FREE SUPPLEMENT! Route Learning: London to Norwich
VIVARAIL VISIT
A behind-the-scenes look at the ‘D-Train’
Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast
Roving the network At nearly £500 for a week, is an All Line Rover worth it?
Hello Tweedbank!
RAIL EXPRESS No. 233 OCTOBER 2015
New Borders Railway opens for business
40 pages of modelling ■ The Satlink wagon fleet in focus ■ Down Sidings: a simple but highly detailed shunting layout ■ Bachmann announces new DMUs
■ Hitachi Rail opens UK train-building factory
Issue No. 233 October 2015
CONTENTS
A GOOSEY GANDER: A great panning shot of the recently completed ‘Goose’ railcar at the Statfold Barn Railway, which is modelled on similar vehicles used in the USA. The SBR is an amazing private railway, featuring no fewer than five different working gauges that use both steam and diesel traction. It is open to the public on selected dates throughout the year, this shot being taken during the latest on August 8. Graham Nuttall
6
HEADLINE NEWS Borders Railway opens adding 30 miles to the national network; Hitachi opens its Newton Aycliffe factory; Wolverton Works to be rebuilt; Northern cities decide their future rail policy; Longannet and Eggborough Power Stations to close; Network Rail funding at risk in review.
14
‘D-TRAIN’ ON TRACK Behind the scenes at Vivarail’s Long Marston base, as its first diesel conversion is shown off.
16
22
ROVING THE NETWORK
28
There’s another scare for Tim Helme as he recounts his first trip on the Lickey Incline.
29 30 71 72
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DELTIC!
76
O-60: CLASS 66 How does a freight Class 66 perform on passenger duty? Neville Hill finds out with a railtour.
MODELLING We focus on the Satlink wagon fleet, showing how to model them, a layout featuring them, and a pictorial guide to the common and rarer types. Reviews include Kernow’s Class 205 DEMU, while Bachmann announces Class 117 and 121 diesel units.
£21.50 NEVER MISS AN ISSUE... SUBSCRIBE TODAY ON PAGE 78
LU WORLD The facts behind this summer’s series of strikes.
RAILTOURS GBRf and Virgin/DRS tours raise money for charity. Includes this month’s ‘Hellfire Corner’.
PRESERVATION Class 08s saved for preservation; galas buck the trend; Class 40 generator prepared for main line.
80
The fate of this fleet of just three machines rose and fell with that of Tinsley Marshalling Yard.
26
TIME TRAVELLER Looking back to events over the past 50 years.
An All Line Rover puts the whole rail network at your feet – but at £478 for a week, is it worth it? Andrew Rogers buys one to find out.
ONES THAT GOT AWAY: CLASS 13
EXPRESS MAILBAG
FROM ONLY
Laira ‘08’ haulage; Bulgarian ‘87s’; trackside weeds.
The prototype Type 5 is now 60 years old, which will be marked at the NRM in Shildon in October.
25
DERBY TRAINMAN & REVIEWS
POWER BY THE HOUR Class 90s replace struggling ‘92s’ on Caledonian Sleeper duties; Colas Rail expands Class 37 fleet.
82
POWERSCENE Notable workings from around the network.
91
SHUNTER SPOT DBS sells locos to HNRC and Traditional Traction.
92
UNITARY AUTHORITY Just eight Class 458/0s are left in service.
94
COACH COMPARTMENT First HST set emerges in new GWR green livery.
95
WAGONS ROLL HTAs officially modified for aggregate traffic.
96
IRISH ANGLE Dublin cross-city line to gain passenger services.
First Great Western Class 57 No. 57602 Restormel Castle rolls into Par on July 25 ready to form the 11.25 to Plymouth. An All Line Rover (see page 16) allows this and all the country’s other loco-hauled trains to be sampled within a week. Andrew Rogers
Editor’s comment PRINT & DISTRIBUTION Newstrade & distribution COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE.
