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CLASS93MAKES MAINLINEDEBUT

Stadlertri-mode startstesting

£116 million Levenline reopens Essentialreading fortoday’s

MODELLING SECTION

■ BachmannClass25/1review

Hasthe Type2’scharacterbeencaptured?

■ Trackcleaningdevelopments

Newtechniques investigated

■ Mk.3EMUstobemodelled

Whyistherea lackof mainstream models?

RCTS/Mortonsphotography winners revealed

CONTENTS IssueNo. 338 JULY 2024

GB Railfreight’slarge logoblueNo.56098spent much of MayhiredtoDC Rail.OnMay 9,the‘56’leadsDCRNo.56103asthe 6Z8212.20toBrandon, away from Peak Forest. EddieHolden

FEATURES

74 SWANAGEINPICTURES

RichardClinnick presentspicturesfromthe recent SwanageRailway diesel gala.

76 AC/DC!THECLASS319 STORY

Thelast‘319’passenger workingtookplacein January,leavingonlythe rebuiltClass769Flex setsintraffic. David Russell tellsthestoryof the formerThameslinkfleet.

80 SEVERN VALLEY SUCCESS

TheSevern ValleyRailway heldanother successfuldiesel gala. RichardClinnick reports.

86 RCTS/MORTONSMEDIARAILWAY PHOTOGRAPHYWINNERS

The resultsofthejoint RCTS/Mortons Media railway photographiccompetition arein,and we presentthe winners.

REGULARS

53 SUBSCRIPTIONOFFERS

Thebest waytoget Rail Express everymonth.

89 0TO60!

JohnHeaton searchesforClass755/3sin electricmodein EastAnglia.

90 REVIEWS

Thelatest topical reviews.

MODELLING

Howcleanis yourtrack?

We lookat various new techniques. Rail Express Modeller askswhat Mk.3electricmultiple unitscouldbemodelled.

8 NEWS

Avanti Class 805sentertraffic, Rail OperationsAssets LtdClass93 beginsmainlinetesting,Northernunit orderdetails,Southeastern goestomarket fornew trains, passengertrains start servingLeven, moreopen access operationsplanned, Class 802/2batterytrials, revolutionary wagonlaunchedandmuch,muchmore.

18 POWERBYTHEHOUR

FormerDirect Rail ServicesClass 37sbeginnewcareers.

21 WAGONS

WH Davis commencesTouaxRailtankerwork

22 UNITS

MoreClass323s move toNorthern.

25 SHUNTERS ANDINDUSTRIALS

AClass08 returnsto Haymarket.

26 COACHES

Metro-Cammell Pullmanbackinaction.

28 POWERSCENE

All the recent notable workingsinclass-by-classorder.

34 PRESERVATION

Former HarryNeedle RailroadCompany‘47/7’saved.

36 RAILTOURS

Class 50stovisit LeveninAugust.

Rail Operations Assets LtdNo.93001 passes ShireoaksonMay 30, onthe firstdayof itsloadedtesting.

The‘93’ is haulinga rake of EasternRail Services coaching stock. Hayden Bradbury

EDITORIAL

Editor RichardClinnickTel:01507 529565

Email:RailExpressEditor@mortons.co.uk

Production editor SarahWilkinson

Designer Tracey Markham

Publisher TimHartley

Editorialaddress

Rail ExpressMagazine, MortonsMedia GroupLtd, PO Box99, Horncastle,LincolnshireLN9 6LZ

ADVERTISING

Advertising FionaLeakTel:01507 529573

Email:fleak@mortons.co.uk

Groupadvertising manager SueKeily skeily@mortons.co.uk

MORTONSMEDIA GROUP

Salesand distribution manager Carl Smith

Circulationmanager SteveO’Hara

Publishingdirector DanSavage GENERALENQUIRIES &BACKISSUES

Tel01507 529529,24-hour answerphone emailhelp@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk

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Published ThirdFridayofevery month

This issue June 21,2024

Next issue July 19,2024

Advertisingdeadline July 3, 2024

ISSN No 1362 234X

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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 by email, but please bear in mind we maynot be able to reply to everyone,aswe receivehundredsofimageseachweek. Although care will be takenwithsubmissions, Rail Express assumes no responsibility forloss/damage,however caused.Submitted material mayalsobeusedinconnectionwithother MortonsMedia 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.

38 IRISHANGLE

Belfastterminusclosesafter29 years.

84 LU WORLD

Christopher Westcott pays an exclusive visitto London Underground’s Acton Works.

Havingtrouble finding acopyof this magazine?

Whynotjustask your local newsagent to reserveyou acopyeach month Independent publishersince1885

HTOandHTV wagons announcedin‘OO’ gauge,moreTT:120modelsare released, Bachmann’sClass 25/1is reviewedand Hornby’sIris 2Class101modelisassessed To preorder your next issueof Rail Expressheadto classicmagazines.co.uk/pre-order-re Alternatively, scan the QR code on thispageand orderyournextcopytoday. We willsenditdirectly to

GB Railfreight No.66303and CaledonianSleeper No.73968leadthe1Y1104.50 LondonEuston-FortWilliamthrough Achallader,northofBridgeofOrchy on May2. Thetrainleftthecapital theprevious eveningasthe1S2521.15 LondonEustonInverness/FortWilliam/Aberdeen,poweredbyGBRf No.92028asfar as Edinburgh Waverley. Fromthere,thetrainsplitintoitsthreeportions,with No.73971taking the1A2504.39portion to Aberdeen,while Nos.73966/969 continued to Inverness at04.21withthesameheadcodeas thetrainwhichleft London. SimonJones

Siemenssays it willbuildbatterytrains in Goole forUKmarket

SIEMENS hassaiditwillbuildbattery trainsatitsnewfactoryin Gooleif itissuccessfulinbidding fornew traincontracts.

Themanufacturerhighlighted thatthetrainscould replacediesel fleetsatChiltern Railways,Great Western Railway,Northern,ScotRail, TransPennineExpressand Transport for Wales.Theycouldalsooperateon EastWest Rail withinthenextdecade.

CurrentlyChiltern,Northern, ScotRailandTPEarelooking fornew fleets(seeseparatestory),with GWR evaluatingwhatispossible(RE337).

Siemensclaimsthat by using batterytrainsthenonlysmallsections of railwaywouldneedtobeelectrified with fast-charging keypointsonroutes suppliedfromthedomestic gridusing Siemens’ Rail ChargingConverters

(RCC).Themanufacturerclaimsthis couldsave £3.5billionand12million tonnesinCO2emissionsfrom Britain’s railwaysover35y ears.

The newtrains wouldbepowered overheadlineelectrificationonroutes alreadyelectrified, switchingtobattery poweraway fromthewires.Siemens saidthatthis wouldmean only small sectionsof routesand/orparticular stations wouldhave tobeelectrified.

Themanufactureralsoclaimsthat by usingits RCC,theOLEcanbeplugged directlyintothe domesticgridwhich could,Siemensclaims,cutdelivery timesforOLEfromseven yearsto18 months.

SambitBanerjee,joint CEOfor SiemensMobilityUK &Irelandsaid: “Britain shouldneverhavetobuy adieselpassengertrainagain.Our

batterytrains,which we’dassemble inournewGoole factoryin Yorkshire, can replaceBritain’sagingdiesel trainswithoutushavingtoelectrify hundredsof miles more trackinthe next fewyears.So,onroutesfrom Perthto Penzance,passengerscould betravellingonclean,greenbatteryelectrictrains by theearly2030s.And thebestthingisthatthis wouldsave thecountry£3.5bn over35years.”

Themanufacturersaidithad conducted extensivemodelling usingadvancedtrainperformance simulation software tocompare batterybi-modetrainstooperating dieselorpart-dieseltrains.The manufacturersaiditsbatterybi-mode trains“would onlyrequire20-30%of alinetobeelectrified.Thesetrains, utilisingLithiumTitanateOxidebattery

GTRcompletesfirstETCSmainlinetrial

AUKfirsttookplaceonJune2,when aGreatNorthernClass717 ranintest conditionsbetween WelwynGarden CityandHitchinusingEuropean Train Control System(ETCS).

ETCSsendssignallinginformation directto acomputerscreeninthe driver’scabandisdesignedtoenable amorereliable,moreefficientand greener railway.

Thetest waspartoftheearly stageofanongoingprocesstoprove thattrainsalreadyfittedwiththe technologycan workwiththenew digitalsignallinginfrastructurebeing

installedonthis sectionof the East Coast MainLine.

GNsaidthattestingwillcontinue untilthemiddleofnext yearto ensurecompleteassuranceofthe newsystem’ssafetyand reliability. Thefirstpassengerandfreightdigital signallingoperationsareexpectedto commencesoonafterwards.

Theprocesswillinvolvethe breadthoftheindustry-wide partnershipdeliveringthepioneering EastCoastDigitalProgramme (ECDP). TrainControl PartnerSiemensMobility is overseeing testing, workingwiththe

relevanttrainoperatingpartnerswith GoviaThameslink Railway supplingthe firsttraintobedynamicallytested.

Oliver Turner,Head of ERTMSat GTR,whichoperatesGreatNorthern, said:“This weekend’stestingmarks the veryfirststepinanintensive testingprocesstoensurethe system issafe. We areworkingcloselywith the restoftheindustryto sharethe lessons we’velearned,andcontinueto learn,fromintroducingand operating ETCSontheNorthern City Lineand Thameslink routeacross theheart of London.”

chemistry,cancharge theirbatteries to fullcapacityin20minuteswhilst movingalongtheelectrifiedsectionsor chargingwhilststoppedatstations.” Itsaidithad reviewedroutes acrossthe countryandidentifiedstrategicpoints wherediscontinuouselectrification couldbeinstalled.

Siemensalreadyhas afleetof batterytrainsinuseintheOrtenau regioninGermany. Meanwhile,inBritain, StadlerhasdeliveredsevenbatteryfittedClass777/1s fortheHeadbolt LanelineinMerseyside,whileTfW Rail has24tri-modeClass756sthatare duetoentertrafficthis year.GWRis testing abattery-poweredClass230 (RE336)whileTfWalsohasfivebatteryhybridClass230sin useontheBidston line. Rail OperationsAssetsLtdhasa fleetoftentri-modeClass93sonorder.

Class 197sto Long Marston

TRANSPORTFor WalesClass197/0s have begunmovingto Long Marston forstorage. Two-carNos.197027/029 were deliveredtothesiteonJune5. BothhadbeenstoredatDonnington Railfreight Terminalhavingbeen assembled by CAFatNewport.The ‘197s’arepartof afleetof21destined forthe CambrianCoastandwillbe fittedwithEuropean TrafficControl System(ETCS).Thefleet, featuringNos. 197003/022-041,is expectedtoenter trafficnextyear.

SVRgalaexceeds all expectations

MOREthan5000peopleattendedthe four-daySevern ValleyRailway diesel galaon May16-19.

The event featuredmainlinevisitors supplied by 20189Ltd,Colas Railfreight, Freightliner, GB Railfreight, Locomotive ServicesGroupand RailAdventurewhile Eastern Rail Servicessupportedthe event by providingHighSpeed Train stock owned byRomic.

“What afourdays we’vehad,” said SVRmanagingdirectorJonathan ‘Gus’Dunster.“This wasanotherwellplannedandprofessionallydelivered eventandI’dlike tothank everyone involved acrosstheentireSVR fortheir hardworkanddedication.”

Heconfirmedtherewereproblems andsaid:“Wehad acoupleof locomotiveissues,andthese were both extremelywellhandledoperationally, andthedieselengineeringteamdealt superblywithanissuewiththeColas HSTonFriday.”

The SVRsaidthatvisitornumbers significantlyexceeded expectations. “Ourcommercial resultsareof course, all important,andI’mdelightedto say that we smashedthebudgetforboth passengernumbersandsecondary spend.Yetagain, atriumphthat showcasedour wonderful railwayat its verybest.”

However, afterthe eventthe SVR announced anew fundraisingappeal, aimedatsupportingtheoperational resilienceofthe railwayinthe coming years. Calledthe SVRResilience Fund,it is replacingthe railway’sSurvival Fund, which waslaunchedlast year.

“Weare indebtedto everyonewho supportedtheSurvivalFund,”saidMr Dunster.“It raised averysubstantial £500,000andhashelpedusturnthings aroundfromwhat was,withoutdoubt, atimeofcrisis.

“We’venow wounduptheSurvival Fund,butthere’sstill along wayto go beforewecansaywe’vefully recovered. We’regoingtoneedongoing supporttomeetourrunningcosts

FreightlinerNo.70005leavesKidderminsteron May19,withthe10.30to Bewdley, passingNo.40106 AtlanticConveyor and 69009 WesternConsort ontheleft,whileNo.59206 Prideof Ferrybridge andapair ofClass20sareontheright. Inthestation areNos. D10162 WesternCourier,43468/480and50035 Ark Royal.LocomotiveServicesNo. 37409 Loch Awe ison the rear ofthedeparting train. TomMcAtee

forsometimetocome, sothat we canbuildthe railway’s resilienceand confidence,andsafeguardassetssuch as rollingstockandinfrastructure.”

The SVRCompanyLimitedis leadingthenewSVR Resilience Fund. This volunteer-runmember of the SVRfamily ofcompaniesis separate from SVR(Holdings)Plc,thetrain operatingcompany.

“Because we’rea volunteer company, we’reableto keep overheads to aminimum,” explainedDiane Malyon, SVRCompanyLimitedchair.“Andthat means we’llbeabletopassonto SVR(Holdings) everypennypossible tosupportthe railway’s operational

resilience,andtosecureitsfuturefor manyyearstocome.”

“Thecostsassociatedwithrunning aheritagelinecanbe veryhigh,” continuedDiane.“For example,the railway hastospend£500 on coal for asteamlocomotive’s returntripalong the16-mileline,and anew set of points willbe£10,000.

