■ Heljan ‘O’ gauge‘Peak’ in the spotlight
■ Review&sound check: Accurascale ‘Deltic’ (v2) ■ HornbyTransPennine Express ‘Nova 1’ assessed
CONTENTS Issue No. 346 March 2025
Ticking over at London Marylebone waiting to depart with the 18.02 to StourbridgeJunction on December 16, 2024, is Chiltern Railways Class 68 No. 68011. CHRIS GEE
On its waybyroadfromthe Stadler factory in Valencia, Spain, to the Velim testcircuit in the Czechia, GB Railfreight Class 99 No. 99001 sets of on the 1300 mi le journeyahead of astringent testing programme. The bi-mode locoisdue to arriveinthe UK sometime in June. GB RAILFREIGHT
FEATURES
38 RAILWAYS AT NIGHT
Aselection of nocturnalscenes showing Britain’s railway activity after dark.
76 MERSEYRAIL TRANSFORMED
Merseyrai lhas finallycompleted the transition from the 40-year-old Class 507/508EMUs to new, sleek, Stadler-builtClass 777s. David Russell tells the story
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MODELLING
Reviewedthis monthis the Heljan ‘O’ gaugeClass 45 ‘Peak’, and there’s news of the first-everClass 74 electro-diesel from EFE. Bachmann has produced anew Mk.1 RB with revised tooling, while Heljan’s newgreen Class 26 in ‘OO’ gaugeisassessed in detail Hornbyreleasesits 2025 model range, including the Class 800-series usingnew tooling. Other Hornbyhighlights include an NSE-livered 4-VEP, achoice oftwo new Class 58s, Hitachi Class 805bi-mode trains, three diferent Class 91 locomotives and aMidland Pullman ‘HST’ as part of the One:One collection.Followingonfromlast month’s reviewofthe Accurascale blue Mk.1 suburban coaches, themaroon versionsare looked at in detail. PlusTPE’s Class 802are reviewed, and features in the D&E files
NEWS
8 NEWS
Event launch for‘Greatest Gathering’, Severn Valleysufers serious landslip, Shakedown runfor ‘Brighton Belle Pullman’, Northern seeksupto450 newtrains, Diesel Traction Group scoops Rail Express award
18 POWER BY THE HOUR
Colas Class 56s stored, but 37099 makes acomeback.
22 UNITS
25 COACHES
Final ScotRai l‘InterCity7’ set entersservice
28 POWERSCENE
EDITORIAL
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ISSN No 1362 234X
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Around-up of this month’s interesting and unusual workings, class-by-class.
36 PRESERVATION
West Coast help with Class 40 repairs.
82 SHUNTERSAND INDUSTRIALS
First Class 08e order forPositiveTraction
83 LU WORLD
84 WAGONS
DB Cargooutshops newBAA steel carriers.
86 IRISH ANGLE
88 RAILTOURS
First tour planned forEasternRai lServices stock.
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An amazing viewofCrewe Basford Hall yard at night onJanuary 5, 2024, with rowupon rowofinfrastructurewagons as well as 14 locomotives in view. In the foreground areFreightlinerClass66Nos. 66504 and66520, further back is Colas Class 70 No. 70805, whi le the Class90s on the right areNos. 90043, 90008, 90015, 90012, 90014 TOMMcATEE
HEADLINE NEWS Chris Milner
AVANTI IN NEW BID TO BEAT 1984 APTRECORD
AT the launch forAugust’s‘Great Gathering’ event in Derby on January 30, Avanti West Coast managing director Andy Mellors confirmed that another bid will be made to break the LondonGlasgow journeytimerecordset by the Advanced Passenger Train(APT) in 1984.
Mr Mellorssaid that Avanti was working with industrypartners, with the aim of running anonstop train from London to Glasgow with the intention of breaking the 40-year-old recordset by the APT.
It wasback on December 12, 1984, that an APTset with powercars Nos. 49003 and 49006 completed the 401-mile journeyin3 hours 52 mins 40 seconds, however, the most recent attempt on that recordwas onJune 17, 2021, when Pendolino No. 390044 Royal Scot narrowly failed to beat the then 37-year-oldrecordbyjust 21 seconds. Since then, Carstairs Junction has been remodelled to eliminate the 50mph speed restrictions, but the approach through Motherwell to Glasgow Central can be frustratinglyslowtoo.
The attempt, possiblyinthe spring, will be part of the year-long Rail 200 celebrations.
500 STORM EOWYNREPORTED INCIDENTSINSCOTLAND
WHEN Storm Eowyn, with its 100mph winds, hit landoverthe weekend of January 24-26, ScotRailreportedmore than 500 incidentsafecting its network
Thestorm also afected parts of Wales, northern England and Scotland and resulted in asuspension of LNER services northofNewcastle on the East Coast route, and Avanti north of Preston on the West Coast Main Line, although TransPennine Express did run some services to Carlisle.
However, Scotland faredthe worst, taking thedecision to cancel all services on January 24, due to the redweather warning. Thereweremorethan 120 trees on tracks,multiple reports of damaged overhead wiresand powersupply failures, and other objects on the line.On the Kilwinning to Largs/Ardrossan line an overhead line gantry wasbrought down by afalling tree,and on the Ayr-Stranraer route morethan 30 trees were fouling the lines.
As part of the process to ensure all lines were safe, inspections were carried out using locos hiredinfromWest Coast Railways, road-railvehicles andNetwork Rail’s Air Operations team. Lines began to reopen from mid-morning on January 27,although some didn’topen untilthe next day.
Severn ValleyRai lway faces disruption aftermajorlandslip
THE 16-mi le long Severn ValleyRai lway suferedaseriouslandslip on January 29, between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade.The slip is so serious that the railway wi ll face alarge repair bi ll as well as disruption to services to its northern terminus.
The slip is at Sterns, just south of Eardington station, wherearound 30 metres of track and trackbed have been lost to the embankment failure wherea culvert crosses Mor Brook and the wing of abrick support wall has failed.
Assessment work is being undertaken by specialist engineers to ascertain theextent ofthe damage, but the SVRhas already said that ‘it’s clear this wi ll be amajorinfrastructure repair project that wi ll take considerable timeand money’.
It is not the first timethe line has beenafected by such an incident; back in 2007, destructivefloods caused nine landslips and the repair bi ll cameto £3.8 mi llion.
Although the Sterns area has suferedprevious landslips with considerable remedial work already carried out, the locationofthis failure wasnot one the railwaypreviouslyhad concerns about.
SVR’s head of infrastructureChris Bond said:“We’vesufered asignificant embankment failureand damageto approximately 30 metres of the track and track bed. The area remains in a dangerous state and further slippage mayoccur,soweare warning people to staywell away
“We’vemade anumber of visits with specialist engineers,and Network Rail have sent ateam of geotechnical and infrastructureexperts, as part of the partnership agreement we have with them.
“We’recarefullybui lding apicture of what’s happened, but it’s sti ll earlydays. We need to begin ground investigations by dri lling boreholes to
Shakedownouting for‘BrightonBelle’
gather geotechnical data of what lies beneath the surface. This is important informationthat wi ll assist with the engineering design of the repairs.
‘It’s essential that we don’t rush this investigation. We need to gather extensiveinformation, so that we can be surethat we takethe most robust and efectivemeasures to repair the embankment forthe long term.”
Since the slip, engineers have started to dri ll aseries of 30-metre deep boreholes to establish the compositionofthe surrounding ground which wi ll help determine the best way to proceed with repairs.
The railwaywillsti ll open on February 15, forhalf-term services and passengers but with services limited to a12-mi le sectionofthe heritageline.
Added SVRmanaging director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster: “This is a further impact onusand acost we nowface to bring our full line back into
operation. Things were just beginning to stabi lise forthe SVR, following several years of financial struggles, and this is the last thing we needed.
