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STEAM LINES COULD FACE EMISSIONS ■ Hitachi to build
East Midlands ds bi-modes
CCRACKDOWN
■ Stadler
Class 755 debut
‘AZUMA’ MEETS MALLARD
TRAIN TEST: Northern Class 195 & 331 units
RAILS FROM THE AIR! Drone photo special
SEVEN FOR A SECRET: The Magpie mystery
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The
EDITORIAL
Editor: Chris Milner Deputy editor: Gary Boyd-Hope Consultant editor: Nick Pigott Senior correspondent: Ben Jones Designer: Tim Pipes Picture desk: Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schofield Publisher: Tim Hartley Production editor: Sarah Wilkinson Sub-editor: Nigel Devereux Editorial assistant: Jane Skayman Classic Traction News: Peter Nicholson Operations News: Ashley Butlin Narrow Gauge News: Cliff Thomas Metro News: Paul Bickerdyke World News: Keith Fender By post: The Railway Magazine, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 529589 Fax: 01507 371066 Email: railway@mortons.co.uk © 2019 Mortons Media ISSN 0033-8923
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Accepted photographs and articles will be paid for upon publication. Items we cannot use will be returned if accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope, and recorded delivery must clearly state so and enclose sufficient postage. In common with practice on other rail periodicals, all material is sent or returned at the contributor’s own risk and neither The Railway Magazine, the editor, the staff nor Mortons Media Ltd can be held responsible for loss or damage, howsoever caused. The opinions expressed in The RM are not necessarily those of the editor or staff. This periodical must not, without the written consent of the publishers first being given, be lent, sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condition or, in any unauthorised cover by way of trade or annexed to or as part of any publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever.
This issue was published on August 7, 2019. The next will be on sale on September 4, 2019.
Will the new Westminster team deliver rail improvements sooner, later or not at all?
I
t is too early to predict whether Boris Johnson as the new Prime Minister and Grant Shapps as Transport Secretary will be good or bad news for Britain’s railways. Unfortunately, railways and politics have become very tangled – there’s no escaping that fact. Leaving aside the more pressing aspect of the withdrawal from the European Union by October 31, the in-tray of Mr Shapps has a number of items demanding his attention. With new ministers in virtually all departments, there will be a spotlight on budgets as well as the promises made by the new Prime Minister in the leadership election. Mr Johnson and Mr Shapps have a number of key areas to tackle, including: ■ HS2: With suggestions costs have spiralled by a further £20-30billion, such news simply adds fuel to the cause for those vehemently against the project. Yet with rail patronage on the West Coast and its associated routes showing no sign of slowing down, what are the alternatives to HS2? Building more lines out of London alongside existing routes and motorways would be a minefield of objections, delaying the much-needed extra capacity well beyond 2030. Plus, if HS2 was cancelled, I’d guarantee there’ll be an awful lot of companies seeking contractual compensation, which will run into many millions of pounds for the Government. It’s a rock and a hard place for the decision makers. ■ The Williams Review: Keith Williams has already confirmed franchising is broken and there is too much interference from the Department for Transport, suggesting a more ‘arms length’ approach, echoing the era of the Strategic Rail Authority. Operators need space for more scope and innovation too, and less of the dictatorial approach to franchises or whatever replaces them. What I hope doesn’t happen is that his final report, due in September, is not ignored to gather dust, nor used as a door stop for Mr Shapps’ office. ■ Electrification: Development and the creation of a proper infrastructure for battery and hydrogen trains is several years away, yet cancelling electrification was a slap in the face for rail users whose lines might benefit. On the Midland Main Line passengers have been fobbed off with bi-mode trains, while at the same time London and stations south of Market Harborough have been relieved of polluting diesel because it will be electrified. Though supportive and encouraged by alternative energy options, there seems to be an element of all ‘eggs in one basket’ with the bi-mode approach, while this new technology continues to evolve. What the people of the East Midlands (and elsewhere) want – and fully deserve – is a clean, efficient electric railway, and it’s something Mr Shapps should plan for, as well as revisiting fill-in electrification schemes. ■ Ticketing: Passengers have, for a long time, been promised ticketing reforms, and the vast majority of passengers know it is needed. Last month I travelled from Nuneaton to Leeds. The price of an anytime return was £88, but I felt challenged to find something cheaper. Even though it was company business, I felt there was a point to prove about the flawed ticketing system. The result was four separate anytime tickets: Nuneaton-Tamworth, Tamworth-Derby, DerbySheffield and Sheffield-Leeds, at a total cost (with a railcard) of £39.80, a saving of 55% – and using