“Thosearesomeofthehigher costs,butdonations of allsizeswill help,andwillbe very welcome. Aton of graniteballastcosting£25willstabilise thetrack forexample,andwith£50 we canbuythreelitres of specialist paint fora locomotiveoroneofour heritagecarriages.”

MrDunstersaid:“Wesuffereda hugelossofincomeduringCovidwhen we hadtoshutdownfor extended periods. Thecurrentcost-of-livingcrisis hasdamagedvisitor numbers,whilst thepriceofcoal,diesel,electricityand everythingelse we needcontinues torise.

“We’vemademassivesavingswith scrupulousspendingcontrolsand by reducingourpaidstaff,andwe’ve found newwaysofearningincome by undertakingcontract work formainline railwaycompanies.Butoperatingthe SVRisacostlybusiness,andweneed everybitofhelp we canfind rightnow.” E

 GreaterAngliaNo.755418 passestheunderconstruction CambridgeSouthstationon May10,withthe1K7815.37 StanstedAirport-Norwich. Thenewstationwillconnect the CambridgeBiomedical Campuswithpotential destinations includingcentral London,Stansted Airportand Birmingham.Theplatformswill allhave step-freeaccesswhile therewillbeaccessibletoilets, cycleparking, adrop-offarea andaccess forpedestrians on bothsidesofthestation.GA willservethestationwhile Network Rail saidother operators (CrossCountryandGovia Thameslink Railway) areexpected tocalltheresubjecttofuture timetabling.Thestationisdueto opennext year. IainScotchman

Hitachibeginsbatterytrial

A first-evertrialto replaceadiesel enginewith abatteryonan inter-city traininBritainisunder wayusing TransPennineExpressNo.802207.

Testingbeganwiththefive-car setatHitachi’sNewton Aycliffe facility on May24, in aproject involvingAngel Trains(which ownsthe‘802’),TPE, Turntide TechnologiesandHitachiRail. Hitachiclaimsthatonebatteryunitis predictedto reduceemissionsandfuel costs by asmuchas30%.

Thebatteryhasbeenfittedto the‘802’aheadoftestingontheTPE networkfromthissummer.Removing oneoftheenginesmeansthat No.802207willhave twovehicles poweredbya dieselengine,one bya

INBRIEF

NEWRAILWAY200 WEBSITELAUNCHED

RAILWAY200 haslaunched anew websitetohelpcelebratethe 200thanniversaryofthemodern railway.Thesitewww.railway200. co.uk,invites rail andnon-rail organisationsto registertheir planned Railway 200eventsand activities,signup forregularemail updatesanddownloadthe Railway 200logofornon-commercialuse.

RAILMINISTERRESIGNS

AHEADofthe generalelection tobeheldonJuly4,railminister HuwMerrimanannouncedheis standingdownasanMP.Hewasthe Conservativemember forBexhill& Battleand waspreviouslychairof the TransportSelectCommittee. Asthisissueof Rail Express went topress,SecretaryofState forTransportMarkHarperwas contestinghis ForestofDeanseat.

BLS charitytours

raise£11,000

THEBranchLineSociety’s‘Return oftheShedi’on May3,and ‘May the FourthbeWith You’charteronMay 4, raised£11,000 forthe MartinHouse children’shospice.

Thefirsttour ranfromEastleighHinksey ReceptionLines, Gloucester, CardiffCentral,Bristol Parkway and Westburyand featured,on various legs,preservedNos.D6515(33012) LtJennyLewisRN,DBCargo UK Nos.66114,66205and Freightliner Nos.59005 KennethJ.Painter and66541.

The followingday, theBLStour ranfromEastleighto Portsmouth Harbour,Westbury,ExeterCentral and London Waterloo,and featured thesame‘33’,GB RailfreightNo. 73136 Mhairi,FLNos.59101 Village ofWhatley,59104 VillageofGreat Elm and59202 Prideof Ferrybridge

batteryandtwotrailer vehicles.It will continuetohave its25kV overhead electrificationcapability.

Hitachiclaimsthatthebattery unit canstoreenoughelectricitytopower morethan75houses fora dayand thatitcanprovidethesamelevelsof acceleration andperformanceasthe ‘802/2’didpreviously. Italsoclaims that thebatterytechnologyis no heavier thanthedieselengine it replaces.

Theaimisalsototesthowthetrain canenterandleave non-electrified stationsinbatterymode.

Thetrialaimstoprovide real-world evidencetoinform thebusinesscase fora100%battery-electricintercity traincapableofrunning forupto62

milesinbattery mode.Hitachisaid: “Itwillalsodemonstratehowbattery technologycan reduceinfrastructure costs by reducingtheneed for overheadwiresintunnelsectionsand overcomplexjunctions.”

PaulStaples,TPEengineering, safetyandsustainabilitydirector, said: “We’rereallypleasedtobe apartofthis innovativeandcriticallyimportanttrial ofbatterytechnology.

“Wetakeourenvironmental responsibilitiesseriouslyandare constantlylookingat ways ofmaking rail travel evenmoresustainableandefficient.

“Thistrialwillallowustoassess the excitingnewtechnologyonour Nova 1train; we’relookingforward to

seeingthe resultsandhowwellthe batteries workonournetwork.”

JimBrewin,Hitachi Rail chief directorUK &Irelandsaid:“Hitachi hasinvestedmorethan£15millionin researchanddevelopmenttodeliver a‘UKfirst’inbatterytraintechnology. Collaboratingcloselywithourpartners, Angel Trainsand TransPennineExpress, we arecommittedtoshowcasing howthe rail industrycansignificantly lowercostsandemissions.Thisis an importantnextsteptowardsamore energyefficientand greener railway.”

Thebatterypack wasbuiltin SunderlandandtestedinJapanbefore returningtoNewton Aycliffefor fitting toNo.802207. E

ShowofUnity forPrideat York

COLLEAGUESfrom LondonNorth Eastern Railway (LNER)and TransPennineExpress(TPE)joined togetherinashowofunityat York onJune1,tocelebratethestart of PrideMonth.

Two‘Pride’Hitachisets were used tomarkthe event,withTPENo.802213 Unity andLNERNo.801226 Together alsoattendingtoprovide avisual representationofthe rail industry’s

commitmenttocelebratethe key valuesofprogressionandcollaboration.

Theteams were joined by members andbeneficiaries of LGBTQIA+ youth charitiesMosaic TrustandTheProud Trustwhotravelledto York forthe popularPride Paradeand Festival.

TraceyBarber,LNERsenior employeeexperiencepartner,said: “AtLNER, we celebratePrideall year roundand fosterandencourage

individualityandanenvironment whereourcolleaguescan bring theirtrue selvesto work, everyday. It’s fabulousto seesomanyofour colleagues,andcolleaguesacrossthe industry,gettingintothespiritwith ourPridecelebrationsin York,anda joytoseeLNER’s Together andTPE’s Unity side by sideonthetracksasa showofsolidarity forthe LGBTQIA+ community.”

EUROSTARplanstopoweritstrains using100% renewableenergy by 2030. TheEuropeanhigh-speed rail operator aimstocarry30millionpassengers on its routesbetween France,Belgium, Netherlands,GermanyandBritain, by 2030.

Initsfirst sustainability report,the companyisfocussedonreducingits impactbysourcing renewableenergies fortractionneedsand reducing energyrequirements.InFebruary 2024,itsigned aMemorandum of Understandingwith Infrabelto study

theinstallationofnovelsolarprojects topowertrains.

“Thisis adeliberatelyambitious target,Eurostar wantstouseitsbrand andcommitmenttoacceleratechange acrossthe sector,”said EurostarCEO Gwendoline Cazenave.“To achieve our goal, we workcloselytogetherwith our partnersineachofour markets, we encourageregulatory support forthe rapiddeployment ofnewrenewable energyprojects.”

Eurostar recentlyjoined theRE100 alliancewithcompaniescommitted

tosourcing100%oftheirenergy from renewablesources.“We’re proudtobethefirst rail companyto join,”saidMrs Cazenave.“Today, the transportsectoraccounts for25%of Europeangreenhouse gasemissions, makingsustainablehigh-speed raila keysolutionto aquarterofEurope’s climateproblem.”

Currently, since2017,Eurostar trainshave been usingelectricity poweredby100%windenergysince 2017,andthishas reached40%inthe UKsincelast year.

TransPennine ExpressNo.802213 Unity and LondonNorth Eastern RailwayNo.801226 Together at YorkonJune1. LNER

GrandCentral expansionplans

OPENaccessoperatorGrandCentralhas submittedplanstotheOfficeof Rail and Road(ORR)thatcouldseenewservices launchednext year,withmorethan 550,000 extraseatsprovidedannually.

Thecapacityupliftofaround30% wouldbe forserviceson existing routes. TheapplicationtotheORRincludesa proposal fortwo additionaldailyreturn trainsbetweenBradfordand London,an additionalearlymorningdeparturefrom Yorkto Londonand alate-evening return, fournewdaily stopsatSeahamand additionalstops at Peterborough.

ArrivaownsGC.DavidBrown,ArrivaUK Trainsdivisionmanagingdirectorsaid:“This is agrowthopportunity forthe railway and apositivedevelopment forpassengers and forourcolleaguesat GrandCentral. Bydeliveringadditionalservicesthrough openaccess, we canencouragemoretrain travel,whichis good fortheenvironment and forcommunities, helpingtoensure Britain’s rail systemcanthrivelonginto thefuture.”

D-Daynaming for SWRClass444

SOUTH Western RailwaynamedNo.444040

TheD-DayStory at PortsmouthHarbour onJune4,in recognitionofthe80th anniversaryoftheNormandylandings.

Foritstriptothenamingceremony, the‘444’ wasguarded by SWRguards inspectorAndyDennis,whojoinedthe Armyat19andserved for22years.

ThemuseumtheDesiroisnamedafter highlightsthemajor rolethat Portsmouth playedinliberatingEuropefromtheNazis, usingpersonalpossessionsand wordsof thepeoplewhotookpart.

LIVERPOOLCity Regionhas released images of the plannedLiverpool Balticstationwhichcouldbe open by theendof2027.

Itis oneoffournew stationsplanned by Liverpool City Region MayorSteve Rotheram.Threeother stationsareplanned atDaresbury inHalton, WoodchurchontheWirraland CarrMillinStHelens. Workon those threeshouldbeunder waybytheendofthedecade.

Plans forLiverpoolBalticincludestep-freeaccessfromstreetto train, waiting facilities,fullyaccessibletoilets,securedmonitored cycle parkingandlinkstoenhancedlocalactivetravel.

ApublicconsultationwillbeconductedduringJuneandJuly. Subject toapproval, workis expectedtocommenceonsitenext year.

Thenewstationwillbelocatedinone of the fastinggrowingareas ofLiverpool,neartothe former CainsBreweryandAnglican Cathedral. Itis beingfunded through theCity RegionSustainable Transport Settlements(CRSTS),allocatedviatheDepartment forTransport.

 TheBranchLineSociety organisedthe ‘BucketandSpade’charteronJune5,with proceeds raiseddonatedtothe Railway Benefit Fund. Locomotive Servicesprovided thestockas wellasNo.D213(40013) Andania.The‘40’approachesSeamerwith the1Z8816.37Scarborough-Crewereturn leg.Onthe rear is D05Preservation No.47828,which is currentlypartofthe LS fleet. Andy Mason

INBRIEF

NEWHS2CEO

MARKWILD,the formerCEOofCrossrail hasbeen appointedchief executiveof HS2Ltd.Hisprecisestartdatehasnot beenconfirmed, and he replaces Mark Thurstonwholeftthe roleinSeptember 2023aftersix-and-a-half years.Mr Wild wasmost recentlyCEO ofSGN, the gasdistributionnetworkcovering ScotlandandsoutheastEngland. He wasCrossrailCEO foralmost four years,andpriortothathe wasLondon Undergroundmanagingdirector.

CLASS730NAMING

WESTMidlands Railway (WMR)named No.730018 HurstStreet on May24, aheadoftheBirminghamPride Festival.The‘730’,whichhasalso receivedPridelivery,was namedafter thecity’s famousGayVillage. WMRhas confirmedthatthe‘730s’have been brandedthe LandmarkClassandthat morewillreceivenamesinconnection withotherlandmarklocationsacross the region in thecomingmonths.

HS2VIADUCTMILESTONE

CONSTRUCTIONofHS2’sThames Valleyviaducthaspassedthehalfway point,with44ofthe72customised pre-castbeams in position,66ofthe 70piers installedand workunderway onthedeckthatwillsupportthe railway. Thestructureisbeingbuilt near Aylesbury.

Lumoto Rochdale

FIRSTGROUPhasappliedtotheOffice of Rail andRoad (ORR)tooperate an openaccessservicebetween Rochdale and LondonEuston.

Ifapproved,theservice wouldbe partofthe Lumooperationandwould beoperatedusing“newBritish-built trains”,althoughdetailsofthemhave notbeenconfirmed.CurrentlyLumo usesfiveClass803sassembled by HitachiinNewton Aycliffe.

First’sproposalis forsix return trains aday,runningvia Manchester Victoria, re-creatingaservicethatlast ranin2000 when FirstNorth Western served Londonfromthe north west. ThenewservicewillcallatEccles, Newton-le-Willowsand WarringtonBank Quay. Firstestimatesarethatsome1.6 millionpeopleinthenorth west would beserved by thenewoperation. Aconsultationperiodwill now followaswellasdiscussionswith Network Rail tosecurerequired approvals.Itisanticipatedthattrains couldstartrunningin2027.

UNITS

CLASS720 AVENTRA

MAKINGitsfirstoutingin revenueearningserviceonApril29wasNo. 720519,itsinitial workingbeingthe 2F0405.45Shenfield-Braintreewith No.720514. Twoweekslater, on May12, No.720101also enteredservice.

