DISTRICT LINE 150
Celebrating LU’s second oldest line
0-60:
CLASS 159
How do these Intercity DMUs rate in our speed trial?
Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast
PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRA
SPECIAL The lost art of the super-telephoto
SUPPLEMENT
RAIL EXPRESS No. 275 APRIL 2019 £4.40
Unpublished photos from 1950s & 60s
MODELLING SECTION ■ RIVAL CLASS 92s
Two firms offer 4mm models
■ DCC WICKHAM
No. 275
UK Off-sale date - 18/04/2019
Printed in the UK
Fitting a nano decoder
■ FARISH PULLMAN ‘N’ gauge six-car reviewed
■ WISBECH CAMPAIGN GATHERS MOMENTUM ■ NR TO CREATE FIVE REGIONS
CONTENTS
Issue No. 275 April 2019
Having been stuck at Derby since July 18, 2018 – when it caught fire soon after leaving the station with the 06.28 Penzance to Glasgow Central – driving car No. 60477 from CrossCountry ‘Voyager’ No. 221127 was transported by road from Loram to Central Rivers depot in Barton-under-Needwood on February 28. It is pictured soon into the trip in the Derby suburb of Alvaston. For more Unit news, see page 90. Steve Donald
FEATURES
NEWS
14
8
24
27
The campaign to reopen the March to Wisbech ‘Bramley Line’ gathers pace.
THE LOST ART OF THE TELEPHOTO
Currently largely out of fashion in railway photography, using a lens with a focal length greater than 300mm brings a new dimension to the subject, as these images show.
0-60: CLASS 159
They are used on inter-city services, but do they have the performance to match?
DISTRICT LINE 150
Celebrating LU’s second oldest line.
71
73
REGULARS 31 32
TIME TRAVELLER
Looking back to decades past.
REVIEWS & MAILBAG
A selection of books; plus letters on Class 56 ‘top hats’ and ‘Q’ Stock mix up.
M20 SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS
79
MODELLING
Network Rail shake-up sees the return of five regions; Cornish open day; ‘Deltic’ failure mars comeback tour; Northern Powerhouse rail reveals strategic plan; First Shotts line electric; RDG promises fares reform; New wall for Dawlish; NER Autocar wins two HRA Awards; Gospel Oak ‘Aventra’ testing starts; Agreement nears on driver-only control.
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RAILTOURS
Class 50 Thunderer to make welcome return to main line passenger service.
DISTRICT LINE 150
‘Grid’ to undergo bogie swap; ‘Hoover’ arrives at new home of Great Central Railway; More ‘108s’ for Llangollen; Another ‘37’ for sale; RTC-liveried ‘Goyle’ to go on tour.
UNITS
93
SHUNTERS
The lost art of the super-telephoto
SUPPLEMENT
Unpublished photos from 1950s & 60s
Notable workings from the last month, plus Name Game and Spectrum.
DMUs out, EMUs in on the ‘GOBLIN’.
Hanson shunters in focus.
How do these Intercity DMUs rate in our
SPECIAL
Ex-GWR Porterbrook power cars placed into store; HST enters service with Hull Trains.
90
0-60:
CLASS 159 speed trial?
PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRA
POWER BY THE HOUR
POWERSCENE
Celebrating LU’s second oldest line
Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast
PRESERVATION
80
The best ways to get Rail Express every month.
We finish off our Class 56 modelling project then look at the tricky job of fitting a DCC decoder to a ‘OO’ gauge Wickham trolley. There is news of a Class 92 from both Accurascale and DJ Models, while Graham Farish’s ‘N’ gauge Pullman unit gets an in-depth review, and there’s a full list of forthcoming exhibitions.
HEADLINE NEWS
RAIL EXPRESS No. 275 APRIL 2019 £4.40
16
THE APPLE OF THEIR EYE
MODELLING SECTION ■ RIVAL CLASS 92s
Two firms offer 4mm models
■ DCC WICKHAM
No. 275
UK Off-sale date - 18/04/2019
Printed in the UK
Fitting a nano decoder
■ FARISH PULLMAN
94
COACHES
95
WAGONS
96
IRISH ANGLE
‘N’ gauge six-car reviewed
■ WISBECH CAMPAIGN GATHERS MOMENTUM ■ NR TO CREATE FIVE REGIONS
More HST Stock arrives at Long Marston.