Paul Bickerdyke
01895 433600 Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton Published Third Thursday of every month
Rail Express Editor
This issue September 17, 2015 Next issue October 15, 2015
Tweedbank: railhead and stepping stone
I
T is always great to be able to report good news rather than bad, and this month has it in abundance. Not only has the rail network grown a little larger with the opening of the Borders Railway in Scotland, but Hitachi’s manufacturing plant in the North East has been completed, and Vivarail has shown off the first of its low-cost ‘D-Train’ diesel conversions to potential customers. The Borders Railway adds more than 30 miles of new railway from Edinburgh to Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders, along part of the former Waverley Route to Carlisle. It has been a long time coming – campaigners would say 46 years, ever since the last train ran through in 1969. But now the wait is over, and the reopened line should give a much-needed economic boost to the region. Tweedbank will become a railhead for many towns further south, and the 55-minute journey from there to the Scottish capital offers a far better alternative to the notorious A7 main road. Should passenger numbers exceed expectations – and if the excitement at the opening is anything to go by, they will – then it will not be long before there will be calls to extend the line further. Hawick is a not unrealistic possibility at 17 miles further on and halfway to Carlisle – after which, perhaps one day the full route will be reinstalled. We may never see the likes of the ‘Waverley’ running through to St Pancras again, but if rail passenger numbers continue rising as they are -
now more than double what they were at the time of Privatisation 20 years ago – then there will be a need for new trunk routes such as a fully reopened Waverley Route.
A tale of two factories
Just a few days before the Tweedbank launch, Hitachi officially opened its new factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. When fully kitted out, the facility will produce the bulk of the Class 800 and 801 fleets for the East Coast and Great Western franchises, as well as 70 EMUs for ScotRail. These UK trains should just be the start, however, as the company hopes to pick up further orders from across Europe, its base here being for the long term. Meanwhile start-up firm Vivarail is busy getting its first Class 230 ‘D-Train’ ready for main line trials. These former London Underground trains, converted to diesel power, seemed a little far fetched when first announced. But having been invited along for a trip on board the first vehicle at Long Marston recently, they make much more sense. The units do look a little odd from the outside, but internally they are spacious and comfortable – a step up from a ‘Pacer’ in fact. And with a predicted shortage of DMUs coming in the next few years, then the company may well be on to a winner.
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
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LOCO HAULAGE
Rail Roving 2015 The cheapest All Line Rover is £478 for a week of Standard Class travel. More than a decade after his last one, Andrew Rogers takes the plunge to find out if it is worth the price.
S
O, I decided to do an All Line Rover this year. My first one was back in 1983, after which they became an almost annual pilgrimage throughout most of the 80s before petering out in the 90s with the rundown of mass locohauled workings. The last one I did was in 2002 for the final year of CrossCountry ‘47s’, and I thought that would effectively be that. I was tempted back again this year, however, with the growing number of new loco-hauled trains. Nothing like the old days, of course, but it seemed like
there were enough workings to once again do something different each day in different parts of the country, and I wanted to see if I could pull it off. Things would certainly be different. Back in the ‘80s you had to decide what to leave out, as loco-hauled passenger workings still covered pretty much all parts of the country. This time though, I would have to keep my fingers crossed that nothing failed, as that could scupper a whole day. It would also be less ‘hardcore’ this time, with more overnight hotel stops
ROVER ITINERARY Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday
Caledonian Sleeper to Aviemore (92/67), Fife circle (68s) Cumbrian Coast (37s) East Coast (91), Norfolk short set (37s), Anglian (90s), Night Riviera (57) Newquay, FGW short set (57), Dawlish (HSTs) G/WR diesel gala (various), XC HST Holyhead and Llandudno (67) Chiltern line (68s), FGW HSTs, East Coast (91)
16 RAIL EXPRESS October 2015
built in, although that is partly down to the fewer sleeper trains that run today. Some other things would be different too. I would still have my trusty copy of ‘Gradient Profiles’ and the five regional editions of ‘Miles & Chains’. But for the first time I would have access to the internet on the go, and therefore websites such as Realtimetrains and Freightmaster. I did some planning, built in some contingency in case things went wrong, then worried a bit about whether it was the right thing. Would it work out, would it be as good as before, and most of all would I enjoy it? But before I knew it I was £478 lighter having bought a sevenday Standard Class All Line Rover. There was no going back now, and so it was I found myself at Preston station one Wednesday morning in July, waiting for the 01.00 sleeper to Inverness. GBRf’s No. 92018 duly rolled in on time – a score for me, so I was off to a good start – and then we were
away into the night, making for the Scottish border.