Adeliverymove on May21saw No.720142hauledfromAlstom,Derby toWillesden by GB Railfreight No.69009 WesternConsort

CLASS730AVENTRA

RELEASEDfromAlstom,Derbyon May1,wasNo.730218,whichwas hauledtoOxleybyRailOperations GroupNo.37800 Cassiopeia No.730222undertookthesamemove behind ROGNo.37601 Perseus on May8,beforetakingbothsetsto MeltonRIDClaterintheday.

Anotherset,No.730219, wassent directfromDerbytoMeltonRIDCon April24,tractionbeingprovidedby No.37800,and, followingcompletionof work,it washauledtoOxleywith No.730214 by ROGNo.37608 Andromeda on May9.Nos.730218/222 subsequentlyreturnedfromMelton RIDCtoOxleyonMay 24, ROGNo. 37884 Cepheus providingtraction.

After aspellinstoreatDoncaster Belmont Yard,Nos. 730036/038 were hauledtoOxley by ROGNo.37800 Cassiopeia onApril30.Just overtwo weekslater,onMay 16,No.730023 was takenfromDoncasterBelmont Yard to Willesden by ROGNo.37884 Cepheus,a move which wasrepeated by theEnglish Electric Type 3onMay 21,thistime conveyingNo.730024.Thesame‘37’ also formedthe 5Q2308.22Gascoigne Wood-DoncasterBelmont Yard withNos. 730037/039intowonMay 20.

Anew storagedestination forthe Class730fleetis Long Marston,where No.730224arrivedfromOxley on May 24.Itwas followedbyNo.730207 from Alstom, DerbyonMay 25; bothmoves

DEPOTTALK

Correctto May23,2024

Allocations

175011CH/HLHQ-HQ/SCEC

175102/106/110CH/HLHQ-HQ/SCEC

197102/113/117/125HQ-CH

323202/205/206/209/210SO/EJHQAN/EDHQ

507011/014/015/021sent for disposal

701059newlydeliveredHQ/HYHQ

720101/102/138HQ-IL 720519HQ-IL

730017/033/046/048HQ-BY

730218/219/222newlydeliveredHQ/ EJHQ

777038/051HQ-KD

805011newlydeliveredHQ/HFHQ

Liveries

Pride: 730018,220005,803003

South Western Railway: 458401/413/427

After agapof severalmonths,Class701shave begunto be movedtoLongMarstonagain forstorage. On May8,GBRailfreight No.69011haulsSouthWestern Railway No.701003asthe5Q9006.17 Eastleigh-Long Marston.Asthisissue of Rail Express wenttopress,therewere16ten-car Class701/0sand fourfive-car Class701/5sat Long Marston. JohnStretton.

were carried outusing ROGNo.37884 Cepheus,whichhadalsohauled No. 730224 fromDerbytoOxleyonMay 18. Newinto service on May3,were Nos.730046/048,theirfirst working beingthe2T0607.40 Tring-Euston.

CLASS769FLEX

TWOClass769soriginallydestined for Great WesternRailway were moved to Wabtec,Doncasterduring May, although Porterbrook is remaining tight-lipped with regardstothe reason. No.769935 wastakennorthfrom Long Marston by Rail OperationsGroup No.37884 Cepheus on May9,with No.769949 followingbehind ROG No.37800 Cassiopeia fivedayslater.

CLASS777 STADLER

ARRIVINGatKirkdaleintheearlyhours of May2,wereNos.777029/037,the pairofnewMerseyrail unitshaving beenmovedfromLong Marston by RailAdventurepowercarNos.

Named

197001 RobinGochPhiladelphia Robin 197004 DdraigGoch Vancouver Red Dragon

730018 HurstStreet 777041 Sir SamuelCunard

Names removed

323209 BirminghamNewStreet 323217 Chester Road 323222 Redditch

323241 Dave Pomroy 323Fleet Engineer40 YearsService

Renumbered 458501 –458401

458513 –458413

458527 –458427

Formations

458401: 67601+74001+74101+67701

458413: 67613+74013+74113+67713

458427: 67627+74027+74127+67727

43423/467and43468/480.The same four powercarsalsotook Nos.777043/045from Long Marston toKirkdaleon May15/16. Remainingat Long Marston wasjustoneset, No.777053.

On May29,DB CargoUKNo.66020 formedthe6Q1408.09DollandsMoorWembleywithNos.777033/047intow. Thepaircontinuedtheirjourneynorth behindpowercarNos.43423/467, which formedthe6Q7713.30 Wembley Yard-WaltonOldJunctionlaterthe sameday. Theirarrivalleavesjustone unit,No.777035, stilltoenterthe UnitedKingdom.

CLASS805

UNBRANDEDNo.805006 returnedto Hitachi’sNewton Aycliffe factory from OxleyonMay 10,withNo.805011 headingthe oppositedirectionsixdays

later.Itshouldbecomethe ninthClass 805tobeaccepted by AvantiWest Coast,Nos.805001/002/004/ 005/008-010/012havingalready beenaccepted by the Train OperatingCompany.

Nowinfull Avantilivery,No.805003 formedthe5Q06MerchantPark Sidings-OxleyonMay 21.The former testunithad returnedtoNewton Aycliffe onOctober16,2023.

CLASS810

TESTINGofNo.810001underelectric powerbeganon May28, when,after running fromMeltonRIDC(Asfordby) to Peterborough,theHitachi AT300 madeseveraltripstoNewarkandback. Previoustestinghasbeen underdiesel power. Theset,thefirstof33 newIETs forEastMidlands Railway, had returned toMeltonRIDCfromNewton Aycliffe on May20.Thesecondsettoemerge, No.810004, wasexpectedtodosoin earlyJune.

Nowinpassengertraffic

197102/113/117/125 720101/102/138 720519

730017/033/046/048 777038/051

Sold

MerseysideFire&Rescue: 64432, 71369(507028)

Stored/stoppedlocations

Cockshute: 74412/424/431/437 (458527/522/501/513)

Crewe LNWR: 197121

DerbyLitchurch Lane: 701007/010, 701501/502

DoncasterBelmont Yard: 730040/041

Doncaster Wabtec: 769935/949

Eastleigh Traction &RollingStock

MaintenanceDepot: 701059

Eastleigh Works: 458416/423/424/428

Ely: 175011,175110

Gascoigne Wood: 730037/039

Hornsey: 379021/023-026

Kirkdale: 777029/037/043/045

Landore: 150236/281,175002/010, 175105/113

Long Marston: 701002/003/005

MoD Marchwood: 701019/022/029

OldDalby: 730006,730218/219/222

Oxley: 730036/038,805011

Soho: 730012/013

Willesden: 720142,730023/024

Wimbledon: 701032/038

Worksop: 153317,701503/504

Disposals

C.F.BoothLtd, Rotherham:Cut dates: May10:71441; May16:71333 (315853)

SimsMetals,Newport: Arrival dates:April4/5:319454;April10: 507020/031;April29:507014/021; May13:507011/015

Three formerDirect Rail ServicesClass37s,bought by HarryNeedle Railroad Company, were deliveredtotheirnewowneronMay 28. LocomotiveServicesNo.37409 Loch Awe haulsHNRCNos. 37419,37716and37422throughDerbyas the0Z37 08.50Crewe-Barrow Hill. HNRC hasalsoadded Nos. 37424/425to itsfleet. Martin Turner

NEWS ROUND-UP Continued

nameplatesfromNo.60091. Recently repaintedNo.66224,thelastofthe 10 repatriated ex-EuroCargoRail machinestoenterservice,hasfinally beenallowedoutfrom Toton.It worked a0E23/0Z54testruntoDoncaster Belmontandbackon May24,although hasnotventuredoutsince.Finally, Nos.66060and66133have both been repaintedinDB‘Traffic red’at Toton.

The remainingfourClass90softhe 12thatweresoldinthetenderissuedin September2023have allmovedtotheir newowners.OnMay 1,EuropeanMetals Recycling(EMR) receivedthefirstof itspairinthe formofEWS-liveried No.90031,storedsinceDecember 2007,andthismovedtothe recycler’s LiverpoolAlexandraDockslocationon thebackofanAllelys’low-loader.

Notably, the formerNo.90131 originallyacquiredthe Intercontainer nameplatesfromNo.86605in February1997,but wasmorefamously renamed The RailwayChildren Partnership attheOldOakCommon opendayonAugust6,2000, by Clare ThomasandSallyThomsett(starsof the2000and1970 filmversionsof The Railway Children book respectively). Incredibly, thelatternameplates (alongwithNo.90022mentioned later) were onlyremovedrecently.This wasfollowedonMay 3, by Railfreight

Distribution-liveriedNo.90025,the firstoftheclasstobestored wayback inJanuary2004alongwithNo.90034 (laterreprieved),withtheend of Royal Mail operationsbeingcited fortheir removalfromtraffic.

Meanwhile,thetwooutstanding machinesdestined forSandbach CommercialDismantlersLtd(SCDL) have also madetheirfinaljourneyto Middlewich,EWS maroon/goldNo. 90017movingon May7,andthe EWS stickered ex-RfDEuropeanNo.90022on May8.The former waspreviouslynamed Rail express systemsQualityAssured, whilethelatter –whennumbered 90122 –wasmostfamouslythe‘British’ memberoftheEuropean-liveriedquartet ofClass90sand gainedthename Freightconnection inSeptember1992. Theotherthree were Belgian Railways (SNCB)No.90128 Vrachtverbinding, German Railways(DB)No.90129 Frachtverbindungen and French Railways (SNCF)No.90130 Fretconnection Alleight,alongwiththetwo atEMR, were still extantasoftheendof May. However, withonlylimitedcomponent recoverypossibleonsomemachines, scrappingis expectedtostartsoon.

DCRAIL

OutofactionsinceDecember2020, No.56103has made areturntotraffic

afterthecompletionofrepairsat Boden Rail’sColwick TMDatRectory Junction.It wasfirstpartneredwith back-on-hireGBRailfreight machine No.56098 on May9,for a6Z8211.20 Peak Forest(Cemex)toBrandonDown Sidings.No.56103hadbeen afixture at LeicesterLIPuntilMarch2024, whilethe‘Grid’had swappedfromthe DCRSstoredpooltothe operational DCROgroupaslongagoasNovember 2023.However, movinginthe opposite directionisNo.56091 Driver Wayne Gaskell,which wastaken outof traffic atUK Rail Leasing’s Leicester facility inJanuary.

FREIGHTLINER

Havingfirst waved‘dowidzenia’to No.66526lastOctober,thefifthand finalmemberofthe Polish-bound contingent,No.66599,departedthe UKonMay 8.It wasmovedfrom Leeds Midland RoadtoImmingham Docksby No.66597 Viridor.No.66599 isthe23rdClass66tomakethe journey, giving Freightliner Poland (FPL) afleetof31GM Type5s, as follows:Nos.66001-007(all purchaseddirectlyforFPL),66008011/013-019(ex-UK66411/412/417, 66527/530/535/582-584/586, 66954,notinnumberorder),66012 (ex-DE674),66526/529/595/599,

66955/956(ex-UK,not renumbered), and66601-606(ex-UK66608/609/ 611/612/624/625,notinnumber order). FreightlinerGermany(FDE) alsooperatesaneclecticgroupof sevenhired‘Class66s’,although nonetransferredfromthiscountry. Backhome,No.66591 wassidelined toDHLTatMidland Roadduring themonth.

Whilethe futureisbleak forthe 10Class90s soldtoEMRandSCDL (see DB CargoUK),thepairthat were purchased by Freightliner,Nos. 90018and90040,have nowbeen transferred from theDBdisposal pool WQDA totheactiveDFLCallocation, although both arestillundergoing attentionatCreweBasfordHall.

GBRAILFREIGHT

Freshlyrepaintedintothesame variantoftheGB Railfreightpaint schemeasNo.57310,No.57306 departedUK Rail Leasingat Loughboroughon May17,with CaledonianSleeperNo.92023,the pairtravellingasthe0Z2213.08to Wembley. The ex-Direct Rail Services Class57/3 wasnextseenon May20, runningtoHornsey EMUDto return ElectrostarsNos.379006/014to storeasa 5Q7813.40to WorksopUp Reception(see Units).

COACHES

INBRIEF

SRPS STOCK MOVES TO BARROW HILL FOR OVERHAUL

FOURcoachesfromtheSRPS

Railtoursfleethave beenmovedto Barrow Hill,wheretheir overhauls aretobecompletedbyRampart Engineering.Miniature Buffet Standard (RMB)No.1859,FirstOpen (FO)No.3112, TouristStandard Open(TSO)No.4832andBrake StandardCorridor(BSK)No.35185 were movedsouth by No.37403 Isle ofMull on May29.TheSRPSsethas notbeenusedonanycharterssince March2023,asit doesnothavea Regulation 5dispensationtooperate stockwithoutCentralDoor Locking (CDL).TheSRPSisintheprocessof finalising afitmentplan foritsdual brakedstockandhopesto resume operationslaterinthe year.

RIVIERAREPAINTS

FORMERLYinAnglia Railwayslivery, RivieraTrains’Mk.2fTouristStandard Open(TSO)No.5921hasemerged fromthepaintshopat Carnforthin blue/grey.Also repaintedintothis liveryat WestCoast Railways’base have beenMk.1Generator Van(GV) No.6310and RestaurantKitchen (RK)No.80042.Bothpreviously carriedchocolate/creamcolours. AnothercoachcarryingAnglia Railwayslivery,Mk.2f TSONo.6042, wastakenfromBurtonto Carnforth by WCRNos.37518 FortWilliam/An Gearasden and37668on May7.The coachhadsufferedgraffitidamage whilestabledatBristolbackin February.

MK.5A MOVEMENTS

RUNNINGasthe5Q9408.58

Longsight-Long Marstonandwith No.68023providingtraction,TP12 (formedofNos.11512,12734736/812) wasdispatched forstorage on May15.Similarmoveslaterinthe monthinvolvingTP10(Nos.11810, 12728-730/810)onMay 20,TP06 (Nos.11506,12716-718/806)on May21and TP11 (11511,12731733/811)on May22alsotookplace, hauled by Nos.68030/019/024 respectively. Headingtheopposite direction forhandback work,with Nos.68019/032providingtraction, on May25, wasTP13(11513,12737739/813).

