ONE IN, MET-CAMMS ONE OUT
EAST COAST
Full history of the Yorkshire and Hull Pullman workings
KeolisAmey wins Wales & Borders as VTEC stripped of East Coast
Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast
RAILBUSES BEFORE BEECHING
RAIL EXPRESS No. 266 JULY 2018 £4.40
How they tried and failed to save rural lines
TIMETABLE MELTDOWN! Highs and lows follow major overhaul of services ■ ‘Pendolinos’ reach Blackpool ■ Chaos on Northern and Thameslink
MODELLING SECTION ■ SCOTRAIL HSTs
Recreating the latest look
■ HUO HOPPERS
Full story of the coal fleet
■ NEW AT DEMU
Launches at the Burton show
■ NEW TRAINS PROMISED FOR WALES ■ JOIN US FOR THE 'GALA OF THE YEAR'
CONTENTS
Issue No. 266 July 2018
DIESEL JACOBITE: A temporary steam ban at the end of May, due to unseasonably warm and dry weather, saw the Fort William-Mallaig ‘Jacobite’ services hauled or assisted by diesels. These included a 2Y68 private charter from Fort William on May 26, the return 5Y69 empty stock pictured crossing the Loch Nan Uamh viaduct (about 15 miles from Mallaig) behind West Coast Railways’ Type 3 No. 37518. Jamie Squibbs
FEATURES
NEWS
16 THE FINAL EAST COAST PULLMANS
8
A look back 40 years to when the final Pullman trains ran from King’s Cross to Harrogate and Hull.
23 EXPERIMENTS IN 'BUSTITUTION'
Railbuses introduced in the late 1950s to help keep lines open had all gone within 10 years, along with the lines they were meant to save.
29 0-60: GWR ‘MINI’ HSTS
With four coaches and two power cars, just how nippy are these 'Castle' HSTs?
31 THEN & NOW: NEW STREET
Gone are the train shed and ‘Peaks’, all replaced by shops and multiple units.
REGULARS 20 SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS
How to save money on Rail Express every month.
30 TIME TRAVELLER
Looking back to July news from decades gone.
32 REVIEWS
A selection of books for modern traction fans.
33 EXPRESS MAILBAG
Workington ‘50’ identified.
MODELLING
As Accurascale releases an ‘OO’ gauge model, we focus on the 30-year career of the HUO coal hopper, a forerunner to the Merry-GoRound fleet. There’s also news of a celebrity ‘66’ in both 4mm and 2mm, while reviews include Kernow’s exclusive Class 50s.
HEADLINE NEWS
Train operators fail to deliver May timetable change; Timetable change results in a lot of ‘firsts’; Old Oak ‘345’ depot opens; First IET to Hull; LNER brand revived for East Coast; New windscreens for ‘385s’; GWR loco-hauled returns; KeolisAmey wins Wales & Borders; Join us for the ‘gala of the year’; SWR trains run through to Corfe Castle.
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73 LU WORLD
Preserved 1959 car moves to Epping Ongar Railway; Final main line run for ‘A’ Stock.
74 RAILTOURS
D1015’s comeback tour postponed.
76 PRESERVATION
‘Clacton’ EMU moves to new home on Welsh Borders; Neptune to be re-created; Caledonian Class 11 started; ‘Crompton’ to visit East Lancs Railway for July gala.
80 POWER BY THE HOUR
Caledonian ‘EDs’ reach Mallaig; More Freightliner ‘70s’ stored; ‘47’ works Aberdeen sleeper.
82 POWERSCENE
Notable workings, Name Game and Spectrum.
92 UNITS
A full news round-up, class by class.
93 SHUNTERS
Second ‘Gronk’ for Inverness.
94 COACHES
Former GC rakes enter service with EMT.
95 WAGONS
Arlington completes first coil conversion.
96 IRISH ANGLE
‘Thumpers’ transferred to new home.
The new timetable saw electric trains start running on the Blackpool North line, including three extra services to London formed of Virgin Trains’ ‘Pendolinos’. No. 390027 is pictured passing through Poulton-le-Fylde on the first day, May 21, with the 10.36 from Euston.
