Rail Express Magazine April 2025 issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**
Aiming forexpansion is First Group’s Lumo brand–see p72. Lumo Class 803 No. 803001 restartsthe 08.41 Newcastle-Edinburgh from Morpeth on March26, 2022. CHRIS MILNER
DRSClass 68 No. 68033 The Poppy powers past Chellaston on the StenstontoSheet Stores Juctionfreight only line, working 4E4911.37 Daventry (Tesco)toDoncaster iPort,onMarch 4. STEVE DONALD
FEATURES
14 THE WAYWEWERE
Anostalgic look back to the eraofNationalised railwayswith some greatarchiveimages.
72 HASOPEN ACCESSREACHED A CROSSROADS?
Plans by First Group to expand itsLumo and Hull Trains operations maynot face asmoothride Chris Milner looksatthe Open Access Market.
78 REMEMBERING THE ‘ETHELS’
Three Class 25s were convertedtomobile generators and worked with sleeper trainsin Scotland, as Stephen Williamsrecalls
MODELLING
The recent Model Rail Scotland in Glasgow showcased many newmodels, including a‘OO’ gaugeClass 74 from EFE, a Stadler ‘Flirt’ and aClass 803 Lumo high speed train from Hornby, while Heljan revealed its ‘OO’ gaugeClass 44 ‘Peak’. Talking of ‘Peaks’, Rapido hadits new ‘N’ gaugelocos on show too.
Formodellers who like aggregatetrains, thePHA/JYAbox wagonjointlyproduced byCavelexand UltimateModel Railways arereviewed, as is the AccurascaleMk.2c carriages.
There’s an in-depth reviewofAccurascale’s delightful Ruston 88DS shunterin‘O’ gauge, andweget up close andpersonal with Hornby’s TT:120 Class 66s.
38 SHUNTERS AND INDUSTRIALS
39 WAGONS
84 IRISHANGLE
86 RAILTOURS
‘Greatest Gathering’ linked railtours announced.
88 BOOKREVIEWS
89 LU WORLD Moorgatetragedy 50 yearson.
REGULARS
64 SUBSCRIPTION OFFER
The best andcheapest waytoensure youget Rail Express everymonth.
Rail Express is pleasedtoconsider contributions forpublication
Please do notsendimagesthathavealready been sent to other publications.Prints&slidesare sent at theowner’s risk andmust be accompaniedbyaSAE forreturn. Digitalimagescan be sent byemail,but please bear in mind we maynot be able to reply toevery one, as we receivehundredsofimageseachweek. Although care will be takenwithsubmissions, Rail Express assumes no responsibility forloss/damage,however caused.Submitted materialmay also be used in connection with otherMortons Media Groupprojectsorascontent on theinternet. Paymentfor material used will be made promptly.Pleasesenddigital submissionsto RailExpressEditor@mortons.co.uk
IMPORTANT: Images should be ex-camera with no Photoshopmanipulation.
To preorder your next issueof Rail Expressheadto classicmagazines.co.uk/pre-order-re Alternatively,scan the QR code
As the sun begins to rise, the spireofthe church of StJohn the Baptist stands out through one of the 82 arches ofHarringworthviaduct onthe Rutland and Northamptonshireborder,asDBCargo Class 66 No. 66025 rumblesthrough the Welland ValleyonAugust 30,2024, with6M94, asteel coiltrain from Margam to Corby. MIKE SPENCER
HEADLINE NEWS Chris
Network SouthEast livery revived ona ‘Networker’ EMU
IT wasacaseofbacktothe futureas SoutheasternClass 465 ‘Networker’ EMU No. 456908 wasunveiledin Network SouthEast(NSE) livery at London’s Charing Cross station on February 25.
Reprising the livery the unit would have carried when it wasbuilt in 1992 is another segment in ‘Rail200’, the
year-long celebrations that mark the 200th anniversary of the world’s first passenger rail service.
Guest of honour at the event was formerNSE sectordirectorChris Green, the architect of the Network SouthEast brand under British Rail
Explaining the background to what became an iconic brand with a
patriotic livery,MrGreen said: “I remain immenselyproud of everything Network SouthEast accomplished and the foundations it built fortoday’s railway –particularlyinand around south-east London and parts of Kent. We showed what can be achievedbyworking together across track and train and putting customers at the heart of our decisionmaking.”
Rail Minister Lord Hendy pulled back acurtain covering the side of the unit to reveal the name Chris Green, recognising his outstanding contribution to the industry,and a fitting tribute to innovationbehind what becameand remains one of the rail industry’s best lovedbrands.
The livery is notquite true to the original NSE livery applied to the Class 465s,asmodern accessibility requirements requirethe doorstobe in acontrasting colour.The design team, Creactive, chose grey rather than the original blue. Thereare other minordesign touches to highlight door buttons and maintain minimum distances between otherdesign elements. The unit also carries the ‘Kent Link Networker’ branding.
Steve White, managing director, Southeastern, confirmed that No. 465908 would, subject to
Easing away from Charing Cross on February 25, freshlypainted Class 465 ‘Networker’ No. 465908 returns to GrovePark depot as an empty stock working. CHRIS MILNER
availability, appear at Derby’s ‘Greatest Gathering’ event at Litchurch Lane worksbetween August 1-3. (see pages 12-13).
Mr White added: “The Southeastern Railwaycan trace its roots back to 1836 and throughout thisyear we will be holding aseriesofRailway 200 themed events to commemorate howthe railway has helped our region live, work and grow
“Moreover, we want to appeal to anew generation of talentinour communities to consider acareer in rail and to join us in writing the next chapter in our history,with anew generation of trains, as we work to build arailway which is purposeful and deliveringeconomic growth, decarbonisation and socialmobility.”
Angel Trains funded the repaint which wasundertaken by Wabtec Doncaster during the unit’s scheduled heavy maintenance. Mr White said the set will remain on the Southeastern network and will be used in regular passengerservice as well as forcharity rail tours and other Railway 200-linked events. E
After the name Chris Green wasunveiled it wastime forformal photographs. From left: Sophie Barker (head of major projects), Chris Green, Rail Minister Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill and Steve White, managing director Southeastern.
Kent Link Networker branding on No. 465908.
HS1Ltd rebrands and forges closer linkswith Eurotunnel
THEowners of the HS1high speed line concession have rebranded.Their newname is London St. Pancras Highspeed.
Additionally, London St. Pancras Highspeed and Eurotunnel have announced anew andcloser partnership to accelerate the growth of cross-Channel high-speed rail traffic, making apivotal step towardstransforming sustainable international travelbetween the UK and Europe.
The twocompanies have signed aMemorandum of Understanding which outlines avariety of important steps designedto deepen collaborationoninnovation and engineering initiatives. These include opportunities to shorten journeytimes, improvetimetable coordination, and align moreclosely on growth strategies, as well as joint working to introduce moretrains each hour forinternational services.
Thereare also aspirationsof creating newroutes and serving new destinations via HS1.
Robert Sinclair,CEO of London St.
Pancras Highspeed,said: “Aswesee demand forinternational rail travel grow,London St. Pancras Highspeed and Eurotunnel have an important role to playas keyinfrastructure managerstoactivelywork together to encouragenew and existing train operatorstoexpand capacity and launch newdestinations,unlocking the potentialofafullyconnected Europe.”
Theconcession includes the stations of StratfordInternational, Ebbsfleet and AshfordInternational, the lattertwo seeing no international services call theresince the Covid-19 pandemic, and onlydomestic highspeedservices by Southeastern call at StratfordInternational.
Porterbrook to createelectrified test track at Long Marston
RAIL leasing companyPorterbrook hasannounced it is to create a3.5km (2.17 miles)electrified test track at its Long MarstonRailInnovation Centre in Warwickshire
The loop line will providea facility forelectric fleets to run at speeds of up to 50mph, alongsidehydrogen, battery and diesel vehicles. There will alsobe the capability to supportEuropeanTrain Control System (ETCS) in-cab signalling in the future.
Porterbrook has overseen a transformation of the 135-acremainline connected site, including tarmacking roads to significantlyimproveaccess, upgrading lighting and installing anew security system. Thereare nowenhanced training and office facilities,and old storagebuildings have been replaced with similar structures to maintain the heritageofthe former RoyalEngineers’ Second World Warsupplydepot.
Siemens Mobility will design, supply,
install and commission allelectrification and signalling works. In aUKfirst, the companywillintroduce the innovative Rail Charging Converter (RCC), a containerised solutionthat plugs directlyintothe local powergrid using an 11kVcharge,cutting delivery times fortraditional electrificationprojects from sevenyears to as little as 18 months. Trackwork has been appointed to design, supplyand install in excess of 11kmoftrack, including sidings and modifications to levelcrossings.
Long Marstonisusedtostore rail vehicles out of use and those awaiting delivery to the end customer.Current stock at the site includes Classes 458, 701 and 769.
Mary Grant,Porterbrook CEO said: “We’re pressing ahead withour ambitious plans, investing over £75million. Withthese upgrades we can provideafullturnkey solutionfor new rolling stock entering service.”
Siemens to fitETCStoDBClass 66 fleet
DB Cargohas signed acontract with Siemens Mobility to beginfitting the newEuropeanTrain Control System (ETCS) to the operator’sClass66 freight locomotives
Work to fit the in-cab signalling system will begin at Toton depot in July,
FIRST CROSSCOUNTRY‘TURBOSTAR’ REFURBISHED
THE first CrossCountry Class 170 hasbeen released following amajor refresh. Unit No.170101 wasgiven its newlook by Arriva Train Care at Crewe,and the unitentered serviceduring the lastweek of February on the BirminghamNew Street-LeicesterStanstedAirport route, beforemaking its debut on Nottingham-Cardiffservices. Theunitsports astriking newexternal livery,with alarge white ‘X’ overthe cab door and firstwindow, vastly differenttothe operator’s current livery.Inside thereare newseats with newcoverings, newtables, newcarpets, refreshed toilets, newCCTVand passenger counting equipment, powerand USB sockets at all seats. Thereisalso areworking of the former first class area which wasdeclassified last December.Asecond unit, No. 170112, hasgone to Crewe forrefurbishment.CrossCountry arealso refurbishingtheir Class 220/221 Voyagerfleets. The picture shows No. 170101 arriving at Hinckleystation on February 27, with the11.52 BirminghamNew Street-Leicester CHRIS MILNER
iinitiallyonnine Class 66 locomotives, and scheduled to be completed in March 2026. It is the first phase of anational programme,which will eventually seeall DB Class 66s fitted withETCSaspart of the roll-out of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).
WESTMidlands Railwayhas completed the construction of a£5m EMU maintenance depot on sidings just to the north of Coventrystation.
The depot will be used to maintain theClass730 fleet which entered service with theoperator last year.West Midlands Trains saythe upgradesare part of amajor £1 billion investment in newtrainsand infrastructurewith sister companyLondon Northwestern Railway Separate upgrade work is underway at Sohodepot in Smethwick –the primary base forthe Class 730s –and Tyseley depot in Birmingham, where its diesel trains aremaintained.
The newdepot has CET waste facilities, enhanced walkways, smart lighting and CCTV.Six Class 730 trains can be cleaned simultaneously.
Consultation begins on Great BritishRailways
THEGovernment has launched an eightweek consultation on its plans forGreat British Railways, which it claims will overhaul the country’s railwaysystem. The consultation closes on April15.
Aconsultation document outlines the framework forthe Rail Reform Bill that will formally establish Great British Railways (GBR), and pave the way for
changes and improvements, bringing track and train back together again. Under the bill, therewillbeanew independent passenger watchdog which will have powers to hold operators to account. Thewatchdog will have powers to investigate repeatservices issues along with theability to raises noncompliancewiththe rail regulator
trackworkerdeaths
NETWORK Rail has been fined more than £7 million, following twoseparate incidents involving the deaths of track workers. Both cases were prosecuted by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
On February 14, Network Rail was fined £3.75 million andordered to pay costs of £175,000 after pleading guilty to an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act, following the death of twotrackworkers in an incident at Margam on July3,2019. The prosecution followedaninvestigationbythe ORR.
Twotrack workers, Michael Lewis, Gareth Delbridgeplusathirdtrack worker,all employees of Network Rail,wereworking on the track at Margam, Wales, whentheywerestruck by apassenger train travelling from Swansea to Paddington. Mr Lewis and Mr Delbridgesuffered fatal injuries and the train narrowly missed the other worker.The trio were carrying out track maintenance work without site or lookout protection to warn of approaching trains, nor aline block to prevent trains using the section of the track theywereworking upon.
The ORR’s investigation found systematic and wide-ranging safety failures by Network Rail (NR) to protect
those working on or nearthe line. The findings were similar to ORRinspections in 2018 and 2019, and from other previous incidents, which hasled to formal enforcementaction.
In asecond case, on February 27, NR wasfined£3.41 millionand ordered to paycosts of £43,096 following the death of Tyler Robert Byrne who was struck by apassenger train, and fatally injured. Mr Byrne, an NR employee, wasin agroup of four track workers undertaking inspections while trains were running in both directions.Therewas no protection and an inadequate warning system was in place, exposing the working party to the riskof being hit by atrain.
Since the accident at Margam there has been astep change at Network Rail in the way it managestrack worker safety,almost entirely ending red-zone working, as well as employing new technologies to reduce risks.
Mark Phillips, CEOofthe Rail Safety and Standards Board(RSSB) said: “Our statisticsshowthe number of track worker near misses with trains reducing from 60 per year in 2018/19to22 in 2023/4. This is stilla priority issue forRSSB, and we aredevelopingnew solutions to protect trackworkers.”
Therewould also be asafeguard wherebythe watchdog would be consulted on major changes that would affect passengers.
Despite previous failures, there arestill plans to reform fares, hopefullyfulfillingpromises of making faresfar less complex.
The consultation document doesn’t fullyanswerpolicyonfuture open access operations but does seem to approveoftravelchoices forpassengers throughcompetition on certain routes. Proposalsfor a number of newopen access services have received an initial pushback from the DfT (see featureonp72).
Matters such as araildevolution to localauthorities as part of a statutory role will be consulted upon, as will the process with rollingstock manufacturers to replace sectionsof the ageingfleet with modernenergyefficient trains. Many trainsare now morethan40years old.
Proposed reforms also include streamlining processes and reducing regulatory redtape to allowGBR to deliver the best service forusers and astatutory duty forGBR to promote rail freight.
Acopyofthe consultation paper canbefound at www.gov.uk/officialdocuments E
THE development and research group Midlands Connect has given afurther push to plans to reintroduce adirect Nottingham to Coventry rail service.
At apresentation in Coventry on February 28, the transport lobbygroup said journeytime by rail could be cut from 117 minutes to 65 minutes if services were reinstated. Journeytimes from Leicester to Coventry would reduce from 56 to just 32 minutes, making rail an attractiveoption, generating £400 million in regional economic benefits.
Aprevious direct service from Nottingham to Coventry,which involved areversal at Nuneaton, ceased when crossovers south of Nuneaton station were removedaspart of the West Coast Route Modernisation plan.
To achieve the project aims, substantial infrastructurework is required, including reinstating the fourtrack railway between Leicester station and Wigston North Junction, creating additional platform capacity at Leicester, anew bayplatform at Coventry station and adive-under the West Coast Main Line at Nuneaton, bypassing the town which would be served by other services. Twofast Nottingham-Coventry areproposed, calling at Hinckley, Leicester,and Loughborough, with a local service calling at all other stations. Abusiness case will be submitted to the DfT fora funding decision, which Midlands Connect hope is madeno later than 2028.
Next phase begins on Mid-Cornwall Metroproject
ATHIRD phase of work has started on the Mid-Cornwall Metroproject (MCM) as part of plans foranhourlyservice between Newquayand Falmouth.
The £56.8 million schemeisjointly funded by Government and Cornwall Counciland being delivered by Network Rail in partnership with the county counciland GWR.
Asecond platform has been constructed at Newquayfor useby local trains. Aset of points to access the platform and 500 metres of new track have been installed.
Focus of work is nowonthe
installation of a400 metrepassing loop at Goss Moor,which began on February 24 andwillresult in amonthlong line closure. Work will also take place on Ponts Mill (Prideaux) viaduct that carries the railway overthe River Par.
Hopes of introducing an hourly service between Newquayand Par with the Maytimetable changehave slipped, as newdigital signals arestill being installed. From 2026, NewquayParservices will be extended to serve StAustell, Truro, Penryn and Falmouth, therebycompleting the project.
GWR Class 150 No. 150202 has just terminated at NewquayonJanuary21. On the right is the newplatform which is being surfaced. NETWORK RAIL
AJOINT funding packagebythe English and Scottish Governments will allowa feasibility study to begin intoextending theBorders Railway beyond Tweedbank towardsCarlisle
The £10 million funding will see £5m provided by the Department forTransport, with the Scottish Government matching the amount.
Themoney, part of the Borderlands InclusiveGrowthDeal, waspromisedin 2021, but has taken four years to get the packagetobereleased Coming justahead of the tenth anniversary of the reopening of the Borders Railway in September 2015, the next stepistorecruit aproject managerwho will lead work and assess
One of Scotland’s railway success storiesisthe reopening of the Border Railwaybetween Edinburgh and Tweedbank. Class 158 No. 158782 is seen between Galashiels and Stow with atrain forEdinburgh on October 14, 2015. Sincethe opening in September 2015, the Class 158 sets have been replaced by Class 170 units
the challenges along with the benefits of reopening the line throughto Carlisle. The line closed in 1969. Since reopening between Edinburgh Waverleyand Tweedbank, patronage on the line with its nine stations has soared and in 2023/24 the number of passengers annuallywas just over one million.
Eurostar services halted after WWII bomb discovered
ALL Eurostar services from London St Pancras International to Paris GareduNordweresuspended on March7,after the discovery of an unexploded Second World War bombclose to the track in the Saint-Denis area of northern Paris.
The 1000lb bombwas unearthed during overnight trackworksabout amilenorth of the GareduNord. As well as Eurostar services, all other rail services were suspended, roads were closed and around 200 residents evacuated.
Railway installations in the Paris area were regular targets of British and American bombers, and the discovery of unexploded ordnance isn’t unusual.
The lack of services meant massivepassenger disruption until specialist teamsmadethe device safe. Eurostar services remained suspended forthe remainder of the day, but local services to Garedu Nordrestarted around 17.00.
Study considers BangortoAfonWen reopening
AS part of amovetoimprovenorth to south transport choices in Wales, Transport forWales (TfW)isexploring reopening the disused rail route between Bangor and Afon Wen, and also between Aberystwyth to Carmarthen.
A219-pagefeasibility study produced by AtkinsRéalis has been released by TfW,which looksat rebuilding and reopening 27 miles of line between Bangor on the North Wales Coast line and Afon Wen, between Criccieth and Pwllheli.
Aformer London &North Western Railwayline at the Grouping, it closed in December1964, and as would be expected over the intervening 60 years, the former alignment has been reused formanydifferent uses –fromroad schemes to business/farming, with the CaernarfontoDinas section nowbeing used by the Welsh Highland Railway Consequently, the report proposes the use of Light Rail and Tram-Train technology to allow services to be reinstated along this corridor,whichwill
minimise theimpact of the areas where the existing alignmenthas been lost
Wherever possible the routeofthe reopened railway has been proposed along the former railwaycorridor,on the basis that foralarge proportion of the overall route this remains within Welsh Government or Local Authority ownership –oris being used fora transport function already
Although assessment of the route has beenundertaken onlyatahigh level, no site surveyshavebeen carried out. However, aquarter of the route is provisionallyassessed as having either high or very high interventionissues, predominately arising from the need for significant engineering interventions. These include the construction of a viaductoverthe A55 road, and where residential or commercial businesses would be impactedbythe proposed reopening adeviationwouldbe required. The report also identified 79 locations whereroadinterfaces will create asignificant challenge.
IN BRIEF
CLASS 196 UNITSONEAST WESTDRIVER TRAINING
THREE West Midlands Trains Class 196 units have been sub-leased to Chiltern Railwaysfor use on driver training overthe East West Route from Oxford to Milton Keynes Central. The sets, Nos. 196008/011/ 012 will be based at Bletchleydepot, and when the service begins, Chiltern will be leasing atotal of six Class 196 DMUs.Driver training commenced on February 25.
RAILFARES RISE
RAIL faresrose on average by 4.6% from March2.The prices of all railcards except the disabled railcard rose by £5 too. AlexRobertson, Chief ExecutiveofTransport Focus said: “Our research shows thereisaclear mismatch between ticket prices and the service people expect to receive. This needs to change. Asimpler, easier to understand fare structure also can’t come soon enough and would attract morepeople back onto the railway.”
In Scotland, fareswillrise by 3.8% from April, although the offer of 20% discount on season tickets is to continue untilSeptember this year
DEFIBRILLATORS TO BE FITTED TO TPE CLASS 185S
TRANSPENNINE Express has embarked on aproject that will see all 51 Class 185 DMUs fitted with defibrillators.
The life-saving equipment will be located in the emergencycupboard in the centreofthe train, and can be used by both staffand passengers The project will be completed by the end of March.
Defibrillators arealready in place on TPE’s Nova 1trains.
CONTACTLESSTICKETING TRIAL WILL USE GPS TECHNOLOGY
As part of TfW’s assumptions, the route would be single line with passing loops, standardgauge and capable of operating an hourlyservice, with the possibility of increasing that30min frequencyata later stage.The vehicles would be electricallypowered using amix of overheadand discontinuous catenary andbattery power. There could be as manyasnine intermediate stations.
While onlyaproposal, thereare challenges from an existing water works, the twosingle boreVaynol tunnels which areused by arifle cluband amushroom farm, plus Caernarfon town itself presents potential problems because of developments that have taken place since closure. These include apetrol filling station, and the parts of former trackbed and atunnel in Caernarfon which arenow through roads.
The report will nowbeconsidered as to whether the plan is taken forward, this is expected to involveawider public consultation exercise
ATRIAL to offer passengers simpler and moreflexible ticketing across the North and Midlands, plannedfor later this year,willuse Global Positioning System (GPS) basedtechnology.The system will ensurepassengers pay the best fare forthe journey. Ticket inspections and access through barriers will be via abarcode in the app.
SCREENS WILL DISPLAY PERFORMANCE DATA
PASSENGERSacross England can check howreliable their train services areafter performance data became available at morethan 1700 stations from March6
Announcing the move,the Department forTransport said the data shows the percentageoftrains cancelled and howpunctual trains areateach station. It is the first time that station-leveldata has been publiclyavailable. The performance data can also be found on the ORR’s data portal.
Greatest Gathering sells out as exhibitslistgrows and grows
Moreexhibits planned forbiggest railway event in decades.
ORGANISERS of the Greatest Gathering promised that the three-daycharity event in DerbyfromAugust 1-3 would have the largest unrivalled displayof locomotives and units, and theyhave not disappointed.
Since the launchevent on January 30, at Litchurch lane Works, which covers 90 acres, week by week the list of exhibits has grownlonger, showing that the displaywillcover steam, preserved modern traction and the trains in use every day.
When tickets went on sale on January 31, demand was unprecedented and led to sales being suspended, which resumed on February 5.
Saturdayprovedtobethe most popular daywith all 10,000 tickets selling out by February 7. Three days
later asimilar quota forFridayhad sold out, as had three-daytickets, with the last few Sundaytickets being snapped up afew days later
The ‘Greatest Gathering’ is the first significantopen day-style event since the ‘All Change’ event at the Locomotive Services Group site at CreweinJune 2019, which also sold out and attracted5000 visitors.
Previously, theonlysimilar sized eventwas Railfest at theNational Railway Museum in2012.
The eventforms part of the widerRailway 200 festivities, a year-long national celebration marking the opening of theStockton and Darlington Railway(S&DR) on September 27, 1825 –and ajourney that gave birth to themodern railway
Exhibits will represent thepast,
present and futureofour railways,but theweekend is also ashowcase fora generation of young talent to consider acareer in rail
LitchurchLane will also host tradestands, narrow gaugerailway operations, fairground attractions, a model railway villagefeaturing Pete Waterman’s ‘Making Tracks’ layout, therewillbetalksonrailwaysand street food stalls. Visitors will also be ride on theinternal workstest track.
Benefiting from theevent will be fivecharities –Alzheimer’s Research UK, RailwayBenefit Fund,the Railway Children, theRailway Mission and the Transport Benevolent Fund
Anumber of railtours will operate in connection with theevent.
On August 2, PathfinderTours will be running the‘Bicentennial
andPeak District Explorer’ from Eastleigh,Southampton Central, Romsey, Salisbury, Westbury,Bath Spa, Bristol Parkway, Cam&Dursley and Cheltenham Spa to Derbywhere passengers can alight forthe Greatest Gathering.Alternativeoptions are to alight at Duffieldfor avisit to the Ecclesbourne Valley, Chesterfield, for acoach tour of the Peak District, or remain on boardtovisit Barrow Hill Railway Centre. Tickets start at £135, see www.pathfindertours.co.uk
Also homing in on Derbyare UK Railtours withatrain on August 2, but as of earlyMarch routedetails had not been announced
The Branch Line Society is aiming to run tours on allthree days of the ‘Greatest Gathering’ around the Derby area, and detailsare also awaited. E
Exhibits forthe ‘Greatest Gathering’ will include a Class 69 from GB Railfreight, LNER Class91No. 91111 For the Fallen,aGreater Anglia Class720 EMU and the preserved ex-MerseyrailEMU No.507011.
‘Rail200’ exhibition trainwillstart at the Severn Valley Railway
AN exhibition train that will tour many parts of the country as part of theRail 200 celebrations will start its journeyat the Severn Valley Railway on June 27.
The train is made up of four Mk.3 carriages which have been procured by Network Rail and has been called ‘Inspiration’. The carriages have been repainted externallyand reconfigured internally, with its displays curated in partnership with the NationalRailway Museum, and will promote the past, present and futureofthe railway
Designed to inspireschoolchildren and others to consider acareer in rail, the displays will highlight the wide rangeofrolesavailable, helping to attractthe next generation of talent.
Railwayinnovation and pioneering pedigree will be explored in a‘Railway Firsts’ coach, highlighting landmark moments in the development of the railway. Alongside will be a‘Wonderlab on Wheels’, inviting visitors to test
their engineeringskills with arange of interactiveexhibits
Adjoining this will be acarriage called ‘Your RailwayFuture’, showcasing some of themorehidden roles in rail, and encouraging people to join the railwaytoshape thenext200 years. Therewillalso be a‘Partner Zone’, offering free, flexible exhibition space
The carriages, which arecurrently
June 27-July 6
July8-10
July12-15
July18/19
July20/21
July23-29
Aug 1-3
being fitted out, aresupported by a £250,000 grant from The National Lottery HeritageFund and the train will be operated by GB Railfreight. Admission to the train will be free, but normal entry chargestoheritagerailwaysand private sites whereitislocated mayapply.
Dates forthe touring exhibition are below, andfurther dates areexpected tobeannounced:
Severn ValleyRailway,Kidderminster
Moor Street station, Birmingham
London Euston station
London Waterloo station
Margate station
Bluebell Railway
Greatest Gathering, LitchurchLane Works, Derby
Aug 7-10 Norwichstation
Aug 11-14
Aug 16/17
Aug 23-31
Sept 10-17
Sept 20-Oct 1
Lowestoft station
Freightliner Doncaster Railport
NationalRailway Museum, York
Darlington station (as part of S&DR200)
Locomotion Museum, Shildon
IN BRIEF
GBRF TO USE HVOFUEL ON DRAX TRAINS
GB Railfreight has signed a12-month agreement with powergenerator Drax to useHydrotreated Vegetable Oil(HVO) on its rail freight services carrying biomass, which will operate from ThePort of Liverpooland ThePort of Tyne to Drax PowerStation, North Yorkshire.
GWR CLASS 175S TO BEGIN SERVICE IN SUMMER
GWR has confirmed that it expects the first of the former Transport forWales Class175 DMUs will begin timetabled services later this year.The operator says it is taking on 10 two-car trains and 16 three-car trains which will work in formations of four,five and six-cars between Exeter St Davids and Penzance, as well as to Barnstaple and Okehampton. GWR expects the entire fleet to be operational from the end of 2026.
‘JAVELIN’
RETRIEVED RECOVERYteams
from DB Cargohave rerailed Class 395 ‘Javelin’ No. 395008 which overshot theend of asiding at Ramsgate on November 28. Atwo-day operation wascarried out on February 14-16whichtied in with an engineering blockade. The unit had to be jackedup and temporary track laid to aid recovery. During its two-month wait, the unit was graffitied. The unit is being assessed for damageinRamsgate depot.
FREIGHT TERMINAL PLAN FOR HINCKLEY REFUSED
AN application foraDevelopment Consent Ordertobuild a662-acrerail freight terminal east of Hinckleyhas been refused by Secretary of State for Transport HeidiAlexander.She ruled there were too manynegativeimpacts on local roads and in twonearbyvillages. The £750m plan had been submitted by Tritax Big BoxDevelopments and had generated considerable local opposition. As a project of national strategic importance, the application washandled by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate. Last September Louise Haigh, Ms Alexander’s predecessor,warned the developers she wasminded to refuse the consent order Tritaxsaid it is taking legal advice.
PHOTOGRAPHER LES NIXON DIES AGED 88
RENOWNED railway photographer Dr LesNixon died on February 17, aged 88. Aformer university lecturer,Les took up railway photographyin1949 and travelled the country recording the steam,diesel and electric eras. A contributor to many railway magazines, his photographyinspired others to takeupthe hobby. He authored around 10 booksincluding one explaining photographic techniques forrailway photographers. Leswas also amember of the RCTS and acontributor to the Phoenix Railway Photographic Circle. Aresident of Hathersage, Derbyshire, he is survived by wifeCarol, son David and daughter Louise.
CARBON CAPTURE TRIAL ON DB CLASS 66
ADBClass 66 loco is to be fitted with equipment that it is hoped will reduce diesel engine carbonemissions.
DB’s ESG arm is collaborating with ‘cleantech’ leader Advanced Hydrogen Technologies (AHT) in the fitment of a hydrogenand carbon capturesystemto aClass 66.Funding forthe trial is being provided by Innovate UK,and AHT will supplythe device.