Metro-Cammell Pullmanbackin action

Rebuiltcoachaddedto RoyalScotsmanset.

A Metro-CammellPullmancoach lastusedonthemainlineasa Departmental vehiclemorethan40 yearsagohas returnedtoserviceas partofthe RoyalScotsmanset.

No.316, formerlynamed Magpie, hasbeen rebuilt by Assenta Rail at EG Steele’sHamilton workshops,from whereitemergedonApril29, forits new roleintheluxurytrain.Itwascollected by GB RailfreightNo. 66743 andhauled toMillerhilltobeunitedwiththe restof the rake.Ithas takentheplaceof No.99961(formerlyNo.324 Amber) whichisnowatHamilton forattention.

Unlike the otherMetro-Cammell PullmanState Carsinthe Royal Scotsmansetwhichcontain four cabins,No.316containstwogrand suitesplusone doublecabin. Additional featuresinthetwograndsuitesinclude aloungeareawith asofa,diningtable/

ROYALSCOTSMAN–METROCAMMELLPULLMAN COACHES

chairsand mini-bar.Belmondsays:“The designelementsconjureasenseof enrapturing mythandcinematicdrama, while fosteringthe feelof aprivate clubwheremembersjointogetherina convivialspirit.”

No.316 was, formanyyears,a derelict vehiclestoredatCarnforth, movingtoHamiltonin2019 for restorationandconversionforuse by Belmond.Withdrawnfromnormal

servicein1976,itbecamepartofthe CivilEngineer’sfleetasNo. DB975608 until1981,when,along withfiveother Metro-CammellPullmans,it wassold and movedtothe TavernerInn at Casterton,nearStamford.By1990,it hadbeenmovedtoCarnforth where, unrestored,it resided untilitbecame partofthe RoyalScotsmanfleet.Itis the ninthsuchcoach tobecomepartof theset(seetable). E

Rail OperationsAssetshires Eastern Rail Servicesstock

RAILOperationsAssetsLtd(ROAL)has hirednine Eastern Rail Servicescoaches formainline testingwithitsfirst Class 93,No.93001.ROALispartofthesame organisationas Rail OperationsGroup.

TheMk.3 vehicles,comprising RestaurantFirstBuffet (RFB)No. 10229, Tourist StandardOpen Buffet (TSOB)No.10413,First Open(FO) Nos. 11078/095and Tourist StandardOpen Nos.12021/064/091/098 along with Mk.2fBrakeStandardOpen No.9525,

were collected by ROGNos.37608 Andromeda and37800 Cassiopeia on May28, andmovedtoChaddesden Sidings (Derby).The followingmorning, withNo.37800havingbeen replaced by EurophoenixNo.37407 Blackpool Tower, theycontinuedto Worksopvia Castle Doningtontobegintestingthe next day.

Testingwiththe‘93’began on May30,withthetri-mode locomotive haulingNos.9525,10413,11078/095, 12064/091/098.

Meanwhile, formerEuropean PassengerServicesMk.3aGenerator VanNo.96371,whichhas beenbased atInvernesssinceDecember2022, (RE321)toenablepre-heatingof CaledonianSleeperstockduring thewintermonths,departed by road forGreat Yarmouthon May31. Overthecomingmonths,itis plannedtofit overhauled bogiesas wellasundertaking aC4examon the vehicle.

Correctto May23,2024

Liveries

TransPennineExpressvinyls removed:11505/511,12713715/728-730,12805/811

Stored/stoppedlocations

Long Marston: 11505/510-512, 12713-715/725-733,12805/810-812 Longsight: 11503,12707-709,12803

RailOperationsGroupNo.37800 Cassiopeia haulsnine Eastern Rail Servicescoaches throughEcclesRoadonMay 28,withthe 5M57 17.30GreatYarmouth-ChaddesdenSidings. Thecoaches,eightMk.3sand oneMk.2, were beingmoved aheadoftestingwith No.93001. RyanHayward

Class08returns toHaymarket

Afterdecadeswithout, famousEdinburghdepot onceagainhas ashunter in residence.

THEendof Maysaw RMS Locotec commenceitslatesthirecontract by providingNo.08754toScotRailfor use atHaymarketdepot,tothe westof Edinburgh Waverley.

AswithNo.08648atInverness,

HARRYNEEDLE RAILROAD COMPANY

No.08892returnedto Worksopon May15, after astayofaroundthree monthsundergoingtestsatthe Very Light Rail InnovationCentrein Dudley.

itsprincipal rolewillbemarshalling HighSpeed Trainsetsundergoing maintenance,butalsoshunting multipleunitvehicles.Theshunter arrivedinScotlandon May30,having spentalmosttwomonthsundergoing preparationsatChesterfield, thisincludingmodernisingits markerlights.

Forthoseof acertainage, the reappearanceof aClass08 atHaymarketwillrekindle fond memoriesofthedepot’scolourful

shunterfleetofthelate1980s, when anumberof locomotives were speciallyrepainted. Thisincluded Nos.08720and08761inProvincial, alongwithNo.08793inLNER green,black-liveriedNo.08730and Railfreighttriplegrey No.08791 with Generalsub-sectormarkings.

Haymarketofficiallylostits shunterallocationinAugust1991 withtheirmasstransfertotheother endoftheEdinburgh-Glasgow route at Eastfield. E

The Mid-NorfolkRailway has officiallynamed03063 PaulA. Mobbs inhonourofitsprevious owner,whobequeathedthe Class03tothelineupon hisdeath in2021. Thered-backednameplates arefittedinfrontoftheairtanks and were unveiledin aceremonyat Thuxtonon May25.Thelocomotive, whichcarriesBRblue,isduetobea guest at theSpa ValleyRailway gala duringAugust.

Alsowith afreshlook following repaintingatKidderminsteris No.08015,this retainingitsprevious plainBRgreenwithoriginalidentity ofNo.13201.Thelocomotivehas alsobecomethefirstofthe Severn ValleyRailway’s shunter fleetto bemodifiedwithanelectricoil primingpump.

The formerDirect Rail Servicesshunter is reportedtonowbefitted witha hydrogen generator,thisdischarging intotheairintaketoreducethe amountofdieselfuel requiredand thereforereduceemissions.Meanwhile,

thelastofthecompany’s former MinistryofDefencelocomotivesat the Wensleydale Railway wasremoved on May17,No.01526spendingthe weekendatthehaulier’s yard before unloadingat Worksopthreedays later.

Thenewbattery-onlyClaytonCB40two-axle shunter foruse at Sellafield spent amonthundergoingcommissioning at the Chasewater RailwayfollowingdeliveryfromthemanufactureronApril25. As aresult,it attracted considerableinterest from enthusiastsaimingtoseeitbeforeitdisappearedbehindthehigh fences ofthe reprocessingplant.Builtas worksNo. B4668,it had itsnew internalidentityofNo. 3appliedshortlybefore departing forSellafieldaround May24. Formuch of itstimeat the Chasewater Railway,thelocomotive waskeptinsidethe workshoparea ofthe museum building at Brownhills West,occasionally appearingoutside.Such wasthecaseonMay 5,with avolunteerkindly allowing accessfor photography. Simon Bendall

The Wensleydale Railway has gained aSentinel0-6-0DH withlocalconnectionsafterHope Cement WorksplacedNo.10156on permanentloantotheline.Dating from1963butrebuilt by Hunslet Barclayin1988, Derwent haslatterly beenstoredoutof useatHopewith deliverytothe railwaytaking place onApril24/25.

Following achangeofownership, 1956-built Ruston &Hornsby88DS No.394014 returnedtothe Llanelli &MynyddMawrRailway onApril24, afterthree years away.Withits restorationstill awaitingcompletion, it waspreviouslyatthe Pontypool andBlaenavon Railwayand before that,theNorthamptonshire Ironstone Railway. Another Ruston productwith abetterlookingfuture is165DSNo.281266, which was threatenedwith scrappingifno buyer wasfound. Datingfrom1950, thiswillnowleave theColne Valley Railwayfor anew home.

INDUSTRIALS

 An exchangeofEdMurray-owned formerBritishSteelshunterstook placebetween Daventryandthe Hunslet workshopsatBarton-underNeedwoodaroundApril24/25. Fresh from overhaul,No.5465(268) was dispatchedtothesprawlingfreight terminalas expected,allowing 1977-builtGECT No.5425(460)to takeitsplaceinthe overhaul bay.

 Hunslet-built0-6-0DHNo.8902 previouslynamed Emma,has becomethelatestindustrialto bestoredinCockshuteSidings, Stoke,andthereforevisible fromtheadjacentrunninglines. The1978-builtlocomotivewas previouslyheldinthemainCinderhill yard of Reid FreightServicesbefore theshorttransfer around lateApril. Theshunter waspreviouslyinthe ownershipofHarryNeedle Railroad CompanyuntilremovedfromLong Marstonlastsummer,but isnow understoodtobe aHunsletasset.

WensleydaleRailway acquires Anglia ‘47’

OnlyClass 47/7tocarryAngliaRailwaysliverypurchasedfromHNRC.

THE Wensleydale Railway istobecome thenewhome forNo. 47714which hasbeenbought forpreservation fromHarryNeedle RailroadCompany (HNRC).The‘47/7’isone of fiveClass 47sfirstputup forsaleassurplusin 2022,andNo.47714isthefirst to be sold intotheheritagesector.

TheBrush Type 4willbeauseful

Alycidon suffers powerunit failure

THEDelticPreservationSociety’s No.55009 Alycidon islikely tobeoutof traffic formorethan12months following afailurewhichoccurredduringtheNene ValleyRailway’s galaon May25.

AplannedvisittotheNorthYorkshire Moors Railwayforitsdiesel event andpartofthesummerseason was cancelled,althoughtheDeltic,whichis currentlymasqueradingasNo.55013 TheBlack Watch,wasabletofulfil its workingsontheNVRusingitssecond powerunit;thispowerunitis,however, highonenginehoursandhasbeen downrated,soisnotconsideredsuitable foronepowerunitoperationon aline withsteepgradientsincludingthe1-in-49 betweenGrosmontandGoathland.

No.55009 wasdueto returnto Barrow Hillafter arunning weekendat theNVR onJune8/9.Thepowerunit willthenbe removedforassessment; initialindications arethatithas suffered adephasedphasingcase, althoughwhatthedamageis willnot beknownuntilithasbeenstripped down.Presently, theDPShasnospare powerunits ready forservice. Workhas been rampeduponpowerunit

DIESELDIARY

asset forthe Wensleydale Railway, particularlyforthehighly-popular PolarExpresstrainswhichoperate throughoutDecember.These require anETS-fitteddieselatoneend,and althoughNo.33035has been resident forseveral years,thedaily running makes asecondengine essential for theoperation;in2023, No.47701

washiredfrom Nemesis Rail for thispurpose.

No.47714istheonlyClass47 tohave evercarriedAnglia Railways livery,acolour schemeitstillcarries. It wasappliedin2003whenit was partoftheCotswold Rail fleet andusedas aThunderbirdinEast Anglia,as wellasonNorwichto

Great Yarmouth workings. Following purchase by HNRC,itvisitedthe GreatCentral Railwayin2009before movingtoAsfordby foruseonthe OldDalbytesttrack.Morerecently, it hasbeenused fortestingofETS on coaching stockat Wabtec,Doncaster. Havingnothauled apassengertrain foralmost15 years,itsfirstworkings atitsnewhomearelikelytobequite popular. E

No.55009 Alycidon,masqueradingaslong-scrappedclassmateNo.55013 TheBlack Watch departs WansfordonMay 17, during afreightdrivingcourse. The‘55’hassincesufferedanother failureandis expected to beoutoftraffic foruptoa year. HaydenSheppard

No. 430,whichlast raninNo.55008 The GreenHowards in 1981,with aviewtoit beingfittedtoNo. 55009. Itsmainand auxiliary generatorshave beenprepared tobesent away foroverhaul;thisis likely tocostinthe regionofbetween £15,000and£20,000.

The failureofNo.55009isanother setbackinthe returnofthelocomotive, which wasafrequent and reliable performeronthemainlineuntil March 2019,whenitsufferedamajorpower surge,requiring repairswhichcostinto sixfigures. Reappearingonmainline

uselast year,itfailed onthe‘Coronation Deltic’charteronAugust18,witha batterycharging fault.Thelatest failure shouldhave noimpactonthe return toserviceofNo.D9015 Tulyar,which isnowmechanicallycompleteandis undergoingfinalwiring work.

Bluebell Railway announces2024dieselgala

THEBluebell Railwayistohold adiesel galaonSeptember6-8andthreeguest visitors have beenannouncedso far. Class14No.D9551fromthe Severn ValleyRailway,No.D8188 (20188)fromtheMidHants Railway andtheClass33/1Preservation Group’sNo.33111arealldueto appear,alongwith residentNo.73133

2024GALADATES

TheBluebell Railway Thesameweekendsees anewly announcedcharity eventatthe Nene ValleyRailway.Organised by Modern Railways inconjunctionwith GB Railfreight,itwillsee variousGBRf locomotivesinactionontheSaturday andSunday(Fridaybeinghomefleet), and,provisionally, ashuttlebetween

June20-23: Keighley&Worth ValleyRailway

June27-29: East LancashireRailway

July12: GreatCentral Railway(EE RunningDay)

July12-14: Gloucestershire-WarwickshireSteam Railway

July12-14: MidHants Railway

July20/21: Midland Railway–Butterley(Cancelled)

July 25-28: Ecclesbourne ValleyRailway (14s@60)

August2-4: Spa ValleyRailway

August2-4: Caledonian Railway

September6-8: GreatCentral Railway

September6-8: Nene ValleyRailway

Peterboroughmainlinestationandthe Nene ValleyRailway ontheSaturday. Pre-bookedsitetours of GBRf’s headquartersand motivepowerdepot willalsobe available. Funds raised from theeventwillsupportthe Multiple SclerosisSociety. Duetoappearatthe Gloucestershire-WarwickshireRailway

September6-8: Bluebell Railway

September13/14: East LancashireRailway

September14/15: Dean Forest Railway

September20-22: Epping Ongar Railway

onJuly12-14isNo. D5310 (26010) fromtheLlangollen Railway. Thesame weekendistheMidHants Railway gala,withNo.50008 Thunderer and apairof RailAdventure‘43s’thefirst announcedvisitors.The Rail Riders eventatButterleyplanned forJuly 20/21,hasbeencancelledduetowhat isdescribedas“multiple factors”.