“Inevitably, we’regoingtohaveto findthe funds to payfor this essential repair andwould welcome all the help that we can get.”
Mr Dunster added: “We’vealso received ofers of practicalhelp –from both specialist companies who want to donate their services, and from individuals who saythey’ll come and join avolunteer workingparty,when the time is right. All of this support wi ll makea tangi ble diference to us.”
Rail Express readers wishing to assist can donate to the SVRResi lience Fund at svr.co.uk which in its first week after the landslip hadreceived more than £36,000 in donations. Some Rail Express contri butors have said they’ll donate their photo reprofees to the fund E
The first tangible steps this year towardsthe return of the ‘BrightonBelle’ Pullman car EMUtook place on January 28, when the four-car umber andcream unit wastop-and-tailedbyClass 20 Nos. 20118 Railfreight and20132 on atrial run from Creweto Chester andback Numbered3101, the set made a second trip to Chester and one the following day, beforereturning to theLocomotiveServices Group (LS) workshops at Crewe.
Owned by the 5BELTrust, LS are contracted to operate the train which wi ll at some futurepoint become a five-car set once more.These hauled tests have been the first timethe
vehicles have been movedatspeed for manyyears, and wi ll eventuallylead to aformal commissioning of the train. This wi ll include the of running the unit
under
This aerial viewatSterns shows notonlythe extent of the landslip, but also the difculties tobeovercome during the repair process, which is li kely to spanseveral months. MATT FIELDING/SVR
its ownpower over asection of the Merseyrai lnetwork between Chester and Hooton IAN NIGHTINGALE
Derbycurtain raiser forAugust’s GreatestGathering charity event
Massivethree-dayevent is heading fora sell-out.
ALEAD-IN forathree-daysummer event wheremorethan 100 rail vehicles wi ll be on display, wasformally launched at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane works, Derby, on January 30.
Running from August 1-3, the ‘Greatest Gathering’willbeafocal point in this year’s celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton andDarlington Railway(S&DR) on September27, 1825, theworld’s first passenger railway
Such has been the demand for tickets, the organisers expect the event to completelysell out
Theevent wi ll be the largest gathering of rail vehicles in the UK for decades and is expected to have more exhi bits than Railfest at York in 2012. Although the organisers arekeeping the exhi bit list secret, detai ls arebeing released on adai ly basis, with theaim of creating asubstantial displayof steam, diesel and electric locomotives and units from all eras.
Negotiations with TOCs and owing groups forexhi bits aresti ll ongoing and exhi bit detai ls wi ll be releasedvia the Greatest Gathering’s social media channels on Facebook or x.com. The organisers saythat theyexpect to seesome unusual movements to get exhi bits to and from the event.
Former Merseyrai lEMU No. 507001 is alreadyatDerbyfor theevent and theowners of anotherPEP-derived unit, No. 313201 have also confirmed attendance. Other confirmed exhi bits include twoLNER Class 91s, (Nos. 91101 Flying Scotsman and 91111 Battle of Britain Memorial Flight have been requested), ‘Royal Scot’ No. 46115 Scots Guardsman and ‘Jubi lee’ No. 45596 Bahamas.DCRai lwill supplyaClass 60,Northern aClass 331 EMU,Greater AngliaaClass 755 bi-mode, and as we closed forpress, aRai lOperations GroupClass 93 was confirmed, as wasClass 50 No. 50033 Glorious. Avanti wi ll provide Pendolino No. 390119 Progress. It is hopedevery TOCcan provide an exhi bit, all of which aresubject to avai labi lity
As well as an amazing displayof locomotives and units, other event attractions wi ll include workshop visits, rides on the worksinternal test track, aminiature-gaugeline, trade stands,
Part of the modern traction contingent at the launch of the Greatest Gathering eventatLitchurch Lane Works, Derby, on January 30, with DRSClass 57 No. 57307 Lady Penelope,GBRfClass 66 No. 66315, Class 50 Alliance-ownedNo. 50049 Defiance and Rail Operations Group Class 37 No. 37800 Cassiopeia CHRIS MILNER
Front-end focus with Pendolino No. 390200 Railway 200 (390016 renumbered), A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley,Class 50 No. 50049 Defiance,‘Merchant Navy’No. 35018 British India Line and Class 37 No. 37800 Cassiopeia CHRIS MILNER
amodelrai lway vi llage, fairground attractions, street food and livemusic.
Supplementary,but connected to the Greatest Gathering event days,will be aseriesofrai ltours promoted by the Branch LineSociety,which wi ll feature interesting tractionand itineraries around the East Midlands area. Detai ls aretobeannouncedsoon
At the launch, guests included railway enthusiastand record producer Pete Waterman; GB Railfreight CEO, John Smith; DerbySouth MP,Baggy Shanker;Rai l200 programme director, Emma Roberts; and Alstom’s European region president, Gian Luca Erbacci.
The dayalso sawAvanti West Coast Class 390 PendolinosNo. 390016 renumbered to 390200 and named Railway200 collectively, by the special guests along with Avanti MD Andy
Mellors and Avanti operations delivery manager James Dobson. Forthe launch, aselectionof rolling stock wasondisplay, someof it working to Derbyspeciallyfor the event. On displayatthe launch were: 37800 Cassiopeia,50049 Defiance, 57307 Lady Penelope,66315, 69004 Melton RIDC, 507001, steam locosNos. 35018 British India Line and 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley, and EMU NO. 720503. Inside the commissioning shed were EMU Nos, 701001, 720504 and 730202, with 701003 on the testtrack line. Tickets forthe event areonsale priced £30adult, £15for children (aged fiveto15), with afamily ticket (two adults +two children)at£65. Under 5s arefree. All prices areplus booking fees Moreinformation, and alink to the booking portal can be found at
www.alstom.com/greatest-gathering
In addition to the high-profi le Greatest Gatheringevent, many individual railways and organisations are holding their ownevents, anddetailsof these canbefoundat www.rai lway200.co.uk
Additionally, during the year,a fourcarriagelocomotive-hauled Railway 200 exhi bition train called ‘Inspiration’, curated in partnership with the National RailwayMuseum, wi ll criss-cross Britain fora year from this summer,promoting innovation and careers within the rail industry.The full schedule wi ll be announced in the comingmonths. ■ Railway200 is ayear-longnationwide partnership-led campaign to celebrate 200 years of the modern railwayand to inspirea newgeneration of young talent to choose acareer in rail
NRM outlines 50thanniversary with Station Hall reopening
AS well as the 200th anniversary ofthe modern railway,the National Railway Museum will mark its 50th anniversary with aseries of exhibitions, events, and agrand reopening.
Station Hall, whichhas been closed to the public since 2023, will reopen
in September following a£10.5m refurbishmentproject, readyfor the museum’s special birthdayweekendon September 27/28.
The former goods station and Grade II listed building represents around athirdofthe museum’sexhibition
space and will boast refreshed interior decoration, newcollection items and the popular exhibits such as the royalcarriages.
Other 2025 highlights include Railway Firsts, abrand-newexhibition on displayatboth the National Railway
Museum and sister museum Locomotion in County Durham, from February 8.
ArangeofRailway 200 branded gifts has been created by the NRM, available from the museum and Locomotion gift shops and the online store.
Special guests at the naming of Pendolino No. 390200 (390016) Railway200.Fromleft: Andy Mellors,(MD Avanti West Coast), John Smith, (CEOGBRai lfreight), Emma Roberts (Rai l200), Gian Luca Erbacci (Alstom), JamesDobson (Avanti), Baggy Shanker MP,and Pete Waterman. ALSTOM
HEADLINE NEWS Chris Milner
Winnersand losers emergeinEast Coastwintertimetablerevamp
By John Heaton FCILT
THE East Coast Main Line timetable for2025 has been finallyagreed. The proposals were first issued for consultation in 2021 with aviewto earlyimplementation using additional capacity that had resulted from a decade of infrastructureinvestment in schemes, amounting to aclaimed £4 billion.