DAY 1: SCOTLAND
I awake with a jolt at Carlisle. Because of the Winchburgh Tunnel closure further north, the train is split here, with the Aberdeen and Fort William portions going forward as normal behind the ‘92’ to Waverley, but the Inverness portion being diverted to run via Mossend and pick up its regular route again at Stirling. DBS No. 67011 duly drops on to the front and we are off again at 02.50. I wake again as we arrive into Perth at 05.00 and, as it is high summer, the sun is already well up. The aim of today is for me to have a probable last bash behind a ‘67’ on the sleeper in Scotland, as I doubt I will be back before GBRf’s reengineered Class 73/9s are due to take over in autumn. I am also after my first run behind a ‘68’ on the Fife circle duties. Surprisingly, the sleeper picks up passengers at Kingussie, which I did not
LOCO HAULAGE
Above: The evening full Fife circle working pulls into Burntisland on July 22 with DRS No. 68002 in charge. This is no longer considered a through working from Edinburgh to Edinburgh, so this is the return 18.14 from Glenrothes with Thornton.
HAULAGE BY CLASS 37 218/402/405/419/604 43 025/153/162/182/285/304/ 310/315/321/357 57 602 67 011/022 68 002/007/011/012/013 90 012/013 91 108/111 92 018 Plus: 20137, 24081, 26043, D7076, 37215, 73129 at the G/WR gala
The 07.55 Inverness to King’s Cross ‘Highland Chieftain’ rolls into Aviemore on July 22, with power cars Nos. 43310 and 43315 in charge. The Euston sleeper and King’s Cross HST are the only two non-DMU service trains on the Highland main line these days. All pictures by the author.
expect, and the guard comes round to sell tickets, so it is clearly allowed. It seems that the Down sleeper is advertised locally as a commuter train north from there, which seems a sensible move. More people get on at Aviemore, including some with bikes, but this is where I leave. I did not fancy doing a DMU all the way back from Inverness to Edinburgh, so opt instead for Virgin’s London-bound HST service, which I take to Waverley. Again, because of the Winchburgh Tunnel closure, the train is diverted away from its usual route through Stirling to use the single-track Perth to Ladybank line instead. With time to kill in the Scottish capital, I do a fill-in move to North Berwick for the line, which is worked by Class 380/1 EMUs. Then, back in Edinburgh, my interest is on the locohauled Fife circle workings. There are two diagrams that work morning and evening commuter trains; one doing a
Left: Type 3s Nos. 37402 and 37604 topand-tail the 14.35 Carlisle to Barrow into Workington on July 23. The lead loco and half-brake have since been replaced by a DBSO on these workings.
full Edinburgh to Edinburgh circle while the other only does halfway to and from Cardenden in the direction of the peak flow. I check Realtimetrains to see if both empties are running, and they are. The only thing is, it is not easy to cover both diagrams in a satisfactory way. In the mornings, the full circle working follows the Cardenden service into Edinburgh, while in the evening it is the first out of Waverley – and ideally it would be the other way round. Instead there is a choice of doing the full circle trip only, for the greater mileage, or cover both diagrams but with less mileage. I opt for the latter, never having had a Class 68 for haulage before, but again there is a choice. The safe bet is to take the first one to somewhere like
Inverkeithing, wait for the second one to Cardenden, and then take a DMU back to Waverley. I did not like the sound of that, so reluctantly flag the first one out and cross my fingers it does not fail somewhere en route doing the full loop. I then take the second one as far as Inverkeithing, change for a DMU to Burntisland, and pick up the first one on its way back to the Scottish capital. Luckily all is well and both locos behave, meaning the plan works and I get my first two ‘68s’ in the book. Back in Edinburgh again, I figure the hardcore move now would be to catch an EMU to Helensburgh and return on the Up portion of the Fort William sleeper. But that means getting back in at 01.10, and as I have an early start in the
“The Inverness sleeper becomes a commuter train north of Kingussie”
morning, I take the soft option of a leisurely meal and a good night’s rest at my hotel. Unfortunately I learned later that I needed the ‘67’ on the Fort William portion, which only goes to prove the golden rule of taking what you need when you can, in case you never get another chance.