TRAIN OF THOUGHT
Editor’s Comment
exactly the same trains as the £88 ticket. The fact the sum of the parts didn’t equal the whole represents another aspect of ‘Rip-off Britain’, allowing train operators to pocket the money for providing nothing extra. How can this be right? ■ Timetables and information After the timetable chaos of May 2018, improvements have come, but in some cases, operators are not making enough effort. An example is the last evening trains from major cities. The last trains from Birmingham to Leicester as well as Nottingham via Derby, are timed at 22.22 and 23.09 respectively, and have hardly changed in the past 35 years – ridiculously early departures that prevent a night out in Britain's second city and making a connection from a train or flight from elsewhere. Several readers have emailed me about erroneous information on station display boards, where in one case the customer was effectively told to 'mind their own business' when he challenged it, knowing it was wrong. There should be no excuse for tardy or incorrect information regardless of source. ■ Rolling stock Very much in need of early attention by Mr Shapps and his department is the need to make some interim improvements to the CrossCountry franchise rolling stock. It’s now almost a year since the re-tendering was paused, and even though talks are said to be taking place, there is still no news of any extra rolling stock. Meanwhile, 200 HST trailers and 22 power cars lie stored, slowly deteriorating, so there is no respite for passengers on desperately overcrowded trains on all CrossCountry routes. On-going delays getting new trains into service is not helping to ease overcrowding, and where new trains have been introduced, some classes are displaying teething issues. What’s worse is the increase every month of new rolling stock being stored because staff are not trained, or they can’t be accepted because of technical issues. Meanwhile, instead of putting pressure on manufacturers, the Government shrugs its shoulders and says “rolling stock is a matter for the operator” in terms that would mirror an episode of ‘Yes Minister!’ I’ve seen the letters. In hindsight, when all this rolling stock was ordered, it begs the question why no decision was made to build a proper loop test track of four or five miles in length, to enable problems to be ironed out. Too late now: the ‘legacy’ trains cling on and passengers wait for the improvements they deserve. Some pundits are predicting the time in Government may be short for Mr Johnson and his team. Whatever happens, for too long the needs of passengers have been neglected, and regardless of which political party is in power that has to change. Passengers must always come first.
LNER, Editor CHRIS MILNER
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August 2019 • The Railway Magazine gazine zine • 3
Contents
August 2019. No. 1,421. Vol 165. A journal of record since 1897.
Headline News
EXCLUSIVE - CAF has completed the fit out of the first Class 195 DMU at its Newport, Gwent, factory. In this exclusive picture, set No. 195007 sits outside the factory on June 20 before initial testing and delivery to Northern. PHIL MARSH
Heritage steam operations under threat from new coal-burning rules, Hitachi wins East Midlands bi-mode order, PM backs Manchester-Leeds high-speed line, heatwave causes travel chaos, Greater Anglia‘755s’enter service and ‘745s’gain ORR approval, Northern‘Pacers’to run into 2020.
On the cover
MAIN IMAGE: National Collection ‘T9’ 4-4-0 No. 30120 will be one off the star guests at the Great Central Railway’s Autumn Steam Gala in October, visiting from its usual base at the Swanage Railway. STEPHEN GINN INSET 1: Northern's new CAF trains in the spotlight. CHRIS MILNER INSET 2: Could TV links have saved ‘Warship’ No. D829?
INSET 3: 150 years of Bath ath Green Park. Park
Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest 70 Steam & Heritage
Having been withdrawn by GWR in June and given a repaint by Laira depot, HST power car No. 43002 briefly visited STEAM Museum in Swindon last month on its way to join the National Collection in York.
‘Cromwell’ to be overhauled at GCR, broken piston sidelines Bradley Manor, Moorsline ‘S15’ on the comeback trail, Barrow Hill completes Midland ‘1F’ purchase, PRLCT to complete new-build ‘Patriot’.
76 Industrial 79 Steam Portfolio 80 Irish 82 Narrow Gauge 86 Metro 87 Freight 88 Network 92 Classic Traction DCRail Class 56s Nos. 56103 and 56091 power the 15.24WestburySouthampton UpYard used ballast train through Nursling, on the outskirts of Southampton, on June 24 - the first day of the new service. DAVID FLETCHER
Regulars 12 Multiple Aspects 12 Railways in Parliament 56 Meetings 58 Heritage Matters 60 Subscription Offer
Subscribe today to receive your monthly copies of The Railway Magazine from only £20.