Editor’s Comment PRINT & DISTRIBUTION
Newstrade & distribution Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU. 0203 787 9001 Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton Published Third Friday of every month This issue June 15, 2018 Next issue July 20, 2018 Advertising deadline July 5, 2018 ISSN No 1362 234X
Paul Bickerdyke Rail Express Editor
© Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Don’t provide the ammo
O
UR railways are often used as an easy stick with which to beat the Government or those in charge. National media regularly make headlines with claims of rail services being ‘too full’ or ‘too expensive’ in unfair comparisons with motoring or air travel – overlooking that these are problems essentially caused by two decades of rising passenger numbers rather than any cynical secret plan to treat travellers badly. Sometimes, however, the railways deserve the criticism and the weeks since the May timetable change have been just such an occasion, with Northern and TSGN being particularly guilty. While the first day’s delays and cancellations could have been put down to teething troubles, that day became days and then days became weeks of disruption. Things seemed only to get worse rather than better until emergency timetables had to be issued to try and stabilise the situation. The underlying cause boils down to trying to rush through the new services. In many cases, Network Rail’s infrastructure
improvements were not delivered on time, giving the operators insufficient time to retrain staff – while the timetable itself was not thoroughly tested at the planning stage, such that it was sometimes unworkable in practice. To top it all, the operators’ management seemed very unwilling to speak about what had gone wrong. Faced with continued, and this time fair, criticism in the wider media, it was often left to the likes of the Rail Delivery Group to front questions on their behalf, and this only served to enrage passengers further. Our railways cannot afford to shoot themselves in the foot like this. There are more than enough people willing to attack them at the best of times without also providing the ammunition. Paul Bickerdyke
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Power by the Hour Shunters Name Game Spectrum
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Preservation Units Coaches
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LU World (with Piers Connor)
Powerscene
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‘Industry Witness’ News Writer
EASTENDERS: The view from the top of the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower, in the
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, gives panoramic views across London and the Great Eastern Main Line on a clear day. Looking east towards Stratford on May 17 produced this shot of No. 90008 The East Anglian at the rear of Greater Anglia’s 1P40/15.30 Liverpool Street-Norwich. Stratford station is visible on the left, where the start of the North London Line can be seen branching off towards Richmond/ Clapham Junction via Willesden Junction. Simon McComb
HEADLINE NEWS
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Train operators fail to deliver summer timetable change Delays with Network Rail infrastructure improvements and timetable testing meant both Thameslink and Northern were given insufficient time to retrain drivers, leading to a meltdown in services from May 20. By ‘Industry Witness’ BOTH Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Arriva Trains Northern (ATN) have been heavily criticised since the May 20 timetable change as they have been unable to deliver the promised new services, with hundreds of services cancelled each day. Both operators have suffered from Network Rail project overruns, which have prevented the necessary driver training for the new pattern of services. As a result, Northern introduced an emergency timetable from June 4 that saw the temporary cancellation of 165 services each day, including all trains on the Windermere branch. The new timetable saw GTR start running through services from Peterborough and Cambridge on the Great Northern route through the Thameslink core to Gatwick Airport, Horsham and Brighton. Prior to the May 20 change, some services had been using the new route through the Canal tunnels – where tracks leave the GN formation between Copenhagen and Gasworks tunnels on the approach to King’s Cross – to allow driver training to take place. The first of these trains did not run until February and, with a minimum of 12 weeks’ route learning needed, only nine of the 90 drivers based at Peterborough had completed training by the start of the new timetable. The situation at Horsham was even worse with fewer trained drivers. An emergency timetable was implemented from May 21 that concentrated the available resources on providing peak hour services, but this proved unsuccessful with up to 50% of trains from the revised schedule being cancelled. Long gaps in the service were experienced at intermediate stations on both the Great Northern and Southern routes, with passengers being stranded at stations for as long as two hours and late-night services being cancelled altogether. The plan had been for crew relief to be made at the likes of Blackfriars and Finsbury Park, but long delays resulted as service cancellations meant that drivers were not on hand for an immediate change over. For passengers, the situation was made worse by GTR controllers deciding to allow late running trains to make up time by deleting intermediate station stops. The situation had to be rescued by station staff, who were left dealing with no services for
EMUs have started running to Blackpool, although initially confined to a single shuttle to and from Preston while driver training continued. No. 319431 is pictured at Poulton-le-Fylde on May 21 with the 12.32 Blackpool North to Preston. Paul Bickerdyke
passengers travelling against peak flows – particularly schoolchildren and staff working in the retail industry. The fixation seemed to be that the planning effort should be confined to the morning and evening peaks serving London commuters. There was little improvement even after two weeks of operation, and substitute bus services and the use of taxis was necessary throughout the route. Network Rail controllers are also said to be adding to the lack of trains by refusing to allow services booked to take the Thameslink route to divert into King’s Cross when the driver does not have the new route knowledge. Mobile technology has come to the rescue to some extent, as the live trains app provided as part of the National Train Enquiries website provides passengers with real time information about train running. One issue to address, however, is that the same information is not available to ticket barrier staff as they are not equipped with the necessary mobile devices. The result is that staff at King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, which separately offer services on the GN route to suburban stations, are unable to give advice about which station to use for the next available service.
“Up to 50% of trains from the revised schedule were cancelled”
8 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018
GRIM UP NORTH
ATN has been hit with similar service issues, although the situation is more complex. As well as the driver training issues, rolling stock is also not available
begins, the trains being replaced by a substitute bus service.
NETWORK RAIL ISSUES
The timetable change saw many planned trains on Northern and Thameslink either cancelled or running late.
as planned because of Network Rail’s delayed electrification schemes, which means a greater number of diesel units are required than are actually available. Another factor is the delay of a planned cascade of vehicles from Scotland due to late introduction of the Class 385 EMUs following problems with their windscreens (see separate story). The largest impact has been on services in Lancashire and Cumbria, where typically 40% of trains have been cancelled. For the franchise as a whole, more than 2,000 services failed to run in the first two weeks since the timetable was changed and on June 1 alone more than 300 services were partly or wholly cancelled. An interim timetable was put in place from June 4, when 165 trains (or 6% of the total service) were withdrawn from the timetable until the end of July. This includes the suspension of all services on the Windermere branch just as the main summer holiday season
The issues faced by the train operating companies have been compounded by the failure of Network Rail’s timetable process, where there is a requirement to provide firm timings 12 weeks before a new service starts. NR accepts much shorter notice has been provided, claiming that it does not have the resources to process the unusually high number of timetable changes in May this year. The situation is not helped by the previous decision to centralise train planning activity with the closure of the long-standing train planning offices at regional centres. Many staff with high levels of expertise left as they did not want to relocate. In addition, a software system was acquired based on railway operating principles in Germany. The timetable creation process there is different to the UK as it is based on the speed signalling system in use on the continent. This means that if there is a pathing conflict, trains can be timed at different speeds over the route section concerned, and this information is provided as part of the movement authority to the driver. ■ As the timetable disaster unfolded, the Government and industry began playing the blame game, with each side pointing the finger at the other. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced on June 4 there would be an inquiry into the problems and that the rail industry would have to pay compensation to passengers. E
HEADLINE NEWS
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OLD OAK ‘345’ DEPOT OPENS:
A new depot to service Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) Class 345 EMUs has been officially opened at Old Oak Common. The depot, which is built on the site of the former diesel depot, will be home to 42 of the fleet of 70 EMUs. It will be run by Bombardier and features 33 stabling roads, nine heavy maintenance roads, and a train washing facility. Elizabeth Line services are due to start running under Central London from December, the full route having been energised on May 20. TfL
Timetable change results in a lot of ‘firsts’ ‘Turbostars’ to Harrogate and EMUs to Blackpool are among the newly-introduced workings.