Vested interests suchastrain operating companies, Network Rail and local authorities all had reservations about the plans and certain revisions were made, onlytobestymied by a warning that the agreed timetable would reduce reliability.After another rethink, afinal compromise has eventuallybeen reached to permit the newtimetable to start in December this year
The main thrust of the changes involves the provision of athirdtrain per hour from London King’s Cross to Newcastle. Prospectivepassengers currentlyseeking areservation to the North East and Scotland will be acutelyaware of the high loadings being experienced. Both ‘standard hour’Newcastle trainscurrently proceed to Edinburgh so the new Tyneside terminator should assist in relieving pressure.
‘Moreseats, moretrains, quicker journeys’claims the publicity.London &North Eastern Railway (LNER) calculates that itsoverall increase
IN BRIEF
CHEAPER CHARGES FORHS1
THE Ofce of Rail and Road (ORR) has told HS1 Ltd that the charges forusing the high-speed linemust be reduced. The ORRsayscharges should be reduced by £5 mi llionayear, which wi ll benefit domestic operator Southeastern and international operator Eurostar.The ORR Final Determination decision covers the period Apri l2025-March 2030. The decision has been welcomedbycurrent operators and potential international operators suchasthe VirginGroup and Evolyn.
RAILSTOOPEN SHEFFIELD STATION SHOP
THE well-established modelrai lway retai ler RailsofShefeld is opening anew outlet at Shefeld railway station sometime during March. Situated near the taxi rank, the shop wi ll ofermodel railway items, railwayana and rail-themed merchandise, as well as limited edition models and wagons featuring partnerships with local brands including Henderson’s Relish, Seabrook Crisps and JamesMay’s Gin
As part of LNER’s support of Rail200, ‘Azuma’ No. 801207 wasnamed ‘Darlington–Drivinginnovation for200 years’ at Darlington Bank TopStation on January 14. The Azuma is seen after itsnaming passing South Otterington, near Thirsk, whilst forming the10.41 Darlington to York. Over the weekend of February 22-25, anew enclosed, step-free footbridgewillbelifted into place over the twonew platforms at Darlington, marking amajor milestone in the station’s £140 millionregeneration project. ALEXAYRE
amounts to 16,000 extraseats per day.
Assuming 611 seats per ninecar electric Class 801, that equates to around 26 extratrainsper day, or 13 round trips, but doubts exist about whether most of these seats can besold at other than heavily discounted prices.
Astandardof-peakMon-Fri pattern from King’s Cross starts with axx.00 Open Accessdeparture. The Edinburgh semi-fast follows at xx.03, apath used by the Inverness andAberdeen trains, nowtohaveadditional stops to give better access to the north of Scotland Next is axx.10 Leeds, a131min minute journeytime train followedbyaLumo/ Grand Central train at xx.14/xx.17.
At half past the hour thereisthe headline Edinburgh trainswith only twostops, usually in 106min to York (typicallyatpresent 112min in apoor path),161min to Newcastle and abest time of 246min to Edinburgh.
The most puzzling aspect of the December 2025 timetable comes with the next departure, the xx.33 Newcastle terminator.Surelythis will fail to attract Newcastle passengers from the preceding xx.30 headliners unless prices arereduced on the xx.33s?
This sequence is followedbya xx.40 Leeds (129min)train,extended alternatelytoBradfordForster Square or Harrogate. The pattern continues the May2025 improvedBradfordservice
predicated on the city’s 2025 UK City of Culturestatus. LNER’s Grand Central competitor is also increasing its number of trains to BradfordInterchange, the use of twostations being ageographical accident that failstomaximise customer flexibility.Finally, thereisan alternate hour xx.47 train, serving most main line stations to York or Lincoln.
The advance notice warns that times and stopping patterns aresubject to further amendment. Some minor flows such as RetfordtoGrantham have been abandoned by LNER and left to Open Access operators, and thereis opposition from Alnmouth and Morpeth to losing twoLondon trains aday Freight operators have complained of too fewpaths, manyofwhich involve loops, and aTransPennine Newcastle train has been sacrificed to run the Newcastle terminator
Traditionalists will also be sorry to see the end of what theystill consider to be the ‘North Briton’. Quote: ‘The 07.08Leeds to Aberdeen will not call at Leeds anymore’ (sic) as the train will run from King’s Cross instead.
Improvements arepromised when Northallerton-Darlington capacity alterations have been completed, but the overall impression of some long-term observers of east coast developments remains that the longawaited timetable changes constitute not onlya compromise but also a disappointment. E
Relief as toiletstobefittedtoClass 707 EMUs
SOUTHEASTERN is to retrofittoiletsto its Class 707 ‘City Beam’ EMU fleet
The move is amulti-mi llion-pound investment between Angel Trains and Southeastern and final contractual agreements areexpected to be confirmed in the coming weeks, at which point detai led final designs can getunder way. All 30 of thetrains wi ll getaccessi ble toi lets.
The Class 707s were first introduced by South West Trains in August 2017, but toilets were not specified. Even before the firstsets had entered service, SWT announced it wasordering 90 Class 701 units which would eventuallyreplace Classes 455, 456, 458 and 707. It was in 2020 that Southeastern agreed to takeonthe 707, and the sets have transferred fromSWT successor South Western Railways in phases from January 2021, with the final twosets moving to Southeastern in September 2024.
Southeastern saythat installation of toilets on the City Beam fleet is part of awider commitment to improve the on boardjourneyexperience for passengers and provide access to public toilets acrossits network. The City Beam fleet operates on Southeastern’s
Metroroutes, and additional toilets will complement Transport forLondon’s commitment to increase the number of customer toilets available in their stations too.
No further details of the timescale or wherethe work will be carried out have been released.
Just weeksbeforethis announcement, Southeastern said it wasupgrading aspects of its Class 376 fleet and painting them in house colours.
Soon to be fitted with an accessi bletoi let, ‘Southeastern ‘City Beam’ Class 707 No. 707009 arrives at Sidcup on January 30. MICHAEL COOPER
Northern’s oldest secondgeneration DMUsare in line forreplacement, including Class 150 No.150003 whichcomes to ahaltat Penistone station on June 20, 2024, whileworking the 15.12Huddersfield to Shefeld service. CHRISMILNER
Northernbegins procurement forupto450 newtrains to replace second generationunits
PUBLICLYowned trainoperator
Northern has invited fivemajor train manufacturers to begin negotiations forsupplying up to 450 newtrains to operate across the North of England.
The fivemanufacturers approached as part an ‘Invitation to Negotiate’ step areAlstom, CAF, Hitachi, Siemens and Stadler.Northern says the actual timescales forthe introduction of the trains wi ll be developed as part of the procurement process, however, Northern hasset bidders challenging targets to deliver as soon as possi ble.
As the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2500 services aday servingmorethan 500 stations, the procurement wi ll be phased with the phase one covering the replacement of the ageing Class 150, 155, and 156 trains first. The oldest of these second generation DMUs, the Class 150 has just turned 40 years old. Northernalso want to order 12 three-carriageelectric trains to operate the local stopping services between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester once the electrification of the TransPennine route has been completed.
Subsequent phases of theplan wi ll featurereplacement of olderfleets, with around twothirdsofthe existing fleet targeted forreplacement over the next 10 years.
