Rail Express Magazine - July 2018

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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EDITORIAL

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Simon Bendall Editor Rail Express Modeller

Christopher Westcott

David Russell

Power by the Hour Shunters Name Game Spectrum

David Rapson

Preservation Units Coaches

Gareth Bayer Wagons

LU World (with Piers Connor)

Powerscene

William Watson Irish Angle (with Alan McFerran)

‘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

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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

or PHONE 01507 529529 QUOTE REF: REDPS LINES OPEN 8.30am-7pm (Mon-Fri) 8.30am-12.30pm (Sat)

FLEET SURVEY

Experiments in ‘bustitution’ A small fleet of four-wheel railbuses was introduced in 1958 with the aim of saving rural lines. Ten years later they had all gone, along with the lines they had hoped to save.

T

HEY came, they saw, but they did not conquer. Sixty years ago in 1958, 22 four-wheeled railbuses from five different manufacturers were trialled on rural lines in England and Scotland with the aim of reducing costs and thus saving the lines from closure.

The idea was noble, a brave attempt by British Railways to hang on to as much of its network as possible, but one that ultimately did not succeed.

Arguably, however, this was not quite the full truth. Closing lines was as politically sensitive in the 1950s as it would be today. So BR had to be seen to have tried everything it could to reduce costs where possible, and the railbuses were tangible proof that it had at least tried.

Ultimately, even by destaffing stations and running lines on a ‘one engine in steam’ principle, the traction costs were only a small part of the total required to keep a line open. So the financial impact of railbuses was small, and the lines they were used on all subsequently closed anyway.

The British Transport Commission (BTC) had seen that railbuses were successful in continental Europe,

so asked British Railways to look into their potential use here. They were to be trialled on all six regions, although in the end the North-Eastern and Southern did not take part.

The Scottish Region, however, was especially keen to have them, and so the first-built vehicles were sent north.

Orders were placed with the five manufacturers in May 1957 and they were delivered the following year. The chosen firms were Bristol Commercial Vehicles/Eastern Coach Works (two vehicles); Waggon und Maschinenbau (5); D Wickham (5); Park Royal (5); and AC Cars (5). A further Wickham-based vehicle was ordered for departmental use as track recorder.

East Anglia saw the use of five Waggon und Maschinenbau vehicles based at Cambridge, an unidentified one pictured at Witham in June 1958 working Maldon branch before its ‘whiskers’ were painted on the ends. BR After being found inadequate for the Witham to Braintree, Waggon und Maschinenbau railbuses were used from Cambridge to Mildenhall instead – an unidentified vehicle, with ‘whiskers’, is seen at the terminus in 1960.

DC Collection

BCV/ECW

Bristol Commercial Vehicles was a manufacturer mainly of bus chassis, while Eastern Coach Works in Lowestoft built the bodies – both companies becoming part of the Tilling Group before the Second World War and then nationalised as part of the BTC in 1948.

The railbuses ordered from BCV/ ECW weighed in at 13.5 tons, had seating for 56 and were powered by a

❯

Photos of the Bristol/Eastern Coach Works vehicles are relatively rare, partly because there were only two of them and partly because they were the least successful. The first of the pair No. 79958 is pictured at Stratford depot, East London, while on its way to Scotland in late 1958. R W Carroll Collection

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 23

FLEET SURVEY

The Wickham design was arguably the best looking and they were one of the most reliable too. The area around Ayr became a hotspot for their use, and an unidentified vehicle is pictured at Lugton on January 3, 1962 for the 1.40pm to Beith. RM Archive/David C Smith

Four of the five AC cars vehicles were used on the Western Region, initially on the Kemble to Cirencester and Tetbury branches – an unidentified one pictured at the latter in the early 1960s. Lamberhurst/Creative Commons

Newly-delivered Park Royal railbus No. 79973 is shown off at an unknown location in August 1958. These were the only ones to have headcode boxes. BR

Park Royal No. 79971 initially survived as a grounded body at Millerhill Yard, near Edinburgh, but had to be scrapped in 1984 due to its asbestos content. Martin Addison/ Creative Commons

❮ 112hp Gardner engine. Like the other

types, they had a central doorway dividing two saloons, but these two were lower than the others and thus did not need additional footsteps.

Both vehicles worked in Scotland, No. 79958 starting work on the Aviemore-Elgin route in November 1958 and No. 79959 following a month later. They moved to Hamilton depot in 1959 and then to Ardrossan at the start of 1962 – working to Kilmarnock, Darvel and Lugton-Beith. Line closures saw them transferred north again to Aviemore and Inverness, but they were considered the worst of the five railbus types and withdrawn in October 1966.

AC Cars built the chassis and bodies for its railbuses separately, sending them by road to Swindon for assembly – where No. 79975 is pictured in pristine condition in 1958.

DC Collection

WAGGON UND MASCHINENBAU

The five W&M railbuses were delivered in April 1958 for use in the Fens from a

MODERNISATION PLAN 4-WHEEL RAILBUSES Number 79958-79959 79960-79964 79965-79969 79970-79974

Total 2 5 5 5

Builder Bristol/Eastern Coach Works Waggon und Maschinenbau D Wickham & Co Park Royal Vehicles

Engine Gardner 112hp Büssing 150hp Meadows 105hp AEC 150hp

Years active 1958–1966 1958–1967 1958–1966 1958-1968

79975-79979

5

AC Cars

AEC 150hp

1958-1968

RDB 999507

1

D Wickham & Co

Meadows 97hp

1958–1997

24 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

Initial region Scottish Eastern Scottish Scottish (79970, 79974) Midland (79971-79973) Western (79975-79978) Scottish (79979) Departmental

base at Cambridge. They weighed in at 15 tons, had seating for 56 and were powered by a 150hp Büssing engine.

The design was based on one already used extensively in Germany, making them less ‘experimental’ and thus explaining why they were arguably the most successful, with four of the five surviving into preservation.

They were the only ones fitted with conventional buffers and screw couplings, and another quirk was that they had a foot-controlled accelerator – very unusual for British diesel units.

Routes served included Colne Valley via Halstead and the Maldon, Braintree and Saffron Walden branches.

They were also used to Mildenhall after they proved inadequate for loadings to Braintree. Line closures by 1964 saw Nos. 79963 and 79964 trialled on the Alston branch in Northern England, but they were again found unsuitable.

Nos. 79961 and 79964 were also trialled between Buxton and Millers Dale in 1966, but when these services were withdrawn in 1967, so were the railbuses.

D WICKHAM

Hertfordshire-based Wickham made many things but moved into railway vehicles after the First World War, most notably making hundreds of dieselpowered inspection and maintenance

FLEET SURVEY “The five Waggon und Maschinenbau vehicles had conventional buffers, screw couplings and a foot-controlled accelerator!”

Two other Waggon und Maschinenbau vehicles Nos. 79962 and 79964 were immediately preserved at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in 1967 where they look completely at home on the single track branch line. No. 79962 is currently out of service, but No. 79964 is operational and pictured at Oakworth heading for Oxenhope on April 1, 2013. DC Collection

trolleys that were exported around the world.

The five Wickham railbuses each weighed 11.5 tons, had seating for 48 and were powered by a 105hp Meadows engine. They started work in Scotland on the Devon Valley Line from Alloa in 1959 until replaced by Park Royal types. They also worked to Crieff (in Perth and Kinross), on the Speyside Line from Aviemore, and the West Highland Line shuttle between Craigendoran and Arrochar.

The Wickhams were considered one of the better railbus types, but all were withdrawn by 1966 and none survive in preservation. However, a departmental track recording vehicle No. DB999507 was developed by Elliott Bros in 1959 based on the Wickham railbus with a derated 97hp engine.

This survived in service until the 1990s and was subsequently snapped up for preservation.

PARK ROYAL

Park Royal Vehicles was a coach and bus builder based in West London, but

dipped its toes into railway vehicles including the five railbuses that weighed 15 tons, had seating for 50 and were powered by a 150hp AEC engine.

Three were sent to the London Midland Region in August 1958 to work from Bedford to Northampton and Hitchin, and two went to the Scottish Region. Reliability was not great at first, leading to substitution by steam and later conventional DMUs, and eventually the three LMR vehicles were also sent north. In Scotland they worked mostly around Ayr, but also Aviemore and Arrochar. The Ayr area was a hotspot for railbus use, but as branch lines closed the vehicles became redundant, and all had been withdrawn by 1968.

AC CARS

As the name suggests, this firm was mainly in the automotive business, but a diversification into railways (based on building four trains for the Southern Pier Railway in 1949) produced five railbuses weighing in at 11 tons (the

❯

No. 79960 was one of two Waggon und Maschinenbau vehicles snapped up for preservation by the forerunner of the North Norfolk Railway (the other being No. 79963), it being pictured in action at Holt on June 9, 2007. Today this railbus can be found at the Ribble Steam Railway in Preston. DC Collection

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 25

FLEET SURVEY ❮ lightest of the five types) with seating

for 46 and powered (like the Park Royals) by a 150hp AEC engine. The factory in Thames Ditton (Surrey) was not rail connected, so the bodies and underframes left separately and were assembled at BR’s Swindon Works.

No. 79979 was the first of all 22 railbuses to be delivered in February 1958, but did not enter service until August that year as it was initially used as an exhibit at various rail events. No. 79979 was then sent to Scotland for use around Gleneagles and Crieff, Lugton-Beith, and finally to Ayr in early 1962.

The other four AC railbuses were used by the Western Region on the Kemble branches to Cirencester and Tetbury – one on each branch and two spare. Despite their relative success, the branches still closed in April 1964 and two railbuses were transferred to Cornwall for shuttle services between Bodmin North and Boscarne Junction, while the other two worked between Yeovil Junction and Yeovil Town/Pen Mill from December 1964.

The WR cars were transferred to Scotland in February 1967, two to Ayr and two to Grangemouth – lasting through to the final day for all railbuses types on January 29, 1968. No. 79978 was the last of all to work in BR passenger service, meaning an AC Car type was both the first delivered and last in service.

LEGACY

Of the five different types of railbus, none survive from BCV/ECW or Park Royal batches. The body of Park Royal No. 79971 found further use at Millerhill depot, near Edinburgh, as a workman’s hut, but had to be scrapped in 1984 due to its asbestos content.

Four of the five Waggon und Maschinenbau vehicles have been preserved. No. 79961 was scrapped in 1968, but the other four were immediately snapped up by the North Norfolk Railway (Nos. 79960 and 79963) and Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (Nos. 79962 and 79964). Today, No. 79960 can be found at the Ribble Steam Railway (Preston), while No. 79963 is being restored at the East Anglian Railway Museum in Essex.

The two KWVR vehicles were allowed a main line outing in 1970 when they had to be turned so their driving axles were at the rear for the uphill direction to Oxenhope. This was achieved by running them from Keighley to the triangle at nearby Shipley.

Two AC Cars railbuses survive, although neither is currently

AC Cars No. 79976 was purchased in 1968 without its engine and initially moved to Bristol. It then moved to various heritage railways before ending up at the Great Central Railway where it is now in store awaiting restoration. It is pictured at Loughborough on September 21, 2017.

operational. No. 79976 is stripped down in store at Loughborough, Great Central Railway, while No. 79978 is out of service at the Colne Valley Railway (Essex). The CVR is the only preserved line that originally saw railbus use, although that was the Waggon und Maschinenbau type rather than AC Cars. The body of No. 79979 was also retained by BR as a battery store at Craigentinny (near Edinburgh) until 1977, after which it was sold to the Strathspey Railway but then went for scrap in 1990.

The only other railbus to survive is the former Wickham-based track recording unit No. DB999507. This was acquired by the Middleton Railway, Leeds, in 1997 and converted for passenger use. Today it can be found at the Lavender Line in East Sussex.

While the first generation railbuses were all withdrawn 50 years ago, their spirit lives on today. BR returned to the idea of four-wheeled railbuses in the 1970s and in 1978 built No. LEV1 (Leyland Experimental Vehicle), which was essentially a double-cabbed bus body placed on a wagon chassis with a Leyland engine and mechanical transmission.

LEV1 led to a two-car prototype No. 140001, which in turn developed into the two and three-car Classes 141-144 ‘Pacers’, of which Classes 142-144 are still in service with Arriva Trains Wales, Great Western Railway and Northern. E

Sold to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in 1968, AC Cars No. 79978 was at the Kent & East Sussex from 1979 to 1984, and then to the Colne Valley Railway in Essex. It is still there now, but out of service and pictured at Castle Hedingham on April 15, 2017.

Paul Bickerdyke

RAILBUSES IN PRESERVATION Number 79960 79962 79963 79964 79976 79978 RDB999507

Builder Waggon und Maschinenbau Waggon und Maschinenbau Waggon und Maschinenbau Waggon und Maschinenbau AC Cars AC Cars Wickham

26 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

Location Ribble Steam Railway Keighley and Worth Valley Railway East Anglian Railway Museum Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Great Central Railway Colne Valley Railway Lavender Line

Wickham railbus-based track recording vehicle No. DB 999507 survived in service until the 1990s, passing into preservation at the Middleton Railway Leeds in 1997, where it is pictured in September 2008 after being converted for passenger use. The vehicle is now at the Lavender Line in East Sussex. PhillD/Creative Commons

PERFORMANCE

0 to 60!

Just how nimble are today’s locos and units, and what’s the quickest off the mark?

Neville Hill found himself in South Devon the week that the first Great Western Railway ‘2+4’ mini-HST entered service.

STANDARD motive power for the 06.00 Penzance to Cardiff Great Western Railway marathon run, which calls at almost all stations, used to be a humble Class 150 – and often a London area Class 150/1 reject at that. However, the January 2018 timetable saw the journey split at Exeter St David’s into two separate legs, and observers sensed the first signs that the muchvaunted 2+4 HST sets would soon be here for the Devon and Cornwall part.

The first appearance did not come until Thursday, March 29, with my first trip taking place on April 3 from Dawlish to Plymouth via Exeter using power car Nos. 43017+43187. Our four coaches weighed in at 36.8tonnes each, but there was no wheelchair compliant facility available in this first tranche of coaches. First impressions were good, with plenty of space in yet another manifestation of British Rail’s adaptable Mk.3 design; truly a revolution in local South-West train travel.

Level starts are a rarity on the train’s normal itinerary, but a subsequent Dawlish-Exeter-Penzance-

Newton Abbot trip confirmed the 70sec 0-60mph leaving Dawlish and also on the level start from the Menheniot request stop on the up run from Cornwall. There is probably better to come from these sets. Drivers suggest there is too much power available to allow them to get into a high notch quickly, and a hot dry day on the sea wall will give better adhesion than on these two occasions.

The results rank this ‘Castle’ HST as the second quickest diesel-powered train in our tests so far – 17sec slower than a Class 220 ‘Voyager’ but 13sec quicker than a Class 180 ‘Adelante’. The RE Factor (9444) is between that for a 2+7 HST (9050) and 2+8 HST (10086), which adds to the argument that a higher figure (and thus lower 0-60mph time) is possible.

There were running gains on the Class 150 timings of 10min, but an equal amount was lost at stations. It is hoped the former will increase with greater confidence in braking, and the latter will decrease when staff are not undergoing on-board training. E

DAWLISH TO EXETER ST DAVID’S Power Cars 43016+43187 Load* 4/147/155/296 Train 06.00 Penzance-Exeter SD Date April 3, 2018 Recorder/Position Neville Hill/2nd of 6 Miles 0.00 0.02 0.07 0.14 0.23 0.36 0.56 1.54 3.59 7.30 12.14

Location

Sch

MS

Dawlish (2+4 board) d

0

Dawlish Warren Starcross Exminster

2½

EXETER ST D a

12

0 00 ½L 0 15 10 0 28 20 0 38 30 0 47 40 0 58 50 1 10 60 2 01 73/80 3 38 70 6 17 103 approach control sigs 11 47 Platform 6

MPH

Notes: Timed to 1/100th of a second and rounded to nearest full second; *=Coaches/tare/gross tonnes/including power cars.

0-60 time RE FACTOR** COMMENT

70 seconds 9444 Pocket rocket

Note: **The RE (Rail Express) Factor provides a weighted comparison of performance, taking into account time, load and rated horsepower. A higher score is better.

On the same day as Neville’s first run on a GWR 2+4 ‘Castle’ HST (April 3), Nos. 43187/43016 power out of Newton Abbot with the 15.55 to Plymouth. This train scored a 0-60 time of 70sec and an RE Factor of 9444 in our test. Robert Sherwood

TIMES AND SCORES SUMMARY Time

No.

Load

RE

Notes

36 38 39 46 50 51 53 54 54 56 56 59 59 60 63 66 68 70 70 70 70 73 76 79 83 83 84 87 91 96 97 98 100 102 103 103 108 114 115 115 116 117 121 124 148 151 152 156 174 179 325

345008 395xxx 380022 700111 357017/033 323224 220xxx 800025 350403 365529 387111/117 317651/672 222020 334021/029 333013 314214 185113 319376 375606 3900xx 43016/187 507005 57603 68007 172103 180110 315822/845 90002 450126/019 43285/321 43xxx/xxx 158860 800008/009 166205 175104 168003 91125 170114 144010 142030/048 92014 143603 87002 156413 66184 50049+50007 73970 153369 D1015 67006 40145

265t 280t 136t 412t 320t 117t 195t 265t 178t 165t 355t 280t 260t 254t 189t 105t 170t 153t 179t 486t 296t 103t 232t 215t 88t 265t 256t 452t 346t 391t 440t 80t 520t 122t 157t 185t 430t 95t 54t 102t 803t 52t 529t 79t 481t 730t 281t 45t 475t 460t 613t

13887 16302 12939 13470 15673 14658 12264 13619 12294 17515 14137 17959 11181 14687 15755 18116 11088 15145 12715 10089 9444 15817 11078 9999 11000 8514 17276 10376 7043 9050 10086 11630 11603 11391 11297 10640 7806 9878 10412 9855 10331 9895 8775 11202 10122 8752 11568 10144 10110 8030 9430

Fastest AC EMU

Fastest DMU Electric bi-mode

Highest RE Factor

Fastest third-rail 2+4 HST Fastest diesel loco

Fastest electric loco 2+7 HST 2+8 HST Diesel bi-mode

Notes: Time=number of seconds to reach 60mph from a standing start on the level; Load=total weight in tonnes of train and passengers, including loco if relevant; RE=the RE Factor, our measure of performance based on time, load and power (a higher score is better).

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 29

TIME TRAVELLER YEARS AGO...

50

JULY 1968

■ WAVERLEY HOPES DASHED: Any possibility of a reprieve for the Waverley Route between Carlisle and Edinburgh were ended when the Minister of Transport said a ‘social grant’ to keep the line open and services running could not be justified. It was estimated that to retain stopping services over the whole line would cost £700,000 per year (£12 million today) – and even a basic stripped down single track basic railway between Edinburgh and Hawick was deemed too expensive at £250,000 per year (£4.3 million today).

Thus the line, which was carrying 600 passengers each way every weekday plus freights, was scheduled to close on January 6, 1969. It reopened as far as Tweedbank in September 2015 (about a third of the total route), the success of which has led to calls for a full reopening p g to Carlisle.

YEARS AGO...

40

JULY 1978

■ SLEEPING CAR BLAZE: At about 02.30 on July 6, the front sleeping car No. W2437 of the 21.30 Penzance-

Paddington via Bristol overnight train was seriously damaged by fire just west of Taunton; the second sleeping car No. W2423 was smashed to free its occupants.

Emergency services were called from the surrounding area and the blaze was brought under control within an hour but not before 11 people lost their lives. Allegations that doors of the burned out carriage were locked,

thus preventing passengers escaping quickly, were confirmed at the public inquiry held in Taunton on July 24/25.

After the fire was extinguished, the remainder of the train was hauled into Taunton by Nos. 31118+31135, although train loco No. 47498 was undamaged.

Passengers were taken forward to Paddington by a special formed of a HST.

MUSSELBURGH TAKES SHAPE: Type 2 No. 26005 hauls an MGR coal train from Blindwells to Leith South through the site of Musselburgh station, east of Edinburgh on the East Coast Main Line, on July 26, 1988. The station opened for service on October 3 that year.

YEARS AGO...

YEARS AGO...

20

JULY 1998

■ ENTER THE ‘BODYSNATCHERS’: The first of Freightliner's re-engineered Class 57s was rolled out from Brush Traction in Loughborough on July 21.

No. 57001 (based on the former No. 47356) was outshopped with a new green livery with company branding, and ran under its own power to its new home depot at Crewe. The loco's original Sulzer power unit was replaced by a second-hand, fully rebuilt General Motors 645-12E3 that delivered 2500hp at 900rpom. The engine was coupled to a rebuilt Class 56 alternator providing power to the original six Brush traction motors. Eventually 33 locos were converted with a projected life of 20 years at a third of the cost of a new loco, but many are still in use today with West Coast Railways, DRS and Great Western.

30 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

30

JULY 1988

■ BR MAKES PROFIT: In its latest Annual Report & Accounts, the British Railways Board revealed the group

YEARS AGO...

10

JULY 2008

■ CARNFORTH OPEN DAY: West Coast Railways staged a major open day at its Carnforth base on July 26 – the first chance for the public to look around the former Steamtown museum site since 1997. The event marked the 40th anniversary of the end of steam, but featured a wide range of home fleet and visiting steam and diesel locos.

Diesels on show at the Carnforth open day in July 2008 included Nos. 20302, 20307, 37685, 40145, 47798 and 'Deltic' 55022.

had made a surplus of £291 million in 1987/88 – the highest railway operating surplus (£109 million) in the Board’s history.

The report also recorded BR’s highest passenger volume for 27 years at 20.6 billion miles (franchised operators totalled 40.4 billion passenger miles in 2015/16).

Railfreight marked its tenth year as a fully commercial sector with an

operating surplus of £43.6 million before interest. Property Board sales and lettings contributed £263 million gross to BR’s cash flow.

Payments to BR by Government and local authorities for railway operations totalled £894 million. Investment spending came to £543 million, of which £495 million went on railway improvements and £48 million on other businesses.

NOSTALGIA

Then & Now: New Street

I

N this view from July 1962, ‘Peak’ No. D28 gets underway from Birmingham New Street with the 1V39/10.07 Bradford Forster SquarePaignton ‘Devonian’.

The train is using the former Midland Railway side of the station, which opened in 1885 alongside the original 1854 LNWR station, the two being separated by Queens Drive (which was aligned roughly where the photographer stands in both pictures) but joined by a footbridge. Note the lower quadrant MR signals and overall roof – the trainshed on the LNWR side being demolished after suffering bomb damage in the Second World War. Queens Drive was swept away in redevelopment from 1964, with today’s station covering both previous sites, opening in March 1967 as part of the modernisation and electrification of the West Coast Main Line.

The ‘Devonian’ was a prestigious named train introduced by the LMS in 1927 that ran in various forms until finally killed off by the introduction of ‘Voyager’ DMUs on CrossCountry routes in the early 2000s.

In the early 1960s, however, British Railway’s Western Region had just taken over control of the working from the London Midland, thus bringing chocolate and cream coaches to the Yorkshire city until blue/grey became BR's standard livery from the late-1960s.

INTER-REGIONAL DIESELS

Diesels began replacing steam between Birmingham and Bristol in summer 1961 and, by the time this shot was taken a year later, they were handling about a quarter of all workings – the transition being complete by 1966.

No. D28 entered service in May 1961 at Leeds Neville Hill before transferring to nearby Holbeck at the end of 1962. It was one of 50 Class 45s fitted with electric train heating in the early 1970s, becoming No. 45124 under TOPS renumbering in April 1974 and then based at Toton for use on the Midland Main Line.

The loco survived until stopped by a bogie fire at Leicester in December 1987, being withdrawn the following month and scrapped at Springburn Works, Glasgow, in February 1992.

Photo: DC Collection.

A

LMOST 56 years later and DMU No. 170109 is pictured leaving New Street with a modern-day inter-regional service, CrossCountry’s 1V11/14.10 Nottingham-Cardiff Central.

CrossCountry acquired a fleet of 29 two- and three-car Class 170s when the former Central Trains franchise ended in 2007, and uses them on the East Midlands to South

Wales and Birmingham to Stansted routes (above).

Work to further improve New Street station began in 2010 and, although the platforms and track layout were largely unaffected this time, the passenger concourse was enlarged and a new shopping centre

called Grand Central opened on the upper levels in September 2015 – which is the silver-clad structure and John Lewis store in this shot. The train is also passing under a footbridge that connects to new entrances to the station on Hill Street and Navigation Street.

The only real point of reference with the 1962 photo is the station’s boundary wall and the brick building with the pointed roof above the DMU’s leading vehicle, which is the former Futurist cinema now seeking a new use.

Photo: Paul Bickerdyke E

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 31

REVIEWS Got something to review?

Send any books, DVDs or other items to the editor at: Rail Express, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR

Diesels on the London Midland

By Michael Welch Published by Rails www.capitaltransport.com 120 pages, colour, 257x225mm, hardback. £19.95

GIVEN the price of some other titles on the market, this hardback book can be considered something of a bargain – especially with the quality of the images it contains.

The 120 pages each have one or two top class colour images of workings on the London Midland Region covering the period from the 1950s to the 1980s. It is difficult to fathom exactly what order they have been displayed, as it is neither by date nor class, but that is not important as the quality and variety speaks for itself.