The first ‘Pendolino’ to arrive at Blackpool North was No. 390152 Virgin Knight on a test run in the early hours of May 15, which cleared the way for passenger services from the following week. Virgin Trains
By David Russell THE radical shake-up of rail timetables on May 20, which saw many routes and services totally recast and the completion of some electrification projects, brought with it a number of DMU and EMU workings on routes they have never operated before. The first four of 16 Class 170s, which are gradually being transferred from ScotRail to Northern, are now in service on the Harrogate line. No. 170477 had undertaken gauging tests at various stations on the route on May 13. Three of the four units are diagrammed to operate on weekdays – two of these work between Leeds and Knaresborough, with the third set spending most of the day operating on the Leeds-Harrogate-York circuit. Following full refurbishment and application of Northern livery at Arriva Traincare, Crewe, No. 170476 returned to Neville Hill on May 14 and entered traffic seven days later. Also in use on the same day were Nos. 170475/478, which retain ScotRail colours, while the other unrefurbished set, No. 170477, undertook its first passenger runs on May 22.
Virgin introduced three new ‘Pendolino’ services from London to Blackpool North on May 21, the second of which (the 08.53 from Euston) was formed of No. 390013, which was welcomed by town cryer Barry McQueen before it was named Blackpool Belle. Paul Bickerdyke
BLACKPOOL ELECTRICS
The first appearance of a Class 390 at Blackpool occurred late on May 14, when No. 390152 worked the 1Q01/23.28 Preston-Blackpool North, the first of three round trips that night between the two stations. The first public trains ran on May 21 when No. 390042 formed the 1P91/06.46 Euston-Blackpool North and 1A91 10.53 return. Later that day, No. 390013 was named Blackpool Belle after its arrival on the 1P92/08.54 Euston-Blackpool North. The first Class 319 passenger working out of the Lancashire resort took place on the previous day, when No. 319424 formed the 1U90/08.43 Blackpool North-Manchester Airport. It had arrived on May 19 working the ECS 5N19/21.13 Preston-Blackpool North CS. Also used during the first couple of days of operation were Nos. 319431/442. Of these, No. 319431 had only recently returned to service – it had been out of action since August 2017, when it suffered a fire at St Helens. Following repairs, it returned from Wolverton to Allerton behind No. 37800 on April 26.
Former ScotRail Class 170s are now working between Leeds and York via the Harrogate Loop. Northern-liveried No. 170476 is seen at Cattal on May 21. David Russell
HAYES CHANGES
With their introduction on Heathrow Connect services delayed until testing of the new signalling system on the Heathrow branch is complete, Class 345 units have replaced pairs of Class 387 ‘Electrostars’ on the two diagrams that shuttle between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington.
On the first day, May 21, Nos, 345013/014 were used, although No. 345015 appeared later in the day. May 22 saw Nos. 345015/017 on the shuttles. The Crossrail units remain in sevencar formation for the time being owing to late-running platform extension work at Hayes & Harlington. E
July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 9
HEADLINE NEWS
Like us on facebook facebook.com/RailExpressMag FIRST IET TO HULL: Bi-modes
IN BRIEF
Nos. 800201+800202 became the first of their type to reach Hull, where they are pictured, on the evening of May 20 when they worked from Doncaster via Selby before returning to Leeds and then on to Lincoln Central. The trip was to test clearances, stop board positions and signal sighting. IETs should start running to Hull in 2019 with both Hull Trains and East Coast (as LNER, see below). Chris Playfair
MODIFIED ‘385’ TRIALS
TESTS began on May 21 of Class 385 No. 385004 fitted with new style windscreens in an attempt to resolve the reported ‘fishbowl’ effect that has prevented the much needed units from entering service on the main route between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The problem was said to be that drivers could sometimes see double signals through the original curved windscreen, especially at night, but the new flatter version seems to have solved the problem. The ‘385s’ should have entered service in 2017, but the new windscreen can now be rolled out and fleet and driver training recommence for service introduction in the summer. Late introduction of the EMUs has had knock-on effects with other operators such as Northern that were due to benefit from stock cascades.
CHINNOR INTERCHANGE TO OPEN IN AUGUST
THE Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway has announced that its new platform at Risborough will open on August 15 to provide cross-platform interchange with main line services. This will put the steam and diesel railway within 25 miles and 40 minutes from London. The platform has been built by C&PRR volunteers in co-operation with Network Rail, Chiltern Railways and the Department for Transport, which provided a £75,000 grant towards the £350,000 project. The heritage railway is home to a growing number of preserved diesels, including Nos. 08011, 08825, D8568, 20059, 31163 and 37227.
SHEFFIELD TRAM-TRAIN RUNS ON NR METALS
TRAM-TRAIN No. 399202 made history in the early hours of May 8, when it ran over the Tinsley Chord under its own power and crossed from the Sheffield Supertram network onto Network Rail tracks for the first time. The move was part of gauging trials between the Supertram depot at Nunnery and the Magna Science Park on the outskirts of Rotherham. A further run took place early on May 10 and then a day later the same set was used in coupling trials with DB Cargo’s No. 66156 to test recovery procedures in case of failures on the Network Rail section. Passenger services between Sheffield and Rotherham Parkway are expected to begin in September.