Northern says the orderwillbe fora mix of electric and multi-modal (diesel/electric) poweredtrains, and prospectivemanufacturers have been asked to include battery-powered trains as partoftheir proposals. It adds that multi-modal units in the order wi ll be capable of conversion to batteryorelectric-onlyoperation during their lifetime, in line with the Government’s commitment to deliver acleaner,greener railwayaspart of its net-zeroobjectives.
Thereisalso an intention to reduce the number of diferent types of trains, which wi ll significantly simplify operations, help with staf training, and lowermaintenance costs –all of which wi ll help reduce taxpayersubsidy
Removing diesel trains from service overtime wi ll demonstrably improve the local air and noise quality overall, and especiallyinlocations wherethisisa concern.
Northern’s combined current fleet of 148 Class 150, 153, 155, and 156 units have no air-conditioning and atop speed of 75 mph,and it is expected the newtrains wi ll have air conditioning andahigher top speed, which wi ll lead to reduced journeytimes.
Tricia Wi lliams, managing director of Northern, said: “Almost 60% of the trains in our fleet arebetween 32 and 40 years old and, whi le they’veserved the region well, it’s important we get the ball rolling on their replacement.
“It’s game-changing forNorthern and wi ll transform the look and feel of our fleet formillions of customers –and it also cementselectric and battery as the long-term powersource of choicefor our fleet.”
It is expected the contract wi ll be awardedtothe successful bidder or bidders in 2026, with an aim to have firsttrains delivered to Northern by 2030.
NORTHERN’S SECOND GENERATION DMUFLEET
GBRfCLASS 99 MOVES TO VELIM FORTESTING
GB Railfreight’s Class 99 No. 99001 has been movedfromthe Stadler factory in Valencia to the Velim test circuit in the Czech Republic. The move wasbyroad,and whi le at Velim, the bi-mode locomotivewillundergo arigorous programme of testing and commissioning. On completion of the testing, GBRf expect No. 99001, along with 99002, to arriveinthe UK around June, when theywillbeprepared for UK testing and certification.
GBRf has ordered 30 of the locos which wi ll have amaintenance base at Leicester.
FIRST MONTH SEES 50,000 RIDE NORTHUMBERLAND LINE
IN its first month of operation, the Northumberland Line has seen morethan 50,000 passengers use the service, withSaturdays proving especiallypopular.With onlytwo of the line’s six stations having opened on December 15, the achievement is remarkable. Passenger numbers should rise further when Newsham station opens,possi blyby the end of February Bedlington, Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park areexpected to open later in this year.
Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Counci l called the first month’s figures ‘a great mi lestone’. The line was featured in Rail Express issue 345.
HULL TRAINS IDENTIFIES SHEFFIELD PATHS
HULL Trains has formallyapplied to the Ofce of Rail and Road fortwo paths from MondaytoSaturdayfor a direct King’s Cross-Retford-Shefeld service.
Outline times aretodepart Shefeld at 09.20 and 16.54, arriving in King’s Cross at 11.44 and 19.14. Northbound workings from King’s Cross would be at 12.48 and 19.56 arriving at Shefeld at 14.57 and 21.56. Services would make intermediate calls at Woodhouse, Retfordand Worksop. The last direct service from Worksop to London ceased in 1968.
RAIBREMINDS
LANDOWNERSOVER TREES
Nexus reveals next stageofClass 555 rollout
HAVING introduced the first of its new Class 555 trains on December 18 last year,Nexus, operators of the Tyne & Wear Metrohaveconfirmed the rollout of the 46-train order wi ll be phased. The process to introduce all of the newtrains wi ll taketwo years, and by the end of 2025 Nexus expects half the fleet to be in trafc, with newunits
entering service at the rate of one or twoper month.
Manufacturer Stadler has delivered 13 units, and afurther 20 units are due to be delivered during this year Nexus saytheyare progressing well with the driver training for200 staf, the programme forwhich continues in parallel with the rollout of the new
fleet. The training work starts as classroom-based forsmall groups, beforeusing anew Metrotrain driving simulator, and lessons spent driving the newtrain out on the network.
As older trains in the fleet are withdrawn, somecomponents wi ll be salvagedtoprovides astock of spare parts during the transition.
THE RAIB (Rai lAccident Investigation Branch) investigation into acollision between East Midlands Railway Class 158 No. 158856 and twotrees at Roudham Heath, Norfolk, on February 6, 2024, has highlighted two recommendations.
One is addressed to Forestry England and the other is to Network Rail.Both recommendations ask the respectiveorganisations to reviewprocesses forinspecting and managing trees that arewithin falling distance of the railway,and also to consider the efects of high soi l saturation levels on tree falling risks.
Track void led to DMU derai lment at 56mph
AREPORTfromthe Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) into the derailment of apair of Class 195 DMUs travelling at 56mphatGrangeover-Sands has ruled that the cause wasavoidinthe track as aresult of adamaged waterpipecaused by a tampering machine.
None of the four passengers and crew aboardunit Nos. 195104/195133 were injured in the accident,althoughthe three carriages of 195104 wasdamaged afterhitting astone retaining wall.
The comprehensiveRAIB report outlines along history of flooding on land north of the line, which was reclaimed from the sea when the Cumbrian linewas built in 1850s. This floodinghad beendealt with in avariety of ways overthe years, themost recent using pumps connectedtoatemporary pipe running under the railway line, installed in 2016 to extract water into Morecambe Bay. The pipe had been partiallyburied, and thetamping team wasunable to detect its location before it wasstruck because it wasnot marked in line with relevant standards.
Twodaysprior to the derailment on March22, 2024, the line had been subject to routine tamping operations, which resulted in the pipebeing damaged in twoplaces. Although the damagehad been reported immediately, as aresult of inefective communications, no action wastaken
to stop the consequent leakwith any urgencyand water ranout formorethan 52 hours.On-call staf were unaware that it wasinuse at the time the damageoccurred.A viewput forward by RAIB wasthat staf involved thought that the volume of dischargedwater by apump on alocalgolf course didn’t present arisk to the railway.
RAIB pointed outthat historically, anumber of other organisations with apotential interest in managing the floodwater,had not donesoefectively, and Network Rail had alloweda temporary pipearrangement to become permanent.
The derailed train wasthe 05.18 Preston to Barrow-in-Furness andthe substantial track void wasnot visibleto the driver.Witnesses on the train said theyfelt thetrain hit the void beforeit derailed. At the time of the derailment, the earlyshift signalman waspreparing to begin work and to switch the box back into use after thepassage of this train. Upon derailing, the train severed wires forsignals on both lines, putting them to danger.RAIB opined thatthe incidentwould havebeen worse had therenot been aretaining wall.
The derai lment also damaged a batteryisolation switch which knocked out the GSM-R radio and all the lighting on the leading unit. The train crew eventuallyused the radiointhe cab of the second unit to
Sw ietelsky bu ys Harry Needle Ra il ro ad Co in eight-figured ea l
FURTHER to last month’s brief news item on p11 (RE345), the Austrian infrastructurecontractor is understood to have paid‘an eight-figure’sum for the Harry Needle Railroad Company(HNRC).
The sale includes the extensivesite at Worksop whichisusedfor rolling stockstorageof up to 700 vehicles, refurbishment, repairs andmaintenance, and asmaller rail-connected facility at BarrowHill.
Anumber of ex-HNRCmainline locos have already acquired Swietelsky branding (see picture p20), but the fulllist of locos included in the sale has not been released. The sale is understood to include mainline and shunting locos, butnot locos considered as preserved. Backin2014, Swietelsky said that HNRCwould provide it with as manyas 26 locomotives on hireaspart of adeal that included overhaul and maintenance facilities forits yellow on-track equipment.
HNRCwas establishedin1999 by former paratrooperHarry Needle,initiallyrecovering sparesfromredundant rolling stock, beforehe went on to acquireafleet of locomotives forhire.