New flask wagons delivered.
Irish Rail reports healthy freight traffic.
A super-telephoto lens accentuates the ‘hump’ at Strawberry Hill, South West London, as No. 37259 approaches with the 1Q14/10.19 Acton Wells Junction Via-Hither Green Network Rail measurement train on July 3, 2008. Simon McComb
Editor’s Comment PRINT & DISTRIBUTION
Newstrade & distribution Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU. 0203 787 9001 Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton Published Third Friday of every month This issue March 15, 2019 Next issue April 18, 2019 Advertising deadline April 5, 2019 ISSN No 1362 234X
Paul Bickerdyke Rail Express Editor
Far-sighted
G
REAT images are a key part of Rail Express, not just for newsworthy items but also more ‘arty’ takes on everyday workings, and we like to champion the cause of railway photography as much as possible – whether it’s taken on a camera phone or a high-end DSLR. So this month we’re featuring Simon McComb’s super-telephoto work – that is shots taken with lenses of focal lengths greater than 300mm – a style that seems to have been largely overlooked in recent years with the proliferation of digital cameras that have much less powerful lenses. The results speak for themselves (see pages 16-21) and offer a refreshing change from a standard ‘three-quarter’ type of shot. Such lenses are not exactly cheap, of course, although there is a decent secondhand market now where bargains can be found making them worth an investment. If any other readers are already using such lenses, we’d really like to see some of your results, so please do get in touch for a future follow-up article.
© Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Rail Express is pleased to consider contributions for publication
‘Deltic’ setback
No. 55009’s return to railtour duties at the start of March was hit by a traction motor failure soon after leaving Edinburgh, and sadly it had to be rescued later at Berwick (see page 9). This is not an occasion for complaint, however. Rather it is a reminder of the magnificent job the Deltic Preservation Society – and all other similar groups running main line heritage traction – does in keeping some of our favourite locos at work. Class 55s are 60-year-old technology running on a modern high speed railway, so the odd technical hitch is perhaps bound to happen. What we can be sure of, however, is the dedication of the DPS in getting Alycidon back up and running as soon as possible. And for that they deserve our deep thanks. Paul Bickerdyke
Want to know when your next edition of Rail Express is on the shelves?
Please do not send images that have already been sent to other publications. Prints & slides are sent at the owner’s risk and must be accompanied by a SAE for return. Digital images can be sent by email, but please bear in mind we may not be able to reply to every one, as we receive hundreds of images each week. Although care will be taken with submissions, Rail Express assumes no responsibility for loss/damage, however caused. Submitted material may also be used in connection with other Mortons Media Group projects or as content on the internet. Payment for material used will be made promptly. Please send digital submissions to RailExpressEditor@mortons.co.uk or via CD or DVD to the editorial address. IMPORTANT: Images should be ex-camera with no Photoshop manipulation.
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EDITORIAL
Editor Paul Bickerdyke Tel: 01507 529540 Email: RailExpressEditor@mortons.co.uk Editorial address Rail Express Magazine, Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ
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Nigel Burkin Editor Rail Express Modeller
David Russell
Preservation Units Coaches
David Rapson Powerscene
William Watson Alistair Grieve Shunters
Gareth Bayer Wagons
Irish Angle (with Alan McFerran)
Christopher Westcott LU World (with Piers Connor)
‘Industry Witness’ News Writer
NEW FLASKS RELEASED: An aerial view of the WH Davis factory in Shirebrook (Derbyshire) on February 7, as DRS Type 3s Nos. 37407+37403 leave with a rake of eight ‘new generation’ FNA flask wagons – initially heading for Crewe before going on to Sellafield in Cumbria. Also visible in this shot are further new flask wagons plus some of DB Cargo’s HTA (coal) to HRA (aggregate) hopper wagon conversions. See Wagons news on page 95 for more details. Rob Higgins
HEADLINE NEWS
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Network Rail shake-up sees the return of regions New structure will go back to the future. By ‘Industry Witness’ NETWORK Rail’s chief executive Andrew Haines has announced that a reorganisation of the infrastructure owner will see the return of five regions, within which there will be 13 routes. The reorganised map looks very similar to the former British Rail structure, with the creation of Eastern, London North Western, Wales and Western, Southern and Scotland boundaries. The change will see current headquarters’ responsibilities devolved, including Infrastructure Projects, Group Digital, Safety, and the System Operator function. The latter will be particularly welcome given the failure of centralised train planning, which has been in part due to the loss of former regionally-based skills. The new structure will be phased in, with completion due by 2020. The timescale for individual regions will depend on the appointment of managing directors, for which there is to be an internal and external recruitment process. The Eastern Region will have an unfamiliar make-up, as it takes in the Midland Main Line route manager along with Anglia and North Eastern. The East Coast route will be focused on the specific railway rather than covering a geographic area.