Initial testing will measurethe fuel economyand exhaust emissions when the locomotiveengine runs at different speeds when connected to aload bank Further tests will then be conducted to reviewthe effect supplyinghydrogento theair intake of the engine and adding acarbon capturedevice to theexhaust outlet has on emissions
DIRECT AMSTERDAMLONDON SERVICES RESUME
EUROSTAR has resumed its direct Amsterdam-London servicesfrom February 10,after an eight-month suspension.
The services had beenhalted because of alack of capacity and space to process passengers through immigration and border checksduring rebuilding work at Amsterdam Centraal.
The terminal is capable of handling 400 passengers per train and further enhancements to passenger capacity will mean athree-week closureofthe Dutch terminal from March30toApril 22. This will increase capacity to 600, rising to 650bySeptember.
Looking ahead, Eurostar’s ambition is to expand to fivedaily services between London and Amsterdam by 2026.
RAIB INVESTIGATES OVERSPEED INCIDENTS
THE Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has begun to investigate overspeed incidents in SouthWales.
Between 11.33 and 14.08 on January 27,2025, at least eight trains did not observeblanket speed restrictions of 50mph that had been imposed at twolocations along the South Wales Main Line because of a forecast of high winds. The locations were between Neath and Swansea, and Bishton and Newport.
RAIB said someofthesetrains travelled at speeds significantlyabove the imposed restrictions and therewere no reported consequences. RAIBplans to issue asafety digest.
FACELIFT FORMELTON MOWBRAYSTATION
EAST Midlands Railway has invested £78,000 in aheritagerepaint of Melton Mowbraystation and footbridge, which has been finished in carmineand cream.
The footbridgesteps and landings have been refurbished.
The work is one of anumber of recent projects aimed at improving the surroundingsand facilities ofEMR’s regional stations.
Looking in anorth-easterlydirection, acrane lifts aconcrete viaduct segment intoplace. Previously positioned segments held in placeand tensioned by the tall blue and redcantileverstructureaspermanent post-tensioning tendons areinstalledthrough the holes in the segment –see picturebelow. HS2
First viaduct forHS2 Delta junction completed
CONSTRUCTION of thefirst viaducts that willformthe Delta Junction for the HS2 high-speed line at Water Orton,North Warwickshire, has been completed.
The 472-metresingle-track River Tame West Viaduct wasconstructed using agiant cantileverstructuremoving the concrete segments into place spanby-span. It is the first time in the UK that the technique has been deployed.
The precast segments aremade
nearby, transported to site and positioned between the viaduct piers using the cantileverstructurewhich includes temporary post-tensioning cable stays and a14-metre-highswivel crane.
The crane lifts and installs one concrete segment into place at atime, eventually completing each 45-metrespan length
Thepermanent post-tensioning tendons arethenstressed to allow the removalofthe temporary cable stays,leaving the permanent structure
Inside one ofthe HS2viaducts, showing howthe concrete segments areconnected andtensioned. CHRIS MILNER
Newfootbridgeinstalled at Darlington
A50-tonne footbridgehas been installedbyNetwork Rail at Darlington station –marking amajor milestone in the £140m transformation into a transport hub.
What will become afully enclosed, step-free pedestrian bridgelinksthe existing Grade II listed station with the newplatforms 5and 6and eastern concourse building.
The twosectionswereinstalled overthe weekend of February 21 and required aholetobeopened in the station’s Victorian roof to allowthe bridgetobeslid into place.
Other upgrade work at thestation includes upgrades to trackwork, pointwork and thesignallingsystem. The project’s target completion dateis December 2025.
securelyinplace.The same process is repeated between each pieruntilall the spans arecomplete
Ateam of 40 people areinvolved in the operation, and atotal of 2742 concrete segments will be moved into place forall viaducts using this technique. All the deck segments are due to be in place by late 2026.
Thecomplexconstruction of 13 viaducts and morethan 10km of track, involves bridging severallocal roads, the River Tame, existing lines to Derby and Leicester as well as the M6 toll and M42 motorways.
Further south, another construction milestone has been achieved with the completion of the first twin-boretunnel on the project at Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire.
Completion of the one-mile-long tunnel includes three cross passages, concrete finishing worksand base slabs, and emergencyand maintenance walkwayscomplete, leaving the structureready forthe internal fitting out of the powerequipment, track and signalling. The tunnel is the first of five twin-boretunnels on the HS2 project where27.4 miles of the route between London and the West Midlands arein deep, twin-boretunnels. E
Sections of the newfootbridge being installed at Darlington, which required asection of the roof being removed. NETWORK RAIL
Ltd.
Theway we were
With 2025 marking the200thanniversary of the first rail passengerservice, over the next fewissues Rail Express will takeanostalgic pictoriallook at railwayscenesfromdecades ago.
The North Eastern Railway– an earlyadopter of electrictraction–commissioned BritishThomson-Houstontobuild twocentre cab electric locos in 1903 which weredestined to work afreight linefromManors on Tyneside to NewcastleQuayYard. The line passed through three tunnels with gradients as steep as 1-in-27, which createdavery unpleasant atmosphere forthe steam train crews. NER electrified the line in 1905. Here, thetwo locos, classed as ES1and laternumbered 26500and 26501byBR, sit at Heatonout ofuse. No.26500 is preserved at Shildon COLOUR RAIL
Amix of electric multiple units in the sidings at Meols Cop electric carriage sheds, Southport, with( from left) aLancasterMorecambe-Heysham set led by No.M29022, Liverpool-Southport set with No.M28365, former South Tyneside electric motor parcels vanNo. M68000M and another Liverpool-Southport set with driving carNo. M28350. ROUNDHOUSEPHOTOS
Amuch missed line is the Woodhead line between Sheffield and Manchester,with electrificationfinallycompleted in 1955 at 1500v DC. The first electric forthe line was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, completed in 1941, but electrificationwas delayed by the Second World War. Between 1950-1953 BR built afurther 57 locos at GortonWorks, and No. 26013 wasone such example, seen outside Reddish depot on May29, 1959. COLOUR RAIL
Atwo-car Cravens DMU waits at Fraserburgh on August 31, 1964, with a local train to St Combs, some four miles away.DMUs had taken over services in 1959, and the branch became avictim of the Beeching Axe, closing onMay 3, 1965. The line from Fraserburgh to Dyce closed in October 1965. ROUNDHOUSE PHOTOS
Southern Railway 2-HAL unit No.
has arrived at Horsted Keynes with
from
Heath. TakenonOctober 26, 1963, this wasthe penultimate dayofoperation forthis service.Inthe other platform, aBluebell
the society having been permitted by BR to extend services into the station the previousyear. ROUNDHOUSE PHOTOS
2670
atrain
Haywards
Railway ‘P’ class steam loco is just visible,
Birmingham RCWType 2No. D5357 prepares to leave Loch Awewith freighttoOban on July10, 1962. Noneofthe buildings have survived, onlythe footbridgeand theupplatform, withremains of thedownplatform wherethe loco is still visible. DW WINKWORTH
Between 1950 and 1954, BR built three diesel prototypes, designed forthe Southern by O.V.S.Bulleid,and powered by an English Electric 16SVT engine. In 1955 theyweretransferred to the London Midland’s Camden shed andthis view showNos.10201/10202 working the up ‘RoyalScot’through Clifton &Lowther (south of Penrith) on August 28,1958. Fiveyears later,all three of the prototypes had been withdrawn, and by 1968 had been scrapped. JOHN SPHILLIPS
BrushType 2No. D5564 callsatStamfordonJune 4, 1964, with the4.20pm to Leicester,fromPeterborough. On the right, aconnecting DMU waits withaservice to Seaton which ceased twodayslater PH WELLS
BR Type 4NoD100 Sherwood Forrester arrives at London St Pancras with the 8.15am Nottingham-St Pancras ‘Robin Hood’. Thisnamedtrain started on February 2, 1959, and ranvia Melton Mowbray,thus avoiding Leicester.By1962, the trainhad lost its name. BRITISH RAILWAYS LM REGION
BR Bo-Bo No. E5012 is arriving at Ashfordwith the 7.24am London BridgetoRamsgate train on June 15, 1961. Doncaster Worksbuilt 24 of the locos between 1958-1960, whichlater became Class 71 under TOPS.Thirteen were rebuilt as Class74electro-diesels, oneispreserved andthe remainder were scrapped. MORTONSARCHIVE
POWER BY THEHOUR Gareth
37601 returnsas37501 in British Steel Blue
Europhoenix’s latest heritagerepaintunveiled and it re-creates the doyenofthe Class 37/5s in its iconic Thornaby celebrity livery from the late 1980s
WITH No. 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer backdated to its early1990s Railfreight Metals condition last July, Europhoenix has gone onefurther andbrought back one of the most celebrated depot paint schemes from the 1980s on the former No.37601, nowrenumbered as 37501.
By the mid-1980s, British Rail was accelerating its move awayfromthe homogenous corporate blueera with arange of colourfulpaint schemes. However,the concept of special customer paint jobs wasstill unheard of when Thornabyreleased newly acquired No. 37501 into traffic, in what wasdescribed as British Steel blue in February 1987. The former No. 37005 had onlybeen released from Crewe Worksinthe original Railfreight grey in April1986,for an earlystint at CardiffCanton before heading to the North East. Thornabyhad already become known forstylish customisation
efforts, particularlywith its steelthemed fleet of Class 37/0s with cantrailwhite stripe and white Kingfisher depot logo. The first stirrings of thenew eracame with No. 37502 in January 1987, which quicklygained ared stripe at the base of the body –the first locomotive without an obvious solebar to receive this attractiveembellishment, which soonbecame common.
While therehad been talk of a customer livery forBritish Steel, for No. 37501 it seems the depot staff developed their owninterpretation, complete with large double arrow andnumbers, cantrailwhite stripe and Kingfisher,white wheels, buffer heads and springs,BritishSteel logoonthe cabside andthe Teesside Steelmaster nameplates from No.37078, the latter still in red. The particular shade has beenmuch discussed over the years but wasdescribed at the time as the same ‘ElectraBlue’
colour as the prototype ‘Deltic’
Over the next two-and-a-half years, the paint job evolvedseveral times, with ashort-lived blue solebar stripe and the cabside logos changing to Teesrailbranding being the most famous examples, as well as an official repaint into British Steel Blue at Doncaster at the end of 1987. Despite its popularity,itcouldn’t escape the newRoundel Railfreight image, the locomotiveemerging from Doncaster WorksinAugust 1989 in the Metals version of the scheme.
Fast forward26years and the 64-year-old locomotivehas nowbeen renumbered back to 37501 after carrying its Class 37/6 identity since February 1994. This wasapplied on its modification foruse with European Passenger Services (EPS) that sawit uprated to 90mphoperation and shod with Class 50 bogies. Whilemanyof its colleagues were sold to Direct Rail Services between1997-2002,
After repainting at Loughborough, carrying the British Steel Blue livery which first appeared in 1987, and being renumbered as 37501 Teesside Steelmaster –the loco that first carried this colour scheme –Europhoenix No. 37601 is hauled through the station by No. 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer on March5,the loco being taken to Derby RTC. Rail Operations Group logosappear on the opposite cabside. JOSHUALEUTY
Nos. 37601/603/604 held on until 2007 and missed out on the extensive Brush Traction upgrades that included the distinctivelight clusters, although the trio did steadily lose most of their unique EPSfeatures and later gained spotlights and oddball LED tail-lights inside squarehousings. Since being sold to Europhoenix in April2017 it has performed asteady diet of stock transfers and other movesonbehalf of Rail Operations Group.
The Class 37/5 renumbering waseffectivelyapaper exercise as the locomotivehas been running on 80mph rated CP7 wheels forsome time, although it retains its Class 50 bogies. This is in contrast to Steve Beniston’s No. 37508 (ex-37606), which received abogie swap to achieve the same rating. Otherwise, the repaint has been on the cards for some time and others areplanned in the future, particularlyonthe debranded EP Rail locomotives. E
NEWS ROUND-UP
COLASRAIL
With over athirdofits Class 70s undergoing maintenance and repairs, Colas quicklyput No. 56094 backinto service on February 5, the Doncasterbuilt Type 5running to Rugbyfrom Boden Rail’s Colwick TMDtocollect No. 70816. The errant GE machine wasstopped in October 2024 and wasmoved to UKRL Loughborough the following day, with the Class 56 carrying on to Doncaster. Also recentlymoved wasNo. 70808, which has been out of traffic since October 2023. Notablytransferred from Rugby to Colwick as the ‘filling’ in the ‘Grid’ sandwich of Nos. 56105/113 on November 2, 2023, it returnedtothe WarwickshiretownonJanuary 21 behind No. 56105. As forNo. 56094, this headed backtoBoden’s facility at Rectory Junction on February 17, beforemoving backtoRugby two days later to act as arestricted use ‘shunter’.Ofnote, stored Nos. 56087/ 096 arestill allocated to the operational COFS pool, while hitlisted Nos. 56078/105 were still activeas of the end of the month.
DC RAIL
No. 60029 Ben Nevis returned to action on February 5, aftera short sabbatical, working a0Z62from Leicester LIP to Chaddesden, before taking aset of empty JNAs east as a6L92 11.06 to Kings Lynn the following day, foronwardmovement to MiddletonTowers. However, with its twoClass 56s,Nos. 56091/103 and the Class 56 Group’s No. 56301 still out of action, DCR continues
to hireGBRailfreighttraction in the form of No. 60096 Skiddaw.Itmight be touch and go to see what returns first, one of the ‘Grids’ or No. 60099, which has nowreached the testing phaseatUKRL Loughborough after its rebuild. Its place in the main shop at the formerBrush Workshas been taken by No. 60013, which DCR expects to be its sixth operational Class 60, although unsurprisinglyno timescale is given.
DB CARGO
The XHIM pool forthe Class 66s on hiretoDirect Rail Services is nowjust three strong from its previous five, after the move of Nos. 66122/126 to WBAT and back onto TotonDepot’s books. Originallytransferred to the DRSfleet in October 2019, this just leavesNos.66031/091/108 allocated to Carlisle Kingmoor, although No. 66091 has also returned to its formerNottinghamshirehome. All fivewillbe repainted back into the current DBC corporate image, with No. 66126 already so treated and back in service. In awelcome move, it hasalsobeen honoured with the Driver Jack Mills nameplates from No. 90036, which is still languishing at CreweElectric with no news of anysale from the tender announced in December 2023. Also repainted into ‘Traffic red’ is No.66092, which reduces the ranksofactiveoriginal EWS-liveriedClass 66s in the UK to just 29. Finally,No. 66161 has been renumbered66660 making it the tenth of the ‘high output’ Class 66/6s to be converted. It wasstill to leave
Toton as of the end of February
Following the storageofNo. 92019 Wagner in December 2024, No.92011 Handel has also been stopped WQAA at Crewe Electric Maintenance Depot. The Class92was returned north on January 13, behind No. 66174 as a0B50 from Dollands Moor to Wembleyand then on completed its journeythe following day as an 0K06 to CreweEMD behind No 67005 Queen’s Messenger This leaves DBC with just four activeexamples of the dual-voltageclass, Nos. 92015/ 029/041/042.
DIRECTRAIL SERVICES
The drawn-out sagaofNo. 57301’s confinement to the DerbyRTC site appears to have come to aconclusion, with the Class 57/3’s departurefrom LoramRail’s workshops after repair in the thirdweek ofFebruary.Sidelined
with wheelset issues while on hireto Rail Operations Group in June 2020 it lost its DRS‘fade’ compass livery and Goliath namefor anew coat of unbranded Oxfordblue in May2021. All waslooking rosy fora return for the former No. 47845 untilelectrical issues forced it into storeXWSS in April2022. Theend of May2023 sawit transferred to the XSDP disposal pool along with fellowPorterbrook-owned Class 57/3s Nos. 57303/305/306/310 and while the latter quartet all moved overtoGBRailfreight custodianship between August 2023 and January 2024, No. 57301 did not. Happily,all is nowresolved, and the doyenofthe ‘Thunderbird’ fleet ranasa0Z57 to Barrow Hill and then 0Z58 to Crewe Gresty BridgeonFebruary 20, with No.37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach in tow‘just in case’. Once anyfinal
EP/RailOperations Group Class 37 No. 37884 Cepheus is seen at Howwood, Renfrewshire, on February 5, hauling unit No. 318251 forcollision damagerepairs as a 5Q08, ShieldsRoad to Brodie Kilmarnock SIMON JONES
Colas ‘Grid’ No. 56113 tops the riseunder Chapel Lane bridgenear HoughtonBottoms between Bamber Bridgeand PleasingtoninLancashireonthe morning March4.The move wastaking 18 bitumen tanksfromthe Ribble Railwayexchangesidings, Preston, to the Eastriggs MODdepot forstorage following the end of the freight flowthat ran across the Pennines to LindsayOil Refinery. COLIN WAREING
Hauling HSTpower car Nos. 43312 43238 and 43319, Hanson &Hall Class 50 No. 50008 Thunderer passes Attleborough on March2,with working 5M43, 14.31 Dereham (Mid-Norfolk Railway) to Nemesis Rail,Burton-on-Trent. The powercars areto be reactivated pending futureexport. Mk.3 sleeper coach No. 10551 wasonthe rear of the formation. RYAN HAYWARD
Hired by DC Rail from GB Railfreight,‘Tug’ Class 60 No.60096
Skiddaw hauls 6Z52 07.04 Tytherington-Quainton Railhead through Hawkeridgenear Westbury onMarch 4. STEVE KING
POWER BY THE HOUR
NEWS ROUND-UP
❮
handbackwork is completed, the locomotivewilltransfer to GBRf
After running down from Carlisle Kingmoor on January 30, No. 68019, the former Brutus, has taken overTransPennine Mk.5duties at Manchester Longsight. It replaces Nos. 68023 and 68029 which have movedbacktoCrewe Gresty Bridge.
GB RAILFREIGHT
Despite onlymaking its main line debut as aClass 69 in December 2024, No. 69014 –the former No. 56104 –entered Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Worksfor its repaint on February 20, leapfrogging No. 69013 which has been activeingreen primer since September 2024. The latter meanwhile is currentlyonexamatthe Progress Rail facility,Longport.
Reductions to the subsidy and powergenerating agreement between the Government and Drax Group, the operators of thebiomassfuelled Drax PowerStation, will likely spell bad news forseveralofGBRf’s heavy-hauling Class 60s, with Nos. 60095/096 cited as likely targets. The operator’s fleet is principallyusedon the biomass workingsfromTyne Dock, whileappearancesonthe trains from Liverpool areless common.
LOCOMOTIVE SERVICES
Following the repaint of No. D1924 (47810) Crewe Diesel Depot in March 2024 into the same two-tone green livery which it previouslywore, No.D1935 (47805) RogerHosking MA 1925-2013 has nowreceivedthe same refresh courtesyof the Arlington paintshop at Eastleigh.The ‘Brush 4’ departed the Hampshirefacility on February 7asa5Z55 09.48toCrewe Holding Sidings with fiveStatesman Rail/Blue Pullman coachesintow
DISPOSALS
Not previouslyreported in these pages, but No. 43185 wasscrapped at Lowmac Alloys,Irvine, by the end of September 2024. The powercar had left Brodies at Kilmarmock after component recovery at the same time as No. 43030 the previous month, with the latter being disposed of within a few days.No. 43185 began its journey with British Rail in February 1982, nominallyaspart of set No. 253052 with No. 43186, although by that point the set identities were no longer carried. Allocated to Lairaduring its entireBRcareer,itwas honoured with the name Great Western on May20, 1992,which had been removedfrom an increasinglyshabbyNo. 47500 the previous September. Still allocated to Lairathrough the earlyyears of theGreat Western franchise it was re-engineered with an MTU4000 power packbetween December2006 and April2007, during which it wasbriefly allocated to Landoreand thenback to Lairabeforeeventuallymoving to Old Oak Common in December of the same year.With original-liveried
No. 43002, it wasgiven aheritage repaint at Lairainto InterCity Swallow in 2016, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the productionHSTs, evenbeing‘signed’ by the late Kenneth Grangeatanevent at the NRM that October.However,while No.43002 wassavedfor the National Collection, No. 43185 wasretired in May2019 and movedinto storeatEly Papworth. It receivedthe call north to act as a spares donor in November 2020, and one of its last acts wastocontribute to the repair of No. 43129, which has nowreturned fromBrodies to Edinburgh Haymarket.
Also disposed of areNos. 90025 and 90031 which were movedtoEMR Liverpool in the first week of May2024, reducing the overall Class 90 fleet strength to 40 locomotives. Of those, onlytwo areinactive, No.90018, which is undergoing rectificationwork for FreightlineratCrewe BasfordHall, and No. 90150 (90050), which is preserved at the CreweHeritageCentre.
No. 90025 wasnew to Railfreight
Distribution’s Willesden FGQW pool in March1989 and wasthe last member of the classdelivered in InterCity Swallowlivery.Ittransferred to Crewe Electric in April1990 and was repainted in the classic RfD schemein June 1992, which it wore to the end of its career.Likemanyofthis group of Class 90s, it wasrenumbered into the 901xx series as No.90125 between December 1993 and March1998 as its owner removedorisolated equipment used forpassenger trains and these were re-instated under EWS ownership.
Between February 2001 and June 2002 it also received composite brake blocksfor 110mph running which sawit renumbered No. 90225. Nevernamed,it wasthe first Class 90 to be permanently stored in January 2004 following the cessation of RoyalMailTravelling Post Office services. It wasone of 12 Class 90s that were put up forsale in January 2011, but this wascancelled and it would languish another 12 years at Crewe Electric beforebeing successfully sold to EMR in aSeptember 2023 tender
Its colleague No. 90031 suffereda delayedintroduction to service in midSeptember 1989, following rectification work due to brakeissues that affected the whole class. Initiallyallocated to the FGQW pool, it transferred to Crewe Electric in April1990, and wasthe last to retain its InterCity Mainline scheme when it wasfinallyrepainted into the Europeanised RfD livery in August 1995. It wasrenumbered 90131 between July1991 and June 1999 and gained the Intercontainer name from No. 86605 in February 1997. This didn’t last long as EWS chose the AC electric to be one of its ambassadors at the Old Oak Common open dayinAugust 2000, giving the locomotiveamaroon and gold repaint and the newname The Railway Children Partnership –Working forChildren Worldwide. From 2004, No. 90031 spent periods in and out of storebeforebeing finallystopped for good in December 2007. Like No. 90025 asale wasattempted in 2011, but the loco would have to wait until2023 to knowits fate.
Plain blue DRSClass68No. 68019 has replaced 68029 and joined 68023 in connectionwiththe movements of CAFMk.5 carriagerakes between Longsight and the Long Marston storagelocation. On February 5, No. 68019 passes Duston, between Penkridgeand Stafford, heading to Long Marston with TPEset 09. IANNIGHTINGALE
GBRf Class 69 No. 69012 Falcon 2 in its two-tone green
passes Barrow-upon-Soar on March3,with Greater Anglia Class 720 set No. 720104 as working
12.45 DerbyLitchurch Lane-Willesden TMD. PAUL WARING
UNITS David Russell
Class 379s enter service with Govia Thameslink Railway
First sets areback in action on Great Northern routes.
THREE years after the last ‘379s’ were stopped by Greater Anglia, the fleet has begun to re-entertraffic with Govia Thameslink Railway(GTR) on its Great Northern services outof
King’s Cross. The first working took place onFebruary 10, whenNos.
379002/022formed the 1L4817.24
King’s Cross-Letchworth Garden City Since this date,both this service
Re-entering serviceafter being storedfor threeyears, arethe former Stansted Express Class 379s, nowworking forGovia Thameslink Railway.OnFebruary 10, the first dayofoperation forthe class withtheir newoperator, Nos. 379002 and 379022 standatLetchworthGardenCity havingjustarrived with the17.24 from King’s Cross. JOSHUALEUTY
Mk.4 coaches, No.158823 worked the 1W61 14.50 Cardiff Central-Manchester Piccadillyand 1V62 18.30 return on February 6.
CLASS150 SPRINTER
DEPARTING Exeter forWolverton, whereitistoundergo aC6overhaul, on February 1was No.150219. The previous dayhad seen No. 150261 emerge from Wolverton and return to Exeter
Nowout of service and at Landore whereitisbeing prepared fordisposal is No. 150253.
CLASS 153
TWOmoreofTfW Rail’s ‘ActiveTravel’ sets, which have been converted by Chrysalis Rail at Landore, emerged in February.Nos. 153528/531 (ex153328/331) undertook atestrun from to CreweonFebruary 19,returning thenextday.The first appearance of a‘153/5’ in service took place on February 25, No. 153552 (ex-153352) beginning its daybyworking the 2M04 05.16 Swansea-Llandovery with No. 153382. Theylater made arun to Shrewsbury and back via the Heart of Wales line. All six modified sets are expected to be in service by August.
CLASS156 SUPER SPRINTER
Released from Wolverton and returned to Heaton on February 1was No. 156443. Heading the opposite direction fivedayslater,No. 156463 wasnoted passing Market Harborough while working the 5M70 09.38 HeatonWolverton.
CLASS 158
DEPUTISING forthe usual Class 67 and
February 15 sawNo. 158754 arriveback at Neville Hill following its refurbishmentatBrodie Engineering, Kilmarnock. Heading the opposite way the next daywas No. 158755, which is the fourth of the eight three-car Northern sets to be dealt with.
CLASS 165 TURBO
RELEASED from Wabtec, Doncaster afteroverhaul, No.165137 returned to Reading, rather than its homedepot of St Philip’s Marsh, on February 14. Moving north on February 15 from St Philip’s Marsh to Doncaster was No. 165133.
CLASS 170 TURBOSTAR
THE first Class 170 to gain new CrossCountry colours,No. 170101, ranfromArrivaTrainCare, Creweto Tyseley, on February 23, following its refurbishment. Heading the opposite direction the same daywas No. 170112. On February 26, No.170101 returned to traffic in its newguise, forming the 1K03 06.52 Birmingham NS-Leicester
CLASS 175 CORADIA
ATTEMPTS to deliver another Class 175 to Lairawereunsuccessfulwhen the move of No.175010 from Ely Papworth on February 4, carried out using Nos. 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer and 37800 Cassiopeia, wasterminated at Leicester. The ‘Coradia’ wastaken back to ElyPapworth by Nos. 37423 and 37901 on February 25.
and acorresponding morning working (the 1R09 07.45 Letchworth Garden City-King’sCross) have been diagrammed for‘379’ operation. Moresets will come into service in the coming months,priortothe introduction of the newtimetable in December 2025 which will see full fleet deployment.
The reactivation of the Class 379s, which have been stored at Worksop, is being managed by Alstom. Avariationonthe existing technical support and spares supply contract, worth £24.5 million, will coverthe additional 30 units which will be the first in the GTR fleet to be monitored using Alstom’sHealthHub; this provides real-time monitoring of each unit, delivering data on more than over200 parameters every 30 seconds and supplying alerts when anything is wrong. The fleetisnow owned by Porterbrook, who acquired the sets from Akiem in 2024.
Twomoresets arrived at Hornsey
from WorksoponFebruary 14, Nos. 379021/24 being hauled south by No. 57303. Another pair, Nos. 379001/10, ranfromHornseyto WembleyYardfor temporary storage during January
CLASS 387 CASCADE
Although the December timetable changewillbring with it additional services and faster journeys on Great Northern routes, made possible by the Class 379 fleet, their introduction will also enable the cascade of moreClass 387s onto Govia Thameslink Railway’s Southern-branded services. As mentioned in RE345/346, four sets (Nos. 387123/26/28/29) have already movedtoSouthern; these areexpected to be joined by Nos. 387115-22/24/25/27/72-74 and 387301-06. This will leave 14 Class 387s (Nos. 387101-14) at Hornseytocover 12 diagrams on Great Northern.
Connected to the move of 24 Class 387s from Great Northern to Southern is the release of 13 Class 377s from the Southern fleet fortransfer to Southeastern. Two sets (Nos. 377121/22) movedin November 2024, and the remaining 11 will followbeforethe end of 2025. E
Conversions of the activetravelcarriages from Class 153 single units forTransport forWales, which will beused on the Heart of Wales route, arestarting to enter service after alow-key launch. Conversion has been undertaken by ChrysalisRailat Landore, and, on February 19, Unit Nos. 153528/531 (ex-153328/331) undertook a test run from Crewe, seen hereatNewport station. JUSTIN CAZENAVE
CLASS 180 ADELANTE
ANOTHER of the off-lease former East Midlands Railway Class180s has been movedtoAlstom,Widnes forattention. No. 180113 wasmovedovernight by Nos. 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer and 37510 Orion,arriving on January 31.
CLASS 196 CIVITY
THREE sets destined foruse on East West Rail,Nos. 196008/11/12, ranfrom TyseleytoBletchleyonFebruary 14, to begin crew training on the route.
CLASS 197 CIVITY
THE last of the three-car TfW Rail Class 197s to enter service, No. 197126, madeits debut passenger working on February 1, when it operated the 1V94 08.13 Holyhead-Cardiff Central from
Chester,with No. 197116 forcompany. Its introduction also means that allthe non-ETCS fitted Class 197s have now entered traffic. No. 197029 appeared in trafficfor the first time on February 22, forming the 1K01 04.46 Chester-Crewe. It leaves14ofthe 21 ETCS fitted sets (Nos. 197022-27/32/35-41) still to carry passengers. Of these, No. 197023 washauled from Long Marston to Crewe by Nos. 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer and 37510 Orion on February 18. February 17 sawthe introduction of the first Class 197 diagrams on the Birmingham International to Holyhead circuit. In useonthe first daywereNos. 197109/124. The first Class 197/0 sets, Nos. 197017/051, appeared three days later
UNITS
EMU
CLASS 318
ARRIVING at Brodie Engineering, Kilmarnock, forcollision damagerepairs on February 6, wasNo. 318251. Its transfer from Glasgow Shields was handled by No. 37884 Cepheus
CLASS 321
MORE ‘Renatus’ Class 321 disposals have taken place. On February 18, Nos 321313/15 were hauled from Wembley Yard to Unimetals, Newport, by No. 37884 Cepheus.Afurther20 ‘Renatus’ sets remain to be disposed of,Nos. 321302/06-09/11/12/14/ 19/20/26 at Walton Old Sidings (Warrington) and 321309/16-18/22/ 23/27-30atWembleyYard.