In 2019, with backing from Frontier Development Capital (FDC), HNRC acquired the redundant rail depot in Worksop and invested£8m to convert it into arailoperations centre.
The deal will enable Mr Needle to realise his majority shareholding in the business while continuing takealeading role going forward. Additionally, the sale allows Swietelsky expand its operations in theUK.
It provides an exit forfunder FDC, which has supportedMrNeedle and acquisition of the Worksop site, along its subsequent expansion.
broadcast an emergencymessage.
Damage to the embankmentwas significant, taking amonth to repair.As part of the repair operations, Network Rail has created apermanent structure to house up to three pipes at adepth thatwillbeunafected by future tamping operations.
RAIB hasmadefive recommendations, including the managementoftemporary pumping and drainage assets, howtoimprove the awareness fortamper operators of buried services anda review of the
battery isolation switch on Class 195 units. RAIB issued severallearning points, including the importance of on-call staf being contactable, and that railway controllers should escalate issues wherethe first line on-call staf arenot available.
■ RAIB has opened an investigation into abufer stop collision at 2.3mph at London Victoria on December 13, involving aClass 377/4 EMU.There were no injuries to the driver or passengers, butthe bufers and the EMU sustained minor damage. E
Vanguardunvei ls repoweredHydroShunter
By Simon Bendall
THE second Class 08 to be experimentallyrepoweredwas unveiled at Kidderminster on January 31.
The project, which is the culmination of four years of work, has seen No. 08635 converted to battery powerinajoint venture between VanguardSustainable Transport Solutions and the Severn ValleyRai lway
The work wasinitiallyled by the railway,particularlyasmall team of young volunteers, who extracted the shunter from storeand stripped it down inside Kidderminster diesel depot, before overhauling anci llary components and preparing the engine bayfor the newtraction equipment.
Arepaint into avariation of InterCity colours wasalso carried out with the loco’s original number of 3802 reapplied, albeit with a‘H’ prefix forhydrogen.
The main conversionwork began with the installationofanew bedplate, onto which wasfitteda bank of lead acid batteries, these being employedinstead of lithium in order to regain some of the weight lost by the removalofthe English Electric powerunit. At present, the shunter is purelybattery-powered
and chargedfroma shoresupply, but the ultimate goal is to add a hydrogenfuel cell on topofthe batteries. This has been obtained and is awaiting fitting, and once installed, wi ll charge the batteries whi le the Class 08 is in use.
The aim is to developashunter that can work foraround 24 hours beforeneeding its hydrogen tank refilled. The existing traction motors and cab controlshavebeen
retained, along with the bodywork, as astipulation of the project was that No. 08635 should be returnable to diesel powerinthe future if required by the railway. Aproduction conversion would see some external changes, such as removalofthe fuel tanks with the space used to house some of the newanci llary equipmentthat is currentlyinthe cab and acabinet on one side of the bonnet.
Dubbed the HydroShunter,No. H3802 (08635) stands in the platform at Kidderminster on January 31, whilecarrying outdemonstration runs. The InterCity livery uses ashade of dark grey with amuch stronger green tint than standard, and also displaysthe logosofthe companies involved. SIMON BENDALL
Plans revealed to extend Manchester’s ‘Bee Network’ to rail
GREATER Manchester MayorAndy Burnham has set out astep-by-step plan to bring localrai loperations into the Bee Network by 2028, bui lding on the successful approach that has recentlybeen implementedonbuses
Plans arebeing developedin partnership with the rail industry, Department forTransport (DfT) and the Great British Rail transition team, with the aim of not onlyimproving transport but also unlocking major regeneration and housing opportunities on land around the city-region’s stations.
Mr Burnham’s targetisfor an integrated ‘London-style’ public transport system ofering contactless faresoncommuter servicesvia tap in/tap out technology.The aim is to simplifythe complexrai lfarestructure but also link it into busesand trams, which would allowapassengerto start ajourneybyrai l, thencontinue to their destination by bus or tram. Dai ly and weeklyfarecapswhich arebeing introduced on BeeNetworkbusesand trams would be extended to include train travel.
Under the plan, the first phase of stations to be incorporated into the
Bee Network would be those on lines from ManchesterPiccadi llytoGlossop and also Stalybridge, covering an initial 17 stations by December 2026.
Phase 2would see arollout of tap in/tap out ticketing on afurther two lines, including services connecting ManchesterPiccadi llytoManchester Airport, AlderleyEdgeand Buxton via Stockport. The thirdphasewould coverservicesonthe Rochdale, Wigan via Atherton Wigan via Bolton, and Wigan via Golborne lines. Then by 2030, afurther 32 stations which are furtherafield –including Greenfield, BromleyCross, Horwich Parkway and Littleborough –would be added to the network. In all, eight commuter lines consisting of 96 stations connected to the main stations in Manchester would come into theBee Network.
The plans also includeaccessi bi lity improvements with the aim of having step-free access at morethan 60% of stations on the eight lines by 2028.
In addition,a new£32 mi lionstation is plannedfor Golbourne and subject to approvals, work is expected to begin in 2026 with the firsttrains arriving sometime in 2027.
Two newfreight workings forDRS
DIRECT Rail Services, the rail division Nuclear Transport Solutions, has announced two newfreight workings. One is initiallyatrial which could become permanent, the otherisexpected to operate foratleast three years.
The trial train runs betweenthe PD Ports-owned terminalatTeesportand TrafordPark, Manchester,and carries intermodal containers. With amidafternoon departurefromTeesport, the train is routed via the York avoiding line, Castlefordand Huddersfield. The return train runs overnight with an 09.00 arrival back on Teesside. The initial trial is for12weeks, and if successful could become apermanent working
The second flowisafour-days per week service moving aggregate
Canweexpect yellowtrains to align with Manchester’s ‘Bee Network’ of busesand trams?Metrolink tram No. 3075 at the TrafordCentrewith aservice forDeansgate on December 12, 2024. FERNDALE MEDIA
Andy Burnham said: “Ourrailsystem todayisacting as abrake on growth and, as the UK’s fastest-growing cityregion, Greater Manchester deserves better.Weneed arailway thatisreliable andfullyintegrated withthe rest of the Bee Network to drivegrowth and deliver newhomes with public transport connections on the doorstep.
“Onlybymaking travelbytrain more
reliable, simpler,flexible and accessi ble to everyone, wi ll we convince more people to leave the car at home and makethe switch to the Bee Network.”
The combined costs of the capital infrastructure areestimated to be in the region of £114m in the 2028/29 financial year.The estimated expenditureinthe period up to March 2027 is £34m.
c2c Class 357s getlivery facelift
TREN ITALIA c2c has be gun ap ro ject to re paint its entireC lass 357 flee t, and some of the comp leted units are already in traffic.
The project is be ing carried out in collaboration with ro lling stock manufacturer Alstom at its Ilford depot, wheree ach Class 357 unit wi ll re ceiveac omple te ex ternal re paint.
Each set takes around 20 days to repaint. The work includes stripping existing paint, undertaking anycorrosion or other repairs to the bodyside before the application of newundercoat, then
the gloss with awaterborne hydro topcoattocomplete the finish.
The re paint changes the colour of the doors from dark blue to purple, and the panels to the edge of the windscreen area lso in purple. Ap urple diagonal bodyside flash completes the revis ed look.
The project to re paint all Class 357s wi ll take2 4m onths to complete, and the first unit to be treated, No. 357207 is already back in traffic. It wi ll be fo llowe dbyt he second unit, No. 357005.
from Shap quarry to Drigg on the Cumbrian Coast.
Using JNA-Zbox wagons –a first forDRS –46,000 tonnes of aggregate wi ll be movedtothe Nuclear Waste Services’ LowLevel Waste Repository at Drigg, wherethe material wi ll be used to form an interim membrane, aproject to replace aprotectivebarrier over the legacydisposal trenches at the site.