GE TO MERGE WITH WABTEC
GENERAL Electric has announced a $11 billion (£8.3 billion) deal to merge its transportation business with Wabtec Corporation to create a combined business worth more than $20 billion (£15 billion) with 27,000 employees in 50 countries. GE’s transportation business specialises in diesel engines for rail use, while Wabtec builds locos, carriages and wagons. The merger is expected to go through early in 2019.
10 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018
LNER brand revived for East Coast The Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling shocked the industry by announcing the VTEC franchise will end five years early on June 24. By ‘Industry Witness’ THE Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) franchise is to end early on June 24. Operations will be transferred to the ‘Operator of Last Resort’ SNC Lavalin, which was formerly Interfleet, the train engineering arm of the BR InterCity sector. The pre-Nationalisation LNER name is to be adopted as the brand, although the colour scheme will remain based on the red Virgin livery rather than the traditional green and blue colours associated with the LNER, despite a budget of £8 million being provided for a livery change. A decision has been taken by the Department for Transport that the brand will continue to be used after the train operating company reverts to the private sector in 2020 – a decision that has also been made in respect of the Great Western Railway, which will remain in the event of a change of ownership after the current franchise ends in 2020. This is a similar practice to that already adopted for ScotRail, where the name of the operating company was retained when Abellio took over the franchise in 2015. The Government has decided that
the West Coast Partnership bid by the Virgin/Stagecoach consortium in partnership with SNCF will be allowed to continue, as it is judged that VTEC has been an efficient operator of the East Coast franchise. This is reflected in high passenger satisfaction ratings in the National Rail Passenger Survey, which is carried out twice annually by Transport Focus.
FORECASTS WRONG
The failure has occurred because the forecasted passenger numbers and earnings have not been achieved. A recent investigation by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee found projected revenue to be wildly wrong, adding that despite favourable national economic statistics, factors that impacted on passenger behaviour had been overlooked. There is expected to be a shortfall of a least £100 million compared to the premium payment of £363 million in this financial year which, when added to accumulated losses and the loss of the franchise deposit, will mean a deficit of at least £250 million. The requirement for a premium payment of £380 million next year suggests the position would have become worse. The main weight
of the loss will fall on shareholders in the Stagecoach Group, who hold a 90% stake in the VTEC consortium. The Department for Transport says it is committed to a seamless transfer to the new operator and, to avoid any interruption to advance bookings, the existing VTEC website is to be used for such purchases. Employees have been advised that there will be no change to their terms and conditions of employment, and there is to be no alteration to current rostering arrangements. There is also likely to be little management change, although a new chairman is expected to be put in place. This is a reflection of the need to avoid any disruption to the introduction of the Hitachi Class 800/801 IET trainsets, of which there will be 43 nine-car trains (13 as bi-mode) and 22 five-car sets (10 as bi-modes). VTEC had adopted the fleet name ‘Azuma’ for the trains, but as yet it is not known whether this will be continued. E
LO UNITS SAY HELLO: Bombardier
in Derby is currently busy building a fleet of 48 four-car and six five-car Class 710 EMUs for London Overground. The units, which are similar to the Class 345 Elizabeth Line sets, will be used on the Liverpool Street West Anglia, EustonWatford, Gospel Oak-Barking, and Romford-Upminster lines from later this year. Two yet to be numbered driving cars are pictured at the Bombardier factory on May 23. Jack Taylor
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IN BRIEF HYDROGEN TRAINS
ALSTOM has confirmed its plans to bring hydrogen-powered trains to the UK by announcing a partnership with Eversholt Rail. The two companies will join forces to convert Class 321 electric trains to hydrogen operation by fitting hydrogen tanks and fuel cells on the existing units. The France-based Alstom said this is a first response to the UK Government’s desire to withdraw diesel powered stock by 2040. Around a third of the UK’s passenger trains are currently running on diesel.
MERSEYRAIL BATTERY TEST
THE sixth of the 52 four-car Class 777 750V DC third-rail EMUs being built by Stadler for Merseyrail services around Liverpool is to be fitted with a five tonne battery to test the business case for energy storage. While all the EMUs will be equipped for regenerative braking, feeding electricity back into the network, this is not seen as optimal on the Merseyrail network. The battery could also permit running on non-electrified lines. The EMUs will have provision for the future installation of 25kV overhead electrical equipment. A full-scale mock-up of one of the EMUs is to be displayed in Liverpool this summer.
NEW BOSS FOR NR
NETWORK Rail has announced that Andrew Haines has been appointed as its new chief executive. Mr Haines has had a wide ranging career in the rail industry and transport sector, and will join NR following completion of his current role as chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority later this year. NR chairman Sir Peter Hendy said: “Andrew’s broad experience of rail and transport, and his reputation for relentless delivery and improvement, makes him the ideal candidate to carry on with the transformation of Network Rail that has been led by Mark Carne.”
FALKIRK WIRES
NETWORK Rail has completed the first phase in the project to electrify the railway lines linking Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa to the main Glasgow-Edinburgh route. The first section completed covers 15 track miles between Greenhill, Larbert and Polmont Junctions, including Falkirk Grahamston and Camelon stations. As well as providing a diversionary route for electric trains using the main Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk High route, the completion of the line will also deliver additional benefits with the future proofing of the Grangemouth branch section for freight.
