Rail Express June 2014 by Mortons Media Group Ltd

sPECIal TRaIN MaRks 25 yEaRs sINCE ThE sETTlE & CaRlIslE lINE Was savED

Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast

RAIL EXPRESS No. 217 JUNE 2014 £4.25

XP64

Plus

ThE lEGaCy 50 yEaRs ON

Whatever happened to the

revolutionary rake of coaches?

RE MODEllER: Including the full history of Covhop wagons

NEW lOCOs: The future is second-hand says GBRf boss

www.railexpress.co.uk

CONTENTS

Issue No. 217 June 2014

How about this for a bird’s eye view of the Cambrian Line? It was taken on April 22 by a webcam set up by The Dyfi Osprey Project in a nest to the east of Dovey Junction. The station can be seen on the far right with a Class 158 in the Aberystwyth platform, while Network Rail Type 3s Nos. 97302 and 97303 wait in the loop with the 6W16 Aberystwyth to Bescot autoballasters. Perhaps Monty the osprey was hoping for a rake of ‘Perch’ wagons? Thanks to eagle-eyed reader Richard Jones for spotting this. Picture: Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust/www.dyfiospreyproject.com

8 NEWS

Nationalisation? The future of locos; GE and Siemens want Alstom; HS2 passes latest hurdle.

18 S&C ANNIVERSARY TRAIN

It’s 25 years since the line was saved and what better way to celebrate than with a special train.

19 MOMENT IN TIME: RIBBLEHEAD

When two trains were last on the famous viaduct.

20 XP64: 50 YEARS ON, THE LEGACY BR unveiled its modern new image 50 years ago, but what was the long-term impact, and whatever happened to the rake of coaches?

25 0 TO 60: CLASS 168

Testing out one of Chiltern’s ‘Clubman’ DMUs.

26 MAIL RAIL GOES PASSENGER!

The former Post Oﬃce Railway in London could soon be open to the public under new plans.

MODELLING

Backing up our main feature this month, there’s a look at modelling the XP64 Class 47 No. D1733/ 47853, plus a full history of the versatile Covhop wagons plus all the latest news and releases.

35 PRESERVATION

Another ‘ED’ leaves preservation; full gala listing.

38 POWER BY THE HOUR

Colas ‘60s’ move ahead of a return to service.

42 POWERSCENE

A round-up of noteworthy locomotive workings.

28 REVIEWS

Line by Line - S&C; and The Toss of a Coin.

29 EXPRESS MAILBAG

‘Class 87’ on the Clyde; Colour-coding scenic seats; loss of 170s is the Government’s fault.

51 UNITARY AUTHORITY

London Midland gets its ﬁrst Class 350/3s.

53 SHUNTER SPOT

BR repaints for First Great Western ‘08s’.

30 TIME TRAVELLER

54 COACH COMPARTMENT

31 LU WORLD

55 WAGONS ROLL

32 RAILTOURS

56 IRISH ANGLE

Looking back over the past 50 years.

The ‘C’ Stock tour that very nearly didn’t happen.

‘KOyLI’ reaches Aberdeen; Class 92s in focus.

GA and FGW Mk.3 coaches to be declassiﬁed.

Devon & Cornwall puts new Railvac to work.

Closure threat to rural lines; boost for Dublin.

9 It’s 50 years since British Railways launched the XP64 livery and coaches, its attempt to bring Britain’s railways into the modern post-war world. Although the blue was later made darker, and the doublearrows logo not then officially launched, the train was the first step towards a brave new world.

Editor’s comment PRINT & DISTRIBUTION Newstrade & distribution COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. 01895 433600

Paul Bickerdyke

Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton Published Third Thursday of every month

Rail Express Editor

This issue May 15, 2014 Next issue June 19, 2014 Advertising deadline June 6, 2014

Welcome...

IFTY years ago, British Railways launched the XP64 coaching set in an attempt to bring the image of the railways kicking and screaming into the modern era. Railways were then under increasing pressure from road and air travel for the first time, but were trying to compete with an essentially prewar offering. The blue and grey set certainly stood out against the various regional-based liveries then in use. And, together with matching blue Class 47 No. D1733, they formed the template for the corporate image that was to last for the next 20 years and beyond. But it wasn’t just about image, as the coaches tried out various technical and internal innovations designed to make rail travel more appealing to passengers. Some weren’t a success – like the unusual folding door arrangement. But many others were, and the ideas were carried right through the Mk.2 era and into the Mk.3s. The coaches themselves eventually disappeared into the general user pool, and five even made it into preservation – although their future now is less secure, particularly as they contain asbestos insulation. It would be a sad loss though if at least one example could not be saved as a representative of this key moment in Britain’s railway history. The future of the XP64 loco is, however, much brighter. No. D1733 eventually went on to become No. 47853, which is still very much in regular main line service with Direct Rail Services, and we are honoured by it carrying the name of this magazine. The ‘47’ was new when it received the new livery, so it too is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. We celebrate both the coaches and loco in this

issue, with a look back at the history and legacy of the XP64 project, plus our modelling section takes a look at detailing this most unique of Class 47s.