Each train carries 750tonnes of material, and the plan is foraninitial 64 train workings. DRSsay thatfurther trains will be run in other stages overthe project’s three-yearduration. Use of rail savesmorethan 2300 lorry journeys
The route between Drigg and Shap is via Maryport and the Carlisle station avoiding lines.
Hauling anew intermodalworking,DRS Class 68 No.68033 ThePoppy works4Z59, 15.25 South Bank Tees Dock (DRS) to Traford Park EuroTerm pastSouth Bank on February 3. ALEX AYRE
WABTEC EXPECTED TO CLOSE DONCASTER WORKS
THE American-owned rail company Wabtec has announced its intention to close the DoncasterWorkssite and withdraw from the rolling stock repair and maintenance market. With the risk of up to 400 job losses, Wabtec has entered aperiod of statutory negotiation with staf overits proposals.
Making the announcementon February 7, the companysaidthe decision follows a‘comprehensive reviewofthe product lines and cost challenges’ at the site, adding that the proposal is to complete all current projects and then withdraw from the vehicle maintenance market inthe UK, beforeclosing the site.
Wabtec has said severaloptions were under consideration, including moving to another UK location or relocating to anearbysite.The current order book ensures work until2026 but beyond that thereare no orders. At its height,the worksemployedmorethan 4500 staf.
With celebrations just beginning forRail200, the news couldn’t come at aworsetime forthe rail industry. The decision to close the site –which could be redeveloped forhousing, as wasthe case forareathat housed the Crimpsall shop –isahammer-blowfor the railway town which has been the birthplaceofsomanysteam, diesel and electric locomotives. Wabtec has had a presence on the site for25 years.
Doncaster Central MP Sally Jameson said that the announcement wasa‘continuation of sad news at the site’.
BIG EXPANSION OF PAYG IN SOUTH EAST
PAYasyou go (PAYG) fareswererolled out to an additional47stations in South East England from February 2, the Department forTransport saying thatthe tap-in tap-out ticketing ends a complexweb of fares.
PAYG faresare available from selected stations betweenBletchley and St Albans AbbeytoLondon Euston;Windsor &Eton Riverside/ Virginia Water/Shepperton to London Waterloo; SevenoakstoLondon termini via OtfordorDunton Green and from Shoeburyness to Fenchurch Stvia both theEast Tilbury and Basildon routes
The move is the first step of a wider expansion of PAYG faresthis year which will see an additional 49 stations added to thesystem, including Stansted Airport. This means all London airports will be accessible by tap-in tap-out ticketing forthe first time ever. Also benefiting will be stations including Aylesbury,East Grinstead, Luton and Dorking.PAYGwillalso become available from Baldock,Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City and Stevenage later this year
Work is still ongoing to bring PAYG farestoGreater Manchester and the West Midlands.
DTGwins Rail Express Modern Tractionaward
THE Diesel Traction Group, which owns three diferentclasses of diesel hydraulic andthe unique Class 17 ClaytonNo. D8598, has wonthe Rail Express Awardfor Modern Traction.
The award–part of theHeritage RailwayAssociation’s annual awards –waspresented to DTG chairman Philip Sawyer at the HRA’s awards anddinner in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on February 8, by Rail Express editor, Chris Milner
The group,who own‘Warship’ No. D821 Greyhound,‘Western’ No. D1015 Western Champion,‘Hymek’No. D7029, the Clayton –which areall based at the Severn ValleyRailway –was recognised forthe significantachievementsmade overa50-year period in preserving, owning, operating andmaintaining locomotives since first buying Greyhound in 1973.
The awardalsoacknowledges the
exactingstandards demanded forthe operation of D1015 Western Champion on the mainline, withthe loco being hired by various railtour promotors and operated under theGBRai lfreight safety case.The loco has several
planned workings on themainline this year including Pathfinder Tours ‘Mazey Day’ special on June 28. Thegroup has morethan 20 activemembers with some 150 shareholders whofinancially support the group’s four locos. E
Virgin Groupconsiders£500 mi llion trainorder
AIMING to challenge Eurostar’s monopolyonChannelTunnelpassenger services, the Virgin Groupisreported to be considering a£500 million order for up to 12 high-speed trainsthat would work international services from London St Pancras.
With Eurostar having enjoyeda monopolyonservices to Europe since 1994, in addition to Virgin, anew company, Evolyn –which is backed by Spain’s Cosmen family who owna stake in Mobico, formerlyknown as National Express –has also indicated ambitions to introduce newinternational highspeed train services, with16new trains
The stumbling blockfor both
potential entrants is the access to maintenance facilities at Temple Mills, currently used exclusively by Eurostar Virgin has indicated it would need space forseven trains from quarter three in 2027, while Evolyn would want space foreight trains. Eurostar has indicated thereisn’t thespace to stable andmaintain other operators’ trains, and has raised concernsover the compatibilityofany newstock with the depot infrastructure. TempleMills is the only location capableofservicing international trains.
As aresult of theimpasse, the Ofce of Rail and Road has appointed an independentexternal consultant
to report on whether the depot can facilitate trains from the potential newoperators. Questions arebeing asked whether the HS1 line could cope with additional high-speed services from twoother operators. Thereare also concerns whether immigration and border controls could handle the additional passengers without a substantial redesign of the area.
Afurther complication is that Eurostar has ambitions to increase its fleet from 51 trains to 67, and its passengernumbers by 60% by 2030. If Virgin can securecapacity,atrain order could followthis year with the first service commencing in 2029.
Members of the Diesel Traction Group receiving the Rail Express Modern Traction Award. From left:Nigel Smith, SteveWainwright, Chris Mi lner,Paul Walker,Phi lip ‘Tom’ Sawyer,Lennon Bradfield and Joe Cross. JACKBOSKETT/HRA
The DTG’s Class 52 ‘Western’ No. D1015 Western Champion passing Moreton-in-March on July 21, 2024 with aBLS railtour
ColasRai lstores itsfirst three Class56s
The10-strongfleetofColas ‘Grids’ has been reduced to sevenworking examples with the ofcial removalof threelocomotives from the operational roster, with twomorelikelytofollow soon.
WITH the Ra il head Treatm en tTra in se aso nf ir mlyi nt he re ar-viewm irro r, and an umber of hig hp ro fi le freight services comi ng to an end, Co las Ra il has placed No. 56087, 56 09 4a nd 56096 into ‘warm store’, wi th Nos. 56078 and 5610 5expected to be stopped next.
These Class 56s requirefurther repairs or major exams and the operator has fivelocomotives on long-term hire
from otheroperators, Nos. 59003 and 66790/791/792 from GB Railfreight/ Beacon Rail and No.70009 from Freightliner/Akiem Rail
Notably, No. 56094 wa st he first of the Co las ‘Grids’ to be re turned to service in May2 012, and this wa s fo llowe dbyN o. 56087 i nS ep tem be r of the sam eyea r. No. 56096 wa st he sixth me mber of the fleet to d ebut on the main line in
the operator’ sc olourful orange/ ye llow/black colour sc heme, joining the companyi nJ uly2 014 af ter a fo ur-month caree ra sa European demonstrator fo rE urophoenix .M ore assured of al ong-te rm futurea re No s. 56049/051/090/113/302.