LOCO-HAULED RETURN: Although it was planned to have finished at the end of summer last year, delays in DMU cascades meant
the Saturdays-only GWR loco-hauled trip returned on June 2 with No. 57605 in charge. The three-coach train formed the 2E75/10.26 St Erth-Exeter St Davids and return 2C51/17.51 to Penzance – the latter approaching Starcross on its way back to Cornwall. Peter Slater
KeolisAmey wins Wales and Borders New trains are promised along with a South Wales Metro system. By ‘Industry Witness’ THE Welsh Government has awarded a 15-year contract to the KeolisAmey joint venture to operate the Wales and Borders rail franchise incorporating the future South Wales Metro. Rail services will transfer from the current operator Arriva Trains Wales on October 14, giving a contract length until 2033. The successful bidder currently operates the Docklands Light Railway in London and the Greater Manchester Metrolink tram system, and is a partner with the Go-Ahead Group in the GTR and Southeastern franchises. KeolisAmey was preferred to the MTR Corporation, which was the only other bidder left after the withdrawal of Abellio and the current operator Arriva from the competition. The deal was confirmed on June 4 after a necessary ‘standstill’ period for objections. Keolis has promised a transformative new rail service for Wales and its borders when combined with Amey’s engineering excellence. It is
KeolisAmey has not formally announced who will build the new trains, but it released this image of a future metro unit that is clearly a Stadler product.
acknowledged that proposed changes will not happen overnight, but there is the promise that the railway will be unrecognisable in five years as a result of what the Welsh Government is seeking to achieve. Nearly £2 billion is to be invested, a large part of which will be spent on a new fleet of 148 trains. These will mean that by 2023, the average age of the fleet will fall from 25 years to seven and 95% of the journeys will be formed of new trains. The money will also be spent on
refurbishing the 247 existing stations and creating four new ones. The relationship with Network Rail will change, as the development of the Cardiff Valley Lines to form part of the South Wales Metro system will involve a handover of responsibility for the infrastructure concerned. The system has been conceived as an integrated network that will treat heavy rail operations, new light rail routes, and bus services as a single entity for journey planning purposes.
HALTON UPGRADES
NETWORK Rail has completed the final phase of upgrades to the 1.5 miles of track known as the ‘Halton Curve’ near Frodsham, Cheshire. The final works were completed on time in May, allowing preparation to begin for regular passenger services later this year. The curve links the ChesterWarrington line with the Liverpool-Crewe line, and a new hourly passenger service is planned from December between Liverpool and Chester.
12 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018
‘86s’ OFF THE BEATEN TRACK: SRPS Railtours’ ‘Routes and Branches’ tour on June 1/2 was a marathon trip that visited
locations such as Ardrossan Harbour, Largs, Balloch and North Berwick – the latter pictured with No. 86401 Mons Meg at the business end, ‘top and tail’ with No. 37025 Inverness TMD. Meanwhile, May 20 saw preserved main line electric No. 86259 Les Ross / Peter Pan dragged from York to Carnforth via the Calder Valley and Copy Pit, seen passing through the unlikely location for the class of Accrington behind West Coast Railways’ No. 37669. Steven Brykajlo (left), Chris Newton
14 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018
HEADLINE NEWS
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Join us for the ‘gala of the year’! Rail Express and our sister title The Railway Magazine are proud to be supporting the ‘Class 50 Golden Jubilee’ at the Severn Valley Railway in October, which should feature at least 10 ‘Hoovers’ in action over the long weekend.
IN BRIEF EAST COAST GETS IET READY
NETWORK Rail has completed two infrastructure milestones on the East Coast Main Line, ready for the introduction of InterCity Express Trains (IETs) later this year. The first milestone was the completion of a gauge clearance project. This means that the ECML and its diversionary routes spanning England and Scotland have been checked to make sure that the new trains have enough clearance to all lineside structures, can pass other trains safely, and that there is enough space for railway workers to stand beside the tracks when trains pass by. The second milestone was the removal of a number of electrical boosters, which are incompatible with the new trains.
RCTS FREE MEMBERSHIP
The SVR gala should include No. 50033 Glorious, which arrived at Kidderminster on May 31 for restoration work to get underway. It is pictured inside the diesel depot alongside its more pristine classmate No. 50007 Hercules. SVR Diesels
THE Severn Valley Railway will stage a major diesel gala on October 4-6 that will celebrate 50 years of the ‘Hoovers’. The ‘Class 50 Golden Jubilee’ should feature at least ten ‘50s’ in action over the three days on an intensive timetable. It promises to be the greatest gathering ever of any one class of locomotive, steam or diesel, in the
preservation era. The home fleet includes No. 50007, 50026, 50031, 50035, 50044 and 50049. These will be joined by a number of visiting locos – including No. 50033, which arrived at Kidderminster on May 31 to be returned to working order in time for the gala. The first two days will be an intensive Class 50 service, with the
Saturday having three diesel services alongside two steam. A number of supporting events will take place alongside, including photo opportunities, and full details will be released in due course. Tickets will be available to buy on the SVR’s website at www.svr.co.uk, with a 10% reduction for booking in advance.
EVERSHOLT JOINS ‘VLR’ PROGRAMME: Train leasing firm
Eversholt has joined the consortium aiming to develop a Very Light Rail vehicle. The consortium is led by Transport Design International with the University of Warwick and Cummins. The ‘Revolution VLR’ concept is for a lightweight 18-metre railcar with seating for 56 passengers and standing room for a further 60. The aim is to achieve a tare weight of less than one tonne per linear metre so that it can run on lightweight modular slab track. (See also the feature about 1950s railbuses on pages 23-26).
AS part of its 90th birthday celebrations, The Railway Correspondence & Travel Society (RCTS) is offering free membership for 2018. Founded in 1928, the RCTS started in Cheltenham Spa, before quickly becoming a national organisation. The offer provides full 2018 membership of the society and includes all normal benefits including receipt of the monthly magazine The Railway Observer, which is now well past the 1,000-issue mark and which runs to more than 800 pages of news and features annually. There are also 30 RCTS local branches throughout the country where members can meet for talks and presentations on railway related subjects.