Old locos for new?

It looks certain that No. 47853 will not be the only veteran loco in action for the foreseeable future. New European legislation means that after the latest orders for Classes 66, 68 and 70 are delivered, there could well be a dearth of new diesel locos for some time. The problem is that new laws on emissions mean any new locos will have to have additional exhaust treatment equipment that will be difficult to fit within the restrictions of the UK loading gauge. A solution could be developed, but at a price. Manufacturers will require a minimum order of 100 locos to make it worth their while, according to GBRf boss John Smith... and even then they will still cost significantly more than they do now. As recent orders have been in the order of tens rather than hundreds, in line with steadily growing business – plus with no real prospect of the need for mass replacements – then we can expect future growth to be handled by second-hand locos from abroad and the on-going use of former BR survivors. ■ Look out next month for another in our series of free supplements, this one covering 25 years of the Class 60s and how to model them. The issue is out on June 19, but why not consider taking out a subscription so that you never miss a copy. Paul Bickerdyke

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EDITORIAL

Simon Bendall Editor Rail Express Modeller Power by the Hour Shunter Spot Name Game Spectrum

Editor Paul Bickerdyke

David Rapson Powerscene

Christopher Westcott LU World (with Piers Connor)

RailExpressEditor@mortons.co.uk

Tel: 01507 529540 Editorial address Rail Express Magazine, Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ Member of the Professional Publishers Association

David Russell Preservation Railtours Unitary Authority Coach Compartment

Gareth Bayer Wagons Roll

William Watson Irish Angle (with Alan McFerran)

Independent publisher since 1885

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine? Why not just ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month

NOSTALGIA

The ‘carriages of tomorrow’ – the legacy of Project XP64 T

HE first decade after Nationalisation of Britain’s railways in 1948 can be seen as one of wasted opportunity – and never more so than at the sharp end of the passenger experience in the development of coaching stock. As the fledgling British Railways struggled with a life-expired carriage fleet, the introduction of the ‘standard’ Mk.1 coach – based on principles outlined by the Carriage Standards Committee of the Railway Executive – was an acceptable short-term solution. But the Mk.1 hardly improved on prewar levels of comfort and convenience, and there was no plan for extra facilities that could counter increasing competition from air and road transport. This lack of vision continued with BR’s upper management, who were unwilling to consider a new generation of loco-hauled coaching stock. This was despite increasing evidence from America and Europe that showed the clear advantages of using integral construction and modern lightweight materials despite their higher initial cost. The turning point was the publication of the Modernisation Plan in December 1954, which promised new innovative long-distance carriages. The plan led to the creation of the influential BR Design Panel in 1956, which reported directly to the British Transport Commission (replaced by the British Railways Board in 1962), and had the directive to promote high quality and a unified approach to industrial design. Importantly, one of its initial priorities was passenger vehicles.

1957 PROTOTYPES FAIL TO IMPRESS

One of the Design Panel’s first jobs was

A publicity shot looking into the enlarged TSO vestibule, created by only having an end door on one side. BR

20 RAIL EXPRESS June 2014

The late 1950s saw British Railways faced with growing competition from road and air travel, so it responded with the XP64 stock – which, as Gareth Bayer explains, became the template for development right through to the Mk.3 era.

Dawn of a new era! The radical blue/grey XP64 set entered public service on June 15, 1964. Its inaugural run was the 1A23/08.00 Edinburgh-King’s Cross ‘Talisman’, which is seen departing Darlington behind a smoky ‘Deltic’ No. D9014 The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, the coaches’ colour scheme contrasting with that of the locomotive. John Boyes/Armstrong Railway Photographic Trust

to critique 14 Mk.1 concept coaches displayed at the BTC Modern Railway Travel Exhibition at Battersea Wharf in June 1957. Built by Birmingham RC&W, BR Doncaster, Cravens, Gloucester RC&W and Metro-Cammell, these had a lower seating density than standard Mk.1s and were not a success. But the Panel considered the two Cravens open coaches – sporting wide doubleglazed windows and airline style and face-to-face seating – to be the best of the bunch. The next year saw the drawing office at Swindon commence development of what would become the Mk.2 coach. Swindon’s experience designing and building the Inter-City DMU sets, begun in 1954, had inspired a