DAY 2: CUMBRIAN COAST
Today should be more straightforward, as I am after the DRS Class 37s on the two Cumbrian Coast diagrams. Both were still being worked top-and-tail, although the first DBSO (Driving Brake Standard Open) was out crew training with No. 37401, so a start in service looked imminent. I check the newsgroups first thing and by a stroke of luck find I need three out of the four ‘37s’ due to work. By an even more amazing stroke of good fortune, the only one I do not need will be leading on services
❯
October 2015 RAIL EXPRESS 17
RAILTOURS Nos. 37401 and 37405 head past Battledown flyover at Worting Junction, Hampshire, with the outward leg of ‘The Bournemouth Flyer’ on August 22. Simon McComb
Mary goes south on charity tour THE second charity railtour organised by Virgin Trains, DRS and our sister title The Railway Magazine saw newly returned Type 3 No. 37401 Mary Queen of Scots paired with classmate No. 37405 to work from Chester to Bournemouth on August 22 for the airshow at the seaside resort. ‘The Bournemouth Flyer’ left at 06.17 and ran via Crewe, Stafford, Tame Bridge Parkway and Birmingham International, before running through Oxford and taking the Reading West
curve to reach Basingstoke for a run down the South West Main Line. The train was formed of 11 carriages, tailed by Class 57 No. 57307 Lady Penelope, which has recently been given new vinyls marking the 20th anniversary of its current operator DRS. The mixture of First Class dining and Standard Class seating meant there were around 450 passengers on board, and together the total sum raised for charity was expected to be around £25,000. After arrival at Bournemouth, the
train ran empty stock to Eastleigh Works where the locos swapped ends so the ‘37s’ would lead again on the return trip, which reached Bournemouth via Poole and departed at 16.52. No. 37401 had been specially prepared for the tour with black headcode boxes and Eastfield ‘Scottie dog’ logos. For the return trip, it was also fitted with small RAF roundels on the front nose to fit in with the airshow theme of the day. A fatality near Penkridge, on the line between Wolverhampton and Stafford,
meant the return was diverted from Bescot via Cannock to Rugeley, although this only added a few minutes to the journey time. The working attracted much interest at the lineside, with photographers turning out all along the route to see the celebrity loco making a rare visit to the south coast. Both ‘37s’ are fitted with mini-snowploughs, so these had been raised up as high as possible to avoid any possible issues while on thirdrail territory. Left: No. 57307 leads the empty stock for the return through Bournemouth on its way from Eastleigh Works to Poole, where it reversed – the ‘37s’ were at the rear at this point. Note the vinyls on the side of the ‘57’ marking 20 years of DRS. Paul Bickerdyke Below: A close-up of the nose of No. 37401 showing the headboard, black headcode boxes and RAF ‘targets’. Paul Bickerdyke
74 RAIL EXPRESS October 2015
RAILTOURS FORTHCOMING TOURS FOR OCTOBER Date
Tour Name
From-To
Motive Power
Promoter
1
Heart of Wales
Chesterfield-Llandrindod Wells
Unspec, Steam: 45407, 61306
RTC
1
Borders Line Steam Special
Edinburgh-Tweedbank
Steam: 60009
SD/SC
2
Murder Mystery Lunch
Victoria circular
Unspecified (DBS)
BBP
2-4
West Highland & Jacobite Statesman
King’s Cross-Fort William/Mallaig
Unspec, Steam: WCRC pool