A wide range of diesel locomotives and units are included, and each image is accompanied by a detailed and informative caption. Particular favourites to name but two are of a Class 105 at Rawtenstall (now part of the East Lancs Railway) in 1968 and of a Class 27 working a northbound goods on the Corby line in 1965. This is a recommended buy.

Merseyside Traction

By Doug Birmingham Published by Amberley www.amberley-books.com 96 pages, colour, 234x165mm, softback. £14.99

FOLLOWING the publisher’s standard picture-and-caption format, this book covers the railway scene around the Liverpool area over the last two

32 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

decades. The photographer is known for his quality images, and as most have been taken in the digital era, they have been produced well from mostly ‘full sun’ conditions.

There is a surprising variety included – plenty of ‘66s’ on freight of course, but also ‘37s’, ‘56s’ and ‘60s’.

Passenger workings feature the region’s standard DMUs and EMUs (including those on the Merseyrail network) – but railtours bring in heritage diesels such as a ‘Peak’, ‘Western’ and ‘Deltic’.

The oldest photo is of Class 20s on weedkilling duties in 1996, while the most recent is of a DRS ‘88’ in 2017 – so there is plenty here to showcase the region’s recent railway scene.

London Underground Guide 2018 UK Light Rail and Tram Museum Guide 2018

By Jason Cross/Nick Meskell Published by Train Crazy www.videoscene.co.uk 116 pages, colour, 210x147mm, softback. £11.95 each

THESE two books are aimed at fans of Metro systems, and are packed with information and photos.

The London Underground Guide offers details of each line, the different types of passenger stock, non-passenger trains, and an A-Z of stations. Each line gets a potted history, route map, and an outline of operations. The different passenger and non-passenger fleets get an overview plus complete list of vehicle numbers, while the station guide lists which line each is on and what zone they are in.

The Light Rail Guide follows a similar format, only this time covering the various modern light rail and tram systems in Britain and Ireland plus heritage tramways, relevant museums and even cliff railways.

The two books are both very useful guides and there is something in them for even the most expert of readers.

Class 70 Locomotives

By John Jackson Published by Amberley www.amberley-books.com 96 pages, colour, 234x165mm, softback. £14.99

THERE are few books dedicated to this relatively modern class of loco, and so this title aims to help plug that gap.

The drawback, however, is there are only really two operators of Class 70s and two liveries – plus the fleets are confined to freight duties only – so variety to fill a complete book on their own is always going to be a challenge.

The photographer also seems to be based in the Nuneaton area, as many of the shots are taken there and it tends to get a bit ‘samey’ in places.

That said, the quality of the reproduction is good and (we have not checked this) with around 180 images there’s every chance all 37 locos are included somewhere.

The oldest ‘70s’ have not quite notched up 10 years of service yet (that will be in 2019), so perhaps this one is really for the die-hard fans.

Rail Guide 2018

By Colin J Marsden Published by Crecy www.crecy.co.uk 336 pages, colour, 217x155mm, hardback. £22.50

THIS is an updated edition of the comprehensive guide to British railway companies, and is a companion to the Traction Recognition guide by the same author/publisher combination.

The Rail Guide provides a companyby-company listing of who owns what on our main line and heritage railways, and is claimed to be the only guide to list fleet numbers by order of their operators. Changes since the 2017 edition include the Class 800, 801 and 802 Hitachi IETs plus the mini-HSTs bound for use with ScotRail.

The bulk of the pages is taken up by the passenger operating companies, listed in alphabetical order. Each one gets some basic information about its network, depot locations and contact details. Then for every class it operates, the vehicles are listed by TOPS number with depot, livery and owner details.

Subsequent pages give similar treatment to the freight operators; infrastructure companies (including on track plant); train engineering firms; and rolling stock hire companies. Further sections include private train operators’ fleets, preserved motive power listings, light rail operators and more.

Gainsborough to Sheffield

By Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith Published by Middleton Press www.middletonpress.co.uk 96 pages, mono, 240x174mm, hardback. £18.95

THE Middleton Press series has a deserved reputation for providing accurate and in-depth histories based on maps, photographs and wellresearched captions. This one is no exception, and offers a wealth of detail for historians and modellers alike.

The Brigg to Sheffield line was built by the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire railway (later the Great Central) in the 1840s, eventually forming a cross-country link between the ports at Grimsby and Liverpool.

Included here are snapshots of timetables from different periods before working west from Brigg with a focus on each of the stations and facilities. Although the theme is historical, there is plenty of modern traction on show – including electric Classes 76 and 77 at the Sheffield Victoria end.

Overall this is an interesting look on a neglected route that has definitely seen much better days.

LETTERS Express Mailbag Your letters, emails, feedback and other comments are always welcome. Contact us at Rail Express, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR; or email: railexpresseditor@mortons.co.uk. The editor reserves the right to edit all letters, and the views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the magazine.

ICI HOPPER MEMORIES

DUMPED WAGON 

THANK you for the article about the ICI hopper trains (May issue). As a fireman in the mid-1960s based at Warrington Dallam, I came across them on a regular basis as a lot of our work was towards Godley, Stockport and Guide Bridge.

These trains were regarded as Class One workings as nothing had to get in their way so they did not lose time, and trains I worked were often put into loops to let them pass.

You also mentioned that the braking system was modified, but they were also altered so the loco brakes only started to apply once the vacuum had been reduced below 15-inches due to the very long downhill running. This meant only the wagon brakes were checking the speed, and I believe ICI were not too pleased about this when they found out, as they did their own maintenance on the wagons.

I WAS quite shocked to see the photograph on page 76 of the May issue, showing an EWS HTA coal hopper that was involved in a crash in 2003 on the single line to Onllwyn Colliery.

Can anyone shed any light on why the wagon was never recovered and left to rot at the side of the line? I find it quite remiss of Network Rail to allow such an eyesore to disintegrate under the elements.

Don Shadwell Stourbridge, West Midlands

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Paul Davies By email

 WORKINGTON ‘50’ REVEALED THE unknown Class 50 at Workington in 1975 (page 24, June issue) is No. 50006.

This loco can be identified by the odd position of the nose handrail above the jumper receptacle on the second man’s side (the left-hand side looking towards the cab).

Mark Alden By email

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 33

SCOTRAIL’S NEW-LOOK HST Ts

No. 171 DIESEL AND ELECTRIC ERA MODELLING

MERRY-GO-ROUND FORERUNNERS Profiling British Rail’s 24½t hopper fleet

5

Newsdesk: Latest developments

GB Railfreight’s popular BR large logo-liveried Class 66 has been announced in both ‘N’ and ‘OO’ courtesy of Gaugemaster and Hattons, while Revolution Trains has unveiled the IZA Cargowaggon twins in 4mm. There is also a round-up of the news from DEMU Showcase.

12

D&E Files: HUO 24½ ton hoppers

Numbering over 3000 examples, BR’s heavy duty hoppers saw over 30 years of use on power station coal flows and assorted industrial coal and coke movements. Trevor Mann profiles the type’s various design differences along with the wagons’ other uses.

19

Reviews: Accurascale HUO hopper

Now available from Accurascale is the company’s first ready-to-run ‘OO’ gauge model, this depicting the HUO coal hoppers with their as-built lettering. The exquisite wagons are examined in detail.

22

Modelling: ScotRail HST

27

Reviews: Revolution Class B tanks

This year is due to see the introduction of shortened and modified HSTs on services between Scottish cities, a pair of the new-look power cars being modelled.

Revolution Trains has continued its impressive release programme in ‘N’ gauge with the appearance of the Class B tankers in a variety of colourful liveries.

30

D&E Files: Railfreight Distribution OBA

To accompany the release of Bachmann’s 4mm scale OBA open wagon in Railfreight Distribution colours, the type’s usage during the sub-sector era is profiled.

33

Reviews: Kernow exclusive Class 50s

Available now from Kernow are two Hornby Class 50s depicting a pair of 1980s machines while also new is a laser-cut fence from Scale Model Scenery.

ON THIS COVER To coincide with the release of the Accurascale model, this issue details the history of the BR 24½ ton hoppers. Typical of the variant portrayed by the ‘OO’ gauge wagon, No. B336661 was photographed at West Hartlepool on September 20, 1981. Trevor Mann

RAIL EXPRESS MODELLER EDITOR Simon Bendall

REMeditor@mortons.co.uk

RAIL EXPRESS MODELLER RATINGS A breakdown of our Express rating system

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excellent

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outstanding

NEWSDESK

Hattons’ Class 66 progresses The newly announced ‘Shed’ is moving ahead with the unveiling of a 3D print and a much requested livery.

JUST over a month ago, Hattons’ announcement of a brand-new Class 66 in ‘OO’ gauge sent shockwaves through the hobby. Earning pretty much universal approval, the retailer is now pressing on with the model’s development in order to hit its stated release date of March 2019.

With CAD work completed prior to the unveiling, this has now been used to create a 3D printed model

so that the accuracy of the designs can be evaluated before committing to tooling.

Even at this stage, the detail incorporated is impressive, especially on the bogies and underframe. Once signed off, an initial engineering prototype will be shown later in the year.

A large announcement

Due to overwhelming demand, Hattons has also added a further release to the initial batch of Class 66s, this taking the form of No. 66789 British Rail 1948-1997 in its recently applied BR large logo blue scheme. Produced

with the approval of GB Railfreight, this loco will now be the first of the GMs to be released next year. Priced £150,

DCC ready and DCC sound versions are also available at £165 and £265 respectively. www.hattons.co.uk

Accurascale launches TOPS era hoppers FOLLOWING the delivery of its first batch of 24½ ton coal hoppers, Accurascale has now opened the order book for the next tranche ahead of delivery in August. This second group covers the TOPS era and will see the models appear with HUO codes in place. A total of 18 wagons in BR unfitted grey are available, split across six triple packs, these all featuring differences in branding and small details like buffer type.

Each triple pack is priced £59.95 or all six sets can be ordered together for £325.

Kernow reorders exclusive models Also available is a single set of hoppers depicting wagons taken into internal use at Onllwyn Colliery in South Wales, these carrying new internal numbers and a dark grey livery. www.accurascale.co.uk

Wagon suspension upgrades released NEWLY added to the 4mm scale range of wagon detailing components offered

by Stenson Models are two pedestal suspension kits.

The first of these portrays the Gloucester design and is intended for use with the Lima PCA depressed centre ‘presflo’ (CC01S GS, £7.25) while the other covers the ESC version and is intended for the Lima PGA aggregates

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Supplement No. 171

hopper (CC01S ES, £7.25). Both models are now produced by Hornby and the packs can also be used with these versions.

The kits include replacement whitemetal suspension castings and etched components to allow springing to be fitted, the overall effect being to lower the models to their correct ride height. www.stensonmodels.co.uk

A SECOND batch of YCV ‘Turbot’ ballast and spoil wagons is to be released by Kernow Model Rail Centre later this year, after the first consignment of the ‘OO’ gauge models sold out within days of delivery. Still priced £29.99 each, six versions will be released this time, all carrying Civil Engineers’ grey/yellow. Two of these, Nos. DB978026 and DB978080, will feature a pristine finish and can be pre-ordered together for £49.98.

The other four ‘Turbots’ will all be weathered and feature printed rust patches. Pictured here is the first sample of this finish but the pattern and colour

of the rust is due to be improved before production. The weathered examples will be Nos. DB978021/051/066/101 and the quartet can again be pre-ordered together at a discounted price of £99.96.

Having proven equally popular, Kernow has commissioned a second triple pack of ‘Night Riviera’ Mk.3a sleepers from Hornby in the current Great Western Railway green livery. Again limited to 300 sets and due later this year, the coaches will be finished as Nos. 10532, 10534 and 10594 with the pack priced £109.99. www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com

Cut-down Class 08s from PH Designs NOW available in 4mm scale from PH Designs are 3D printed bodyshells for the cut-down cab Class 08/9 shunters.

These were originally converted in the 1980s for use on the height-restricted Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley line but later saw much wider deployment under EWS ownership. The bodyshell is designed to fit the high-specification Hornby chassis and is supplied with primer already applied. Also included

are etches for the front and rear steps, radiator and bodyside grilles and the nameplates. Three different versions have been produced, these catering for various differences between Nos. 08992/93, 08994 and 08995, while the bodyshell is also available printed in either low resolution (£64.99) or high resolution (£91.58 or £95.28 depending on the version). www.phd-design-etchings.co.uk

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M6 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller July 2018

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M7

NEWSDESK IN BRIEF ■ Among a variety of new rolling stock transfers in 4mm scale from Railtec Models are two sheets covering Cowans Sheldon breakdown cranes. One of these provides black chevrons in a variety of patterns to fit the Hornby model (8255, £6.90) with the other featuring a huge amount of lettering, numbering and small details for the 1980s onwards (8254, £11.90). Equally useful are both the early style of Tiger Railcar Leasing logos (8635, £4.50) and the later amended Tiger version in both black and yellow (8636, £4.50). For current day modellers, there is a sheet covering Riviera Trains’ BR blue/ grey Mk.2e/f charter rake and the supporting Mk.1 catering cars, this including a range of numbers and lettering (3396, £4.90). www.railtec-models.com

Revolution and Kernow to produce Cargowaggon twin The two companies have teamed up to offer the useful IZA vans in 4mm scale.

FOLLOWING the unveiling of the Cargowaggon twin vans in ‘N’ gauge last year, Revolution Trains was bombarded with requests to produce the highly useful wagons in 4mm scale as well.

Thanks to a new partnership with Kernow Model Rail Centre, this will now become a reality with the project being launched at the DEMU Showcase exhibition on June 2.

Introduced between 1986 and 1991, the semi-permanently coupled IZA sets have seen use on a wide variety of traffics over the subsequent years, including mineral water, newsprint, spirits, bagged china clay and cement, and pet food. Seen across much of the UK, they have also worked to and from the continent.

The model’s specification will be up to the usual high standards for both companies and is being produced with the co-operation of the fleet’s owner Touax. CAD design work has already been completed and a late 2019 release is the current expectation.

Then and now

Two liveries make up the first batch, these being the original Cargowaggon silver/blue and the current version with alterations to the bodyside notices

and minor paint differences. There are four different numbers for both liveries, each priced £89.99, but a bulk-buy deal of £339.99 for four is also available.

Mirroring the 2mm model, there will be a fifth version of each livery, this featuring a battery-operated flashing tail-lamp, which is priced £94.99. Once the models are delivered, the price of all versions will increase by £10 each.

Orders for the IZAs will be handled

by Kernow and can be placed at www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com.

Gaugemaster Collection launched with GBRf ‘66s’ ■ Newly released in 4mm scale by Shawplan is an etch providing cab front window frames for MetroCammell DMUs, such as Class 101 and Class 111. This features two sets of standard frames as well as the upgraded toughened frames fitted to the driver’s side only on some units. Completing the etch are new surrounds for the destination blinds (EECD4009, £7). www.shawplan.com ■ Discontinued earlier in the year, the range of Just Like The Real Thing ‘O’ gauge kits is set to reappear later this year under a new owner. MM1 Models has secured the tooling and is in the process of setting up a new workshop to allow production to resume.

However, the kits will only be released in limited runs with a selection of the most popular wagons set to return first during the summer. These will be sold on a first come, first served basis with no pre-ordering allowed, while prices are also expected to rise. MM1 has also indicated that not all of the range will be reintroduced. www.mm1models.co.uk ■ DJ Models has announced that two of its planned locomotive models have been postponed indefinitely due to production and funding issues.

These are the ‘N’ gauge Class 17, where initial tooling had taken place, and the ‘OO’ gauge Class 74, which had yet to complete the CAD design stage. Both may appear in the future but no timescale has been set by the company. www.djmodels.co.uk

M8 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller July 2018

MAY saw Gaugemaster launch a new range of models under the ‘Gaugemaster Collection’ brand. This will encompass a variety of ready-to-run models in 2mm, 4mm and 7mm from an assortment of established manufacturers but grouped under a single brand and targeting somewhat niche subjects or liveries.

These will be available from all stockists of Gaugemaster products, not just the

West Sussex-based retailer itself.

The first models to be issued in this way will be a pair of Dapol ‘N’ gauge Class 66s, these representing GB Railfreight’s latest pair of ‘celebrities’, Biffa-liveried No. 66783 The Flying Dustman and BR large logo blue No. 66789 British Rail 1948-1997. Due for release in November, each carries a recommended retail price of £119.95. www.gaugemaster.com

Decorated ‘Janus’ shunters unveiled DUE for release at the end of the year, Golden Valley Hobbies has now received decorated samples of its next two ‘OO’ gauge ‘Janus’ industrial shunters.

The first of these sees the Yorkshire Engine Company design appear in the dark blue livery of Cardiff-based Allied Steel and Wire as No. 379. It will be

joined by the first ICI example of the model, this carrying maroon and the name Richard Borrett.

A standard DCC ready model now has a recommended price of £99.95 with DCC fitted at £117 and DCC sound costing £209.99. www.goldenvalleyhobbies.com

Cheltenham Models offers hydraulic pioneer A FURTHER version of No. D1000 Western Enterprise has been commissioned by Cheltenham Model Centre, this again utilising the ‘OO’ gauge Dapol model.

This time around the model will be finished in BR maroon with half yellow warning panels, this re-creating the diesel hydraulic as running between October 1964 and June 1967. The cast BR crest and larger name and number plates still carried by the loco at this time will be faithfully represented.

Limited to 300 examples, the model will be supplied in a specially decorated box and with a certificate. It is available to pre-order now with a £10 deposit required towards the cost of £151.95.

A pre-production model is shown here, this required a few alterations ahead of production commencing. www.cheltenhammodelcentre.com

Shades of grey for Bachmann regional exclusive Class 37s MAY saw two further ‘OO’ gauge regional exclusive Class 37s announced

by Bachmann, these following on from the four previously unveiled.

In a surprisingly tight restriction, the first of these will only be available from retailers within the boundaries of the M25 motorway and will depict No. 37104 in Railfreight triple grey with

General logos. This was the only Type 3 to carry the seldom seen sub-sector logo in regular traffic and will also feature Stratford’s sparrow emblems.

Joining it will be No. 37142 in the largely disliked Departmental grey livery, which was carried between February 1990 and June 1991 in this particular case. Enjoying a wider

release, the loco will be available from retailers stretching from Buckinghamshire and Berkshire to the Welsh borders and the West Midlands, not to mention Ireland and Wales.

As with the other Class 37s, both will be available with and without DCC sound. www.bachmann.co.uk

Supplement No. 171

NEWSDESK

Showcase brings new products As usual, the DEMU exhibition saw several new models and developments on show, as Simon Bendall details.

 Although not on public display, the latest iteration of the Dapol Class 59 was available for inspection. Still expected to be released around the end of the year, the ‘OO’ gauge model has now received underframe and bogie improvements as seen on this engineering sample of the ‘59/2’ sub-class, albeit devoid of body fittings. The artwork for the initial Foster Yeoman, ARC, National Power and DB Schenker liveries is also in the final stages of completion.

 Attracting much interest were the recently arrived livery samples of the new Redland/ Lafarge PGA aggregates hopper, which will be the first ‘OO’ gauge release from Cavalex Models. Although a few livery tweaks are required, production of the wagons is due to begin imminently for release in late summer.

The company has also unveiled its proposals for its next two models, these being the BBA steel wagon and a continuous solebar TEA tanker, both of which would fill significant gaps in 4mm scale.

 Due for release in late June/ early July is the limited edition Bachmann Class 37/0 from the Mickleover Model Railway Group, this portraying Inverness’ No. 37114 Dunrobin Castle from the late 1980s. Proceeds from the ‘OO’ gauge Type 3, which is currently sold out to pre-orders, will help fund a new clubroom for the group.

Pictured here is a production sample of the popular Highland machine.

 Now available from C=Rail Intermodal are three more 4mm scale containers, these being the 20ft dry box in OOCL grey (£7), the CAI-liveried 40ft dry box (£7.50) and the 20ft tank-tainer in H&S Food Trans colours (£9.50).

Supplement No. 171

 Another batch of Dapol ‘N’ gauge Class 121 ‘Bubble cars’ is due for release later this year.

Livery samples for three of these are shown here, encompassing No. 121032 in Arriva Trains Wales blue/cream, Chiltern Railways’ mid-blue liveried passenger unit No. 121020 and sandite conversion No. 977858 in its attractive BR lined maroon.  Newly received by the N Gauge Society are the first prototype samples of its Hunslet 0-6-0 diesel hydraulic shunter, the one pictured here being the British Steel variant, although the appropriate heavy duty buffer design is not yet in place. Now undergoing testing and evaluation, the 2mm scale models are being produced exclusively for the society and will be its first ready-to-run locomotive offering.

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BR's standard coal fleet One of the earliest wagon designs to be developed by British Railways, the 24½ ton hoppers were intended for power station coal flows but also saw use carrying other heavy industry commodities. With the release of the 4mm scale Accurascale model, Trevor Mann profiles p the long-lived vehicles.

THE origins of the British Railways 24½ ton coal hoppers can be traced back to the earliest years of Nationalisation.

In February 1948, the Railway Executive established an ‘Ideal Stocks Committee’ to consider the numbers and types of locomotives, carriages and wagons required by the newly formed British Railways.

When the committee’s report on the design, capacity and types of freight rolling stock appeared in March 1950, it recommended the use of 24½ ton wagons for coal traffic, this being the maximum load that could be accommodated on two axles given the prevailing 17½ ton maximum axle load.

The first prototype

An initial prototype wagon, No. B333000, was built under Lot 2504, emerging from Shildon Works in December 1952. The design, allocated diagram 1/147, was clearly based on the 21 ton hopper wagon, a type introduced by the LNER during the mid 1930s; the capacity being increased from the 845 cubic feet of the 21 tonner to the 1029 cubic feet of the new 24½ tonner by the relatively simple expedient of making the body six inches wider and eight inches taller.

The bodywork was of all-welded construction, measuring 21ft 1⅝in long by 7ft 11⅝in wide inside at the top, and reaching a height of 10ft 6in above rail. The upper part of both the sides and the ends, amounting to roughly the top two-thirds of the sides and the top half of the ends, was vertical. The sides then sloped in to pass between the inner longitudinal members of the underframe, while the ends sloped to pass through the top surface of the underframe about

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1. Proudly displayed alongside newlyintroduced steam, diesel and electric locomotives, Mk.1 coaches, suburban EMUs and London Underground trains at a 1954 Willesden exhibition, prototype No. B333000 was described in the souvenir programme as ‘the new British Railways standard hoppered mineral wagon’.

Nevertheless, shortcomings revealed during trials led to the design being altered significantly before it entered production. Trevor Mann Collection

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three feet behind the headstocks.

The sides were strengthened by five stanchions that continued down to meet brackets cantilevered from the top of the underframe, with the hopper slope being given additional support by plates bearing onto these brackets.

The ends had two stanchions that were attached to the outer face of the headstocks, with the slope of the hopper being reinforced by brackets bearing onto the underframe.

Additional stiffening was provided by a channel section capping strip around the top of the body.

During discharge, the sloping sides and ends of the bodywork, together with a prominent transverse internal ridge on the wagon centre line, guided the load towards two bottom doors, which fell open, allowing the load to drop between the rails to storage bins or conveyors.

The underframe was of steel channel construction, 21ft 6in long

over headstocks with a wheelbase of precisely 12ft. It was fitted with a distinctive four-shoe hand lever brake, derived from LNER practice, in which the shoes clasped the wheels on just one side of the wagon. A reversing link was incorporated into the hand lever on the other side of the underframe instead of the Morton clutch used on pre-nationalisation 21 ton hoppers.

Underframe fittings included 1ft 6in spindle buffers, three-link couplings, open-fronted axleboxes with 10in by

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2 + 3. Photographed at Wellingborough Yard during April 1981, Nos. B333294 (left) and B333350 (right) exemplify the 24½ ton hoppers built in the first production batch. Their bodywork is of the early pattern with the bodysides ‘folding in’ at a level just above the equivalent point on the ends, while the base of the central side stanchion is chamfered to provide clearance for the door operating lever. The underframe is equipped with eight-shoe clasp hand lever brakes, a rigging clearly based on LNER practice. No. B333294 remains almost as-built, although its oil axleboxes have been replaced with roller bearings and the original routing instructions have been painted out. In contrast, No. B333350 has been refurbished, the weld lines along the top of the sides revealing that it has been heavily replated, losing its oblong ‘batter plates’ in the process. Repainted in freight brown livery, the yellow triangle symbol was an attempt to make it easier for National Coal Board staff to differentiate wagons of 24½ ton capacity. All photos by the author except where stated

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Supplement No. 171

D&E FILES

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4. Again taken at Wellingborough on the same glorious day in April 1981, No. B333955 illustrates the next stage in the development of the BR 24½ ton hoppers. The body remained almost identical to that illustrated in Pictures 2 & 3, retaining the chamfered base to the central stanchion, but the underframe was noticeably different, being equipped with two independent sets of two-shoe handbrake gear. These had ‘V’ hangers offset to the left, push-rods of unequal length, and unusually long hand levers. No. B333955 retained its original self-contained buffers at the end nearest the camera but those on the other end were replacements of the Oleo pattern.