Inside the TSO, which was designed to be more spacious and light than old-style compartment coaches. BR

proposal for an integral construction loco-hauled vehicle in May 1958, which was approved in prototype form that November. It was designated a structural experiment in order to gain acceptance, meaning no attempt could be made to introduce new ideas with the layout, which was based on the existing Mk.1 carriage. Meanwhile, after the disappointment of the 1957 prototypes, the Design Panel had been exploring alternative layouts and features that could be incorporated into future standardised loco-hauled stock. These culminated in two reports produced during 1960-61, which outlined a proposed coach that became the ‘Carriage of Tomorrow’ project.

The roomy first class compartment featured six adjustable seats with wide headrests and arms. BR

Desirable features included wider windows and wider folding doors with longer stepboards, an extended carriage body with less cluttered ends, a revised gangway connection, air conditioning, open-plan second class, a new design of seat based on ergonomic principles and the new Swindondesigned B4 bogie.

XP64 AT THE DESIGN CENTRE

Metal for the Swindon Mk.2 design was first cut at the start of 1960, so there could have been a feeling within the Design Panel that the opportunity to create a radical and competitive new vehicle was slipping away. However, work on its ‘Carriage of Tomorrow’ continued and industrial designer Wilkes & Ashmore was commissioned in 1961 to create mock-up sections of a First Corridor (FK), Tourist Second Open (TSO, originally described as an SO) and Second Corridor (SK) for evaluation. The TSO and SK were completed in early 1962, with the FK mock-up arriving before a much-publicised appearance at a Design Centre exhibition in London during early 1963. Named the XP64 (Express Passenger 1964), they wore a distinctive ochre and grey livery. A NPCCS (Non Passenger Carrying Coaching Stock) vehicle was also modified to test three wider door designs. In early 1962, the BTC approved the construction of an eight-car train – comprising three FKs (Nos. 13407-9), two SKs (Nos. 25508/9) and three TSOs (Nos. 4727-9) – for in-service trials and to gauge the response to the new

NOSTALGIA

Behind the restaurant car were the three XP64 TSOs, led by No. 4727, which had the same door positions as the FKs.

Immediately behind the loco in the inaugural working was a standard BSK, painted blue/grey to match the XP64 coaches, then these two FKs (led by No. 13408), a standard FO for diners and a RU restaurant car. Note the positioning of the doors and the yellow stripe at quarterlight level on the FKs. These three pics: John Boyes/Armstrong Railway Photographic Trust

features from customers and staff. It had already been decided that any future production coaches based on the XP64 would utilise the new Mk.2 integral construction approach. However, modifying Swindon’s Mk.2 design to include the numerous new and sometimes controversial features would delay the project by at least a year, so it was decided instead to base the XP64 set on existing Mk.1s, albeit with Mk.2 profile sides. Having initially considered MetroCammell, the XP64 contract was signed with BR’s workshops at Derby Litchurch Lane on January 25, 1963. The budget was £150,000. By the time construction began, the use of a Mk.2 profile had been dropped, although the body was extended over the solebar with a new corridor connection and larger vestibules. Larger 5ft wide double-glazed windows with a single sliding quarterlight would be standard, with a simpler roof ventilator layout and steam heating via J Stone & Co. pressure ventilation. The set featured improved thermal and noise insulation, which unfortunately for later preservationists utilised sprayed blue asbestos. One TSO (No. M4739) would also be shod with air-sprung B4 bogies, based on Southern Region practice, while two others would be fitted with bogie mounted AC generators.

INNOVATIONS INSIDE AND OUT

Recognising criticism of the 1957 prototypes, the three types conformed to Mk.1 seating arrangements: FK – 42 seats, SK – 48 seats and TSO – 64 seats in four sections separated by glass partitions. XP64 coaches featured a unique entrance arrangement, with two wider ‘jack-knife’ doors located at the centre and right-hand end of the vehicle on both sides, each having illuminated exterior steps. This door arrangement enabled a much larger vestibule and lavatory area to be incorporated in the vehicles, although they were still small when compared with today’s wheelchair accessible toilets. The compartment types unusually changed corridor sides in the middle, while the

TSO had both airline style and face-toface seating. There was also a new larger set of destination board clips, although they were later changed to the Western Region style. While the exterior was radical, it was the interior that was really designed to grab attention – making extensive use of laminated plastics, natural wood veneers and PVC. The major innovation was the use of glass fibre reinforced panels (GRP) for the seat frames, with ashtrays incorporated into the armrests. The first class seats were adjustable. GRP was employed for the toilet compartment walls and washbasins (either conventional taps or needle sprays), eliminating difficult to clean

The TSOs were followed by the two XP64 SKs, led by No. 25508, and at the very rear was another standard BSK painted blue/grey to match.