SR
3
Buxton
Linlithgow-Buxton
Unspecified (WCRC)
NER/SRPS
3
Dartmouth Express
Poole-Kingswear
Unspec, Steam: 70000 or 70013
RTC
3
Tynesider
Cleethorpes-Newcastle/Morpeth
Unspec, Steam: 45690
RTC
3
Magnificent Settle & Carlisle
King’s Cross-Carlisle
Class 90 (DBS), D9009 (DPS)
UKR
3
Cotswold Explorer
Tyseley-Oxford
Steam: 5043
VT
3
Settle-Carlisle
Cleethorpes-Carlisle
Unspec, Steam: WCRC pool
WCRC
3
Lune Rivers Trust
Carnforth-York
Steam: WCRC pool
WCRC
4
Discover Folkestone
Victoria-Folkestone
Unspecified (DBS)
BBP
4
Borders Line Steam Special
Edinburgh-Tweedbank
Class 67, Steam: 60009
SD/SC
7
Cambridge & Ely
Victoria-Cambridge
Unspecified (DBS)
BBP
7
Borders Line Steam Special
Edinburgh-Tweedbank
Class 67, Steam: 60009
SD/SC
8
Historic Canterbury
Victoria-Canterbury
Unspecified (DBS)
BBP
8
Borders Line Steam Special
Edinburgh-Tweedbank
Class 67, Steam: 60009
SD/SC
9
The Dinner
Victoria circular
Unspecified (DBS)
BBP
9
York/Castle Howard
Coventry-York
Unspecified (DRS)
BNB
9-11
West Highland & Jacobite Statesman
Bristol-Fort William/Mallaig
Unspec, Steam: WCRC pool
SR
10
Wansbeck
York-Lynemouth/Boulby
Steam: 61994, 62005
RTC
10
Hadrian
Leicester-Carlisle
Unspec, Steam: 60009
RTC
10
Cathedrals Express
Warminster-Ely
Steam: 61306
SD
10
Conway Valley Explorer
Hereford-Blaenau Ffestiniog
Unspecified (WCRC)
WCRC
10
Scarborough Spa & Wolds Coast
St Neots-Scarborough
Unspec, Steam: WCRC pool
WCRC
11
Borders Line Steam Special
Edinburgh-Tweedbank
Class 67, Steam: 60009
SD/SC
14
Borders Line Steam Special
Edinburgh-Tweedbank
Class 67, Steam: 60009
SD/SC
14
Cumbrian Lakelander
Kidderminster-Carlisle
Unspecified (WCRC)
WCRC
15
Borders Line Steam Special
Edinburgh-Tweedbank
Class 67, Steam: 60009
SD/SC
16
Golden Age of Travel
Victoria circular
Unspecified (DBS)
BBP
16
Heart of Wales Scenic Rambler
Watford Junc-Cardiff
Unspecified (WCRC)
WCRC
17
Cumbrian Mountain Express
Euston-Carlisle
Unspec, Steam: 46115
RTC
17
Snowdonia Statesman
Didcot-Blaenau Ffestiniog
Unspecified (WCRC)
SR
17
Roman Chester
Scarborough-Chester
Unspec, Steam: WCRC pool
WCRC
18
Borders Line Steam Special
Edinburgh-Tweedbank
Class 67, Steam: 60009
SD/SC
18
Cathedrals Express
Paddington-Stratford
Steam: 61306
SD
21
Historic Bath/Longleat
Victoria-Bath
Unspecified (DBS)
BBP
23
Afternoon Tea
Chester/Liverpool circular
Unspecified (DRS)
BNB
24
Edinburgh/Holyrood
Manchester-Edinburgh
Unspecified (DRS)
BNB
24
Dartmouth Express
Slough-Kingswear
Unspec, Steam: 70000 or 70013
RTC
24
Cathedrals Express
Liverpool St-Norwich
Unspec, Steam: 61306
SD
24
Fort William
Polmont-Fort William
Unspe, Steam, TBC
SRPS
25
Discover Folkestone
Victoria-Folkestone
Unspecified (DBS)
BBP
27
Scarborough Spa Express
York-Scarborough
Steam: TBC
WCRC
28
Scarborough Spa Express
York-Scarborough
Steam: TBC
WCRC
29
Historic Canterbury
Victoria-Canterbury
Unspecified (DBS)
BBP
29
Scarborough Spa Express
York-Scarborough
Steam: TBC
WCRC
30
Spirit of Travel Dinner
Birmingham circular
Unspecified (DRS)
BNB
31
Golden Age of Travel
Victoria circular
Unspecified (DBS)
BBP
31
White Rose
King’s Cross-York
Steam: 60009
RTC
Promoter Codes: BBP – Belmond British Pullman, BNB – Belmond Northern Belle, NER – North East Railtours, RTC – Railway Touring Company, SC – ScotRail, SD – Steam Dreams, SR – Statesman Rail, SRPS – SRPS Railtours, TE – Torbay Express, UKR – UK Railtours, VT – Vintage Trains, WCRC – West Coast Railways.