HERITAGE RAILWAY FINED
THE South Devon Railway has been fined £40,000 after a boy nearly fell through the open floor of a toilet cubicle in June 2017. Anna Patch’s three-year-old son escaped serious injury after being pulled back by his mother, a magistrate’s court heard. An investigation by the Office of Rail and Road found that the toilet floor had been missing from the carriage for two months, but had an ‘out of use’ sign pinned to the door to try to stop people entering the cubicle. An attempt was also made to secure it shut, but there were no ongoing checks and staff were not aware of the missing floor. The SDR Trust accepted it was at fault.
EXTRA TRAINS FOR ROYAL WEDDING CROWDS
THROUGH TRAINS TO CORFE:
South Western Railway has teamed up with the Swanage Railway to offer through trains to Corfe Castle on Saturdays from May 26 to September 8. The service departs Salisbury at 08.08 and runs to Yeovil, Weymouth and Wareham, arriving at 11.12. It then makes three return trips to Corfe, connecting there into the Swanage's heritage services, before retracing its steps back to Salisbury as the 16.06 from Wareham. The first day used DMU No. 159003, which is pictured at Corfe Castle on the final 15.45 shuttle back to Wareham. Neil Walkling
TRAIN services were doubled on May 19 for the Royal Wedding, with four direct 10-carriage trains an hour running from London Waterloo to Windsor and Eton Riverside. There were 45,000 passenger journeys recorded on South Western Railway services to Windsor, and extra staff and volunteers were on hand at key stations on the route to keep passengers moving. Meanwhile, nearby Windsor & Eton Central station was temporarily renamed Harry & Meghan Central. Great Western Railway had four-car trains running every 20 minutes along the single-track branch from Slough, transporting a similar number of passengers as South Western Railway to the town.
July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 15
RETRO PASSENGER
The end of East Coast
PULLMANS Forty years ago, a long tradition came to an end when British Rail withdrew its Pullman services from the East Coast Main Line. David Russell takes a look back at the final workings.
Work-stained ‘Deltic’ No. 55002 powers up the climb out of Leeds at Beeston on May 5, 1978 with the final up working of the ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ from Harrogate to King’s Cross. Paul Haywood
T
HE May 1978 timetable change was a particularly significant one on the East Coast Main Line as, in addition to the introduction of HST-operated services running at 125mph, it saw the demise of the ‘Hull Pullman’ and ‘Yorkshire Pullman’. These trains were the last regular timetabled services to be formed with the MetroCammell Pullman cars, the ‘Tees-Tyne Pullman’ having been withdrawn two years earlier in 1976. The Metro-Cammell vehicles had been introduced in 1961, operating on the aforementioned Yorkshire and TeesTyne services as well as the EdinburghKing’s Cross ‘Queen of Scots’, which was discontinued in 1964, and the Sheffield-King’s Cross ‘Master Cutler’, which ran until October 1968.
16 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018
At the time of their introduction, trains were formed entirely of Pullman coaches. But between 1968 and 1971, second class Pullman travel was gradually withdrawn, rendering around half the coaches surplus to requirements. The Parlour Second vehicles (Nos. 347-353) were put into traffic as First Open (FO) coaches on normal services, but the Kitchen Second vehicles saw little further use and, by the end of 1972 when they were only 12 years old, most were in store at Wolverton.
ORIGINS
The origin of the ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ name dates back to September 1935, when the ‘West Riding Pullman’, which previously ran between Newcastle and
King’s Cross via Harrogate and Leeds, was renamed and amended to start and terminate at Harrogate. Initially continuing to run via Leeds, the southbound train was rerouted via York in September 1937. The service was suspended in 1939 following the outbreak of the Second World War, but when it was reinstated seven years later, it ran via Leeds in both directions. For a number of years, it also conveyed two vehicles from Bradford, which were added/removed at Leeds. The Bradford portion ceased in 1971. The ‘Hull Pullman’ came into existence much later, being introduced in 1967. Prior to then, Hull had also been served by a portion from the aforementioned ‘Yorkshire Pullman’, joining at Doncaster. The Hull service
was the first to lose its second class ‘Pullman’ cars when, on October 7, 1968, the vehicles were replaced by ordinary second class coaches.