“While the exterior was radical, it was the interior that was really designed to grab attention” areas. The two toilets in each coach also had warm water, roller towel units, soap dispensers, electric razor sockets, pedal operated flushing and seats, and a pull down flap useful for baby changing. Fluorescent lighting was fitted throughout, while every seat had its own reading light. Each window had split blinds, while the seat backs in the airline style section included magazine racks and pull down tables. All coaches had a mix of smoking and non-smoking sections. There were also different colour and seating moquette designs used throughout to test passenger preference.

YEAR-LONG TRIALS

The XP64 set was completed ahead of schedule and made its debut run on May 28, 1964, with a press trip from Marylebone to High Wycombe and back. The experimental matt finish turquoise blue (not quite the same as the later Rail Blue) and ivory livery – with a dark brown

›

The revolutionary train made the front cover of our sister title, The Railway Magazine, on its July 1964 issue.

June 2014 RAIL EXPRESS 21

TIME TRAVELLER YEARS AGO... JUNE 1964

■ RAILWAY SCRAP BOOM: The reshaping and modernisation of British Railways was taking eﬀect, leading to a huge rise in sales of exrailway scrap metal. Figures released in June showed that 500 locomotives, 4000 passenger coaches, 130,000 freight wagons, four ships and 250,000 tons of rail had been sold the previous year. This realised £20 million (equating to £350 million in 2014), and even more was expected in 1964.

YEARS AGO... JUNE 1974

■ LONDON CALLING: Because of a

shortage of guards and drivers, 115 of the 4086 trains each day in the Southern Region’s London suburban area were cut. Further services were cancelled on days where there was no spare train crew to cover for sickness or other emergencies, as well as staﬀ holidays. An intensive recruitment campaign was run with the aim of restoring services by the end of the summer.

YEARS AGO... JUNE 1984

■ MORPETH CRASH: Thirty-eight of

the 76 passengers on the 20.50 sleeping-car train from Aberdeen to King’s Cross were injured when it was derailed at Morpeth at 00.40 on June 24. None of the injuries were serious, but the train driver suffered a broken arm and facial cuts, and he and two sleeping-car attendants were detained in hospital. The locomotive and first two sleeping cars lay on their sides across the tracks, another five sleeping cars turned on their sides after careering up an embankment and ended up in the gardens of two houses, and the last two vehicles remained upright.

YEARS AGO... JUNE 1994

■ FIRST CHANNEL TUNNEL

FREIGHT: The ﬁrst revenue earning freight through the Channel Tunnel ran on June 1 when a Rover Group export car train travelled from England to Italy. Using the tunnel meant that the journey time between the two sites took two days compared to at least eight when the train ferry had been used. It was powered from Dollands Moor by SNCF 222xx locomotives Nos. 22379/403. The trip was followed on June 2 by the ﬁrst intermodal test train of 20 vehicles, which ran through from Belgium to Willesden Euroterminal. This train was powered from Dollands Moor by Class 47 No. 47365.

YEARS AGO... JUNE 2004

■ LAST EWS MAIL TRAIN: The

last ever mail train operated by EWS ran overnight on June 4-5, bringing to an end a continuous operation almost as old as the railways themselves. Class 67 No. 67013 hauled the 1M78 from Low Fell (Newcastle) to Willesden, which had been the token sole working since earlier in the year to keep the contract alive while talks between EWS and Royal Mail continued. However, the good news was that later in the month GBRf began driver training on Class 325 mail units ahead of starting a limited service between Willesden, Warrington and Shieldmuir (Glasgow).