The news comes as little surprise fo rB eacon Ra il -leased Nos. 56087 which wa ss topped at No ttingham Ea stcroft, later Colwick TM D, as
long agoa sS eptember 2021, and wa sawa iting neww heelsets, whi le BR LL colleague No. 56096 has been undergo ing cab re furbishment and other re pairs at the newB oden Ra il fa ci lity since the end of Ma rc h2 024. Meanwhi le, No. 56094 wa sa ctive through most of the first month of 2025 but move dt ot he Re ctory Junction site on January 28 with re ported ex haust fumes in the cab. E
Fa celifted 37 099 re tur ns to the fray
OUT of action at Boden Rail Engineering Limited’s (BREL) Nottingham Eastcroft depot andthen Colwick TMDsince mid-October 2023 whi le undergoing an ‘F’ exam,No. 37099 –now reunited with its Merl Evans 1947-2016 nameplates –made its first tentativesteps back onto the main line on January 15, undertaking a0Z37 12.55 shakedown run to Allington West Junction and return with No. 56301 also undergoing some preliminary testing.
The same pair made an almost identical outing the following day. Evidentlyfurther tweakswererequired as theClass 37 did not reappear unti l January 30 forasolo 0Z37 11.20 to the same destination and back.
As previouslyreported, theformer D6799 has lost the split headcode boxesand communicating doors it has carried since December1962, in favour of aclean newlook with LED-style
marker and tai l-lamps. The sealed-beam headlight has also been resited to the standardcentral positionawayfromits rare high-levellocation.
Corrosion issuesand draughts have been citedfor the extensivereworking of the nose end, which bring it into line with Colas’s No.37116, the former Sister Dora, which underwent simi larly controversial treatment under the aegis of Transrai latDoncaster in 1996. Inspiration mayalso have comefrom former Network Rail spares donor No. 97301 (ex-37100) which sti ll residesatthe Rectory Junction site.
The rebuild leavesColasNo. 37057 BarbaraArbon asthe sole main lineregistered Class 37 still sportingsplit boxes, and this is rumoured to be getting similar treatmentinthe future Fortunately, of the 37 other ‘Series 1’ machines still extant, thereare 13 preserved exampleswith most of their
classic delivery features still intact, Nos. 37003/009/023/037/042/ 097/109 andD6700/029/032
Less original areNos. 37025/108, which retain their headcodeboxes, albeit with plated doors, whileNo. 37075 has the boxesatthe No. 1end only. The other end wasgiven the ‘flush’ treatment in 1987 after repairs at Stratford, althoughitdid have its communicating doors cosmeticallyrestored at the split boxend in 2018. No. 37109 also had its owndoors reinstated at both ends in 2020, after theywereremovedbyowner Mainline Freight at Stewarts Lane at the end of 1995.
Corrosion and draught issues have long been an issue with the ‘splitbox’ members of the fleet, with British Rail including the removalofredundant features from the front end as part of the ‘refurbishment’ schemeatCrewe Worksinthe mid-1980s. Forty-four were
so upgraded, becomingNos. 37501521, 37701-719/796-799. Before that, collision damagewas the usual reason forany radical reworking of the nose ends.
In the 1960s-70s, Nos. 37072074/091 were all converted to centre headcode configuration, including resited horns, while Lairarebuilt Nos. 37031/047/053 forRailfreight Distribution with the centreboxes only during 1988-9. No. 37006 wasthe first to lose its boxesfor marker lights in 1983,atthe No.2 end only, giving an appearance that reminded many enthusiasts of their English Electric forerunners, the Class 40s. This wasfollowedbyNos. 37065/100 at the same endand No. 37019 at the No.1 endbetween 1984-6. Finally, Nos. 37075/102 receivedsimilar work to the No.2 end in 1986/7, albeit with the complete removalofthe doors.
the London Overground Class 378 unitsfor
the working being from NewCross Gate depottoAlstomWidnes.
NEWS ROUND-UP
ANGEL TRAINS/ROMIC
The number of HSTpower carsat ElyPapworth sidings increased to 14 during the period under the review, with the arrival of Nos. 43305/367 by road from UKRL at Loughboroughon January 10 and 18 respectively.The pair had been on site at the former Brush Traction workssinceMarch 2024toprovides spares forthe repair of ScotRai lNos. 43128/169, both of which were completed last September The other 12 on site at Elyare Nos. 43017/020/174/190/191, 43309311/314/315/317/318.
The Mid-Norfolk Railway is now storing eight Romic Class 43s with the move of spares donors Nos. 43029 and 43206 by road from Eastern Rail Services at Great Yarmouth on January 11 and 14, thepair joining Nos. 43160/162 at the heritage railway.These had arrived from Lairain December (RE345). Theywerefollowed by Nos. 43027 and 43238/312/319, which were delivered to the MNR by Rail Adventure’s Nos. 43468/480 on January 15, also fromGreat Yarmouth, under a0Q80 headcode.
DC RAIL
After failing at Water Orton with engine issues on January 12, 2024, No. 56301 has achievedamilestonein its return to trafc. The failuredelayedthe sale of the former No. 56045 from the Class 56 Group to the Cappagh Group (for DC Rail)and the Doncaster-bui lt ‘Grid’ has spent the last year at UKRL Leicester undergoing repairs. On January 9, following aspell on theload bank,it rantoBREL at Colwick TMDfor further
recommissioning work, with No. 56103 in towfor insurance. As reported in the Class 37 story above,No. 56301 wasthendispatched on apair of light engine test runs on January 15/16 in partnership with Colas No.37099. Sign-ofwork is continuing and the nextbreakthrough wi ll be loaded trials. If these aresuccessful then the locomotivewillbehanded over to DC Rail to supplement its existing fleet during downtime. In January alone, GB Railfreight provided Nos. 60021 Penyghent,60085 Snowdon and 60096 Skiddaw forvarious duties to coverwhi le Nos. 56103 and 60029 were out of action at Colwick TMDand Leicester LIP respectively.
DB CARGO
The WBRTRailhead Treatment Train group is nowdefunct, with the transfer of all 14 remaining Class 66s, Nos. 66054 /060/066/067/083/109/119/172/179 /182/200/205-207 to WBAT in the first twoweeksofthe NewYear.Meanwhile, theWBHT‘highoutput’ pool forregeared locomotives has been boosted to 15 members, with the addition of Nos. 66155/165/172/197 (all ex-WBAT), bringing it up to the planned total fleet number outlined in RE341. The number of converted GMs is nownine with the ofcial renumbering of No. 66171 to 66659. This wasreleased from Toton on January 23 foratest run to Doncaster Belmont Yard and return, beforetaking up amorerepresentativeduty the following dayonthe usual 6E02 12.30 Toton Up Sidings to Boston Sleaford Sidings and loaded 6M07 18.58 return to Wolverhampton Steel Terminal.
DIRECT RAIL SERVICES
With three of its fiveleased DB Cargo Class 66s out of use at Totonsince the middle of 2024, it comes as no surprise that the arrangement wi ll be coming to an end soon. DRStookNos. 66031/ 091/108/122/126 on long-term hire ahead of the 2019 Railhead Treatment Train seasonand theywerepainted in the operator’s simplified dark blue ‘compass’ livery between May2020 and May2021. OnlyNos. 66031/108 have been recorded in actionsince last September
Also soon to be returned to their owners, in this case BeaconRai l, are Nos. 68024/025, which were hired-in during the busyRHTT season. The pair arecurrentlystored at Carlisle Kingmoor.Meanwhi le, the last two TransPennine Express-allocated Class 68s, Nos. 68023 at Manchester Longsight and 68029 at CreweGresty Bridge,havebeen reallocated from the TPEX to the DRSXHTP TPE Class 68 pool, making the former nowobsolete. The pair aresti ll being used to keep the Mk.5a sets in ‘storedserviceable’ condition, with No.68023 undertaking a5Q32 10.56 circular jollyvia Crewe, WarringtonBank Quayand Eccles with set No.TP07 on January 15.