Southern is back with a structure of earlier constituents comprising the Wessex (South Western), Sussex (South Central) and Kent (South Eastern) routes – but there is a surprise that the High Speed 1 line will have its own management. The London North Western Region will be a geographic organisation divided into North and South routes with a boundary at Crewe. The Wales and Western Region is largely a recreation of the Great Western Railway, but includes Wales as a route entity. Scotland is deemed of sufficient size to justify a regional organisation, but has only a single geographic route structure.
BETTER DEAL
It is something of a surprise that Network Rail has determined its future structure in advance of the results of the major Williams Review, although alignment with franchised passenger operations is reflected. The cross-boundary operators, such as CrossCountry and the freight companies, will be catered for by a new Network Services directorate. NR believes the benefits of devolution will result in closer working relationships, and allow decision making to be much closer to industry partners and customers, thus being in a much better place to put passengers first.
■ Separately, NR has confirmed to the Office of Rail and Road that it accepts the funding package for Control Period 6, which covers the five years from April 1. Total network
spending, apart from capacity enhancement projects, will be £34.7 billion and detailed plans of route spending will be published at the end of March.
NSE BALLAST: Network SouthEast-liveried No. 47596 Aldeburgh Festival was
rostered for ballast duties on the Mid-Norfolk Railway on February 22, pictured at Kimberley where works continue on new sidings to store Greater Anglia’s incoming fleet of units. Ryan Hayward
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8 RAIL EXPRESS April 2019
CORNISH OPEN DAY: Great Western Railway is to hold an open day at Long Rock
depot, near Penzance, on April 13, raising money for the Penlee Lifeboat station and the RNLI. Full details are yet to be announced, but a variety of locos and units will be on display as well as the chance to see the enlarged depot up close. A Class 802 set will also be named during the day. Gates will be open from 10am-4pm and tickets can only be obtained in advance via billetto.co.uk. Long Rock is pictured in February, 2018 with No. 57604 on shed. Geof Sheppard/Creative Commons
HEADLINE NEWS
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‘Deltic’ failure mars comeback tour DESPITE the best efforts of the Deltic Preservation Society in getting No. 55009 Alycidon ready for its booked tour on March 2, the loco sadly failed soon into the journey with a traction motor flashover. The UK Railtours/A1 Steam Locomotive Trust ‘Auld Reekie’ tour ran from Doncaster to the Scottish capital behind steam loco No. 60163 Tornado, with the ‘Deltic’ coming on for the return leg. It departed on time at 17.20, but was 33 minutes late by Drem and 84 minutes late on the approach to Berwick-upon-Tweed, where it was looped and stopped. Rescue came in the form of DB Cargo’s No. 67004, which took the train forward to reach Doncaster two hours late just after
midnight. The ‘67’ then hauled the ‘Deltic’ to Burton-on-Trent on March 4. The DPS said this was the first time its loco had failed since returning to the main line in 2012. The disappointment was made all the worse after a massive effort to get the loco ready in time. It had swapped bogies with those intended for classmate No. 55015 Tulyar, and had a main line test run from Burton to Sheffield and back on February 27, paired with No. 31128 in case of problems. All was fine then, and Alycidon was given the go-ahead to work the tour. At the time of going to press it was not known how the failure will affect the loco’s expected appearance at the North Norfolk Railway in May and June.