CLASS
323 RELEASED from Wolvertonfollowing repaint into Northern colours, No. 323207 ranback to Allertonon February 8. The sameday saw No. 323242 head the opposite direction. Similar movesonFebruary 22 saw newlyrepainted No.323206 form the 5H70 08.41 Allerton-Wolverton, with No. 323219 emerging the same dayin Northern colours. It wasback in traffic on February 24, working ManchesterPiccadilly-Crewe services.
CLASS 378 CAPITALSTAR
NOWcarrying the updated versionof London Overground colours, No. 378225 wasreturned to New CrossGate by No. 37510 Orion on February 22, following attentionand repaint at Alstom, Widnes. The same
Converted forinfrastructuremonitoring work, Class 153 No. 153311 sits at Southport on January 21, with 2Q30, the 07.40 Manchester PiccadillytoDerbyRTC viaHadfield, Rose Hill, Wilmslow, Southport and Liverpool Lime Street, despite showing
on the destination
CLASS 455 SENT forscrap to Unimetals,Newport Docksduring February,was No.5906. As the unit had undergone component recovery at Wimbledon Park, its transfer to South Wales wasundertaken by road.
CLASS 458 JUNIPER
DiSPATCHEDtoLong Marstonfor storageonFebruary 18 wasNo. 458532, the third‘458/5’ to be sent away after going off lease from South Western Railway. Its move from WimbledonPark wascarried outusing Nos. 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer and 37510 Orion,running in top and tail formation. Fivesets (Nos. 458529/
Arareappearance of aClass 195 northofYork –believedtobeafirst –occurred on February 17, and used No.195023 which worked atrip to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and back. The set is passing Sunderland Bridgewith 5Z92, the 13.08 Newcastle to York during aroute refreshing trip. ALEX AYRE
30/33/34/36) remain in service. February 19 sawNos. 458427/28 used to undertakePlatform Train Interface (PTI)testingonthe Waterloo to Reading line, in advance of fleet introduction on services on the route.
CLASS 465 NETWORKER IN amovethat will be welcomed by manyenthusiasts, No. 465908 has been outshopped from Wabtec, Doncaster in Network SouthEast livery, albeit with grey doors to meet current regulations, followingits overhaul. The ‘Networker’ wasreleased on February 14, returningtoits home base behind 66780 The CemexExpress, running as the 5Q88 21.33 Wabtec Doncaster-Slade Green. Subsequently, it wasnamed Chris Green at Charing Cross onFebruary 25.
CLASS 466 NETWORKER
DISPOSALofthe first Class 466 units forscrap took place duringFebruary The first pair to be sent forcutting up were Nos. 466005/012, which were hauled from ElyPapworth to Unimetals, Newport by No. 37800 Cassiopeia on February 11. Twodayslater,the ‘37’ again formed the 5Q78 08.52 Ely Papworth-Unimetals, Newport, this time with Nos. 466004/009 in tow. Still in storeatEly areNos. 466001/017/030.
CLASS 555
TWOmorenew Tyne &WearMetrounits were delivered to PelawonFebruary 21, Nos. 555008/009 havingbeen brought north from WembleyYardbypower car Nos. 43465/484. The pair of ‘555s’ had been hauledfromDollands Moor to WembleybyNo. 66109 on February 19. February 21 sawNo. 555002 make its debutruns in passengerservice, the thirdtodoso.
CLASS 701 ARTERIO
LOCATED at Long Marston since May 2023, No. 701026 wastaken to
Blaenau Ffestiniog
indicator
PHIL WALLIS
‘37’ hauled No. 378229 from Willesden to Widnes on February 25.
Eastleigh TMDbyNo. 47739on
January 30. The same‘47’ also collected No. 701059 from Long Marston on February 12, taking it to Eastleigh East Yard and then on to Wimbledon Park. The next dayit formed the 5Q75 09.20 EastleighTMD-Long Marston with No. 701008 in tow.
Another departurefromLong Marston wasthat of No. 701060 on February 24, but its planned transfer to Wimbledon Park via EastleighEast Yard, undertaken by No. 57310, wascurtailed at Worcester
CLASS 720 AVENTRA
THE delivery movement of No. 720503 from Alston, DerbytoWillesdenon February 11, raninto difficulties south of Bletchleywhen No. 69009 Western Consort failed,resultinginthe ensemble being rescued by No. 66769 LMA -League Managers Association and taken back to Bletchley. The ‘Aventra’, which first emerged from Derbybackin2019when it wastaken to Melton RIDC by road, completedits journeytoWillesden behind No. 57305 on February 12. Aweeklater(February 19), No. 720503 ranfromWillesdento Ilford, and the next dayitdid atest run to Southend Victoria with No. 720143.
Avanti West Coast Class 807 No. 807007 worksfromDarlington to WembleyyardonJanuary 29, taking adelivery route north via the East Coast Main Line, across to Carstairs Junction and then south viathe West CoastMainLine. No.66779 Evening Star hauled the ‘Evero’set from the Hitachi factory at Merchant Park sidings to Darlington. ALEX AYRE
CLASS 730 AVENTRA
ARRIVING at MeltonRIDC from Crewe on January 31was No. 730227. It was movedbyNo. 37510 Orion,which, on February 3, formedthe 5Q16 07.49 WembleyYard-Gascoigne Wood with Nos. 730234/236 in tow. The ‘37’
End of the line for‘Networker’ EMU Nos. 466604 and 466609 which arehauled through Newport on February 13, by ROGClass 37 No.37800 Cassiopeia and destined forscrappingatUnimetals. This wasthe second pair of Class 466 units to be scrapped.
UNITS DEPOTTALK
MARTIN TURNER
MULTIPLE UNITS
Allocations
197028 HQ-CH
197126 HQ-CH
321313/15 sent fordisposal
379002/22 HQ-HE
398018 newlydelivered HQ/HLHQ
(45)5906 sent fordisposal
466004/05/09/32 sent fordisposal
555008/09 newlydelivered GF/PXGG
756102/03/12 HQ-CF
807005/07 newlydeliveredHQ/HFHQ
807007 HQ-OY
Named
800021 Gill Clay
Liveries
Blue &Grey: 60000, 60501
Cross Country: 221109/12
Northern: 323203/07/10/12/19
NR light blue: 153385
NSE: 465908
c2c white +pink doors: 357005, 357207
Nowinpassenger traffic
197028
197126
379002/22 555002/21
756102/03/12
807007
returned to Melton RIDC on February 15 to takeNo. 730220 to Wembley, and again fivedayslater when it collected No. 730203 formovement back to Alstom, Derby.
On February 6, Nos. 730228/229 were taken from Gascoigne Wood to Melton RIDC by No. 37800 Cassiopeia. Later in the month (February 24), No 730226 departed Gascoigne Wood for Wembleybehind No. 37884 Cepheus.
CLASS 769 FLEX
ONE of the two‘Flex’ sets movedto Eastriggs following attentionatBrodie Engineering, Kilmarnock, No.769002, washauled to Crewe Electric on February 13, twopairs of back-to-back HSTpower cars (Nos. 43468/480 and 43423/467) providing traction.
The twoformer Great Western Railway ‘769s’ at Wabtec, Doncaster which arebeing modified forfreight/ logistics use have been given aClass 769/5 sub-class, Nos. 769935/49 becoming 769535/49 respectively.
IET
CLASS 800
FOLLOWING fatigue crack inspection/ repairs at Arlington, Eastleigh, No. 800206 wasreleased back to LNER
Stored/stopped locations
Crewe ETD: 769002
Crewe South Yard: 197023
Derby: 221103
Eastleigh T&RSMD: 701026/59
Ely: 175006
Gascoigne Wood: 730234/36
Hornsey: 379021/24
Laira: 175009
Landore: 150255
Leicester: 175010
Long Marston: 458532, 701008
Northampton: 321338, 321407, 350264
Old Dalby: 730227/28/29
on February 3. Twodayslater,GWR No. 800309 returned to North Pole after the same work, with No. 800013 heading to Eastleigh.
Another LNER set, No. 800110, arrived atArlington, Eastleigh on February 17.
CLASS 801
AFTER running under its ownpower from Doncaster Carr to Ferme Park, No. 801205 washauled to Arlington, Eastleigh by No. 66315 on February 6. It wasreleased just over afortnight later when,onFebruary 21, it washauled back to Ferme Park by No. 57303.
CLASS 802
FORMING the 5X80 15.16Arlington, Eastleigh-North Pole, No. 802108 was noted passing Maidenhead on February4 Later that day, 802012 undertook amove in the opposite direction.
CLASS 807
MAKING its debut appearance in service, No. 807007 formed the 9G26 14.16 Euston-Birmingham NewStreet on February 7.
After anight of testingbetween Darlington andYork, No. 807005 undertook its delivery runon February 11, forming the 5Q15 06.31 York-Wembley, running via Edinburgh and Carlisle.
Wembley: 350251, 730220, 807005
Disposals
Unimetals (formerlySims Metals), Newport: Arrival dates: February 7: 62831, 77823 (5906); February 11: 466005/32, 71719, 77824 (5906); February 13: 466004/09; February 18: 321313/15; February 21: 62385 (exEast Kent Railway).
J.WatsonMetal Recyclers,Stafford: Arrival date: February 2: 51400 (ex-Wensleydale Railway).
Regulation5 exemptionfor SRPS Mk.1 carriage untilend of year
Charter rake approved foruse pendingfitting of CDL equipment.
THE Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has given authorisation for10ofthe Scottish Railway Preservation Society’s Mk.1 vehicles to operate in passenger service without Central Door Locking equipment untilthe end of 2025.
The exemption certificate was issued on February 7, enablingone coach from its fleet (BSK No. 35185) to be included in the formation of the first SRPScharter of the year,‘The Capital Highlander’ from Carlisle to Inverness
on February 8.
The granting of the exemption certificate follows the submission in 2024 of afitment plan which will see the SRPSset fitted with equipment to enable Central Door Locking in due course.The setlast sawuse in March 2023, when it waswithdrawntoenable lifeextension work to be undertaken.
To date, three vehicles have gained Regulation 4exemption (also necessary forpassenger operationonthe main
line, irrespectiveofwhether theyare CDL fitted or not) following completion of work; these areNos. FO 3112, TSO 4832 and BSK No. 35185, all of which were returned to Bo’ness in November 2024 after refurbishment at Barrow Hill by Rampart Engineering.
Afurther twovehicles (RMB No. 1859 and TSONo. 4836) arrived back at Bo’ness on February 20, after completion of work at Barrow Hill. Theywerebrought back north by No. 37403 Isle of Mull,which had, the previous day, delivered twofurther coaches (RBR No. 1730 and FO No. 3096) to Rampart Engineering forattention.
Also included in the southbound move on February 19 were two LocomotiveServices vehicles, FO Nos. 3107/40, which were being returned to Crewe after use by the SRPSon its February 8charter.The pair were collected from Barrow Hill by Nos. 20118 Saltburn-by-the-Sea and 20132 on February 20, and returned to their home base.
NIGHT RIVIERA REPAINTS CONTINUE
AFTER returning newlyrepainted Mk.3a SLEP No. 10616 to Reading from Eastleigh TMDonJanuary 25,afterits repaint, Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50008 Thunderer took Mk.3b BFONo. 17173 away forrepainting. The BFOwas hauled back to Reading by the aforementioned No. 50008 on February 8. Afortnight later (February 22), No. 50008 took Mk.3a SLEP No. 10596 from Reading to Eastleigh forattention.
STATESMAN OVERHAUL PROGRESS
It is expected thatall 10 of the vehicles listed in the tablewillbeback in service duringthe summer months. In the meantime, LocomotiveServices is providing coaches to operate alongside the SRPSvehicles on its excursions. This is part of along-term partnership which has seen the RoyalScot Locomotiveand General Trust (part of the LocomotiveServices Group) assist in returning the SRPSfleet to main line use.
The return of further coaches has not been ruled out; the SRPShas TSO Nos. 4831, 5028, FK Nos. 13229/30 and BCK No. 21241 which have been formed in its charter rake in the past fewyears. E
DEPOTTALK
HAULED COACHING STOCK Liveries
Blue &grey: 5945/85, 6137/77, 9527
Caledonian Sleeper: 9805
Carmine &cream: 6707 InterCity:10212 Named 6707 Zanzibar
Sold Eastern Rail Services: 6398, 40715/34, 42024, 42506/84
Nemesis Rail: 1683
Romic: 10551/53
Stored/stopped locations
Cockshute:40704, 42375 Great Yarmouth:40715/34, 42024, 42506/84
Long Marston: TP09
Stock changes correct as at February 21
FOUR coaches from the Statesman Rail set were released from Arlington, Eastleigh, on February 7, after repainting. No. D1935 (47805) Roger Hosking MA 1925-2013, which has also been repainted, took Mk.2e FO Nos. 3229 Snowdon,3231 Lochnagar, Mk.2f FO No. 3384 Pen-y-Ghent and Mk.2a BFK No. 17056, along with Midland Pullman HSTTFNo. 41059, back to Crewe. Refurbishment work on the Statesman rake is being carriedout at twolocations; internal refurbishment work is being done in-house at LocomotiveServices’ Crewedepot, with repaints at Arlington, Eastleigh.
SCOTRAIL HSTLATEST
DEPARTING Inverness by road for attention at Brodie Engineering, Kilmarnock, in earlyFebruary wasTS No. 42345, normallyformed in set HA05.
WESTCOAST RAILWAYS ACTIVITY
NEWLYrepainted Mk.2f FO Nos. 3334/36, which were movedfrom Carnforth to Southall on January 22, (see RE346), made theirdebut outing with West Coast Railways on February 1, when theywereincluded in the consist of the ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ from Euston to Carlisle and return. Following their use on ‘Polar Express’ trains back in December,10 Mk.2f TSOvehicles (Nos. 5921/29/ 45/52/55/61/65, 6042/54 and 6158) returned to Carnforth from Southall on February 7, Nos. 33029 and 33207 Jim Martin providing traction. Apair of Mk.1 ‘Super BG’ vehicles, Nos. 94488/517, were movedfrom Nemesis Rail,Burton to Carnforth on February 24.
LAST HSTCOACHES LEAVE ELYPAPWORTH
RECENTLYacquired by Eastern Rail Services, fiveHST coaches (TRFB Nos. 40715/34 and TS Nos 42024/506/584) were collected from ElyPapworth by No. 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer on February 12, and movedto Great Yarmouth. Due to followthem by road is TS No. 42569, which is the last HSTcoach at ElyPapworth.
The same ‘37’ had alsobeen used to return the nine ERSMk.3 coaches recentlyused on Class 93 testing from Castle Donnington to Great Yarmouth on February 11.
Powerscene
CLASS 20
THE expected quartet of EE Type 1s on UK Railtours’ ‘Shakespearean Sonnet’ special (February 22) turned out to be a trio following the non-availability of No. 20189. Nonetheless, Nos. 20205+ 20007 tailed by No. 20142 Sir John Betjeman made foranimpressivesight
leaving the capital withthe 1Z58 07.01 London Paddington-Long Marston, passing Oxford at 08.35. Later the tour travelled to Stratford-upon-Avon via WorcesterShrub Hill and Birmingham Snow Hill thence to FennyCompton prior to the last leg of the journey as the1Z6619.09 Oxford-London
Paddington routed via Bicester, West Ruislip and DraytonGreen to regain the GWR main line at West Ealing.
In order to reachLondon the daybeforethe main tour,the three Class 20shad topped the 1Z57 13.54 KidderminsterSVR-Watford Junction with Rail AdventureNos. 43480+43468
trailing at therear. Subsequentlythe twopowercars were paired with Nos. 20205+20007 to leadthe 5Z60 11.36
Wembley-Carnforth empty coaches on February 23, (No. 20142 was detached en route to head back to the Severn ValleyRailway)beforetaking to translator vans from Eastriggs to
Kilmarnock Bonnyton on February 24. Theretheycollected ‘Flex’ unit No. 769922 fortransfertoEastriggs prior to working the 5G89 10.15 CarlisleKidderminster SVRonFebruary26.
LSLType 1s Nos. 20118 Saltburnby-the-Sea and 20132 hauled the 5Z37 13.00 Barrow Hill-Crewe HS on February 20,with twoMk.1 coaches, prior to No. 20118 being paired with green stable companion No. 20107 Jocelyn Feilding 1940-2020 foralight engine route familiarisation trip overthe Esk ValleyfromCrewe to Whitbyvia Guide Bridgeand the Hope ValleyonFebruary 25,returning the following morning. The Balfour Beatty pairingofNos. 20901 and 20905 have continued transporting their drain train around parts of the network, reaching Ipswich on February 16,
Romfordand later Stapleford& Sandiacrefour days later, andWelwyn Garden City on February 23.
CLASS33
February proved to be an unusually busy winter month fortwo West Coast ‘Cromptons’.OnFebruary 6, Nos. 33029and 33207 travelled north with 10 Mk.2 coaches forming the5M4310.19 Southall-Carnforth Five days later the Class33s were ‘scrambled’ from Carnforth to assistthe 6E73 10.35 Shap-DoncasterDecoy. DRS No. 66425 Nigel JKirchstein1957-2021 lost adhesion on the steady climbto CopyPit summit and requiredrear end assistance over the top. In the event hand sanding enabled 6E73 to reach the summit just as the 33s arrivedin
Burnley, thus rendering assistance unnecessary, although Nos. 33029 and 33207 continued to Todmorden before returning to base.
On February 14, in the companyof No.47802, theytook emptycoaches from Carnforth to Bristolreadyto form Pathfinder Railtours’‘Verney Venturer’ special the next day. With the Class47atthe rear,the tour left Bristolfor Birmingham NewStreet, Nuneaton, Northampton and Bicester (via BletchleyFlyover) wherethe train reversed and the ‘Cromptons’ ranround with the train triple headed to Acton Canal Wharf.Afurther reversal took place therebeforethe long journey back to Bristolvia Luton, Corby, Leicester and Bromsgrove.Arrival in Bristolwas four minutes early at 22.03.
CLASS 37
Nos. 37403 Isle of Mull and 37409 Loch
Awe were paired to work theSRPS ‘Capital Highlander’ tour on February 8, travelling north as the1Z37 06.58 Carlisle-Inverness, albeit diverted from part of thebooked route owingtoa freighttrain failure. On both February 11 andagain twodayslater No. 37403 hauled four coachesoncircular journeys from Bo’ness to Dundeeoutwardvia the Edinburgh Suburban line and Kirkcaldy and back through Perth and Larbert. On February 19, No. 37403 visited Derbyshire haulingfour Mk.1 coaches from Bo’ness to BarrowHilland returning with twosuch vehicles the following day.
Nos. 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer and 37800 Cassiopeia top andtailed the
Easing off Ribblehead Viaduct towardsRibbleheadstation is GBRf Class 60 No. 60002 Graham Farish –50th Anniversary 1970 –2020 on February 6, working 6E99, aRibbleheadQuarrytoHunslet Tilcon loaded stone train. TOMPICKLES
POWERSCENE
5M56 11.40 CreweSouth Yard-Castle Donington EMDC on February 1, conveying the Mk.3 coaches usedfor the WCML Class 93 trials. Thecoaches were taken to Great Yarmouth 10 days later by No. 37901, which wasthen used to work the 7G48 13.55 ElyPapworth-Great Yarmouthon February 12, which featured fiveHST trailers and three brakeforce coaches. On February 4, Nos. 37901 and 37800 had sandwiched former TfW DMU No. 175010 on the 7Q84 11.03 Ely Papworth-Lairaalthough the move onlyreached Leicester beforebeing terminated. The Class 175 unit was returned to ElybetweenNos. 37423 and 37901 on February 25.
Repainted in Colas Railfreight colours and minus its split headcode boxes, No. 37099 Merl Evans waspairedwith large logoblue No. 37402 Oor Wullie (on hiretoColas) on the 3Q45 19.44 Derby RTC Ultrasonic Test TrainonFebruary 4, visiting Wiganand the branch to Colne. Further test trains followed and on February 26, Nos. 37099and 37607 were to be found operating the 1Q97 10.50 Ferme Park-Clacton-onSea. HN Swietelsky No.37405 took snowplough ADB965209 on the 7Z37
09.06 Doncaster West Yard-Norwich on February 2, but wassoon backonthe Cambrian and teaming up with No. 97304 Rheilffordd Talyllyn Railway on the 6C75 20.22 BasfordHall-Talerddig three days later.Both locomotives regularly poweredengineering trips between Machynlleth and Crewe for the next twoweeksbeforeNos. 97302 Ffestiniog &Welsh Highland Railways joined forces with No. 37405 on the 6C56 09.50 Aberystwyth-Chirk timber on February 22.
CLASS 43
Blue Pullman powercars Nos. 43058 Loch Eil and 43047 with fivetrailers formed the 1Z4306.40Watford Junction-Fort William ‘West Highland Pullman’ on February 21,going forward to Mallaig next daybeforeheading back to WatfordonFebruary 23. Rail Adventurepower cars Nos. 43468 and 43480 undertook rail tour duties on February 21, haulingnine coaches as the 1Z55 08.38 Preston-Kidderminster thence to WatfordJunction via Sutton Park and Nuneaton (see Class 20 above). Their other work during the month featured accompanying Nos. 43013 and 43062 from Kidderminster to DerbyRTC
on February 7, teaming up with Nos. 43423 and 43467 to move Flex bi-mode No. 769002 from Eastriggs to CreweIEMD (February 13) and taking translator vans from Kings Norton to Eastriggs on February 20. Meanwhile thatsame day, Nos. 43465 and43484 hauled newStadler-built Tyne & Wear MetroEMUs Nos. 555008 and 555009 on the 6Q3413.45Wembley to PelawGoods Loop fortransfer to Gosforth depot.
Fivedayslater Nos. 43465 and 43484 took Transport forWales Tram-Train unit No. 398017 on the 6Q38 02.51 PengamKings Norton and then 6Q39 08.45 King’s Norton-Old Dalby, and performed asimilar move operating in the same timeswith unit No. 398022 the next day. Nos. 43423 and 43467 were at opposite ends of four Romic Mk.3 coaches forming the 5E08 10.54 KidderminsterSVR-Welwyn Garden City on February 28.
Thatsamemorning,emergency services were called to attend abogie fireonpower car No. 43021 at the front of the 1A7909.30Edinburgh-Aberdeen on February 28.The incident occurred as the trainwas leaving the TayBridge heading into Dundeeand resulted in heavy delays to ScotRailservices.
With its Swietelsky stickers onthe bodyside, Class 37 No. 37405 leadsNetworkRail’s No.97302 Ffestiniog &Welsh Highland Railways past Rossettatthe bottomof GresfordBank, on the lastleg of aworking to the Kronospan worksatChirk, with atimber train from Aberystwyth on March1 PHILCHILTON
CLASS 47
The Railway Touring Company’s ‘Valentine’s White Rose’ return charter on February 15, wastop and tailed from Peterborough to London King’s Cross by WCRNos. 47746 Chris Fudge29.7.7022.6.10 and 47848. The previous week both locomotives had taken charge of the first passenger train to traverse the newlyconstructed East West line. Having accompanied the twoClass 33s (see previous page) on the ‘Verney Venturer’ tour of February 15, No. 47802 tailed the 1Z67 09.32 Manchester Victoria-Holyhead on March1,the special being hauled to Angleseyby ‘Black Five’ No. 45212.
WCR‘Thunderbird’ rescues during the month featured No. 47812 hauling the 5Z14 10.53 York-Neville Hill on February 2, after the Class 91 rostered to powerthe 08.00 York-London King’s Cross developed aproblem. On February 26,itwas the turn of No. 47815 Great Western to render assistance to Lumo EMU No. 803005. As luck would have it, the Class 47 wasalready at King’s Cross station on aroute learning run when the 5S9309.09 Ferme Park-King’s Cross ECS failed at BowesParkand waseventually hauled to Bounds Green by No. 47815.
Heading UK Railtours’‘Shakespearean Sonnet’tour,Class 20 Nos. 20205 and20007 work through Henley-in-Arden stationonFebruary 15, closinginonthe destination of Stratford-upon-Avon, having started from LondonPaddington. Providing support at the rear is No. 20142.
Approaching
As mentioned in the column, West Coast RailwaysNos. 57010 and 57009 GJ Churchward haul twoformer Rail ExpressSystems vans forming the 5Z57 12.12 Burton Wetmore-Carnforth on February 24, with No.47812 at the rear.The locomotiveswerereturning to Carnforthfor maintenanceafter East Coast Main Line ‘Thunderbird’ duties BRAD JOYCE
CHRISMILNER
Melton Ross on February 17, Colas Class 56 No. 56090 working ashort train of empty oiltanks running as 6Z03, the 07.19 Tyne SS to LindseyOil Refinery empties. JONATHAN LONGBOTTOM
One of the fewClass 66 locosstill in the old EWS livery,No. 66015 sits in the heavily industrial backdrop of Dawsons yardsand buildingson Teesside, preparing to lead an interesting andlengthyconsist as 6N52 to Tees Yard JOHN LONGDEN
February provedaquiet month for LSLexamples, although on February7, No. D1935 RogerHosking MA 19252013 hauled fivecoaches north on the 5Z55 09.48 Eastleigh Arlington-Crewe HS. That soon changed on March1, when EE Type 4No. D213 (40013) Andania and No. 47805 set off with the InterCity ‘East Anglian 2’ tour running as the 1Z31 06.39 CreweNorwich. The GBDF Class 47 pool features Nos. 47727/39/49 with No. 47749 having been out of action at Leicester since last November. No. 47727 Edinburgh Castle/ Caisteal Dhun Eideann wasrecorded hauling the 6L99 15.00 Peterborough North Yard-March Up Yard on February 4, andthe 6E99 20.09 March-Peterborough on February 17. Meanwhile No. 47739 reached Wimbledon during the evening of February 12, having brought EMU No. 701059 from Long Marston via Eastleigh. Next dayNo. 47739 took another EMU No. 701008 from Eastleigh to Long Marston.
CLASS 50
Still finding useful, albeit irregular, employment on the transfer of coaching stock,No. 50008 Thunderer took Mk.3 No. 17173 on the 5V50 10.07 EastleighReading Traincarevia Didcot on February8.The previous day, No.50007 Hercules wasrecorded headinglight from Reading TraincaretoHinkseyand thereafter to KidderminsterSVR via Walsall. Another duty befell No. 50008 on February 22, when heading light through Basingstokeat10.25 prior to moving Mk.3 sleeper No. 10596 from Reading to Eastleigh.
CLASS 56
Amongst duties fulfilled by the Colas Railfreight examples during the month, No. 56090 wasprominent. On February 1, it hadcharge of along-welded rail train running as the 6C87 18.53 Doncaster Belmont-Chester-le-Street, and twodayslaterleft Crowle with auto-ballasters forDoncaster.Still on
engineering duties, No. 56090 teamed up with No. 56105 on the 6C83 05.15 Greetland Junction-Doncaster Belmont on February 4. The 6D79 08.55 Lindsey OilRefinery-Neville Hill fueltankswerein the hands of No. 56090 on February 10, while the locomotivehauled four dischargedtanks on the 6Z03 07.19 Tyne Yard-LindseyORwhennoted at York station on the morningof February 17.
Nos. 56113 and 56049 reached Birmingham International station shortlybeforemidnightonFebruary 21, to reverse aballast train running as the 6C30 22.55 Bescot-Sutton Coldfield. At the end of February,only twolocomotives from the Colas fleet were activewith No. 56049 hauling the 6K38 10.08 BasfordHall-Longport and No. 56113 running light engine from Doncaster to Bescot both on the morning of February 27. That soon changed, however, earlyonMarch 1 when severalexampleswerespread around thesystem. No. 56049 Robin of Templecombe 1938-2013 was Eastleigh bound from HinkseyYard while Nos. 56051 Survival and 56078 were at Radlett on engineering trains fromToton. Soon after midnight
LOCOMOTIVES
Allocations
66122 KM/XHIM-TO/WBAT
66126 KM/XHIM-TO/WBAT
66155 WBAT-WBHT
66165 WBAT-WBHT
66197 WBAT-WBHT
68023 TPEX-XHTP
68029 TPEX-XHTP
92011 CE/WFBC-WQ/WQAA
Liveries
DB Cargored: 66126
Named
08721 KenDavies
60096 Skiddaw
Nos. 56090 and 56105 passedGoole with asimilar train from Doncaster to Saltmarshe while No. 56113 wasatHoo Junction having arrivedfromEastleigh with atrio of Class66s.Makinga brief appearance on the main line, large logoblue No.56098 hauled No. 92020 BillyStirling from Leicester to UKRL LoughboroughonFebruary 25, the‘Grid’ later returning to Leicester calling at Totononthe way.