5in journals, and 3ft 1½in diameter three-hole disc wheels.

A second attempt

Although British Railways enthusiastically displayed No. B333000 at a number of exhibitions of new locomotives and rolling stock (Picture 1), some 18 months were to elapse before the second prototype, No. B333001, appeared from Ashford Works. From this, it seems clear that problems had been experienced when discharging No. B333000 during trials.

Although all the leading dimensions remained unchanged, the design of No. B333001, allocated diagram 1/148, was significantly different. The most obvious alteration was that the upper vertical part of the bodysides was noticeably shallower, the sides now ‘folding-in’ a few inches above the equivalent point on the ends. Significantly, this had the effect of steepening the angle of the hopper slope, easing discharge.

Equally notable was the fitting of four, rather than two, bottom doors; one at each end, outside the axles, as well as the pair situated within the wheelbase. This in turn made the slope of the ends much steeper than on No. B333000, again aiding unloading.

The underframe design, by contrast, remained almost unchanged, the only significant difference being the fitting of an extra set of brake shoes,

Supplement No. 171

BR 24½ TON COAL HOPPER BUILD DETAILS Wagon numbers

Quantity

Lot

Builder

Year(s)

Diagram

B333000 B333001 B333002-B333499 B333500-B333699 B333700-B334849 B334850-B335594 B335595-B335694 B335695-B336234 B336235-B336384 B336385-B336932 B336933-B337175 B337176-B337753 B337754-B338162 B338163-B338262

1 1 498 200 1150 745 100 540 150 548 243 578 409 100

2504 2758 2609 3121 3221 3314 3315 3374 3425 3426 3437 3466 3525 3526

Shildon Works Ashford Works Shildon Works Shildon Works Shildon Works Shildon Works Shildon Works Shildon Works Shildon Works Shildon Works Shildon Works Shildon Works Pressed Steel Shildon Works

1952 1954 1955-56 1958-59 1959-60 1960 1961-62 1961 1962 1962 1962 1963 1964-65 1964

1/147 1/148 1/148 1/148 1/148 1/148 1/153 1/148 1/153 1/154 1/148 1/155 1/155 1/155

Total build

5263

converting the rigging to eight-shoe clasp configuration.

Early production batches

With trials involving No. B333001 having proven successful, an initial production batch of 498 vehicles was built under Lot 2609. Illustrated in Pictures 2 & 3, the design of these wagons remained almost unchanged from the second prototype, the only noticeable difference being that, on the production vehicles, the base of the central side stanchion was chamfered back to the front of the solebar, giving extra ‘elbow room’ when operating the hopper door lever.

Once Lot 2609 was complete, there was a break in the building programme with no further 24½ ton hoppers being constructed until September 1958.

Although the reasons for this have not been definitively established, it is noticeable that, while 220 of the wagons built under Lot 2609 were allocated from new to power station coal traffic, many of the remaining examples were assigned to traffics such as coke, chalk, limestone or sand, commodities for which the 24½ ton hoppers were not originally intended.

It is also clear that many collieries had screens too low to accept the 24½ tonners and that many older

power stations still relied upon tippler discharge, so it is likely that further construction was put on hold until such time as colliery modernisation and new power station construction caught up.

Production of the 24½ ton hoppers resumed during September 1958 and continued more or less unabated into the mid 1960s.

The 200 wagons of Lot 3121 (all, significantly, allocated to traffic to the newly opened High Marnham Power Station) introduced the next stage in the development of the 24½ ton hoppers, a variant that was perpetuated in Lot 3221. As can be seen from Picture 4, the body design remained unaltered

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D&E FILES 5

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5 + 6. The wagons built under Lot 3314 introduced the next development of the hoppers. The underframe remained unchanged from that illustrated in Picture 4 but the design of the body was further refined. Instead of being chamfered at its base, the central side stanchion was now shaped inwards, retaining its ‘top hat’ profile throughout. This was to become the most numerous of all the variants and is the prototype chosen for the Accurascale model. No. B335203 (above left), again photographed at Wellingborough in April 1981, was one of the earlier examples and was fitted with spindle buffers. It also retained its original grey livery and ‘HOP 24’ coding, although the routing instructions had been painted out.

Meanwhile, No. B336656 (above right) was photographed after withdrawal at Brindle Heath, Manchester, in August 1981. A later example of this design variant, it had self-contained buffers and still just about retained its original routing instructions above the number, this reading ‘Load only to Thorpe Marsh Power Station (Yorks) NER’.

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❮ but the underframe was noticeably

7. Another example of Lot 3314, No. B336403 was recorded at Barry in April 1981, this again featuring self-contained buffers. The freshly painted yellow stanchion is thought to have indicated the wagon’s allocation to the movement of export coke from Nantgawr coking plant to Barry Docks.

8. It was clearly impossible to fit conventional vacuum brake equipment to the 24½ ton hoppers, there being no space underneath or on the ends. The solution eventually devised involved the fitting of vacuumoperated disc brakes, these acting on diagonally opposite wheels, with Girling brake cylinders and direct admission valves mounted in the space between the hopper floor and axles. Although the other components are hidden from view, the brake calliper is clearly visible on the right hand wheel of No. B336330 at Wellingborough in April 1981. While similar to that on unfitted vehicles, the handbrake, which acted on the left hand wheel only on each side, had a ‘V’ hanger offset further left, coupled with a very short push rod and even longer lever. By this date, the vacuum brakes had been disabled, leaving the wagon unfitted, hence the HUO TOPS code.

different, being fitted with two independent sets of two-shoe hand lever brake gear. These had the ‘V’ hanger offset to the left of centre, push-rods of unequal length and an unusually long lever.

Further variation was introduced with Lot 3314. On this occasion, the underframe design remained unaltered, as it would for all future construction of the unfitted 24½ ton hoppers, but there was a minor change to the design of the bodywork, again related to the need to create extra clearance around the central door operating lever.

Instead of the base of the central side stanchion being chamfered, it now folded inwards, retaining its ‘top-hat’ profile. The 2076 wagons constructed under Lots 3314, 3374, 3426 and 3437 were all built to this design and are illustrated in Pictures 5, 6 & 7.

This is the version portrayed by the Accurascale model.

Diagram 1/154 was issued for

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D&E FILES 9

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9 + 10. The final stage in the development of the HUO hoppers saw the introduction of a revised design for the bodywork with the sides and ends ‘folding in’ at the same height. Built during a brief period in which BR abandoned the use of the grey livery on unfitted vehicles, both of the wagons pictured here at Wellingborough during April 1981had originally been painted in freight brown. No. B338051 retained that colour, complete with ‘HOP 24’ coding, but No. B337661 had been repainted in grey following the reinstatement of the livery.

However, the grey was an unusually light shade, almost white, while the solebars and bufferbeams had also been painted in the body colour instead of the usual black.

the 548 wagons built under Lot 3426 but these differed from 1/148 only in specifying the fitting of self-contained buffers and roller bearing axleboxes, changes that had actually occurred on previous batches without a new diagram being issued.

Vacuum braked hoppers

Although the 1955 Modernisation Plan had committed BR to a fully-fitted wagon fleet, the first vacuum braked 24½ ton hoppers did not appear until 1961, 250 examples eventually being built to diagram 1/153. It was impossible to fit conventional vacuum brake equipment into the limited room available as the hopper doors fully occupied the area beneath the underframe while the sloping ends of the hopper body left insufficient space on the end platforms. The design eventually adopted utilised compact Girling brake cylinders and direct admission valves, which were squeezed into the restricted space between the hopper bottom and axles, these operating disc brakes.

The bodywork of these wagons was identical to that on the contemporary unfitted examples, although the vacuum pipe ran along one side, just above the headstock.

Underframe fittings included 1ft 8½in Oleo pneumatic buffers, roller bearing axleboxes and Instanter couplings. The handbrake, which acted on just the left hand wheel on each side, had its ‘V’ hanger offset even further to the left, so the push rod was even shorter and the hand lever even longer than on unfitted wagons (Picture 8).

As the braking characteristics of disc-braked wagons were different from those fitted with conventional tread brakes, these wagons were operated in block trains, initially to the newly-built Richborough and High Marnham power stations from collieries on the Kent and Nottinghamshire coalfields respectively. Later, they conveyed industrial coal from Shilbottle Colliery to Oxwellmains Cement Works. Their vacuum brakes were deactivated

Supplement No. 171

During the early 1980s, Willington Power Station, south of Derby, continued to receive some of its coal in traditional unfitted trains.

These consisted of a motley collection of both 24½ ton hoppers and mineral wagons along with less numerous rebodied 21t hoppers and even some 16t minerals. On August 12, 1980, a tired and nameless No. 44007 was just three months from withdrawal as it departs the power station with empties for Toton Yard. All four types of wagon can be seen in the consist. Rail Photoprints/John Chalcraft

during the mid 1970s by simply removing the bufferbeam hoses and they were then reallocated to general coal traffic.

Final builds

The design of the 24½ ton hoppers was further amended for the construction of the final three batches, diagram 1/155 being issued to cover these 1087 unfitted vehicles.

The alteration saw the vertical section of the ends made slightly shallower, so that the ends now angled in at the same height as the sides. The underframe remained unchanged from previous unfitted wagons, although self-contained buffers (1ft 6in long with a 1ft 1in diameter head) and roller bearing axleboxes were specified as

standard fittings (Pictures 9 & 10).

With the exception of those rebuilt into open mineral wagons during the 1970s, unusually few modifications were made to the 24½ ton hoppers during their working lives on BR, the list being mainly confined to minor alterations to the discharge doors.

However, No. B335606 is worthy of mention as it was converted to a ‘Merry-Go-Round Demonstrator’ wagon, complete with automatic door operating gear.

As was common during the BR period, many of the 24½ ton hoppers that had originally been fitted with oil axleboxes subsequently received roller bearings instead. Similarly, Oleo buffers often replaced those of a spindle or self-contained design during

repair. Having originally carried the codes ‘HOP 24’ or ‘HOP 24 VB’, these wagons were recoded HUO or HUV respectively upon the introduction of TOPS codes.

Power station coal

From the outset, the movement of coal to electricity generation stations was the most important traffic handled by the 24½ ton hoppers.

For instance, 115 wagons from Lot 2609 were allocated to traffic from Shipley Colliery in Derbyshire, a major destination being Clarence Dock Power Station in Liverpool.

During their three decades of operation, these hoppers saw use to a large number of power stations, including Castle Donington, High

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D&E FILES ❮ Marnham, Spondon, Staythorpe

and Willington in the East Midlands; Drakelow and Hams Hall in the West Midlands; Thorpe Marsh in Yorkshire; Blyth, South Dunston, Stella North and Stella South in Northumberland and Durham, and Kincardine in Fife.

The loading points were far too numerous to list here but, as a general rule, generating stations tended to be supplied by local collieries. Thus, for example, Staythorpe burnt coal drawn from collieries on the nearby Nottinghamshire coalfield, like Annesley and Kirkby collieries, while the sources of the coal used at Blyth included Ashington and Bedlington collieries and Widdington Opencast Disposal Point, all located within a few miles of the power station.

Staying in the north-east, the 24½ ton hoppers were also used in movements of shipment coal, destined for Thames-side power stations or to the Republic of Ireland via Bates or Blyth West staithes. Again, this coal was drawn from local sources, including Ashington and Lynemouth collieries, Weetslade Washery and Butterwell Opencast.

Further coal

Although their size and hopper discharge ensured that the 24½ ton hoppers were rarely, if ever, loaded to small wayside stations, the ever-increasing usage of merrygo-round workings to supply power stations and industrial consumers did see the wagons used in domestic coal and patent fuel traffic to coal concentration depots during the 1970s and early 1980s.

To give a typical example, Wapping Wharf Coal Concentration Depot in Bristol is known to have received consignments of domestic coal from Newstead and Lea Hall collieries in 24½ ton hoppers, together with smokeless fuel from both Abercwmboi ‘Phurnacite’ Plant and the Crown ‘Multiheat’ Plant on Cardiff Docks.

Other loading points for domestic fuel traffic included Arkwright, Blidworth, Calverton, Cynheidre, Langwith, Mansfield, Mardy, Oxcroft and Shireoaks collieries, Denby and Mid-Cannock opencast disposal points, the Coalite plants at Bolsover and Rossington, and the Rexco plant at Edwinstowe. The coal concentration depots at Beckenham Junction, Enfield Chase, Neasden, Plumstead and West Drayton in the London area, at Gobowen in Shropshire, and at both Rawtenstall and Burnley in Lancashire all featured amongst the destinations.

The large scale movement of industrial coke was another original traffic, 134 vehicles from Lot 2609 being lettered up to work between Beckton Gas Works and Wellingborough Ironworks. This flow ceased with the closure of the ironworks in the early 1960s but, by the 1980s, block trains of 24½ ton hoppers were being used, in place of withdrawn coke hoppers, to supply coke from both Coed Ely and Cwm Coking Plants in South Wales to Commonwealth Smelting at

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11. Following their withdrawal from main line service, a sizeable number of 24½ ton hoppers were sold or hired for industrial use, their high capacity and robust construction making them popular with users including the NCB Opencast Executive at Onllwyn Washery in South Wales along with Coalite & Chemical Products Ltd at Bolsover in Derbyshire. No. B335545, which had been renumbered as No. NCB187, was photographed at Mansfield Colliery during September 1986. Besides the neatly applied NCB logo, it was noteworthy in retaining the legible remnants of its original lettering, which read ‘Load only to High Marnham Power Station, Fledborough GC’. The wagon was also fitted with open-fronted plate axleboxes, almost certainly the result of BR recovering the roller bearing wheelsets following withdrawal.

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12. Surprisingly, 19 of the 24½ ton hoppers made their way into departmental use. These received a ZDO TOPS code and CDB number prefix in 1981 when they were allocated to BREL for coal storage at Shildon Works. They survived until late 1983, when they were condemned in the run-up to the closure of the works. No. CDB335083 was a typical example and was seen at Shildon in September 1981. The others in the pool were Nos. CDB333729/796, CDB334186/432/514/525/540/689, CDB335733, CDB336026/459/762/793/906 and CDB337107/393/557/721.

Avonmouth, and to move export coke from Nantgawr ovens to Barry Docks.

Around the same period, occasional examples also saw use in wagonload movements of foundry coke from Cwm to Barrow-in-Furness.

Other traffics

While primarily intended for the movement of coal, the 24½ ton hoppers also saw use in the movement of a range of industrial minerals.

Another early use saw 46 wagons from Lot 2609 allocated to carry chalk from Hessle Quarry, on the north bank of the Humber estuary, to APCM’s Wilmington cement works in Hull, a traffic flow

that continued until the works closed in 1969.

Moving on to limestone, a further 15 wagons from Lot 2609 were initially lettered for the short-distance movement between Tunstead and Small Dale works, just a couple of miles apart on the ex-Midland Railway line through the Derbyshire Peak District, while another three examples were allocated to Batts Combe Quarry, near Cheddar in Somerset.

It is unlikely that either of these early movements lasted beyond the mid 1960s but, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, 24½ ton hoppers were used in ‘sugarstone’ traffic from

Wirksworth, in Derbyshire, to British Sugar Corporation beet processing plants in East Anglia, confirmed destinations including the South Lynn and Wissington factories.

Another industrial mineral moved in the wagons was silica sand. A total of 19 wagons, again from Lot 2609, were originally allocated to a movement of Belgian sand, imported through Goole Docks, to glassworks at Knottingley.

This flow was comparatively short-lived as, by the 1960s, the glassmakers had begun to use sand from Middleton Towers, near King’s Lynn, which was railed to Yorkshire in the distinctive Covhop wagons, as detailed in Rail

Supplement No. 171

D&E FILES MINERAL WAGON REBUILDS BY the early 1970s, the ever increasing use of ‘merry-go-round’ operation to larger power stations rendered a sizeable number of 21 ton and 24½ ton coal hoppers redundant in their original traffic. At much the same time, the fleet of unfitted 21 ton mineral wagons, some of which dated from the 1930s, was in dire need of replacement. Such vehicles were still required in considerable numbers for coal traffic to smaller, older power stations as well as to industrial users and for shipment traffic in South Wales.

This resulted in the construction of 2600 ‘new’ 21 ton mineral wagons, numbered B315000 to B317599, by the simple expedient of fitting new bodywork onto the underframes of redundant hopper wagons. Most utilised underframes from 21 ton hopper wagons but No. B316645, which was photographed in National Coal Board internal use at Lea Hall Colliery in September 1986 (Picture 13), was the result of rebodying No. B333189. This was originally a 24½ ton hopper built as part of Lot 2609, so has the distinctive LNER-derived eightshoe clasp brake, the photo illustrating the opposite side of this underframe style to that shown in Pictures 2 & 3.

An additional batch of ‘new’ mineral wagons, numbered between B290000-B290485, appeared during 1977-78. Also the result of rebodying, these vehicles used underframes taken from 21 ton and 24½ ton mineral opens as well as 24½ ton hoppers.

Fitted with 10-leaf springs, they were originally rated to carry 25 tons but were swiftly down-rated to 21 tons following problems of overloading with similarly rebodied 21 tonners.

Shown in Picture 14, No. B290268 was built utilising the underframe of No. B333742 and is seen at Swansea in April 1985. The offset ‘V’ hanger and long handbrake lever distinguished the converted 24½ ton hoppers from the rebuilt 21 ton and 24½ ton mineral wagons. Constructed after the change of policy that saw unfitted, as well as vacuum-braked, vehicles turned out in freight brown livery, the distinctive tatty appearance of No. B290268 was typical, the result of poor surface preparation and painting.

Express Modeller June 2014. However, by the mid 1970s, the HUO hoppers were again allocated to movements of sand, on this occasion from Oakamoor, in Staffordshire, to the CWS glassworks at Worksop.

Stone and apples

Although 24½ ton hoppers were used in aggregates traffic from the Westbury area during the early 1970s, their lack of continuous brakes restricted their usefulness and they were quickly superseded by vacuumbraked 21 ton hoppers. Around the same time, almost 100 of the 24½ tonners were allocated to a movement

Supplement No. 171

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of ‘beach aggregates’ from Lydd, on the Dungeness peninsular, to ARC’s terminal at Allington, near Maidstone, and to a temporary terminal feeding motorway construction at Merstham in Surrey.

Last, but by no means least, the seasonal movement of imported French apples in hopper wagons from Newport Docks to cider makers HP Bulmer at Hereford was noted in Rail Express Modeller February 2017 but it is so unusual that it merits another mention. The block trains, utilising 20 ton coke hoppers as well as both 21 ton and 24½ ton coal hoppers, ran each autumn for several years during

the late 1960s and early 1970s.

With the exception of those rebuilt as mineral wagons during the 1970s, the vast majority of the 24½ ton hoppers survived into the late 1970s and early 1980s, when withdrawals began in earnest. The 250 examples originally equipped with vacuumoperated disc brakes seem then to have been singled out for withdrawal, being condemned en masse during 1981-82.

The remaining vehicles soldiered on, their numbers thinning as traffic dried up or was transferred into air braked wagons, until the last survivors were withdrawn during the late 1980s.

A number were sold or hired into internal use, an example appearing in Picture 11, and some of these survived into the mid 1990s before being withdrawn and scrapped. Two examples, Nos. B336817 and B338017, survived into preservation at the Tanfield Railway but the latter example has since been cut down to serve as an improvised ballast hopper.

The author would like to put on record his grateful thanks to those fellow enthusiasts who have helped in the compilation of this article, in particular David Monk-Steel, David Ratcliffe, Mark Saunders and Bob Wallace.

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M17

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REVIEWS

ERA

Accurascale goes big with debut release The latest R-T-R manufacturer is up and running with the release of the first of the sizeable 24½ ton hoppers.

SO, the Accurascale adventure has begun. Having already helped revolutionise modelling across the Irish Sea, the team behind the highly acclaimed Irish Railway Models brand have now made their debut in the UK market with the release of the sister company’s first ready-to-run ‘OO’ gauge model.

Announced less than five months ago, the subject is the BR 24½ ton coal hopper, later to become HUO under the TOPS system. Few would have picked such a mundane wagon to launch a new company but this is set to be Accurascale’s method of operation, producing high quality and accurate products for modellers that will sell in bulk. It does not need to be glamorous or colourful, just fulfil a need for a particular type of model. The HUO is just the tip of Accurascale’s exciting plans for 2018 with another five models due to be released before the end of the year.

Starting out

The development of the 24½ ton hopper very much mirrors the philosophy seen with Irish Railway Models, where chosen subjects are extensively surveyed in the field wherever possible, removing the need to rely on sometimes questionable drawings. In the case of these hoppers, the two surviving examples at the Tanfield Railway were measured up, this helping to influence the choice of which batch to produce.

Happily, Accurascale has gone for the most numerous variant, of which 2076 examples were built between 1960 and 1962. This encompasses those to diagram 1/148, Nos. B334850-B335594, B335695-B336234 and B336933-B337175, along with those built to diagram 1/154, Nos. B336385-B336932. Apart from variations in axlebox and buffer style, these shared the same bodywork with the central hopper rib angling inwards at the bottom.

Similarly, the underframe was consistent across the board, featuring two brake shoes each side along with an offset ‘V’ hanger and a very long handbrake lever.

These details have all been faithfully re-created on the model and indeed it is this commitment to such matters that

BUFFERING UP IN a further welcome development, Accurascale has responded to the many requests and released the sprung buffers from the hoppers as separate items. All three types are available with 13in diameter heads, these being the self-contained, spindle and Oleo pneumatic designs. Each bag contains eight assembled and blackfinished buffers for a mere £2.95.

Supplement No. 171

has resulted in no less than 15 different wagons being released at once. These are impressively packaged as five triplesets, all in BR unfitted grey and limited to 250 examples of each. Across these packs, there are extensive variations in lettering and branding, not to mention three different buffer styles.

Got the power

Pictured here is Pack E, which depicts a trio of 24½ ton hoppers allocated to their primary role, all being lettered ‘Load only to Thorpe Marsh Power Station (Yorks) NER’. These are numbered as B336817, B336937 and B337128N, the latter two displaying the yellow triangle markings applied to quickly denote wagons of this capacity. The trio all feature sprung self-contained buffers and roller bearing axleboxes, the latter detail being standard for all the initial models.

Each of the hoppers consists of 73 individual components and these all show real finesse in their execution, ranging from the separate end and side ribs that plug into the main hopper body to the fine end handrails and tie-bars between the W-irons. The separate hopper door levers are a delight as are the thin safety loops securing the brake push rods. The central hopper door detail is also moulded, even though it can only be seen with the wagon upside down. All of this for a couple of pence shy of £20 per wagon.

NEM coupling pockets are provided while the wagon has been specifically

designed for easy conversion to both ‘EM’ and ‘P4’ gauges. Commendably, Accurascale worked with both the EM Gauge and Scalefour societies during the pre-production phase to ensure there was sufficient clearance to allow the wider wheelsets to fit. The HUOs are quite light though, given the lack of space to put anything much in the way of weight.

Rough edges

The BR grey colour is well applied with the yellow triangles having good density over the top. Where the hoppers really stand out though is the printing, the fully legible builder’s plates and maintenance panels being the undoubted highlights.

Accurascale has opted to give the black panels for the numbers, route allocation and weight uneven edges to reflect that these were hand-painted and not

necessarily perfectly straight. If there is a slight criticism of the model, it is that a few of these edges come across as a little too untidy on an otherwise pristine finish, really needing weathering to create the rest of the effect.

The HUOs are undoubtedly a stunning first effort from Accurascale, although those already familiar with the sister Irish range would have expected little else. They easily stake a claim amongst the best ‘OO’ gauge wagons, if not the best, and show how the smaller manufacturers can adapt to modellers’ needs by delivering a whole rake of individual and affordable wagons in one hit. Review by Simon Bendall Accurascale, Dalton House, 60 Windsor Avenue, London, SW19 2RR. Web: www.accurascale.co.uk

£

Price: £59.95

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M19

WORD SEARCH

WORD SEARCH RULES Look through the adverts on these pages. One word from each advert is slightly bolder than the rest or underlined… and this is the word you need to locate in this Word Search.

Have fun.

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July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M21

MODELLING

ScotRail’s new inter-city look

This year should see displaced HSTs introduced on internal ScotRail services, these operating between seven cities. The sets will carry a stylish new livery, which has already appeared on several power cars ahead of the debut of the first modernised Mk.3 trailers. Bound to be popular with modellers, Colin Rae of Rainbow Railways describes how a ‘OO’ gauge version was produced for display at this year’s Model Rail Scotland exhibition.

DURING the process of Abellio taking on the ScotRail franchise it was announced with great excitement that part of the company’s bid included the introduction of High Speed Trains displaced from Great Western operations. These would be deployed on services operating between Scotland’s most important population centres, not only replacing DMUs but also providing extra capacity and comfort.

Having travelled these routes many times in Class 158s and Class 170s but only once in an East Coast HST set, it sounded like a marvellous idea, albeit effectively an older train than the ones that would be replaced. The quiet smooth Mk.3 coach and the elegant feeling of powering up to the Highlands in an HST was certainly an attraction for me from the very beginning of the project.