DBC’s No. 67004 hauls ‘Deltic’ No. 55009 from Doncaster to Burton Wetmore on March 4 after the ‘55’ failed two days earlier on railtour duties with a traction motor problem. The duo are pictured approaching Milford Tunnel, Derbyshire. Railtec Transfers
Northern Powerhouse rail reveals strategic plan Investment is needed now for an expected four-fold increase in journeys by 2050. By ‘Industry Witness’ THE Government agency Transport for the North expects the use of Northern Powerhouse rail services to grow fourfold over the next 30 years, to reach 760 million journeys annually by 2050. It also expects the decarbonisation of rail operations to be achieved by 2040. There are two aspects to these aspirations – the first being improvements to services using the existing network, and the second being future use of the intended connections with HS2 that will include building a
new two-track line to link Liverpool. The longer-term strategy aims to widen the appeal of rail through providing additional services and a network that is easy to navigate, thus enabling wider access to education, training, leisure activities and employment across the North of England. A number of benchmarks have been set for rail services, which includes a minimum service frequency of two trains per hour on all routes. There are expectations of average journey speeds of 80mph for long distance services, 60mph for interurban routes, and 40mph for local and suburban services. Passenger access to the network at weekends and public holidays is also identified as a current weakness, and future services are expected to reflect weekday operations.
Future planning will also be focused on rail freight opportunities, with major ports having improved connectivity and freight paths that allow a 50% improvement in average transit speed by 2028.
INVESTMENT SCHEMES
To support such a four-fold increase in passenger usage will require a significant investment now and a wishlist for the future, for which £39 billion has been allocated. Current investment is reflected in the content of the Northern and TransPennine Express franchise contracts and committed Network Rail projects. These plans include new stations at Horden Peterlee (between Hartlepool and Seaham) and Warrington West, with freight gauge enhancement between Doncaster and Immingham.
Investment in the period to 2027 is described as being within existing industry processes, and includes an upgrade to the Hope Valley line between Sheffield and Stockport to enable faster trains to operate. This remains a route that is operated by traditional signalling and retains a distinctly rural characteristic. Other routes scheduled for service enhancements are the Doncaster to Leeds (local service), York to Harrogate and Cumbrian Coast lines, as well as electrification between Lostock and Wigan. A new station is also proposed to serve Leeds Bradford airport. There is no commitment to reinstating the much-campaigned for Skipton to Colne route other than listing it as an opportunity to enhance connections to support industry competitiveness.
‘NOVA 2’ ON TEST: Training continues on TransPennine Express ahead of the introduction to service of its new fleets of ‘Nova 1’ (Class 802 bi-modes), ‘Nova 2’ (Class 397 EMUs) and ‘Nova 3’ (Class 68+Mk.5 carriages). ‘Nova 2’ No. 397003 was captured on test at Winwick Junction, north of Warrington, on February 13 running from Carlisle back to Crewe as 3H52. Peter Laithwaite April 2019 RAIL EXPRESS 9
HEADLINE NEWS
Like us on facebook facebook.com/RailExpressMag FIRST SHOTTS LINE ELECTRIC: Freightliner locos
IN BRIEF
No. 86638 and 86627 were the first electric traction to use the newly electrified line between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Shotts when they performed test runs on February 24. First No. 86638 ran light engine both ways between Holytown and Midcalder Junctions, calling at all stations, then the pair ‘top and tailed’ a flat wagon at full line speed. No. 86638 is pictured calling at Breich on the first run, the little-used station here now fully rebuilt after being faced with a closure threat in 2017. There are now five electrified routes between the two Scottish cities: via Carstairs, Shotts, Airdrie, Cumbernauld and Falkirk High. Network Rail
NEW PLATFORMS OPEN AT WAVERLEY
EDINBURGH Waverley’s newly-extended platforms 5 and 6 opened for use at the beginning of March. The east side bay platforms have been extended into the station (along a former taxi road, see photo below) to accommodate 10-car Class 800/801 trains. The work involved removing 16,000 tons of material and laying 7,000 tons of ballast for new track. Platform capacity is at a premium at Waverley, and the new bays will free up others for use by higher-frequency services to Glasgow.
