Contents
February 2015. No. 1,367. Vol 161. A journal of record since 1897
Headline News
Frustrated passengers at Finsbury Park – see page 8.
Network Rail faces fine after Christmas chaos; Lorry fire closes Channel Tunnel again; BR green for Flying Scotsman; First SET train on its way to UK; Flooding shuts key Thameslink section; DfT criticised over Hitachi deal; Snibston locos’future uncertain after museum closure announced.
On the cover
MAIN IMAGE: The art of the possible…‘Black Five’ No. 45047 races through Moses Gate, south of Bolton, with the outbound‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’ on January 24. To find out how to capture dramatic night shots like this, without the use of flash, turn to page 39. ROBIN COOMBES INSET: The first of the Class 800‘Super ExpressTrains’is loaded onto a pontoon at Kasado ahead of its long journey to the UK. It is due to arrive in March. HITACHI
Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest 78 Traction Portfolio
82 Freight 83 Network
Northampton’s new station opens; Boost for Virgin’s Anglo-Scottish market; £16m upgrade for Fife line.
86 Metro 87 Railtours
Sabbatical for‘skirtless Streak’; 6023 back in June.
90 Classic Traction
Eye-catching livery planned for‘Deltic’; Two‘Deltics’for Bluebell gala; Unique Ford loco proves its worth. Italian ‘Pendolino’ farewell – see page 96.
62 Steam & Heritage
‘Patriot’cylinders fitted; Ashburton dream still alive after deferral; Island line to bid for 2-4-0T‘down under’.
74 Traction & Stock
Battery EMU begins live trials; Loco-hauled for Cumbrian Coast; £9m overhaul for Abellio Mk 3s.
77 Traction Update
Scrapped, sold, renumbered, repainted? Details here.
94 Narrow Gauge
Trackbed sale heralds Glyn Valley revival; Ffestiniog plans major upgrade at Boston Lodge works.
96 World
German and Italian‘Pendolinos’bow out; South Africa cuts back inter-city services; Advert liveries for DB Regio.
99 Operations
News from the train and freight operating companies.
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109 Heritage Diary
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113 Reader Services 114 Prize Crossword
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Closure of the Channel Tunnel to all rail services on January 17 due to a smouldering vehicle on a lorry shuttle led to the implementation of ‘Operation Stack’on the M20. This lasted several days with queues of lorries back to Sevington and delays on Eurostar services for a week. On January 23, a Eurostar set destined for London passes the queuing‘road train’at Charing, Kent. BRIAN STEPHENSON
Features
15 Freight survey: Petroleum, minerals and waste Paul Shannon reviews the current activity in the freight sector, looking at petroleum, minerals and waste traffic.
22 Off the Beaten Track
Steam locomotives turning up at unexpected locations - such as a B1 at Guildford - rather than on railtours, always got enthusiasts excited. Philip Atkins recalls some of those rare occasions.
STRANGERS IN PARADISE: Thelureofwanderinglocos -p22
33 Lazarus Lines: Telford Steam Railway
Cliff Thomas reports on the Shropshire line that is expanding in two directions at once.
39 How to take pictures of express trains at night - without a flash
Modern digital cameras coupled with high ISO settings can produce images that are creating a new era for railway photography. Nick Brodrick explains.
FRENCH FOLLY: Regionaltrainsassessment-p42
42 SNCF: Half a century of progress?
This month’s Practice & Performance looks at how France’s regional trains compare to 50 years ago.
48 10 Questions, 10 Minutes
This month, Steve Knight poses the questions to Neil Buxton, general manager of the community railway organisation ACoRP.
50 Pilot working
The lesser-known role of pilotman on the Newquay branch is explained by Craig Munday.
BYTHE BOOK: Theroleofthepilotman-p50
February 2015 • The Railway Magazine • 5
Multiple Aspects with Lord Berkeley NR deserve a break from ‘media hysteria’
T
HE media hysteria over the Christmas and New Year engineering overruns made all kinds of calls for changes in many areas, including the timing of blockades, the scope of works, the need for better management, the failure of communications with the public, the failure of communication between TOCs and NR, and the failure of TOCs to implement agreed contingencies. Some papers were even calling for the resignation of NR’s chief executive or chairman, or the ministers responsible. I would like to take a step back to reality. Yes, things went badly wrong at King’s Cross and Paddington, but we must not forget that there were a dozen or more blockades, including on the GW at Reading and closer to London, where major new works were completed on time. We must also not forget the
reasons for doing all this work: there is a backlog caused by decades of underinvestment (in the case of London Bridge, probably even 100 years!) coupled with a welcome increase in passenger and freight traffic, as well as routine maintenance, which all has to be done some time. NR commissioned a report which was issued commendably quickly (January 12), and appeared to give an honest and thorough explanation of what went wrong. I am sure NR will learn lessons from this, but let’s not stop them doing enhancements!