September21/22: Midland Railway– Butterley(DMU gala)

September21/22: Tanfield Railway

September29: TelfordSteam Railway

October3-6: Severn ValleyRailway

October5/6: Llangollen Railway (HeritageRailcar weekend)

November9/10: East LancashireRailway (Railcar weekend)

December28: Bo’ness &KinneilRailway

Newhomes found for‘Clacton’EMUset

THEpotentialdisposalofNo.960102 (ex309624) followingthe expiryofthe ClactonExpressPreservation Group’s storagecontract withtheLavender Linehasbeen averted,withallthree cars being foundhomes,albeitattwo differentlocations.

Twoofthe vehicleshave been donatedtothe EastAnglian Railway Museum(EARM),whereitisplanned thattheywillbecosmetically restored.BDTCsoL(BatteryDriving TrailerCompositesemi-open Lavatory) No.75965andMBSOL(MotorBrake

StandardOpenLavatory)No.61928 arrivedattheirnewbaseinmid-May, andtheEARMsays whilstsome substantial workswillberequired totransformthe vehiclesintohigh quality exhibits,itisconfidentthat theywillprove tobeassetstothe museum, helpingtotellthestory behindboththetechnologyandhistory oftheelectrified railways in EastAnglia.

TheClass309 (or AM9 as initially known)fleet wasused onLiverpool StreettoClactonservices,which passedthrough MarksTey,just afew

MULTIPLEUNITDEVELOPMENTS

PARRYPEOPLE MOVER TO LEAVESEVERN VALLEYRAILWAY

STOREDatHighleyontheSevern Valley Railwayfollowing atestingcontract in2020, Parry People MoverNo.12is duetodepart forthe VeryLight Rail NationalInnovationCentreatDudleyin thecomingweeks.

ECCLESBOURNE

‘BUBBLE’DEPARTURE

MAY31saw Class121No.55034leave theEcclesbourne ValleyRailwayforits newbaseatthe Cholsey&Wallingford Railway (see RE336).The Locomotive Services owned‘bubblecar’hadbeen atEcclesbourne forjust over four years.

BOGIE SWAP FOR ‘THUMPER’TRAILER

AS partofplansto returnClass207 DEMUNo.1317tothree-car formation, thecentre carfromtheset,No.60616, wasmovedintotheshedat Tunbridge Wells WestonJune 2for abogie swap to be carriedout. No.1317has been operatingas atwo-carunitatthe Spa ValleyRailway sinceitentered preservation.

LEV1

MOVES

TO

SHILDON

PROTOTYPERailbusNo.LEV1 (RDB975874)has, followingcosmetic restorationatthe WensleydaleRailway, returnedto Locomotion(Shildon) for display. The forerunnertothe‘Pacer’ fleetandpartof theNationalCollection,

milesfromtheEARM,between1962 and1994,so areseenasidealforthe collection.Themuseumisalready hometo aClass 317car (No.77092, formerlypartofNo.317345)which represents alatergenerationofEMU.

The EastAnglian Railway Museum wasunabletohousethethirdcar fromtheset,whichhasbeen moved to anew homeatthe Rushden, Highamand Wellingborough Railway. Itis plannedto restore itto1980s conditionfor usewiththeline’sMk.1 coaching stock.

‘TEDDYBEAR’ BACK IN ACTION

CURRENTLYonanextendedvisitto the Keighley&Worth ValleyRailway, No.D9520hasbeenreunitedwith its repairedgeneratorandundertooka testrunon May6.Laterinthemonth on May27, it wasusedinpassenger service,doubleheadingwithEnglish ElectricprototypeNo.D0226 Vulcan

itlast ranaround2013.Itarrivedatthe Wensleydale Railway fromShildonin 2012,andhadpreviouslybeenbasedat theNorthNorfolkRailway.

‘507’CROWDFUNDER REACHES TARGET

ANappealto raise£10,000 forthe movementofNo.507001toitsnew homeatthe Tanat ValleyRailway once itis retiredfromservice,has exceeded itstarget.The Class507Preservation Societyhasincreaseditscrowdfunder to£15,000,whichwillprovide£5000 topurchase ageneratorto powerup thetrain’sauxiliary systemssuchas lights,and keepitsbatteriescharged. Formoredetails, pleasevisit www.class507.org.uk

TheSpa ValleyRailway hasacquiredClass207powercar No. 60127fromthe Swindon&Cricklade Railway. Itis tobeusedasa sourceofspares forNo.1317,butthereare noplansto scrapthe vehicle.OnApril29,the vehicle standsonthe back of alowloaderatBlunsdonbeforeheadingtoitsnewhome. DarrenFord

125GROUP MOVEMENTS THE125GroupmovedHST powercar No.43025and TrailerGuardStandard (TGS)No.44000from Ruddingtontothe Midland Railway-ButterleyonMay 23. Both were duetobeusedduringthe 1980s weekendonJune8/9,andthe TGS,which retainsGreat Western Railway green,willbeusedon mainline workings,enablinganeight-coachsetto beprovided forchartertrains.

CLASS56UPDATE

ENGINE repairstotheClass56 Group’sNo.56301have begunatUK Rail Leasing, Loughborough,andare expectedtobecompletedbyearly July. Aloadedtestrunwilltakeplace beforeits saleto Cappagh/DC Rail is concluded.

‘CHOPPER’ARRIVES AT GREATCENTRAL

INearlyMay,No.D8001(20001)left theEppingOngar Railwayfor itssummer seasonvisittotheGreatCentral Railway. As wellastheEnglishElectric Running Day(see DieselDiary),thelocomotive hasbooked workingsonJuly13/14.

PONTYPOOL‘31’RETURNS TO SERVICE

OUTofaction foroverfive years, No.D5627(31203) returnedtoservice atthe Pontypool &BlaenavonRailway on May18.TheClass31 wastaken out oftrafficin late2018 forengine work.

EWS COLOURSFOR WENSLEYDALE‘37’

PREVIOUSLYingrey/yellow‘Dutch’ livery,No.37250hasbeenpainted intoEWScoloursatthe Wensleydale Railway, acolour scheme it never carriedwhen in mainlineservice.

GLOUCESTERSHIREWARWICKSHIREADDITION

PREVIOUSLYlocatedatthe West Somerset Railway, Mk.1Brake CompositeCorridor(BCK)No.21272has beenplacedonlong-termloantothe Gloucestershire-WarwickshireRailway.

DERBYSHIRESCHOOL

ACQUIRESRIVIERABSO

RIVIERA TrainsMk.2fBrakeStandard Open(BSO)No.9521hasbeen disposedofandistobeconverted intoalibraryatIvyHouseSchool in Littleover, nearDerby. Thecoach was duetoarrive fromBurton in late May.

Belfastterminusclosesafter 29 years

Low-key celebrations marktheclosure of GreatVictoria Street.

GREATVictoriaStreetStation(GVS)in Belfast citycentreclosedon May10, afterthedepartureofthelasttrain,the 23.32toBangor,formedofthree-car dieselmultipleunit No3012. GM8112 wasondisplayin Platform 2forpartofthedayanda special LastDayTicketwasissuedasa mementoofthehistoricoccasion.

Whilemanyenthusiastsattended

thefinalday’soperationsandthe closurereceivedextensivemedia coverage,theoccasion wasfairlylowkeybecausethe rail element of the adjacentGrandCentralStationisdueto beoperationalthisautumn.

Removaloftrack by recycling contractorHamillsstarted on May11, with road/railmachines working towardsGVS from Westlinkand City Junctions.

Demolitionoftheplatformsand removaloflinesideequipment wasalso in progressduring weekending May18, whileitemsthat were tobe recovered

IARNRÓDÉIREANN(IE)/IRISHRAIL

 TRAFFICANDTRACTION: A three-carICRdieselmultiple unit was aregularperformer on Cork-Cobh/ Midletonservicesduring theperiod under review, with No. 22x56 notedat Glounthaneon May10.GM No. 218, whichusesHydrotreated Vegetable oil(HVO)onan experimentalbasis, continuedtobeusedonfront rank Heuston/CorkMk.4servicesona regularbasis.Bogieflat wagon No.30164hasbeenconvertedtoa translator vehicle foruse withnew DART multipleunitsandMk.4coaching stock.The RailwayPreservation SocietyofIreland(RPSI) railtour from DublinConnollytoDundalkand Droghedaon May12, washauledbya diesellocomotiverather than by steam

traction at the requestofIE following theissuesthathadseentheprevious RPSItourterminatedat Rathdrum (RE337).GMNo.082hauledthetour trainof sevenCravenscoachesand vanNo.3173throughout. From May 13toJuly5,the‘Enterprise’ diagram thatstartswiththe07.35fromDublin Connollyonweekdays and10.00on Sundays hasbeenbooked fora six-car ICRDMU.The 20.05fromLanyonPlace is retimedto21.36on weekdays and to21.28onSaturdays.The18.20 fromConnollyon Saturdays runsto Dundalkinsteadof LanyonPlaceand the21.06 LanyonPlacetoConnollyis cancelled.GMNo.082transferredtwo ICRintermediatecarsfromInchicore to Laios TraincareDepoton May15.

forreuseelsewherehadbeen marked priortotheclosuredate.

From May11,alltimetabled servicesontheBelfast-Portadown corridorhave usedthedirectcurve betweenCity JunctionandCentral Junctionwhichhad previously onlybeenused by ‘Enterprise’ services,somepeakhourand specialtrains,empty workingsand departmentalmovements.

Thishasallowedthecontractors tohave fullaccesstotheBlythefield Curveand Westlink Junctionarea wherethethroatofthenewstation

islocated.Theplanned renewal ofthesignallingfromBelfastto HildenwilltieintotheLisburnArea RenewalsProject. This schemehasbeencompleted althoughmostofthetrackworkatthe BelfastendofLisburnstation wasnot renewed. Anew LEDbanner repeater signalontheUplinebetween HildenandLisburninadvanceof signalPD158hasbeenerectedand commissionedas wellastheone for PD156at Lambegwithbothbeing requiredbecauseofsightingissues duetocurvatureinthearea. E

GMNo233 received abogie swap at Portarlingtondown yard on May17. Tworoadcranes were usedduringthe operation. Freighttrafficcontinuedto bebuoyant duringtheperiodunder reviewwithNos.072,074,081and 087usedonthe Ballina-BelviewXPO containerservice.Ballina-Dublin Port IWTcontainertrafficsaw Nos.072, 074,084,087and215usedwhilethe Ballina/Westportto Waterfordtimber flowfeaturedNos.074and081.

 NEWS: The reinstatementofthe AthenrytoClaremorrisline receiveda boostinlate-AprilwhentheEuropean Commissionconfirmedthatit was tobeincludedinthe TransEuropean TransportNetwork(Ten-T) schemeand

thuseligible forfunding. Reinstatement ofthesingle-trackLimerickto Foynes lineiscontinuingandwithmostofthe formation renewed,tracklayinghas started.RenewaloftheRiverDeelbridge hasbeencompletedand Rogerstown viaductisplannedtobefinishedinJuly. On May3,Bolidenannouncedthatit wastorestartproductionatits Tara Mines facilityatNavaninJulyafter anagreementhadbeen reachedwith tradeunionsto reducethenumberof employees.Thehaulageofbulkorefrom NavantoAlexandraRoad,Dublin Portis anticipatedto restartshortlyafter.The Dublin PortAuthorityhasstatedthat discussionswithIEhave progressed well regardingthesafeguardingof futureaccessattheport forrailfreight.

Anniversary retrorepaint for2600 ClassDMU

TO celebratetheintroductiontotraffic ofthe17 Tokyu Car-built2600Class dieselmultipleunit vehiclesin May 1994,the Irish Railway RecordSociety (IRRS)inconjunctionwithIarnrod Eireann, ranatwo-day ‘TimesArrow Railtour’on May18/19.

ThetourtrainconsistedofNos. 2601and2602,which hadreceiveda retrorepainttomarktheanniversary.

IEhaddecidedto markthe introductionofboththe2600Class fleetandthethennewsuburbanservice betweenHeustonandKildare30years agobyrepaintingtwocarsNos.2601and 2602intotheoriginalblack,orangeand white schemeatInchicoreWorks,and addingthe followinginwhitecharacters oneachblackhorizontalbodysideband: “30 YearsArrow 1994-2024”.

Eachcabend featuresoneofthe twoIElogosthatthetypehassported. Alsocarriedoutduringpreparation workatLimerickwas renewalof upholsteryandfittingof CCTV.

Thecelebratorytourstartedat Corkon May18,departingat07.30,and rantoHeustonpickingupatselected stationsen route. FromHeustonthe tourcontinuedtoAdamstown,Grand CanalDock,Dundalk,Kilbarrack,Howth, Connolly, Maynooth,Clonsilla,M3 Parkway,Connolly andHeustonwith photostopsatotherlocationstoo. Thenextdaytheunit rannonstopfrom Heuston,departingat12.20toCobh, replicatingsomeof the longdistance runstheclassmadeinthe1990sprior totheintroductionofmoreappropriate

As partof atwo-dayIrish RailwayRecordSociety(IRRS) charterfromCork-Dublin andDundalktomarkthe 30th anniversaryofthe introductionofthe2600 Class dieselmultipleunits,thetwo-carset repaintedinto aretrolivery forthe event,Nos.2601/2602, visittheHowthBranch.This wasthefirsttimesince1995that a2600 ClassDMUhad traversedthe branch,thelasttimebeingto replace DART servicesontheline due to overheadwireworks.OnMay 18,Nos.2601/2602passSuttonwiththe Dundalk-KilbarrackHowth legofthe‘TimesArrow’tour. StephenWhite

stock.Thefinalleg wasfromCobh toCork.