EMT GETS EXTENSION
THE Department for Transport has extended Stagecoach’s East Midlands Trains contract by at least five months to August 2019. The franchise was due to end on March 2, but has been extended to help provide a smooth transition to the next operator, which is currently out to tender. The next franchise will be called East Midlands Railway and run from August 2019 to August 2027. Stagecoach is in the running for that too, competing with Arriva UK Trains and Abellio. The winner should be announced in April.
SCOTRAIL TOLD TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS
SCOTRAIL has been issued a remedial plan notice for failing to meet contractual targets in the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) results. These targets for the NRPS results were introduced to the current ScotRail franchise to reflect the importance of rail passenger interests. The remedial plan notice relates to the fact it will be extremely difficult for ScotRail to reach its overall 88.5% average target this franchise year, having scored 79% in the most recent results. It requires ScotRail to set out how it plans to put measures in place to improve passenger satisfaction results so passengers can make use of the full benefits of the current programme of improvements works.
RDG promises fares reform Passengers are put off by a confusing range of options. By ‘Industry Witness’ RESEARCH has been carried out among passengers by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents the Train Operating Companies as a single entity, to gauge opinion about the current structure of fares. It comes at a time when the use of traditional season tickets for peakhour travel is declining, and the RDG has suggested that what is described as the ‘cliff-edge’ difference between peak and off-peak fares should be abolished. Data collected indicates that more regular pricing of fares throughout the day would bring benefits in reducing overcrowding during the shoulder peak, which is generally before 16.30 and after 18.30. This overcrowding is an own goal as a result of a previous policy change, when the unrestricted use of the return part of an outward
off-peak ticket was curtailed as a measure to enhance revenue. The assumptions about season ticket use need revision as, in theory, unlimited journeys can be made over seven days or for the validity of the ticket. Journeys are also permitted between intermediate stations or on any permitted route, although outside the revenue protection fraternity there is little knowledge of what constitutes this alternative.
CONFUSION
In practice, however, a season ticket needs to be used for at least three return trips a week at peak times to give a saving over buying daily tickets. And it is not clear how to adjust the price of a season ticket if a number of journeys made during its validity are undertaken at times when cheaper daily tickets would be available. The research found there is a low
passenger satisfaction rating of 34% about the suitability of the ticket purchased, while 35% of non-users said that not knowing what ticket to buy was a deterrent to rail travel. Reform is also proposed by enhancing the use of ‘single leg ticketing’ that would reduce the incentive to purchase split tickets for a through journey. It is suggested that by simplifying fares more passengers would use rail travel, and that this would counter the effect of any overall reduction in income. It is also proposed that ‘turn up and go’ fares be reduced at less busy times to remove the need for passengers to make advance bookings to access cheaper fares for such travel. Although advance tickets are popular, passengers can be disadvantaged when the booked train is missed and an alternative full price ticket has to be purchased to travel on an alternative train that may well have empty seats.
HULL TRAINS HST SET ENTERS SERVICE
SET OC32 was put into traffic with Hull Trains on February 15. The set is made up of Nos. 41018+40718 +42024+42026+44034, the catering car and TGS having both been changed from the original formation. A second set, OC31, has also been reformed for Hull Trains, comprising Nos. 41102+40716+42506+42347+44002. However, in late February, this set was still at Long Rock (Penzance). See also page 79.
10 RAIL EXPRESS April 2019
NEW LOOK FOR LEEDS: Leeds City Council and LCR NEW WALL FOR DAWLISH: Five years after the line at Dawlish was severed by heavy storms, the Government has announced £80 million funding for a first phase of major resilience works, that will see the wall between Dawlish station and Kennaway Tunnel made wider and higher (to 7.5metres). The next priority for Network Rail is to gain funding for resilience works between Parsons Tunnel and Teignmouth. Network Rail
(formerly London & Continental Railways) have appointed Cushman & Wakefield to advise on the redevelopment of Leeds station and regeneration of surrounding areas including the city’s South Bank. The Leeds Integrated Station Masterplan (LISM) aims to transform Leeds into a ‘world class gateway’ providing seamless interchange between HS2 and other rail services. C&W
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