October 2015 RAIL EXPRESS 75
TRACTION & ROLLING STOCK
David Rapson
Powerscene Our authoritative class-by-class review of newsworthy locomotive workings.
Despite DBS selling off 10 of its shunters (see page 91), a few are still in use including No. 08904 at Eastleigh, which on August 7 was captured in the East Yard by the station having worked a load of loaded MHA/MTA ballast wagons from Eastleigh Down Carriage sidings. Steve Stubbs
CLASS 20
BLUE-liveried Type 1s Nos. 20107+20096 were provided for the final leg of GBRf’s ‘The Noah’s Arc’ charity train on August 9, taking the special from Doncaster to Crewe. Another pair of Class 20s saw passenger use on August 28 when the DRS pairing of Nos. 20308+20305 took
‘The Torbay Flyer’ from Nuneaton to Kingswear (Paignton & Dartmouth Railway). Two days beforehand, Nos. 20305 and 20308 had been sandwiched between two independent snowploughs on a very early pre-winter test run out and back as the 7Z20/11.47 York-
A Type 3 and stock at Rhymney on August 19 brings back memories of the former Class 37-hauled commuter workings from here to Cardiff, which last ran in December 2006. This time, however, it was the 3Q01/20.55 Newport to Landore via Cwmbargoed and Rhymney test train working, powered by Colas’ No. 37175. Tom Dumelow
82 RAIL EXPRESS October 2015
Knottingley-York, while they had done a similar move on the 25th, this time taking two of the Beilhack ploughs to Knottingley and back from Doncaster West Yard. Equally unusual was the use of Nos. 20305 and 20308 on engineers’ duties, the duo taking an empty long welded train from Ulceby to Doncaster Belmont Yard on August 23 after overnight work. It was back to rather more normal duties on September 2 when the same pair of Type 1s handled the 6D41/05.41 Crewe CLS-Valley flasks, passing Bangor at 07.00. This was the sixth occasion that the pair had covered 6D41 this year. The quartet of Nos. 20132+20118 and 20096+20107 powered the 7X09/11.47 Old Dalby-West Ruislip on August 19, conveying LUL ‘S’ Stock Nos. 21477/78 and the same Type 1s took sets Nos. 21539/40 from Derby Litchurch Lane to Old Dalby two days later. August 15 found Nos. 20205 and 20227 running from Barking to Swanwick Junction in order to allow No. 20205 to undergo maintenance at the Midland Railway-Butterley. London Undergroundliveried No. 20227 returned to East London two days later and was next recorded heading for West Ruislip on September 2 in preparation for Metropolitan specials later in the month.
CLASS 31
SINCE Network Rail dispensed with its Brush Type 2s, only four examples of the once 263-strong Class 31 fleet may be considered worthy of main line action, namely Nos. 31128, 31190, 31452 and 31601. Of the foursome, No. 31128 has been out of action at Burton since March and No. 31190 at Washwood Heath since mid-May. On August 26, however, long absent No. 31452 was moved from the Weardale Railway to Washwood Heath for further attention, it passing Chesterfield at 18.20 behind ‘Grids’ Nos. 56103 and 56312. Therefore, at present, only No. 31601 (originally No. D5609 and new more than 55 years ago in April 1960) soldiers on, and as recently as August 27 it hauled Chiltern Mk.3 coach No. 10272 from Bristol Barton Hill to its Wembley LMD base and returned west with No. 10274. Earlier in the month, No. 31601 had powered the 3Q92/17.53 Derby RTCNeville Hill via Knaresborough on August 6 with test coaches Nos. 977985, 977986, 62384 and 9708, it returning the train from Neville Hill late the following evening. Then, on August 11, No. 31601 hauled four coaches (Nos. 1683, 3333/40, 5998) forming the 5Z34/09.59 Crewe CS-Leamington Spa in order to collect crippled Mk.2f FO No. 3386, which had lain at Leamington since
TRACTION & ROLLING STOCK
last December, for onward movement to Burton late that night.