Battery power
I APOLOGISE for getting it wrong about Hitachi DMUs in the last issue. They are EMUs. I still await the first manufacturer to develop DMUs that comply with the
Euro IIIb emissions limits and fit within the UK loading gauge. The next best thing is perhaps a battery-powered train that can move beyond the wires. NR announced on January 13 that a battery-powered EMU (a Class 379 called an IPEMU!) would be trialled between Manningtree and Harwich, a line without massive gradients. On a recent visit to Derby, I was told by Bombardier that this kind of train needed massive battery banks full of, perhaps, thousands of AA-sized cells because the smaller the battery the quicker they recharge when under the wires again. A range of more than 50 miles under battery power is thus possible. This looks to be a much better solution than that of solar panels on the train roof, proposed by the Railway Forum some years ago!
Huge concerns over restructuring in France FRANCE is restructuring its railways again, with a view to ensuring that SNCF can run track and train with less competition from other operators. This is supposed to sort out its massive debt, but the result for customers and operators is likely to be very bad. Even the TGV network is apparently losing money, inter-city is in an even worse financial state, and a newspaper report in January suggested that in a few years’ time the only network of passenger services still in existence will be around the major conurbations, plus perhaps some TGVs. The situation is made worse – in Germany too – by the introduction of long-distance road coaches offering very
East Coast pledges
paths, access to terminals etc. Despite that, they are still managing to increase their traffic, often at SNCF’s expense. A new regulatory body, ARAF (Autorité de Régulation des Activités Ferroviaires), is becoming concerned about the legality of SNCF’s restrictive practices, and the ERFA (European Rail Freight Association), on whose board I sit, has made a formal request to the European Commission asking it to investigate the French restructuring.
berkeleyafg@parliament.uk ■ (The independent views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The RM or the Rail Freight Group, of which Tony Berkeley is chairman).
Railways in Parliament
DAVID Davis (Haltemprice and Howden) asked to and from which destinations there will be a reduction in the number of daily services as a result of the new franchise agreement for the East Coast Main Line. Transport Minister Claire Perry replied: “The department has contracted a minimum level of service to all destinations which is broadly at today’s level, with the franchisee having flexibility to operate services in addition to this. “There are also several notable enhancements to the current level of service at destinations, such as Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate, Shipley, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. “Stations such as Thornaby, Middlesbrough, Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Sunderland will receive InterCity East Coast services for the first time.”
14 • The Railway Magazine • February 2015
low fares. So what is the solution? The obvious one to me is to reduce costs of both infrastructure management and train operation. SNCF has very generous historical employment packages for many of its staff, including drivers retiring at the age of 50 on final salary pensions. So, to reduce costs, contractors could be employed to undertake maintenance and renewals, as Network Rail sometimes does. The French government could encourage more competition for freight and passenger train operation. There are freight operators, including EuroCargo Rail (DB Schenker), Europorte (Eurotunnel) and Colas, but they often report difficulties in obtaining train
North Wales signalling dates
IAN Lucas (Wrexham) asked whether the Phase 1 and 2 modular rail signalling upgrade in North Wales will proceed in 2015. Claire Perry said: “I have been advised by Network Rail that the North Wales Coast Line re-signalling scheme will be delivered in two phases. “Phase 1 between Rockliffe Hall and Llandudno is planned for completion in summer 2016. “Phase 2 between Llandudno and Holyhead is planned for completion in 2019-24.”
East Grinstead crackdown
SIR Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex) asked the Transport Secretary to refer Southern Railway’s operation of the Victoria to East Grinstead line to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).
Claire Perry replied:“The department is liaising closely with ORR on a range of issues concerning the performance of Southern Railway’s services, including those on the Victoria to East Grinstead line, to support delivery of the standard of services passengers rightly expect.”
Flexible ticketing
REHMAN Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) asked what assessment has been made of the outcomes of the department’s South East Flexible Ticketing programme. Claire Perry said:“The programme underwent a thorough review in the first half of 2014 to ensure that its approach and scope were designed to deliver the best possible outcomes for passengers and taxpayers. “Since this review, good progress is being made, and the earliest emerging outcomes are expected from August 2015.”
FREIGHT SURVEY
In the third of our series reviewing current UK railfreight operations, Paul Shannon looks at petroleum, minerals and domestic waste traffic. All photographs by the author.
The semaphore-signalled station of Lostwithiel is the location as No. 66147 arrives with 6G06, the 08.34 Goonbarrow-Fowey china clay train, on April 12, 2011. It’s a little-known fact that a small pool of former merry-go-round coal hoppers remains in service thanks to china clay; they were converted to CDA clay hoppers in the 1990s.
