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Class 91 speeds
History of the East Coast Main Line ‘91s’
Class 91s began hauling passenger trains on March 3 1989, when 91001 hauled the 1736 King’s CrossPeterborough. On March 11 1989 the electric locomotives started hauling trains to Leeds and on the 1000 Leeds-King’s Cross that day a ‘91’ reached 140mph while descending Stoke Bank. They worked with Mk 3s and High Speed Trains power cars working as DVTs. On September 17 1989, 91010 reached 162mph just south of Little Bytham on a test run down Stoke Bank, which is still the record for a British train (excluding High Speed 1).
The Class 91s have worked exclusively on the East Coast Main Line since their introduction in 1989. The contract to build these powerful locomotives was won by GEC, which sub-contracted the work to BREL, which built them at Crewe. They were ordered in two batches, with the first order for ten followed by an order for 21. When built they were intended to operate at 140mph (RAIL 612) but this has never happened regularly. Although it was planned for them to operate in fixed formations, the locomotives were built with a cab at each end, with one designed to allow 110mph running for hauling
Class 91 specifications Numbers:
91101-122/124-132
Built:
1988-1991, BREL Crewe (under sub-contract from GEC)
Traction Motors:
GEC G426AZ
Maximum tractive effort:
190kN (43,000lbf)
Maximum power:
6,300hp (4,700kW)
Weight:
84t
Maximum speed:
125mph (design speed 140mph)
Dimensions:
19.41 x 2.74m
freight or parcel traffic overnight. In reality, however, this rarely happened. The fleet has been based at Bounds Green its entire career. After privatisation the fleet transferred to Great North Eastern Railway and later National Express East Coast. HSBC Rail owns them. Between 2000 and 2002 the ‘91s’ underwent an overhaul programme designed to improve reliability and they were also renumbered from the 910x range to the 911x range. 91023, which had been involved in both the Hatfield and Great Heck accidents, was renumbered 91132. ■ Further reading – RAIL 598, Class 91 profile by Andy Coward
Super Express Trains from Hitachi Japanese train-builder Hitachi, leader of the Agility Trains consortium, is the preferred bidder for the Department for Transport’s £7.5 billion contract to build the 125mph Super Express HST replacement trains. The agreement will see 1,400 new carriages on British intercity lines, 13% longer and with faster acceleration than existing services. All carriages will be fitted with passenger WiFi, electronic seat reservation systems and air conditioning. After minor modifications, the
trains are said to be capable of 140mph and will come with a 20-year usage guarantee. The first of the new fleet is set to be introduced to the East Coast Main Line in 2013, and to enter full service in 2015. The hybrid rolling stock is designed to deal with future electrification plans and will be equipped with diesel engines and lithium ion batteries. In figures recently released, the mean distance before failure for all the electrical powered trains is 60,000 miles.
National Express East Coast Class 91s have been used in tests to collect data about pantographs that will be used on the Super Express Trains (RAIL 612). On August 29 2008, 91120 speeds north through Spittal, near Longniddry. RON WESTWATER.
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Above: The lights are on but nobody’s home at Stocksmoor station on March 9. Paul Bigland. Facing page, upper: A lonely remnant of West Yorkshire’s Spen Valley line stands sentinel as a Pacer passes on March 6. Paul Bigland. Left: 90014 Norfolk and Norwich Festival propels the 0930 London Liverpool Street-Norwich towards Marks Tey on March 6. anTOnY guPPY. Facing page, lower: TransPennine Express 185101 waits at Newcastle Central with the 1852 to Manchester Airport on March 7, as a Northern Class 142 arrives. CaRl CHaMBERS.
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RAIL 614 March 25-April 7 2009
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RVEL’s work honou r RICHARD CLINNICK visits the Midlands home of Rail Vehicle Engineering to discover how a location synonymous with railway’s past is playing a key role in its future
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RAIL 614 March 25-April 7 2009
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erby Railway Technical Centre is steeped in history. Home to BR’s research facility, this is where weird and wonderful vehicles were based, and new designs put through their paces. This is where teams of engineers collected data that would shape British Railway’s future fleet requirements. Fast forward to 2009 and it is now home to Rail Vehicle Engineering as it seeks to increase its business portfolio. “We can do everything here. Full lifts, refurbishments and Level 5 work,” says
Production Director Andy Houghton So what is RVEL? The business rose from the ashes when FM Rail collapsed under financial problems. When FMR went out of business in December 2006, RVEL was formed by a number of its engineering staff, led by Andy Lynch who is now managing director. The engineering aspect of FMR’s operations had been considered successful and had a decent client list, with all manner of work, from repaints and modifications to full overhauls, undertaken. Much of this was undertaken on its own fleet, whereas RVEL is largely working
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Feature Feature Operations Service
rs Derby traditions on locomotives from other businesses. However, RVEL does have its own fleet of locomotives, mainly Class 31s, which are leased to operators. These include several privately owned examples (31106/190, 31459, 31602) that are used by Network Rail on test trains, while it also leases a Class 56, 56303, to Fastline Freight. Three more Class 31s, 31452/454, 31601, are used by RVEL on a lease deal from British American Rail Services (BARS), and these are also leased to NR for its test trains. With the ‘31s’ approaching 50 years of age, RVEL has spoken of eventually ridding
Cliff Perry remembers the BR Railway Technical Centre When the definitive history of railways is written, I believe that the RTC will be seen as a significant world contributor in a number of railway technology subjects. From the outset of railways, testing the metals we use has been a key component in the development of new and improved materials. The UK and the RTC led, although the methodology became routine as steels developed. Probably the most significant con tribution to railway technology came from the fundamental work started in the RTC on the wheelrail interface. APT may not look like a success, but for trains to go round curves safely at speeds that need tilt, it is essential to understand bogie and wheel dynamics. The knowledge developed in the RTC is now built into every new train suspension. Privatisation and the Hatfield derailment gave a significant stimulus to this work, and the RTC has given the UK a very strong world position. The RTC has also been prominent in the development of modern signalling systems (IECC) with sophisticated automatic routing systems well in advance
of those used by many countries. The core Solid State Interlocking technology is probably used in more countries than any other system. Crashworthy body structures that absorb impact and protect their occupants in a collision have also emerged from the same building. But when railways finally take their place as the 21st century answer to sustainable travel, the B5000 bogie will be seen as a significant positive step. Starting as a research project to produce a lightweight train, this bogie is now used under the Voyager and other fleets by Bombardier. The idea reached the prototype stage in the early 1990s, and remains a world leader in sustainable train design. By 2002, Kelvin House was showing its age, and had become unsuitable for its role as the base for a modern railway technology business (AEA Technology Rail). It badly needed refurbishment, and moving the extensive computing network out and back again was a significant cost avoided by the move to Pride Park and a brand new building now occupied by Rolls Royce. Time for more change at the RTC… ■ Cliff Perry was chairman of AEA Technology, which was based at the RTC. andy.brown@bauermedia.co.uk
Above: Preserved Class 50, 50026 Indomitable, visited RVEL for repairs after it was dropped several years ago. The locomotive arrived in 2007, and departed about a year later. The ‘50’ stands inside RVEL on November 3 2007. PAUL ROBERTSON. Left: The most high-profile work undertaken by RVEL has been to overhaul Network Rail’s Class 31 fleet, which was finished last February. On November 3 2007, 31233 undergoes a bogie swap as part of its programme of work. PAUL ROBERTSON. Subscribe at railmagazine.com
March 25-April 7 2009 RAIL 614
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