CLASS57
On February 8, Nos. 57603 Tintagel Castle and 57605 Totnes Castle topand-tailed GWR sleeping car No.10616 on the 5Z77 10.45 Penzance Long RockLairaTMD. The coach wasearmarked fortyreturning while No. 57605 wasbeing transported forattention following its serious failureatTaunton on January 16. No. 57603 returnedthe Mk.3 sleepertoPenzance that evening Afault with the sleepercoaches resulted in HitachiNo. 802003 covering the duty from Penzance to London Paddington on the night of February 14. The following morning No. 57602 took the empty cars on the 5Z57 11.45 Long Rock-Reading Traincare. Covering for the temporary shortageofGWR motive
GBRf Class 66 No.66771
Amanda passes Stowmarket on February 18, working6P41 09.57 HarwichRefinery-North Walsham empty condensate tanks, running 70 late due to alateinwardworking from Peterborough by No.66771. KEITH PARTLOW
In ex-workscondition, and back with DB after long-term lease to DRS, Class66No. 66126 Driver Jack Mills heads northonthe Midland Main Line near Desborough with 4H74, 15.01 LutonLimbury Road to Peak Forest aggregate empties on February 17. RICHARD GENNIS
power, No. 57312 hauled the 1C50 23.45 London Paddington-Penzance sleepers on February 11, returning the next night. On the occasion of aVIP special reaching South Marston Euro Terminal on February 7(see Class 47), No. 57312 also arrived at the Swindon site haulingthe Night Rivieracoaches. In an otherwise busyschedule of moving EMUs around, No. 57303 visited TonbridgeonFebruary 17, hauling GBRf Electro-Diesel No. 73964 Jeanette from UKRL Loughborough. Four days later it poweredthe 5X80 10.40 Eastleigh Works-Ferme Park (5Q80 from Acton Main Line) hauling nine-carHitachi EMU No. 801205. FellowGBBS stablemate No. 57305 ranfromLeicester to BletchleyonFebruary 12, to collect EMUNo. 720503 foronwardmovement to Willesden TMD. On its return to Leicester No. 57305 stopped off at Bletchleytocollect No. 69009 Western Consort whichhad failed during the initial transfer of EMU No. 720503 from DerbyLitchurchLanethe previous day. Having last worked atrain in May2020, No. 57301 (XSDP) undertook atest runinthe company of No. 37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach from DerbyRTC to Barrow Hill and back on February 20. WCRNos. 57010 and57009 G JChurchward had twoformer Rail Express Systemsvans in towforming the 5Z57 12.12 Burton WetmoreCarnforth on February 24, with No. 47812 bringing up the rear The locomotives were all duefor maintenance at Carnforth depot, all three having been awayon ‘Thunderbird’ duties based at Newark Northgate forseveralweeks. Similarly, No. 57012 wasNewark-based on February 10, when called upon to recoverNo. 66537 and the 4L74 18.51 LawleyStreet-Felixstowe North Freightliner after the Class 66 failed at
The double-headed Class 68 pairing of Nos. 68004 Rapid and 68001 Evolution head aconsistoffive nuclear flasksnearIrvineonFebruary 6, the working being 6M23, 13.22 Hunterston to Sellafield in connection with the decommissioning of Hunterston nuclear powerstation. STUART FOWLER
Transport forWales Class 67 No.67014 propels the Mk.4 and DVTset forming the 14.30 to Cardiff Centralaway fromManchesterPiccadilly on asunnyJanuary 25. TOMMcATEE
LargelogoClass 69 No.69002 BobTiller CM&EE passes ThreeHorse Shoes signalbox between Marchand Peterborough with the12.26 MiddletonTowers to Goole sand train. PETER FOSTER
Oakham. No. 57012 hauled the failed locomotiveand its train throughto Peterborough. The first ‘Northern Belle’ tour of the year ranonMarch 1, when Nos. 57313 Scarborough Castle and 57601 WindsorCastle had charge of the 1Z64 10.27 Manchester VictoriaCarlisle via Wigan and the Settle & Carlisle line then home via Shap. No. 57314 wasalso activeonSt David’s Day, paired with No. 47832 on aPathfinderRailtours charter from Newport to Carlisle,onwhich Pacific No. 34067 Tangmere replaced the Class 47 at Carnforth.
CLASS 66
On February 7, Colas examples Nos. 66849 Wylam Dilly and 66850 David Maidment OBE formed part of the motivepoweratop the 6S50 12.19 Carlisle Yard-Millerhill, making fora colourful combination, along with DB CargoNo. 66168 and Freightliner No. 66565. That night, however, Nos. 66849 and 66850 setoffwith the 6Z10 23.05 Millerhill-Fort William Junction, making foravery rare appearance of Colas Class 66s so farnorth on the West Highland line.During the early hours of February 9, the pair retraced their steps as farasBridgeofOrchy with their engineer’strain, and having returned to Fort William formed the 6Z11 23.30 to Millerhill Yard departing earlyand leaving Crianlarich at 22.08.
GBRf No. 66708 Glory to Ukraine hauled20new FEA wagons on the 6O97 03.45 Dollands Moor-Eastleigh Yard on February 5. The following evening Nos. 66708 and 66709 Sorrento top and tailed atrain of auto-ballasters as the 6G75 20.30 Westbury to Okehamptonand back to the Wiltshirerailhead. By the morning of February 10, No.66708 had reached Mossend with the 4S04 23.14 from Doncaster iPort returning on the 4E04 11.07 Mossend-Doncaster iPort containers and continuing to shuttle between the twolocations forthe remainder of the month.
from DriggtoShapQuarryon February 5, were operated by Nos. 68003 Astute and68017 Hornet Theformerlater ranloadedasthe 6C14 15.48ShapQuarry-Sellafield whileNo. 68017hauledthe 6C16 19.58 from Shap to Carlisle Kingmoor.The followingday Nos. 68009 Titan and 68016 Fearless took asingleflask wagonfromCrewe CLStoValleyto retain theuse of thepathing facility ‘Greener’No. 68014reached Eastleigh on February 20 to collectNo. 57309 PrideofCrewe whichitthenhauledto WillesdenBrent.Two days laterNos 68010 Oxford Flyer with 68014and 57309passedNorthampton running lighttoCrewe Gresty Bridge
CLASS 69
With numerous snowand ice treatment trains being poweredbypairs of Class 69s over thirdrailroutes in the south east, fewout of the ordinary duties for the type have been recorded. No. 69001 Mayflower washauled from Doncaster Roberts Road to Longport for aC Exam behind No. 66780 The Cemex Express on February 25, while No. 69003 The Railway Observer ventured to UKRL Loughborough for attention on February 11 and remained thereatthe beginning of March. Nos. 66315 and 69014 were at the business end of the 6Y42 14.13Hoo Junction-Eastleigh on February 20, hauling Kirow crane DRK81602 and runners, the Class 69 being due a repaint at Eastleigh Arlington.The same Kirow crane made up the consist of the 6O39 10.23Westbury-Eastleigh Yard on February 27,behind Nos. 69005 Eastleigh and66756 RoyalCorps of Signals.No. 69012 Falcon 2 followed aspell outoftraffic by hauling the 6O35 01.38Whitemoor-Hoo Junction from Peterborough on February 12.On February 25 No. 69012 hauled EMU No. 701060 from Worcester Yard to Wimbledon and the following dayarrived at Long Marston with No. 701023, having travelled north from Eastleigh.
loaded stone. The latter pairofClass 70s were then seen at Hungerfordon February 26, in charge of the 6C42 22.24 Westbury-Burnham. On February 6, No. 70816 washauled from RugbytoUKRL Loughborough behind No. 56094.
CLASS 73
Nos. 73107 Tracy and 73119 Paul Taylor took charge of 10 autoballasters on February 13, forming the 6G27 09.23 Dollands Moor-Hoo Junction via Tonbridgeand Dartford, while No. 73107 had No. 73201 Broadlands forcompanywhen moving IZA ferry vans on the 6Z81 13.30 Ashford-Dollands Moor on February 26. No. 73964 Jeanette (GBNR) left UKRL Loughborough behind No. 57303 on February 17, bound forTonbridge, the space vacated at Loughborough being taken up by Caledonian No. 73967 (GBCS) which arrived between Nos. 69012 Falcon 2 and66707 Sir Sam Fay sevendayslater
CLASS 86
Two‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ tours allowedNo. 86259 LesRoss/Peter Pan to run at its maximum speed forover 800 miles during the month. On February 1, the AC electric departed London Euston at 06.39 bound forCarnforth North Junction wherePacific No. 34067 Tangmere took overfor the run to Carlisle and back to Preston over the S&C, tailed by No. 47802. Asimilar tour ranasthe 1Z86 06.49 London EustonCarlisle on February 22, with Tangmere once again taking the special over Shap, this time accompanied by No. 57315. On both occasions No. 86259 returned the tours to London Euston. E
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In primer,GBRf Class69No. 69014 passes Sunderland BridgeonJanuary 27,2025, with 6N71, the 11.45 DoncasterUpDecoytoTyne Yard.The loco wassent to Eastleigh Worksfor repaint on February 21. ALEX AYRE
DBC No. 66093 and 67005 Queen’s Messenger were at either end of Royal Couchette No. 2920 forming the 5Z81 14.09 DerbyRTC-WolvertononFebruary 13, when theClass 66 locomotivefailed at Long Buckby, necessitating areturn to Derby. The move wassuccessfully completed fivedayslater when Nos. 66119 and 67005 movedthe coach on the 5Z81 05.53 TotonWolverton. NER Hitachi unit No.801205 ranempty from Doncaster to Ferme Park on February 6, destined for Eastleigh Works. From Ferme Park it was hauledtoReading by No. 66315 and forwardasthe 5X02 17.18 ReadingEastleigh Arlington. BeaconRailblue No. 66797 ranfromTonbridge to Ramsgate on February 15, to assist with the recovery of Javelin EMU No. 395008 which had been derailed back in November
CLASS 68
With threeIDA pairsintow,No. 68033
ThePoppy handledthe 4Z59 15.25 Tees Dock-Trafford Park on February 3, andagain twodayslater.Two trains
CLASS 70
Severalballast trains ranfromWestbury to Goonbarrow Junction during February, in connection with the Mid Cornwall Metroproject. Nos. 70813 and 70814, in top and tailmode, were regular visitors to the Newquaybranch, being noted on at least sevenseparate days Nos. 66847 Terry Baker and 70809 crossed the River Tamar at Saltash early on February 17, with the6C24 05.02 Goonbarrow Junction-Westbury,while Nos. 70809 and 70814 handled the 6C41 17.32 Westbury-Par on February 18, terminating shortlybeforemidnight, and twodayslater Nos. 70809 and 70813 were partners at either end of the 6C97 16.30 Westbury-Goonbarrow Junction, passing Bodmin Parkway at 20.45. These particular Colas locomotives weren’t idle between trips to Cornwall. On February 22, Nos. 70813 and 70817 reached South Wales with the 6C21 18.52 Westbury-Llandeilo Junction near Llanelli and were followedbyNos. 70809 and 70814 on the 20.25 departure from Westbury (6C22) conveying
Besides those credited elsewhere, this issue of Rail Express hasbeen made possible by the contributions and assistance of the following, to whom the editor is most grateful: AlexAyre, Russell Ayre,Jon Benton, John Binch, Jack Boskett, Steve Boulton, Jack Bowley, Jason Burton, Justin Cazenave,PhilChilton, Tim Clarke, Martin Cook, Joel Coulson, Chris Denham, Steve Donald, Robert France, James Garthwaite, Chris Gee, Alistair Gregory,RyanHayward, Robert Humm, Lewis Hurley, Mark Jenkins, Simon Jones, Brad Joyce, Paul Keightley, Steve King, David Knight, Joshua Leuty,Howard Lewsey, John Longden, Andy Mason, Tom McAtee, Mark Middleton, Thomas Mills, Kyle Moore, John Morris, Finnbar O’Neill, Graham Nuttall, Andy Parkinson, Keith Partlow, Sam Pedley, TomPickles, Matthew Plumpton,Steve Potter,Jack Prentice, CJ Rich, John Rudd, Ian Sinclair, RichardStanton, James Steward, Robin Stewart-Smith, Donald Stirling, John Stretton, Stephen Stubbs, Robert Tarling, Martyn Tattam, John Tomlin, Andrew Triggs, Martin Turner, Andrew Vines, Matt Walker,Neil Walkling, PhilWallis, Paul Waring, Stuart West, and many, manymore.
Tulyar backinaction beforethe end of 2025?
‘Deltic’takes poweragain after almost 28 years.
THE return to service of the Deltic Preservation Society’s No. D9015 Tulyar took astep closer on February 15, when the ‘Deltic’ movedunder its ownpower forthe first time in over 27 years, operating ashort distance at its Barrow Hill base.
This followedastart-up of the locomotive’s powerunits just over sixmonths earlier; in theintervening
In authentic North Eastern Railway surroundings, on February 19 the Electric Autocar Trust’sawardwinning NER Petrol Autocar No. 3178 –which datesfrom 1903 –along with trailer No. 3453, departs Grosmont forGoathland during ahalf-term visit to the North YorkshireMoors Railway
TONY WINWARD
period, DPSelectricianshavespent manyhours checking and testing all the newwiring and eradicating faults.
Prior to the locomotivetaking power, the six tractionmotors were checked in pairs beforebeing connectedup. The ‘Deltic’ wasthen run in each direction from both cabs before being driven back into the DPSdepot.
At the controls was, appropriately,
Mike Hallam-Rudd,DPS volunteer liaisonofficer, who had switched the locomotiveoffatButterleywhen it was stopped foroverhaul on April13, 1997. Amonth earlier,ithad taken part in the East LancashireRailway’s ‘Three Deltics’ event, operating with Nos. 55002 The Kings Own YorkshireLight Infantry and 55019 RoyalHighland Fusilier
The overhaul andreskinningof
DEMU STARTEDAFTER
39 YEARS
ON February 6, unrestored ‘Hastings’ powercar No. 60001, which last sawuse in May1986 when it was withdrawnfromBRservice, was started up forthe first time in almost 39 years at St Leonards Railway Engineering’sdepot.
Meanwhile, asecond restored vehicle, TSOL No. 60501, has been outshopped in blue/greytomatch powercar No. 60000 Hastings which returned to use in January.No. 60501 had been stopped foroverhaul in 2023.
‘BUBBLE’ CARONHIRE
WITH the overhaul of resident No. 55003 not yetcomplete, and Cotswold Diesel Railcar’s Class 117 having been sold to the Scottish Railway Preservation Society,the GloucestershireWarwickshireRailway has hiredClass 121 No. 55024 from the Chinnor &PrincesRisborough Railway to coverits timetabledDMU services. The ‘bubble’ car arrived on February 25 and is expectedtostay untilNo. 55003 returns to traffic later this year
4-CIG CARGOES FORSCRAP
HAVING been stripped of parts to assist in the restoration of sister
vehicle No. 62364, 4-CIG MBSO
No. 62385 left the East Kent Railway forUnimetals, Newport Dockson February 19. Aftercutting, its bogies were due to be returned to the 400 Series PreservationGroup.
Arriving at the East Kent Railway on the same dayas No.62385 departed, wasanother 4-CIG car, No. 76762, which will be used to form acomplete Class 421 forthe ‘batteries included’ project which is intended to seethe unit operate under battery power.
NSE LIVERYFOR ‘309’ DRIVING CAR
IN ajoint venturebetween the East Anglian Railway Museum and the Clacton Express PreservationGroup, Class 309 BDTCsoLNo. 75965, part of No. 309624, has been repainted into Network SouthEast livery,following work to weatherproof the vehicle. As well as the repaint, some metalwork replacement has taken place, along with repairs to damaged doors and work on the windows, including new double glazing.
The work hasbeen financed from CEPG fundraising and adonation of £1500 from the Clacton Classic Car Club. Following some interior work, the vehicle will be on displayatthe
No. D9015 wasstarted at Butterley, but in 2003 it wasmoved by road to the newlyconstructed DPSdepot at Barrow Hill. The need to fit out the depot, as well as maintain and operate Nos. D9009 Alycidon and 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier,meant that forseveral years, little progress wasmade on the overhaul of Tulyar; this highlights a difficulty faced by manyloco owners, that of sufficient volunteer resources.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, it wasdecided to makea concerted effort to complete the work needed to return No. D9015 to working order,and this has culminated in it beingclose to completion.Morework is needed beforethe ‘Deltic’ can be considered fullyoperational.
In the coming months it will be tested on the Barrow Hill Roundhouse demonstration line beforeall three DPS‘Deltics’ appear at the Greatest Gathering at DerbyinAugust, after which it is planned that Tulyar will move to the Great Central Railwayfor mileageaccumulation
■ Fears that one of the powerunits fitted to No. D9015 in 2024 had dephased when it wasstarted in August 2024, appear to be unfounded. A detailed inspection involving specialist cameraequipment by PowerEngineering Projects, aWigan-based firm which has undertaken other ‘Deltic’ powerunit work in recent years,showednodamage and the engine wassuccessfully barred over. It is nowthought that the misfiring wascaused by defectivefuelpumps, and all 18 aretobechanged beforethe powerunit is started again. E
East Anglian RailwayMuseum’s Essex Electrics exhibition on April12, which is being held to mark 40 years of the electrification of theGreat Eastern main
line to Ipswich; the firstelectric train to operate to Ipswich under its ownpower wasapair of EMUs, Nos. 305505/10, on atest run on April9,1985.
The East Anglian RailwayMuseum’s Class 309 driving car No. 75965, part of set No. 309624, has been repainted into Network SouthEast livery following weatherproofwork, and is seen on
‘Crompton’back
in passenger service
–two weeksafter its ‘final run’!
JUSTtwo weeksafterundertaking what had been advertised as its final passenger workings beforebeing stoppedfor bodywork repairs, No.33109 Captain Bill Smith RNR was pressed back into timetabled service on February 22, at the East Lancashire Railway, following the failureof No. 40012 Aureol at the start of theday
It operated twotrips between Bury and Heywood, allowing time for No. 45108, which took over forthe rest of the weekend, to be prepared forservice.
No. 33109 had madeits last booked passenger outing prior to overhaul during the line’sWinter Diesel DayonFebruary 8, afterwhich it wasdue to be used onlyonsome engineering/workstrains beforebeing stopped. Its overhaul will concentrate on those areas of bodywork which requireattention, rather than the lengthyjob beingundertaken on No. 33117, which has been out of action since November 2005.
■ Another ‘33/1’ which is presently receivingattention to its bodywork is No. 33111, at Barrow Hill. The cab structure, removedentirely at one end on the driver’sside due to excessivecorrosion, is in the process of being refitted.
Peak Rail-based Class 44 ‘Peak’ No. D8 Penyghent sits at DarleyDale on February 15, with afreight consist during aspeciallyorganised night photoshoot. NIGELVALENTINE
Four visitors forChinnor& Princes Risborough Railwaygala
NO less than four visiting engines areplanned to attend the Chinnor &Princes Risborough Railway’sgala in early April, with Nos. 45108 and 50015 Valiant appearing along with A1A Locomotives’ No. 31108 and Hanson &Hall’s No. 50008 Thunderer –the latter on the Fridayand Sunday only. The ‘45’ is also due to visit the SwanageRailway the following month, while No. 31108 is also likely to appear elsewhereduring 2025.
The Llanelli and MynyddMawr Railway has announced agala on
March22, which is being held as part of the Railway 200 celebrations.
‘Pacer’ No. 143612 (on loan from the Vale of BerkeleyRailway), former MODRailcar No. AD9117 and Sentinel shunterNo. 10222 should all be in action. Over the sameweekend,the Mid-Norfolk Railway is celebrating its 30th anniversary.Aswell as the resident Class 03, 33 and 47s, an HST setsupplied by Romic will also be in use.
Looking further ahead, LocomotiveServices plans to provide
May30-June 1: Bo’ness &Kinneil
Railway
June 5-7: West Somerset Railway
June 7/8: Llangollen Railway
June 12-15: North YorkshireMoors
Railway
June 13-15: North NorfolkRailway
June 19-22: Keighley&WorthValley
Railway
July3-6: East LancashireRailway
July11-13: Mid Hants Railway
July18-20: Ecclesbourne Valley
Railway
July18-20: Kent &East Sussex
Railway
July25-27: Gloucestershire WarwickshireRailway
Class40No. D213 Andania forthe North Norfolk Railway’s gala in June, while in September,No. 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier looks set to become the first ‘Deltic’ to visit the Dean Forest Railway.The DPSsaysitisin discussion with other lines regarding potential visits as well.
Despite the recent landslip, the Severn ValleyRailway has confirmed that its four-dayDiesel Gala in Maywill be going ahead and its first confirmed visitorisaClass66, courtesyof Freightliner
August 1-3: Caledonian Railway
August 1-3: Spa ValleyRailway
August 30/31: Wensleydale Railway (Industrial Diesels)
September 4-6: Great Central Railway
September 5-7: Bluebell Railway
September 6/7: Midland Railway –Butterley(DMU)
September 13/14: Dean Forest
Railway
September 20/21: Tanfield Railway (Diesel Pioneers)
October 2-5: Severn ValleyRailway
October 4/5: Llangollen Railway (HeritageRailcar)
November 8/9: East Lancashire
Railway (DMU)
CLASS 14 REASSEMBLY BEGINS
THE part-restored cab of the Diesel &Electric Preservation Group’s No. D9518 wasmounted back on to the locomotive’s frames at Williton on the West Somerset Railwayon February 8. Work is nowtaking place to reattach various parts to the cab as well as wiring it up to the rest of the systems. Meanwhile, the power unit rebuild is also progressing, thankstothe use of an engine turnoverrig, with the crankshaft being refitted during February.The Class 14 is believedtohavelast run in 1986, when it wasbased at Ashington. Initiallypreserved at Rutland Railway Museum and then the Nene ValleyRailway,itarrived at Williton in 2011.
‘PEAK’
LIFT
WITH its ‘Master Cutler’ tour to St Pancras having been redated from February 1toMay 26 after the discovery of apotential wheel bearing defect, No. 45118 The RoyalArtilleryman waslifted for inspection/repair at Creweduring February
‘TEDDYBEAR’ ARRIVES AT LLANGOLLEN
THE transfer by road of No. D9525 from the Ecclesbourne ValleyRailway to the Llangollen Railway, whereitis to be based forthe next 12 months, took place on February 26.
‘47/7’ BODYWORK REPAIRS HAVING successfullyoperated on ‘Polar Express’ trains, plus a running dayinlate December,the Wensleydale Railway’s recently acquired No. 47714 is now undergoing bodywork repairs in advance of arepaint which is likely to see it lose its Anglia Railways colours.
‘WESTERN’ DRIVER EXPERIENCES PROVE POPULAR
WITH both of the Diesel Footplate Experiences in Julyoffering achance to drivea ‘Western’ at the Severn ValleyRailway being fullybooked, twomoredates have been added to the programme. No. D1062 Western Courier will be used on additional driver experience trips on August 15 and September 26. Other dates using Classes 37, 40, 46 and 50 are also available.
MK.1 OVERHAUL
Aresidentatthe GwiliRailway for morethan 30 years, Mk.1 TSO No. 4420 has been movedtothe East Somerset Railwayfor overhaul by its commercial arm, CranmoreTraincare and Maintenance Services.
DIESEL DIARY
RSSrounds up LU batterylocos
The Schoma/Clayton locos purchasedlast year have begun to be transported to WishawfromLondon.
RAILWAYSupport Services has commenced the lengthytask of moving the 14 London Underground locomotives it wonatauction last summer to its base at Wishaw, near Sutton Coldfield. These were originallybuilt by Schoma in 1996 as two-axle diesel hydraulics before10ofthe classwererebuilt as batterylocomotives by Claytonduring 2015. Whilethe conversion of Nos.
2/4-8/10/11/13/14 wascompleted, the project wasaborted beforethe final four examples were done, leavingNos. 1/3/9/12 as diesel-powered. In recent years, all of the locomotives have been stored at West Ruislip
First to head north to the West Midlands on February 13 wasNo. 5, with No. 10 following sevendayslater, these both being Clayton rebuilds with
the worksnumbers of B4607/5 and B4607/10 respectively. In addition to having lost their Underground roundels, both have alsohad their cast nameplates of Sophie and Clementine removed. It is expected that one or two locos per week will be collected from West Ruislip from mid-Marchuntilall are at Wishaw.
As to their futureuse under RSS
ownership, it has been speculated theywillfind employmentonHS2 construction trains working in pairs, with the battery locomotives being particularlysuitable foruse in the numerous long tunnel sections. However, RSShas stated that while a number of enquiries have been made regarding their futuredeployment, agreements have yettobefinalised. E
NEWS ROUND-UP
ALSTOM
WIDNES-BASED No. 08721 regained aname on January 28 when it was christened KenDavies after Alstom’s movements manager.The ceremony at the company’s technology centre wasa surprise forthe 66-year-old to mark his 50 years of railwayservice. No. 08721 is best known forthe RedStar parcels livery it carried between 1987 and 2015, and has previouslysported four different names, all unofficially, during its career,these being Starlet, MASmith, Downhill CS and Longsight TMD.The present bearer of the Longsight TMD name, No. 08790, has surprisingly retained the nameplates following its move to Wembley, previous practice being to retain the nameplates at the Manchesterdepot to fit to whichever shunter is based there
POSITIVE TRACTION
The extended three-monthtrial of No. 08308 at Derbyreached a conclusion in mid-February,withthe ‘08e’ battery conversion departing the Loramworkshops on the 18th. Takennorth, it ended the monthback at Neville Hill, the shunter having brieflyvisited the Leeds depot for
less than aweekinNovember last year Meanwhile, the companyhas teased the possibility of a‘13e’ rebuild, which would ape the trio of Class13master and slave conversions once employedatTinsley Yard.This would see twoClass 08s rebuilt with batteries and wired to work in multiple, with one loco also losing its cab.
RAILWAYSUPPORTSERVICES
The first half of February proved to be abusyone forRSS,with aflurry of road movements. Half of these were centred on the ICL terminal at Tees Dock, from whereboth Nos. 08507 and 08899were retrievedaround February 11/12 and returned to Wishaw. In return, Thomas Hill ‘Vanguard’ No. 261V wasdispatched north after its latest round of engine repairs, the yellow0-6-0DH working the potash terminalaloneasthe month ended.
Meanwhile newlyhired-in No. 09106 wassent back to Peterborough on February 7, following the completion of repairs at Wishaw, thissecond attempt to deliver the former HNRCmachine to the GB Railfreight depot proving successful, unlike the first try on January 29. ThisallowedNo. 08632 to belatedly departfor Wishaw forattention of its own, which wasdue to be completed as
quicklyaspossible to allowittoreturn to Peterborough. At Daventry,the contract to hireaClass 08 from RSShas reached its conclusion, with No. 08629 collected on February 19, and taken to Wishawfor an examand to await its next job Shunting at the freight terminal is nowsolelyinthe hands of apair of ex British Steel GECT diesel electrics, Nos. 261 and 268 (worksNos. 5430 and 5465) being hired from Ed Murray
RMS LOCOTEC
AClass 08has appearedatWolsingham forthe first time in just over ayear,with the arrival of No. 08847 from Teesport on February 24,this bringingtoanend astayofalmost sixyears at the PD Ports’ facility in Middlesbrough. Although RMS Locotec movedits maintenance operationsawayfromthe Weardale Railwayatthe beginningof2024,the shunter is set to receiveattention in the line’s workshop.
HNRCSWIETELSKY
Displaced by the GBRf ‘Zephir’ roadrailers, No. 08630 wascollected from the Celsa steelworksinCardiff late on March6,itheaded northtoLeeds Midland Road. Delivered the following afternoon,tyreturning wasthen
carried out overnight on March7 with the shunter immediatelycollected from the depot the next morning and taken to Hope Cement Works, Derbyshire.
TALISMAN SERVICES
Anew name to this column, Talisman Services, is nowthe custodian of No. 08704 following the sale of Riviera Trains to West Coast Railways,Talisman having adirector who previouslyheld the same position with Riviera. With the former Rivieracoaching stock no longer receiving modifications at Knottingley, No. 08704 has latterlybeen largely redundant, having arrived at the DB Cargodepot back in January 2021. February 25 found the shunter on the move to Cranmore, on hiretothe East Somerset Railway forthe foreseeable future. This will allowRolls-Royce Sentinel No. 10218 to be stopped for awell earned overhaul as well as give greater flexibility to the line’s operations as No. 08704 is dual-braked.
Temporary Penzance depot pilot No. 08836 in between duties at Long Rock depotonFebruary 7. Class 57 No.57605 Totnes Castle is awaiting areplacement cabwindow. ANDREW TRIGGS
FEA-G deliveriesrestart with Wascosaorangebatch
Tenmonthsafter thelast batch arrived forGBRf/Porterbrook, afurther 40 examples arenow in thecountry from lessor Wascosa.
WASCOSAhas delivered afurther40 FEA-G container flatstoGBRailfreight, allformed in ‘twin’ configuration. Wearing the lessor’s striking orange paint scheme, the first Wascosaliveried rolling stock in the UK, albeit
already looking faded from several months in storeinGermany, the vehiclesarrived in twobatches of 20 wagons on January 31 and February 5. The first to arrivewereNos. 81 70 4663 401-414/417-422 and
these movednorth as a6E59 05.49 Dollands Moor to Peterborough North Yard behind No. 66770 Darius Cheskin.The balance of the order, Nos. 81 70 4663 415/416/423-440, wasdelivered, collected from the
Channel Tunnel yard by No. 66708 Cnaba Ykpaihi -Glory to Ukraine and worked west as a6O97 03.45 to Eastleigh Yard.Asofthe endof February,all but Nos. 81 70 4663 425428 at Eastleigh were in useonGBRf intermodal services.
This brings the total quantity of the updated Greenbrier/AstraRail FEA fleet in the UK to 640 platforms, with the yellowGBRf/Network Rail/ Wascosa single-unit FEA-W design accounting for260, the blueGBRf/ Porterbrook FEA-G ‘twins’ stalled at 340 with afurther 60 planned andthe orangeGBRf/Wascosa FEA-G ‘twins’ maxedout at 40 examples. E
Anew freight working for2025, as reported in RE346, is the twice-daily Shap Quarry to BNF Drigg lowlevel nuclear waste facility,taking stone which will be used to create a membrane. Although a short-term working initially, further movement of stone from Shap to Drigg is expected at afuturepoint. On February 5, hauling newJNA boxwagons,DRS Class 68 No. 68003 Astute descends Shap beforea run round move at Tebay and working to Drigg via UpperbyJunction and Currock Junction, Carlisle. JOHN LONGDEN
DEVELOPMENTS
■ DB CARGO: Following the completion of the first fiveAngloPolish constructed BAAslab carriers at DBC’sworkshops at Stoke-on-Trent (RE346) in January,afurthereight wagons were outshopped during February.The thirdday of the new month wasnotable forthe departure of the lowest numbered memberof the fleet, No. 900400, along with Nos. 900405/6. These also carry the 12-digit UIC numbers 82 70 4614 020-4, 82 70 4614 084-0 and 82 70 4614 120-2, which aretakenfromtheir previous ‘paper’ identities. They were followedbyNos. 900409 (82 70 4689 283-8) and 900411 (82 70 4689 222-6) on February 11, and Nos. 900408 (82 70 4614 136-8) and 900410 (82 70 4689 217-6) on February 17. Finally, No. 900421 (82 70 4696041-1) left forWarrington Arpley on February 24. Their former ‘paper’ TOPS numbers have not yetbeen released.