B
RITAIN’S railways carry far less petroleum today than they did in the heyday of the 1960s and 1970s, but in recent years the rate of decline has slowed and the traffic has stabilised at about six million tonnes a year. With a few exceptions, the flows that remain are regular, well-established operations that play to what is undoubtedly the railway industry’s main strength – its ability to move loads of 3,000 tonnes or more with a single traction unit. The main reason for railfreight’s small market share is competition from long-distance pipelines. The country is criss-crossed by pipelines which, although costly to build, provide a cheap and safe distribution network once they are up and running. There has also been a trend away from small regional distribution depots, which used to be fed by rail and would then supply local customers by road; in many cases it has become more cost-effective to use road tankers all the way from the refinery to the customer. Lindsey refinery, located at Immingham, is by far the biggest source of rail-borne petroleum traffic today. Opened in 1968, it has a total
refining capacity of 11million tonnes a year. Lindsey was originally a Fina/Total joint venture but has been wholly owned by Total since 1999. DB Schenker has been the main railfreight operator at Lindsey for some years, but GB
Railfreight started a new flow in 2011 and Colas Rail has recently taken over one of the DBS contracts. The biggest single rail flow out of Lindsey runs to Kingsbury storage depot in Warwickshire
West Wales petroleum traffic faces an uncertain future with the run-down of operations at Robeston refinery. On July 24, 2014, DBS No. 60019 passes East Usk Junction with 6B33, the 13.00 Theale-Robeston empty tank train.
February 2015 • The Railway Magazine • 15
STEAM RARITIES ere is nothing like a locomotive in a totally unexpected location to quicken the pulse of a rail enthusiast. Railtours have made such occurrences common in recent decades, but there have been numerous instances in the normal course of operations or as the result of diversions and non-enthusiast charters. Philip Atkins trawls the lesser-known files of railway history to find engines…
OFF THE
BEATEN TRACK T
HE summer of 1964 saw the final workings of Western Region 4-6-0s from Banbury to Leicester and Nottingham on former Great Central metals. For quite a few years, such operations had invariably been in the hands of ‘Halls’, but owing to exceptional operating circumstances in August 1959, No. 6979 Helperly Hall progressed on two successive days as far north as York! In March 1964, No. 7912 Little Linford Hall had worked to Sheffield, but August 15 that year witnessed the hitherto unprecedented employment of a ‘Grange’ on the duty. For reasons that are not entirely clear, No. 6858 Woolston Grange was put on a train to Leeds, but had to be detached at Huddersfield after one of its cylinder casings struck a platform edge at Sheffield Victoria and elsewhere, at Berry Brow for instance, during its extraordinary progress through Yorkshire. The surprise visitor was placed onto
Huddersfield’s Hillhouse engine shed, where it remained for two weeks until the authorities had worked out how to get it back to the Western Region without further mishap. It eventually left for Crewe as an out-of-gauge load. Local enthusiasts have never forgotten it. Diagrams such as those had their origins in the opening of the Woodford-Banbury line by the Great Central Railway in 1900, after which the GWR began running daily passenger trains through to Leicester. Before 1914, they were frequently hauled by elegant Dean 4-2-2s, but during the 1930s, ‘Star’ and more occasionally even ‘Castle’ class 4-6-0s appeared in Leicester, sometimes working on to Nottingham Victoria. In February 1937, there was a most astonishing incident when two ‘Castles’ arrived in Nottingham and both were sent to Grantham for turning – no doubt giving seasoned travellers and enthusiasts at places like Bottesford, and on the East Coast
Main Line, an acute shock in the process! As can be seen from the photograph on page 25, the Victoria turntable was slightly too short for a ‘Castle’, but it is not known why they went to Grantham as the big depots at Colwick and Annesley would have been far more convenient. Another exceptional working took place on December 7, 1964, when one of the last five surviving Gresley A3s, No. 60112 St Simon, worked a freight from Derby to Cricklewood. It is generally believed that this occurred only because its identity had been confused over the telephone with that of ‘Royal Scot’ No. 46112 Sherwood Forester! However, it still begs the
‘Jubilee’ No. 45595 Southern Rhodesia is well away from its normal haunts as it passes Branksome station, Dorset, with a pigeon special on September 7, 1964. GAVIN MORRISON
22 • The Railway Magazine • February 2015
EXPLANATORY NOTE Engines being deliberately worked off the beaten track as a result of locomotive exchanges, works visits or rail enthusiast charters have not been included in this feature (although due to the scarcity of illustrations for an article such as this, one or two of the photos do depict such instances). Also not included in the main text are official reallocations (for example when two Western Region pannier tanks were transferred to Scotland) or temporary loans – e.g. to cover for short-term shortages or to stand in for fleets taken out of service for safety checks. Engines in exceptional places as a result of wartime emergencies and suchlike are also not covered as it is hoped to deal with such examples at a later date. Left: Consternation among the staff at Huddersfield’s Hillhouse shed on August 15, 1964 as they contemplate what to do with ex-GWR No. 6858 Woolston Grange. Seconds after taking this picture, the photographer was ejected from the depot by an angry foreman. GAVIN MORRISON Below: A Western Region loco even further north! No. 6979 Helperly Hall rubs shoulders at York on August 23, 1959 with ex-LNER B16 4-6-0 No. 61417 and ex-LMS 0-6-0 No. 44249. KEN FAIREY/COLOUR-RAIL.COM
question of how such a rarity as an A3 at so late a date came to be at Derby in the first place? Just days later, No. 60112 was withdrawn, having starred in what was probably just about the last genuinely unusual steam locomotive working on British Railways. Many other strange runs took place before the end of BR steam in 1968, of course, but most were as a result of deliberate ‘rare motive power’ railtours laid on for the benefit of enthusiasts. This article concentrates mainly on generally unexpected occurrences in which locos or classes broke new ground, such as the time in June 1964 when Thompson B1 No. 61313 powered a pigeon special to
Off the beaten track... and how! Eastern Region B1 No. 61313 of Canklow depot (41D) calls at Guildford with a pigeon special to Lewes in June 1964. A F HUDSON/COLOUR-RAIL.COM
February 2015 • The Railway Magazine • 23
RAILWAY JOBS
Pilot working
on the Newquay line
In our occasional series on the lesser-known aspects of the rail industry, Craig Munday explains the role of the pilotman and describes a day when he had to perform such a duty on Cornwall’s uniquely operated Newquay line. All pictures by the author.