Thetwo-carset wasusedin passengertrafficpriortothecharter. Afterbeing releasedintotrafficat Limericktheset wasusedto form

NORTHERNIRELANDRAILWAYS (NIR)

 TRAFFICANDTRACTION: Services onthe Londonderryline were severely disruptedon May1,after abinlorry became wedgedundertheMillburn Road bridgeontheoutskirtsofColeraineat aroundnoon.The11.38 LondonderryBelfastGreatVictoriaStreet was terminatedat Castlerockanddisruption continuedfor the remainderof the daywithbustitutionusedbetween Bellarena/LondonderryandColeraine.

To facilitatecompetitorsand spectatorstravellingtotheBelfast MarathononSunday, May5, NIRran earlymorningspecialsto LanyonPlacefromLondonderry (scheduleddeparture05.40),Newry (06.48), LarneHarbour(06.51),and Bangor(07.15)andallservedselected intermediatestations.Allthetrains operatedpunctuallyexceptthe Larne lineservicewhicharrived over an hour latebecauseofanoperationalissue.

Thesightof a12-cardieselmultiple unit formationonNIRonanytypeof dutyis very rare buton May5,two sixcar4000Classunits were notedonan emptytransfermovementwhensetNo. 4014hauledNo.4015from York Road yard to Adelaide TraincareDepot. Heavypassengertraffic was recordedat Portrushbetween May 8and11,duetotheNorthWest200

motorcycle road racesinthearea. Dhu Varrenhaltwhichiscloseto thecourse wasclosedatcertaintimesduring theabove period.Anunusual feature inthetimetable issued followingthe closureof GVShas beenthe use of CityHospitaltostart andterminate Londonderrylineand Larneline services. Eachterminatingtrainruns emptyto Adelaide TraincareDepotor to Balmoralwherethetrailingcrossoveris usedto gainthedownlinetoreturnto CityHospital.

GMNo.8112transferred ahopper from York Roadto Poyntzpasssidingon May12.DMUNo.3008collidedwitha fallentreeatMuckamoreontheoutskirts ofAntrimon May14,while working the05.50Coleraine-LanyonPlace.No injurieswerereportedbutdamageto thedrivingcar wasseverewithboth cabwindscreens smashedandthecab frontand offsidepillarpenetrated.The annualBalmoralagricultural showatthe showgroundsbetweenLisburnand Moira fromMay 15-18, sawmanyattendees usingthe railway and free shuttlebus servicetoandfromLisburn station. Selected‘Enterprise’trains served Lisburnduringthe event.

GMNo.8111hauledsixloaded hoppersfrom Poyntzpasssiding to Portadownduringthe eveningof

the06.55Limerick-LimerickJunction and07.31 returnon May14.The next daythesetplusNos.2615and 2606 formedthe06.45LimerickBallybrophy withNos.2615and2606 detachedatNenagh(the regular

arrangement) forthemto formthe 07.47Nenagh-Limerick.Nos.2601and 2602 rantoBallybrophythen formed the09.00 returntoLimerick.Theset subsequentlyran emptytoCork for railtourduty.

May16.BelmondliveriedGMNo.216 wasstabledat York Roadon May18.

 NEWS: The Yorkgatestation building, footbridgeandliftsinBelfast becameredundantatendof service onApril27. Anew largerbuildingand widerenclosed footbridgecameinto usethe following morning andwithit,a changeofnametoYork StreetStation. Thenewbuilding wasbuiltadjacentto the1992-builtone on thedownside butitsentranceisatstreetlevel whereastheoriginal waspositioned, becauseofnecessity,atthetopofa man-madeembankment.

Yorkgateinitiallyservedasa terminus forthe Larneline from whenit opened inOctober1992until becoming athroughstationwiththe opening of theelevatedCross Harbour LinkinNovember1994.Thenew£17 million YorkStreetstationbuildinghas anescalatorandlifts,securecycle storage,cafe,toiletsandcustomer informationdesk,fiveticketbarriers and vendingmachines.Bothplatforms have beenpartiallyresurfaced/ widened,extracanopieserected,and theuse of grey stone effectbrickwork hashelpedto softentheconcrete dominatedenvironment of thestation. Anunusual featureisa large multi

colouredsteel sculpture entitled ‘Journeylines’whichiscomposedof verticalcurved rodsandshapesandis positionedintheopen air behindthe downplatform. Thestationbecame thefirstonNIRtoissuetickets using theFlowbirdvendingmachineswith the rolloutacrossthenetworktobe completed by June 30.Northern Ireland Infrastructure ministerJohnO’Dowd cut aredribbonduringthe official openingceremonyonApril29, hich wasalsoattended by otherVIPs. Studentsstudyingatthenearby UlsterUniversityhave boosted patronagesincethetransferofmany departmentsfromtheJordanstown campusand arecentindependent survey revealedthatthestation had recordedthelargestincreasein passengernumbersonthenetwork sincetheendoftheCovid-19 pandemic. Demolitionoftheoldstation buildingand footbridgestartedon May 2, and wascompletedon May6. Extracanopiesonbothplatforms were beinginstalledatthenorth endofthestationinmid-May and landscaping wasalsoinprogress. ThenearbyDonegalQuay loopon theDarganBridgewas onceagain madeoperationalduringtheperiod under review.

Howclean is your track?

Newideasand materialsare investigated

5 Newsdesk: HTOandHTV wagons announced in ‘OO’ gauge

Yearsafter thefinal members of thethousandsof21t hopper wagons wereretired, amodel isannounced. Heljan reveals itsRuston &Hornsby48DSmodel whilst Cavalexshowsoffsamples of itsClass 60.

6 Newsdesk:

Walletsarefurtherchallenged withthecontinued flowofnew modelswhich thankfullyshows no sign oflettingup. Newproductsnowarrivingintheshops include aGWRClass 802/1,GWRfish vans anda stationfullofTT:120models.

10 Review: Bachmann ‘Rat’ reviewed

Hasthecharacter of theClass25/1 beencapturedin thenewBachmann‘OO’ gaugemodel? We investigate itin acomprehensive review.

14 Review: TT:120 Mk.3 trailers examined

Thematching stockfor thenewHornbyHST power carsaresubjected to our usual test and examine routine.

18 Review: Going bananas

We take acloselook at the ‘Tadpole’ version of Accurascale’sbrand-new‘OO’ gaugeSouthern Railway banana vans.

23 Review: ‘IRIS 2’ fromHornby

Aclosefitlivery applicationon the Class 101model has produced amodelof departmental powertwin DMUNo.901002.Howfaithfulisittothefull-size unit?

28 D&EFiles: Mk.3 EMUsthat remain to bemodelled

Whyare we still waiting formodelsof these signature trains from theBR and Privatisationera?With so many Mk.3EMUvehicles operatedonnumerous routes, the lackofmainstreammodels formanyclasses remains amystery.

32 Modelling: Developmentsintrack cleaning

HasIPA haditsday fortrackcleaning? Techniques aimedatreducingtheneedtocleantrackare investigated, includingdifferent chemicals.

 Fournewliveriesareappliedto variousC-RailIntermodalcontainers,withprices rangingfrom£7.50 fora dryboxand£9.50 fora detailed reefer.

NewC-Railcontainerliveries

WITHTHEDELUGEofnewreleases fromthelargermanufacturersarriving intheshops,it wouldbeeasyto miss the excellent workbeingdone by smallerproducerswhichaddmuch needed varietyto the D&E scene.

C-RailIntermodalseeksoutthe moreinterestingcontainertypesand

 EarlyFreightlinertrainscanbefurther enhancedwiththe ManchesterLiners 8ftdrybox,anearlydesignwhichis arelativelyrecentrelease by C-Rail Intermodaland availableinFreightliner livery.

liveries.Ithasdeveloped asignificant rangeofcontainersinboth‘N’and‘OO’ gaugecoveringthehistoryofmain line containertrainsfromtheintroduction of Freightliner throughtomodernday maritimeintermodaloperations. At the timeofwriting,thereare around70 fullyfinishedcontainersin‘OO’ gauge and30inthe‘N’ gaugerange, includingcontainertanksin the range.

Thelatestadditions includethe reissueofthe 20-foot reefer,detailedwith refrigerationequipment atoneend.Someofthe componentsaresmall, mouldeddetailsgiving themodels agoodlevelof relief.Both MaerskandBell liveriesareappliedonan overall whitefinish.Prices remain very reasonable forthe currentmodelling environmentwiththe reeferspricedat £9.50each.

Anearly containertypehasbeen

 Class50sinTT:120 gaugelandedatthesametimeastheMk.2f stock, withbothNo.50007 SirEdwardElgar andBR LargeLogoNo.50040 Leviathan suitabletractionfor thestock.

releasedinthe formofthe8-foot smooth-sided ManchesterLinersbox whichisneatlyfinishedwith crisp printingand goodassemblywhichis pricedat£8.

Finally, ausefulboxforbothUK andIrish railwaysistheBell20-foot dryboxwhichhasaccurate colours andan excellentstandardofprinting whichshowsno gappingacrossthe sideribs.Itispricedat£7.50which iscompetitivefor afullyfinished container.

AlloftheboxesfittedBachmann intermodal wagonsalongwiththe HornbyKFA withoutdifficulty.They areassembled correctlywhichwas observedwhencontainers were loadedon wagonswheretheysat squareonthe containerlocks.Whilst careisneededto choosetheright containerstomatch yourmodelling era, by allmeansmixandmatch yourcontainertrainswiththeC-Rail Intermodal range. shop.c-rail-intermodal.co.uk/

Hornbycontinuestodeliveritsnew TT:120 rangewiththearrival of Mk.2f coachesintwoliverieswhichwill go wellwiththeClass50swhichalso arrivedin May, makingitan exciting month forthosemodellersthathave takenupTT:120 modelling.The main typesto be offeredso farinclude theBSO, TSOandthe featured FO, allofwhicharepricedat£37.99.The modelsarelinedup forreviewina futureissue of RailExpressModeller

 TheClass50 wasreleasedinbothanalogue anddigitalsound formatswithpricesstarting at£167.99. Themodels arelinedup fora comprehensivereviewoncetestingand analysisof proportionsandthefiner detailhas beencompleted.

 Afully finished Maersk reeferwith refrigeration equipmentmodelledinone end.

 Thesame reefermodelisdecoratedwith Bellmarkings over awhitebasecolour.

AGWRClass802/1IETunitis now availablefromHornby as afive-car trainpackalongwith an extension packtobringthetrainset up to ninecars.TheClass802/1is abimodeunitsimilartotheClass800 which wasreleased by Hornby as No.800008in‘Trainbow’ livery.More powerfulenginesandlargerfuel tanksare fittedtotheClass802/1 foroperationonlongdistance GWRservices overrouteswithout electrificationsuchasthemainline toDevonandCornwall.Thenew modelispricedat£502.49 whilst the four-car extensionpackis pricedat£264.99. www.hornby.com

GWR‘Bloater’fish vans arethe latestnewtoolingfromEFE Rail withbodyshellsmodelled with andwithoutthebodysideand endlouvres. DiagramS10 wasnot fittedwithbodysidelouvres,and this featureismodelledinoneof thefivemodelsandisfinishedin BRcrimsonasNo.W2661W.The modelsarenow availableinthe shopspricedat£29.95. www.bachmann.co.uk

HOP21wagonsannouncedin

AT LAST,asignaturewagon fortheBR erahasbeen revealed by Accurascale, awagonthatwillfitneatlyinits ‘PoweringBritain’ rangedueto its extensiveuseincoaltraffic.

ThefirstmodelwillcoverDiagram 1/146,thestandardBRhopperwagon typewhenfirstintroduced.It wasa developmentofthe1935LNERriveted designand featured aweldedhopper bodywithfiveribspersideandMorton brakes.

Eventually, 16800 wagons were built (somewithminordetaildifferences) makingtheBRHOP21tothisdiagram animportantdevelopment foramodel, givenitswidespreadusethroughoutthe northeastand eventuallymanyother partsofthe rail networkwherethey couldbefound workinginblocktrains ofindustrialcoalandassmallsetsand single wagonswithinmixedfreightswith domesticcoal.

The rebuildingofDiagram1/146 wagonsproduced aweldedbodywith twoweldedribspersideandthefitting of vacuumbrakes.Uprated wagons withstrongersprings were included inthe rebuildingprogramme for aggregatetraffic.

When TOPS coding wasapplied, theunfittedwagons receivedcode HTO whilst vacuum-fitted wagons were codedasHTV.Theywereprogressively withdrawnfromdomesticcoaltraffic asHBA(HEA) wagons were introduced andairbrakingbecame standard. Rebuildingas‘Tope’engineers wagons sawthemusedintotheearly 2000s, whilst recoveredunderframes were also reusedforengineers stock.

Model specification

Accurascale hasindicatedthatthe Diagram1/146 wagoninbothfive-rib and rebuilt formwith vacuumbrakesis thestartof aseries ofmodels based onthisdesign.The first batchincludes sixpacksofthree wagons ofboththe originaland rebuiltdesigns,withthe latterconsisting offivepacksofHTVs inBRbauxiteand one ingrey.

Themodels will bebuilt around adiecastmetal underframe withthe hopperdoor mechanismsandbrakegear builtupfromindividual detailingparts. Wheelswillrunin axle bearings fora free-rolling wagonand Accurascalealso indicatesthat scalewheel conversions arebeingaccommodatedtoo.