CLASS 37
WITH the proposed No. 37025 unavailable, ‘The Bournemouth Flyer’ DRS/Virgin Trains/Railway Magazine charity train left Chester on August 22 with large-logo blue No. 37401 Mary Queen of Scots and classmate No. 37405 at the head of the train and No. 57307 at the rear (see page 74). The special was routed via Bescot, Coventry, Oxford, Reading West and Eastleigh. The locomotives ran well in both directions, although on the return journey an incident between Wolverhampton and Stafford resulted in the charter being diverted to run via Walsall and Hednesford in order to regain the West Coast Main Line at Rugeley. Thereafter, the Type 3s resumed normal service with No. 37405 accompanying No. 37609 on the Crewe to Valley flasks (August 26) while No. 37401 undertook an impromptu trip over the Settle & Carlisle line on August 28. Unable to haul its train north from Barrow, No. 37401 propelled the coaches (plus DBSO No. 9707) to Carlisle by way of Preston, Clitheroe and Appleby. Running as the 5V22 from Rugby to Bristol on August 31, No. 37601 conveyed six Motorail vans (Nos. 96602/5-9) ready for Colas crew training trips between Bristol and Exeter Riverside yard, which commenced on September 1. Now sporting West Coast’s maroon livery, No. 37518 powered the 5Z61/ 06.05 Carnforth-Fort William on August 27 with a single coach, No. 99371, for
The Cumbrian Coast workings have settled down to being operated by a single Class 37 and DBSO, but back on July 23 No. 37604 was top-and-tailed with No. 37402 Stephen Middlemore 23.12.1954 – 8.6.2013 at Barrow with the 2C47/17.31 to Carlisle. Francis Trebor
strengthening the shorter ‘Jacobite’ set. Two days later, the same locomotive moved the other ‘Jacobite’ coaches (there is only one train a day now until the end of the season) from Fort William to Craigentinny, passing stable companion No. 47804 at Spean Bridge on the ‘Royal Scotsman’, which itself was Type 3-hauled by No. 37516 from Fort William to Mallaig. Another West Coast Type 3, No. 37706, undertook a number of laser survey runs during August, and on August 29 ran from Southall to Lovers Walk, Brighton before venturing to Redhill, Tonbridge, Gatwick and Haywards Heath the following day. Recently reinstated to traffic, albeit without DRS brandings, No. 37422 ran light from Crewe to Norwich on August 14 and next day accompanied No. 37425 on the daily Great Yarmouth/Lowestoft diagram replacing No. 37419. Thereafter, Nos. 37422 and 37425 remained in harness throughout the month.
Name game LOCO NAMINGS
66058 Derek Clark Toton TMD 08.15 Named after a highly respected and award-winning DB Schenker engineer based at Toton who continues to work despite suffering from a terminal illness. No. 66058 was chosen for the naming as it matches his birth year of 1958. 73107 Tracy London Victoria station 25.08.15 Continuation of GBRf’s policy of naming locos after female staff members, No. 73107 being named after Tracy Naylor, a team organiser based at Peterborough. Previously named Spitfire and Redhill 1844-1994. 73136 Mhairi London Victoria station 25.08.15 The second Class 73 to be christened on the same day, this is named after Mhairi MacCallum, a contract planning manager also based at Peterborough. Previously named Kent Youth Music and Perseverance.
UNIT NAMINGS 333011 Olicana Ilkley’s Roman fort Ilkley station 01.08.15 Named to mark the 150th anniversary of the railway coming to Ilkley and the beginning of the town’s summer festival, the name being chosen by public competition. 365537 Daniel Edwards (1974-2010) Hornsey EMUD 06.15 Cambridge Driver Reapplication of vinyl names following repaint into TSGN colours in late 2014, these commemorating a Great Northern driver who was killed in a road accident. 378204 Professor Sir Peter Hall Richmond station 30.04.15 Commemorating the geographer and town planner who worked with the Department for Transport and Transport for London on various rail projects, including Crossrail.