GB RAILFREIGHT
Thereare now10ofthe 11 Akiem Rail-leased Class 66/3s operational forGBRf with the entry of No.66315 into trafc in the final month of 2024. The former ‘Class 77’ No.77505 was hauled from Progress Rail,Longport, to Bescot as a0Z45 14.32 to Bescot on December 13, by No. 66307 Ipswich
Town.This wasfollowedbya run to East Midlands GatewayonDecember 16, with No. 66302 beforethe pair top and tai led a4L04 12.56 to Felixstowe South Terminal on the same day, with No. 66316 beingdropped of at Peterborough.
Asecondgreen primer Class 69s has entered trafc, with the departure of No. 69014 from Longport on January 13, the former No. 56104 leadingNos. 66725/749 on a 0E70 15.35 light engine move to Peterborough, although it had migrated to the North East by the end of the month. Its twin, No. 69013, was released on September 10, 2024, and wassti ll on activeduty on Snow &Ice Treatment Train(SITT) duties based at TonbridgeWest Yard at the start of February
Stadler-builtNo. 99001 is reported as having made another pan-European move,this time by road from Valencia to Velim in the Czech Republic, home of the twin circuit, multi-voltageRai lway Research Institute (VUZ) test track. The Class 99 is nowexpected to arrive in the UK at Portbury Dockswith No. 99002 in June 2025 and wi ll be followedbyNo. 99003 in August.
HNRCSWIETELSKY
Some six months after Harry Needle Railroad Companyand Swietelsky, along with its SB Rail partnership with Babcock, announced adealto provide as manyas26locomotives to the Austrian-headquartered engineeringand construction business, the arrangement has turned into a takeover. Swietelsky AG wi ll acquire
First of
repaint is No. 378225, which is being hauled through RugeleyTrent ValleyonJanuary 4, by ROGClass 37 No.37611 Denise,
IAN NIGHTINGALE
POWER BY THEHOUR
NEWS ROUND-UP Continued
❮
the 14-hectareWorksop faci lity, along with the smaller workshop at Barrow Hi ll, and the majority of its main line and shunting fleet. The sale does not include certain locomotives considered ‘preserved’, whi le Mr Needle wi ll remain connectedwith the newHNRCSwietelsky operation as Asset Manager.Afull list of the locomotives transferred to the new owners has not been released, but Worksop had quicklyoutshopped HNRCorangeNos.20302 and 20311 with newowner decals by January 11, whi le the identically-liveriedClass 37 pair of Nos. 37405 and 37607 were simi larlytreated by Barrow Hi ll on January 18 and 15 respectively.With the latter twoEEmachinesonhire to rival infrastructuremaintenance companyColas it wi ll be interesting to see howthings playout over the comingmonths
RAIL OPERATIONS ASSETS LIMITED
Last issue’s coverstar,No. 93001, has beenback on West Coast Main Line trials, the tri-mode Stadlermachine notablymaking the journeyfrom Worksop to CreweSouth Yard (0Q42) on January 10, under its ownpower forthe first time. On January 13, it wassent out on its owntowork a 0Q06/0Q42toCarlisleand back. The following dayitwas partneredwith asimi lar Eastern Rail Servicesset of coaching stocktoits Decemberloaded runs, although the formation wasnow comprised eight Mk.3s and ex-Arriva/ DATS Mk.3b DVTNo. 82306, and it worked a5Q06/5Q42 to Carlisle and return. These runs continued every dayunti lthe earlyhours of January 18, and No. 93001 returned to Worksop, again eschewing the usual Class 37 chaperone, as a0Q26fromCrewe on January 20.
DISPOSALS
TwomoreHST powercars succumbed to the inevitable during the period under review, both out of use since the end of 2019. The first to be scrapped wasNo. 43161 on site at thePlym ValleyRai lway.This had movedfrom LairainNovember 2024 with now preserved Nos. 43063/091. This Class 43 wascompleted by BREL Crewe WorksinJune 1981 and joined Nevi lle Hi ll depot with No. 43162, thepair being nominallyallocatedtoEastern Region set No. 254037, althoughthis wasnot carried. It movedtoLairain May1989, gaining the name Reading Evening Post betweenApri l1991 and July1999.
Despite swapping the East Coast Main Line forthe Great Western, it wassti ll acommon sight on North East-South West route dutiesand transferred to Porterbrook/Virgin CrossCountry on Privatisation in January 1997. One of 22 power cars allocated to the aborted Virgin ‘Challenger’ proposal, it returnedto Nevi lle Hi ll in May2003 as part of the
‘Project Rio’ IMRL pooland wasgiven the vinyl Rio Monarch namejust a few weeksbeforethe end of the St Pancras-Manchester Piccadi llyservice in September 2004. It rejoined the First Great Western fleet at Laira soon after and between January and March2007 wasput through the MTUrepowering programme at Brush LoughboroughWorks.After 13 years of service itnotablyworked the final ‘slam-door’HST servicefor FGWon December 21, 2019, with No. 43010 and set No. LA72. After powering the 2U20 10.50 Penzance-Bristol Parkway,it wasstored due to not being equipped with the necessary equipment to operate the new‘plug door’formations.Whi le No. 43010 was later called to Wabtec Doncaster for the upgrade, No. 43161 wasnot.
Also commencing its career at Nevi lle Hi ll, No. 43100 was outshopped from Crewe at the end of September 1978 as part of set No. 254023 with No. 43101. After a tour of Eastern Region ‘sheds’ it finally
Colas-liveried GBRfClass 60 No. 60096 Skiddaw on hiretoDC Rail hauls empty hopperwagons around the ElyWest curveon January 24, during the working of 6L92 from Chaddesden to the Middleton Towers sand terminal. The following daywhi le working the loaded train from Middleton Towers to Ravenhead sidings, the loco wasdeclared afai lure nearOakham and later pushed into the into Langham Goods Loop by GBRf Class 66 No. 66313. PETER FOSTER
Wearing its newSwietelsky logos butwith the fami liar HNRC orangelivery,Class 37 Nos. 37607 leads failed Colas No. 37057 BarbaraArbon through Dringhouses, York,onJanuary 15, with a5Z37 York Holgate to DerbyRTC move JACK BOWLEY
settled at Craigentinnyinmid-1981 and wasdedicated after itshome depot in March1984, although the classic cast ’plates were removedin December 1987. These were refitted in June 1991 but in the later standard aluminium style.
Li ke No. 43161, this powercar joined Porterbrook/Virgin CrossCountry on Privatisationand after the removal of its Craigentinnynameitmoved to LairainMay 1998. This alloweditto becomethe firstmember of the Virgin fleet (along with Mk.3b DVT82127) to receivethe newlarge format vinyl ‘nameplates’and the stylised ‘flying lady’ logo, in this case Blackpool Rock to commemorate the reintroduction of direct services to the Lancashire resort. Onlytwo other HSTs were so adorned, Nos. 43101 The IrishMail and 43157 HMSPenzance. The stickers were removedinJuly2000 and its service with RichardBranson’s outfit ended in October 2003.
After severalyears in storeat various former MoD establishments,
the powercar movedtoBrush, Loughborough, in March2006, and that December became the first MTUre-engineered Class 43/2 to be released into the Great North Eastern Railway(GNER) IECP pool complete with new43300 number In October 2014, and nowoperated by National Express East Coast, it wasbrieflyreunited with its original identity 43100 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Edinburgh Craigentinny depot, alsogaining special vinyls and the name Craigentinny100 Years 1914-2014. Unfortunatelyjust over fiveyears later on November 13, 2019, the nowVirgin powercar was severely damaged after beinghit by ‘Azuma’ No. 800109 at Nevi lle Hi ll, and it wasstored and later deregistered the following summer. It movedto Reid Freight’sLongton site in May 2022 and on January 20 this year made its final journeytoSandbach Commercial Dismantlers Ltd (SCDL) at Middlewich, whereitwas quickly cut up.