T
HE term ‘pilotman’ is normally associated with nautical matters, but the railway industry has employed them for many years. There are two principal modes of working in which a pilotman is deployed; firstly, single-line working on a double or multi-track railway. This occurs when one line becomes obstructed or unusable and trains have to proceed over the other in each direction. In such cases, a pilotman is appointed to personally authorise the movements. The second situation in which a pilot would be used would be when the signalling, token or track-circuiting system on a singletrack route or a bi-directional section is out of action for any reason. In both cases, the purpose is to effectively ‘replace the token’ and thus avoid the risk of a head-on collision. Persons appointed to pilot trains must not only be qualified to do so but must have a good geographic knowledge of the section concerned. They are appointed by the regional operations manager and are normally drawn from the ranks of mobile operations managers or experienced signalmen. A pilot must wear a red armlet on the left arm with the word Pilotman printed upon it and in many – but not all – cases, he rides with the driver on the footplate and authorises him or her to enter the affected portion of line, providing guidance and advice whenever necessary. To replace the token, the pilotman issues the driver with a ticket to traverse the affected
section, which is then cancelled immediately upon the train’s exit from that section. Cornwall’s Newquay line is now unique in being the last section of track in the former Western Region signalled by the electric token system between two signalboxes. There are other token sections, on the Looe branch for instance, but they are not between signalboxes. The ’boxes at St Blazey and Goonbarrow Junction have bright red Tyler & Co token instruments with key-like metal tokens, which are withdrawn by the signalman and given to each driver entering the section. Each signalbox also has a block bell by which to communicate. Only one token may be withdrawn at a time, but there are several tokens… to enable a procession of trains to run in one direction should that ever be necessary. Normally on the Newquay line, only two trains are likely run in the same direction. In February 2014, a cable fault with the token system resulted in pilot working of single lines being instituted between St Blazey and Goonbarrow. I was appointed pilotman at 06.00 and arrived with the signalman at St Blazey ’box ready to see the first train through the section. I dictated forms for both signalmen affected, completed my own form and then pulled on my armband. Shortly afterwards, the first train squealed around the corner from Par – an empty clay train from Fowey docks. The locomotive was No. 66006, a DB Schenker Type 5 with 38 CDA wagons in tow and its driver was expecting to collect a
Left: Author Craig Munday removes a single line token from the machine in Goonbarrow Junction signalbox.
50 • The Railway Magazine • February 2015
token for the section, as usual. Instead, he encountered me with a form! His name was Steve and I made my way through the narrow corridor into the warm cab to give him the instructions and ticket. The semaphore signal controlling the start of the electric token section loomed ahead with a red aspect, but we were authorised to pass SB36 signal 1 as the barriers were down and I was present. The horn croaked out as we passed the signal and the note of the engine changed acutely as full power was applied up the Luxulyan valley. The powerful headlights illuminated debris and detritus of recent storms as we made our way past trees and rock faces and then soared over fragile-looking trestle bridges spanning the valley floor. The trackbed seemed to cling in places to a mere strip of land. The dilemma of a freight train derailment a good few years ago brought home what a logistical nightmare recovering it must have been. The roaring of the power unit behind us was punctuated by the vigilance bleeper every minute or so and Steve lifted his foot from the
The view from the top of Treffry aqueduct as DBS Class 66 No. 66104 drifts downgrade on the Newquay branch with loaded CDA wagons on December 6, 2012.