THE FINAL SERVICES
May 5, 1978 was the last day of Pullman operation on the East Coast Main Line (see table for timings). The ‘Hull Pullman’ was hauled by ‘Deltic’ No. 55014 The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment on the outward journey (1A01), while the return leg (1D05) was handled by No. 47410. Formed of 11 vehicles, it contained three Pullman cars Nos. 313, 317 and 328. The final southbound ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ (1A16) was hauled by Gateshead’s No. 31418 from Harrogate to Leeds – unusual as one of the
❯
RETRO PASSENGER METRO-CAMMELL PULLMAN CARS Number
Name
Withdrawn Status Notes
Kitchen First 311 EAGLE 312 FALCON 313 FINCH 314 HAWK 315 HERON 316 MAGPIE 317 RAVEN 318 ROBIN 319 SNIPE 320 STORK 321 SWIFT 322 THRUSH 323 WREN
1978 1976 1978 1978 1980 1976 1978 1980 1978 1976 1979 1976 1974
S C M C S S M P M C M C C
Vintage Trains King, Snailwell 1979 Royal Scotsman ‘State Car 4’ V Berry, Leicester 1991 West Coast Railways West Coast Railways Royal Scotsman ‘Dining Car 1’ North Yorkshire Moors Railway Royal Scotsman ‘Observation Car’ Scrapped in 2002 Royal Scotsman ‘Dining Car 2’ King, Snailwell 1979 V Berry, Leicester 1989
Parlour First 324 AMBER 325 AMETHYST 326 EMERALD 327 GARNET 328 OPAL 329 PEARL 330 RUBY 331 TOPAZ
1976 1978 1978 1978 1978 1979 1978 1976
M M M P P M C M
Royal Scotsman ‘State Car 1’ West Coast Railways West Coast Railways North Yorkshire Moors Railway North Yorkshire Moors Railway Royal Scotsman ‘State Car 2’ King, Snailwell 1980 Royal Scotsman ‘State Car 3’
Kitchen Second 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346
1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976
C C C M C M C C P C C C C C C
MC Metals, Glasgow 1998 Taverner Inn, Casterton 2002 King, Snailwell 1979 Vintage Trains King, Snailwell 1979 Royal Scotsman ‘Spa Stateroom’ King, Snailwell 1979 King, Snailwell 1979 Restaurant, The Avon Causeway, Hurn King, Snailwell 1979 King, Snailwell 1979 King, Snailwell 1979 King, Snailwell 1979 King, Snailwell 1979 Taverner Inn, Casterton 2002
Parlour Second 347 348 349 350 351 352 353
1980 1980 1980 1980 1980 1980 1980
M M M M M M M
West Coast Railways West Coast Railways Vintage Trains West Coast Railways West Coast Railways West Coast Railways Vintage Trains
Bar Second 354 HADRIAN BAR
1980
M
West Coast Railways
Status Codes: C = Cut up; M = Main line service; P = Preserved; S = Stored
‘Peak’ No. D183 (later Class 46 No. 46046) leaves the former Leeds Central (closed May 1967) with the ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ on March 5, 1963. RM Archive/JS Whiteley
Brush Type 4 No. D1986 (later Class 47 No. 47284) departs King’s Cross with the down ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ on May 13, 1966. Locos from Classes 15, 24 and 31 lurk in the background on empty stock and pilot duties. RM Archive/Brian Stephenson
July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 17
RETRO PASSENGER
‘Deltic’ No. D9013 (later No. 55013) heads the down ‘Harrogate Sunday Pullman’ near Brookman’s Park (Hertfordshire) on August 30, 1964 – again with two 1920s-built vehicles in the rake. RM Archive/Brian Stephenson
❮ three Holbeck based examples
(Nos. 31409/410/417) would normally be used. From Leeds to London, a filthy No. 55002 The King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry was provided as traction. Included in the formation were four Pullman vehicles, Nos. 315, 318, 319 and 326. The return leg was worked by No. 47433 from King’s Cross to Leeds and then by No. 47411 to Harrogate. After the withdrawal of the Pullman
cars from regular service, a farewell special called the ‘East Coast Pullman Salute’ ran on May 20, 1978. Using nine of the ‘Pullman’ cars, along with a Mk.2a BFK (Brake First Corridor), it was hauled by No. 55012 Crepello from King’s Cross to Leeds, where Nos. 37037/102 took over for a run via Harrogate to York and then to Scarborough, before returning the train via Filey and the Hull avoider (Anlaby Road curve) to King’s Cross.
ECML PULLMAN TIMINGS 1977-78 Yorkshire Pullman Headcode Harrogate Leeds Wakefield W King’s Cross Hull Pullman Headcode Hull Brough Goole Doncaster Retford King’s Cross
(dep) (arr) (dep) (arr) (dep) (arr)
1A16 09.50 10.16 10.30 10.47 10.48 13.25
(arr) (dep) (arr) (dep) (arr) (dep)
1L33 20.36 20.08 19.56 19.36 19.34 17.04
(dep) (dep) (arr) (dep) (arr) (dep) (arr) (dep) (arr)
1A01 06.50 07.03 07.18 07.19 07.42 07.44 08.01 08.02 09.55
(arr) (arr) (dep) (arr) (dep) (arr) (dep) (arr) (dep)
1D05 20.28 20.13 19.58 19.57 19.34 19.31 19.04 19.03 17.10
18 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018
Although this was largely the end of timetabled workings for the MetroCammell Pullman coaches, remarkably 19 of them can still be found operating on the main line. All seven Parlour Seconds (which had been used as FO vehicles since the early 1970s) and the Hadrian Bar were acquired by SLOA for use on steam specials in 1981, and these can now be found operating on the main line with West Coast Railways and Vintage Trains along with other coaches that were acquired subsequently. Others have been rebuilt for use in Belmond’s ‘Royal Scotsman’ set, as per the accompanying table.
REBIRTH WITH A PAYPHONE!