HELJANREVEALS 48DSLIVERIES

 Theattractive(cute?)newHeljan ‘O’gaugeRuston &Hornsby 48DShas reachedtheliverysamplestage.Five modelsmakeupthefirstbatchofthe model,includingExpressDairyblue and Ruston worksgreen.Thepicture gives ahintofthecabinteriordetail andcolouring.

 Ahigh standardofdetailisappliedto thenew 48DS model,alongwith good technical features including aNEXT18 decoderinterface, working headlampsand a factoryfitted speaker.Thesuggested retailpriceis£199 makingthe modelan excellent entrypoint for‘O’ gaugeand idealfor afirst or compactlayouttheme. www.heljan.co.uk

ThefirstdecoratedsamplesofthenewCavalexClass60arrivedinlateApril, includingNo.60049inTrainloadMetalslivery. Themodels were assessed andcheckedduring Mayfortweakingand small refinementswhich were communicatedbacktothe factory.

‘OO’

Thepacksofthreeindividually numberedwagons arepricedat£99.98 eachwithananticipated delivery inthe thirdquarter of next year.The models have reachedthe firstengineering prototypestage andarebeing assessed atthetimeofwriting.Having builtHOP21andHTVfrom kits,the complexity of these seemingly simple wagonscannotbe underestimatedand itis amuchwelcomed development. www.accurascale.com

NO ONESAW ‘TUG’ COMINGFROM ACCURASCALE

IN asurpriseannouncement,justasthis issue wasclosing forpress, Accurascale revealedlivery samplesofits newest ‘OO’ gaugelocomotivewhichwillfit wellwithits rangeofmodernfreight wagons.The firstbatch ofClass60s comprises of sevenlocomotivesand willbesupplementedwith special editionsand acharity modeltoo. The sevenlaunch modelscover Trainload Freightliveriesalongwith

 Digitalsoundversionsof the model includetheusuallargecapacitorbank forreliablerunning,alongwith alarge built-inspeaker andaccuratesound recordings.The topofthemodel is removableforaccess tolighting switches and thedecoderbay.

Loadhaul, Transrailand Mainline Freight. EWSand GB Railfreight are alsorepresentedinthe range. Both soundandDCC-ready versions will beproducedwithprices startingat£169.99. Thelivery samples have beensigned off anda production ordersenttothe factory which hasallowedAccurascaleto predict adelivery dateinthefirst quarter of next year.

 The specificationforthe newAccurascale Class 60 will includecomprehensivelighting including the caband engine room; all-wheel drive and provisionfor dropinwheel conversions for‘EM’ and ‘P4’ modellerswith wheels available separately.

The success of the Class56model has heightened enthusiasm forthenew CavalexClass60whichis on track for delivery inthefirstpartofnextyear. Advanced orders forthelarge range of modelsis being taken by Cavalex

resellerswithpricesstartingat£194.95 forananalogue version. Thechoice of liveries rangingfromoriginal Trainload Freightthrough toPrivatisation and special liverieswillensurethatnooneisleftout. www.cavalexmodels.com

 Theoriginal Diagram1/146 wagondesignwith fiveribsper side and Mortonbrake.

 Accurascaleisalso producingmodels ofthe rebuilt Diagram1/146 wagonwith its two-rib hopperand vacuumbrakes.

Careful examinationofthetrailers submittedfor reviewshowsno discerniblebowingofthebodyshells when examinedalongtheirlength.The rooflinesarealsostraight excepta slight dimplewherethere is amoulding markvisibleinthe roof.

Coachframes

Thefitofthebodiestothe underframesis excellentwithnogaps orexcessframeshowingbetween the framedetailandbottomofthebody tumblehome.

Each vehicle wascheckedagainst photographic referencesandapart fromsomeminordetails,theapplied underframesmatchthetrailertypes.

Thecateringcarhasthecorrect format toowhichisdifferentfromthe TS,TF and TGSvehicles.Photographsofthe trailersinearlycondition were also examinedandtheInter-City125 trailers arealsocorrectinthisarea.

 TGStrailerfinishedinoriginalBRblue

Lookingattheendsofthe underframes,thereisamoulded buckeye couplingfittedinthecorrect positionundertheend gangways.There arenoholes forbufferswhichindicates thatthetoolingmaynotbeusedfor producinglocomotive-hauledMk.3 stockwhichhasdifferingunderframes, andinthecaseofsome vehicles, roof andendpaneldetailtoo.

Themouldeddetailinthe underframesis veryfine,particularly the ventilationgrilles.Itis worthnoting thetoolingfinesseappliedtothepanel fixingdetailtoo.

Bogies,wheelsandcouplings

Bogiesaresimpleone-piecemouldings butwith gooddetaildepth in theside frames.Endspacersaremodelled which reallyaddstotheappearance ofthebogies.Metalwheels arefitted andtheyare detailedwithbrakediscs ontheoutside faces. Testsofthe trailersshowedthemtobefree-rolling, although atouchofeccentricityinthe wheels wasnotedwhen rolledover plate glass.Further,thewheelsets

MODELFEATURES:

■ Fourdifferenttrailers available.

■ Flushglazedwithinteriordetail.

■ ClosecouplingcamsandNEM355 pockets.

■ Underframestep andETHdetailsfitted.

■ Brakediscsfittedtothewheels.

■ CDLfittingscorrectlymodelled.

have about1.5mmofsidetosideslop whichcanaffectthe rideheightand howthecoachesalignwith one another whenpropelled.

Couplingsare fittedtoclose couplingcamswhichwhencoupled together,stillhave a2.5mmgap betweenthe gangways, whichis perhaps alittle excessive.Thecoupling camsarewell sprungbutwithminimal slackinthecammechanism which meansthetrailersrun welltogether withnosignofbounce betweenthe vehicles, amalaisewhich doesaffect alotof‘OO’ gaugecoachesand bogie wagonsfittedwithframe-mounted cams.

Finedetails

 Onetypeofcateringvehiclehas beentooled whichhasthreeseatingbays. The modelisviewedfromthecounter/corridorside ofthe vehicle.

correct orientationcompared tothe underframe.

Livery finish

All of the reviewedtrailersarevery nicelyfinishedwithaccuratecolours and smallprinted details.Althoughnot immediatelyapparent,some of the trailershave no smokingandFirstClass labels printed on theglazing.

This reviewhas alreadytouched upon theCDLlightsandcontrolswhichhave beenappliedasmoulded detailrather thanprinting.Thisiscommendable, alongwiththecrispness of thecoach mouldingsincludingwindowframes and roof.Itappears that singleinterior mouldingshave beenusedforeach coachtype.Consequently, theGWR TS doesnothave thecorrect mixof airlinestyleseatpositionsandtable seatingbays.TheFirstClasscoachhas thecorrecttwo-plus one seatingwith tabledetailandithasbeen fittedinthe

Anegg-shellfinishisappliedto allthreeliveriesappliedtothetrailers includingtheGWR oneswhichis arelief. The shinyfinishappliedtoHornby’s‘OO’ gaugeGWRHSTstocklookstooharsh, whilsttheTT:120 modelslookabout right.

Examining the Intercity‘Swallow’ stock,it wasnotedthatthe redand whitelining wasatouchshortof the pointwhereitshould endonthe corners ofdoors insomeinstances,and itspositionisafractionofamillimetre tooclose tothewindows.

Despitethis,the overall finish andassemblyquality of the modelsis excellenteventhough theirdesignis atouch on the basicside. They would have benefitedfromstubaxle current collection forinteriorlightingoratleast the useofmetalcup bearingsinthe bogiesto ensure thattheyare asfreerollingaspossible.

Our closingremarkscentreon the accuracyofthemodels whichis excellent, alongwith good assembly quality andapplication of thelivery. Hornby hasproducedafine rangeof models to work withits HSTpower cars andtheyare well-pricedgiventhatthey arecompletelynew models andfor theirqualitytoo.

❒ Produced by HornbyHobbiesLimited www.hornby.com

£ £ RRP

£37.99

 GWRgreen TrailerStandardwithCDLfittings.Theliveryhas asatisfyingeggshellfinishwiththe diagonalbandcontrasting wellwiththebaselivery.

 ThecateringvehiclefinishedinGWRgreen.Itisviewedfromthekitchen (galley)side ofthe model withitsblankedoutwindows.Again,Hornbyhascorrectlytooled theright roofdetail andunderframe.

 Themostcommontrailertype wastheStandardClasstrailerwhich is availableinsufficientnumbertobuildupnear scale train lengths and withindividualrunning numbers.InterCity‘Swallow’liveryhas beenapplied welltothese models with good colours and sharp markings.

 Duringtesting, it wasnotedthatthe wheelsets were loosein thebogieswith around1.5mm of sideways movement. It maybea contributing factor inthetrailers sitting slightlybelow thelevelof the matchingpowercar models.Modellers cancorrect this withbrass cupbearings.

 FirstClasstrailerin original BRInter-Citylivery.Theorientationofthe internalseatingmodule is correct,asistheunderframe type.

andgrey livery.Notethecorrect roofpatternespeciallyattheguard’s vanend (left), which hasnoroofhatch.

 Trailers to suit the powercarsreviewedin thelastissueof Rail Express Modeller arenow available in three liveries,andwithera-specific detailing. Themost commontypewas the TS vehiclewhich is available in arangeof different runningnumbers in allthree liveries.

HSTtrailersforTT:120

ThreesetsofHSTMk.3 trailerscoveringthree differenttimesinthe historyof theHST are nowavailableinHornby’s TT:120 range.Howwelldo theymeasure up?

First unboxingimpressions AS ISEXPECTED forrollingstockaimed at amarketwhereitmay be requiredto standupto regularhandling,thenew TT:120HSTtrailersappearedrobust andsolidwhenfirst removedfromtheir boxes.Thereisacertainamountof integralmouldingofdetailwhichmight beappliedasseparatefittingsonlarger scalemodels.

 Onecatering trailertype hasbeentooledwhichhasthe threewindowbay seatingarea.Theunderframemoduleis correct forthistypeandis differenttothosefittedtothe StandardandFirstClasstrailers.

Thedetailthatdidcatch your reviewer’s eyewastheCentralDoor Lock(CDL)detailwhich wasapplied totheGWRandInterCitycoachesas mouldeddetail.Itisnotpresentonthe BRInter-City125trailerswhichisquite correct.

Anotherpoint wasoffering aTrailer GuardStandardcoachinBRblueand grey withInter-City125markings. Presumably, thisis to matchthepower cars inthe sameliverywhich were releasedinas-builtconditionwithout deflectors by Hornby. Itisunlikely that TGStrailers were operated by power cars inpre-deflector conditionbutwill be ausefultrailer forthose adding deflectorstotheirmodels.

 Tintedglazingisfittedto allof the vehicles withlittleedge or prismeffectbeing observed duringclose examinationof thestock.

Another featurewasthebalance betweenspecificdetailing foragiven liveryagainsttheuse of one-size-fitsallmouldings.Hornbyhasachieveda good resultinthisareaandthefirst impressionsofthenewTT:120 Mk.3 trailersare verypositive.

 Mouldeddetailhas agoodlevelof definition,whichisparticularlynoticeable inthebogiesideframes andaround the cornerslamdoors.

Bodyshellmouldings

Three differentcoach types,withandwithout CDL features,havebeentooled, andall of themcapturethe characteroftheMk.3trailer well.Onetoolingcoversboth FirstandStandardClass stock. ATGSand athreewindow cateringcarare alsomodelled,leavingthe four-windowcatering vehicleto becoveredatsome point. Thebodyshells of all fourtrailers aresinglepiece mouldingsandare correctlyshaped alongtheirlengthand

 Roofdetailhas been researched properlywiththecorrect formats apparenton the TrailerGuardStandard (TGS)stock (shown), and catering vehicles. Notethe excellent definitionof theguard’s section door,includinghinge and hand rail detail.

 Frame-mounted closecouplingcamsare fitted,along withsome small details at thecoachends.Thewheels arecastandhave acoarsesurfaceonthe tyres whichcan make fornoisyrunning.

acrossthe roofprofiletoo.Thelarge corner doors areneatlyrepresented with agoodlevelofreliefandthe roof ribs have abouttherightlevelofbulkto beclearlyseen.

Integral mouldeddetailisusedto represent hand railsadjacenttothe corner doors andinthe roofhatches wheretheyare alittlebulky.

 There is agreaterreliance on simpler, integral mouldings togivethemodels the neededdurability to withstand the regularhandling associated with temporarylayouts.TheMk.3coaches have simple bogieframesand few additionalcomponents areusedonthe trailerbodies.

Separatedetailsincludetheend gangways which arewellmodelled alongwiththe flush glazing whichis tinted.Itisaclose fit tothe window openings andhas littleedgingvisible in anyofthe window openings.

Accurascale goesbananasoverSRvans

IsAccurascalethetopbananawithbanana vans?Okay, we willdrop the fruitidiomsin favour ofourusualin-depth examination ofwhat isactuallytwo newwagonmodels.

Themixed‘Tadpole’pack WHEN BANANATRAFFICdeclinedinthe 1960s,the remainingSouthern Railway (SR) vans were eitherwithdrawnor transferredtodepartmentaluse, gainingthe‘Tadpole’nameand eventuallyTOPScodeRBV. They survived wellintothedieselandelectric tractionerawiththelast vehiclesbeing withdrawnaround1978.

Two‘Tadpole’packsare offered intherangeof12triple wagonpacks whichincludesSR examplesinoriginal SRstoneliveryandthoseoperated by British Railwaysinbananatraffic, withcompanylabelsappliedtobauxite liveried vans.

Themixedpackincludestwo Diagram1478 vansnumberedas DS50693andDS50708.Thethird istoDiagram1479andcarriedthe numberDS50832.Theywouldsuit aD&ElayoutthemewithBRgreen andBRbluetraction,makingthem suitabledepartmental wagons forthe forthcomingBRgreenClass37s.

Bodyshells

Bothtoolingsare crispandaccurate whencheckedagainstreference photographsand material.Thetooling hasthesamehighlevelofdetail definition we have come toappreciate withthe Accurascale range.Planking and externalbracingis sharpedgedand thebodieshave good,mouldedhinge, boltheadanddoordetail.Grab rails areseparately appliedasarethedoor catchesand rods.