driver safety device pedal and replaced it to satisfy the demand. The automatic warning system (AWS) ramps in the track also caused alarms, which Steve had to cancel to prevent the brakes being applied. The engine pitch changed from time to time as the weight of the empty wagons nestled behind us, causing a gentle rocking or hunting as it did so. We passed through the rock structure of Luxulyan cutting and tunnel and the unlit, rather desolate Luxulyan station. The AWS ramp cancellation for Goonbarrow’s fixed distant board heralded our journey’s end. The wagons bucked but complied as the brakes came on through the whole train, an action that took a few seconds. The bright green semaphore lamp of signal No. G1 guided us towards the signalbox, brightly lit in the distance. I cancelled Steve’s ticket and hopped down from the loco to phone the St Blazey signalman and inform him that I had arrived at Goonbarrow. My next move would be the loaded clay train return. Daylight had pierced the darkness by the time the loaded train was ready to leave. This time the brakes would be the key equipment,
No. 153380 heads for Middleway CCTV crossing at St Blazey with the 09.17 Par-Newquay on a sunny frosty December 12, 2012. The down main signal SB38 is cleared for the train to proceed. The signal in the foreground is a short (freight) semaphore, for moves from the down main to up main, mainly departures from St Blazey yard. There is also a shunt disc, just visible for shunt moves into St Blazey yard.
February 2015 • The Railway Magazine • 51
Classic Traction Track Record COMPILED BY
PETER NICHOLSON
Call: 01507 529589 email: classic.traction @btopenworld.com
Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly-competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM.
‘Brighton Belle’ comeback confirmed
THE return to the main line of the‘Brighton Belle’allPullman EMU (RM Dec, p93) is on track for the first three cars to operate as a short unit. Final approval is set for the autumn, following main line testing. The remaining three cars will be phased into service subsequently.
‘Deltic’s’ diamond jubilee celebrated
PROTOTYPE English Electric loco Deltic is visiting the Ribble Steam Railway again this year. It will be the centrepiece of an event during an‘anything goes’ weekend on May 16-17 to mark its 60th anniversary.
Indomitable defeated
CLASS 50 No. 50026 Indomitable failed during testing at the Dartmoor Railway prior to working any ‘Polar Expresses’(RM January, p91). It was returned to Eastleigh on December 5 by DCR Class 31 No. 31601.
Rare diesels to visit Barrow Hill
A BARROW Hill‘rarities’event on April 18-19 will feature representatives of diesel classes not normally seen at the roundhouse.
Didcot diesel and real ale! A DIESEL gala has become a regular fixture at the Didcot Railway Centre and the 2015 event will be held on May 23-25, including a real ale festival. The gala is held two weeks after Swanage Railway’s gala and is attended by some of that railway’s visiting locos. Didcot’s 2015 timetable shows regular heritage diesel days when Swindon-built Class 14 No. D9516 or ex-GWR AEC railcar No. 22 will be running on the main demonstration line. Dates are April 11-12, 25-26, May 9-10, 16-17, and September 19-20, 26-7. In addition, April 18-19 is a special weekend marking railcar No. 22’s 75th birthday.
55022toget‘eye-catching’ liveryaftertyre-turning CLASS 55 No. 55022 Royal Scots Grey visited East Coast Trains’ Craigentinny depot, Edinburgh, on December 30 for tyre-turning. It was the first time for more than 10 years that this had become necessary on the former East Coast thoroughbred. One tyre had a minor flat spot, and the flanges were nearing their minimum operational thickness. Ultrasonic testing of the axles and bogie equalising beams was also carried out, along with speedometer calibration, as is necessary after tyre-turning. Following a successful fitness-to-run examination on January 7 the loco departed Craigentinny, running light the next day to Glasgow Works, Springburn, where it is to receive corrosion repairs and be repainted, but in what livery has not been stated by the owners, except to say it will be ‘eye-catching’. The work was due to start on January 19 and was expected to take about three weeks, after which it will return to main line duties in Scotland with GB Railfreight.
‘Deltic’No. 55022 Royal Scots Grey being positioned on the wheel lathe at Craigentinny on December 30 by the resident 4wBE lathe loco (Windhoff 101005675/10 of 2008). There are a number of remotely controlled locos of this type and similar (by other loco builders) in use at main line depots throughout the UK. MARTIN WALKER
Two‘Deltics’forBluebellgala THE Bluebell Railway’s nowannual diesel gala, on April 18-19, features two Class 55s from the Deltic Preservation Society. No. D9009 Alycidon and 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier are due to arrive via the railway’s
main line connection at East Grinstead on April 17. A two-train service will be in operation both days of the gala, with the locos switching diagrams on the Sunday. Further details of the weekend will be released nearer the event.
Ruston & Hornsby pressed into service by AvonValley THE Avon Valley Railway top-and-tailed all its trains with varying combinations of motive power every weekend in December, not always as planned. On the 20th, the 14.15 from Bitton was scheduled to be with Class 31 No. 31130 and London Transport red-liveried Prairie tank No. L150, However, a brake problem occurred with the GWR 2-6-2T, which needed to be replaced at short notice by 0-6-0DH River Annan (LSSH class Ruston & Hornsby 466618 of 1961), also in red livery. This provided the rare sight of such a loco heading a packed seven-coach train. It is seen leaving Bitton for Oldland Common 20 minutes late. The steam loco was back in action for the following service. Picture: PETER NICHOLSON
Chinnor Clayton on Christmas specials
THE Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway made good use of the unique Clayton Class 17 No. D8568 over the
90 • The Railway Magazine • February 2015
Christmas and New Year period, top-and-tailing with a steam loco. Here, the gateman is safely back on board at
Horsenden Lane crossing, the right away is being given by the guard to its driver and that of the leading engine, pannier
tank No. 1369, while operating a ‘mince pie’ special on December 30.