When first announced, there were graphics showing an HST finished in the current ScotRail Saltire blue livery with

the white spots. This looked rather good and from that point, the idea of doing a model was placed in my mind. As the project started to develop, it turned out that ScotRail wanted to make the branding of the HSTs rather more distinctive and from this the ‘seven cities’ livery was produced, these being Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Stirling, Perth and Inverness.

Industry co-operation

As this was a rather complicated livery, it was going to require close links with ScotRail and what better connection than to have a model of a set completed in time for Model Rail Scotland at the end of February, a few months before the real trains were originally due to start service.

With all this in mind and a bit of liaising with the marketing team at ScotRail, confidential papers landed in the inbox with everything required to produce the model, ranging from the

M22 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller July 2018

paint colours to the graphics on the sides of the power cars.

For the Mk.3s, the basic colours consisted of silver-grey along with steel blue for the solebar band and doors and black for the window band. The same colours are employed on the power cars but the blue area is greatly expanded to encompass the nose and leading bodysides. The ‘seven cities’ silhouette graphics are also considerably larger and differ on each side, showing landmarks from each city.

With the paint code information to hand and only a few weeks to go to Model Rail Scotland, the paint was ordered and this is now available from the Rainbow Railways range at www.rainbowrailways.co.uk.

The provided livery diagrams were ideal as they helped ensure the model would be as accurate as possible.

Converted to an appropriate format, the diagrams were unpicked using Adobe Illustrator, the different elements being

lifted and scaled to suit 4mm. These were then printed onto high quality waterslide transfer paper, which has very fine carrier film so is near invisible when applied.

Creating the look

As this was a display model to give a flavour of the new look, the donors were used unaltered. As a result, the Mk.3 coach pictured here still has its slam doors rather than the sliding doors that will be in place when the much delayed vehicles finally emerge from Wabtec, Doncaster.

The repainting of the coaches was straightforward, first applying the grey and then the blue. The roof colour for both the Mk.3s and the power cars was Executive dark grey. The exact colour for this area was not specified as part of the livery diagrams but this was deemed to be a good match.

The power cars were trickier though, given the need to match the

Supplement No. 171

MODELLING

Staff training continues to be undertaken by ScotRail ahead of the HSTs entering service. Prior to May, this was centred on the Edinburgh-Dundee-Aberdeen route but InvernessPerth runs also commenced during the month. On May 12, Nos. 43134 and 43143 were in charge of the 2W90/09.17 Aberdeen-Dundee, seen on the outskirts of Arbroath. With no completed Mk.3s available, the training sets are currently formed of displaced and unmodified Great Western stock, in this case four Trailer Standards. Jim Ramsay

A closer look at the bodyside transfers shows how well they have been reproduced, including the graduated colours of the silhouetted landmarks and the new ‘Inter7city’ lettering. The donor Hornby models for this project were the readily available and now discounted Virgin East Coast power cars but using current Great Western blue or green examples would give the appropriate style of exhaust deflector for example.

blue of the transfers to the blue paint, the latter being applied to the cabs and the length of the solebars. In the end, it took about a dozen attempts to get the colour match as close as possible.

Completing matters, the black window band on the rear of the power cars was also done as a transfer, thereby ensuring consistency of shape for the rounded corners and angled end. With

these applied, the models were ready for final varnishing and reassembly.

Unveiling

We had kept ScotRail up to speed with the project and internally the story was building about the models being on show on stand one at Model Rail Scotland, with many company employees attending to see the set and

of course enjoy the rest of the event.

At the exhibition, we always look for items that will be of interest to both modellers and the general public alike and the HST really fitted the bill. It was a proud moment when we had various press outlets including ScotRail’s social media team and TV news programmes making the model part of the event coverage. I think everyone appreciated

that something exciting is happening within ScotRail and that they could get a glimpse at what will soon be coming to Scotland’s railways, albeit in miniature.

Special thanks must go to the marketing team at ScotRail for making the project happen and for providing all the detail required to allow the model to be as accurate as possible.

By early June, the first set of overhauled and modernised Mk.3 coaches had still to appear from Doncaster. This standard model, without sliding door modifications, shows how the livery will look, complete with a full landmark graphic.

Supplement No. 171

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M23

STORE FINDER

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M25

M26 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller July 2018

N

EXPRESS RATING

GAUGE 2mm:1ft

1950s1990s

REVIEWS

ERA

Tanker revolution continues in ‘N’

Another new model has now arrived from Revolution Trains, this depicting the long-lived 35 ton Class B tankers.

OVER 18 months have passed since Revolution Trains released its first ready-to-run ‘N’ gauge model, the modern day TEA tankers appearing to great acclaim. Following on from the recent and equally successful Virgin Trains Class 390 ‘Pendolino’, the company has once again returned to the subject of tank wagons for its next model, albeit from an altogether earlier period.

The subject this time around is the 35 ton GLW Class B tankers, as immortalised by the ‘OO’ gauge Airfix kit in the1960s and tackled in the same scale by Heljan just over a year ago. This marks the first time that Revolution has moved away from more modern subjects but, after a slow start, the pre-orders eventually reached a level that allowed the project to proceed.

This particular design of tanker was first seen in 1957 and was pioneered by Charles Roberts in conjunction with Esso, delivering a vehicle with a capacity of 22 tons that could also operate at 60mph thanks to the fitting of vacuum brakes and roller bearings.

The design was quickly copied by other wagon manufacturers with further petroleum companies acquiring fleets, as did British Rail for departmental purposes. While the 35 ton vehicles were soon superseded in design terms by tankers of even greater capacity, they remained a useful wagon with examples lasting into the 1980s and even the early 1990s in some cases.

Array of liveries

Revolution has produced a variety of colour schemes on the tankers, these encompassing black with Esso, Regent or Texaco logos, plain black, Mobil Charringtons red and United Molasses brown. Each of these liveries is available in single or triple pack forms, those reviewed here being the Esso threesome of Nos. 3359, 3661 and 3708, Regent-branded single No. 345 and plain black No. CEGB48522. The latter is lettered for fuel oil traffic and, as an ex Esso wagon, includes marks on the barrel to represent where the logo plates were previously affixed.

In a further welcome touch, Revolution has catered for both types

of suspension on the model, the original shoe design and revised arrangement with secondary suspension being employed as required across the various liveries. The open nature of the chassis ends is also faithfully re-created, both being areas where the 2mm tanks comprehensively outscore the larger Heljan offering.

Indeed, the detail on the Revolution tankers is impressive across the board, ranging from fine etched walkways and metal buffer heads to full vacuum brake equipment, separate handbrake levers and discharge fittings. The accessory bag includes dummy screw couplings and bufferbeam vacuum pipes while the standard ‘N’ gauge couplings are fitted in self-centring NEM coupling pockets.

Second supplier

Notably this is the first model to be produced by Revolution without the assistance of Rapido Trains, the tankers instead being designed by Colin Allbright, a highly experienced former Graham Farish engineer. The quality remains just as high though, with the detail packed in underneath the tankers being very impressive given the size.

The finishing is to the same good standard with the lettering all being crisply printed and that on the solebars fully legible. In the case of the Esso and Regent models, the company logos are printed on the barrels but replacement separate logo plates are also included in the box to overlay on top if desired.

These are made of metal to give the

required thinness and are supplied precurved for ease of application.

As is usual for Revolution products, the production run was matched to pre-orders. However, an increasing number of retailers are now ordering batches for resale, recognising that there is always additional demand once the models have actually arrived and modellers can see what they are getting. Revolution now has eight authorised dealers, details of which can be found on its website.

Review by Simon Bendall Revolution Trains, Flat 43, Azure Court, 666 Kingsbury Road, London, NW9 9AW. Web: www.revolutiontrains.com

£

RRP: £26.95 (single), £80.85 (triple)

DIARY DATES

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Supplement No. 171

July 7/8 Basildon MRC Exhibition, The James Hornsby School, Leinster Road, Laindon, Basildon, Essex.

10am-5pm, 10am-4pm Sun. Adult £5, OAP £3, child £2, family £12.

July 14 Workshop Wise (South), Fort Widley, Portsdown Hill Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire. www.shmrc.org.uk/area-group 10.30am-4.30pm. Admission £3

Skills day offering hands-on experience of soldering, kit building, ready-to-run detailing, DCC and Templot.

March Depot (OO), Hilbottom (OO), Welby Lane (OO), Pwllheli (P4) and Dalnottar Riverside (O).

July 28/29 Railex North East 2018, John Spence Community High School, Preston Road, North Shields, Tyne & Wear. www.railexne.com 10am-5pm, 10am-4pm Sun. Adult £7, child £3, family £16.

Layouts include Northallerton (N), Fence Houses (2mm), Crinan (OO), Fen

July 28/29 St John’s Charity Exhibition, St John’s Primary School, Wheatley Avenue, Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent, Staffs.

10.30am-5pm, 10.30am-4.30pm Sun. Adult £4, child £2, family £10.

Layouts include Blue is the Colour (N), Farmers Drove (N) and Kingston Oil (OO).

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M27

The Railway Enthusiasts’ web directory

WEB WATCH

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M29

D&E FILES

Railfreight Distribution OBA opens To accompany the release of a new version of the Bachmann wagon, David Ratcliffe details the traffics on which the sub-sector’s fleet were employed.

BRITISH Rail built some 800 OBA wagons between 1977 and 1979 but, by the early 1980s, the use of such open designs in revenue traffic was already on the wane. Consequently, during 1982 the first 500 OBAs were transferred to the departmental fleet with more examples following in subsequent years.

By the time the Railfreight subsectors were created in October 1987, the Distribution business had only 152 OBAs in its fleet, which included the 50 modified with extended ends and additional lashing points for use in Plasmor block traffic (see Rail Express Modeller December 2010).

Most of the remainder were employed in timber traffic, working from various loading points in East Anglia, Scotland and Southern England

Photographed at Mossend Yard in July 1990, No. 110797 was one of the few standard OBAs to receive the sub-sector dark grey and yellow livery. In addition to the Railfreight Distribution logo, the Carlisle Currock depot symbol has also been applied, albeit rather poorly placed. All photographs by the author

to customers at Dee Marsh, Hereford, Irvine, Sudbrook and Workington.

A handful of OBAs were in use as barrier wagons, either accompanying the movement of BR air-braked vans loaded with military explosives

destined for Buckhill or Glen Douglas, or tank wagons carrying dangerous chemicals from ICI's Haverton Hill works at Billingham to Dover for onward movement via the train ferry.

However, during the 1990s

with the demise of the Speedlink wagonload network and the cessation of the Dover to Dunkerque train ferry, the remaining Railfreight Distribution OBAs were either withdrawn or transferred to the engineers’ fleet.

By 1990, Plasmor had begun acquiring its own wagons and many of the extended end OBAs that were previously hired from BR had been reassigned to timber traffic from Scotland. These included No. 110531, still in its Plasmor livery, and newly repainted No. 110737, both being recorded at Mossend in July 1990. The latter wagon is the subject of the new Bachmann model.

BACHMANN RAILFREIGHT DISTRIBUTION OBA IT is somewhat surprising that Bachmann’s OBA open wagon has not previously been released in the Railfreight sub-sector colours but this omission has now been remedied with the appearance of this latest version.

Finished as No. 110737, the ‘OO’ gauge model depicts a member of the Distribution fleet and one of the wagons previously used for the Plasmor block traffic with extended ends (38-046).

It is a slightly odd choice to pick one of these modified examples, of which only two are believed to have received the grey and yellow livery, when a standard OBA would have presented more numerous options but, still, it is a welcome release.

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EXPRESS RATING

Bachmann Europe plc, Moat Way, Barwell, Leicestershire, LE9 8EY. Web: www.bachmann.co.uk

£ RRP: £24.95 With the Bachmann model depicting an Ashford-built wagon, there are some minor differences when comparing it to the Shildon-built No. 110737, namely the shape of the doorstops along with the positioning

M30 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller July 2018

of two of these and the corresponding door bangers.

The livery is generally well applied although, as the above photo of the real wagon shows, the curb rail and door bangers should be painted black

rather than the grey of the rest of the body. The printing sits as well as it can over the plank recesses, completing a useful alternative to the more common Railfreight red/grey appearance.

Review by Simon Bendall

Supplement No. 171

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M31

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GAUGE G 4mm:1ft 4

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EXPRESS RATING

DCC

PIN

READY

19831986

REVIEWS

ERA

Kernow adds Eighties ‘Hoovers’ The retailer has now received its exclusive Class 50 pair, both of which carry unique liveries from the decade.

NEWLY released by Kernow Model Rail Centre are two limited edition Hornby Class 50s, the arrival of the exclusive ‘OO’ gauge models coinciding with the ongoing 50th anniversary celebrations of the English Electric Type 4s.

Up first is No. 50010 Monarch in BR large logo blue (R3672) but sporting its unique all blue roof. By mid 1983, the loco’s paintwork was in a poor state so it was sent to Landore for a repaint.

However, the Welsh depot lacked a supply of Rail grey so opted to outshop the ‘Hoover’ in early August with a blue roof instead. This was retained throughout 1984 before No. 50010 was called to Doncaster Works for an intermediate overhaul, it emerging in April 1985 with a grey roof once again.

Also now available is a new version of No. 50007 Sir Edward Elgar in its controversial Great Western green livery (R3673), this being the second time the loco has been modelled by Hornby. While the initial release some

14 years ago bizarrely portrayed the ‘vac’ in preserved condition, this time around the model re-creates the loco’s initial look upon unveiling in February 1984. In this form, the model is accurate up to January 1986, when orange cantrail striping was added.

15 years on

This autumn will mark the 15th anniversary of the Hornby Class 50 first

appearing and the model has remained pretty much unchanged during this time. So, the opening cab doors and moveable radiator shutters still feature as does an overall high level of detail on both the body and chassis. Happily, both models sport all the necessary features for refurbished locos as well.

Both liveries are well applied, although Monarch is finished in Hornby’s usual rather dark

interpretation of BR blue. The limited amount of printing is executed without issue with etched nameplates, and other details in No. 50007’s case, supplied in the box to fit as desired.

In a nice touch, the square glass fibre roof panel is picked out in light grey on both models, this being a feature that is often overlooked, while Elgar has red bufferbeam steps, which was a slightly garish finish gained in 1985.

Both models are limited to just 350 examples, a production run that is much lower than historically seen for Hornby limited editions. As well as the standard DCC ready models, both locos can be supplied with DCC sound fitted at a price of £289.99, this utilising an ESU decoder and South West Digital sounds. Fitted in-house by Kernow, it is a final touch for the pair.

Review by Simon Bendall Kernow Model Rail Centre, 98A Trelowarren Street, Camborne, Cornwall, TR14 8AN. Web: www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com

It has been a long wait to see Sir Edward Elgar in a BR version of its Great Western green livery, the limited edition depicting the initial application of the scheme.

£

Price: £169.99

Scale Model Scenery releases garden fence kit NEWLY added to the 4mm scale scenic range offered by Scale Model Scenery are two kits that together build a typical garden fence consisting of woven wooden-slatted panels and concrete posts.

The pack of pre-cut 6ft fence panels contains a sheet of 30 singlesided panels (LX155-OO, £3.50), the texture being printed onto natural wood finish laserboard. The panels can either be used single-sided as a lorry load or in a builder’s yard or can be glued back to back to make a fence that can be viewed from either side.

Each panel measures 26mm wide by 24mm high so they are not quite square as the real thing usually is but the difference is not noticeable once assembled.

Meanwhile, the posts are 3D printed representations of a typical 8ft concrete design, with 24 in the pack (AX047-OO, £2.50). The posts are 34mm long which gives a good

Supplement No. 171

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EXPRESS RATING

GAUGE G 4mm:1ft 4

allowance for firm fixing into a surface but, if needed, the length can be reduced with the aid of a fine saw. The posts have a groove moulded in them on two sides, which is used to hold the panels in place.

Fencing in

Assuming the fence is to be straight, the first step is to draw a line where it is required and drill a hole to accept the initial post. The instructions suggest this should be of 2mm diameter but

in fact the size needed is 2.8mm to get a good push fit. The instructions suggest fitting one post then a panel and then holding a second post in the correct place to mark the next hole.

An alternative and easier method is to work out the distance between the centres of the holes, 28mm in this case, and drill all the holes before fitting the posts.

The posts were glued in place using superglue, ensuring they were vertical, and left to dry. Then it is just a case of

slotting each panel in place, applying a small dab of adhesive to retain them in the grooves. The fence requires no painting, although it could be weathered with a thinned black wash if desired. Once some scenic material is added, in this case from Woodland Scenics and Gaugemaster, the look is really quite effective and very easy to achieve. Review by Terry Bendall Scale Model Scenery limited, 62 Station Road, Hugglescote, Leicestershire, LE67 2GB. Web: www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M33

LU WORLD

Christopher Westcott & Piers Connor

Underground car delivered to EOR The Epping Ongar Railway is the new home for a 1959 Stock driving car formerly based at LU’s Morden depot.

LONDON Underground has donated a 1959 Tube Stock driving motor car to the Epping Ongar Railway. DM No. 1031 arrived at North Weald by road on May 14, just missing the London Transport celebrations that were hosted by the EOR the previous weekend.

Although the car has been stored outside for some 17 years at the Northern Line’s Morden depot, it is in fair condition externally. The inside is also reasonable and represents a 1990s appearance, although some of the maple flooring has rotted and lifted, particularly at the guard’s end. The perpendicular forward and backward facing seats and frames have also been removed from the centre of the car, and this area was refloored to create space when it was used as a training and meeting area whilst at Morden.

PUBLIC ACCESS

In time, the EOR intends to make the car accessible to the public. It was moved soon after arrival to its new home on a siding slightly east of platform 1.

There is currently a set of buffers in front of the cab facing the station, but these will be removed so the car can be shunted to the very end of the rails, and this will become its permanent position. The buffers will then be relocated to the other side of the car to protect it from future shunting moves into the same siding.

In the medium term, and with the help of volunteers, a walkway will be constructed so the public can visit the car, with a permanent electrical supply being provided so that at least some of the doors can be opened.

The EOR is in communication with the London Transport Museum to obtain door equipment, as these and many other components have been removed since the car was withdrawn

from passenger service.

1959 Stock was introduced onto the Central Line due to the poor condition of the existing Standard Stock. Then, as the additional order for 1962 Stock arrived, they were cascaded onto the Piccadilly Line, and later to the Bakerloo and Northern Lines. Therefore it is possible that No. 1031 travelled along the Epping to Ongar route during its first months of use, yet staff and volunteers at the EOR have no pictorial evidence to confirm this.

The 1959 Stock trains were the last to be operated by both a train operator (driver) and guard, with the final passenger service taking place on Thursday, January 27, 2000.

Car No. 1031 started its career as No. 1085. However, during overhaul at Golders Green depot in March 1985, the unit was withdrawn and retained as a spare. Following collision damage to the original No. 1031 the following year, No. 1085 took its place and was renumbered No. 1031R. It lost the last letter when the unit it joined became one of two (the other being 1044) that were repainted into 1923 livery as part of the Northern Line’s 100th anniversary celebrations.

Driving Motor car No. 1030, which formed the other end of No. 1031’s four-car unit, is now part of the collection located at Mangapps Railway Museum today. One trailer from the other 1923-liveried set, No. 2044, is privately owned at Mangapps, while driving motor cars Nos. 1044 and 1045 from this other heritage unit survive on the Alderney Island Railway.

EOR press officer Dean Walton said: “We have no plans to bring it in passenger service, but the interior is in great shape and I know that, following some work by our volunteers, our passengers will love it.” E

Car No. 1031 close to its final position at North Weald on May 22, a week after its arrival from LU’s Morden depot. Chris Westcott

The interior of 1959 Driving Motor car No. 1031 showing where seating frames were removed to create a meeting area while at Morden depot. Chris Westcott

Final goodbye to Met Line ‘A’ Stock

Four-car ‘A’ Stock Nos. 5234/5235 works through Rayners Lane on May 24 as Train 710/23.01 from Neasden to Ealing Common via Ruislip – the final working of ‘A’ Stock under its own power on London Underground metals. Jamie Squibbs

THE final ‘A’ Stock cars moved around the London Underground system in late May in readiness for their collection and scrapping.

Since their use on normal passenger services ended on Wednesday September 26, 2012, three four-car units were retained. One remained at Acton Works as spare bodies (half-sets Nos. 5112/5113), whilst two remained at Neasden Depot (half sets Nos. 5110/5111 and 5234/5235) to operate Rail Adhesion Train services with Sandite trailer car No. 6036. Throughout the past few years, unit Nos. 5110/5111 had been used for these RAT services.

Nos. 5110/5111 were withdrawn after the final RAT ran in December 2017. This was due to the start of a flashover on a motor of car No. 5111.

It travelled under its own power to Ealing Common depot on March 27 to be stripped and sent away by road,

although trailer car No. 6110 was retained. Then late on May 24, unit Nos. 5234/5235 transferred across from Neasden to Ealing Common depot under their own power.

The final cars are now being stripped of useful parts and will be removed by road for scrapping in the near future.

Trailer car No. 6110 will remain within the London Transport Museum depot at Acton for the foreseeable future. Notices have been written by pen into the vinyl paint coverings that the car has been retained for the LTM and is not to be robbed. In due course, however, parts will be recovered for use in other projects.

Whilst some enthusiasts may lament the loss of the surviving trailer vehicle, car No. 5034 has already been retained by the London Transport Museum.

Originally numbered No. 5008, it was part of the very first train that entered passenger service on June 12, 1961.

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 73

RAILTOURS

D1015’s come-back tour postponed Unexpected delays have resulted in both Maybach power units not being ready for Western Champion’s long-awaited return to main line action.

THE Diesel Traction Group, owner of Class 52 ‘Western’ No. D1015 Western Champion, has reluctantly advised that on-going problems with the return of its Maybach power unit from Germany has meant that it has had to postpone at least two planned tours.

This is particularly disappointing for this elder statesman diesel group, which had been optimistic that its ‘Wizzo’ would be back on main line duty this year.

The two tours that should be run at a later, yet to be announced date, are Charity Tours’ ‘The Magnificent Severn’ on August 4 and Pathfinder’s ‘The Western Glory’ on August 25.

A DTG statement on May 22 said: “Due to on-going delays with engine rebuilds, D1015 will be unavailable to work its next two scheduled tours in August. Unfortunately there have been further delays to the engine being rebuilt on our behalf in Germany. At

present it is not known when this will be delivered to the UK. “In parallel to this, our engineers have been rebuilding another engine on site at Kidderminster. It has been discovered that one of the crankpins had been reground undersize, most likely from Swindon days, consequently it requires oversized bearings to fit.

Fortunately the grinding was to an MTU official undersize, so we will be sourcing a replacement from MTU. This option,

along with the possibility of machining a replacement, has a far greater lead time than that which allows us to have a mainline ready locomotive for August.

“Some people will be aware that unfortunately No. D1015 failed at the Severn Valley gala on Saturday evening (May 19), while operating on one engine. Investigations are still ongoing in regard to this failure, it is hoped that this is related to a fractured pipe, rather than a more serious engine failure.” E

Another ‘Deltic’ for main line charters?

WITH the mammoth rebuild of the Deltic Preservation Society’s Class 55 No. D9015 (55015) Tulyar entering its final phase of being restored to a working machine, thoughts will be turning to whether or not it is practical to have this former Finsbury Park ‘racehorse’ main line certificated.

A huge six-figure sum has already been spent on overhauling its bogies, bodyshell, generators and procuring new tyres, notwithstanding a myriad of smaller components.

It has always been the aspiration of the DPS to see Tulyar back on the main line but, since it last ran in 1997, the world has changed with Train Protection Warning System (TPWS), Global System for Mobile Communications-Railway (GSM-R) and On Train Monitoring Recorder (OTMR). The staggering cost of buying this equipment, let alone fitting it by specialist personnel and issuing its accreditation, comes to more than £100,000 – and herein lies the dilemma for the DPS. As a business case, this expenditure would in no way be justified, simply because the owner would never receive the revenue to pay for it. This is already the case with what has been spent on renewing the body skin of Tulyar and overhauling its running gear and electrical components. It also applies to owners of other heritage traction that runs on the main line – their owners will never be able to recoup the cost.

It is likely the DPS will, once the locomotive is operational and run in on a heritage railway, consider launching an appeal to fund this mandatory equipment to enable No. D9015 to once again set sail from King’s Cross to Edinburgh, recalling its final run on January 2, 1982.

Stealers Wheel?

SHOWING our age with this headline (and for those of newer vintage, this was a famed Scottish folk group including Gerry Rafferty), it appropriately gives a foretaste of a UK Railtours’ Forgotten Tracks tour on Saturday, October 20.

This railtour, headed by a Class 66, will be visiting the British Steel complex at Scunthorpe, which will be a ‘first’ for UKR. The actual tour title and full itinerary have yet to be finalised, so this notification is so you can make a note in the diary if it appeals.

74 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

PRESTON DEPARTURE: With the city of Preston as a backdrop, preserved and main line-certified electric No. 86259 heads south to Euston with the return leg of ‘The Cathedrals Express’ on May 22, which was worked from Carlisle to Preston via Settle by No. 60103 Flying Scotsman. The steam loco was later taken from Preston to Carnforth by No. 47760, which had been on the rear of the tour from Carlisle. Jack Taylor

CHOCOLATE & CREAM IN THE COTSWOLDS:

UK Railtours’ ‘The Worcester Sorcerer’ saw a rake of chocolate and creamliveried Mk.1s travel along the former GWR line through the Cotswolds from Oxford to Worcester on May 12. The tour started at Letchworth Garden City behind DB Cargo’s No. 67018, and is pictured passing some of the lower quadrant semaphores at Moreton-inMarsh, Gloucestershire – a rare change from the line’s usual diet of DMUs, HSTs and Class 800s.