■ DIRECT RAIL SERVICES:
Completed in March2024 and placed into storeatMotherwell TMDshortly afterwards, the 25 WH Davis-built JNA boxes, Nos. 81 70 5932 812-836, have nowentered service withDRS.The wagons arebeing used on atwicedaily service to carry aggregates from the famous quarry at Shap Summit
to Drigg to feed the Southern Trench Interim Membrane (STIM) project which will replace the existing capping of the legacydisposal trenchs at the Low LevelNuclear Waste (LLNW) facility
The first of 64 planned trains ranon February 3, and theyare expected to carry 46,000 tonnes of stone in total.
■ MENDIPRAIL: The next batch of 34 HOAhoppers is nowinthe country with the arrival of Nos. 81 70 6774 212-245 from Poland on February 25, with GB Railfreight No. 66709 Sorrento doing the honours on the initial 6Z66 03.45 Dollands Moor to Wembley Yard delivery run in the earlyhours of February 26. Shortlyafter arrival in North London, the blue VTGRailleasedwagonsweretaken forwardby FreightlinerNo. 59206 John FYeoman as a6V3109.06 to Whatley.
The remaining 17 former Foster Yeoman JHAs at Crewemoved onto the final destinationonJanuary 30, Nos. OK 19303/6/21/2/8/35/42/7/ 8/65/9/71/85/91/7-9being hauledbyRailOperations Group No 37608 Andromeda as a7H66 12.15 CreweSouth Yard to Kingsbury This formationwas confirmed by observation, which brings up anumber of issueswith the previous 7E25 service to Attercliffe on January 12.
This should in fact have been formed of Nos. OK 19300/4/24/7/31/4/6/40 /61/3/6/70/3/7/82/92/5.
■ PRESERVATION: The National WagonPreservationGroup has helped secureten of the 30 former VEA internal users that were in store at Marchwood, near Southampton. Valley Rail Preservation has purchased Nos. WGB4200/33 (ex-230009/534), the Diesel Electric Shunter Companyhas acquired No. WGB4346 (230364) and the Dean Forest Railwaywillrehome Nos. WGB4215/6 (ex-230241/349) and three others. These will be sourced from Nos. WGB4201/2/19/24/8 (ex-230068/114/268/307/380). The other 20 were scrapped by Bryan Hirst Ltd of HampshireinJanuary,as follows: Nos. 4203/4/6/9/10/3/8/203/5/6/32/4/40/3/7-9(ex-230141/ 52/67/96/200/31/66/79/87/91/3 04/25/8/482, 230335, 230122/476, 230137/232/403). Note that WGB standsfor WagonGoodsBox and is an internal Ministry of Defence establishment code.
Therewas also good news forformer VCANo. MODA 7459 (ex-200429), which has also been purchased from Marchwoodby the NWPG. Although its worse for wear colleague No.MODA7453
(ex-200394) succumbed to the gas axe.Also scrapped by the same companyatMarchwood were former Campbells Soup PVAcurtain-sided vans MODA 7420 (ex-BRT6904), MODA 7421 (ex-BRT6905), MODA 7423 (ex-BRT6907) andMODA7424 (ex-BRT6911) and former Kellys containerised coal PFAflats Nos. MODA 93203/7/17/25/7/38.
Finally, Bryan Hirst Ltd also obliterated the remaining UIC gauge Warflats at the same location during January,Nos. MODA 980009/17/8/20/3-5, 98029 (33 80 4733 135-4), 98030 (33 80 4733 034-9) 98031 (33 80 4733 022-4), 98032 (33 80 4733 012-5), 33 80 4733 003/018/019/021/026/030/038 /039/041/045/048/056/061/076/07 9/ 080/085/092/099/102/113/1222/124.
■ DISPOSALS: As predicted in the last issue, February 4saw the departure of most of the MEAs at MilfordWest Sidings, Nos. 391237/40 /300/54/67/413/21/6/33/9/57/66 /550/638 movingthe short distance forscrapping as a6Z83 00.30 to CF Booth, Rotherham, behindNo. 66012. This appears to leave No. 391610 at Milford.
No. 252 DIESELAND ELECTRIC ERA MODELLING
Tiny traction in ‘O’ Ruston
44 Newsdesk: ‘OO’ Electrostarsinthe balance
Accurascale and Railsteamuptooffer ‘OO’gauge Electrostars, but onlyifthereissufficient expressionof interest. Revolution Trains returns to theHunslet 0-6-0DH industrial shunter by offering anew ‘OO’ gaugemodel
45 Newsdesk: Model Rail showreport
Manufacturers exhibited their latestcreations at the recent Glasgow show, includingsomepreproduction models notyet revealed to the modelling public.
50 Review: TT:120 Class66s examined
Akey release forHornbyisits Class66model in ‘TT:120’ scale. Howdid it fare with ourcomprehensive review process?
54 Review: Coaching stockperfection?
HasAccurascale produced the ultimatelocomotivehauled coach in its Mk.2c?Read on to find out whatwe think of them.
58 Review: O&Kbogieboxes in ‘OO’ PHA/JYAwagons operated by Foster Yeoman are produced forUltimate Model RailwaysbyCavalexModels. Theyare given athorough inspection and test running on alayout with other similar wagons.
62 Review: Ruston &Hornsby88DS
The first ‘O’ gaugelocomotivebyAccurascale is not a grandorcelebrity locomotive, butthe humble Ruston & Hornsby88DS. It is given our usual close examination, nonetheless.
88DS reviewed
66 D&EFiles: O&Kbogiebox wagons
Wheredoes the newUltimateModel Railways/Cavalex Models PHA/JYAfitMendip quarry traffic?Wetakealook at howthe modelscan be used to make up authentic trainformations.
70 Review: 35ttank wagons return
The Heljan ‘OO’ gauge35t tank wagonisreissued in a move welcomed by many modellers. The TSVversion representingthose used on molasses traffic is reviewed Nigel
It’s electric and it’s astar!
AN AMBITIOUS project to producean entiresuite of tooling forthe gangwayed Electrostar family hasbeen announced by Accurascale. The project is quite vast in scope, causingAccurascale to team up with RailsofSheffield which is keen to build on the success of the Class 89 project.
The potential of the Electrostar washighlighted in Rail Express Modeller as long agoasMay 2021, although we aresureAccurascale would have seen the same potential foramodel we have identified. The longevity of the design, the large number of vehicles in traffic, together with awide variety of operator liveries gives amodel wide appeal. It also presents another challengewe outlined in ouroriginal ‘Any Takers?’ article, and that is oneofthe two differing designs of gangwayed unit, evenbeforethe Capitalstar and C2C Class 357 units areconsidered. Whilst thereare manycommon components that could be taken advantageof, it will add to the complexity of tooling, and, consequently, development costs.
Phase 1units
The first builds of gangwayed Electrostar with ribbon glazing were introduced from 1999 and include the Class 375 fleet operated by South Eastern and the Class 377 (once classified as Class 375) operated by Govia Southern.
In the 20-plus years these units
have been in traffic,theyhavechanged operator liveries, andsome have switched from oneTOC to another too.
The first batchofmodels to be offered covers the ribbon glazed units which will coveralot of ground south of the Thames alongwith Thameslink services. Theywillbepopularbecause OHLEisnot needed fortheir presence on alayout, onlya conductor rail.Itisnoted that the first batch does not include the three-car South-Eastern Class 375/3 sets.
Phase 2units
The tooling suite will include the partsto build models of Class 379 andClass 387 units, informallycalled Phase 2units. Theywereintroduced from 2010 and have numerous differences compared to ribbon-glazed stock, including separate passengerwindows giving them aquite different appearance. They were not revealed in the February 2025 announcement andwillbeproduced as asecond batch if allgoes well with the first.
Technical specs
Accurascale recognised the importance of accuracyinproducingwhat will be its first UK multiple unit(sister company Irish RailwayModels is due to release hi-fidelity models of the Córas Iompair Éireann Inter City railcars later thisyear) Details of the scanningtechnology was revealed includingspecialist scanningof
HIGHdemand fora‘OO’ gaugemodel of the Hunslet0-6-0DH shunter following the success of the modeldeveloped forthe N GaugeSociety,has prompted Revolution Trains to takeupthe baton. It playedamajor part in the development of the‘N’ gauge model, so has agood experience in modelling these attractivelocomotives.
The diversity of the Hunslet 0-6-0DH 50t and 55t locomotives makes the model a broad project which has the potential to run forsome time. Four locomotives will makeup
the underframe and floor pan from rail levelfor the highest levelofaccuracy
Consequently, the specification for the model is intended to be the most advanced forany UK multiple unit model ever produced in ‘OO’ gauge.
The overall architecturewill comprise an injection mouldedABS bodyshell set designed to fit cast metal underframes. Needless to saythat flush glazing, fullydetailed passengersalons andcabs (detail appropriate to the subclass) areinevitable features. To include interiors, lowlevelmotor and drive systems areindevelopment to power the leadbogie of each driving car
DCC-operated pantographs on appropriate models, together with comprehensivelightingincluding door lights and interiorillumination aretofeatureinall models. The use of couplings with electrical poles and
the first batch, including NCB No. 503 in green, Harry Needle No. 29inHNRR colours, British Steel yellowNo. 403and Esso Redwing in red. Locomotivedetailswillvary depending on the modelled prototype and working flashing roof lights will be fittedto the appropriate models.
The project is at early stageswith the order book set to open in the spring. Anticipated delivery is likely to be early2026, although the usual caveats apply. www.revolutiontrains.com
The project is at the CAD stageatthe time of writing.
through wiring means that onlyone decoder is necessary to supplypower to the four-car trains and aspeaker in every car
Prices and delivery
The complexity of the project along with the vast amount of tooling needed means that the firstbatch won’t be ready foratleast twoyears. By the time Accurascale starts tooling work, it will have experience forthe IRM Córas Iompair Éireann ICR units to draw upon which has been aproject of considerable complexity
Prices start at £499.95 fora DCCready (silent) four-car model. The digital sound version is priced at £599.95.
Get your skates on…
At the time of writing, production of the first run of Class 375 and Class 377 forSoutheastern, First Capital Connect and Govia Southern (see adjacent livery diagrams) is not yetcast in concrete or anything else forthat matter.The deadline forexpressions of interest in this fascinating project will be close by the time this issue of Rail Express goes to press. If youwish to add gangwayed Electrostars to your collection or encouragethe development of further types such as the Capitalstar Class 378 or C2C Class 357 units, don’t delay, you have untilMarch 28, 2025. Adeposit of £50 is required foranexpression of interest.This can be done on either the Accurascale or RailsofSheffield web sites.
www.accurascale.co.uk
www.railsofsheffield.co.uk
Southern Electrostar No. 377145 heads south from Pulborough with atestworking on March8,2004. The line between Horsham and Arundelisscenicinmanyplacesbut rarely photographed.
First Capital Connect colours are represented with No. 37505 and 375515.
Livery diagram forNo. 375610 in South Eastern livery (dark blue doors).
No. 377205/08/10and 377215 willbe finished in Southern livery
Hunslet 0-6-0DHshunters aretobeproduced in ‘OO’ gaugeby Revolution Trains following demand by modellers.
ReportingModel Rail Scotland
Although ablustery February weekendgreeted visitors to Model Rail Scotland,atthe Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow,itdid nothingtodampen enthusiasm forthis large model railwayextravaganza!
THE CLUBS makingupthe Association of Model RailwaySocieties in Scotland (AMRSS)traditionallypresent their layouts at Model Rail Scotland, Scotland’spremier model railway event which is attendedbyguest layouts and traders too.
Manufacturers see the occasion as an important eventtoshowcase their latest projects, andthis year was no different. Livery samples of the forthcoming EFE Rail ‘OO’gaugeClass 74, along with the newBachmann Class 08 were available forinspection.
Heljan displayednew ‘O’gauge models with the helpofasmall layout and revealed the first impression of its new‘OO’ gaugeClass 44
Tantalising views of newforthcoming modelsonthe Bachmann stand included the highlydetailed EFE Rail ‘OO’ gaugeClass 74
CAVALEX MODELSSCRAP AND STEEL
DB Cargo’s No. 60062 Sonia in Steel on Steel livery is aspecial edition model produced for RailsofSheffield by CavalexModels. It wasone of severalofthe first batch of Class 60s displayedatthe show.
Tiphook Rail JXA wagons areatthe livery sample stage and arelooking very impressive. They aredue late in 2025 as single and triple wagonpacks.
Cavalextook up aspot adjacent to one of the entrance doors, with its stand showing off its recentlyreleased Class 60 and forthcomingsteel andscrap metalwagons.
On the opposite side of theaisle wasHornby, which displayedcompleted models of the brand-newand very detailedStadler ‘Flirt’ alongwith the Lumo Class 803, both of which are due forimminent release. Formore traditionaltraction enthusiasts, the ‘TT:120’scale Class 37 wasrevealed as afirst pre-production sample whilst the modern ‘TT:120’ freight wagon rangeistobeenhanced with anew KFA, asample of which wasavailablefor inspection
Revolution Trains showcased its exciting new‘OO’ and‘N’ gauge articulated five-carWIA carcarriers and aselection of its latest multiple unit projects, including Class 313s, Class 175s and Class 180s.
Rapido’s new‘N’ gauge‘Peaks’ were on showalongwith the forthcoming Class 60 from Accurascale. In all, support forthe AMRSS from the
manufacturers wascomprehensiveand allows us to look at progress on anumber of keymodels.
On the layout front, therewerea couple of exhibits which areworthyofa mention. The large ‘EM’ gauge‘Wharfside’ layout displayedbyThe Scottish Region Study Group, whilst not aD&E layout, is noteworthyfor its consistentlyfine operation and subtle finishing of rolling stock, scenery and structures.
1990s Network SouthEast was represented by ‘OO’ gauge‘Mailingpark West’ operated by the 57 Study Group, whilst modern MPD operations were modelled on ‘Eden Road TMD’ built by the Cupar &District MRC.
Therewerea number of excellent compact and microlayouts in various scales, including ‘Dingmyre’ Worksby Scottish Modellers, along with ‘Kyle of Macallan LocomotiveShed’ in ‘EM’ gauge by Adrian Walby. In all, agreat modelling event in which sevenhours dissapeared in aflash!
www.modelrail-scotland.co.uk
It should be noted that the featured pre-production prototypes and decorated sample models aresubject to changeand modification by the manufacturers.
HELJAN ‘DOGBOXES’ CLASS 02S AND ‘PEAKS’
The ‘O’ gaugeClass 153 announcement by Heljan took many by surprise at the time. Thedecorated samples displayedatGlasgow attracted alot of attention, along with the Class 117.
PowelDuffryn PXA steel carriers arealso at an advanced stagewith pristine and weathered versions on display. Sets of twoand three wagons will be available from CavalexModels dealers later in theyear,probablyinthe thirdquarter
The appealing YorkshireEngine CompanyClass 02 shunting locomotives arebeing produced in ‘O’ and ‘OO’ gauge. Redland’s Dianne is one of the first batch of ‘O’ gaugemodels, the former BR No. D2856, finished in light green with Redland markings.
Regional Railways No. 153301 will bring back memories! Noteworthyisthe rivetted characterofthe Class 153s replicated beautifully, bringing out the character of the single car units. Heljan advises that the light blue stripe needs to be adjusted.
The Class 02 is as cute as the recently released Ruston 48DS! The models are due in the UK in the coming months.
Heljan has made significant progress on its ‘OO’gauge Class153, with aprototype model displayedatthe show.
The ‘OO’ gaugeClass 44 breakscover at Model Rail in the form of apre-production prototype. It wears the modified body side grilles as applied to Nos. D9 and D10.
NEW HORNBY‘TT:120’ MODELSAPPEAR
Hornbydisplayeda sampleofits new‘TT:120’ scale Class 37 which has the features of an early locomotive, including communication doors and buffer fairings. The Class 37 model range, which includes aClass 37/4 and Class 37/7 is due in late 2025.
Acloser look at the cab and bonnet detailofthe forthcoming Class 44 waspossible at the show. As with anypre-production prototype,the model will be carefully checked and needed changes reported back to the factory
The ‘OO’ gaugeWIA car carrier,which is composed of fivearticulatedunits ingeniouslymodelled by Revolution Trains.
An interesting D&E ‘TT:120’ development is the KFAcontainerwagon which has reached the prototype stagealong with severalcontainers and acontainer tank. The wagon’s frame is composed of cast metal forweight.
Turning the modelover reveals awealth of detail including brakefittings, air tank and the air cylinder.Close coupling cams arefitted to the model.
The ‘OO’ gaugeClass 755 ‘Flirt’ bi-modemultiple unit is due in the spring. Severalexamples of the train were displayed on the Hornbystand.Who can resist the detailapplied to the articulated powerpod that makes these trains so unique?
‘N’ gaugemodellers have their ownWIA to look forwardtoand this is also ahighlydetailed model which is likely to be very popular.
Our round-up of models on displayatModel Rail Glasgow is concluded with aviewoflivery samples of the forthcoming PEP EMUs in ‘N’ gauge. No. 313064 in BR livery and No. 313048 in Network SouthEast livery were acouple of the manysamples on display.
Multi-colour 66sinTT:120
Howwell does the newHornby ‘TT:120’ gaugeClass 66 measureup? An examinationof four distinctly different models is conductedand the variationsineach one checkedagainst reference material.
First impressions
ANY LINGERING thoughts that Hornby’s ‘TT:120’ rangewould be little morethan toys arecompletely dispelled by the newClass 66 range. Theyare certainlynot toy-like and bear no resemblance to the ‘OO’ gaugeRailroad rangemodelseither Immediatelygood impressions were formed when the moulded bodyshells were first examined. Modern tooling has clearlybeen utilised to the max to produce well-defined detailand
the models areheavy fortheir size. A qualitypaint finish is applied to all four of the sample models,with particular mention of the fine lining on GB Railfreight’s No. 66779 EveningStar which looksjust thepart.
Model variations
Taking on acompletelynew rangeof Class 66s is no easytaskgiven their 18year production run and changes made to each batch of locomotives from the first 250 EWS locomotives introduced
Like or loathe them, thereisnodoubtthat the Class 66 makesaninteresting model,and Hornbyhas captured their angularappearancewell in its brand-new ‘TT:120’ scale model.
An extensivecollectionoftooling hasbeen prepared to coverasmanyvariations in Class 66s as possible,including the originalbodyshell version used to modelGB Railfreight No. 66789 British Rail 1948-1997
Fivedifferent Class 66s makeupthe first run, including amodel of the very last one to be built: No. 66779 Evening Star.Ithas allthe featuresofalate-build, lowemission locomotive, including the smaller fuel tankto save weight
after 1998 throughtothe lastbuild delivered to GB Railfreight in 2015 and 2016. Althoughdislikedbymany enthusiasts,their long history and howithas influenced the Railfreight businessinthe UK and Europe means theyhavegainedsupportersoverthe years
Hornbydecided to produce models forall themain variants of theClass 66 including theoriginal series as well as bodyshell and underframe tooling forlow emission locomotives.
Further,tooling incorporates the original Wipac running lights, the revised large high intensity running lightsand thelatest LED type which hasreplaced both theoriginal and the large running light fittingsonmany Class 66s following overhaul.
Improvements to thecab environment sawthe cab side windowschanged as theClass 66 design wasrevised.Subsequently, locomotives with theoriginal type of window were also changed to thelater type as cabs were upgraded, afeature modelled in thenew Hornbymodel.
Thebodyshells and underframes tooled forthe newrangewillgive Hornbythe scope to covernumerous different locomotives along with the manyspecial liveries applied to them. Agood example is themodel of No. 66714 Cromer Lifeboat.The applied Europorte livery matches therunning light and cab window arrangement. Had No. 66714 been modelled in original GB Railfreight livery,the cabwindows would not have been amatch.
Further,inthe last fewyears, No. 66714 hasreceived newrunning lightswhich aredifferent to the modelled ones, which places the model in apast time frame. However, this is thecase formanyClass 66s whichhavebeen reliveried several times in arelativelyshortlifespan and modified as they have changed operators.
Thereisone livery missing from therangeoffive locomotives and one whichshould have been apriority giventhatthe first 250 of theclass were finished in it, and that is EWS maroon and gold (Nos. 66001-250). It would have provided traction for theMGR model and today, DB Cargo operated Class 66s arestill running in EWS colours,although thenumber is rapidlydwindling
Superstructure
Single piece bodyshells have been produced foreach locomotivevariant, with the differences in grille sizeand position beingincorporated. The Class 66 has anumber of useful reference lines to check the bodyshells are straight and fitted to the chassis without distortion. Nothing untoward could be observed in anyofthe sample models.
Moulded detail is sharp and of the right levelofsubtlety without losing anyofthe locomotives’ character.The changes in angle between the panels of the cab roof areclearlydefined, alongwith aproperlyshaped cab.
The sides of the bodyshells arewell modelled withthe correct number of side ribs.Details between the original series locomotives and the lowemission ones areproperly represented, withdoors correctly placed and differences in thesizeof grilles modelled properly.
Finer detail includes the body side grilles at both end of the locomotives One has to take amagnifying glass to appreciate that the corrugated or waffle shapehas been tooled. Thereis an impression of the grille openings to the interior of the locomotiveapparent in each grille, although it gives the impression of asquaremesh grille from certain viewing angles, which was notthe intention!
The largeradiator grilles in No. 66779 Evening Star areofthe correct sizeand shape. Those in the other models which arebased on the original series bodyshell aresmaller which is correct, but about1.5 mm too tall. On No. 66714 Cromer Lifeboat,the top
MODEL FEATURES
■ Skew-wound five-pole motor
■ All-wheel driveand current collection.
■ Dedicatedspace forasugar cube speaker
■ NEXT18 DCCinterface
■ Flushglazedand cab detail
■ Close coupling cams
■ NEM355 pockets.
■ Working directionalrunning lights.
■ Alternativebuffer beam assemblies.
■ Metal nameplates.
■ Locomotive-specific detailing.
orangeline should be clear of it and not touching the top frame.
At the opposite end of the model, the single grilleismodelled in the same manner as the radiator grilles, with acorrugated panel. It is the correct length but atad too deep. Reference points includethe side ribs and cab hand rails.
Modellingofthe cab fronts have captured the ‘face’ of the locomotives well, with all three types of running light properlymodelled, and the cab windows of the rightsizeand shape The horn grilles areproud of the roof overhang as observed on the prototype.
The well-defined tooling extends to the roof wherepanellinesare clearlyseen, yetnot too deep.
Engine room panels arealso crisp in appearance, along with thevarious roof pods. An openingatthe radiator end is fitted with an etched grille with radiator detailvisible beneath it.
Chassisand drive
Hornby’snew Class 66 is no lightweight in the traction department, being fitted with aquality drivepoweredbya fivepoleskewwound motor seated inthe cast metal chassis frame. All six axles arepowered through the usualbogie gear towerarrangement. Performance is smooth and quiet, afeature which improveswith aperiod of operation at half speedwith no load. The gearing is refined and has produceda controllable locomotivewhich can be driven to simulate heavyloads without stalling or shooting off at unrealistic speeds. Slowspeed operation is also possible with the model forshunting and propellingmoves, as if to position wagons forunloading.
Six poweredaxles and 200g of weight ensures good haulage characteristics. The models should be capable of operating the long,heavy trains associated with the class as soonasappropriate wagons become available.
Bogies, wheels and couplings
An excellent depth of detail hasbeen mouldedinto the bogie side frames, supported by small fittings forthe footsteps and brakeblockswhich arealigned with the wheels. There is sufficient clearance betweenthe underside of the bogie frame and the track, with the final drivegears being exposed. This will allowthem to be lubricated without having to remove the frames, but prone to fluff collection.
The wheels areofblackened metal, slightlyshiny, but fully concentric and smooth rolling.The axles run in metal bushes which will eliminate the wear when axles arerun in the bogie frame plastic.
The bogies rotate freelyin both directions and do not come into contact with the close coupling cams. Some reports have been found suggesting that the models can buffer lock with bogie stock when run through first and second radius curves It maybedue to thebuffersonClass
Grille work
Careful tooling has been used to re-create the waffle grille work in the body sides. The roof radiator grille is an etched metal fitting.
Original cabwindows
Original format locomotives aremodelled with the correct pattern of cab side windows, which waschanged on many locomotives when the cabswereupgraded.
Underframes
The fuel tanksand battery boxesare separatelyapplied details and of the correct size and shape depending on the locomotivebeing modelled.
Bogie detailing
The bogie frame moulding has an excellent levelof depth and is of the correct shape, especiallyatthe inner ends. It models the heavy natureof the full-sizebogie frames well.
Close coupling cams
Frame-mounted close coupling cams arefitted which arelightlysprung.A gapinthe bufferbeam is needed to accommodate them.
Revised cab windows
Later builds of the Class 66, such as the lowemission variants, were fitted with angular cab side windows which requireda different tooling to model accurately.
Bufferbeamassemblies
Additional bufferbeams aresuppliedwith each model, fullyassembledwith buffers and brakehoses. Theyare used to replace the fitted bufferbeams for adetailed appearance and simplyclip into place. Check that theyare properlyseatedtoavoid agap between them and the bodyshell.
Painting and finishing
Paint colours areaccurate on all four of the sample models, and smoothlyapplied. Thereare some signs of over-spray and soft edges in one or twoplaces. Tiny details areprinted in place andaccurately too.
66s beingquitelong. This canbe resolvedbyfitting longer couplings. Otherwise, the cams work well and arereasonablylightlysprung, with a touch of slack in it.
Electronics and lights
The internal circuitboardisfitted with aNEXT18 decoder socketwhich islocated under the exhaust silencer end of the model. The body hasto be unclipped to fit adecoder and speaker ifTXS sound is to be fitted to DCC-ready models at alater date (TXS on boardsound options are also available forall of the Class 66 models). Thereare connecting wires between the body and circuit boards which have to be carefullyhandled. Those wiresconnectto lighting boards fitted into the body Lighting can be comprehensively controlled when adecoder is fitted, including the top cab marker lights, independent control of the tail-lights and cab lights too. Operation of the model canbequite detailed with DCC control as aresult
Fine details and finishing
Generallyspeaking, ‘TT:120’ gauge models have fewerseparate parts due to their size, and to makethem suitable foroperation on temporary layouts. Nonetheless, the moulded detailinthe underframe and body is very good. Small fittings have been used fornumerous parts such as the bogie footsteps and associated grab rails. Cabhand railsare separate fittings along with the cab front details.
Thereisafullydetailed cab visible through the neat flush glazing which is enhanced with tinymetal windscreen wipers. It appears that one cab moulding has been used for all variants of the model
Larger separate fittings are produced forthe exhaust silencer and the roof radiator grille. Special mention should be made of the fullyassembled buffer beams supplied in the box, fitted with air brakehoses and the appropriate couplings depending on the modelled locomotive. Theyare intended to
replace the fitted bufferbeams with the coupling slot should aproperly detailed end be desired. GB Railfreight No. 66789, aformer EWS locomotive, is modelled with buckeye couplings and releaseleverdetails, whilst the other models have coupling hooks.
Closing thoughts
Forthe £159.99 price foraDCC-ready locomotiveand £214.99 forasound on boardmodel, the ‘TT:120’ Class 66 is pretty good value formoney. Its technical specification is excellent, including the on board electronics and the drive. It has been produced to acontemporary standardwith excellent levels of detailand properly researched liveries, making it an attractivecollection of models as well as awell priced one.
ProducedbyHornby HobbiesLimited www.hornby.com
RRP From £159.99
MODEL FEATURES
■ Single piece bodyshellstooled for each vehicle type.
RegionalRailwaysoperated both Mk.2b andMk.2c stock on avariety of services, painted in thesector’s house colours whichisbeautifullyapplied to TSONo. 5554. It has thelargerlavatory windowwhich appeared on some Mk.2c coaches.
More loco-hauledheaven from Accurascale
BR Mk.2ccoaches with the defining small lavatory windowsfollowonfrom Mk.2b stock releasedin2024.Whatdowethinkofthe latest loco-hauled stock from Accurascale?
FOUR OF THE impressive models of BR Mk.2c stock released by Accurascale in ‘OO’ gaugeisthe subject of this review. Anticipation forthese coaches wasintensified by the successful Mk.2b modelsreleased last year
Thestock consistedoffive coach types: Tourist Second Open, BrakeCorridor First, Corridor First, BrakeSecond Open and FirstOpens. Construction wascompletedatDerby and released to traffic in BR blue grey livery with Inter-City markings. The Midland Region wasthe main recipient of thestock untiltheyweredisplaced to secondary routes by air-con Mk.2 stock.
Accurascale’s first batch (we hope therewillbemore) covers the coaches from introduction inBRblue grey livery through to sector liveries and the Privatisation era. This makes the models useful for1980s and sector-eramodellerswhereshorter rakescan be employedoninterregional and cross-country duties. Single vehicles were used to create some of themixed loco-hauled sets seen in the 1980sand early1990s.
Their useonNetwork SouthEast and Regional Railwaysservices in the sector eraiscovered too. They include some of theconversions such as the microbuffet TSO(T) and declassified First Class vehicles. One interesting model is Corridor CompositeNo. Sc 7551 which was allocatedtothe Scottish Region Initial impressions areof colourful and attractive-looking coaches when unboxed. They match the Mk.2b models well and that will please those that bought Mk.2bs with the intention of mixing the coaches within train.
We notedthatthe boxartwork forRegionalRailwaysNo. 5554 and themodel differ,withthe latter beingfitted withthe original styleof lavatory window
Bodyshells
Single piece bodyshells have been tooled forthe fivecoachtypes constructed as Mk.2cstock along with parts forspecific conversions such as the TSO(T). Theroof is fixed, unlike the Mk.1 suburban stock
reviewedlast month.Windowopenings and roof details match reference material as one would expect with Accurascale models.