Picture: ANDREW ROYLE
Have you got a story for us? Email: railway@mortons.co.uk
First Swanage visitor announced THE Swanage Railway May 8-10 diesel gala will feature Class 52 No. D1062 Western Courier from the Severn Valley Railway, courtesy of the Western Locomotive Association. Details of other visiting locos will be announced at a later date. The ‘Western’ is available for driver-experience courses on May 16. The limited number of places available throughout the day are priced at £325 per participant. Included in the cost is one return driving trip between Norden Park and Ride station and Swanage, an additional journey behind No. D1062 with a guest, a guided tour of the signalbox at Swanage, followed by light refreshments, and a year’s free membership of the Swanage Railway Trust. Details are available from the Swanage Railway.
February 28 Mid-Norfolk Railway, Class 47 100-mile running day
Swanage‘Crompton’runs‘Santa’shuttles THE Swanage Railway ran a series of trains in between the steam-hauled Santa specials to convey passengers from Norden park & ride station to Swanage, where they joined the festive specials. The shuttles were top-and-tailed by a pair of Class 33 “Cromptons” – No. D6515 Lt Jenny Lewis RN, resplendent in 1960s
green, and No. 33111 in 1970s BR blue. The return fare was a reasonable £3.50, albeit on top of the ‘Santa’ special price, if starting the journey from Norden, or £5 for an unlimited travel day rover. The 15.27 train from Norden is seen crossing Corfe viaduct on December 22 with No. D6515 bringing up the rear Picture: PETER NICHOLSON
Unique Ford loco proves its worth at Kent & East Sussex IT was not all family fun trains over the Christmas period on Britain’s heritage railways – work still had to be done! Running in connection with the Kent & East Sussex Railway’s winter permanentway programme was the unique ex-Ford Motor Co No. 1 Bo-BoDE. It is seen on January 2 heading a train of track materials into the new Rolvenden Riverside carriage storage shed. This was one of three locos supplied to Ford’s Dagenham
works by British ThomsonHouston in 1932. The loco frames and bodies were built by Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Co Ltd and the engine supplied by W H Allen & Co Ltd of Bedford. The locos were assembled and fitted with electrical equipment by BTH. They served Ford for 34 years and No. 1 was bought for preservation in 1966 by AEI, successors to BTH. The photographer was one of three people who met
an AEI representative at Dagenham to select a loco for preservation. No. 1 was chosen as it had the best underframe and bogies, but an engine swap was made with No. 2 as that had the lowest engine hours.
The historic loco was presented to the KESR by AEI, later passing to the Kent & East Sussex Locomotive Trust. It has been active on the Kentish heritage line since the early 1960s. Picture: ALAN CROTTY
Telford’s chocolate & cream Cotswold SulzerType 2 back in action after major repairs DMU nearing completion THE Cotswold Mainline Diesel traction gala on December 30. Group’s Class 26 No. D5343 (26043) was in operation on Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Christmas trains, having returned to service earlier in the year, following major repairs. It is seen on the rear of the 13.20 departure from Cheltenham Race Course to Laverton, with 4-6-0 No. 7820 Dinmore Manor leading, during the ‘Christmas Cracker’ mixed
TELFORD Steam Railway’s Class 108 DMU is in an advanced stage of restoration. It is seen resplendent in GWR-style chocolate & cream livery on December 20. Placed second in the Railcar Association’s ‘Railcar of the Year’ award (see separate item for the winner), DMBS No. M51950 and DMCL M52062 (nearest camera) were acquired from
the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway in 2012, having been stored for many years at Winchcombe. When it enters traffic later this year, for use under power as well as loco-hauled stock, Telford’s Class 104 set (DMBS No. 53479, DMCLs 53528 and 53556, and TBSL No. 59228) are expected to move elsewhere. Pic: ALISTAIR GRIEVE
A feature on the Telford Railway appears on page 33 of this issue.