Patrick Moss

RAILTOURS FORTHCOMING TOURS FOR JULY Date

Tour Name

From-To

Motive Power

Promoter

1 1 1 1 2 3 5 5 5 5 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 9 10 10 11 12 12 12 12 12 13 14 14 14 14 14 14 15 15 17 19 19 19 19 20 20 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 22 22 22 22 24 24 26 26 26 27 28 28 28 28 29 29 29 29 29 29 30 31

Itchen Scratch Ketton Osprey Explorer Cathedrals Express English Riviera Express Dalesman Dalesman Historic Canterbury Cathedrals Express Scarborough Spa Express Jorvik & Scarborough Spa 3 Edinburgh at Leisure Historic Worcester Severn Valley Explorer Berwick Sugar Loaf Mountaineer Bournemouth Belle Waverley End of Southern Steam RAF 100 Celebrations Fellsman Sandringham Historic Canterbury Royal Sandringham Cathedrals Express Conwy Valley Explorer 1 Scarborough Spa Express Llandudno at Leisure Golden Age of Travel by Steam Eden Project Tess & Wear Explorer Cumbrian Mountain Express Settle & Carlisle Statesman Sunny South Express Weymouth Dorset Food Festival Torbay Express Dalesman Historic Canterbury Cathedrals Express Scarborough Spa Express Royal Windsor Express 2 Murder Mystery Lunch Tatton Flower Show Talisman Dinner Hosted by Tom Kerridge Middlesbrough Goods Canterbury at Leisure Solent & Sussex Explorer Cumbrian Mountain Express Cathedrals Express William Shakespeare Crewe Open Day Special Brief Encounter Lunch Brief Encounter Afternoon Tea North Wales Coast Express Royal Duchy Welsh Mountaineer Fellsman Dorset Coast Express Southern Express Scarborough Spa Express Spirit of Travel Lunch Hadrian West Somerset Steam Express Hills of the North Steam on the District (prov) Great British Sunday Lunch Cathedrals Express Torbay Express Steam on the District (prov) Tornado 10th Anniversary Special Tornado 10th Anniversary Special Dalesman Dalesman

Tonbridge-Eastleigh (one way only) Ketton Cement works rail system London Paddington-Stratford upon Avon Bristol-Kingswear York-Carlisle York-Carlisle London Victoria-Canterbury London King’s Cross-Newcastle Carnforth-Scarborough Southport-Scarborough Birmingham International-Edinburgh London Victoria-Worcester Norwich-Kidderminster Manchester Victoria-Berwick Birmingham-Carmarthen London Waterloo-Bournemouth York-Carlisle London Waterloo-Weymouth Lincoln-London King’s Cross Lancaster-Carlisle London Victoria-King’s Lynn London Victoria-Canterbury London King’s Cross-King’s Lynn West Brompton-Bristol Dumfries-Betws-y-Coed Carnforth-Scarborough Gloucester-Llandudno London Victoria-Shalford circular Cardiff General-St Austell Gloucester-Sunderland London Euston-Carlisle High Wycombe-Carlisle Stevenage-Weymouth Swindon-Weymouth Bristol-Kingswear Chester-Carlisle London Victoria-Canterbury London Victoria-Canterbury Carnforth-Scarborough Bangor-Windsor London Victoria-Surrey circular London-Euston-Altrincham London King’s Cross-Newcastle London Victoria-Surrey circular AV Dawson rail network tour Birmingham International-Canterbury Cardiff General-Littlehampton London Euston-Carlisle Southend Victoria-Poole Preston-Stratford upon Avon London Euston-Crewe Manchester Victoria-Carnforth Manchester Victoria-Carnforth Liverpool-Holyhead Bristol-Par Preston-Blaenau Ffestiniog Lancaster-Carlisle London Waterloo-Weymouth Kidderminster-Paignton Carnforth-Scarborough London Victoria-Surrey circular Leicester-Carlisle London Paddington-Bishops Lydeard London Euston-Carlisle Ealing Broadway-High Street Kensington Oxford-Reading circular London Paddington-Swanage Bristol-Kingswear Ealing Broadway-High Street Kensington Darlington-Wakefield circular Darlington-Glasshoughton circular York-Carlisle York-Carlisle

GBRf 66 Class 08s 08870 & 08375 Steam 60009 Steam 34046 or 46100 WCRC 47/57 & Steam TBA WCRC 47/57 & Steam TBA DBC 67 WCRC 47/57 & Steam TBA WCRC diesel unspec & Steam TBA WCRC 47/57 WCRC 47/57 DBC 67 DRS 68 WCRC 47/57 Diesel unspec & Steam 45231 Steam TBA Steam 60103 Steam TBA Steam 60163 WCRC Steam TBA DBC 67 DBC 67 WCRC 47/57 Steam 61306 WCRC 47/57 WCRC diesel unspec & Steam TBA WCRC 47/57 Steam 35028 WCRC 47/57 GBRf 47 Class 86 & Steam ‘Jubilee’ TBA WCRC 47/57 Class 73/9 x 2 WCRC 47/57 Steam 35028 WCRC 47/57 & Steam TBA DBC 67 Steam 61306 WCRC diesel unspec & Steam TBA WCRC 47/57 DBC 67 WCRC 47/57 Steam 60163 & Deltic D9009 DBC 67 Class 08 08774 and 01 01567 WCRC 47/57 GBRf 47 and 73/9 Class 86 & Steam ‘Jubilee’ TBA Steam 60009 LS 47 & Steam 34046 or 46100 DRS 88 and 68 WCRC 47/57 WCRC 47/57 Steam 45690 Diesel & Steam 34046 or 46100 Steam 48151 or 45699 WCRC Steam TBA Steam 60009 or 45305 WCRC 47/57 WCRC diesel unspec & Steam TBA WCRC 47/57 Diesel unspec & Steam ‘Jubilee’ Steam 60009 DBC 67 Steam Met 1 WCRC 47/57 Steam TBA Steam 60009 Steam Met 1 Steam 60163 Steam 60163 WCRC 47/57 & Steam TBA WCRC 47/57 & Steam TBA

GBRFCR BLS SD ST WCRC WCRC BBP SD WCRC WCRC NB BBP NENTA NB PT RTC RTC RTC UKR SR BBP BBP NB SD WCRC WCRC NB BBP NB PT RTC SR UKR NB TE WCRC BBP SD WCRC WCRC BBP NB UKR BBP BLS NB PT RTC SD ST UKR NB NB RTC RTC RTC SR RTC WCRC WCRC NB RTC RTC UKR LTPT NB SD TE LTPT UKR UKR WCRC WCRC

Promoter Codes: BBP – British Belmond Pullman, BLS – Branch Line Society, GBRFCR – GBRf Charity Railtours, LTPT – London Transport, NB – Northern Belle, NENTA - NENTA, PT – Pathfinder Tours, RTC – Railway Touring Company, SD – Steam Dreams, SR – Statesman Rail, ST – Saphos Tours, TE – Torbay Express, UKR – UK Railtours, WCRC – West Coast Railways

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 75

PRESERVATION IN BRIEF SOUTH DEVON RAILWAY BORROWS ‘116’ TRAILER

THE Dartmouth Steam Railway has loaned one of its two Class 116 TC cars, No. 59004, to the South Devon Railway for the 2018 season. It is the first time the DMU car, which carries chocolate/ cream colours and is used as hauled stock, has left the Paignton-Kingswear line since it was purchased from British Rail back in 1984.

MID-NORFOLK HEADS NORTH

THE Mid-Norfolk Railway’s extension northwards took another step forward on May 19, when newly repainted Class 04 No. D2334 hauled the first train to the new operating limit at Worthing level crossing, just a mile short of North Elmham station.

AVOCET PROGRESS

THE Vacuum Circuit Breaker has been removed from No. 89001 Avocet to enable it to be overhauled by Alstom.

Nearing completion is the overhaul of three traction motors, and these will be fitted when the loco is lifted prior to other bogie work being carried out.

‘ED’ BACK IN ACTION

HAVING last run in public service in August 2015, No. 73140 returned to traffic following overhaul at the Spa Valley Railway on May 20.

RARE ‘GRONK’ HAULAGE:

Shunter No. 08495 worked a brake van shuttle on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway from Pickering to New Bridge on May 5, seen here passing Trout Farm ‘top and tail’ with classmate No. 08850. This was No. 08495’s first time operating a passenger service on the NYMR, its use being part of the ‘Behind the Scenes’ weekend.

Matt Fisher

David Russell

‘Clacton’ EMU set moves to new home at Tanat Valley Ex-Coventry Class 309 is now based on the Welsh border in Shropshire.

THE Tanat Valley Railway in Nantmawr, Shropshire, has become the new base for the second ‘Clacton’ unit to leave Coventry’s former Electric Railway Museum.

‘Jaffa Cake’-liveried No. 309616 arrived at its new base on May 25, being unloaded at Blodwell Quarry and tripped to Nantmawr the next day.

Also now at the Tanat Valley Railway is Ruston 88DS shunter Crabtree from Coventry.

It is planned that one vehicle of the ‘309’ unit will be used as a cafe at its new home, the unit having been used for a similar purpose at Coventry.

The other surviving Class 309 set, No. 309624 (960102), is being restored for use as hauled stock at the Lavender Line (East Sussex), where it has been located since March.

The Tanat Valley Railway, which is located around four miles south west of Oswestry, is already home to a number of Class 107 Ltd’s DMUs. Power cars Nos. 52005/031 are used on passenger services on the railway and the sole-surviving TCL,

No. 59791, is also restored. Nos. 51993 and 52012, which have yet to run in preservation, are undergoing restoration.

■ Other recent departures from Coventry have been 2-EPB No. 6307 (14573+16117) to Sellindge in Kent, where it joins double deck 4-DD car

No. 13003 and three cars from the Southern Electric Group’s 4-COR unit. Tyneside 2-EPB No. 5791/5793 (65321+77112) has moved to the Battlefield Line, along with former LSWR ‘Ironclad’ No. ADS229. Bo-Bo Electric Kearsley No. 1 has been transferred to the East Kent Railway.

2-EPB No. 6307 at the private Sellindge Railway Centre, Kent, on May 18 after arriving from the former Electric Railway Museum near Coventry. Robert Hawkes

WENSLEYDALE ‘BUBBLE’: Easter services

on the Wensleydale Railway to Redmire on April 1 included the use of Class 121 ‘Bubble Car’ No. 121032 coupled to Class 117 Driving Car No. 51400. The pair are pictured at Redmire after arriving from Leeming Bar, and sadly there were just four passengers aboard.

Derek Fry

‘TEDDY BEAR’ CHARTER: Class 14 No. D9531, masquerading as

ex-colliery loco No. 2100/523, stands next to the two colliery stacks at Foxfield Colliery on May 13, during an EMRPS photo charter. Martyn Tattam

76 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

E

PRESERVATION

DORSET HYMEK: Visiting Class 35 No. D7017 took part in the Swanage Railway’s diesel gala on May 11-13, seen here on the first day passing through Corfe Common with a Norden to Swanage service. Also taking part in the gala was GBRf’s Biffa-liveried Class 66 No. 66783 plus Nos. 20007, 20142, 45041, 50049 and 73136. Gary Thomas

Neptune to be re-created AFTER completion of its crew training hire in conjunction with the forthcoming Derby blockade, No 50007 Hercules returned to the Severn Valley Railway on May 14, prior to being used at the line’s gala a few days later.

The loco has since had one of its Hercules nameplates removed as it is to gain the number and identity of No. 50006 Neptune on one side for a period of around six months – after which the nameplate will be auctioned off to raise funds. No. 50006 was the first Class 50 to be refurbished and the second to be taken out of service, being withdrawn in July 1987. It was scrapped by Vic Berry at Leicester the following year.

Work on returning No. 50044 to service is continuing and the loco, which has received a power unit from one of its Portuguese cousins, is expected to be started up in the near future. It is hoped to have the loco back in service for the October Class 50 gala.

Another attendee at this event, No. 50033 Glorious, arrived at the Severn Valley Railway from Tyseley on May 31 to allow restoration to begin.

IN BRIEF MANGAPPS MUSEUM ACQUIRES ILFORD GUV

GREATER Anglia stores van No. 041947, formerly Mk.1 GUV No. 93425, has been acquired by Mangapps Railway Museum and moved from Ilford to its new home during May. Withdrawn from active BR service as long ago as 1986, it spent around 30 years as an Internal User at Ilford.

A second vehicle, No. 93288 (which became No. 041946) was scrapped in 1993.

FIRST CORRIDOR RETURNS TO GREAT CENTRAL REPULSE RADIATORS REFITTED: The restoration of No. 50030

Repulse took a significant step forward on April 20, when the Renown Repulse Restoration Group refitted its radiators after they had been professionally repaired and refurbished by Applied Radiators last year. The radiators are not the first major components to have been overhauled, with others including the auxiliary generator, ETH generator, two motor blowers, two exhausters and the radiator fan motor. Work is now progressing on completing the radiator room, although the radiator fan motor will not be refitted until closer to the loco’s return to service. RRRG

ON loan to the Battlefield Line since 2015, Mk.1 FK No. 13313 has returned to the Great Central Railway where it is now back in service.

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July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 77

PRESERVATION IN BRIEF ‘03’ NEARS COMPLETION

NOW painted in BR blue, but retaining cast numberplates first applied when it gained GWR Brunswick green in the 1980s, No. 2022 (03022) is nearing completion of an overhaul at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, and should return to traffic before too long.

CLASS 07 PROGRESS

NOW back at the Great Central Railway following the closure of Boden Rail’s Washwood Heath site, No. 07005 has had the bottom end of its power unit refitted as well as the main generator.

The loco’s traction motor has still to be overhauled.

‘08’ RETURNS TO SERVICE

ONE of the two Class 08s moved to the GCR(N) at Ruddington in early 2017 following their purchase for preservation, No. 08784 is now available for service following attention and removal of its radio control equipment. The other, No. 08922, still requires refitting of its power unit, which has received an overhauled generator.

Caledonian Class 11 started MAY 5 saw Class 11 No. 12052 started up for the first time in preservation after many years undergoing restoration. A replacement power unit from a Class 08 has been fitted, replacing the unserviceable one which was previously in the loco.

No. 12052 is one of two Class 11s located at the Caledonian Railway, the other being No. 12093 which is already active. The pair were among a number of members of the class acquired by the National Coal Board in the early 1970s and were based at Widdrington Disposal Point in Northumberland until being purchased by the Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group in 1988.

They moved to the Scottish Industrial Railway Centre at Dalmellington, before departing for the Caledonian Railway for restoration in April 2002.

No. 12052 at Brechin on September 5, 2015 after been cosmetically restored. It has now been restarted using a replacement power unit. David Russell

‘GOYLE’ SWAP AT MID-NORFOLK RAILWAY

FOLLOWING the arrival of HNRC’s No. 31255 from the Colne Valley Railway on May 14, No. 31235 has left the Mid-Norfolk Railway (having been stored at Thuxton since 2015) and is now located at the Dean Forest Railway. Painted in EWS colours, No. 31255 is a runner, but requires some attention, having not been used for some time.

CHINNOR ‘31’ TO GET RTC COLOUR SCHEME

THE Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway’s No. D5581 (31163) is to gain Derby RTC colours (as applied to No. 97204/31970 in the late 1980s) with a fictitious identity of No. 97205.

NYMR ‘37’ REPAIRS

OUT of action since July 2017, No. 37264 is to have two replacement traction motors fitted at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which will require the loco to be lifted.

‘WHISTLER’ GAINS TPWS & OTMR FOR MAIN LINE

IN preparation for its return to the main line as part of the Locomotive Services fleet, No. D213 Andania was fitted with TPWS and OTMR equipment at the DPS depot at Barrow Hill in May, along with other essential items required for operation on Network Rail tracks. GSM-R kit has been ordered.

CLASS 47 REGAINS VACUUM BRAKES

CURRENTLY on a three-year loan to the Mid-Hants Railway, No. 47579 James Nightall G.C. has had work on reinstating its vacuum brake equipment completed, and the loco hauled the ‘Watercress Belle’ dining train on May 25.

78 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

DOZEN LOCOS VISIT SVR GALA: The Severn Valley

Railway’s Spring Diesel Gala on May 17-19 featured 12 visiting locos, including a main line Class 56, 66 and 88. One of the highlights was ‘Warship’ No. D832 Onslaught from the Bury Hydraulic Group, which on the first day was paired with home fleet No. D821 Greyhound to work the 14.30 BridgnorthKidderminster. (Pictured near Hampton Loade by Mark Miller).

Other visiting locos were Nos. 20007, 20142, 20189, 37688, 45041, 47712, 55019, 56078, 66726 and 73136.

DRS supplied No. 88010, which is pictured on May 18 at Hampton Loade with the 08.20 Kidderminster-Bridgnorth (Photo: John Pearson)

PRESERVATION

MULTIPLE MEMORIES: The Railcar Gala at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway on May 19/20 brought together Classes 101, 108, 119, 122 and a W&M railbus. Pictured at Wirksworth on the second day are (from left) Nos. 55006, 79018, 79960, 51073 and 53599. Colin Pottle

DIESEL DIARY ‘Crompton’ visitor for East Lancs July gala THE first confirmed visitor for the East Lancashire Railway’s summer gala in July is No. 33103 Swordfish, which is part of the Nemesis Rail fleet and normally based at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. Its appearance will enable a pair of Departmental grey Class 33/1s to appear together, re-

creating a scene that was common in the early 1990s.

A week before the ELR event is the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s 50th anniversary event, and the previously announced visiting ‘Deltic’, No. 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier, will be joined by No. 50035 Ark Royal from the Severn

Valley Railway, a pair of GBRf locos (Classes 66 and 73) and a DRS Class 37/4.

The North Norfolk Railway’s gala, which takes place just after this issue of RE appears, has been rebranded as a mixed traffic event due to nonavailability of motive power. Two steam

locos will now work alongside the diesels, which will comprise Nos. D832 Onslaught and a visiting DRS loco, along with No. 20227 Sherlock Holmes and two shunters – Nos. 12131 and D3935 (08767), the latter returning to service for the first time since 2004 after a six-year overhaul.

Diesel Galas

August 11/12: Ecclesbourne Valley Railway August 18/19: Caledonian Railway August 25-27: East Kent Railway September 1/2: Heritage Shunters Trust September 7-9: Great Central Railway September 14-16: Dean Forest Railway September 15/16: Epping Ongar Railway September 21/22: Bodmin & Wenford Railway

September 22/23: East Lancashire Railway September 28-30: Isle of Wight Railway September 28-30: Mid Norfolk Railway September 29/30: Llangollen Railway October 4-6: Severn Valley Railway (Class 50 event) October 6/7: GloucestershireWarwickshire Railway October 6/7: Ribble Railway November 2-4: South Devon Railway November 3/4: East Lancashire Railway

(DMU event) December 29: Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway

June 16/17: Midland Railway Butterley June 30/July 1: GCR(N), Ruddington (no longer taking place) July 1: Keighley & Worth Valley Railway July 6-8: East Lancashire Railway July 13-15: Wensleydale Railway July 14/15: Middleton Railway July 27-29: GloucestershireWarwickshire Railway August 3-5: Spa Valley Railway

Mixed steam/diesel events

June 15-17: North Norfolk Railway June 30: Keighley & Worth Valley Railway August 4/5: Llangollen Railway (1960s weekend) October 27/28: GCR(N), Ruddington (Anything Goes)

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 79

POWER BY THE HOUR

Simon Bendall

Caledonian ‘EDs’ reach Mallaig The Scottish Class 73/9s broke further new ground in May as part of a ‘Royal Scotsman’ luxury outing.

THE weekend of May 19/20 brought a further opportunity for the Caledonian Sleeper Class 73/9s to put in the type’s first appearance at a new location – in this case, the hitherto undreamt-of West Highland extension terminus of Mallaig.

The occasion was a visit of the ‘Royal Scotsman’ luxury train to the West Highland Line which, although a regular occurrence, included the rather rarer destination of Oban amongst the itinerary.

With the Oban line still barred to Class 66s, the 1H85/13.45 Edinburgh-Spean Bridge thus set out from Waverley on May 18 with regular traction No. 66746 leading and ‘EDs’ Nos. 73967 and 73968 tagged on the rear.

Following the overnight halt, the

GM led the 1H86/08.23 departure from Spean Bridge into Fort William, ready for the re-engineered pair to power throughout to Mallaig.

While Class 73/9s have traversed part of the extension before – such as on May 24, 2016, when No. 73968 reached Loch Eil on a driver training trip – this was the first time that the whole line had been covered.

Upon returning to Fort William that afternoon, No. 66746 was detached, leaving Nos. 73967+73968 to power the 1Z50/18.00 Fort William-Taynuilt.

OUT TO OBAN

The morning of May 20 found the duo heading over more familiar ground, thanks to occasional sleeper diversions, with the 1Z51/08.45 Taynuilt-Oban, but having to work hard

atop the heavy 10-coach formation.

They departed that evening as the 1Z52/18.35 Oban-Kilmarnock, running as far as Mossend where Nos. 66729 and 66743 eventually replaced the ‘EDs’ as booked, the train ultimately terminating short at Glasgow Central.

In order to bring No. 66746 back from Fort William, it topped No. 73966 on the 1B01/19.00 Fort WilliamEdinburgh on May 20, the Bo-Bo having to be coupled inside for electric train supply purposes.

With two Class 73/9s unavailable for sleeper work over this weekend, this also affected the Aberdeen portion, with No. 47727 deployed to power the 1A25/04.43 EdinburghAberdeen on May 19 and the 1B16/21.43 return the next evening.

This was not the only passenger

work for the Brush Type 4 during the month, for example it took charge of the diverted 1M11/21.44 Glasgow Central-Euston as far as Edinburgh on May 27, which was routed via Shotts.

DELLNER EXPANSION

Resident since November 28 last year, the lengthy stay of No. 73970 at Brush Traction for the fitting of Dellner couplings finally ended on May 19 with its departure to Crewe, the similarly newly-equipped No. 92014 also being conveyed.

Five days later, No. 73970 retraced its steps to Loughborough in order to deposit No. 92018 for Dellner fitting before returning to Crewe once again, where it was awaiting onward transfer to Craigentinny on May 30. E

GBRf unmodified ‘73s’ out and about again AS detailed last issue, April saw the majority of GBRf’s unmodified Class 73 fleet placed into stored serviceable status at Tonbridge West Yard.

Inevitably, May saw the bulk of these assignments reversed as the electro-diesels enjoyed a limited number of notable outings. However, the locos remain very much use as required rather than in regular service.

First to be reinstated was No. 73141, this seeing use on two legs of the ‘Diamond Twenties’ tour on May 5.

Originally due to be partnered by No. 73107, this failed upon departure from Tonbridge and was hastily replaced

by No. 73963, the two locos then heading the 1Z22/14.17 MountfieldDungeness with Nos. 20189 and 20205 on the rear. Nos. 73141 and 73963 were then detached at Beechbrook Farm loop, Ashford, as the tour returned to London.

An adventurous month for No. 73136 began on May 8 when it was conveyed behind No. 66786 as part of the 4Z19/09.40 Tonbridge West YardPeterborough. Initially used to shunt some of GBRf’s newly acquired buckeye-

fitted HTA hoppers out of the way, it then headed for Eastleigh the next day in the company of Nos. 66736, 66789 and 10 JGA hoppers before hauling Nos. 73133 and 66783 to Swanage for the diesel gala.

After bringing up the rear of the Class 20-hauled ‘Purbeck Explorer II’ tour to Kensington Olympia on May 13, No. 73136 formed part of a convoy to the Severn Valley Railway the next day, the ‘ED’ being joined by four Class 20s, Nos. 20007/142/189/205, and London Underground’s 4-TC set.

Also returned to normal status, Nos. 73109 and 73119 hauled three gypsum flats from Slade Green to Tonbridge West Yard on May 11 following tyre turning. Four days later, No. 73119 partnered up with No. 73107 to run light to Peterborough and then Ely Papworth on May 16, spending a chunk of the day shunting the stored Mk.3s on site before returning west and later back to Kent.

Around the same time, No. 73213 was also removed from stored status, leaving just No. 73212 officially sidelined, although by no means the only ‘ED’ actually out of traffic.

SPARES DONOR ‘86’: Another of Freightliner’s spares donor Class 86s was

retrieved from Long Marston during May, No. 86251 arriving at Crewe Basford Hall on the 17th to join No. 86901 in surrendering parts. Just one AC electric loco now remains at Long Marston in the form of No. 86229, this also belonging to Freightliner. No. 86251 is pictured at Basford Hall on May 22 with long stored No. 90050. Jim Scott

Four more Freightliner Class 70s stored THE second half of May brought more bad news for Freightliner’s Class 70 fleet, as a further four examples were stored in the DHLT pool at Leeds Midland Road.