62 Readers’ Platform 64 Panorama
Our regular gallery of the best railway photography from around the world.
68 From The RM Archives
JACK BOSKETT
95 Classic Traction Portfolio 96 World 100 Railtours 104 Traction & Stock
GWR unveils names for Class 255 ‘Castle’ sets, surplus UK EMUs to South Africa?, TPE accepts first ‘Nova 1’ and ‘Nova 2’ sets, Mendip stone test for Freightliner Class 70.
107 Stock Update 109 Traction Portfolio 111 Operations Panorama: A work-stained Class 37 No. 37272 pauses at Bodmin Road during a crew change on July 9, 1983, having brought a china clay train down from Bodmin General. STEVE IRELAND
116 Heritage Diary 129 Reader Services 130 Crossword and Where Is It?
The Railway Magazine's audited circulation of 34,543 copies per month makes it by far the
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Incredible to think that 123 years separate these two locomotives! The Groudle Glen Railway's 1896-built Bagnall 2-4-0T Sea Lion stands at Lhen Coan station alongside 2019-built sister Brown Bear, just hours after the latter’s delivery to the Isle of Man on July 8. The replica of original GGR loco Polar Bear (now preserved at Amberley), was formally commissioned by Tynwald president Steve Roden OBE on July 28. RICHARD BOOTH
Features
14 Seven for a secret, never to be told
30 Train test: Northern Class 195 and 331
42 State of the Art
Diesel historian Adrian Curtis reveals the story of ‘Warship’No. 829 Magpie, and how its links with the childrens’TV show of the same name could have led to it being saved from the scrapyard.
Chris Milner samples Northern’s new Spanish-built diesel and electric trains to find out if they deliver the expected leap in quality over their predecessors.
Nick Pigott recounts the story of the Guild of Railway Artists, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2019.
35 Droning on
50 Bath Green Park - some myths dispelled
22 West Highland celebration
Unmanned aerial vehicles, popularly known as ‘drones’, are bringing a startling new dimension to railway photography, as Geoff Griffiths shows.
Almost 40 years after his first RM articles on the Midland station in Bath, Mike Arlett clarifies the stories surrounding its opening 150 years ago in August 1869.
‘PACER’ REPLACEMENTS: Class 195 and 331 train test - p30
BRUSH STROKES: 40 years of the Guild of Railway Artists - p42
Marking the 125th anniversary of one of the world’s most scenic railways, Keith Farr starts a two-part study of train performance on the West Highland Line.
TAKE THE HIGH ROAD: Celebrating Steam on the West Highland - p22
August 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 5
PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURE
DRONING ON! The availability and affordability of a ‘drone’ for the average person has brought a new dimension to all types of photography. Geoff Griffiths shares some of his stunning examples of aerial images. Words by Chris Milner.
U
NTIL a few years ago the use of a drone was usually limited to military applications, but miniaturisation, coupled with portability, affordability and the fitment of a decent quality camera capable of still and video images has opened up a host of new options. Drones are gradually becoming part of the armoury of railway photographers in an attempt to get ‘something different’. Drones (also called quadcopters) are being used for an increasing number of applications – policing, surveillance, commercial, scientific,
agricultural, as well as illegal activities – but the amount in civilian use vastly outnumber military versions. To monitor and protect Britain’s rail infrastructure, Network Rail use drones for viaduct and bridge surveys as well as geological surveys. Their use on the fragile cliffs at Dawlish and Teignmouth has allowed a far greater assessment of the problems needing to be tackled than using an expensive and intrusive helicopter. The definition of a drone is ‘an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which does not carry a
Above: There’s tranquillity over Butterley reservoir as ‘Pacer’ No. 141113 crosses the causeway on February 16. Below: The autumn tints can be appreciated in this view of GBRf No. 66788 (ex-DB Cargo No. 66238) passing Bessacarr Junction with 6L61, the 08.52 Thristlington-Chesterton Junction aggregate train on November 8, 2018.
human operator but can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely’. Interestingly, their history can be traced back to use by the US Air Force during the Vietnam War.
RAILWAY ARTISTRY
STATE OF THE
ART Nick Pigott tells the story of the Guild of
Railway Artists, from early brush strokes to acknowledged masterpieces and now looking to the future as the group celebrates its 40th anniversary…
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