Each of thefoursamplemodelshave thecharacteristicshape of full-size Mk.2ccoaches,including theroofdome at thecoach ends alongwith correctly shaped corner doors. When viewed along referencepoints such as theraingutter andthe bottomofthe tumblehome,all four sample models were foundtobe straight andtrue, with no obviousflaws in theroof or in thesidesexceptone smallnickonthe roof of thedeclassified FK
Belowthe floor
Aswatheofsmall fittings are used to model brakecylinders, air tanks, battery boxesand electrical equipment whichare very neatly tooled.The parts areproperlyseated in placeand consistentlycoloured whichisimportant on this stock because it is quite visible from normal viewpoints. Pipework and wiring ductsare modelled as amix of tiny mouldings and integraldetailinthe
1970s Midland Region Inter-City trainscan be modelled using the rangeofBRblue grey models included in the first batch ofMk.2cstock.No. M19536 is modelled as adeclassified Corridor First as found on inter-regionalservices following cascading from top-link duties
coach floor.The overall effect on the finished models is oneofrefinement and quality
Bogiesand wheels
Numerous smallpartsare used to build up the bogie frames including separatebrake blocks aligned with the split-axlewheel sets. They areconnected to moulding forthe linkages and yokes. Small crosshead screws areusedtosecurethe bogies to the underframe wheretheyrotate freelywithout fouling anyunderframe detail.
The wheels arestandard‘OO’ gaugeRP25/110 profile and of shiny metal. Theyare fully concentric and thankstothe end of axle current collection system fitted to the Mk.2c coaches,very free-rollingrequiring caretoavoid them rolling off the studio desk.
Small details and fittings
Accurascale has really gone to town to produce the ultimate ‘OO’ gauge Mk.2 coaches and to apointwhere modellers arereallyhoping the Mk.2d will be added to therange.
Theyare beautifully appointed withnumeroussmall components in metal and plastic which are seamlesslyadded to thebodyshell, including the coach ends. Aglance at the instruction leaflets enclosed with the model shows the sheer number of tinypartsmaking up the more intricate details. Theyrangefrom ETHequipment though to tinymetal footsteps,wirehand rails, metal commode handles and separateend
Network SouthEast
TSO(T) No. 6500is included in therange and will go well with previouslyreleased Mk.2b stockinthe same livery.Some additional TSOs would not go amiss in futurebatches to give the forthcoming Class 50s someworktodo.
Roof detail
Three types of ventilator were fitted to the various types of Mk.2c stock.The models arefitted with the appropriate ventilators using separate mouldings foreach type.
TSO(T) buffet counter area
gangways. As wasobserved in allfour coaches,theyare all neatly applied with no glue marksand consistently coloured in the same manneras the underframe detail.
Small fittings areused inthe build-up of the interiors including the classic winged seats in standardclass stock, making the inclusion of interior lighting essential to enjoywhat isa particularlyattractivefeature of the models.
Interior lighting
Split-axle current collection isfitted to the bogies wherethereare contact bearing cups fittedonthe inside of the bogie frames. The cups double up as axle bearings makingthe coaches particularlyfree-rolling with a frictionless current collection system which powers the internal lighting board. The lights can be controlled using the supplied magnetic wand.
Each coach is fitted with apower bank capacitor which supplies asmall amount of powerwhen the main track supplyisinterrupted,ensuring that the interior lighting is flicker-free. Lighting is subtle, but bright enough to illuminate the detailed coach interiors.
Assemblyquality and finish
Careful checking of livery diagrams and photographs demonstrated that Accurascale has done its research well overallwith the threeliveries appliedtothe sample coaches. The Regional Railways models are particularlyattractiveinappearance, with excellent lining, sharp edgesto the paint colours and accurate,level lettering.
TheBRblue grey coach isalso well decorated withconsistent lining betweenthe grey band and blue body colour.Network SouthEast TSO(T) No. 6500isthe mostcolourful of the three, and quite eye-catching too. The earlyblue shade appears correct and the NSE logoisaccurate too, the small grey flash being slightlysmaller than the others in thelogo. An orange rain gutterstripe is applied instead of ared one which wasmorecommon (see the adjacent pictureofNo. 6500 at Exeter).
Versatile TSO(T) micro-buffet stock was common onthe West of England route making the model of No. 6500 auseful one. Noteworthyis the refined printed detailapplied to the model and additional internal partitions separating the catering area from passenger seating.
Coupling cams
Close coupling cams are fitted to the coach frames behind the detailed headstockswhich includes ETH jumper cables and sprung buffers.
Seats and tables
Overall verdict
As we reported in the reviewofthe CIÉ/Iarnród Éireann versions of the stock, adifficult balancebetween high fidelity detailing to the point the models areofmuseum quality and being suitable forlayout use has been achieved.It is well-constructed with all parts secured to the body,bogies and underframe.
Seating in Mk.2c TSO coaches is faithfully modelled and with separate tables and the ‘winged’ seats. Note the clarity of the flush glazing which is aclose fit to the openings.
Gangway door detail
Gangway doors arecorrectly coloured redand have fine hinge detailpicked out in silver
Detailed B4 bogies
Brakeblocksare aligned with the wheels and detailedwithyokes and linkages.
Flush glazing
Therewould be little point in fitting highly detailed interiors unless it can be seen from the outside. The flush fitting windows areclear and without distortion. The First Class coaches are supplied with separate curtain detail.
Paint finishesare consistent across all of the sample models and the tiny parts making up muchofthe underframe and body assemblies. Lining is sharp, printing leveland opaque as well as being accurate. They run well too, with the close coupling cams working well between each coach when running into curves. They reallyhit the markand onlyincreases the appetite forMk.2d stock built to the same high standard. Produced by Accurascale www.accurascale.com
Livery finishing
Accurascale’s BR Mk.2c coaches areparticularlyfine and well finished with crisp printing and bright, accurate colours with aslightlyshinyfinish.
Dusk wasfalling at Exeter St David’s when thisportraitofNetwork
SouthEast Mk.2c TSO(T) No. 6500 wastaken in February 1991. Note redrain gutter ratherthan orange depicted on the model, acommon practice on locomotive-hauledstock used on the Exeter-Waterloo (West of England) route.
Boxesonwheels: TheOrenstein & KoppelPHA/JYA
CavalexModels andUltimate Model Railways join forces to produce ahigh-fidelity model of an important Mendip aggregates wagon.
IT HASTAKEN some yearsfor the intense aggregate operations from the Mendip quarries to be recognised by model manufacturers, with new models of the associated hopper wagons and bogie boxesbeing produced in the last fewyears
The61FosterYeomanPHA/JYA bogiebox wagons builtbyOrenstein& Koppel(O&K) andintroducedin1988, arefinallyinthe ‘OO’ gaugebag,thanks to acombined effortbyUltimateModel Railways and CavalexModels.
Both outer and inner wagons are represented in awide rangeofwagons which aresold as single wagons and five-wagon runner packs.All three Foster Yeoman liveries arerepresented, including he original with afull set of logoboards, the intermediate Yeoman livery and thelatest one
Foster Yeoman’s O&K PHA/JHA wagons modelled in ‘OO’ gaugeby CavalexModels area welcomeaddition to the growing rangeofaggregate wagons available to model the traffic in the south east of England.Ithas taken some years forthe wagons used on the intense flows of stone, sand andgravel to be modelled to such ahigh standard, butthat is arapidlychanging situation.
wherenoboardsare carried at all.
The reviewmodels aredecorated silver grey with afull set of boards representing thewagons in thefirst part of theirlives and part of the classic Foster Yeoman era. They are codedasPHA and numbered OK 3270 (outerwagon)and OK 3289 (inner wagon). An early conclusion following unboxing isthattheyhave been produced exactlytoscale and match aswathe of references fordimensions and detail.The finish applied to both models is pristine, something which will be dealt with by modellers using the growing rangeofweathering pigmentsand powders.
Boxmoulding
O&K PHA/JYAbogie boxwagons are outwardlysimpleindesign, with a
The heavy construction used in the body of PHA/JYAwagons is well modelled by CavalexModels, including the top ribs.Notably, thesamplemodelsdid notshowany sign of inward bowing.
Both inner and outer wagons arecovered in the rangeof14single wagons, four twin packs and four runner packsoffive wagons. Outer wagons arefitted with buffers and NEMcoupling pockets.
Thereviewmodelsare of the first livery, with Yeoman and logo boards applied to the sides. The repair telephone numberapplied to the wagons is probablylong gone!
Foster Yeoman operations from the 1990sare encapsulated by this imageof No.59005 Kenneth JPainter passingMerehead QuarryJunction with empty JYA wagons on June 19, 1992.
MODEL FEATURES
■ Inner and outer wagons modelled.
■ Inner buckeye couplings fitted.
■ Metal discwheels.
■ Cast metal frame forweight.
■ Fine underframe and brakedetail.
■ Bogie-mounted NEM coupling boxes.
■ Sprung buffers.
■ Bogies detailed withbrake fittings
rugged ribbed boxmounted on two bogies. Yet, boxescan have their problems formanufacturers, one being howtoprevent bowedsides. The tooling appears to be very stable, with no sign of distortionofthe wagon tops, inwardsatleast. It is fair to saythat some modellers maywish to represent the outwarddamage thatbecame apparent in the wagons as theyaged, and given theyhave exceeded their design lifebyovera decade, wear in the sides could be observed in the full-sizewagons.
Theside ribs areofthe correct pattern along withadded details such as the metalend steps, grab railsand hand rails. The access door forcleaning out the wagoniswell represented with good hingeand securing catchdetail.
Close examinationofthe body revealed alittle rough finishing at the outer corners whereend and side ribs arejoined together.Thereisno seam line apparent at this location on the full-sizewagons. Also noted wasatouch of unevenness along the topedgeofthe wagonbody which could be smoothed down prior to weathering. Otherwise, the bodyis preciselymodelled with all ribs and details properlyseated in place.
Underframe assembly
The boxinterior is full-depth thanksto acast metal frame that addsweight to the modelwithout havingtofita false floor to hidemetal weights. It is crisplytooled. and fitted neatlytothe underside of the body moulding
Fitting out with brakeequipment hasbeen completed withclean plastic mouldings which have been carefully prepared beforeassembly. Little inthe way of mould flash or tags could be observed in the linkages, rods,cylinder and tank details. It is fittedtogether without excessiveuse of adhesives and properlyseated in place.
Bogies and wheels
The bogies areuniquetothe PHA/ JYAand the O&K bogie hopper wagons operated by Foster Yeoman. Unfortunately,theyhaveno application in other wagontypes. Nonetheless, theyare sharp mouldings fitted withbrake blocks, yokesand linkages. The brakeblocksare aligned with the outer edgeofthe wheels so theyappear to be in line with the tyres. This, along with sufficient space between the bogie side frames will allowcloser-to-scale wheels to be fitted. We soon found that the supplied
The outerend of an outer wagonshowingthe NEM couplingpocketmouldedaspart of the bogie frame. Note thewiregrabrails, sprung buffers andfactory applied brakehoses whichshould be removediftension lock couplings aretobeused
Thebogies arecomplex models in their ownright and featuresomevery fine moulded spring and axle boxdetail. Small parts are used to buildupthe brakes and linkages.
PHA/JYAwagons operate well together when coupled using the built in buckeye couplings. They will work round second radiuscurveswithout difficulty.The lack of buffers on innerwagonsmeansthat buffer lock is not an issue.
Thewagon ends aredecorated with awealth of wirehandrails and etched footstep detail.Notethe wirecoupling release leverwhich moveswhen the coupling is opened
The inner wagons arenot fitted with buffers and featurea framemounted buckeye setat the same height as thoseusedon the real wagons.
Acastframe adds weight to the model, but not too much that along rake would present a challengetoasingle locomotive. We suspect the CavalexModels Class 60 will be more than a matchfor along trainanyway.
AccurascaleJUA/JTAwagons (left), arecompatiblewith the newPHA/ JYAwagons (right). Thecouplings align with each other well and layout testingrevealed that amix of wagons did not cause difficulties. Note the height difference which is correct.
wheels can be regauged forreliable ‘EM’gaugeoperation without difficulty.
The bogies arefitted to theframe with neat cross-head screws and they rotate freelyaround ametal spigot in the frame casting
The wheels are well madeand concentric, although not painted or blackened. The design is alittle on the genericside with aflat rear face.Axles areslightlyshy of 26mm in length and arefitted with pinpoints making them free-rolling. No metal pinpoint bearings arefitted.
Couplings andcompatibility
StandardNEM coupling pockets are moulded as part of thebogie frame on outer wagonmodels. They arefitted with slim tension lock couplingswhich can catch the factory fitted air brake pipes. Apparently, theheadstock detailshould have been included in an accessorypackalong with screw shackle couplings.
Theinsideend of outer wagons and theinner wagons arefitted with buckeye couplings which have draft gear boxesmounted on thecast metal frame behind theheadstocks. This is aclose representation of the real couplings which arethe same as those used on theformer JUA/JTAiron oretipplers used in aggregate traffic. They areset to thesame height as thecouplings used on Accurascale JTA/JUAmodels making thewagons compatible. Layout testing showed that thecouplings worked well together within rakesofJYA and when mixed with theAccurascale models.
Anicetouch is thefitting of the coupling release leverdetailwhich is attachedtothe buckeye itself and moveswhenthe coupling is opened and closed.
In conclusion
Thenew O&K PHA/JYAwagon models adds an important type to thevariety
of wagons availabletomodel Mendip quarry traffic. Theyare operated (mixed) withother bogie boxwagon types including the modern ‘Ealnos’ JNA/MMA typeproduced by Revolution Trains,proving thatblock aggregate trains do nothavetobeuniform to be realistic!
The newwagonslook good on their ownormixed in withother wagontypes. Theyare neatly finished withwell researched markings and companylogos.Cavalex Models in partnership with Ultimate Model Railways has doneanexcellent job of an important wagontype.
ProducedbyCavalex Models for Ultimate ModelRailways www.ultimatemodelrailways.com www.cavalexmodels.com
Accurascale’s first‘O’ gaugelocomotive,and hopefullythe forerunner of arange of modelsin7mm scale, is the Ruston &Hornsby88DS. It is an interesting choice, but one that has proventobepopular with modellersthanksto awell designedand constructed model.
AnotherRuston ‘critter’in‘O’!
Accurascale makesits debut in ‘O’ gaugelocomotive modelling with the Ruston &Hornsby88DS.
SMALL INDUSTRIAL shunting engines areall the rage in ‘O’ gaugeatthe moment, the second Ruston &Hornsby locomotivetoappearinamatter of months being Accurascale’s Ruston 88DS. And what alittle beauty itistoo, beingproduced in avariety of liveries covering severalofRuston &Hornsby’s industrial customers.
Some of theliveries, including the EasternGas Board, Babcock&Wilcox Ltd, andNCB rail blue,could be adapted forother layout plansand freelanced industries with minimaleffort. Two BritishRailexamplesare includedinthe range, oneinBRgreen andthe otheris finishedinrailblue.
The test sample is one of Accurascale’s special editionmodels, finished in Tarmac livery.The real locomotivewas No. 655/29/38 which wasbuilt in 1967. It has the distinction of being the very last of along productionrun of 271 88DS locomotives which were delivered to numerous customers in the UK and abroad too.
First impressions upon opening the box, once the comprehensive paperwork and instructions had been removed, is of acompact little engine beautifullyfinished in the distinctive dull olivecolours of Tarmac Quarry Products (Roadstone Holdings).
Despite being asimple industrial locomotive,it hasa wealth of detail, none of which had become detached in transitthankstosome substantial packagingand abespokebox.An accessory bag of partscontains the chassisguards which plug into rectangular slots in theunderframe. Theyneed atouchofglue to secure themproperly.Itshould be noted that once fitted,the loco won’t fit its boxfor storage without modifying the internal clear packaging.
Superstructureparts
Alot of thoughtful design is tucked away in the 88DS, including aspeaker and decoder bayaccessible through aremovablepanelinthe bonnet.The bonnet handrails also come free whenthe panel is opened, the inner most hand rail knobs not beingattached.
Alot of thought has gone into this tiny locomotive,with caretaken to incorporate apowerful five-pole motor along with electronics, including digital sound, without taking up spaceinthe cab.
It has alot of mass too, and that is not incorporated in thebonnet or cab subassemblies, which arecomposed of injection moulded plastic.Bonnet grille detail, engine compartment doors and other features arecrisply moulded as aresult. Thetop of the bonnet can be detachedtogive access to the decoder bay–the long hand railsdetach as part of the removable bonnet panel.
Mouldings making up thecab
MODEL FEATURES
■ Thin plastic cabsides.
■ Plastic bonnetsub-assembly.
■ Removablecab roof
■ Clear flush glazing.
■ Fullymodelledcab interior.
■ Illuminated headlamps.
■ MTC21decoder interface.
■ Stay-alivepower pack (DCC sound version)
■ Compactfive-polemotor
■ Weight:505g
At 144mm in length, it is a compact locomotivemodel with sufficientpower formanya shunting plank style of layout, possibly aheritage railway themedproject or industrial site
Injectionmoulded plasticis predominantlyusedinthe cab and bonnet sub-assemblies, with the weightofthe model present in the cast metal chassis frame.
Cabglazing
Very little prismatic edging is apparent in the glazingwhich is clear and offers a fine view of the interior
Cabdetailing
Injection moulded plastic is used to model the cab walls. Note the wirehand railsand separateknobs.
Front end detail
Magnetic roof
Fancydetailing the cab?The roof is easily detached to reach the cab interior.Four moderatelystrong magnets secureit in place.
Wheel detail
The chain drivecoverismodelled on bothsides, whereit would powerboth wheels. The wheels areneatlypainted in the correct Tarmac colour and have the right front and rear profile too.
The front of the model is fitted withaneat etched radiatorgrille, headstocksappropriate to the actual locomotive, working three link coupling and large industrial style sprung buffers.
walls arethin, but structurallystrong, including the separate roof,which is nice and thin along the leading edges, but strong enough to withstand repeated removalfromthe model. It is secured with four magnets.
Body mouldings aresharpand crisp, especiallyatthe corners and along the bonnet sides. The cab and bonnet parts aretightly fitted together and unless one readsthe instructions, the removable bonnet panel is notimmediatelyapparent.
Small details include themetal hand railsand their knobs fitted alongsidethe cab doors and along the bonnet top. The latter arenot fixed at the inner ends to allowthe bonnet panel to be removed. The loose hand rail knobs have ahabit of popping out of their holes during use.
Cabinterior
Numerous small parts areapplied to the cab, each one properlycoloured too. Twotip-up seats arefitted along with driving controls, brake, and control dials too. Thankstosome very clearglazing, it is all visiblethrough the cab windows. Better still, pop the roof off the model, takingcarenot to break the exhaust to enjoythe detail and fit acrew.
Another good featureisthe minimal impact of the glazing on the appearance of the interior.The flange around each windowisminimised so it can barelybeseen. Further,the internal wallsare paintedthe correct colour and the floor is planked
Chassisframe
The model is ahefty half-kilo inweight which helps to deliver excellent
traction. All of the weight is in the underframe which is asubstantial piece of engineering. It is fitted with smaller plasticdetails whichare well attached, including the solebar ballast weights applied to the full-sized locomotives. It isa locomotive-specific feature– not all 88DS locomotives were specified to be fitted withthem.
Fitted into the chassis frame is the drive unitwith wheels and final drivegears. Itisdetailed with the drive covers and brakeequipment. All detail isneatlyapplied and consistently finished in the same shade of black. Thereisno sign of paint rubbing from cornersand edges of the cast metal parts which includes the headstocks
Driving performance
Gearing isset to givethe model a realistictop speed scaled to that of the full size locomotives. Poweris delivered by afive-pole motor to both axles through gearing. The result is a quiet and smooth-running model which iscommendablyeasytocontrolat lowspeeds forshunting. Buffering up to wagons can be done with precision once the model isfully run in.
It is worth pointing outthat the sprung buffers, whichare more meaningful in‘O’ gaugethan ‘OO’ are atouch too stiff. Thebuffers do not depress that easily
The headlights at bothends of the model areilluminated, with the one fitted to the cab having its wiring neatlyhidden from view. Thereisacab light which iseffectiveatilluminating the beautifullyequipped cab. The sound-fitted models include builtinspeakersand acapacitorpower pack toovercome interruptions to
Cab comfort
Well, there wasnot much comfort inan 88DS, with tip seats fitted to the cab sides. They were practical and arenicely modelled along with the driving controls.
Under the chassis
Thereisalot of detailtobefound on the metal chassis frame, including brakerigging and brake shoes aligned with the wheels. Some detailistucked away underneath, including the brakecylinder and sand boxes.
the powersupply, something which is important forshort wheelbase locomotives like the 88DS. The model’s sound playback and controllability will be assessed separately, and is planned to be asubject of afuture‘Sound Check’ article.
Livery and finishing
When Accurascale announced its intention to producean‘O’ gauge locomotive, speculation wasrifeabout the possible prototype, including wilder thoughts on complete HSTsets. The Ruston &Hornsby88DS turned out to be the choice and perhaps ahumble shunting locomotivewas agood decision togain designand manufacturing experienceinthe scale.
It is fair to saythat the result is quite stunning. ‘O’ gaugemodellers have asharp little model finished with good colours and solid printed details. Assemblyquality is as tightasone could wish forand given the levelof
operational features; the model could be considered advanced forafourwheel industrial.
Taking the pricepointfor aDCCready model into consideration, it is excellent value formoneyand for those wanting to try ‘O’ gaugefor the first time, is an excellent entry point to the scale.
It appears that we arenot finished with small industrial locomotives in ‘O’ gauge, because the next one likely to appear will be the YorkshireEngine CompanyClass02fromacertain Danish manufacturer (see p45) which will please modellers enamoured of small shunting ‘critters’! In the meantime, will Accurascale look at moresmall shunting locomotives in ‘O’ gauge? If so,ithas made avery satisfactory start..
ProducedbyAccurascale www.accurascale.com
Rail Express is theleading titlefor enthusiasts, writtenbyenthusiasts, andprovidesall theverylatestinformation youneed to know.The currentscene is comprehensivelycovered in itstractionand rolling stocknewspages,while in-depth features aresupported by thebest photography. Our Rail ExpressModeller sectionalsoprovidesnews, reviewsand guidance forthe ever-changingmodelling scene. Yousimplycannotaffordtomissanissue!
CHRISMILNER, EDITOR
Orenstein&Koppel PHA/JYA bogie boxwagonsatwork
Inspirationfor modellers: Weathering and operating the new‘OO’ gaugemodels produced by CavalexModels.
INTRODUCED IN 1988, the Orenstein & Koppel, or O&K PHA wagons, looked different to other bogie boxwagons in regular aggregate traffic at the time
Theywerefollowedbya fleet of 100uniquelydesignedJHA bogie hopper wagons also built by O&K. The newwagonscompleted modernisation of Foster Yeoman’s wagonfleet, to go with the successful purchase of Class 59 locomotives from General Motors and expansion of theTorr WorksQuarry
The wagons were acompletelynew design forthe UK, being fitted with O&K 25-100 bogies which have proven to be reliable. Concerns by BR regarding track forces with the O&K 25-100 sawloaded trains initiallyrestricted to 45mph despite their 60mph rating.
When new, the PHAs(JYA) were delivered in alight silver grey livery with boards attached to the sides with the Yeoman name and thestylisedletter Y. This featureset them apart from other bogie boxwagonsand added atouch of colour too.
PHA/JYAs were built as inner and outer wagons, the latter being fitted with draw gear at one end only. Theyare compatible with JUA/JTA
The scene at Didcot Parkway station has changed beyond recognition in recent years. The powerstation is long demolished and the foot bridgelinking the car park to the station from which this picturewas taken wasremoved during electrification works.
Class 59/1 No. 59103 VillageofMells, in Hanson livery,was in charge of the train bound forActonwhich wasdivertedfrom its usual route on November11, 2003.
The intermediate livery worn by JYAwagons is shown to advantageoninner wagon No.OK3292, which wasphotographed at DidcotonNovember 11, 2003.
Outer JYANo. 3268 wasphotographed in September 1997, with complete logo boards, the longer of which wassoontoberemoved.
JYANo. OK 3271 bringsup the rear ofanActon-bound working on March3,2004. It isaninteresting wagoninthatithas signs ofbeing an innerwagon at onetime. The loopfor the coupling release leverisstill present onthe headstock
Solid blocksofO&K PHA/JYAmakeupthe front portions of a‘jumbo’ train bound forActon. To the rear of the train areO&K bogie hopper wagons, presumably fora different destination to the bogie boxwagons.Notethe differing levels of weathering on each wagonand that somehavelosttheir logoboards.No. 59004 Paul AHammond had justpassed Pewseystationand wastackling the climb up to Savernake on May7, 2004.
(redeployedformer iron oretipplers) in use with Foster Yeoman and ARCatthe time, and were often mixed with those wagontypes within atrain or blocksof wagons within a‘jumbo’working PHA/JYAwagonsare similar in length to the JUA/JTAwagons and were designed to maximise payload in as short alength as possible. This made them interchangeable within agiven train length and that wasimportant given the sizeof‘jumbo’workings operating between Westbury and Acton. It wasnot unusual fortwo outer wagons to be coupled together within aset or be used as an outer in aset of JUA/JTA.
The PHA code wasreplaced with the JYAcode in 1990, although as recordsshow, the original lettering lasted forsome time after that. Further changes included the removalofthe long nameboard, as Foster Yeoman updated its imagewhich included new liveries forits Class59s. Subsequently,
the wagons have been stripped of all their logoboards andhavebeen allowedtobecome quite grubby. The old Foster Yeoman companywas keen on keeping its equipmentclean,which wasnoticeable on the PHA/JYAwagons along with the O&Khopper wagons,a practice longsince gone.
Traction varied after the main run, usuallyin‘jumbo’ length trainsbetween Westbury andActon. Class 56, Class 58, Class 60 and occasionallypairs of Class 33s in Railfreight days took blocksof wagons forwardtovarious terminals. Class 66s dominated after their introduction in 1998.
PHA/JYAwagons also worked from the Foster Yeoman terminal at Grain along with other locations –theywere notrestricted entirelytoMendip quarry traffic, makingthe newmodel produced forUltimate Model Railwaysausefulone forthe Railfreight-eramodeller,aswell as those interested in post-Privatisation freight operations.
is an inner
when photographed in September1997, was carrying totallyfaded logoboards.
Note the difference in height between the former iron
Kensington Olympia is ahot spot forphotographing aggregate workings between Acton, the Midlands and depots on the former Southern Region. Atrain of mixed bogie boxwagons is wheeled south by Class 60 No. 60086 Schiehallion on July21, 2000.
orewagons and the JYAs.
By 1998, the long Yeoman boardwas removedfromthe wagons, which by thistime were carrying the correct JYATOPScode. No. OK 3316 and outer wagonNo. OK 3270 were observed in this condition on April2,1998.
O&K No. 3287
wagonwhich,
Thebarrels aremade up of asingle moulding forthe straight section with separate dished ends plugged in the end. Modellers might choose to improvethe fit of the dishedends before weathering the models.
Theopen underframeofthe 35t tank wagons is fitted with anumber of small fittings forthe brakes and discharge pipework.
Toploading hatch and access platformdetail is refined and accurate.
Revisiting theHeljan35t tank wagon
FIRST RELEASED in 2017, theHeljan 35t tank wagonmodels became well regarded by modellers,making Heljan’s announcement of anew batch forrelease at the beginning of 2025 particularly well received.The bulk of the newissue consists of four-wagon runner packsofClass Aand Class B tank wagons in Fina and Esso privateowner liveries.
The differences between Class Atank wagons intended forthe transport of lowflash-pointpetroleum products andClass Btanksfor heavier and dirtier oils with highflash-points areincorporated in the tooling.Class Atankshave longer barrels duetothe lowerdensity of the products they carried. Class Btankswerefitted with shorter barrelstoallowfor higher density liquids.
The reviewmodel is based on a Diagram TS027 Class Btank wagon model, representing former Esso wagons refurbished by WH Davisfor molasses traffic. Theywerepainted in aplain grey livery with TSVTOPS markings and DAVS prefixes on the running numbers. Each wagonis individuallynumbered andnot in sequential order.The model covers the type with leaf spring suspension Some refurbished 35t wagons used in molassestraffic were fittedwith auxiliarysuspension which isnot presentonthe Heljan model.
MODEL FEATURES
■ Open frame chassis design.
■ Authentic barrel mounting.
■ Metal three-hole discwheels.
■ NEM coupling pockets.
■ Separatelyappliedbrake fittings
■ Sprung Oleo buffers.
■ Weight: 42g.
The full-sizewagons were operational untilaround 1983-84 when theywerereplaced with overhauled air-braked former caustic soda tank wagons. Their vacuum brakes made themincreasingly obsoleteinthe face of the expanding air-brakefreight network (including Speedlink) of the time.
Tank barrels
The shorter Class Bbarrel is fitted to the TSVmodels. It is built up of three segments consisting of thebarrel and two dishedends. Thedished ends mouldings areattached whereaseam exists on the real wagons and this shows as aslightly obvious join witha trace of flash in places.
The barrel assemblies arestraight and properly assembled with theright filler hatch and access platforms. The laddermouldings arefine mouldings and attached to thebarrel in the correct position.
Underframes
Most of theunderframe is open with well modelled frame members. The plates at the frame ends run across the full width of the underframe to providerigidity. On thefull-size wagons, this has gaps in it. Well definedrivetingand checker plate detailisapplied to theend plates where appropriate. The loweredpieces wherethereare gaps on thefull-size wagons can be painted black and weathered to reduce their impact wheretheyare painted grey on the models. The underframe is stable and square, despite its open nature. All four wheels of all four wagons in the pack sit squareonaflat surface.
Underframedetailing includes accuraterivet detailalong the solebars which arecrisp toolings. Headstocksare fitted with very good representations of Oleo buffers (which
have sprung metal heads) and delicate vacuum brakehoses.
Brakeequipment includes the eight-shoe clasp brakes, twobrake cylinders and various linkages, all neatlyapplied. Thebottom tank discharge pipe is also included as a neat plastic fitting. When themodels were placed on thelayout fortest running, it wasnoted that they sit atouch higher than needed,around 1mm or so.
Wheels andcouplings
Metal three-hole discwheels arefitted to all four models and arepainted rather than chemicallyblackened whichadds to thefine appearance of themodels. They arearound 12.5mm in diameteroverthe tyres which mayaccount foralittle of theheight discrepancy. Thepinpoint axles are 27mm in length too. They arefully concentric but did not rotate freely, requiring some adjustments to the brakeblocks to prevent them from touching thewheels. Alittle attention with an axle bearing reamer soon had thewagons rolling freely.