30 RAIL EXPRESS June 2014

ST PANCRAS THEN & NOW: The famous Barlow train shed was last used by domestic services 10 years ago, as Midland Main Line moved out to allow development of the station for Eurostar services. The event was marked on April 8, 2004, when No. 45112 hauled a farewell special to Leicester and back, then on April 12 MML began using new platforms outside of the train shed on the western side of the station. These would eventually be mirrored on the eastern side by platforms used by Southeastern’s commuter services to Kent via HS1, with Eurostar using the redeveloped main platforms in the middle from November 2007. The upper shot shows the old station in the early 1980s, which had a somewhat neglected air and passengers had to be on constant alert for attack by pigeons! It was taken about the time that the poet Sir John Betjeman passed away, a man who did so much to prevent the station from being demolished, and whose statue now stands in the redeveloped concourse. The lower shot was taken from the same spot on April 11 this year, showing the vastly changed atmosphere. There is a champagne bar where the former Platform 2 tracks were, while the undercroft has been opened out for shops, cafes and the entrances to the Eurostar and Thameslink stations. A Eurostar train can just be glimpsed on the far right, with the MML and Southeastern platforms beyond the train shed under the ﬂat roof extension. Pictures: NRC (upper); Paul Bickerdyke (lower)

LU WORLD

Christopher Westcott & Piers Connor

‘The C Stock Explorer’:

the tour that nearly didn’t happen WITH little more than two months before the 44-year-old ‘C’ Stock units disappear from service, more than 200 enthusiasts enjoyed a trip to the furthest extremities of the Underground sub-surface lines on Sunday, April 13. The special trip, dubbed ‘The C Stock Explorer’, was crewed by test train drivers and managers who have a soft spot for the units, having driven them earlier in their careers. However, a last-minute problem meant the tour very nearly didn’t happen. Arriving at Hammersmith Depot on the morning of the event, the tour crew discovered that no train had been prepared. Fortunately, there were two ‘C’ Stock trains on site, certificated to carry passengers. To their credit, realising that there had been a communications breakdown, the staff at the depot reacted quickly, putting one of the trains through the wash several times, while the crew cleaned and prepared the interior. The three two-car units chosen were made up of ‘C69’ units Nos. 5596 and 5560 plus later-built ‘C77’ No. 5727. The tour left Hammersmith 10 minutes later than timetabled due to congestion. En route to Moorgate, special destination blinds were installed at both driving motor car ends to denote the stations the tour would visit. The destination blind colours had a black background with white lettering, acknowledging the colours

Bond Street to be radically enlarged BOND Street station on London Underground’s Central and Jubilee Lines is to be radically enlarged as part of the Crossrail project, currently under construction. The station will become a LU/Crossrail interchange, which will see the number of daily passengers increase from the current 155,000 to 225,000 once Crossrail opens in 2018. The works will see a new entrance and ticket hall built to the north side of Oxford Street with additional escalators leading to new passageways. The project will also include lifts, making the station step free from station entrance to platform level. The original Bond Street station was constructed for the Central London Railway, and opened in September 1900. A new station entrance, designed by Charles Holden, was opened in 1926, however, this was demolished when the West One Shopping Arcade was constructed during the 1980s. The station itself was last refurbished in 2007, when 1980s platform tiling was removed.

As the run down of London Underground’s ‘C’ Stock enters its final phase, a first farewell tour covered the network of sub-surface lines.

‘The C Stock Explorer’ at Acton Town on April 13. Nos. 5596, 5560 and 5727 have just reversed using the siding to the south of the station, and the train is about to pick up its passengers again for the run to Northfields. Christopher Westcott

used by ‘C’ Stock trains prior to their early-1990s mid-life refurbishment programme. The Underground is not renowned for rail tours, at least as far as the public is concerned. With trains normally arriving at platforms every few minutes, to regular passengers every train is one that can be boarded. So, to see a full service arrive on a platform, only to watch it slowly crawl along and then accelerate away, resulted in more than a few exasperated reactions and arm

waving throughout the tour! The first port of call was Amersham for a brief photography stop, then Watford via the rarely used North Curve. Uxbridge was reached after reversing at Harrow-on-the Hill. The service then joined the Piccadilly Line at Rayners Lane, with enthusiasts detraining at Acton Town, allowing the train to reverse via 21 siding. Collecting its passengers again, the tour headed to Northfields for a lunch break. In the afternoon, the tour visited

Upminster at the eastern end of the District Line and ended at Hammersmith with much use of the whistle as the train entered the depot sidings, having raised £6500 for The Railway Children charity. Everyday use of ‘C’ Stock, which now only operates between Edgware Road and Wimbledon on the District Line, is expected to end in the first week of June. A final railtour covering the lines served by ‘C’ Stock is scheduled for Sunday, June 29.