First to go mid-month were Nos. 70005 and 70017, with Nos. 70004 and 70010 joining them around a week later. As a result, the operational fleet now amounts to just nine locos, Nos. 70002/03/06-08/11/14/15/20, all of which are allocated to Intermodal duties.

Of the 10 examples now out of use

80 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

at Freightliner’s Leeds depot, No. 70009 is rapidly closing in on two years out of traffic as, although it was officially stored in January last year, it has not worked since July 2016.

A similar long-term absentee is pioneer No. 70001, which was stopped in November 2016 and stored two months later. Of the remainder, Nos. 70013/16/18 were sidelined over a year ago while No. 70019 is more recent, transferring to DHLT back in March.

HULL ‘ED’ FIRST: Matching their Scottish sisters for unlikely new ground (see

separate story), Nos. 73961 and 73965 made what is thought to be a class debut at Hull Paragon late on May 9, when they arrived with an ultrasonic test train. Forming the 3Q23/21.40 Neville Hill-Derby RTC, the duo ‘top and tailed’ the formation by way of Selby, Hull, Pontefract and Chesterfield. No. 73961 is pictured at Hull waiting to head the train out towards Derby. Tom Robson

POWER BY THE HOUR

SLEEPER ‘47’: With GBRf’s Class 73/9 fleet stretched (see main story, left), Class 47 No. 47727 was used in passenger service on May 19 to haul the 1A25/04.43 EdinburghAberdeen sleeper portion and 1B16/21.43 return the next evening. The northbound working is seen heading towards Arbroath at the site of Elliot Junction station, where there was formerly a branch to Carmyllie. The loco is expected to get Caledonian Sleeper logos and a new name in due course. Jim Ramsay

NEWS ROUND-UP BARS

WHILE No. 56303 saw very little use in May, venturing from Willesden to Barrington and back on May 22 for instance, the Class 56 Group’s No. 56301 was hauled from Tyseley to Leicester by No. 50008 on May 16, the loco’s wheelset issue having been attended to in order to make it fit to move by rail.

COLAS RAIL

FINALLY ready for traffic, No. 37521 left Barrow Hill on May 21, it running light to Derby as the 0M38/15.00 departure to commence its hire to Colas for test train use. Also now in the COTS pool are the HNRC-owned pair of Nos. 37607 and 37612, the plain blue Type 3s continuing to see regular deployment on infrastructure monitoring duties.

DB CARGO

OUT of traffic for three years, No. 60062 made a welcome return to service in mid May after prolonged power unit repairs.

Reinstated to the WCAT pool, it was noted on the Toton-Beeston trip workings on May 17 and was hired to Colas five days later for overnight infrastructure work.

Also reinstated is No. 90020 following repairs to the fire damage sustained in January.

DIRECT RAIL SERVICES

THE end of April saw the TransPennine XHTP Class 68 pool returned to full strength with the transfer back from XHVE of Nos. 68020/23/25/26/28/30.

However, this made little apparent difference to their use, with DRS continuing to deploy most of them on freight work ahead of what will now be a

delayed July or August start to locohauled passenger services. May 23 saw No. 68024 retrieved from its temporary store at Barrow Hill, Nos. 57002 and 57007 hauling it to Crewe Gresty Bridge to rejoin its classmates and await deployment.

Given a reprieve, No. 37606 was reinstated to the XHNC pool on May 21, it running light from Derby to Crewe in the company of the aforementioned Class 57s three days later.

hauled from Leicester to Eastleigh by stablemate No. 47812 in order for repairs to its damaged bufferbeam to be undertaken by Arlington.

EAST MIDLAND TRAINS

THE cosmetic transformation of No. 66081 into No. 66784 was completed at Eastleigh Works during May, the loco carrying standard blue and orange.

However, further internal work was required before the loco appeared in traffic in its new guise. Next out will be No. 66785, its renumbering from No. 66132 taking place on TOPS in mid-month.

THE commencement of the summer timetable from May 21 saw four of the former Grand Central HST power cars enter full service with East Midlands Trains. The previous day found Nos. 43423 + 43480 undertaking a 5Z03/09.50 Derby Etches Park-Kettering test run and 5Z02/11.10 return with one of the newly-formed additional Mk.3 sets, while Nos. 43467+43468 did likewise that afternoon – all now carrying EMT colours. The third set with Nos. 43465 and 43484 was expected to be ready for traffic during June (see also Coaches news, page 94).

EUROPHOENIX

AFTER less than four months out of traffic, No. 37884 was released from Eastleigh Works on May 9 after completion of repairs to the collision damage sustained at Barrington on January 18. Named Cepheus a few days before departure, the loco initially ran light to Wembley before finding regular employment on stock moves thereafter.

A week later, the other loco involved in the incident, ROG’s No. 47815, was

FREIGHTLINER

LITTLE-USED No. 47830 undertook several route learning trips from Crewe during May. For example, May 16 found the Type 4 heading for Stoke, Stockport, Birmingham International and Rugby.

GB RAILFREIGHT

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY

A FURTHER pair of off-lease HST sets departed Laira at the beginning of May, Nos. 43003 and 43142 running from St Philip’s Marsh to Leicester on the 2nd by way of Chaddesden Sidings in Derby to deposit six Mk.3 trailers. At the end of the month, the two power cars were still awaiting the call to Loughborough.

The early hours of May 3 saw Nos. 43031 and 43152 depart Bristol with coaches for store at Ely Papworth, the Class 43s then running light to Derby.

Initially stabling in the north dock at the station, where TOPS still showed them in late May, the pair were believed to be at nearby Chaddesden.

Meanwhile, fresh from modifications

for use with power door Mk.3s, Nos. 43004 and 43042 departed Doncaster for Laira late on May 14, the duo now carrying GWR green. Nine days later, Nos. 43092 and 43098 headed north to Wabtec for the same work.

HNRC

TWO of the company’s Class 31s switched locations in May with EWS-liveried No. 31255 departing the Colne Valley Railway on the 14th bound for the MidNorfolk Railway. The low-loader then departed Dereham the next day loaded with No. 31235, which was destined for the Dean Forest Railway.

SCOTRAIL

AN additional HST training circuit commenced on May 7, this bringing near daily outings between Inverness and Perth that usually encompassed two return trips over the Highland Main Line.

Formed of Nos. 43021 and 43132 either end of four Mk.3s, the combination was still going strong at the end of the month.

With no sign of the first set of refurbished Mk.3 coaches, the ScotRailliveried duo of Nos. 43036 and 43134 returned empty handed from Doncaster to Craigentinny on May 5, seven weeks after they first arrived in South Yorkshire.

By May 21, No. 43036 was paired with plain blue No. 43135 and forming the 2W64/12.09 Dundee-Stirling via Perth, the first day that ScotRail HST sets had traversed this particular route.

Two more modified and repainted ScotRail power cars were released from Brush on May 29, Nos. 43012 and 43163 working north from Loughborough to Craigentinny in back to back formation.

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 81

POWERSCENE

David Rapson

Powerscene Our authoritative class-by-class review of newsworthy locomotive workings.

CLASS 20

ON May 10, Nos. 20007 and 20142 accompanied No. 33012 on ‘The Purbeck Explorer’ tour, running as the 1Z33/10.40 Ealing Broadway to Swanage. No. 20007 entered service almost 61 years ago, in September 1957, as No. D8007, one of a batch allocated originally to Devons Road shed in Bow, East London.

Pathfinder Tours celebrated the 60th anniversary of the class on May 5 by running ‘The Diamond Twenties’ tour with the BR blue duo of Nos. 20189+20205 (both relative youngsters at only 51 years of age).

The charter started from Tame Bridge station in the West Midlands and ran to London Victoria, where the Type 1s were attached. The ‘Choppers’ then headed for the gypsum sidings at Mountfield, where Nos. 73141 and 73963 were attached so the tour could traverse the Dungeness branch. The tour then returned to London with the ‘20s’ at the front throughout.

The aforementioned Nos. 20007+20142 plus the London Underground 4-TC set and electrodiesel No. 73136 powered ‘The Purbeck Explorer II’ on May 13, running east as the 1Z50/15.25 Corfe CastleKensington Olympia, prior to collecting Nos. 20205+20189 next day and

82 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

engine transfer between Southall and Carnforth on May 23.

CLASS 37

A rare visit of a loco to St Ives in Cornwall occurred on May 16, as Type 3 No. 37099 Merl Evans 1947-2016 arrived in the early morning light with the 3Q52/21.55 Exeter Old Yard to Penzance Network Rail test train. Andrew Triggs

heading from Ferme Park to the Severn Valley Railway via Swindon and Worcester.

CLASS 33

FOLLOWING a successful test run from Carnforth to Hellifield and back with No. 47832 on May 2, West Coast ‘Crompton’ No. 33029 was paired with No. 37685 on the 5Z37/10.00 Carnforth-

Crewe on May 10, this conveying 11 coaches of ‘Statesman Rail’ stock. Next day, having run light to the Severn Valley Railway, the same locomotives powered the 5Z33/15.09 Kidderminster-Carnforth empty stock, formed of ‘Northern Belle’ reserve Mk.1s Nos. 1953 and 92904.

Having last worked a train in February, ‘Slim Jim’ No. 33207 accompanied No. 47826 on a light

ON May 26, DRS examples Nos. 37069+37259 set off with the 1Z53/06.15 Huddersfield-Salisbury charter with No. 57305 on the rear as far as Crewe Gresty Lane (where it was replaced by No. 68025), the train thereafter being routed via the North & West and Bath Spa. A previous tour, on May 12, ran under the banner of the ‘565 Special Take 2’ with West Coast’s Nos. 37669+37685 powering the 1Z56/05.44 Carnforth-Norwich as far as Crewe where the Colas Rail pairing of Nos. 37219+37116 took over, each pair handling the respective return legs of the outing.

Four days beforehand, Nos. 37516+37685 had charge of the 1Z45/08.35 York-Carlisle ‘Dalesman’ as far as Hellifield before handing over to ‘Merchant Navy’ No. 35018 British India Line. No. 37685 also had a hand in tour work on May 19 when accompanying ‘Jubilee’ No. 45690 Leander on the 1Z94/05.36 Liverpool Lime StreetScarborough as far as Guide Bridge.

Recently based at Fort William, No. 37518 ‘tailed’ the morning ‘Jacobite’ (10.15 Fort William-Mallaig) hauled by

❯

POWERSCENE Colas Type 3 No. 37254, with classmate No. 37421 out of sight at the rear, breaks the post-midnight silence at Knighton on the Central Wales Line on May 22 with an empty ballast train bound for Crewe. The loaded train had earlier reached Llandrindod Wells. Adrian Kenny

 With the cab damage sustained in the collision at Barrington in January now repaired, Europhoenix’s No. 37884 is back in service and on May 19 was captured at Blackminster, near Evesham on the Cotswolds Line, with EMU No. 350261 as the 5Q94 Northampton to Long Marston. Steve King  Five locos and the London Underground 4-TC set are captured crossing the River Avon at Eckington, Worcestershire, on May 14 as they all head to the Severn Valley Railway diesel gala. Nos. 20205+20189+73136 top the train (left) while Nos. 20142+20007 bring up the rear of the 5Z20/11.15 Ferme Park to Kidderminster. Kevin Payne

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 83

POWERSCENE

Diversions away from its usual West Coast Main Line route on May 26 saw the 4S43/04.20 Daventry to Mossend sent over the Pennines instead, seen here heading east at Mirfield (West Yorkshire) behind No. 66423. Mark Allatt

NAME GAME

by Simon Bendall

LOCO NAMINGS

37884 Cepheus Eastleigh Works 05.05.18 Continuation of the constellation naming theme for the Europhoenix fleet, the plates being applied following the completion of repairs to collision damage.

Previously named Gartcosh.

UNIT NAMINGS

180108 William Shakespeare London King’s Cross station 23.04.18 Named after the playwright to promote the arrival of the ‘pop-up’ Shakespeare Rose Theatre in York for the duration of the summer, which Grand Central is sponsoring. Name previously carried by No. 87034.

390013 Blackpool Belle Blackpool North station 21.05.18 Named to mark the inauguration of ‘Pendolino’ services to Blackpool following completion of electrification, the set forming the second arrival and departure in passenger service. The name vinyls were applied around a week earlier and carried in service uncovered. Previously named Virgin Spirit.

390045 Virgin Pride Birmingham New Street station 26.05.18 Named to promote the various LGBT ‘Pride’ festivals taking place during the summer, which Virgin is a supporter of. The ‘Pendolino’ was formally launched at New Street on the occasion of the Birmingham Pride event after carrying the name and new rainbow vinyls in traffic for five days. Previously named Virgin Valiant and 101 Squadron.

COACH NAMINGS

1211 Snaefell Crewe Diesel TMD 04.18 3229 Snowdon Burton Wetmore 04.18 3344 Scafell Crewe Diesel TMD 04.18 Continuation of the mountain name theme for the Statesman Rail Mk.2 set, Snaefell being the highest peak on the Isle of Man while Snowdon and Scafell are well known mountains in Wales and the Lake District respectively.

TRACK MACHINE NAMINGS

DR75407 Gerry Taylor Plymouth station 24.05.18 Naming of the Colas Rail-owned tamper after a former staff member who recently passed away and who was previously responsible for managing part of the company’s track machine fleet and introducing the Matisa-built machines into service.

DE-NAMINGS

43141 Cardiff Panel Signal Box 1966-2016 / Blwch Signalau Panel Caerdydd 1966-2016 43142 Reading Panel Signal Box 1965-2010 390045 101 Squadron 390046 Virgin Soldiers 3229 Jade

84 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

Laira T&RSMD

03.18

Laira T&RSMD Alstom, Widnes Alstom, Widnes Burton Wetmore

04.18 04.18 05.18 -

❮ Stanier ‘Black 5’ No. 45407 (though still

masquerading as No. 45157) on May 28, the latter only being in light steam due a high risk of lineside fires starting.

The short-formed Anglian ‘shuttle’ services continue to enjoy Class 37s in ‘top and tail’ mode, with No. 37407 sharing the duties with several partners during the early part of May. For example, on May Day it was partnered

by No. 37423 and by No. 37422 two days later before Nos. 37405 and 37407 were recorded on May 4.

Three days later No. 37405 had been substituted by No. 37419, but No. 37405 was back in action on May 8.

No. 37407 continued to cover these duties until May 21, but that evening it was entrusted with the 5V91/19.45 Norwich Crown Point-Ilford stock move.

Nos. 37218+37259 ‘top and tailed’ Mk.2f DBSO No. 9704 with bi-mode No. 88009 as the 5C09/10.30 Crewe Carriage Shed-Carlisle Kingmoor on May 17 and that same morning No. 37425 set off from Cardiff with saloon Caroline bound for Swansea and Fishguard Harbour.

Other class members to reach extremities of the system in May included Nos. 37254 and 37421 with a test train to Wick and Thurso on May 13, the pair having visited North Berwick and Tweedbank on May 10 and Largs and Ardrossan Harbour the next day, while Nos. 37116 and 37175 reached Skegness (May 11) on similar work. By May 21, Nos. 37254 and 37421 had changed tack when recorded either end of the 6C40/21.02 Basford Hall-Craven Arms ballast train. ‘Split box’ No. 37099 Merl Evans 1947-2016 arrived at Penzance with a test train at 07.00 on May 16, having earlier ventured the length of the St Ives branch.

The Europhoenix duo of Nos. 37611 and 37884 were unlikely

visitors to ScotRail’s Bathgate depot on May 28, being drafted in to haul EMU No. 334017 to Polmadie. The ‘Juniper’ had been damaged earlier in the month after running into cows on the line at Uphall but, ultimately, the unit’s coupling was found to be unserviceable, leading to the move being abandoned and the Type 3s returning south to Leicester on May 30.

CLASS 43

DIVERSIONS over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend found many Great Western HST services traversing the Bicester chord on their way to and from Paddington on May 5 and then Marylebone the next day.

Among those observed on the line between Bicester and Marylebone were Nos. 43018+43035 with the 1Z22/09.28 Swansea-Marylebone, Nos. 43150+43172 (the latter in its special black remembrance livery) on the 1Z20/09.03 Exeter St DavidsMarylebone, and Nos. 43180+43144 with the 1Z53/10.43 MaryleboneSwansea.

The failure of No. 57605 Totnes Castle at Newton Abbot early on May 25 while in charge of the overnight sleeper from London to Penzance led

POWERSCENE

to passengers going forward on an HST, while power cars Nos. 43141+43160 (running back-to-back) were sent from Plymouth Laira to rescue the ‘Bodysnatcher’ and its stock, taking them right through to Long Rock depot, Penzance.

CLASS 47

LOCOMOTIVE Services’ Type 4s certainly make an attractive sight out on the main line in their accurate retro twotone green livery, and No. 47805 Roger Hosking MA 1925-2013 caught the eye on May 1 when moving a newly refurbished Statesman Mk.2e coach from Burton Wetmore to Crewe. On May 12, No. 47805 accompanied Bulleid ‘Pacific’ No. 34046 on the 1Z60/08.26 Crewe-Cardiff charter, running via Hereford on both outward and return legs, while stable companion No. 47501 Craftsman has been undertaking crew training trips. On May 17, for instance, No. 47501 ran from Crewe to Hatton and back, and five days later ventured from Bristol Barton Hill to Taunton via Westbury and by way of Weston-SuperMare on May 23.

West Coast Railways Type 4 usage involved Nos. 47746 and 47580 County of Essex handling the 1Z10/05.40

Slough-Ulverston on May 2, while No. 47772 accompanied No. 57316 on a Sheffield-Portsmouth Harbour tour on May 5. The same pair took charge of a Nottingham-Carlisle charter on May 19, routed via Stoke and the Cumbrian coast on the northbound journey before returning over the Settle & Carlisle line. Then, on May 23, Nos. 47772 and 57316 ‘top and tailed’ a York to Perth excursion.

Bank Holiday Monday, May 7, found Nos. 47804 and 47826 ‘top and tailing’ the 1Z12/05.20 Stevenage-Llandudno, while Nos. 47772 and 47760 were turned out for the 1Z50/06.14 Skegness-Winchester special on May 12. No. 47237 ran light from Bo’ness to Fort William on May 27 and hauled the afternoon ‘Jacobite’ (14.40 Fort William-Mallaig) commencing the next day owing to the fire risk associated with the running of steam locomotives during unusually high temperatures for the West Highlands.

ROG’s No. 47812 handled the 5L46/04.40 Chaddesden-Ely Papworth on May 4, moving six HST trailers, and four days later it took two Mk.3 buffets and four barriers from Ely to Derby Etches Park. The same Type 4 was also involved in the transfer of the first

 A trial flow of coal traffic has returned to the Settle & Carlisle Line, the 6V56 Killoch to Port Talbot being captured at Birkett Common (between Kirkby Stephen and Ais Gill) behind No. 66516 on May 22. Brian Sharpe

❯

 A new intermodal service has begun linking Seaforth (Merseyside) with Mossend, although some of the early workings have been running without loads – as illustrated by the northbound 4S35/14.07 on May 15, which is totally empty behind No. 66175 on the approach to Edge Lane Junction, Bootle branch. Doug Birmingham

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 85

POWERSCENE ❮ TransPennine Express Mk.5 coaches

to arrive in the UK when, on May 25, it was to be found at the rear of the 5Q43/09.00 Portbury-Longsight hauled by the Europhoenix combination of Nos. 37611+37884.

The previous evening, classmate No. 47813 crossed the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed with barrier coaches either side of Mk.3 No. 42036, the first CrossCountry coach to be fitted with sliding doors.

CLASS 57

SUMMER time is heralded by the running of the GWR Class 57-hauled short-formed Saturday service. Thus, on May 26, No. 57602 Restormel Castle set off with the 2E75/10.26 St Erth-Exeter St Davids formed of Mk.3 coaches Nos. 10225, 12142 and 17174 and returned west on 2C51/17.51 Exeter-Penzance, reached at 21.12.

West Coast’s No. 57601 has proved a reliable performer on the ‘Northern Belle’, it working from Glasgow to Aberdeen and back with No. 57313 on May 5 and to Fort William the next day.

On May 10, the duo set off with the 1Z20/06.48 Euston-Llandudno, though No. 57601 was left at Crewe and collected on the return journey to avoid complications at Llandudno. Among other trips, the pair ran from Liverpool to Bristol on May 18 and Bromsgrove to Taunton on May 27.

Stone trains from Whatley Quarry to Hamworthy, near Poole, have now ceased, thus ending all regular freight traffic in Dorset.

The stone had been used in the Channel Islands for harbour wall repairs. The final working on May 4 was handled by No. 59203, the return empties captured passing Holes Bay, Poole. Neil Walkling

CLASS 66

PATHFINDER Tours’ charter on May 26 (the 1Z66/05.00 Eastleigh-Liverpool Lime Street) was ‘top and tailed’ by Nos. 66198 and 66133 and ran from Hampshire to Merseyside via Salisbury, Bristol, Hereford, Wrexham and Earlestown, returning the same way.

Back on May 8, when AC electric No. 90008 failed in London while waiting to form the 14.30 Liverpool Street-Norwich, assistance in removing the empty stock came in the shape of Freightliner’s No. 66956. The GM had been in the vicinity on a RILA track survey and hauled the Class 90 and its stock to Colchester, still with the test equipment attached.

A North East Railtours outing from Newcastle to Inverness, out via the Fife coast to Perth and back through Stirling, was ‘top and tailed’ by Nos. 47727 and 66728 on May 7. Two days earlier, there had been much GBRf involvement in the running of the ‘Diamond Twenties’ tour, with No. 66788 setting off with the special as the 1Z18/05.32 Tame Bridge Parkway-London Victoria via Oxford, the Class 66 also handling the return leg from London to Dorridge.

Biffa-liveried No. 66783 passed through Chichester atop the 6G14/12.00 Three Bridges-Eastleigh on May 7 and the following day visited the East Midlands in charge of the 6M26/08.50 Eastleigh YardMountsorrel prior to attending the Swanage Railway’s diesel gala over the following weekend.

Large logo blue No. 66789 ‘top and tailed’ with No. 66744 (originally Nos. 66250 and 66408 respectively)

86 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

❯

POWERSCENE

GBRf has taken over from DB Cargo on the Castle Cement flow from Clitheroe to Avonmouth. The first loaded run to Avonmouth under the new regime was on May 16, and the return empties are captured the next day behind No. 66714 Cromer Lifeboat at Spetchley, Worcestershire. Tom Stobbs

Biomass workings have begun from Tyne Dock to Lynemouth, delayed from the original planned start in 2017 due to delays converting the power station. Services began in late April with the new NACCO wagon fleet, with trains using the northern part of the Blyth and Tyne system which has not seen regular use since the Alcan plant at Lynemouth closed in 2012. On May 20, No. 66765 is seen crossing the River Wansbeck at North Seaton with a Tyne Dock to Lynemouth working. Stephen Veitch

The new Schweerbau high speed rail milling machine (HSM) No. DR79601 was taken from Derby RTC to the High Marnham test track for trials on May 16, the return run to Old Dalby on May 21 pictured at East Midlands Parkway ‘top and tailed’ by GBRf's Nos. 66744 Crossrail and 66789 British Rail 1948-1997. Ben Wheeler

SPECTRUM MUCH of the relivery news for May was provided by Virgin Trains, most notably in the form of No. 390045, which now carries the ‘Flowing Silk’ livery but with the addition of rainbow vinyls on Driving Motor Standard No. 69245.

These are promoting summer LGBT festivals with No. 91103 also receiving similar but more understated adornments on the East Coast.

Also with new vinyl adornments is No. 43318, these marking 40 years of HST service on the ECML, while ‘Pendolinos’ Nos. 390013/39/40 now carry additional brandings to promote Virgin’s ‘BEAM’ on board entertainment service, complete with movie character pictures.

At Loram, Derby, No. 37409 has

LOCOS

Repaints BR Large Logo blue: 37409 DB Cargo: 66027 GB Railfreight: 66784 Great Western Railway green: 43004/042 ScotRail Intercity: 43012, 43163 Virgin East Coast with ‘1978-2018 Celebrating Forty Years Inter-City 125 - The Journey Shrinker’ vinyls: 43318 Virgin East Coast with ‘Celebrating Pride’ rainbow vinyls: 91103

DMUs

Repaints Grand Central: 180104 Great Western Railway green: 165126 Greater Anglia: 170271 Northern (Arriva): 156452/68/80 ScotRail: 158727

EMUs

Additions Crossrail: 345038-42 Great Western Railway green: 800306-08, 802003-06 Plain grey: 800103, 800201/02 ScotRail: 385003 TSGN: 700146/50/53/54

by Simon Bendall emerged in BR large logo blue following an exam while, following modifications at Wabtec, Nos. 43004 and 43042 now carry Great Western green. Also now in the livery are IEPs No. 800036 and the much-delayed No. 800007, leaving just No. 800002 of the initial five-car sets to be sighted with green vinyls applied.

The Class 365s transferring to ScotRail are emerging from Glasgow Works with slight amendments to their now obsolete TSGN livery, these encompassing dark blue doors and ScotRail logos. Finally, all of the Northern Class 319s previously finished in off-white now carry the operator’s full blue and white livery following the emergence of Nos. 319368 and 319377 from Wolverton.

