December 2019

Class 37 Locomotives returned to the Rhymney Valley line, South Wales in May 2019.
Transport for Wales (TfW) hired Class 37 Locomotives to provide extra capacity on the Rhymney Valley Line, while they await the arrival of new trains in 2020.
The Class 37’s are over almost 60 years old being first introduced in 1960 - 1965.
A shortage of rolling stock has forced TfW to use locomotive-hauled trains. Class 37s and 4 Mk 2 coaches (sometimes only 3 coaches) have been used on two peak-time duties. Monday - Friday with each train having 220 seats - the equivalent of a pair of Class 150s currently used on the route.
TfW have chosen Class 37s because they operated on the route before, and are therefore tried and tested. They were last used on the network in December 2005.

The current service started on Monday 17th June 2019 hauled by 37418.
Only one Class 37 operated service trains until Monday 12th August due to continued driver training.
Then x2 Diagrams were introduced with 37421 & 37025 ‘Inverness TMD’ (T&T) on most runs.

Some days I have gone out to video the scheduled service trains & the Class 37’s did not appear at all!
On a few occasions the Class 37’s were late due to problems with the loco.
I visited a number of locations I had filmed back in 2005 to find vegetation had obscured the view or structural changes e.g. introduction of new roads, etc.
So I have mainly limited my filming to stations.
The Locos are stabled at Cardiff Canton during the day & at Rhymney overnight & on weekends.
I videoed all the locos being stabled at Rhymney in August.
Its great to see & hear these wonderful diesel locomotives again roaring up & down the Rhymney Valley through Caerphilly.
I can hear them from my garden & videoed them on service trains from June to December 2019.
Enjoy!

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

i love to have my head up close to the 37s because i love the noise

[@MrThrash37]

Fantastic collection glad i stumbled back across this..

[@caerphillycastle]

Thank you so much for your comments

[@SuperBC10]

A very dignified looking loco is the 37 imo.

[@robmasterman]

Wonderful footage Ger, coupled with the fantastic sounds of the 37's...Bob

[@RailVideography]

Marvellous video!

[@caerphillycastle]

Thank you very much

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

That’s welcome back the colas rail 37s on passenger duty

[@JordanClass37Fan]

Brilliant Video

[@caerphillycastle]

Thank you very much

[@SimonTog]

Very great video :)

[@caerphillycastle]

Very kind thanks

[@caerphillycastle]

Thanks Bob, its a great sound isn't it? Happy New Year, Geraint

[@done-ahhh578]

Wow. Like a Time warp. Class 37 in BR livery complete with logo and blue grey MK2s. Incredible. Also like playing Trainz 2004 lol

[@caerphillycastle]

Certainly is. Thank you for your comments.

[@Isochest]

The passengers on this route need this kind of traction as a stopgap to electrification.

[@CIE141]

Great video mate love the 37’s as we all do, never got the chance to get over from Ireland since they’ve returned. Are they still running or is there plans to re run them at all?

[@caerphillycastle]

Thank you very much. Unfortunately, they stopped running just over a year ago. This was sudden, as it was planned to run them through to the summer. But Covid put a stop to hiring these lovely locomotives on the line. The Class 37's were only a stop gap until delivery of new rolling stock which has now been delivered. It was a real shame that we only had about 8 months of the Class 37's on the Rhymney line and 2 months of that was for driver training!

[@CIE141]

@@caerphillycastle such a shame that is, I was hoping to get over at some point. I have great memories from when I was a kid in the early / mid 00’s over in South Wales of 37’s on the rhymney line of 37425 and 37411 in particular. Hopefully one day we’ll see 37s again on the line!

[@caerphillycastle]

I agree, I live very close to the Rhymney Line & remember videoing 37425 & 37411 among others about 20 years ago. I cant see them ever return but maybe.@@CIE141

[@EastSussexTrainSpotter]

Hat diagram are they working on real time trains .

[@EastSussexTrainSpotter]

What diagram?

[@caerphillycastle]

Yes I believe so

[@oliverthegreatwesternengin8029]

Why were most of the MK2's in BR Blue/Grey livery?

[@caerphillycastle]

Because they were hired in from an company who run Rail Tours Riviera Trains, I guess?

[@wendyharper9454]

2020 was a rotten year. Due to Covid, may of us were isolated and lonely. The only real excitement I had, was watching and listening for a Class 37 to go by. Then Transport for Wales stopped them!! The new trains are boring.

[@caerphillycastle]

I totally agree with you. The 37's made such a roar as they went along the Rhymney Valley Line you could hear them from the other side of the valley.