The Type 2 had arrived at the head of the 12.00 from Laverton to Cheltenham Race Course with the ‘Manor’ on the rear, providing steam heat. Also working services during the day were Class 45 ‘Peak’ No. 45149 and Class 24 No. 24081, along with steam loco No. 2807 and Class 117 DMU Nos. 51405, 59510 and 51363. Picture: STEVE WIDDOWSON
March 7-8 East Lancashire Railway, diesel gala 7-8 Ribble Steam Railway, diesel gala 14 East Lancashire Railway, DMU day 21-2 Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, mixed traction weekend 27-29 Mid-Norfolk Railway, diesel gala 28 Great Central Railway, diesel gala April 3-6 South Devon Railway, mixed traction event 11-12 Avon Valley Railway, diesel gala 11-12 Nene Valley Railway, diesel gala 18-19 Barrow Hill, diesel rarities gala 18-19 Bluebell Railway, diesel gala 18-19 Didcot Railway Centre, GWR railcar 75th birthday May 2-4 Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway, mixed traction event 8-10 Swanage Railway, diesel gala 16-17 Ribble Steam Railway, Deltic’s 60th birthday event 22-25 South Devon Railway, mixed traction event 23-24 Royal Deeside Railway, Wickham weekend 23-25 Didcot Railway Centre, diesel gala 30-31 Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, mixed traction gala June 5-7 West Somerset Railway, mixed traction weekend 6-7 Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, diesel weekend 12-14 North Norfolk Railway, diesel gala 14 GCR(N), English Electric running day (tbc) 20-21 Llangollen Railway, DMU gala 27-28 NYMR, diesel gala July 3-5 East Lancashire Railway, diesel gala 11-12 GCR(N), diesel gala 15 Poulton & Wyre Railway, 175th anniversary event 18 DRS open day, Carlisle 24-26 Glos-Warks Railway, diesel weekend 25-26 Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, diesel gala 28-30 Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, diesel days 31-Aug 2 Spa Valley Railway, diesel gala August 4-6 Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, diesel days September 5-6 Great Central Railway, diesel gala 12-13 Mid-Norfolk Railway, diesel gala 12-13 South Devon Railway, mixed traction event
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Operations Track Record
Bright winter sunshine can give a pleasing effect to otherwise fairly mundane scenes. On December 29, ‘Turbostar’ No. 170397 speeds south towards Ashchurch with the 1V08 11.10 NottinghamCardiff Central service. JOHN STRETTON
A light dusting of snow greets ‘Desiro’ No. 350235 as it calls at Smethwick Galton Bridge with the 10.34 Liverpool Lime StreetBirmingham New Street on January 14. STEVE BURDETT
Heading into Darnall station with its sparse facilities on a snowy December 30 is‘Pacer’No. 142039, working Northern Rail’s 11.19 Scunthorpe-Lincoln (via Sheffield) service. PETER WEBER
Regular duties for refurbished Class 60s are oil trains. On Christmas Eve, No. 60010 powers past Barrow-upon-Trent heading towards Castle Donington with 6E54 10.39 Kingsbury-Humber oil refinery empty bogie tanks. PAUL A BIGGS
THE first Class 68 entered traffic on December 15 when No. 68012 worked the 07.44 BanburyMarylebone and 17.50 return.
FOLLOWING severe storms on the night of January 8 all services on the morning of January 9 were initially suspended with only a very limited service coming into force as the day progressed. Even on January 11 many lines remained closed as the storms continued to cause havoc across the country.
CLASS 150 No. 150150 was used on the 08.17 Nottingham-Leeds on December 3. MAJOR disruption to services between Gilberdyke Junction and Hull occurred on December 16 when Broomfleet signalbox observed smoke rising from the seventh vehicle of 4D86 the 04.19 Drax Power Station-Hull Biomass Loading Point. 4D86 was then stopped at Brough. All lines were blocked, and buses used to replace passenger trains. Northern services were unable to run between Goole
and Hull, (the 07.29 York-Hull terminated at Broomfleet, and the 07.28 Doncaster-Beverley was terminated at Gilberdyke). First TransPennine Express were unable to run between Selby and Hull, and First Hull Trains services were not running between Doncaster and Hull. After examination the train was allowed to proceed at walking pace towards Hull, with delays and disruption expected to continue until late afternoon. IN A slightly unusual move on December 30 the very lightly loaded 05.29 Leeds-Carlisle service was formed of unit Nos. 158845+153360. On arrival at platform 6 at Carlisle the Class 153 was detached and
Rolling through Wellington station, Shropshire, on December 13 is No. 66161 with the Imerys china clay wagons from Alexandra Dock Junction to Bescot yard. EDMUND WEAVER
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worked over to platform 2, where it was then added to the rear of the 09.38 Carlisle via Barrow-in-Furness-Lancaster service, in order to strengthen that train. A POWER surge and points failure at the Worksop West cross-over on January 3 caused delays of more than an hour to services due to pass through the area between 12.00 and 13.30. The road was set for the 11.38 Worksop-Nottingham departure from the eastbound platform (as usual) and was therefore blocking all through east and westbound services. One of our correspondents was on the 10.19 ScunthorpeLincoln, which was held at Worksop West, arriving in the station 70 minutes late. The recovery plan involved terminating this service at Retford for an on-time return to Adwick. The 11.25 Lincoln CentralAdwick had been held in Worksop station and also left 70 minutes late, eventually to terminate in Sheffield. The 11.26 Nottingham-Worksop was also delayed, arriving at 13.30 (due 12.33) and returned to Nottingham as the 13.38 departure. The 12.26 NottinghamWorksop turned around at Shirebrook and took up the path of the delayed 12.38 Worksop-Nottingham, starting about 22 minutes late. The 12.03 Sheffield-Cleethorpes (SO) and the 11.19 ScunthorpeLincoln Central were 64 and 28 minutes late leaving Worksop.