Repaints Eurostar Revised: 373205/06 Great Western Railway green: 800007/36 Greater Anglia: 317511 Greater Anglia ‘Renatus’: 321310 Northern (Arriva): 319368/77 South Western Railway unbranded white: 442403 TSGN ScotRail: 365513/23 Virgin Trains ‘Flowing Silk’: 390046 Virgin Trains ‘Flowing Silk’ with BEAM on board entertainment vinyls: 390013/39/40 Virgin Trains ‘Flowing Silk’ with ‘Ride with pride’ rainbow vinyls: 390045

COACHES

Additions TransPennine Express: 11502, 12704-06, 12802 Repaints East Midlands Trains: 40205/21, 41204-09, 42401/02/04/05/07/08, 42584-86 Great Western Railway green: 40103, 41149 Pullman umber/cream: 3229, 3344

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 87

POWERSCENE

❮ on the 6X01/10.30 Derby RTC-High

Colas Rail’s 70816 rolls along the sea wall just after high tide at Teignmouth on May 17, with the 6B36/08.16 Moorswater Lafarge-Aberthaw Cement Works empty tanks. Peter Slater

88 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

Marnham on May 16, this conveying new Schweerbau milling machine No. DR79601 for trials. Reported as the first MoD train to Warminster for many years, No. 66732 had charge of the 6V07/07.38 from MoD Bicester on May 18, and next day the same locomotive ran to Staines Loop to act as the Royal Wedding ‘Thunderbird’.

A new intermodal service from Merseyside commenced on May 8 when No. 66175 powered the 4S35/14.07 Seaforth-Mossend Yard through Wigan North Western, while No. 66088 was the motive power for this train on May 29, passing Earlestown at 15.15.

Overnight on May 16, Nos. 66142 and 66221 took an autoballaster set along the branch from Truro to Falmouth Docks before returning to Westbury.

Freightliner’s 4S88/12.50 Carlisle Yard-Coatbridge passed Carstairs at 16.05 on May 16 with a trio of locomotives at the business end.

Overnight problems rendered Nos. 86604+86638 unable to work the train forward, and thus DRS’ No. 66304 hauled the two electrics and their train through to its destination.

No. 66714 Cromer Lifeboat was motive power for the 6M92/18.00 Avonmouth-Bescot on May 17 at the start of the Castle Cement contract going over to GBRf, while No. 66750 took the 6M35/12.05 GloucesterClitheroe cement tanks past Acton Bridge on May 23.

Revenue freight traffic made a welcome return to the Far North line in the early hours of May 23 with the commencement of a new contract to

POWERSCENE  The new timetable has brought the end of loco-hauled workings between Barrow and Lancaster/Preston – the new diagrams only running between Barrow and Carlisle.

On the final day of the old timetable, May 19, Nos. 68017 and 68003 ‘top and tail’ the 08.42 Carlisle to Barrow at Parton, north of Whitehaven. Steve Sienkiewicz  The Carlisle to Torness (near Dunbar) flask train has previously run via Beattock and the West Coast Main Line, but on May 10 it travelled via the Tyne Valley and the East Coast Main Line instead, thus Nos. 88006+88005 became the first of the class to work north of Newcastle on a flask working. The train is seen approaching Butterwell Junction, north of Morpeth, with the return 13.57 Torness to Sellafield. Martin Cook

SHED TALK Correct to May 28, 2018

move off-shore pipes from Hartlepool to Georgemas Junction. No. 66107 had worked north to Inverness the previous day before continuing as the 6S88 02.08 Inverness-Georgemas Junction, a duty that No. 66101 repeated a week later.

CLASS 67

AFTER Bulleid ‘Pacific’ No. 35028 Clan Line had powered the outward leg of the ‘Quantock Intruder’ on May 26, No. 67016 ran light from Wembley to Bishops Lydeard for the return job, the 1Z27/17.50 Minehead-Paddington from Bishops Lydeard. The steam locomotive remained at the West Somerset Railway.

The Royal pair of Nos. 67005 and 67006 took a SRPS charter from Dundee to Grange-over-Sands on

May 12, returning with the 1Z58/16.11 Ravenglass-Dundee. On May 17, No. 67005 Queen’s Messenger took over duties on the Inverness sleeper, powering the 1S25/04.14 from Edinburgh Waverley and the 1M16/20.45 Inverness-Euston to Edinburgh through to the end of the month. It replaced No. 67030, which in turn had displaced No. 67002 back on May 2.

Pullman-liveried No. 67024 handled the 1Z60/07.34 London Victoria-York ‘British Pullman’ on May 23, prior to being reunited with No. 67021 to take out the 1Y40/11.07 Victoria-Gillingham (Kent) two days later.

No. 67014 had No. 91130 ‘dead’ on the rear of the Mk.4 set forming the 5S09/15.54 Berwick-upon-TweedBounds Green on May 20, just five days

❯

Allocation changes 37606 XHSS-XHNC 37607 HNRL-COTS 37612 HNRL-COTS 37670 De-registered EPUK/LR 43003 LA/EFPC-HA/HAPC 43031 LA/EFPC-HA/HAPC 43142 LE/EFPC-HA/HAPC 43152 LE/EFPC-HA/HAPC 43153 OO-LA 43154 OO-LA 43155 OO-LA 43156 OO-LA 43158 OO-LA 43159 OO-LA 43160 OO-LA 43161 OO-LA 43162 OO-LA 43164 OO-LA 43165 OO-LA 43170 OO-LA 43171 OO-LA 43172 OO-LA 43174 OO-LA 43175 OO-LA 43176 OO-LA 43177 OO-LA 43180 OO-LA 43181 OO-LA 43182 OO-LA 43185 OO-LA 43186 OO-LA 43187 OO-LA 43188 OO-LA 43189 OO-LA 43190 OO-LA 43191 OO-LA

43192 OO-LA 43193 OO-LA 43194 OO-LA 43195 OO-LA 43196 OO-LA 43197 OO-LA 43198 OO-LA 60062 WQAA-WCAT 68020 XHVE-XHTP 68023 XHVE-XHTP 68025 XHVE-XHTP 68026 XHVE-XHTP 68028 XHVE-XHTP 68030 XHVE-XHTP 70004 DFGI-DHLT 70005 DFGI-DHLT 70010 DFGI-DHLT 70017 DFGI-DHLT 86247 De-registered DHLT/HQ 90020 WQAA-WEAC-WEDC Renumbered 66132 to 66785 Modifications Dellner couplings fitted: 73970, 92014 Reinstated 37521, 37606, 37884, 43423/67/68/80, 60062, 68024, 73109/19/36/41, 73213, 90020 Stored/stopped locations Crewe Basford Hall: 86251 Dean Forest Railway: 31235 Eastleigh Works: 47815 Leeds Midland Road: 70004/05/10/17 Mid-Norfolk Railway: 31255

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 89

POWERSCENE

The 4M25/10.55 Mossend Euroterminal to Daventry DRS ‘Tesco’ intermodal had an unusual pairing upfront on May 28 in the form of Nos. 88010 Aurora and 66423 – pictured heading south at March, between Elvanfoot and Beattock. Jonathan Allen

❮ after No. 67013 was reported hauling

empty stock and No. 91105 as the 5E14/16.00 Darlington-Bounds Green.

CLASS 68

WITH the start of the TransPennine loco-hauled services between Liverpool and Scarborough delayed for several weeks, crew-training between Wavertree Junction and Crewe has continued utilising four Mk.3 coaches between two Class 68s. On May 23, Nos. 68022 and 68026 were noted while six days later, it was Nos. 68027 and 68020.

There is still flexibility between freight and training duties, as Nos. 68002+68027 had charge of the 6M95/16.35 Dungeness-Crewe flasks on May 18, while Nos. 68001+68027 passed Rhyl on May 23 with the 6K41/14.58 Valley-Crewe duty.

Five days earlier, No. 68001 was accompanied on the Valley flasks by Chiltern Railways-liveried No. 68015, the latter making a debut on the duty and thus becoming the 24th different Class 68 on the North Wales coast.

Another silver-grey example, No. 68011, hauled overhauled Greater Anglia DVT No. 82103 from Cardiff Canton to Crewe Gresty Bridge on May 2 and next day passed Stafford in charge of the 6X94/12.22 Basford Hall-Bescot.

CLASS 70

COLAS Rail’s No. 70809 regularly handled cement traffic from Oxwellmains during May, working to both Aberdeen and Inverness interspersed with hauling the 6N47/06.40 Grangemouth-Prestwick fuel tanks on May 15 and the 6S36/08.32 Dalston-Grangemouth

90 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

tanks the following day.

This was the only member of the Colas Class 70 fleet to work in Scotland during May, the remainder (apart from No. 70801, which is still out of use at Cardiff Canton) covering a multitude of tasks in England and Wales. Overnight on May 4/5 for instance, Nos. 70810 and 70816 were on engineering work near Heathrow Airport Junction, and on May 5 both Nos. 70804 and 70815 appeared at Dartford bound for Hoo Junction.

No. 70810 passed High Wycombe on May 6 with the late running 6C25/10.00 West Drayton-Bescot and No. 70814 reached Poole early on May 12 with the 6C04/05.18 Eastleigh Yard-Moreton.

One particular working of note occurred on May 18 when No. 70815 worked the 7Z70/04.05 Rugby-Long Marston with tamper No. DR73108 and rail grinders Nos. DR79200/1.

CLASS 73

ON May 5, the Network Rail pair of Nos. 73951+73952 could be found leading the 1Q80/13.41 Dollands Moor-Derby RTC via the Midland Main Line with GBRf’s Nos. 73961+73965 bringing up the rear.

In Scotland, on both May 15 and 16, No. 73966 undertook Mk.5 sleeping car trials from Polmadie to Arrochar & Tarbet and back while No. 73971 was noted leaving Garelochhead at midday on May 17 with another such trip.

CLASS 86

PROVING to be a reliable workhorse, privately-owned No. 86259 Les Ross/ Peter Pan took the ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ from Euston to Carnforth on May 12, where it was relieved by

‘Merchant Navy’ No. 35018. Later, the AC electric ran light to Preston ready to take over the return journey back to London from Farington Junction.

There was a notable trip along the East Coast Main Line for No. 86259 on May 19, it powering the 1Z71/08.18 King’s Cross-York ‘Cathedrals Express’.

The following day, No. 37669 towed the Class 86 to Carnforth via Castleford and Accrington, towns that see very little of the type!

On May 22, the ‘Cathedrals Express’ returned from Edinburgh to Preston, hauled over the Settle & Carlisle line

by No. 60103 Flying Scotsman and No. 86259, having run light from Carnforth, took the charter back to London (see also Railtours, page 74).

CLASS 88

FROM April 30, a Class 88 was regularly diagrammed to work the recently introduced 6S31/13.25 Doncaster Decoy-Millerhill infrastructure service and the 6E32/21.02 return from Millerhill, No. 88002 Prometheus being the first to appear. During the week commencing May 7, Nos. 66421 and 66422 took it in turns to cover the diagram, but from May 14 until the end of the month No. 88001 Revolution was the daily incumbent.

Nos. 88008 Ariadne and 88010 Aurora worked the 6S43/06.23 Carlisle Kingmoor-Torness via Beattock on May 3 but a week later, running as the 6S41/06.23 Kingmoor-Torness behind Nos. 88005 Minerva and 88006 Juno, the nuclear flasks were routed along the Tyne Valley. This would seem to be the new route as Nos. 88006+88008 passed Hexham at 17.20 on May 17 atop the 6M38/13.57 TornessSellafield, albeit terminating that day

at Carlisle, and Nos. 88002+88008 had charge on May 25.

CLASS 92

CALEDONIAN sleeper diversions via the East Coast took place over both Bank Holiday weekends in May, with No. 92018 being recorded at Peterborough early on May 7 with the 1M16/20.26 Inverness-Euston, while No. 92038 was at the front of the same service (albeit 20.45 from Inverness) on May 26 when passing Grantham shortly before 06.30. No. 92038 was in charge of a 15-coach train of new Mk.5 sleeper stock forming the 5Z92/11.24 Polmadie-Mossend on May 17, it passing Langloan Junction at midday and returning that evening at 18.20. E

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS BESIDES those credited elsewhere, this issue has been made possible by the contributions of the following readers, to whom the editor is most grateful: David Anderson, Stewart Armstrong, Stuart Broughton, Ashley Brunt, Paul Clark, Alexander Cromarty, Steve Donald, Ian Holmes, Joshua Houselander, Brad Joyce, Gordon Kirkby, Stuart Kirkby, Peter Laithwaite, Mike Lalley, Graham Nuttall, Samuel Perry, Chris Playfair, Colin Pottle, Railtec Transfers, Karen Richardson, Stephen Richmond, Kyle Rushton, Colin Scott-Morton, Steve Sienkiewicz, Peter Slater, Robert Smout, William Spencer, Jamie Squibbs, Tim Squires, Andy Stoppard, Luke Stoppard, Jack Taylor, Andrew Triggs, Stephen Veitch, Cameron Walker, The Wanderer, Carl Watson, Mat Yardley, and many more.

UNITS

David Russell

JOB DONE: European Railway Traffic Management System testbed No. 313121 is now in store at Eastleigh Works, the unit running as the

5Z31/11.06 from Ferme Park (North London) on May 28. The ‘313’ had been used to test various ERTMS technologies on the Hertford Loop line between Hertford and Stevenage. It is pictured running to Eastleigh along the South Coast line on the approach to Farlington Junction, between Havant and Cosham, in Hampshire – pantograph-fitted units being very rare in this part of the country. George Browning

DMU CLASS 150 ‘SPRINTER’ HYBRID set No. 150209, which is made up of cars Nos. 57209 and 57212 (their original partners having been written off in accidents in the late 1980s) has joined the Northern fleet and ran from St Philip’s Marsh (Bristol) to Newton Heath (Manchester) on May 20. Heading the opposite way in exchange was No. 150207, which formed the 5Z50/14.05 Newton Heath-St Philip’s Marsh on May 22.

CLASS 153 ‘SUPER SPRINTER’ THREE of Great Western Railway’s Class 153s have been handed back to Angel Trains and transferred to Northern.

Nos. 153305/373 ran their last service with GWR on May 11 (the 2M67/18.52 Paignton-Bristol TM), with No. 153380 being added at Exeter. Three days later they ran to Neville Hill (Leeds), with No. 153380 continuing to Heaton.

CLASS 156 ‘SUPER SPRINTER’ AWAY at Wolverton since January 29, No. 156452 returned to Allerton on May 7 following refurbishment and application of Northern colours.

ScotRail’s No. 156439 was released from refurbishment on May 12, forming the 5D56/09.34

Glasgow Works-Corkerhill. No. 156437 arrived at Glasgow Works later that day.

CLASS 165 ‘TURBO’ ON May 2, No. 165129 ran from Reading to St Philip’s Marsh for C4 overhaul.

Seven days later, No. 165132 (which is the only ‘165’ to have received ride height modifications to date) was sent to Wolverton for its C6, with No. 165126 moving the opposite way as the 5V65/05.11 Wolverton-Reading.

CLASS 166 ‘TURBO’ MAY 4 saw No. 166204 undertake a gauging run (5Z44/20.53 St Philip’s Marsh-Fareham and 5Z45/00.38 Fareham-St Philip’s Marsh the next morning), covering various lines/ platforms around the Southampton and Eastleigh areas.

CLASS 170 ‘TURBOSTAR’ GREATER Anglia’s No. 170272 formed the 5K70/09/00 Norwich Crown PointCrewe CS on May 14, with No. 170271 returning to Norwich from Crewe after refurbishment later that day.

CLASS 180 ‘ADELANTE’ NEWLY-refurbished for Grand Central, No. 180104 emerged on May 3 and formed the 5Q80/10.14 Arriva Eastleigh-Bounds Green. It had been out of action since December 2017. Moving in the opposite direction later that day

as the 5Q81/14.13 Bounds GreenArriva Eastleigh was No. 180103.

Services on the East Coast Main Line were disrupted on May 10, when No. 180110 suffered a fire while working the 1A93/10.30 Hull-King’s Cross. A broken fuel line is believed to have been the cause. The unit was subsequently moved to Welwyn sidings.

EMU CLASS 319 THE last of Northern’s white Class 319s, No. 319368, ran from Allerton to Wolverton for attention on April 23.

Following application of Northern’s new colours, it returned to its home depot (as the 5N36/10.10 Wolverton-Allerton) on May 19. Other units returned to Allerton after repainting in the preceding weeks had been Nos. 319367 (April 28) and 319377 (May 12).

Still carrying TSGN livery, No. 319446, which had been brought out of Long Marston in April, was moved from Wolverton to Allerton by No. 37884 on May 17. Earlier the same day, the ‘37’ had been used to move No. 319372 from Long Marston to Wolverton. Two other sets, Nos. 319002/008, emerged from Long Marston on May 4 and were moved to Wolverton by No. 57301 for re-activation. It is expected that they

will add to the London Northwestern fleet, joining No. 319220 which emerged from Wolverton, still in TSGN colours, in mid-April.

CLASS 321 THE 16th unit to emerge after ‘Renatus’ treatment, No. 321310, was released from Wabtec on May 3, when it formed the 5L50/09.46 Doncaster West YardIlford. No. 321320 was sent away to Doncaster for attention the same day.

CLASS 323 FOLLOWING the opening of a new station in 2016 and electrification of the Lickey incline, Nos. 323206/222 became the first EMUs to reach Bromsgrove, when, on May 20, they formed the 5T78/19.09 SohoBromsgrove, after which they made several trips to Birmingham New Street.

The introduction of passenger services is not expected to take place until July 29.

CLASS 345 ‘AVENTRA’ NEW units which have emerged from Bombardier, Derby in recent weeks and taken to Old Dalby for testing have been Nos. 345037 (hauled by No. 37601 Perseus) on April 25, followed by No. 345039 on May 2 and No. 345040 on May 3, both moved by the same loco. No. 37800 took No. 345038 to Old Dalby on May 8, and No. 345041 on

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 91

UNITS SHED TALK Correct to May 26, 2018 Allocations 150209 PM/EFHQ-NH/EDHQ 153305/73/80 EX/EFHQ-NL/EDHQ 345037/39/40/41 newly delivered ZI/EXHQ 365513/17/23/25 HE/ETHQ-GW/ HAHQ 385003/04 newly delivered HQ/ HAHQ 700146/50/53/54 newly delivered TB/ETHQ 800007/36 newly delivered NP/EFHQ 800306 newly delivered HQ/EFHQ 802003/04 newly delivered HQ/EFHQ Formations 150126: 52126-57126 Now in passenger traffic 700151/53/55 800032 Stored/stopped locations Ely: 365507/15 Wolverton Works: 319002/08

May 22. Later that day, it hauled No. 345037 from Old Dalby to Crewe.

Deliveries to the new depot at Old Oak Common have included Nos. 345015 (by No. 37608 from Ilford on April 26), 345033 (by the aforementioned No. 37601 from Old Dalby on April 27) and No. 345034/028, which both arrived from Crewe behind No. 37601 on May 14 and 21 respectively.

CLASS 350 ‘DESIRO’ CORROSION work is continuing at Long Marston, and recent visitors to the site have been Nos. 350260 (April 28May 5), 350234 (May 5-12), 350265 (May 12-19), and 350261, which arrived from Northampton behind No. 37884 on May 19.

CLASS 365 ‘NETWORKER’ PRIOR to its move north to Scotland by road (which took place on May 4/5), No. 365517 formed the 5X16/18.43 Hornsey-Ilford on April 24, running via Stratford and Gidea Park sidings. It became the third set to be sent north, following Nos. 365513/523. The fourth unit, No. 365525, was moved by rail, No. 57301 leaving Ilford with the set for Wembley and then Carlisle on May 10, continuing the next day as the late running 5Q08/05.35 CarlisleGlasgow Works.

Crew training in Scotland began on May 10, when No. 365523 undertook four trips to Linlinthgow.

Two more units have been removed from service by GTR and handed back to Eversholt. Nos. 365507/515 were collected by No. 37800 and moved as the 5Q43/11.30 Hornsey-Ely Papworth on May 17. Their arrival means there are now 10 ‘Networkers’ at the Potter Group site, Nos. 365501/503/505/507 /509/515/519/527/529/533/535.

92 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

CROSSCOUNTRY DIVERTS: Class 220 ‘Voyager’ No.220005 is pictured passing Chippenham. Wiltshire, on May 13 with the

1V52/09.33 York-Plymouth, which was diverted via Kemble, Swindon and Bath Spa due to engineering works north of Bristol Temple Meads on Filton Bank. Tim Squires

CLASS 375 ‘ELECTROSTAR’ THE last unit in Bombardier’s Class 375 refurbishment/relivery programme, No. 375920, returned south as the 5Q58/04.42 Chaddesden-Ramsgate on April 28. It was the last set to lose the former Connex colours.

Although the main overhaul programme is now complete, the Class 375/3 fleet is returning to Derby for further work, and following the return of No. 375920, No. 375307 was brought north to Derby Litchurch Lane later on April 28. It returned behind the same ‘37’ on May 5, which then collected Nos. 375301/310. This pair went back south to Ramsgate behind No. 37601 on May 12, which then moved Nos. 375304/305 as the 5Q57/17.13 Ramsgate-Derby Litchurch Lane later that day. The same loco returned these to Ramsgate on May 19, prior to collecting Nos. 375306/308 for their transfer to Derby.

CLASS 385 ‘HITACHI AT 200’ AT the end of April, Nos. 385001/102 were both moved from Craigentinny to Tees Dock by No. 67029 in order to be shipped to Kasado in Italy for fitting out. Nos. 385002/101 are also being moved from Germany to Italy for the same purpose.

Deliveries recommenced on May 16, when Nos. 385003/004 were released from Newton Aycliffe, departing behind No. 67029 as the 5X09/21.02 Merchant Park Sidings-Craigentinny. No. 385004 was fitted with new windscreens (of differing types at each end) for testing.

On May 22, the unit was undertaking trials between Glasgow Central and Paisley Gilmour Street.

CLASS 442 (5-WES) FOLLOWING completion of a C6 overhaul and repainting into South Western

Railway base white, No. 442403 formed the 5Z04/22.29 BournemouthEastleigh Works on May 14, with No. 442406 for company. The latter set returned to Bournemouth two days later with No. 442408.

CLASS 455 HAVING undergone PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility) modifications, No. 455820 returned from Wolverton to Stewarts Lane behind No. 37800 on May 3. Early the next day, the ‘37’ took No. 455802 away for attention, running as the 5Q56/00.54 Stewarts Lane-Wolverton. This unit subsequently returned to Stewarts Lane behind No. 37884 on May 21. On May 9, No. 455828, which has had a C6 overhaul as well as PRM work, arrived back at Stewarts Lane behind No. 57301, which took No. 455813 away for the same work on May 10.

CLASS 465 ‘NETWORKER’ NEWLY-overhauled No. 465247 emerged from Wabtec on May 11 and departed for Tonbridge West Yard behind No. 66751, continuing to Slade Green the next morning. The loco then collected No. 465244, departing as the 5X89/11.30 Slade Green-Wabtec, Doncaster.

CLASS 700 ‘DESIRO’ MORE units have arrived in the UK in recent weeks as the Class 700 delivery programme draws to an end.

No. 700155 was delivered to GTR by No. 66775 on April 26, moving as the 6X70/03.49 Dollands Moor-Ferme Park (North London). The same train ran again on May 9, when No. 66778 hauled No. 700153 to Ferme Park. It was followed by Nos. 700150 (May 16, moved by No. 66772) and 700154 the next day, with No. 66778 providing

traction again. The last 12-car set, No. 700146, arrived at Ferme Park on May 23 behind No. 66778.

CLASS 800 ‘HITACHI IET’ ON April 23, No. 800007 made its delivery run, the 5X40/22.04 Merchant Park Sidings-Doncaster Carr, and it was followed by nine-car set No. 800306 on May 4 and No. 800307 on May 18.

Following application of GWR colours, No. 800001 formed the 5X80/08.56 Doncaster Carr-North Pole (London) on May 3, with No. 800304 similarly moving to North Pole on May 7.

Two days later, this unit made a run to Gloucester via Kemble. Further moves from Doncaster Carr to North Pole took place on May 10 (No. 800101), May 11 (No. 800036) and May 18 (No. 800007).

Training and test runs are continuing on the East Coast Main Line and on May 4, Nos. 800101 and 800103 ran separately from Doncaster Carr to King’s Cross and back. May 8 saw Nos. 800201 and 800202 leave Doncaster individually for Darlington, both returning in the early hours the next morning. Later in the month (May 15), the pair were noted at London forming the 5X65/05.33 King’s CrossDoncaster Carr as a 10-car rake.

May 21 saw No. 800029 form the 5X80/06.06 Stoke Gifford-Penzance, after which it made a return trip to Exeter and back prior to returning north to Stoke Gifford. Further trips to Penzance took place the next day with the same unit, while No. 800020 ran to the Cornish terminus on May 23.

CLASS 802 ‘HITACHI AT300’ THE first of GWR’s new Class 802s to arrive from Italy via the Channel Tunnel, Nos. 802003/004, were collected from Dollands Moor by No. 66778 on May 8 and moved to North Pole.

SHUNTERS

Simon Bendall

Second ‘Gronk’ for Inverness

FOR the first time since November 2015, Inverness is once again home to two Class 08 shunters following the April arrival of No. 08648 in the Highland capital.