TheNEM coupling pockets areat
theright height with the tension lock couplings atight fit, which prevented them from drooping. Theyare framemounted rather thanbeing fitted to close coupling cams
Assembly quality and finish
Allfourmodels in the TSVpack were carefullyassembled and finished with no parts coming loose during handling fortest and photography. The paint finish,assimple as theyare on the TSVs,issmooth and evenlyapplied. Printed detailswerefound to be accuratewhen compared to reference photographs and applied withgood solid printing. The combination of crisp underframe detailing and accurately tooled parts gives the Heljan35t tank wagons afine appearance. Given the price perwagon againstthe applied detailand running qualities, theyare arguablyamong the best value models around today. ProducedbyHeljanA/S
Following some fine tuning, the wagons became freerollingontheir metalthree-hole disc wheels.Couplings are more or less at the correctoperating height, although the hooks were foundtobestiff in some instances. Further,the models would benefit from alittle extraweight.
Modellers widelywelcomed the reissue of the Heljan 35t tank wagoninboth Class Aand Class B petroleum wagons, together withmolasses tank wagons
Has open access reached acrossroads?
Exciting plans by First Group to substantiallyexpand its Lumo operation have received apushbackfromGovernment. ChrisMilner investigatesthe background, the open accessmarketin general, and the proposalfor new services currentlyawaiting approval.
ONE of thebenefits of Privatisation is the ability to set up an open access passenger operation. These areindependentpassenger operations outside of the now defunct original franchise agreements, whereanoperator is givenapproval to runtrain services forwhich there is no Government subsidy or incentive. In short, all the financial
risksare undertakenbythe operator
Thereare currentlyfive open access operators –Eurostar,Heathrow Express, Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo. Threeoftheseoperators –Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo –compete forbusiness on the East CoastMain Line with incumbent operator, LNER This competitionhas provided direct servicestoLondon fortowns and
cities which tend to be bypassed by the mainstream operator.Openaccess services often call at underserved stations, but moreimportantly, they givepassengers achoice Open access operations can be controversial and the systemhas some vociferous critics within the industry who arevery much against such operations. Theybelieve it deprivesthe
contracted operatorofrevenue, fails to contributefully to the infrastructure costs, andjustmakes moneyfor the shareholders of private operators.
In January,the RMTunion issued abriefingreport criticisingwhat it called ‘bumper payouts’. Thereport included analysis of howmuchmoney hadflowed back into the handsofthe private investors of the sevenrailowninggroupsinthe form of dividend payments between 2016 and2024. TheRMT claims that £1.3 billion had left the industry
Whilethe opinion of open access critics maybepartiallytrue, the availability of such services generally
provides apassenger with cheaper fares, greater convenience and the avoidance of having to changetrains, simplybecause open access operators tend to be moreniche and innovative than those with rigidGovernment contracts. First Group is of the view that open access canbethe driverof growth forall operators in the market, not just itsservices.
In December,First Group raised the stakes in the open access marketby announcing asignificant expansion of its operations by placing an orderwith Hitachi worth £500 million for14new five-car Class 80x trains. These will be amix of electric, battery-electric and bimodes, and will run under the Lumo and Hull Trains brands. Further orders worth £460m could follow, depending on the outcome of other route applications
The announcement wasmade on a dayPrime Minister Sir Kier Starmer and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander visited the Hitachi manufacturing plant at Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham.
Given that the Government had outlinedits plans to bring all the remaining former franchisesunder
Crossing the Selby swing bridge and entering Selbystation is Hull Trains ‘Paragon’set No.802302 JeanBishop(TheBee Lady),the servicebeing the 12.33 Hull to King’s Cross. Thepicturewas taken from atemporary footbridge erected while the mainfootbridge washaving lifts installed. ALLPICTURES CHRIS MILNER
Passing Lamberton, one of the most scenic sections of coastline in the Scottish Borders,isLumo setNo. 803005 forming the09.11 Edinburgh Waverley to London King’s CrossonJuly27, 2022.
FEATURE
public control, therewas criticism that the prime minister wassupporting adeal foraprivate train operator, financiallybacked by private finance
Some days afterwards Chancellor Rachel Reevesexplained that Labour wasmerelyprotecting jobs and supporting the industrial heartlands which it had promised to do in the lead up to the election. Additionally, new train orders, regardless of the end user, were desperatelyneeded to bridge the gapwhen the rolling stock forHS2 enters the build stagein2026/7.
However, in January,Ms Alexander–who had onlybeen in thejob six weeks after replacing Louise Haigh –senta letter to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to confirm the position regarding open access. The letter clearlystated it had no formal legal standing, but set out the expectations howthe Government’s vision foropen access would operate alongside apublicly owned railway
Ms Alexander said: “I recognise the benefits that can be providedby open access operators in the right circumstances, and thatboth existing and newopen access operators can open up newmarkets, driveinnovation andoffer choice to passengers.
“However, thereisabalance to be struck to ensurethe benefits provided by open access operators outweigh the impacts theyhave on taxpayers and the ability to operate the network efficiently. We need to be mindful of the impacts of open access such as the levelofrevenue theycan abstract from contracted servicesand the associated implications forpassengers and taxpayers. Iamalso aware of the additionalpressures newservices can create on already constrained network capacity
“While open access operators pay variable access chargestoNetwork Rail to coverthe direct costs incurred running their trains on the network, unlike government-contracted operators theydonot fullycoverthe costs of fixed track access charges towardslong-term maintenance of the network and central support costs.”
In the penultimate paragraph of the letter it states: “I would like to makeclear my expectation that you givedue consideration to the priorities Iset out in this letter whilst respecting your statutory duties. Iwish to seethe impacts on the taxpayerand on overall performance forpassengers –such as potential congestiononthe network –given primacywhen considering open access applications.”
The letter also contained a suggestion that changes to the secretary of state’s guidance might be considered in the future.
Clearlythe Government has concerns about open access operations and their wider impact, both from a financial viewand network capacity constraints, but has said therewill be acontinued role foropen access operations wheretheycan add value.
Responding to the DfT’s letters, Stuart Jones, open access director at First Group, said he doesnot accept
Grand Central Class 180 ‘Adelante’ No. 180102
08.53 Sunderland-King’s Cross.
the DfT’sconcerns and the decisions should be based on submitted evidence and the law, and not influenced by the views of one stakeholder.Headds that the Group has submitted strong applications and has demonstrated 25 years of success in open access operations.
Whendeterminingopen access applications, the ORR applies atest called the ‘not primarily abstractive’ test (NPA). This test sets out that an application is notlikelytobeapproved unless the forecast is that it would generate at least 30p of newrevenue forevery £1 that it abstracts from existing operators’ revenue.
Whetherproponents of open access face adouble yellowlight or asingle yellowlight ahead is notyet clear,but Rail Express understands that First Group’s plan is one of more than 40 track access applications currentlybeing considered by the ORR forpassenger services. Thereare nearly as manyfreight services requesting track access on acongested network. Youcan understand First’s thinking to heavily push down the open access route, especiallywhen it faces losing all of its three remaining National Rail Contracts under renationalisationplans.
In May2023, TransPennine Express operation wastaken over by the Department forTransport’s DfT OLR Holdings Limited. As forits other rail ventures, South Western Railwayis due to go under Government control
CURRENT OPEN ACCESS APPLICATIONS UNDER CONSIDERATION
Route Proposer
Euston-Walsall-Wolverhampton-Wrexham Wrexham, Shropshire&Midland Railway Paddington-Bristol-Paignton First Group (Lumo)
King’s Cross-Retford-Worksop-Sheffield First Group (Hull Trains)
Euston-Manchester Victoria-Rochdale First Group (Lumo)
Edinburgh Waverley-Glasgow Central †First Group (Lumo)
Cardiff Central-Derby-Newcastle-Edinburgh Grand Union Euston-Birmingham NewStreet-Liverpool Virgin Trains
Notes: †Anextension of the existing King’s Cross-Edinburgh service.
APPROVED OPEN ACCESS APPLICATIONS YETTOSTART
Route Operator Euston-Nuneaton-Motherwell-Stirling First Group (Lumo)
Paddington-Newport-Llanelli-Carmarthen First Group (Lumo)
Swindon-Taunton-Weston-super-Mare Go-op
EXISTING OPEN ACCESS OPERATIONS
Route Operator Sunderland-Northallerton-King’s Cross Grand Central Beverley-Hull-Selby-Doncaster-King’s Cross Hull Trains BradfordInterchange-Wakefield Kirkgate-King’s Cross Grand Central Paddington-Heathrow Terminal 5Heathrow Express/GWR
Edinburgh Waverley-Newcastle-King’s Cross Lumo St Pancras International-Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam Eurostar
hammers along the through road at DoncasteronMarch 23, 2023, with 1A61, the
from this May, followedbyGWR and Avanti West Coast on dates still to be confirmed. The current GWR contract runs untilJune 2025 with an optional three-year extension, and Avanti’s expires in October 2026.
The RMTdocument claimsFirst’s rail operations generated £417.2 million in shareholder dividends between 2016 and 2024, so what First is doing is looking at howtoprovide new services while still providing return forshareholders.
In January,First held an event in London whereSteve Montgomery, Managing Director, First Rail,outlined the success ofthe Hull Trains operation overits 24-year existence, when it started with three trains per day, and howthat has expanded to sevenreturn trains per day, someofthese being 10-car formations, such has been passenger demand.
Similarly, it’s Lumo operation, which began in October 2021 using Hitachi AT300 all-electric units running from King’s Cross to Edinburgh, has become an outstanding success, and now operates fivetrains per dayineach direction with just three intermediate stationcalls. The Class 803 sets also have batteries to support on-board services in the event of an OLE failure.
Akey appeal of Lumo has been price. An ad hoc check undertaken on February 25 fortickets to travel on March21–the publicationdate ofthis Rail Express –offered prices between £43.90 and £68.90 foranEdinburghKing’s Cross single. Competitorfares ranged from £73.20 to £92, and if you
have arailcard, Lumo’s cheapest fare drops to aremarkable £29.20.
Lumo trains aresingle class with free wi-fi, andthe companypromotes itself as a‘digital-first’ operator, emphasisingits focusonpaperless ticketing options. On-board, it provides an at-seat trolleyservice providing food and drinkitems from brands such as Marks& Spencer.Being aprivate company, ideas andinnovations can be implemented quite quickly, and don’t need lots of meetings, endless emails or awaitfor ahigh-levelsign-off.
Taking astep back, open access wouldn’t be whereitistodayhad it not been forthe vision anddetermination of former BR manager Ian Yeowart. Arguablythe ‘Godfather’ of open access, Mr Yeowartfoundedthe Grand Central RailwayCompany in April2000 to pursue open access opportunities, and through his determined efforts, finallygained approvalfromthe ORR to run services from SunderlandtoKing’s Cross, which commencedDecember 2007. Buoyedbythat success, in May 2010, Grand Central began aBradford InterchangetoKing’s Cross service. Creating acommercial success, in 2011 Grand Central wassold to Arriva UK Trains, (nowthe ArrivaGroup) who operate Chiltern Railways, ArrivaRail London and CrossCountry services.
Over the years, Mr Yeowarthas made manyapplicationsfor open access services –York to Chester, Newcastle-Hebden Bridge-Manchester Victoria, Euston to Blackpool and London-Southampton –usingall manner of rolling stock andoversome ❯
OneofHull Trains’ regular calling points is Grantham, whereonMarch3,2020, unit No.802304 pauses with the 08.24 Hull to London King’s Cross.
The popularity of open access services is evident by this Hull Trains service at Grantham on June 22,2024.
Chathill,Northumberland, is thelocation where Lumo set No. 803003 speeds south with the 10.26 Edinburgh-Newcastle onMarch 27, 2022. In November2023, the Railway HeritageTrust awarded agrant of £80,000 to Network Rail to support restoration of thelisted 1847 platform shelter,howeveras of mid-February work was still waiting to begin.
FEATURE
Cross-Leeds, as ‘Adelante’ No.180102 takes athrough line forming the 10.23 BradfordInterchange-King’s Cross on October 24.
interesting routes. Many were rejected as being abstractiveorbecause there wasnocapacity,but had theycome to fruition, theywould have provided plenty of newjourneyopportunities. Yeowart’s involvement in openaccess has beencomplexand interesting and is astory in its ownright.
In December 2022, his Grand Union Trains companywon the access rights foraCarmarthentoPaddington service and theninMarch 2024, the ORR approvedanotherGrand Union bid to introduce aStirling to Euston service via the West Coast Main Line The access rights forthe Carmarthen serviceare for10years and the Stirling operation is forfive years.
However, in September 2024, First Group bought Grand Union Trains WCML Holdings Ltd and its operating subsidiary,and will nowrun the Stirling service under its Lumo brand. Services
could start later this year and bring some much-neededcompetition to long distance servicesoverthe West Coast Main Line
Then in December,Yeowart sold his Grand Union Trains GWML Holdings Ltd companywhich hadbeen set up forthe Paddington-Carmarthen operation.
Again, First Groupwas the buyer, news of thesale coming with the announcement of the newtrains order and triggering an expansionofthe Lumo brand.
Mr Yeowart still has an application pending foraservice from Cardiff to Edinburgh and is involved in a Marchwood-Southampton-Waterloo track access application.
Within the current applications being consideredbythe ORR, thereare some interesting proposalsfor services.
Readers might recall previous open access operations by the Wrexham,
Shropshire&Marylebone Railway. This wasaservice which began in April 2008 using Class 67 locoshauling Mk.3 trailers with aDVT,and the routing was Wrexham, Shrewsbury,Wolverhampton, Tame BridgeParkway,LeamingtonSpa, Banbury and LondonMarylebone.
Ajoint venturebetween John Laing (who were initiallybehind Chiltern Railways) and Renaissance Trains, Laing later sold its shareholding to DB. Despite competitivefares, against competition froma Virgin Trains Wrexham-London service, passenger numbers were not as high as expected Consequently, in January 2011, having lost £2.9 million in 2010, DB said there wasnoprospect of the service ever becoming profitable and on January 28, 2011, Wrexham &Shropshire operations ceased.
On the starting blocksright nowisaproposed service by the
similarlynamed Wrexham, Shropshire &Midlands Railwaywho want to introduce aservice from Wrexham General toLondon Euston, callingat Gobowen, Shrewsbury,TelfordCentral, Wolverhampton,Darlaston,Walsall, Coleshill Parkway,Nuneaton and Milton Keynes. It’s aservice thatwillopen newjourneyopportunities without the faffofchangingatBirmingham New Street. Backed by SLCRailand Alstom, fivetrainsper dayineach direction MondaytoSaturdayare envisaged, with four on aSunday. Rolling stock forthe service has not been identified, butthe proposers arepromising innovations, such as an instantdelay-repaysystem Also trying to getback into railway operationsisthe Virgin Group. Having operated the services on the West Coast Main Line between March1997 and December 2019, Virgin has recently applied to run services from London
oyage yG supplement
gB
June 8, 2024,isset No. 221143with 1D93, the 15.25 King’s Cross-BradfordInterchange.
At the terminus the Hull Trains ‘Paragon’ takesits namefrom, this view on March3, 2020, finds No. 802304preparing to depart withthe 15.08 to London King’s Cross. At the time, none of the sets have been given names.
Competitors meet at Peterborough. LNER‘Azuma’ No. 801111 makes the station call with the 12.03 King’s
Euston to Manchester Piccadillywith calls at Nuneaton, Stoke-on-Trentand Stockport, with options to continue to Rochdale via Manchester Victoria or to Prestonvia Bolton, Horwich andChorley
Virgin wants to challengethe incumbent on Euston-Liverpool services, calling at Tamworth, Lichfield, Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway.It also wants to runa London-Birmingham NewStreet service. Virgin has even applied to introduceaLondonEustonGlasgow Central service calling at the proposed Golborne station, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell.
On the East Coast, Hull Trains has made no secret of its desireto introduce aLondon King’s CrossSheffield service which would call at the intermediate stations of Retford, Worksop and Woodhouse, with one additionalservicegoing on to Meadowhall.
In addition to the newapplications, Lumo want to introduce additional trains between London and Newcastle, and Grand Central believesthere is amarket and scope foradditional London-York services.
Aiming to expand in the south west, Lumo has its sights on aLondon Paddington-Bristol-Paignton service, challenging GWR.
As outlined earlier,the ORR applies an NPAtest to open access applications, and of the nine of the current batch of applications under consideration, the Department for Transport has written to the ORR opposing eight of these applications, although the ORRisthe finalarbiter.
Many of the DfTsobjections are that the eight of the applications –both individuallyand cumulatively –would not meet the NPAtest.The DfT also cites ‘potentiallydetrimental operational impacts’ upon network performance and station capacity
The onlyapplication the DfT supports –asitdoes meet the NPAcriteria, despite the ongoing constraints at London Euston with HS2 constructuion –isthe Wrexham, Shropshire&MidlandRailway proposal. Theservice would considerablyimprove regional connectivity.
Of the existing openaccess operators, Heathrow Express runs afast high-frequencyairport rail link operating between London Heathrow Airport terminal 5and London Paddington every 15 minutes. Starting in January 1998, theservice is operatedonbehalfofHeathrowAirport Holdings by Great Western Railway. Launching with Class 332 units, in 2020 Class387s in aspecial Heathrow Express livery and adapted interior for airport work, took over.
Theinternationalopen access operation is Eurostar,who currently run services from London St Pancras International to Paris, Lille, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Mention must be made of an open access operation which was unfortunatelyaxedprior to its launch Grand Central had preparedfor anew London Euston to Blackpool open
access service from summer2020. Being part of Arrivaand then owned by Deutsche Bahn, the plan wastouse spareDBClass 90s coupled to Mk.4 and DVTcarriagesets, which had been displaced from the East Coast Main Line by Hitachi ‘Azuma’ trains.
Grand Central had planned to run fivereturn services per day and had started the process of refurbishing the 24 carriages and repainting the fiveClass 90s. Staff had been hired, a crew base set up at Blackpool North, and drivers andguards were training on refurbished Mk.4 sets
But itwas theimpactofthe Covid-19 pandemicand aUKlockdown from March23, 2020, along with adisinclination by the public to travel when the lockdownwas later eased,that forced Grand Central to throw the towelinbySeptember 2020, abandoning anyhope of the service starting.
It had spent around £21 million. It’s MD at thetime, RichardMcClean, said: “Despite months of work to adjust costs, and monitortravelbehaviour forsigns of change, it becamemore obvious to us that to invest in what is essentiallyastart-up enterprise in this climate wassimplynot feasible, and therefore we reluctantlyreached thevery tough decision to ceasethe project permanently.”
The decision wasa blowtoopen access operations and thousands of passengers along the route who would have usedthe services.
In conclusion, while open access has the potential to be arisky business, thereismoneyto be made and above all thereare positivebenefits forthe passenger,but it certainlycan be a divisivetopic within the rail fraternity
Howmanyofthe proposalsbefore the ORR will ever come to fruitionis uncertain, but Rail Express will provide news of anydevelopments. E
Replacement forthe Class 332s came in the form of Class 387 ‘Electrostars’. The introduction of Class 345 Crossrailunits between Reading and Paddington in December 2021, allowed12Class 387s to be refitted internally, and rebranded forHeathrow Express workings. Here, No. 387139 has just arrivedatPaddington on April14, with the 12.27 from Heathrow Terminal 5.
With just over twoyears to go beforewithdrawalofthe CAF/Siemens Class 332 ‘Heathrow Express’ units, No. 332011 waits at Paddington with aservice to Heathrow Airport on April19, 2018. The last 332 wastaken out of service on December28, 2020, the units not being suitable forreuse elsewherebecause the units were not fitted with TPWSequipment, onlyAutomatic TrainProtection (ATP).
What might have been?Grand Central’s planned open access service between Blackpool
of Covid-19. The complete operation wascancelled in September 2020, following the national
and London
in
became
same year and the subsequent travel uncertainty that prevailed formanymonths afterwards.OnJune 26, 2020, Class 90 No.90029 in ex-works condition, with DVTNo. 82200 behind,hauls twoshort Mk.4 refurbished rakespastAtherstone on their wayfromAlstom Widnesto WembleyYard. All ofthe Mk.4s and DVTs forthis planned operation arenow in service with Transport forWales
North
Euston
avictim
lockdown
Marchthe
Remembering the ETHELs
The introduction of the Mk 3sleeping cars by British Rail on the London-Fort William servicecreated an unusual problem which required anovel solution. Stephen Williams tellsthe story behind the Class 25 ETHELs.
WHEN the air conditioned
Mk.3 sleeping car fleet was introduced by British Rail from 1982 onwards, the electric train supply (ETS) from alocomotivewould provide powerfor the on boardservices of central door locking, heating, lighting and air conditioning.
At the time the newvehicles were being introduced, the West Highland sleeper fromLondon Euston to Fort William still used the steam-heated Mk.1 sleeping cars, and continued to do so untilthe latter half of 1985.
The Mk.1 sleepers were entering their final years, being replaced with newMk.3 sleepers produced by British Rail Engineering Limited(BREL)atits Litchurch Lane Works, Derby.
The newdesign included many newsafetyfeatureswhichhad been lacking in the Mk.1, the typeof carriage
involved in the Taunton sleeping carfire on July6,1978, which resulted in two fatalities and 15 injuries. At the time of the fire, the Mk.3 sleepers were at the design stage, and following the Taunton firethe decision wastaken to install fireprevention measures, including a sophisticatedfire alarm system andthe use of fireretardant materials Derbywent on to produce208 Mk.3 sleeper vehiclesintwo different variants, which were introduced on the London-Glasgow towardsthe endof 1982. These vehicleswerea‘Sleeper
Either Class’codedasSLE, of which therewere88manufactured, with 120 vehicles of ‘Sleeper Either Class with Pantry’ (SLEP) produced. As aresult ofimproving the needs fordisabled passengers, some vehicleswere subsequentlymodified with wheelchair access as ‘Sleeper EitherClass Disabled’
With twosleeping cars and twoseated coaches fromLondon Eustonadded to the Mk.1s at Glasgow,Class 37 No. 37012 with‘ETHEL 1’ in tow, crossRannoch Viaducton June 18, 1985, with theovernightsleeper from London Euston. JOHNCHALCRAFT
Built as Class 25 No.25305, ‘ETHEL1’asNo. 97250 sits in abay at Perthstation on May15, 1986.
COLOUR RAIL
Class 37 No. 37188 leads ‘ETHEL 3’ No.97252 (ex-No.25314) away from TullochonJune 13, 1984, with the 17.40Fort William-Glasgow service, conveyingsleeping carsfor Euston. JOHN CHALCRAFT
(SLED).Coincidentally, Between 1988 and 1998, 10 SLE carriageswereleased to Danish State Railways(DSB) foruse in Denmark.
With steam heatingboilers in locomotives being phasedout, heating forthe Mk.3 rolling stockwas totally electric –and this is where BR faceda problem with theFort William portion of thesleeper from London Euston.
BR in Scotland (whichbecame ScotRailin1983) didn’t have suitable locomotives with ETStohaul theMk.3 stock overthe West Highland line.
There were plenty of Class 47s which were usedonservices to Inverness and Aberdeen with Mk.3 stock, but weightrestrictionsonseveral viaducts on theWest Highland line preventedtheir use –although that situation has since changed following bridgeand viaductstrengthening.
Looking forasolution, BR initially considered using theClass 27/2. These were Class 27/1 locos which had previouslybeen usedonGlasgowEdinburgh push-pull services but the steam heatingboiler had been replaced with aDeutz eight-cylinder,air-cooled diesel engineand alternator to provide ETS(or electric train heating) to the Mk.2 carriages. However, thealternator
Ararepictureofall three ‘ETHELs’ together,stored out of use by the wheel lathe shed at Glasgow’s Eastfield depot. Nearest the camerais No.97251, alongwith Nos. 97250 and97252. TERRYEYRES
outputwas deemedinsufficient forthe demands of the Mk.3 sleeper Consideration had also been given to the use of two Western Region generator vans, but theytoo were deemed unsatisfactory as they produced alower output than required by the Mk.3s when demand washigh.
The Class 33 also entered the frame but wasruled out, primarily because of logistical problems associatedwiththe maintenance andrepair of asmall subfleet away from their regular haunts.
In the end, BR decided that the solution wastoconvert 31 Class 37/0s to ETH, aproject that would taketime and so needed ashort-term solution –and quickly. On top of that, therewas
some political pressure that the Fort William sleeper servicecontinued, and wasnot abandoned.
With the Class 37 conversion manymonths away– in fact the first Class 37/4 did notemerge from Crewe worksuntilJune 1985 –and the cost of designing and producing anew vehicle or modifying afreight wagontocarry agenerator wasboth prohibitiveand time consuming forshort-termuse, Scottish Region CM&EE staffcame up with an answerinthe form of amobile generator,converted from adual-braked Class 25 locomotive.
Known as ‘ETHEL’, an acronym that stood forElectric Train HeatingEx Locomotive, the first to be converted
wasNo. 25310.Thisloco had been withdrawninOctober 1982 after suffering bogie damagebut twomonths later wasdispatched from Tyseleyto Aberdeen Ferryhill.
With no drawings or previous similar design work to support the project, a small team of electriciansand fitters tackled the conversion, completing it in June 1983.
During the conversion,the traction motors and drivingcontrols were removed, sockets forthe ETH cables installed and other modificationswere undertaken. The performance of the loco’s brakingsystemwas adjusted to allowfor the lighter weight.
To provide sufficientcurrent from
the generator to powerthe ETS, the Sulzer 6LDA28-B engine wasset to run at 640rpm when providing heat, in comparison to the normal idle speed of 325rpm, and indeed the engine’s maximum of 750rpm.
Repainted into BR blue and grey to match BRs coaching stock, No. 25310 wasrenumbered ADB97250 and named ‘ETHEL 1’. AScotty dog emblem was painted on the side. After testing, in June 1983 ‘ETHEL 1’ had movedto Inverness whereitwas used to preheat the RoyalTrain empty stock. The ETHEL’s firstworking waswith aClass 37onaVIP special train from Inverness to Stromferry,formed of Mk.3 stock. Then on July3,1983, ‘ETHEL 1’ wasused
Afterarrival at Fort William and the sleepingcars vacated, the stock hasbeen shunted and the twosleepingcars positioned with ‘ETHEL 1’ on the country end duringthe day. This allowedthe Class 37 to coupleupand takethe
Street. NEIL SMITH
After transferring from Scotland to London, ‘ETHELs’ 2and 3wererepaintedinto InterCity livery to work behind steam specials. No. 97252 sits on the SLOA Pullman train at DerbyonMarch 21, 1987 during the operation of HertfordshireRailTours’ ‘South YorkshirePullman’ with A3 steam locomotive Flying Scotsman which was taking water COLOUR RAIL
behind non-heat Class 37 No. 37081 on aSundayexcursion from Edinburgh to Oban, hauling aMk.2F push-pull set with DBSO No. 9709.
The loco did visit Swindon in early July1984 fora replacement main generator,whereother class members were in the process of being scrapped, so spareparts were aplenty.In1985, No. 97250 made appearances at the Perth and Edinburgh Haymarket Railfair events.
The second Class 25 to be converted wasNo. 25305, whichwas initiallywithdrawninApril1981 but wasrevived and reinstatedtotraffic courtesyofparts from aclassmate, beforebeing withdrawnfor asecond time in July1983 and sent to Aberdeen.
Conversion work ‘was carried out to the same specification as ‘ETHEL1’ and, emerging as ‘ETHEL2’, the heating unit wasnumbered ADB97251, completion coming in August 1993.
It had been intendedbyBRthat eitherNos. 25314 and 25319 would become ‘ETHEL2’, but foravariety of reasons, including repair costs related to other Class 25s, No. 25305 wasselected.
In the summer of 1993, Nos. 25314 and 25319 were taken from Crewe to Derby, beforeNo. 25314 wasselected to be the last of theconversions and was movedontoAberdeenFerryhillwhere fitters set about converting the loco to ‘ETHEL3’. Conversion wascompleted in October 1983.
The Fort William sleeperoperation wasACelectric-hauled between London and Mossend. Herethe Inverness portion wasdetached (the Aberdeen sleepers still ranout of London King’s Cross at the time), and then the stock wasworked by anyavailablediesel via Cowlairs, where afurther loco would takethe train into Glasgow Queen Street High Level. Here the Class 37 and ETHEL were attached to the Mk.3s, the seated sleeper portion and daycarriages forpassengers joining at stations alongthe route.
The first of the converted Class 37/4 didn’t materialise untillate June 1985, and over the following year Crewe converted atotal of 31 locos. The work includedregeared CP7 bogies,the generator replacedwitha Brush BA1005A alternator,extensive rewiring with the loco outshopped in BR LargeLogolivery.Scotland was the main beneficiary of the Class 37/4 fleet, being allocated 25 of the reworked locos, while Wales had six Remarkably, 13 of the 37/4 conversions survivetoday, owned by severalprivate operators. Routing of the sleeper when the 37/4s took over waschanged to run via QueenStreet LowLevel, as no shuntingwas required.
It wasthe arrival of the Class 37s which spelt the end forthe ETHEL heating units on the Fort William sleepers ETHEL 2and 3weretransferred to London wheretheywereused forheating stock used on steam specials operated by BR’s Special Trains Unit over the winter and earlyspring period.
The chartertrain unit had considered using aHastings unit power car fortrain heating instead of the
ETHELs, and despite the vehicle having a better profilethanthe slab-sided Class 25, the idea didn’t proceed.
ETHELs2 and 3wereused on excursions over the Settle &Carlisle line when train heatingwas required, and in the period of time they were used, appeared at Stratford-upon-Avon, Derby, Carlisle andother places. The pair were paintedinInterCityExecutive livery in the spring of 1987 to match the external appearance of the Mk.1 executiveset operated by the Charter Trains Unit.
Their popularityamongst steam lineside photographers wasvery low and it wasalso questionablewith passengers in the first few coaches behind the steam locomotive who wanted to hearthe loco working hard on gradients, but the sound wasoften drowned out by the ETHEL. Such was their dislike amongst passengers,
charter promoters, such as Hertfordshire Railtours, began to advertise steam tours with no ETHEL!