Repaint for former Waterloo & City Line car THE only surviving Class 487 motor car, which worked on the Waterloo & City Line when it was part of British Rail network, is being given a cosmetic external restoration. Driving Motor Battery Second Open (DMBSO) No. 61 is the last of 12 units constructed in 1940 – it operated on the line between Waterloo and Bank throughout its operational life. Following withdrawal in 1993, it moved to the National Railway Museum collection in York, before being transferred to the London Transport Museum at Acton in 2006. The car’s external condition has deteriorated in the 20 years since it last received attention, despite being housed indoors. With rust having also penetrated some of the lower panel metalwork, the LT Museum has commissioned work to consolidate and repaint the exterior. The work has been financially supported by the LT Museum Friends and volunteers, and will

Work begins on the cosmetic restoration of former Class 487 DMBSO No. 61 at the London Transport Museum in Acton on April 14. LT Museum

see the car repainted into Network SouthEast livery. While there are no plans to return the unit to operational condition, the mid-term

plan is to return it to better display condition so that it can take part in any 30th anniversary celebrations of NSE in 2016.

June 2014 RAIL EXPRESS 31

Return of the legend as the retooled Farish ‘Deltic’ arrives Su pp No lem .1 en 22 t

DIESEL AND ELECTRIC ERA MODELLING

COVERING

THE

COVHOPS

Full history of the wagons and how to improve the Bachmann model

Remembering the EWS ‘ghosts’ as the Hornby Class 60 gets a makeover

XP64 at 50 – detailing the Heljan model of this most famous Class 47

Issue No. 122 JUNE 2014 Inside Rail Express Issue 217

The Covhops have proved to be a popular addition to Bachmann’s range of ‘OO’ gauge wagons. A particularly useful model for fans of the BR blue era, they open up a host of modelling possibilities. One well-known working for the hoppers was from Middleton Towers to Barnby Dun with high-quality sand for glassmaking. On May 1, 1982, No. 37036 departs from March bound for Doncaster with 11 BiSbranded Covhops. Besides the brake van, the train also includes a former BR fish van now relegated to use as a barrier wagon. On the right, Nos. 40012 and 40081 are stabled with the ‘Anglian Whistler’ railtour from Manchester to Wansford via March. Bill Atkinson FRONT COvER: in dire need of body repairs, unfitted Covhop No. B886475 is pictured at Middleton Towers in August 1980. Notably it still sports oil axleboxes along with its CCO TOPS code. Trevor Mann

Editor’s comment

Simon Bendall Rail Express Modeller Editor

Newsdesk: Latest developments

In the face of mounting costs, Bachmann announces an immediate price rise equating to an average of 20% across much of its range. There is also a look at the ﬁrst sample of Heljan’s Metropolitan Railway electric loco.

Reviews: Farish ‘Deltic’

Reviews: Bachmann/Hornby

Delayed from last year, the much anticipated re-tooled Class 55 ‘Deltic’ has now arrived as part of Bachmann’s ‘N’ gauge Graham Farish range. The BR blue model is examined in detail to see how it measures up.

Other new models to be reviewed this issue are a pair of Graham Farish Class 37s along with the Parcels-liveried GUV from Bachmann. Also new is an interesting pair of 27t iron-ore tipplers from Hornby.

WITH 50th anniversaries coming along on a regular basis at the moment, there are still some that stand out from the crowd. One of these is the appearance of the XP64 coaching stock 50 years ago this month, this bringing with it the blue/grey coach livery, the first attempt at a blue locomotive livery and, of course, the famous BR arrows emblem. Much parodied and imitated, it is testament to the design of the logo that it still lives on today on station signage long after British Rail has faded from existence. As a small tribute, the loco that had the distinction of being the first to carry it is modelled within these pages, both as it was in 1964 and then again some 40 years later. EXPRESS RATiNG

Modelling: XP64 Class 47s

With this month marking the 50th anniversary of the debut of BR’s experimental corporate identity, the Class 47 used to promote it is modelled, both as No. D1733 and, 40 years later, No. 47853 Rail Express.

D&E Files: Covhops

With more than 1300 examples built, the Covhops were the ﬁrst venture into covered hoppers for British Railways, helping to modernise the transport of industrial minerals. Trevor Mann provides a full illustrated history.

Modelling: Covhops

Released at the start of the year, Bachmann’s ‘OO’ gauge model of the Covhops can be improved by introducing some of the detail variations and modiﬁcations made across the years as this guide describes.

A breakdown of our new Express rating system

Modelling: Undercoat Class 60

The creation of EW&S in 1996 saw a number of locos outshopped in oﬀ-white undercoat following overhaul while the new company decided on its livery. Soon dubbed ‘ghosts’, the sole Class 60 is modelled here.