CLASS 47
FOLLOWING a month at Barrow Hill, No. 47843 Vulcan emerged on August 6, running to Doncaster and then to Millerhill and Polmadie next day. August 8 found No. 47843 taking charge of the 1Z67/06.46 Glasgow CentralScarborough GBRf staff special. Upon arrival at York, stable companion No. 47815 Great Western was attached to the rear to haul the special to Scarborough and both Type 4s handled the return journey in top-and-tail mode. The following morning, GBRf ran another charity train bearing the title ‘The Noah’s Arc’ (see page 72). The
by Simon Bendall
DE-NAMINGS
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08805 37518 66200 90040 92024 92028 319425
Concorde Fort William/An Gearasdan Railway Heritage Committee The Railway Mission J S Bach Saint Saëns Transforming Travel First Capital Connect
Soho EMUD WCRC, Carnforth Toton TMD Crewe Electric TMD Softronic Works, Craiova Brush, Loughborough Bedford Cauldwell EMUD
08.15 08.15 06.15 08.15 08.15 -
October 2015 RAIL EXPRESS 83
TRACTION & ROLLING STOCK ❯ A great view of Freightliner’s Leeds Midland Road depot on August 27 as DRS Class 66 No. 66301 passes with the 6Z52/11.23 Holbeck Locomotive Sidings to Doncaster Up Decoy formed of two Kirow cranes and match wagons. Russell Wykes
86 RAIL EXPRESS October 2015
David Rapson
TRACTION & ROLLING STOCK
❯ October 2015 RAIL EXPRESS 87
Bachmann releases long-awaited Southern Railway parcels vans
No .
13
DIESEL AND ELECTRIC ERA MODELLING
8
Recreating S&T operations in ‘OO’ on Down Sidings
YOUR
40 PAGES
OF MODEL LING
STARTS
HERE!
Modelling the Signal & Telegraph wagon fleet in 4mm scale Lightweight cranefitted Lowmac and Bogie Bolster wagons
Multi-purpose ZDA material carriers with festoon lighting How to upgrade the Airfix Lowmac to today’s standards
Above: The name Royal Anglian Regiment has a long association with the GEML, first being applied to No. 86246 in April 1985 as one of the initial group of Class 86/2 electrics to take over from diesels on the southern half of the route between London and Ipswich. No. 90012 is the current holder of the name, and it is seen propelling the 11.30 Liverpool Street-Norwich past Mott Lane, Witham, on March 13. Antony Guppy
Editor Paul Bickerdyke Designer Tim Pipes Reprographics Jonathan Schofield Advertising executive Fiona Leak Publisher Tim Hartley Editorial telephone 01507 529280 Editorial email railexpresseditor@mortons.co.uk Advertising tel 01507 529573 Advertising email fleak@mortons.co.uk Subscriptions tel 0844 411 1111 Rail Express, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR www.railexpress.co.uk ©Mortons Media Printing William Gibbons & Son, Wolverhampton This periodical is presented free with a limited number of issues of Rail Express. 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.
FRONT COVER: A foot crossing at Brantham gives a good opportunity to catch dramatic images in the mornings. On April 1, the 08.00 Norwich to Liverpool Street had No. 90011 East Anglian Daily Times in charge of the former West Coast Main Line favourite ‘Pretendolino’ formation, albeit with the addition of Abellio Greater Anglia branding on the bodysides. Gareth Bayer
Welcome
THIS is the fourth in our series of Route Learning supplements, which aims to provide an indepth background on the operations and routes of popular freight and passenger workings, as well as some of the best spots to go out and photograph them. This time we are focusing on the Great Eastern Main Line between London and Norwich, where the express passenger trains are currently worked by Class 90s and rakes of Mk.3 stock. The route is longer than Paddington to Bristol, yet often wrongly regarded as more of a secondary route. It begins in the grandeur of the terminus at Liverpool Street before travelling through the London suburbs into the towns of Essex before reaching the ‘big sky’ country of rural Suffolk and Norfolk. There are numerous spots along the way to see the trains go by, and here we present some of the best to get you started. Paul Bickerdyke, editor
Supplement RAIL EXPRESS 3