Two different types oftheSouthern Railway bananavanareaddedtothe Accurascale range. ThemixedBR‘Tadpole’departmentalpackofthree former banana vans is the subjectofthisreview.

meet thedemand forincreasedbanana transportation from SouthamptonDocksinthe

with

intheBR departmental‘Tadpole’triple packare modelledtothis diagram.

Careful examination of both bodyshelltypes revealednothinginthe way ofmouldingflaws,eitherinthe mouldeddetailoralongthe roof lines which were correctlyprofiled on both wagontypes.

Underframes

Numerousfine mouldeddetailsare builtonto acastmetalunderframe whichbringsthe model’s weightupto around60ginbothcases.Although thecastfloorhasplankeddetail,it

DS50832is amodelofthesecond type of bananavanbuilt to strengthentheoriginalfleetandfitted to thesameunderframe. Theydifferinshape,beingmodified general coveredvanswhich were beingbuiltatthesame time,becomingDiagram 1479.

cannotbeseen,alongwithsome of the separatelyappliedunderframedetail.

Axle guards areseparate mouldings andquitethinin section.The springs areseparate fittingsgivingthisarea of theunderframe aparticularlyfine appearance.The solebarsarealsowell detailedwith boltheadsandlabelclips. The bespoke wagonnumberplates withthecorrect wagonnumbersare anoteworthydetail,asarethefinely detailed sprungbuffers fittedwith metalheads.

MODELFEATURES:

■ Singlepiecebodyshellstooled both vans.

■ Common underframetooling.

■ Differingwheeltypes.

■ NEMcouplingpockets.

■ Separatelyappliedbrakefittings.

■ Steam andvacuum brakedetails suppliedinthebox.

■ Wagonshave uniquemarkings and numbers.

Wheelsandcouplings

Accurascalehas tooledtwo different bodyshellstofitthe 10-footunderframe. They are quite different fromeachotherincludingtheroofprofile.

Twotypes of wheel aretobefound inthe mixed ‘Tadpole’pack including split-spoke on the D.1458 wagons andthree-holediscwheels on the single D.1459model. They arefully concentric andfittedto26mmlong steel axles which areunpainted or blackened.Conversionto closerto-scalegaugeswillberelatively straightforwardexceptfor the need to carefullyunclippart of the brake linkagetorelease the wheelsets. Theclasp brakeblocksalign withthe wheels andare positioned towardsthe frontface. Thereis sufficient clearancewiththe wheels allowing the models torun freely.

To

1930s,the Southern Railway built 200 dedicated vansfitted

heatingto assist with ripening to Diagram 1478. Twovans

Swanage:the show must

Despite failuresand aderailment,the Swanage Railway diesel galaonceagainprovedpopular with fansofclassicdieseltraction. RichardClinnick presentsa selection ofimagesfromthe event.

THEannual SwanageRailway diesel galaheldin Mayalwaysprovides entertainment,andthis year’sline-up wasnodifferent.

Asisthecase every year, enthusiastsfromacrossthecountry (andfurtherafield!)makethe pilgrimageforwhatisoneofthe‘mustattend’ eventsofthecalendar.

ResidentNos.D6515(33012) Lt JennyLewisRN and33111 were joined by visitinglocomotivesfromseveral mainlineoperatorsincludingColas Railfreight,Harry Needle Railroad CompanyandGB Railfreight,while preservedlocomotivesbasedatthe East LancashireRailway,Eastleigh WorksandSevern ValleyRailway also sawactionthroughoutthe weekend.

HNRCNos.20302/311,both releasedfrom repaint atArlington Fleet Services, Eastleigh Works, afew days prior,attendedthe eventaspartofa testingprocessaheadoftheir return tothemainline.ColassentNo.37219 JontyJarvis8-12-1998to18-3-2005,

whileGBRfNo.69002 BobTillerCM&EE arrivedatthe event(anddepartedit), via aBranchLineSocietycharterfrom London Waterloo,whichalso featured No.D6515andGBRfNo. 73109Battle ofBritain80thAnniversary.Thecharter broughtthe London Transport4-TC tothe gala,andthis wasusedwith air-brakedlocomotives.

Alsoattendingthe event were Nos.50021 Rodney and50026 Indomitable,althoughthe former failedontwodayswhilethelatter derailedon May11.Class24 No.D5054 PhilSouthern,based attheELR,made the long trip south by roadwhile,finally, SVRbasedmainline-certifiedNo.D1015 WesternChampion also hauled trains throughouttheweekend.

The‘52’alsotookthe‘50s’toand from EastleighWorks whiletheoutward runalsofeaturedthe‘20s’fromthe Hampshirefacility.The‘Western’took the‘50s’home,beforecontinuingto Barrow Hillwiththe‘20s’. E

go on!

 Colas RailfreightNo.37219 37219 JontyJarvis8-12-1998 to18-3-2005 leadsthe1239 CorfeCastle-Swanagethrough Afflingtonon May10. Itis haulingthe London Transport 4-TC,withHarryNeedle RailroadCompany Nos.20302/311on therear. BradJoyce

 No.D1015 WesternChampion arrivesatCorfeCastleon May10,withthe15.32River Frome-Swanage. TomMcAtee

 Forthesecondyearin arow, No.50021 Rodney attended the Swanagegala,however the‘50’ failedonboth May10 and11.On May10,thelarge logo‘50’haulsthe1N0109.39 Norden-SwanagethroughCorfe Common. Terry Eyres

 GB RailfreightClass69sare proving regular(andpopular) visitorstoheritagerailway diesel events.GBRfNo.69007 RichardTrevithick wasplanned toattendthe Swanageevent, howeveritfailedpriorto haulingtheBranchLineSociety chartertothe eventand was replaced by No.69002 Bob TillerCM&EE.OnMay 10,the large logo‘69’leavesHarmans Crosswiththe11.39 SwanageCorfeCastle. TomMcAtee

Stunningsuccessfor Severn ValleyRailway

Richard Clinnick presents aselectionofimagesfrom the recentSevern Valley Railway diesel gala.

MOREthan5000visitorsattendedthe Severn ValleyRailway duringitsdiesel gala,heldon May16-19.

Peopleflockedtoseethewide array oftractionon offer,with resident Nos.D1015 WesternChampion,D1062 WesternCourier,D9551,20048,33108, 40106 AtlanticConveyor,43301/303, 43468/480,50007 Hercules and50035 Ark Royal joined by Nos.20007,20142 SirJohnBetjeman,20189,20205, 37409 Loch Awe,46045,59206,69009 WesternConsort,70005and73119 Paul Taylor

Thenextdiesel event is plannedto bethe‘AutumnDieselBash’,whichwill takeplacebetweenOctober 3and6 and“promisesanalmightycelebration ofheritagelocomotivesbutwiththe possibilityofoneortwosurprises.” E

 As wellasthevisitinglocomotives, residenttractionalso sawactionduringthe gala.On May16, No.50035 Ark Royal departsKidderminsterhaulingthe09.15to Bridgnorth. BradJoyce

 Three formerCrossCountry Mk.3s owned by Romic, currentlystoredattheSevern ValleyRailway,andtwoex-XC High Speed Trainpowercars leased by Colas Railfreight, Nos.43301/303, were usedat thediesel gala. Afurtherpair of RailAdventure‘43s’.Nos. 43468/480,alsosawactionat the eventtoo.On May19, Nos. 43301/303arrivedat Bewdley withthe10.22fromHighley. AndyFlowers

 With RailAdventure Nos.43468/480leading, LocomotiveServicesNo.37409 Loch Awe trailsthe12.00 Kidderminster-Bewdleyshuttle through FoleyParkon May19. LS alsosupplied arakeofairbrakedstock forthe event(Nos. 5366,5912/991,9479,13227), andit’sthisstockwhichthe ‘43s’arehauling. Paul Waring

 Apopular pairing wasthatof ‘Dutch’liveryNo.33108and No.73119 Paul Taylor. The ‘33/1’isbasedatthe Severn ValleyRailway whilethe‘73/1’ wassupplied by GB Railfreight. On May19,the pairstand at Bewdleywiththe15.15 Bridgnorth-Kidderminster. TomMcAtee

PublishedbyThe Fifty Fund www.fiftyfund-alliance.co.uk Price:£29.95

THEfirstoftwoplanned Class50books by theco-founder of theFifty Fund, Dave Keogh, waspublishedlastyear, titledFiftyMemories. Afterbuyinga copy Ieagerlyreadit from coverto coverand,whileit wasessentiallya photographicbook, thecaptionswere farmorethansimplephotocaptions, beingusedtotell awiderstoryina highlyentertainingtone. It’sabookI’ve found myself returningto severaltimes since.

Well,the secondbookhasnow beenpublishedand Class50s– From HeydaystoMaydays hascertainly beenworththe wait,andissub-titled ‘A basher’saccountof howafleetof modernlocos were sidelined by British Rail asitprepared forPrivatisation’.And hehas apoint, formanyofthe Class 50sbarelymanagedtwodecadesof

operationbefore beingwithdrawn.

Thisbookfeaturestheauthor’s extensiveClass50 photographic collection,andanyconcernsthathe wouldhave usedallthe bestimagesin the firstvolume arequickly dispelled when youstart poring overthepages, asthisbookisjustasgood –ifnot better –thanthefirstone.

Withtheauthorbeing ahighly accomplishedphotographer,the book is lavishlyillustrated overits208 pages and14chapterswith awide rangeof excellentimages depictingthe Class 50sinaction,as wellasdepotshots andsomephotographs of the sidelined locomotives awaitingtheir fate.

It’s not asecretthatIhaverathera softspot fortheClass50s,soIrealise thatIamessentiallythetargetaudience andwas therefore likely to enjoy it,but

itisthestyle of theauthor'swritingand hisentertaining and informativetext thatprovides plentyof interest above andbeyond thephotography, evenif you only have amoderatepassing interestin the Class 50s.

Certainly no‘difficultsecond album’situationwiththis softback A4 portrait-formatbook, whichis published by theFifty Fund andpriced at avery reasonable £29.95, with all profits generated fromsales going towardsthe ongoing preservation of thelocomotives managedbythe Fifty Fund andClass50Alliance.Whilethere is certainly no shortageofbooks for the Class 50enthusiast, this book is anothermust-buypublicationto be added to yourcollection andIhaveno hesitationin recommendingittobe addedto your bookshelves. (AMC)

PublishedbyAmberley Publishing www.amberley-books.com

Price: £15.99

ISBN:978-1-39810-384-9

THISisaphotographictributetothe locomotives maintainedand operated from Canton Traction Maintenance Depotin Cardiff,which openedalmost 60 yearsago andplayedhost to many locomotives in the40 yearsbetweenits openingin1964andclosurebyEnglish Welsh &Scottish Railways in May2004. Retiredrailway engineerMartinBray hadaclose workingassociationwith thedepotandall of the photographs featuredcome fromhis extensive collection. Featuring awide variety of

images of locomotivesfrom Classes 08,‘09’,‘20’,‘24’,‘25’,‘26’,‘31’,‘33’,‘37’, ‘40’,‘47’,‘50’,‘56’,‘57’,‘58’,‘60’,‘66’and ‘67’,thisisa comprehensive look backat someofthoselocomotives that were so well associatedwith Canton throughout itsoperatingperiod,withthe most dominant designs featured withinthe pagesbeingtheClass 08s,‘37s’,‘56s’ and‘60s’.

The bookfinishes with acouple ofimagesfrom2003whenEWS’37422 wasnamed Cardiff Canton in tribute

toits namesake depot. Thisis an excellentcollection of imagesdepicting many of the locomotivesthat have beenassociated with Cantonoverthe years. The quality of theimagesis very good and reproduction isto ahigh standard. Somecaptionsare repetitiveinterms ofdetailsbut overall there islittle elseto faultwiththis volume, which is priced at Amberley’s standard photoalbum retailprice of £15.99. Recommended. (RC)

Publishedby: Rail-FanVideoProductions

railfanvideoproductions.com

Price:£19.95

Email: railfanvideoproductions212@gmail.com

GIVIN’itthe Beanz is anew DVDrelease fromRail-FanVideoProductions, featuringa widevariety of locomotives inusebothon freightand passenger charter workingsintheUK,alongwith someheritagerailway footagefor good measure.

There is awide variety of traction typesfeatured,providing somethingfor everyone,withthe production company firmlyaimingthistitleatthose enthusiastswhoenjoytheir ‘thrash’ whenlocomotivesareworkinghard.

Thereisnocommentary todistract fromthesounds of thelocomotives at work,butcaptionsare provided detailingthelocomotives featured, alongwiththe relevant workingand datethey were captured on film.

Almostbyway ofdemonstrating the ever-changingnatureofthe railway,despitemostofthe footage having been filmedoverthe past fiveorsoyears,thereare still many sights featuredwithinitwhichhave since disappeared,suchasDirect Rail Services Class20sand‘37s’inaction, alongwithDB CargoUKClass60s.

Thequality of the footageisvery goodandthe soundisalso wellcaptured, givingthevieweraclearaudibleand visual spectacle,asifthey were standing alongside thecameraman. Ihaveseen

many railwayDVDs, some of which have had‘debateable’quality,but this certainly isn’t oneofthose andin terms ofsettingout to provide filmof locomotivesatworkbothon thenational networkand in preservation,it achieves itsaimsadmirably.

Priced at £19.95and runningfor 90 minutes, this DVDisavailabledirectly from Rail-Fan VideoProductions.Ifyou like the sightand sound of locomotives at workintheUK,then Givin’itthe Beanz is aDVDthatyou will probably enjoy. (AMC)

Got somethingtoreview? Sendanybooks,DVDs orother itemstotheeditor at: Rail Express,MediaCentre,MortonWay,Horncastle,LincolnshireLN96JR

Givin’ittheBeanz

Canton Depot