Modelling: Brake vans

A pair of ‘OO’ gauge brake vans are given a makeover and repaint to make them suitable for use on 1980s unbraked engineers’ trains, these being the standard BR design along with a late-build LMS vehicle.

Serial: JLTRT Class 50 #7

Painting continues on our 7mm scale Just Like The Real Thing Class 50 kit as further elements of the complex original Network SouthEast livery are added, this needing careful masking to achieve a good result.

Exhibition diary

Serial: Elcot Road #41

The not-to-be missed DEMU Showcase returns to its traditional early June date with an excellent line-up of layouts once again. Also previewed are the high-quality Wigan exhibition and a new event at the Great Central.

A task outstanding for completion for some time has been the installation of the ground signals; the construction of the Model Signal Engineering kits being detailed along with the method used to motorise them.

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Editor: Simon Bendall REMeditor@mortons.co.uk Contributing writer & modelmaker: Alex Carpenter Publisher: Tim Hartley Designer: Rosie Ward Reprographics: Jonathan Schoﬁeld Advertising: Fiona Leak Tel: 01507 529573, ﬂeak@mortons.co.uk Customer services, back issues and subscriptions: Telephone: 01507 529529 (24hr answerphone) Fax: 01507 525263 Email: railexpress@mortons.co.uk

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D&E FILES

5 The roof of the Covhops was a distinctive feature as these three detail photos illustrate. Picture 4 provides an overview of the roof layout, with the rectangular loading hatches, central vent and ‘E’-shaped catwalk all obvious. Picture 5 shows a roof door in the open position, displaying the strengthening ribs pressed into the door itself as well as the detail of features such as handles, securing clamps, hinges and hinge-stops. Picture 6 provides a useful view of the small circular filler hatches cut into the original doors, which were fitted to wagons in tripolyphosphate and alumina traffic.

4  portion of the bodysides, which

engaged with agitating equipment used to achieve complete discharge. These were originally only fitted to wagons allocated to the movement of commodities with a tendency to block the discharge doors, like tripolyphosphate or soda ash, and even those vehicles seem to have received just one coupling on each side. This must have resulted in difficulties as wagons moved between traffic flows as all later vehicles were fitted with two couplings per side. Many earlier wagons were modified to the same pattern but some inevitably escaped, No. B886007 (Picture 12) being one such example. The other variation in the bodywork saw wagons allocated to the movement of alumina and tripolyphosphate being modified by fitting small circular loading hatches, which were cut into the existing roof doors. This feature is clearly visible in Picture 2, which shows one of the modified alumina wagons, and on No. B886064 (Picture 3) in tripolyphosphate traffic. Moving to the underframe, continuing technological development saw the spindle buffers fitted to

earlier wagons replaced on later builds by those of the ‘self-contained’ and then ‘Oleo’ pneumatic types. Similarly, ‘Isothermos’ and roller-bearing axleboxes superseded those of traditional oil-lubricated design. As shown in the accompanying photos, earlier wagons commonly received wheelsets fitted with roller-bearings during overhaul but usually retained their original buffers. Despite the commitment to a fully fitted wagon fleet, which was an important provision of the 1955 Modernisation Plan, a vacuum-braked variant of the Covhop did not appear until 1962, the delay being caused by the sheer impossibility of fitting any conventional vacuum brake equipment into the restricted space available. However, in the meantime, some 655 examples were equipped with a vacuum through pipe to allow their operation in fully fitted freights and in the braked portion of partially fitted trains. Pictures 7 and 8 illustrate vehicles of this type. Eventually, just one batch of 120 vacuum-braked Covhops entered service in 1962. These were equipped with disc brakes and formed part of a wider trial that also involved fitting

M14 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller June 2014

similar brakes to 16-ton mineral wagons and to both 21-ton and 24½ton coal hoppers. Crucially, this brake rigging utilised a diaphragm vacuum cylinder, which was much smaller than the traditional piston type, to operate the calipers, which, in turn, applied the brake pads to the wheel-mounted discs. This smaller size allowed the cylinder to be located in the space between the central pair of hopper doors. Pictures 9 and 13 illustrate the two sides of this very distinctive vacuum brake equipment.

