769431 at Southport (1) - 23 July 2021

The railway scene in the UK in the 21st century has been faintly chaotic in turbulence caused by a combination of changes in government policy, especially on electrification, the failure or under performance of certain franchises, late delivery of new units from manufacturers and teething problems on introduction into service of those units. This has led to multiple cascades of various classes and some unexpected new lives for some.

Ultimately, most things on the railways are transient and to fail to record them will be a cause for regret in the future. A number of the already well-travelled Class 319 units which had been deemed surplus to requirements have been converted to Class 769 bi-mode (or tri-mode) units and some of Class 769/4 are operated by Northern. 769431 is seen at Southport from where it will operate under diesel power.

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