WESTBOUND departures from Hull Paragon were disrupted on the morning of December 9 due to the failures of the 06.37 (TPE) Hull-Manchester Piccadilly and the 07.00 (East Coast) Hull-King’s Cross trains, which caused delays to other services. Class 185 No. 185119 on the 06.37 Hull-Manchester was observed passing Gilberdyke 50 minutes late, showing Leeds on the destination indicators. The 07.00 Hull-King’s Cross was observed passing Gilberdyke 55 minutes late. Northern Rail’s 07.39 GilberdykeScarborough was 16 minutes late starting, awaiting the e.c.s. from Hull.
MK 3 coach No. 12178 was taken from Cardiff to Crewe LNWR on December 4 by Class 67 No. 67013. In a further move on December 14 the same Class 67 took No. 12179 to Crewe. THE winter timetable, starting on December 15, saw the introduction of a second daily (Monday to Friday) loco-hauled working from Holyhead, with 67001 and DVT No. 82308 featuring on the Manchester
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The sidings to the north of Oxford station are well populated with ‘Networker’ DMUs on January 2. From left, 165136, 166208, 166210 and 166207. MARK V PIKE
service. The Cardiff service had Class 67 No. 67002 and DVT No. 82307. On December 29 the Manchester to North Wales loco-hauled diagram was covered by DMU No. 175110. On the same day there were two extra return workings from Crewe to Holyhead, powered by Class 67 No. 67029.
A PAIR of GC power cars – Nos. 43467+43423 – ran light from Heaton to Doncaster Roberts Road on December 12 for tyre turning.
THREE further new vehicles – Nos. 38439/41/42 for unit Nos. 378139/41/42 – were taken from Litchurch Lane to Willesden by DBS Class 66 No. 66230 on December 9 for onward movement to New Cross Gate. CLASS 378 No. 378220 ran from Willesden to Hornsey for tyre turning on January 2, returning the same day.
SERVICES through Hertford North were disrupted on
November 20 following a points failure, which prevented use of the op sidings. CLASS 321 No. 321407 and Class 365 No. 365509 returned to Hornsey from Ilford on December 15 following a C4 overhaul. DELIVERIES of the new Class 387 units to Bletchley in recent weeks, hauled by FL Class 66s, have been No. 387114, hauled by No. 66510 on December 8; Nos. 387115 and 387116, both by No. 66527, separately on December 22; No. 387117 (66525) on December 16; No. 387118 (66528) on December 17; No. 387119 (66527) on January 6. Testing of the units on the WCML to Crewe saw Nos. 387113+387114 out on December 17 and Nos. 387117+ 387118 on December 19. Following commissioning at Bletchley, the units head south to Brighton and are entering traffic, working between Brighton and Bedford. Dates reported to traffic have been: 387105 (December 8); 387106 (December 8); 387107 (December 10); 387108 (December 11); 387109 (December 14); 387110 (December 15); 387111 (December 22); 387112 (December 19); 387113 (December 31); and 387114 (January 4).
It’s hard to think there was ever a problem at Hatfield Main colliery following the huge landslip in February 2013. No. 66005 works empty hoppers from Milford West sidings to Immingham biomass loading point past the colliery on December 16, as a classmate loads coal hoppers in the distance. ROBERT FALCONER
Observations include Nos. 387107 and 387108 in service at Herne Hill on the morning of December 29.
THE upgrade of the GNGE progressed to the abolition of all manual crossings and signalboxes by the beginning of November, except for the Lincoln and Gainsborough Trent
Junction. It is now possible to run trains on the southern section between Peterborough and Sleaford outside of the previous times of 08.30 and 17.30 without bringing in staff on overtime. The first benefit has occurred with extra passenger trains provided by East Midland Trains between Peterborough and Lincoln on a Sunday to provide transport to the Lincoln Christmas Market. On December 7, two trains ran in each
direction – the 09.11 from Peterborough to Lincoln, comprising of units Nos. 156408+153326, and the 12.00 Peterborough-Lincoln, formed of Nos. 158774+156401. This is in contrast to the normal single Class 153 units which are usually employed on these trains. EMT ran a special for the FA Cup third round tie between Manchester City and Sheffield
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Railtours Portfolio Track Record
Pathfinder’s ‘Tugging Shedmaster’ tour traversed DB Schenker depots Crewe Electric and Toton, among other rare sheds, spurs and loops in the Midlands on January 3. Class 09 shunter No. 09106 drags Class 60 No. 60092 (with No. 67016 on the rear) past Latchford, Warrington on the Toton leg of the tour. TERRY EYRES
Which way to Manchester Victoria? ‘Black Five’ No. 45407, running solo on January 24 after the failure of ‘Jubilee’ No. 45690 Leander that morning, approaches Armathwaite as it gets into its stride on the Settle & Carlisle line with the return ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’. BOB GREEN
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