Liveries and lettering

In general terms, the Covhops were painted in the standard BR livery schemes. Unfitted wagons had grey bodywork with white lettering applied on black panels, and had black underframes. Those fitted with either vacuum brakes or a through vacuum pipe received bauxite bodywork, with lettering applied directly to the body colour, and again with a black underframe. However, because of the reactive nature of many of the commodities that they carried, Covhops received an additional coat of body colour, which often resulted in them appearing to be painted in a

rather richer hue than was standard. Combined with the effects of weathering and the lengthy intervals that elapsed between repaints, this led to many vehicles exhibiting a quite unusual appearance, No. B886310 (Picture 1) being a typical example. Again because of the nature of the commodities carried, all of the Covhops were allocated to specific traffic flows. Prior to the introduction of the TOPS system, the vast majority appear to have carried special lettering designed to ensure that wagons did not go astray. At their simplest, such brandings merely specified the commodity carried, as with the ‘Soda Ash only’ and ‘Tripolyphosphate only’ on Nos. B886310 (Picture 1) and B886064 (Picture 3) respectively. Other wagons carried lettering exhorting staff on the ground to label them back to their correct loading points, ‘Empty to Northwich LMR’ being commonly applied to wagons in soda ash traffic. Rather less commonplace was the combination of bodyside stripe and lettering illustrated in Picture 7, although at least one other example has been noted. Wagons allocated to the movement of finished product

Supplement No. 122

D&E FILES SUGAR COVHOPS The most comprehensive conversion of the Covhop fleet involved the modification of some 27 examples to convey refined sugar, 14 of which were vacuum-braked and the remainder vacuumpiped. Although the precise date of these conversions, which were allocated diagram 1/249, is not currently known, they are thought to date from the early 1970s. The work involved removing the roof vent, modifying the bottom discharge doors and, most noticeably, cutting two circular filler hatches into the original roof doors, the latter being sealed closed. The new loading hatches, which were significantly larger than those fitted to wagons in alumina and tripolyphosphate traffic, were sealed

using a ‘manlid’ similar to those used on pressure discharge wagons. However, the most distinctive feature of these conversions was their livery, which consisted of ice blue bodywork with the black lettering applied directly to the body colour, together with a black underframe. They were initially allocated to a flow between the British Sugar Corporation’s beet processing plant at Cantley in Norfolk and the same company’s York factory, presumably for packaging. They were also later loaded at both the Wissington and Bury St. Edmunds plants, again in traffic to York. The Covhops remained in use until the start of the 1980s and were brokenup in 1982.

One of the vacuum-braked sugar conversions, No. B870841, is pictured at Whitemoor Yard on a rather dull day in June 1980. The large ‘manlids’ that closed the new loading hatches are clearly visible on the roof-line and the modiﬁed discharge equipment can just be made out below the underframe. The attractive ice blue livery has unfortunately been partly obscured by an accumulation of grime but both the ‘Sugar VB’ lettering and CZV TOPS code are clearly visible.

A raft of six empty sugar Covhops is marshalled immediately behind Brush Type 2 No. 31250 as it leaves Dringhouses Yard, York, with a southbound mixed freight on August 16, 1977. This is an excellent illustration of the way these conversions operated; short rakes of loaded vehicles were collected from East Anglian beet processing plants by a local trip, worked in wagonload services from Whitemoor Yard to Dringhouses, and were then delivered to British Sugar’s York factory by another local trip working. 53A Models of Hull Collection (D R Vickers)

from the Steetley seawater magnesia plant were emblazoned with a green stripe, together with the branding ‘Britmag, empty to West Hartlepool NER’. Most distinctive of all were the Covhops painted in a company lettering style. Those lettered ‘BIS Sand for Rockware Glass’ are well known but a small pool of vehicles was also lettered for ‘Acheson Graphite’, complete with company logo, for movement of calcined coke from Goole Docks to Wadsley Bridge; unfortunately a usable photograph to illustrate this striking livery has yet to be located.

Traffic flows

Supplement No. 122

7 

Although the earliest batches of Covhops were allocated to the carriage of synthetic fluid catalyst and tripolyphosphate, the movement of soda ash was soon established as their most important use, with more than 700 wagons, over half of all those built, used in this traffic. Produced by ICI at Northwich in Cheshire and at Fleetwood in Lancashire, among the more important consumers were the glassworks of Pilkington Brothers at St. Helens and Pontypool, Rockware Glass at Doncaster and Knottingley,

At first sight identical to the unfitted Covhops illustrated previously, its bauxite livery reveals that this wagon was, in fact, one of those equipped with a through vacuum pipe. By October 1980, when it was photographed in Northwich Yard, No. B886848 was being used in general soda ash traffic from the ICI works in the town. Nevertheless, it retains clear evidence of a previous allocation to a specialist traffic to a Doncaster glassworks, this taking the form of a full-length yellow stripe along with the lettering ‘Load only to Wheatley Doncaster, return to Wallerscote Works CLC’ applied in black on to a yellow panel.

June 2014 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M15