Now on hire to ScotRail, the RMS Locotec shunter has been drafted

in to assist with marshalling and maintenance of the company’s HST sets, which are currently in the process of transferring from Great Western Railway.

Resident since August 2013, stablemate No. 08523 also remains

based at Inverness for use with the Caledonian Sleeper operation.

Previously in Grand Central colours, No. 08648 was given a partial repaint before departing Wolsingham, it now carrying all over black with RMS Locotec brandings. E

Complete with buckeye couplings, No. 08648 is seen in the process of unloading at Inverness TMD on April 12, following transfer north from RMS’ maintenance base at Wolsingham (Weardale Railway).

Graeme Elgar

NEWS ROUND-UP KNORR-BREMSE

IN a very quiet period for shunter movements, the hire of preserved No. 08202 to Knorr-Bremse came to an end in mid May with the loco required back at the Avon Valley Railway. Drafted in at the end of January, the BR blue machine was initially due to spend two months at Wolverton Works, covering for one of the resident Class 08s that was out of service with major engine problems.

The hire period was later extended but ultimately No. 08202 departed back to Bitton on May 16. It is understood that another shunter may be brought in as the works still only has one operational pilot.

HNRC

SOMEWHAT earlier than expected, HNRC’s recently acquired No. 08879 was collected from Eastleigh Works on May 3 and taken north to Moveright’s Wishaw yard in Warwickshire, where it arrived the next day. The loco is due to undergo a wheelset change, which will be carried out on site by Railway Support Services.

LOCATION UPDATE Avon Valley Railway: 08202 Moveright, Wishaw: 08879

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 93

COACHES

David Russell

IN BRIEF STATESMAN GAINS REFURBISHED STOCK

NOW part of the Statesman Rail set following refurbishment by Nemesis Rail, Mk.2e FO No. 3229 returned to the main line on May 1 when, following collection by No. 47805 Roger Hosking MA 1925-2013, it was moved as the 5Z88/10.25 Burton-Crewe HS. The coach last saw main line use in 2007, when it was handed back to HSBC Rail following a period of lease to Riviera Trains. Subsequently, it was sold and moved to the Battlefield Line before being acquired by Locomotive Services in 2016. It has been named Snowdon.

Also now part of the Statesman rake is former Riviera Mk.2f FO No. 3344, which has emerged as Scafell.

MK.5 SLEEPERS ON TRIAL

LONGER distance trial runs at 110mph with the Caledonian Sleepers Mk.5 fleet have begun, including No. 90048 with Nos. 15001/002, 15301/302/311 on the 5M01/21.38 PolmadieKingmoor loop on April 24. Also in the formation, at each end, as barriers were Mk.3a sleepers Nos. 10506/548, which have been fitted with Dellner couplings at one end and passed for 110mph operation.

The first TransPennine Express ‘Nova 3’ Mk.5 coaches, Nos. 11502, 12704-06 and 12802, arrived at Portbury from CAF in Spain in late May, being hauled north to Manchester on May 25 by Nos. 37611+37884 with No. 47812 on the rear.

GREATER ANGLIA DVT OVERHAULS CONTINUE

ON May 2, No. 82103 was released from its C3 overhaul and was moved from Cardiff Canton to Gresty Bridge by No. 68011. Two days later, sandwiched between Nos. 57305 and 37425 on the 5Z82/14.30 Gresty Bridge-Norwich Crown Point, it completed its journey back to East Anglia.

SHED TALK Correct to May 26, 2018 Allocations 6354/55/58/59 off registration 41010 LA/EFHQ-IS/HAHQ 41135 LA/EFHQ-IS/HAHQ 42012/13/14 LA/EFHQ-IS/HAHQ 42265/79/80/81 LA/EFHQ-IS/HAHQ 42360 LA/EFHQ-IS/HAHQ 42502/53 LA/EFHQ-IS/HAHQ Stored/stopped locations Ely: 41010, 42012/13/14, 42360, 42553, Disposals C F Booth, Rotherham: Arrival dates: April 9: 6355; April 14: 6358; April 21: 6359; April 27: 44065. Cut date: May 3: 44065

94 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

Former Grand Central power cars Nos. 43468/467 pass Irchester (Northamptonshire) on May 21 with their first passenger service for East Midlands Trains, the 1C92/07.31 Derby to St Pancras. Dave Smith

EMT makes changes to former Grand Central HST rakes Seating swapped between vehicles and new catering cars added.

FOLLOWING preparatory work at Derby Etches Park, two of the three former Grand Central HST sets, now known as DY21 and DY22, returned to service with East Midlands Trains on May 21.

The six-car sets had been handed back

by Grand Central at the end of 2017 following their replacement by Class 180 ‘Adelante’ units.

The three sets are having their 404xx series TRSB catering cars replaced by former Great Western Railway TRB (402xx) coaches, which are able to provide a more substantial food service and are fitted with first class seating. Two such vehicles, Nos. 40205/221, were collected from Ely, where they had been stored since October 2017, by No. 47812 on May 8, departing as the 5M56/17.30 Ely Papworth-Derby Etches Park.

They have since been outshopped in EMT colours, along with the other former Grand Central coaches

that have returned to use.

Another change made to the vehicles has been an exchange of seating between three first class and three standard coaches. This is to bring the sets in line with EMT’s other HSTs, which have the wheelchair-accessible toilet located in a first class car. The three TS vehicles with a disabled toilet, Nos. 42403/406/409, have been reseated as TF cars and renumbered Nos. 41207-209 respectively. Similarly, Nos. 41201-203 have become Nos. 42584-586.

The two sets now in service both undertook test runs from Derby Etches Park to Kettering and back on May 20,

Nos. 43423/480 being used with DY22 and Nos. 43467/480 with DY21. They entered service the next day. DY23 was still being prepared for use at Neville Hill but is due to return to traffic in June.

TGS SCRAPPED

Another former Grand Central vehicle, TGS No. 44065, was disposed of for scrap on April 27, when it arrived at C F Booth, Rotherham from Long Marston.

It was cut up on May 3. Like Grand Central’s other two TGS vehicles (Nos. 44088 scrapped in 2015, and 44089 stored at York), it was never used by the open access operator. E

EMT’S FORMER GRAND CENTRAL HST SETS DY21: DY22: DY23:

41207 41208 41209

40205 40221 (TBA)

41204 41205 41206

42584 42585 42586

42401 42404 42407

42402 42405 42408

More Great Western HST stock moved to Ely TWO more rakes of off lease HST stock were moved to the Potter Group sidings at Ely for storage in May. The first, comprising Nos. 41010, 42012-014/360/553, 44004/035, arrived from St Philip’s Marsh (Bristol) on May 3, Nos. 43031/152 being used for the movement. It was followed by Nos. 41135, 42265/279-281/502,

which arrived from Chaddesden Yard behind No. 47812 on May 4. These six coaches had been brought north from Laira via St Philip’s Marsh and Leicester on May 1/2 by Nos. 43003+43142.

The next vehicles to be taken out of traffic by GWR will be largely from sets LA13 and LA75, comprising Nos. 41022/142, 42010/030-

032/075/291/293/333/558/577, 44010/038. All are expected to be moved to Ely Papworth for storage during June.

Newly-overhauled Nos. 40103 and 41149 arrived back at Laira in early May following overhaul by Loram.

Present at the Derby site in mid-May were Nos. 40113/904 and 41166.

WAGONS

Gareth Bayer

Arlington completes first coil conversions The first five JSA open coil carriers for VTG, rebuilt from telescoping hood steel wagons, have been dispatched after modifications at Eastleigh Works.

IT only seems like yesterday that VTG’s fleet of JSA steel coil carriers were outshopped from Marcroft Engineering (now DB Cargo), Stoke-on-Trent, after refurbishment and the replacement of their steel telescoping hoods with lighter and easier to open aluminium versions. This actually took place in 2003, and 40 of the surviving fleet are now being modified again for a new role by Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works.

On April 11, No. 47812 delivered 13 JSAs (Nos. VTG 4023/6/34/5/7/45/ 56/61/97/106/12/7/33) to Eastleigh

In terrible weather, newly completed JSA No. VTG 4037 is seen at Eastleigh before departure for Margam on May 29. Carl Watson

as a 6Z86/13.12 ex-Long Marston trip.

Another JSA, No. VTG 4094, has already been converted by W H Davis as a prototype.

Built by Redpath Dorman Long in 1977-8 for Ravenscraig iron ore traffic, they were converted into covered steel

coil carriers for British Steel by Marcroft in 1995. Their hoods were designed to protect the coil from the elements (to prevent oxidisation) and other damage.

For the next stage of their careers, they are still being used for coil but the hood and ends have been cut away and

removed, while the wooden floor has been replaced with steel.

The first five rebuilds to be completed by Arlington, Nos. VTG 4026/34/7/61/133, departed Eastleigh Works on May 29 as a 6Z25/11.06 to Margam behind No. 66124. E

DEVELOPMENTS ■ DB CARGO: Just like April, there were many movements of overhauled HTAs between DB’s workshops at Stoke-on-Trent and W H Davis’ site at Langwith Junction, Nottinghamshire, ready for their conversion to ‘shorty’ HRA aggregate hoppers. These are summarised as follows.

May 9: Outbound No. 311124 (for conversion at W H Davis, departed behind No. 66084).

May 11: Outbound Nos. 311055/933 (for conversion at W H Davis, departed behind No. 66025).

May 16: Inbound Nos. 310323/520/622 (arrived behind No. 66149); Outbound No. 310930 (for conversion at W H Davis).

May 18: Outbound No. 310961 (for conversion at W H Davis, departed behind No. 66061).

May 23: Inbound Nos. 310317/43/461/82/5 (arrived behind No. 66089); Outbound No. 311027 (for conversion at W H Davis).

May 25: Outbound Nos. 310920, 311096 (for conversion at W H Davis, departed behind No. 66142).

May 30: Inbound Nos. 310315/27/404/667/910 (arrived behind No. 66142); Outbound No. 310969 (for conversion at W H Davis).

As for the small number of HTAs earmarked for the cut and shut job at Stoke, the two red-liveried HRAs, Nos. 41 70 6723 002-5 and 41 70 6723 0033, have finally been taken back inside the workshops after over a month of inactivity. Nos. 310337 (41 70 6723 004-1), 310625 (41 70 6723 005-8) and 310694 (41 70 6723 007-4) have also been moved ready for work to be restarted.

■ After a two year hiatus, the Hartlepool to Georgemas Junction

pipe trains have recommenced, and reportedly the contract is a bumper one with approximately 50 trains planned.

The first northbound loaded working took place on May 22 as DB Cargo’s No. 66107 was charged with powering the 6S88/05.38 Hartlepool to Inverness via Mossend for a final trip up the Far North Line to Georgemas early the next morning (departing Inverness at 02.08). The train was comprised of BTA pipe wagons Nos. 950187/246/ 514/23/34/46-8/ 81/8/608/29/43/64/ 7/8/700/36/862/984.

■ GB RAILFREIGHT: GBRf began biomass services to Lynemouth Power Station on May 1 using its new ARI (Romania) built IIA-C Tanoos hoppers (leased from NACCO Rail). Although 24-wagon sets are planned, in the first month of operation 20/21 vehicle formations were the norm (see photo on page 86).

For example, on May 24 this was the state of play: 6N86/09.19 Tyne Coal Terminal-Lynemouth Power Station formed of No. 66725 + IIAs Nos. 83 70 0689 005/25/6-32/4/5/7-9/41-6/9 and 6N18/10.14 Lynemouth Power StationTyne Coal Terminal, consisting of No. 66765 + Nos. 83 70 0689 002-4/6-14/624/48/50 ■ On May 17, 21 of the 23 HTAs that were transferred from Neville Hill to Tonbridge West Yard (see last issue) were on the move again, as No. 66788 worked a 6Z19/23.25 to Peterborough Virtual Quarry comprised of Nos. 310002/7/52/ 73/7/101/4/227/51/307/65/578/638/ 56/62/81/96/763/73/87/843.

■ NETWORK RAIL: Direct Rail Services Type 3 power was entrusted to an unseasonal turn on May 9, a snowplough test! Nos. 37218 and 37259 were

sandwiched by ZZA independent snowploughs Nos. ADB 965209/31 on a 7Z15/10.15 Taunton Fairwater Yard circular diagram via Highbridge Loop.

New to the UK is Schweerbau HSM (High-Speed Milling) machine No. DR 79601 (99 70 9427 063-1) D-SBAU, which was moved from Germany by sea in mid-May ready for use with Network Rail on the Crossrail project. Delivered by road to the Derby RTC by Allelys Heavy Haulage, the three-car on-track plant set was top and tailed by GB Railfreight’s Nos. 66789 & 66744 for a trip to the High Marnham Test Track on the 16th (6X01, departing 10.30). The main purpose of the trip was to give the HSM a run out on High Marnham’s dummy third rail ahead of its contract under central London. On May 21, it moved to Old Dalby as a 6X01/08.00 ex-High Marnham in between the same pair of Class 66/7s (see photo on page 87). The HSM was actually built in 2014 and was one of the stars of the 2016 Berlin InnoTrans event.

It was reported back at Loram’s facility at the RTC by May 25.

■ VTG RAIL UK: More details have surfaced about the new fleet of TEA tank wagons built by Greenbrier Europe for Heathrow aviation fuel duties (see March issue). These are actually leased to British Airways, and VTG is proudly exclaiming that they were delivered from the manufacturer’s site in Swidnica, south western Poland, in just seven days.

Not bad for a journey which often takes six to eight weeks!

The new tankers are fully compliant with aviation regulations and they will be bottom loaded at the refinery. They have a vapour recovery system fitted to eliminate any escape of vapours during loading.

■ SIBELCO/WBB MINERALS: With the entry into service of GBRf’s new NACCO leased IIA-F sand hoppers for the Sibelco contract, the redundant two-axle PAA covered hoppers have been making their way to C F Booth, Rotherham, from store at Doncaster Roberts Road for their appointment with the gas axe.

The movements took place over a number of days, as follows: April 11: WBB 30007/14/5/20/24/8/30/3/5/8/9/49-52/4/6/7 April 18: WBB 30003/8/11/2/ 6/27/9/31/34/ 42/58/9/60/ 101/5/ 7-10/12 April 21: WBB 30001/5/9/10/3/8/ 9/21/5/6/32/6/40/3/5/7/8/53/5/ 103/4/6/11 May 12: WBB 30002/4/17/37/41/ 4/6 The sole remaining member of the former British Industrial Sand fleet is No. WBB 30006, which was apparently too difficult to collect from Doncaster.

■ DISPOSALS: Originally built by Redpath Dorman Long in the mid-1970s for iron ore traffic (from Port Talbot and Llanwern), and later employed by Foster Yeoman and VTG on aggregates and ballast duties, JTA ‘Outer’ No. VTG 26561 and JUA ‘Inners’ Nos. VTG 26579/99/606/27/50/740 were moved to EMR Erith from store at Hoo Junction for scrapping on April 12.

On May 26, a further clearout at Doncaster saw OBA Nos. 110086/ 109/70/98/313/628/750, OCA No. 112315, MTA No. 395306, FDA Nos. 621494/514 and FJA Nos. 621905/908/912 dispatched on their final journey, with Booth's, Rotherham, their final destination.

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 95

IRISH ANGLE

William Watson & Alan McFerran

‘Thumpers’ transferred to new home The four DEMU vehicles acquired for preservation have arrived at Downpatrick.

THE Downpatrick and County Down Railway (D&CDR) has taken delivery of the four Northern Ireland Railways 8080 Class DEMU vehicles it had earmarked for preservation. The transfer of each of the BREL Derby-built vehicles from Belfast York Road depot was carried out by road during the weekend of May 12/13.

Transferred on the 12th were Motor Coach No. 8090 and Trailer No. 8752, while Nos. 8069 and 8749 were transferred the next day. After being safely unloaded, the vehicles were stabled at Downpatrick.

Before they enter service, the new arrivals will have an internal deep clean and other preparatory work while crew training will also be undertaken. It is understood that Nos. 8069 and 8749, which were subsequently formed into a two-car unit, will be the first of the class to be used on the heritage railway.

The appeal, which was launched by the D&CDR in early April to help finance the transportation and restoration of the vehicles (referred to as the “80 Class” in publicity material), had raised £12,500 by mid-May with £7,000 also being pledged

by the Modern Railway Society of Ireland (MRSI).

The acquisition of the vehicles has been a positive outcome for the preservationists, who had planned to save examples of the unique DEMU type ever since the rolling withdrawal of the class began in 2006. The plans, however, were delayed due mainly to serviceable members of the class being utilised for Sandite duties, while three four-car units were used for passenger services as an interim measure between 2009 and 2011.

The need for NIR to retain any of the remaining members of the class ended last autumn when the company considered that the new Windhoffbuilt MPV was capable of handling future Sandite duties and therefore the dedicated four-car Sandite DEMU was no longer required as a backup for the MPV. The first batch of the 80 Class fleet entered traffic in 1974-75, but none of the preserved examples are from that group.

Three of the preserved examples are from the second batch delivered during 1977-78.

As the first Motor Coaches were

DEMU Motor Coach No. 69 being unloaded at Downpatrick on May 13, after its transfer from Belfast York Road depot. Andrew Burton

numbered Nos. 81 to 89, the numbers allocated to subsequent Motor Coaches were 90 to 99 and 67 to 69 – the latter being a gap between the numbers carried

by Multi-Purpose Diesel (MPD) Power Cars Nos. 36 to 65 and 70 Class DEMU Motor Coaches Nos. 71 to 78.

No. 69 entered traffic on January 24, 1978; No. 90 on February 3, 1978; No. 749 on May 15, 1978; and No. 752 during 1981. The latter was formerly BR Tourist

Standard Open No. 5516, which was also built at Derby (in 1969) and was bought from BR to replace damaged stock.

The total number of vehicles in the 80 Class fleet was 68, comprising 22 Motor Coaches, 20 Trailers (Nos. 761-780) and 26 Driving Trailers (Nos. 731 -756). The last 80 Class vehicle to remain on NIR’s books at York Road was former Motor Coach No. 8097, which was latterly a Sandite application vehicle. E

NORTHERN IRELAND RAILWAYS (NIR) ■ TRAFFIC AND TRACTION: IR GM No. 079, in ex-works condition, visited Newry on May 2, in order to run round the weedspray train it had hauled from Dundalk. The locomotive then returned south with its train to Platin sidings on the Drogheda to Navan branch.

Windsor Park Belfast was the venue on May 5 for the Irish Cup football final between Coleraine and Cliftonville. An 11.51 Coleraine to Adelaide and delayed 17.37 return Footex were worked by two three-car units Nos. 4013+4014. The 17.45 Belfast Great Victoria Street (GVS) to Whitehead service was overtaken by the return Footex at Yorkgate after the latter’s delayed departure from Adelaide.

On the evening of May 9, an outdoor Ed Sheeran concert at a venue near Balmoral station had 42,000 attendees.

Rail services experienced heavy

passenger flows before and after the concert. Regular late evening services were augmented by extra trains, with a shuttle service operating between Balmoral and GVS, while there was also an extra from Balmoral to Carrickfergus.

Specials also ran to Coleraine and Bangor. Two ‘Enterprise’ trains were also employed: the 20.50 ex-Connolly service made an extra stop at Balmoral, while the train that had worked the 19.00 ex-Connolly ran from York Road Depot to work a Balmoral to Portadown extra.

In order to facilitate supporters attending the Ireland versus Pakistan cricket test match at Malahide on May 11-14, the following services were scheduled to call there: 08.00 ex-Belfast on weekdays, 09.00 on the Sunday and the 19.00 and 20.50 (weekdays only) ex-Connolly.

The Windhoff-built MPV has been used for weed control duties. It treated the line from Ballymena to Londonderry on Sunday, May 13.

The annual spring Royal Ulster Agricultural Show on May 16-19 at Balmoral Park, on the outskirts of Lisburn, saw service alterations to help attendees. An intensive park and ride service between Lisburn station and the showground was operated by a fleet of buses. The 07.05 Portrush to GVS and 07.38/08.38 Londonderry to GVS were scheduled to run through to Lisburn on May 16-18. Also scheduled on all the days were the following extra trains: 10.00 Newry-Lisburn, 17.30 return, and a 18.33 Lisburn to Coleraine. Attendees from the Republic of Ireland were facilitated by Lisburn being served by the 07.35, 09.30, 11.20 and 13.20 ex-Connolly and the

MELLOW IN MALLOW: Irish Rail GM No. 082 rests a while at Mallow

on May 16, with a spoil train prior to engineering work taking place around Blarney (near Cork) the following weekend. Finbarr O’Neill

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96 RAIL EXPRESS July 2018

14.05, 16.05, 18.05 and 2015 ex-Belfast services.

■ PRESERVATION: The RPSI’s ex-Irish Sugar Company Ruston and Hornsby four-wheeled diesel-mechanical shunter Carlow has been returned to traffic at the society’s Whitehead base after being stored unserviceable for almost eight years. Completion of repairs and a repaint into its original green, black, red and yellow livery has seen the loco re-established on regular shunting duties within the base. Meanwhile, at Inchicore, work continues on the restoration of the society’s ex-IR 121 Class loco No. 134 to full running order.

■ STATIONS: The name of Belfast’s main station has now been changed from Belfast Central to Belfast Lanyon Place.

IRISH ANGLE

RETRO BGH: Retro-liveried GM No. 073 replaced dedicated loco No. 216 on the Belmond Grand Hibernian on April 29 for the train’s run from Dublin Connolly-WaterfordBagenalstown-Heuston. It is pictured passing Knockmoylan (between Thomastown and Waterford in County Kilkenny) on the Waterford-Bagenalstown leg. Paul Walsh

IARNROD EIREANN/IRISH RAIL ■ TRAFFIC AND TRACTION: GM No. 081 was noted in charge of the weed control train at Mallow on April 23.

Inspection Car No. 723 traversed the mothballed Belview to Rosslare Strand line on April 25, en route from Waterford to Greystones.

GM No. 072 has been outshopped from Inchicore Works in the standard grey livery.

Availability of 201 Class powered De Dietrich/Mk.3 trains on April 28 was poor. The 07.35 ex-Connolly was noted worked by two four-car suburban DMUs Nos. 29x08+29x23, while the 16.50 ex-Connolly was worked by sister units Nos. 29x07+29x13. The 14.05 exBelfast was worked by two three-car DMUs Nos. 3001+3004.

GM No. 222 and a Mk.4 train (DBG No. 4006) worked empty from Dublin Heuston to Killarney on May 1, then worked a 10.25 private charter to Heuston.

On May 4, No. 079 was noted arriving at Port Laois PW yard with the weed control train.

■ BELMOND GRAND HIBERNIAN (BGH): The tour which started on Tuesday, April 24, featured haulage by dedicated loco No. 216 until arrival at Dublin Heuston on Saturday the 28th.

Retro-liveried GM No. 073 then worked the tour train to Connolly, where it was replaced by No. 216 again for the run to Belfast. Interestingly, the down loop at Clongriffin was used by the BGH on its northbound journey. After the train had returned to Connolly the next day, April 29, the regular planned loco exchange saw No. 073 replace No. 216 for the remainder of the tour from Connolly-WaterfordBagenalstown-Heuston.

The tour which started on May 1 ran to the alternative destination of Rosslare Strand on Saturday the 5th as the Cross-Border line to Belfast was unavailable because of engineering work. This was the second time this season that the luxury train has been diverted. Dedicated loco No. 216 was in charge of the initial part of this tour and also worked the Heuston-

Rosslare Strand leg and return as far as Gorey, where the overnight stop was taken. This was the first time that No. 216 had worked the BGH between Gorey and Rosslare Strand. The next day, May 6, No. 216 worked the train from Gorey to Connolly, where it was replaced by No. 073 for the run to Waterford. No 073 subsequently worked the remainder of this tour.

The tour that began on May 8 visited Belfast on the 12th.

■ RAILTOURS: The Branch Line Society’s ‘Fairview Failte Railtour’ on Sunday, May 6 was worked throughout by threecar ICR DMU No. 22x55. The tour, which traversed some rare Irish Rail track, supported the Railway Children charity.

The tour began at Connolly and the itinerary included Maynooth, Clonsilla, M3 Parkway, Docklands, Dun Laoghaire, Bray, Fairview New Carriage Sidings, Heuston, Ballybrophy, Laois Depot Loop, Portlaoise and Portarlington. The tour was the first planned use of an ICR unit, and the first passenger carrying

train, to traverse the headshunt at M3 Parkway and Fairview New Carriage Sidings.

The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s annual International Railtour programme also features positional movements and fringe events to the main steam worked railtour. This year’s tour was entitled the ‘Cork and Kerry’, and ran from May 10-15. GM No. 071 worked the ‘Second Strand Diesel Railtour’ from Dublin Connolly to Rosslare Europort and return on the 11th. The consist was seven Cravens coaches and BR van No. 3173. Diesel traction also played a part during the main steam tour on the 12th, when GM No. 085 hauled the train from Thurles to Limerick Junction. This was done to enable train engine No. 85 to run light from Thurles and turn on the Limerick Junction triangle.

■ MANAGEMENT: Jim Meade has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Irish Rail.

July 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 97