Seven years after the disappearance of the ‘Yorkshire Pullman’, the name was brought back into use on May 13, 1985 when a HST service between Leeds and King’s Cross was given this identity. Initially it departed Leeds at 07.30 and ran nonstop to London, covering the journey in 2 hours and 15 minutes. But at the September timetable change that year, it was retimed to depart five minutes earlier and a stop at Wakefield Westgate was added. The return ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ was somewhat different – leaving King’s Cross at 17.55, it called at Grantham, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds before continuing to New Pudsey and Bradford
Interchange. The Grantham stop was removed at the end of that year’s summer timetable. A dedicated refurbished HST set, NL47, was used on the ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ and was reformed with two of its second class (TS) vehicles replaced by a kitchen car (TRUK) and an additional first class (TF) coach. Its full formation was Nos. 41041+ 41042+40501+41046+40717+42061+4 2062+44020. A number of the carriages were adorned with ‘Pullman’ crests on the InterCity livery and, in addition, one TF coach was fitted with a payphone. After all, who had a mobile phone back in 1985? A similar formation was put into service on a daily working between Newcastle and London in September 1985, when the ‘Tees-Tyne Pullman’ name was reintroduced. Both services later went over to Class 91 and Mk.4 operation, the ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ being the first passenger train to be worked by a full ‘IC225’ set on October 2, 1989. A small number of Mk. 4 rakes were initially formed in a similar way to the HST sets mentioned above, with two catering vehicles and an additional first class coach. However, the formations were later standardised, with two surplus kitchen cars (Nos. 10314/316) being converted to first class coaches in 2005. At around the same time, the ‘Pullman’ names were once again consigned to the history books, this time by GNER. E
RETRO PASSENGER INTRODUCTION OF THE INTER-CITY 125
The departure board at King’s Cross on the final day – May 5, 1978 – showing the 17.04 ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ to Harrogate and 17.10 ‘Hull Pullman’. Murray Brown
The platform board at King’s Cross waiting for the stock to arrive for the 17.04 to Harrogate on May 5, 1978. Murray Brown
AS mentioned in the main part of this feature, the May 1978 timetable saw a major revision to train times on the East Coast Main Line due to the introduction of HSTs on a number of services. The first HST diagram had been introduced a few weeks earlier on March 20, when a single out and back working from London began running on existing 100mph timings. The set formed the 1S12/07.45 King’s Cross-Edinburgh and 1E20/15.00 return. Set No. 254006 (Nos. 41067+41068+4 0501+42134+42133+40036+42131+ 42132) was used on the first workings. Both the catering vehicles were incorrect for this rake – the correct restaurant car (TRUK) No. 40506 joined the set on April 23, but the buffet (TRSB) No. 40023 was still operating on the Western Region into June, so did not become part of the set until after the coach had undergone its first C4 overhaul at Derby. More confusing for enthusiasts, many of whom were recording HSTs merely by their set numbers, were the power cars initially used, Nos. E43057 (from 254001) and E43061 (from 254003). They were replaced by the correct pair Nos. E43066/67 on April 2. A second working, forming the 1E01/08.00 Edinburgh-King’s Cross and 1S42/16.00 return, was introduced on April 17 using set No. 254009 with its correct power cars Nos. E43072/73. Unfortunately, it only ran for a single day after which it was suspended until May 2 owing to an industrial dispute. Nos. E43072/82 were then used for four days, No. E43073 being at Derby Works for collision damage repairs.
MORE SETS PLEASE
On board the final down ‘Yorkshire Pullman’, the 17.04 King’s Cross to Harrogate, on May 5, 1978. Murray Brown
Initially, BR had expected to be able to put eight HST sets into service with effect from the timetable change on May 8, 1978. However, with some catering cars still not released by the Western Region,
and a number of sets needed for staff training, it was only possible to introduce six diagrams on this date. The remaining two followed on July 10. During the nine-week period from May to July, four trains that had been planned for HST operation ran as locohauled services to revised timings. The accompanying table shows the two different sets of weekday timings for these services, and reveals that HSTs cut more than 40 minutes from some schedules. The introduction of the HST diagrams (covering four services in each direction between London and Edinburgh, and a further two each way between London and Newcastle) enabled sufficient loco-hauled coaches to be released to eliminate the Metro-Cammell Pullman cars. While the loss of the Pullman dining experience was no doubt mourned by many, along with the plush seating, the replacement Mk.2 coaches provided air-conditioning, which was then becoming standard on longdistance Inter-City services. Further issues were encountered with the gradual HST implementation owing to the Penmanshiel Tunnel collapse on March 14, 1979, when two workers sadly lost their lives. This meant an emergency timetable had to be put in place, which included shuttles between Edinburgh and Dunbar that connected with rail replacement buses to Berwick-uponTweed. After realignment of the line, a full service was effected from August 20, requiring 25 HST sets from the fleet of 32. Some 40 years on, HSTs continue to earn their keep on the East Coast Main Line – including a power car that worked the inaugural service back in March 1978, now identified as No. 43257 Bounds Green. One of the coaches in the formation of the first passenger working, TS No. 42134 also forms part of the Virgin Trains East Coast HST fleet in set EC60.
SUMMER 1978 TIMETABLE – LOCO/HST COMPARISON King’s Cross Stevenage Peterborough Doncaster York Darlington
Many of the Met-Cam Pullman cars are still in main line use with the likes of West Coast Railways and Vintage Trains. One of WCR’s is No. 326 Emerald, which is now listed on TOPS as No. 95402 and pictured at York on April 21, 2012 as part of the ‘Great Britain V’ railtour. This was one of its first workings after restoration by WCR. David Russell An interior shot of Emerald, which now looks older than it did in BR service (compare with the interior shot of a Met-Cam Pullman in 1978 above). The vehicle was originally preserved by the NRM in 1978 before moving to Carnforth in 2006. David Russell
Durham Newcastle Edinburgh
Edinburgh Berwick Newcastle Darlington York Stevenage King’s Cross
dep dep dep arr dep arr dep arr dep arr dep arr dep arr
dep dep arr dep arr dep arr dep dep arr
LOCO
HST
LOCO
HST
08.00 08.21 09.02 10.10 10.12 10.45 10.47 11.55 11.58 13.55
08.00 08.21 08.52 09.50 09.52 10.21 10.23 11.22 11.25 13.11
19.00 21.08 21.10 21.43 21.45 22.25 22.27 22.49 22.51 23.11 -
19.00 20.40 20.42 21.11 21.13 21.45 21.47 22.05 22.07 22.23 -
LOCO
HST
LOCO
HST
13.10 14.03 15.03 15.05 15.41 15.43 16.19 16.20 18.45
13.10 14.00 14.58 15.00 15.32 15.34 16.05 16.06 18.15
15.10 16.03 17.05 17.07 17.42 17.44 18.22 18.23 20.35 21.04
15.10 16.00 16.58 17.00 17.32 17.34 18.05 18.06 19.55 20.24
July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 19
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‘Teddy Bears’ Nos. D9555+D9526 at Bury on July 25, 2014 during the line’s Class 14 gala. Paul Bickerdyke
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