Questions were also asked whythe ETHEL could notbepositioned at the rear of the train, which would have been more aestheticallypleasing forlineside photographers. Becausethe unit was unpowered, it would have required additional shunting, so using the steam loco to move the ETHEL, and in some cases turn it, wasthe best solution.
ETHEL 1was withdrawnin1987 and stored at Inverness, andaccording to the December1992 issue of The RailwayMagazine,was takentothe Kyle of Lochalsh in October 1992 for train heating purposes, believed to be in connection with the RoyalScotsman luxury train.
At one point, all three ETHELs were stored at Inverness andtherewas talk in the late spring of 1992 of possible
reuse on loco-hauled trains out of Inverness during the summer, but this nevermaterialised and the trio were withdrawninlate 1993.
The end forthe ETHELs came in the summerof1994 whenNo. 97251 was sent to MC Metals, Glasgow,inJune 1994 forcutting, arriving on June 10. Its arrival wasquickly followedbyNo. 97250 on June 12 and No. 97252 on June 14. All three had been disposed of by August, but the cabs of twoofthem lingered on untilatleast December1994.
Quite often, thereisatrend in railways forthings to go in circles. Who would have thought today’s railway operations would see Class 73/9s used on the Inverness and Fort William to Edinburgh portions of the ‘Caledonian Sleeper’ –hauled by Class 66s –purely to provide on boardpower to the Mk.5 carriages, just in the waythe ETHELs did 30 years ago! E
Sent forscrapping in June 1994, all three ‘ETHELs’ had been cut up by the endofAugust, however, thisviewatMCMetals shows the cabs of ‘ETHEL1’inblue and ‘ETHEL3’, and aClass 27 cab,onDecember 4, 1994. ADRIAN HOTSON
First dayofrevenue-earning operation forthe Mk.3 sleepers running to Fort William wasonOctober3,1985. Class 37 No. 37192 with ‘ETHEL 2’ (No. 97251) wait at Glasgow Queen Street with the 05.50 service, which is formed out of the sleeper from London Euston. JOHN MAHON
Slowing foradverse signals due to the preceding late running service train, GBRF
Class 60 No. 60026 rumbles across Bedlington viaduct with the 6N87 Lynemouthto Tyne Coal Terminal biomass empties on February 28. JOHN LONGDEN
IRISH ANGLE William
Storm Eowyn causesextensive damageand disruption
The latest storm to hitIreland wasStorm Eowynwhich made landfall on January24, and proved to be the most severe since 1998, with windspeeds of over 100mph being registered
ASTATUS RED warning had beenissued on January 23, and IE advisedintending passengers that no trains were to run during the morning of the 24th.
It wasanticipatedthat significant damagewould occur with further disruption to services expected as repairs would need to be carried out once the storm abated later that day. The impact across the country wasconsiderable with damageto buildings, powerlines, and fallen treesand debris blocking roads and railwaylines.
Repair teams worked tirelesslyto clear lines and at 15.10 IE statedthat the service from Cork to Cobh and Midleton had resumed but that the Nenaghbranch and the Limerick Junction to Waterfordline would remain closed.
As of 16.00 someother routeswere abletoofferalimited service but the DART
electric service in the Greater Dublin area remained suspended due to damagetothe OLE. Numerous fallen trees and damage to levelcrossings sawservices between Athlone and Westport/Ballina remain suspendedaswerethose on the Sligoline with bustitution in operationonboth routes the following day, the 25th.
Engineering work between Clontarf Road and Drogheda on January 25/26 proceeded as planned with atotal possession in place, with bustitution in operation between Connollyand Drogheda. Normalservices had resumed systemwide by the 27th except forthose between Athlone andWestport/ Ballina which had restarted by the 29th. However,therewerepower outages at Athenry and Ardrahanonthis dayand again onthe 30th at Clonydonnin loop between Athlone and Clarawhich caused disruption. E
NORTHERN IRELAND RAILWAYS (NIR)
INFRASTRUCTURE DAMAGE FOLLOWSSTORM EOWYN
NIR took the decision on January 23, to cancel all services the nextday after it wasconfirmed that Storm Eowyn would makelandfall and that it would bring 90mph winds which would cause damagetoroad level crossings, bring down numerous trees and spread debris which would obstruct lines system-wide
The decision proved to bethe right oneasthe worst storm since1998 battered the province on the 24th. While specialist teams carried out repairs and safety checkswhen the weather moderated, therewas onlya gradual resumption of services with the Londonderry line the final route to be cleared throughout, on January 26.
Six-car 4000 Class DMU No. 4014 re-entered service in late January, after repairs to damagesustained by driving car No. 4314 during Storm Darragh on December7last year were completed. However,No. 4314 carried substantial scars of the collision with afallentreeas the unit wasreturned to trafficbefore painting of the repaired areas was carried out.
The 10.00 Belfast Grand Central (GC)-Dublin Connollyserviceon January 31 terminated at Newry due to a‘technical issue’, with the train and passengers transferred to the 11.00 ex-GC. The 12.50 ex Connolly formed by athree-car ICR DMU ranas farasNewry whereits passengers transferred to aloco-hauledDe Dietrich/Mk.3 train forthe remainder of the journeytoBelfast.
Also, on the 31st abridge
strike causeddisruptiontoafternoon services on the Belfast to Bangor line untilthe structurewas inspected and declared safe
The introduction last October of an hourlyservice in each direction on weekdays between Belfast andDublin has seen thecessation of specials operated in connection with SixNations rugbyunion matches at the Aviva stadium in Dublin. It wasmandatory forpassengers travellingonthe 08.00, 09.00, 10.00, 11.00and 12.00 GC to Connollyfor theIreland vEnglandmatch on February 1, to book in advance, which wasalso necessaryfor travelon the 20.50 ex-Connolly. Services on the Belfast-LondonderrylinenorthofAntrim on February 19, were cancelled from start of serviceto around 09.30because of signalling problems. Rail tickets were accepted on parallel busservices.
NIR 111 CLASS FLEETMAY HAVE AFUTURE
THE futurefor GMs Nos. 8111, 8112 and 8113 wasthought to be uncertain as theyhave no regular duties and have been stored in the open at Belfast York Road Yard foraconsiderable time. However, the locomotives mayyet seeuse in some capacity after they receivedattention from an independent contractor in the main running shed at York Road between February 3and 7, afterwhich theyweremoved to the WorksSiding adjacent to the shed.
On February 10, No.8112 worked a series of three light engine round trips between York Road and Carrickfergus fordrivertraining purposes –four trips had been planned. Nos. 8111 and 8112 entered service in 1981 and
201 Class locomotive reliveried to mark 30 years in service
GM No. 220 River Blackwater/ An Abhainn Dhubh hasbeen reliveried from Intercity livery into the orange, black and yellow colour scheme that it carried when it entered service in March1995
The originallivery has been applied to No. 220tomark 30 years of the class on IE, although other membersofthe class were graduallyintroduced to traffic
from Julythe previous year Nonetheless, the repaint indicates that the company continues to recognise that retro liveries bring goodwill and positive publicity.No. 220 joins Nos. 071 and 073 in being adorned with retrocolours, while DMU Nos. 2601 and 2602 have also been treated. It is anticipatedthat No. 220will be unveiled in its newlivery on a date yettobeannounced.
No. 8113 in 1984. IE Track Recording Vehicle EM50 No. 700 traversed the NIR system during the weekend of February 14-17 but the Lisburn-Antrim branch wasomitted. The vehicle wasstabled forone night at Adelaide Traincare Depot and fortwo nights at Ballymena Infrastructuredepot.
NIR NEWS
Anew BallastCleaning Depot is planned forthe Ballinderry area on the mothballed Lisburn-Antrim branch. It will compriseamaintenance facility,staffaccommodation, stabling sidings and ballast storagearea.
NIRGMNo. 8112 headspast Greenisland en route to Carrickfergus on February 10. ASHLEY HAWKINS
IARNRODEIREANN (IE)/IRISHRAIL
IE TRAFFIC ANDTRACTION
HIGHLIGHTSofthe period under reviewweretest and drivertraining runs at InchicoreWorks, which featured the first set of the new Alstom-built fleet of five-car Battery Electric Multiple Units (BEMUs) to be delivered, cars Nos. 90101-5.
The unit ranatlow speedunder its ownpowerwithin the works complex. Asecond unit wasdelivered during the week ending February 22.
Twoprojects arebeingprogressed to ascertain if alternativefuel sources could powerthe fleet of diesel electriclocomotives. 201 Class locomotiveNo. 218 continued to be used to road test Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil(HVO), with no major issues being reported so far, while another,separate project if successful, could see hydrogen beingusedinthe future.This project commenced in late 2023 afterIE had awarded a€1.5 million contract to the Latvia-based DiGas Group. The joint venturehas, to date,been carriedout behind closeddoors but main line trials featuring an 071 Class locomotiveare planned forthis year –if the originaltimescale is adheredto.
All of the 18 strong 1976-built GM 071 Class fleetremaininservice, while20ofthe 201 Class are available of the original fleet of32 delivered in 1994/5. Nos. 201-5 and 210-14 arestored unserviceable at Inchicorewhile Nos. 224 and 230 areout of use. NIR locomotivesNos. 8208 and 8209 areinservice and areused to powerDublin-Cork Mk.4 sets and freight trains as well as the ‘Enterprise’ De Dietrich/Mk.3 sets. No. 216 continues to carry Belmond blue livery (the paint of which is in good condition) and retainsBelmond logosand the full quota of River
Dodder nameplatesinEnglish and Irish (twoofeach type), however, the locomotivecarries no IE signage.
On January 27 GM No. 226 worked a Cork to InchicoreECS which consisted of Mk.4 set, DBGNo. 4008. Services were suspended in the Galway area during the afternoon of February 2, due to signalling issues, while abridgestrike the next dayonthe Heuston-Cork mainline near Sallins during the morning peakcaused disruption to services untilthe structure wasinspected and declared safe.
No. 223 failed near Limerick Junction on February 5, while hauling the 18.00 Heuston-Cork.The locomotiveand Mk.4 train remained on the down line and the passengers were transferred to the 19.00 ex-Heuston service after Single Line Working (SLW) wasintroduced. Therewas asignificant delaybefore No. 223 and its train were removedby No. 226 and normal operations resumed No. 223 wassubsequentlyhauled to InchicorebyGMNo. 078.
Signalling problems at Mallow throughout the weekendofFebruary 8/9 sawdisruption to Heuston-Cork services but also to those on the Mallow to Tralee line, with bustitution between Killarneyand Mallowonthe 9th, with normal services resumingonthe 10th During the late evening of February 10,a driving car of six-car ICR DMUNo. 22x39 wasdamaged at Westport station during ashunting move being carried outby atimber train. The vehicle sustained significant damage to the cab frontand body side, but no railway staff were injured. Theunithad been stabled with the intention of it formingthe 07.15 to Heuston the next morning but was instead removedtoLaois TraincareDepot atPortlaoise after being inspected by IE staff.The incident is nowunder investigation by the Dublin-based Railway Accident InvestigationUnit (RAIU)
IE FREIGHT TRAFFIC
It wasreported that aroad haulage companyhad wonacontract to transport bulk orefromTaraMines at NavantoDublin docks. Should the contractbealong-term one it will mark the end of rail haulage of zincand lead that hadcommenced in 1977 when production at Navanhad started. Rail haulageceased duringthe autumn of 2023 (RE330) after mining operations were suspended, butproduction resumed in October 2024.
Container traffic from Ballina to Dublin Port and Belviewfor IWT and XPO respectively, continued with many trains being fullyloaded while others had space to spare. Locomotives noted on IWT trains included Nos. 076,079,082,215 and 218. Those used on XPO trains included Nos. 071,077 and 078 while those on Ballina/ Westport to Waterfordtimber trains included Nos.071,072 and 079.
IE NEWS
BrakeGenerating Steam VanNo. 3187 wastransferred by road on January 20 to Belfast, to be cut up by McKenzie’s, arecycling company. The ex-BR vehicle, which wasinpoor condition, had been used on passenger trains formanyyears and then with the Portlaoise based locohauled weed control trains. Out of use since September 2021, its Infrastructure Dept duties were then undertaken by on-loanRPSIvan No. 3173 untilthe locohauled train wasreplaced by an MPV. No 3187 wasbuilt by BR in the 1950s as Mk.1 BSK No. 34012, and in 1972 wasrebuilt at Derbyfor its newrole with CIE. Also being disposed of is afleet of bogie cement tanks, Nos. 33001-12, which date from 1979 and were the first air-braked freight stock to be acquired by CIE. The 12 wagons were considered surplus to requirements having been stored since 2009 when IE withdrew from cement traffic.
071 Class GM No. 077isonthe approach to ClaraonFebruary 6, 2025, with an IWT container train from Ballina to Dublin Port. FINBARR O’NEILL
One of the surviving steam generatorvans, No. 3173 at the rear of ‘Sperry’train at Cobh Junction hauled by 071 Class No. 085 on March7,2023. FINBARR O’NEILL
RAILTOURS
All lineslead to Derby in August
Thecelebrations to mark200 yearsofrailways sees tworailtours head to ‘Rail 200’ at Derby.
BOTH Pathfinder Railtours and UK Railtours areorganising excursions which includes avisit to the‘Rail 200’ event at Alstom’s LitchurchLane Derby plant where‘The Greatest Gathering’ is to takeplace in August.
With general admission tickets completelysold out, the tour operators have managed to secure tickets to allowtour participants
To move the stock and locos forthe following day’s ‘Shakespearean Sonnet’ railtour,onFebruary 21, UK Railtours operated ‘The Chopper Quartet’ which should have had four Class 20s, but onlythree mainline approved examples were available. In dire light, Nos. 20205,20007 and 20142 ease through WhitacreJunction, working from Kidderminster on the Severn ValleyRailway to WatfordJunction. At the rear were Rail Adventurepower cars Nos. 43468 and 43480. CHRIS MILNER
to gain access to theevent. Pathfinder Railtoursisrunning ‘The Bicentennial and Peak Forest Explorer’ on Saturday, August 2. Starting at Eastleigh, thereare pickupsatSouthampton Central, Romsey, Salisbury,Westbury,BathSpa,Bristol Parkway,Cam &Dursley and Cheltenham Spa.
Forthose forwhom‘Rail 200’
does not appeal,the train continues to Duffield (for Ecclesbourne Valley Railway), Chesterfield(guided bustour of Peak District including Bakewell), andBarrow Hill Roundhouse Museum. Standard class fare is £135. There are First Class andDiningfares as well. Traction is likely to be twoWest Coast RailwayClass 33 ‘Cromptons’.
Meanwhile,UKRailtours is also planning to runits tour ‘The Greatest Gathering’ on the same day, August 2, thistime from London to Derby. The tour
operator has been seeking expressions of interest and askspotential passengers to contact UK Railtours using theemail:info@ukrailtours.com
As yetthe originating station in London has not been confirmed –UKR generallyuses King’s Cross formany of its tours –and thecompanyadvises Rail Express that thereappears to be considerable interest, so it is looking positivethe tour maywell run. Readers areadvised to make contact with the companyifinterested in joining. E
‘Thumper’ontour
HASTINGS DIESELShas three tours in the pipeline forthis coming season so far:
■ May17 –destinationBluebell Railway. (This date hasbeen confirmed);
■ May21 –likelytobeHastingsto Norwich area
■ September 20 –Warwickshireis earmarked, possiblyStratford-uponAvon
Hastings Dieselsisreluctant to provide moredetailed itineraries in advance, so those interested are recommended to consult its website: www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk/railtours
The first charter train to runoverEastWest route wasPathfinder Tours’ ‘VerneyVenturer’ which took place on February 15, running from Bristol Temple Meads to Bicester via Nuneaton, before continuing to ActonCanal Wharf and returning to Bristol via the Midland Mainline and Birmingham NewStreet. Class 33 Nos. 33207 JimMartin,33029 and Class 47 47802 attack the climb out of Bicester Villagewiththe second leg of the railtour to Acton. MIKE LALLEY
THE tie-up between Locomotive Services and the Scottish Railway Preservation Society,announced last year,isnow showing itself in forthcoming tours. Both stockand traction from the Crewe-based organisation will be used on tours emanating from Bo’ness
Latest tours, not previously highlightedinthis column, are:
■ Saturday, June 28: ‘The Anniversary Syphons’. It’s 40 years since the Class 37/4 variant made its debut in Scotland, and to mark this anniversary three of this sub-species, Nos. 37401 Mary Queen of Scots,37403 Isle of Mull and 37409 Lord Hinton will takepart in this outing from Crewe to Glasgow (three-hour break) via the Glasgow & SouthWesternroute. Thereare pickups at Wigan North Western,Preston, Oxenholme and Carlisle.Shap and Beattock will provide the backdrop for theaccompanying ‘music’.
■ Saturday, September 6: ‘The Whistling Clansman’ tour is scheduled to operate from Linlithgow to Inverness. Shaun Wright’s Class40No. D213 Andania is thestarofthe show
■ Saturday, September 27: ‘The Oban Bucket’ is the unusual title of this tour which again has No. D213 Andania in
charge.Starting at Carlisle, Oban is the destination, billed as being the first time ever whicha Class 40 has setsail to this West Highland idyllic location.
■ Saturday, October 18: ‘The Illuminating Brush’ railtour does have some connectivity with the title, as Blackpool illuminations is the destination. Originating point is Glasgow.Billed tractionisexpected to beNo. 47593 Galloway Princess and the once-named Rail Express No.47614. In viewofLSGroup’smuch applauded policyofresurrecting historical liveries, it would be great to see the original XP64 locomotiveback in original livery style?
■ Saturday,November 1: ‘The Peak Settler’.Top marksfor the tour name because Class45/1 No. 45118 The RoyalArtilleryman does indeed include traversing the Settle &Carlisle line, this time beginning at Edinburgh and ending at Leeds. Thistour re-creates the lamented‘The Waverley’ service which ranfromEdinburgh over the Waverley route to Carlisle,Leedsand on to St Pancras, ‘Peaks’ being the usual motive power. This named service ceased in September 1968. Sadly, the section from Tweedbank to Carlisle precludes the original route from being used, but the good news this month is that the
UK and Scottish governments have pledged £10m towardsafeasibility studyinto extending the line south from Tweedbank throughStBoswells, Hawick and on to Carlisle. What a railtour route that would be if it comes to fruition. (See Headline news.)
■ Saturday/Sunday, November 8/9: ‘The Peak Highlander’. This two-day jaunt with No. 45118 The Royal Artilleryman departs from Newcastle, with an Inverness final port of call. The return journeysees the special visit Aberdeen.
FORTHCOMING TOURSFOR APRIL
11-13 West Highland Pullman Stafford, stations to York-Fort William LS HSTMP
12 Historic Bath London Victoria-Bath DBC ‘67’ BBP 12 TorbayRivieraPullman Chester,stations to Wolverhampton-Torquay& Paignton
HSTMP 12 Thames Meanderer Peterborough, stations to London Liverpool St-Tilbury,GBRf ‘57/3’ &‘66’ UKR Shoeburyness
16 Oban &WestHighland Pullman Durham, stations to Edinburgh-Oban LS HSTMP
24 YorkshireCoast Pullman Paignton, stations to Bristol Parkway-York&Scarborough
27
27 East Anglian Freighter Stratford, stations to Ipswich-Lowestoft, Wensum ‘20’x2 UKR Curve-Felixstowe
Aclassic viewofSRPSClass 37 No.37403 Isle of Mull with LS Group’s No. 37409 Lord Hinton at Dalnsaspidal Pass, having completed the climb from Pitlochry working 1Z37 06.58 Carlisle to Inverness ‘Capital Highlander’ railtour on February 8. HENRYTHOMAS
Thelastdays of the Second GenerationEMUsonthe Main Line
Published by Amberley Publishing www.amberley-books.com
Price:£15.99
ISBN:9781398117631
THE second-generation EMUs date from the mid-1970s up the early 2000s and include examples built by BR’s own workshops as well as by multinational companiesinthe Privatisationera.The pictures areall the work of the author, Adam Head, and coverawide rangeof classesfromClass313 to the 360/2s. Each chapter hasits ownnarrative, followedbyaselection of the units,
showing the rangeofliveries carried. Someofthe classes have served their purposeand since been scrapped, others still plytheirtrade daily.Where the unitisnolonger in service, the authorintroduces the thirdgeneration replacement. One small disappointment is the lack of Class442 units in Network SouthEast livery.While not strictlysecond generation, the inclusion
of the Class 483 ex-London Transport stock, late of the Isle of Wight, couldbe classed underthe title of ‘seconduser’. Given thatinroads arebeing made into South Western RailwayClass 455s and Southeastern Class 466 ‘Networker’ units, the timingofthe book is apt. The 96 pagescontain 180 colour illustrationswhich arewell reproduced. One forEMU enthusiasts. (FM)
Published by Amberley Publishing www.amberley-books.com
Price:£15.99
ISBN:9781398121157
Class 314 EMU units were in service around Glasgow from November 1979 right through to the end of 2019 –a long period of passenger service! In their earlydaystheyservedonthe North Glasgowelectricsystem, but from 2001 theyweretransferred to the Glasgow South electricsystem. At the time of their introduction theyoffered afasterservicethan the popular Class
303 ‘Blue Trains’which theyreplaced and were widelyseeninthe Glasgow area. The author,Colin JHowat, has assembledacomprehensiveset of mainlycolour photographstoreflect their long service career from entryinto service at GlasgowCentral up to the final working to Helensburgh Central 40 yearslater.The surviving setwas used at Bo’ness as ahydrogentesttrain.
Atotalof165 photographsoccupy most of the book butColin Howat has alsoincluded ausefuland quite detailed accountofthe history of the Class 314 EMU sets in servicetogether with some of his ownpersonal memoriesdatingbackto1979. All in all, auseful addition to the history of Scotland’s Glasgowcentred railways Recommended. (RSS)
Published by Amberley Publishing www.amberley-books.com
Price:£15.99
ISBN:9781398113978
AUTHOR Robert Hendry has produced avaluable and succinct studyof signalling on BritishRailwaysbetween Nationalisation and Privatisation in the 1990s. During this eraour railway signalling went though huge technologicalchange. The varied traditional mechanical signalling systems of the 'Big Four' were supercededbythe eraofcolour light
signalling.Much of the pre-Grouping infrastructurehas nowdisappeared. All the keyaspects of mechanical signalling arecovered,fromthe earliest elevated watchtowers in the 1830s right throughtothe final BR power leverframesinthe 1980s. The author deals with signalbox diagrams, bell codes,singleline working and powerworked frames.The appendix covers
signalling block codes. The96-page book is generously supplied with 160 excellenthigh quality colour and monochrome images of signalboxes, diagramsand signalling equipment, with detailed captions. Theauthor’s knowledgeand enthusiasm forhis subjectisclear.Avaluable contribution to ourrailway history Stronglyrecommended. (RSS)
By DavidBowker
www.londonbusmuseum.com/shop
Price:£4.50
DON’T be fooledbythe pictureon the cover, thereare plenty of railway imagesinthis120-page, A5 softback self-published book. Withaninterest in both railways and buses,the author scannedhis collection of 13,000 slidesand then revisited someof the locations during his 50 years of photographytosee howthey've changed. While the bigchanges are noticeable, it’seasytooverlook the moresubtle changes.The authorhas created an enjoyable 'then and now'
album that show the changes notonly in London, but in locations around the country.The railwayimagesare amix of preservation(or what has became partofpreservation) and contemporary views which contrastwith the past. The pictures at NewHolland Pier, Pelham Street in Lincoln, and
Silvertown reallyshowthe changes, as do thepictures at TunbridgeWells West whereinamere10-year gap, whatwas the line to Eridgehas become acar park! Anicelyproducedbook withuncomplicated captionsand well worth the money which will support the London BusMuseum. (FM)
Class 314EMUsinScotland
Traditional signallingonBritishRailways
Then and Now, Side by Side
BR
Moorgate: Alastinginfluence
THEtragic events that took place at Moorgate underground station at 8:46amonFriday, February 28, 1975, continue to shape London Underground today.
The driver of train 272, motorman Leslie Newson, drove his train containing twothree-car ‘38’Tube Stockunits, across acrossover, along platform 9and through asand drag. The train impacted awall inside a short tunnel beyond, resultinginthe first three cars riding over or under each other,crushing the car ends. The accident sadly resulted in 43 deaths and 74 passengers with injuries, many of which were lifechanging
The precise cause hasnever been identified. Following the incident, the Department forthe Environment [DoE] published its findings, confirming that the responsibility laysolelywith motorman Newson, with London Underground being unable to identify anyfaultsinthe equipment recovered from the train. Claims that it was suicide by the driver,although a possibility,was all but discounted by the official report, which stated “there is no positiveevidence to support”the theory.The potential for‘daydreaming’ wasfound to be unlikely as the lateral accelerations and noise would have at least caused Newsontoprotect himself from the impact.
When Newson’s body wasfound, he hadnot even raised his arms from the controls. Twoalternativeproposals, that Newson had been overcome by ‘akinesis with mutism’ or ‘transient global amnesia’, were raised at the inquest, being recorded as possibilities in the final report. However, much like the suicide theory,therewas no evidence to support these, as when suggested, Newson’s body wasno longer available.
MITIGATING RISK
The findings of the report included recommendations of howLondon Underground neededtochange. These have influenced the culture, working practices and development ofLondon’s railwaynetwork eversince.
The reportreferenced an incident that had taken place at another terminus,Edgwarestation, almost 30 years before. In 1946, atrain travelled down aplatform and transversed asand drag, hitting the buffer stops when a driver wastaken illonapproach to the station. This incident wasatafar lower speed, with an impact speed of just 5-7mph. Thedriver,who sadlypassed away, had managed to turn the deadman reversing keytothe ‘Off’ position on approach. In comparison, the impact speed of the train at Moorgate had been estimated at between 30-40mph, with no braking having taken place.
In his summingup, Lieutenant Colonel IK A Mc Naughton of the RailwayInspectorate who produced the report said: “…with hindsight, one could postulate that such an accident wascertain tohappen sooner or later,and that special arrangements should thereforehavebeen made to controlthe approach of trains to terminal stations”.
Consequently, London Transport [LT] introduceda speed limit of 10mph forall trainsentering terminal platforms. However, if atrain passed these train stops at aspeed greater than 12½mph it would be automatically stopped. This system became informallyknown as ‘Moorgate protection’, although it wasgiven the formal name of TrainsEntering Terminal Stations (TETS). LT also changed the last signal indication lights prior to a terminus buffer stop or sand drag from green, if the platform wasclear,toa yellowaspect
The DoEreport noted that fully automatic controlshould be introduced as trainsapproached aterminal, using ‘fail-safe’ signalling equipment “as installed on the Victoria Line of London Transport Railways”.
With the traditional manner of stopping of atrain being solelyreliant uponthe driver,the Lieutenant Colonel Mc Naughton went further: “it is my viewthat,as andwhen theresignalling oftube lines becomes necessary, theintroduction of automatic train operationshould be regarded as a
TfL: In surplus, buttryingto justify moreinvestment
WHILST it is due to report asurplus during the 2024/25 financial year, TfL continues to seekanincrease of investment and funding from Central Government.
TfL commissioned areportfrom the engineering, project management, and professional services firm, Hatch, about the economic impact of its supplychain duringthe fiscal years 2022/23 and 2023/24. The findings were that TfL’s spending of £12bn had supported 100,000 jobs, generating morethan £11bninGross
normal requirement, in viewofthe overall safety benefits that it confers.”
50 YEARSON
Thememories of the events of that day and those immediatelyafterwards, have remained with those whowerethere One example is Steve Tish,who was apassenger on thetrain immediately behind Train 272, which washeld at the crossoverbeforethe platforms. With powertothe track cut, he wasdetrained, walking across the trackwork to platform 10. He said: “The train in platform 9seemed very short, but Inevergaveittoo much thought at the time. At theend of platform 10 Icrossed the passagetoplatform 9 and sawthe platform coveredinsand scattered from thefixedbuffer.I shall neverforgetthatsight.”
On Friday, February 28, 2025, Andy Lord,CommissionerofTransport for London, and ClaireMann, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer,joined firefighters, emergencyservice partners and families of survivors fora remembrance service adjacent to Moorgate station. The names of those that lost their lives were read out, with amoment of silence and reflection, with wreaths also being laid.
ClaireMann said: “Our thoughts remain with all of those impactedby the loss of lifeand injury at Moorgate station 50 yearsago.Weare grateful to be here to remember those people and to celebrate the heroic efforts of the emergencyservices and volunteers who worked tirelesslyinthe most difficult conditions forseveral days after the crash.” E
operational costs were £78million higher than planned
PITCHING FORINVESTMENT
Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy. So howmight TfL be seeking to utilise the report findings?
“ECONOMIC HEADWINDS”
In its February 2025 Finance Report, TfL reveals that last year’s budget estimations that passengergrowth would be6%wereoptimistic. In reality, passenger journeysare only up by 1.6%, with passenger income being£154m lowerthan anticipated.Whilst this may have been partiallyoffset by higherthan-expected income from ULEZ, TfL’s
John Dickie, Chief Executiveat BusinessLDNoffers theview: “TfL and its UK-widesupplychain need an ambitious multi-year settlement from the spending reviewwhich will givethem the certaintytheyneed to plan and deliver growth-enhancingprojects.”
Having inherited an economyofhigh debt, high inflation,low wage growth with high interest rates, theChancellor of the Exchequer, Rachael Reeves, announced asignificant increase in public spending in the autumn 2024 Budget. Meanwhile Government departments arereportedlystill being
expected to identify savings, with global challenges and security uncertainties such as Ukraine further complicating matters.
Whilst TfL has clearlythought hard about howitcan justify futurecapital investment, it is finding itself in afiscal environment whereitmay not be the squeakiest wheel.
That said, planning protection for the proposed Bakerloo Line extension south of Elephant and Castle station to Lewisham route has been reaffirmed at the end of February.This suggests thatsubstantial funding forthe capital project maybecoming TfL’s wayifall continues to go to plan and the project is formallyapprovedfollowing the consultation phases.
The rear section of the first car of the ‘38’ Tube Stock Northern line train can be seen crushed against the roof of the tunnel which is of mainline height, as firefighters inspect the wreckage. COURTESYTfL from the LONDON TRANSPORTMUSEUM COLLECTION.
