Rail Express - March 2019 - Preview

WIRED POWER!

FOR The

development of AC units under BR

‘TRACTORS’ BOW OUT

Cumbrian loco-hauls come to an end

Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast

RAIL EXPRESS No. 274 MARCH 2019 £4.40

BODEN ‘50’ SOLD TO GCR

ROYAL OAK LOSES MAIN LINE STATUS MODELLING SECTION

■ BACHMANN 2019 What’s new in ‘OO’ and ‘N’

■ Upgrading a ‘56’ Reworking Hornby’s ‘Grid’

■ CAVALEX PGA

Redland hopper reviewed

CEREMONY HONOURS SIR BILL DB electric named after former ‘Scotsman’ owner

CONTENTS

Issue No. 274 March 2019

The Tube station origin of Moorgate’s Great Northern Route platforms is evident in this shot of No. 313053 taken there on February 2. The branch from Finsbury Park became part of British Rail in 1976, and has always required dedicated stock because of the narrow tunnels – new Class 717s being due to take over as this issue went to press. Simon McComb

FEATURES

NEWS

16

8

A tribute to the Northern loco-hauled operation which has now ended.

0-60: CLASS 385

How do ScotRail’s new EMUs rate?

REGULARS 22

73

SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS

The best ways to get Rail Express every month.

33

TIME TRAVELLER

34

REVIEWS

35

EXPRESS MAILBAG

Diesel steam heat query; Liverpool Ruston.

MODELLING

Bachmann/Graham Farish has announced its new releases for 2019 in both ‘OO’ and ‘N’ gauges, while Cavalex and Accurascale are to launch new ready-to-run wagons. We take a look at improving Hornby’s Class 56, plus how to install surface mount point motors, and reviews include Dapol’s ‘N’ gauge Class 142 ‘Pacer’.

76

PRESERVATION

FOR The

development of AC units under BR

‘TRACTORS’ BOW OUT

Cumbrian loco-hauls come to an end

Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast

Brace of depot open days attract tours.

BODEN ‘50’ SOLD TO GCR

‘50s’ to gain GBRf colours; Another preserved ‘47’ to go main line; Twin ‘Peaks’ to visit Severn Valley; Boiler acquired for Class 37.

79

POWER BY THE HOUR

80

POWERSCENE

90

UNITS

93

SHUNTERS

94

WIRED POWER!

Plans shape up for District Line 150.

RAILTOURS

A selection of new books.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY – PAGE 22

LU WORLD

74

News headlines from decades past.

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE...

Snowploughs swapped ahead of wintry weather; Class 60 works Boston steel trip.

Notable workings, Name Game and Spectrum.

More nine-car ‘80s’ enter service with GWR.

Chasewater industrials in action.

COACHES

Mk.3 coach disposals begin in earnest.

96

WAGONS

97

IRISH ANGLE

GOS completes ‘ElecLink’ wagon.

Investment boost for Irish Rail.

ROYAL OAK LOSES MAIN LINE STATUS MODELLING SECTION

■ BACHMANN 2019 What's new in 'OO' and 'N'

■ Upgrading a '56' Reworking Hornby's 'Grid'

■ CAVALEX PGA

Redland hopper reviewed

Printed in the UK

CUMBRIAN TRACTORS

£21.50

CEREMONY HONOURS SIR BILL DB electric named after former ‘Scotsman’ owner

Threatened with scrap unless a buyer could be found, Boden Rail’s No. 50017 has happily found a new home at the Great Central Railway (see page 9), but on October 3, 2018 it was inside Kidderminster depot ahead of the Severn Valley Railway’s Class 50 gala.

UK Off-sale date - 15/03/2019

30

MOUNTSORREL STONE HOPPERS

A focus on the PGA stone wagons, as a new ‘OO’ gauge model is released.

East-West Rail identifies route alignments; Plans for privately funded projects are rejected; Boden Rail ‘50’ sold to Great Central Railway; Rare loco-hauled working to Looe; Passenger satisfaction falls; EMUs reach Chingford and GOBLIN; TfW to focus on improving services in North Wales; Irish Rail seeks pre-owned DMUs; Naming honours Sir William McAlpine.

No. 274

26

The development of AC EMUs under BR.

FROM ONLY

HEADLINE NEWS

RAIL EXPRESS No. 274 MARCH 2019 £4.40

24

WIRED FOR POWER!

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 February 15, 2019 Next issue March 15, 2019 Advertising deadline March 1, 2019 ISSN No 1362 234X

Paul Bickerdyke Rail Express Editor

Many a slip...

T

HE big news as we closed for press was that Class 50 No. 50017 Royal Oak had been sold by Boden Rail Engineering to the Great Central Railway.

This followed a nervous few days in which the loco had been threatened with scrap if a buyer could not be found quickly after a previously arranged sale had fallen through.

There were those who believed the loco could never be scrapped, but sadly there have been all too many occasions in railway preservation where the unthinkable has actually happened. Numerous Class 31s, 37s and others are no longer with us, despite once being in the ‘safety’ of preservation – and there are plenty of other Class 50s around, so arguably it would have made logical sense to break it up for spares.

Happily, none of that came to pass this time, and we can look forward to seeing the ‘Hoover’ at work on the double-track heritage line, with the spring diesel gala in April hopefully being the first chance.

Class 50s never worked on the former Great Central Main Line, being built after

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it was closed by British Railways, but the large English Electric machine is sure to be a draw, especially as it has not worked many passenger trains since leaving the Plym Valley Railway in 2014.

A fitting tribute

It was great to see DB Cargo’s No. 90028 named Sir William McAlpine at the NRM in January alongside the loco he once owned, Flying Scotsman (see page 14). Sir William was a lifelong enthusiast and rail champion, whose rescue of the celebrity steam loco from the USA in the 1970s was just one of the many preservation projects he helped make happen. Look out for the electric on your travels, and tip your hat to a man sadly missed in the railway world.

Paul Bickerdyke

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David Russell

Preservation Units Coaches

David Rapson Powerscene

William Watson Alistair Grieve Shunters

Gareth Bayer Wagons

Irish Angle (with Alan McFerran)

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‘Industry Witness’ News Writer

WINTER WONDERLAND: Cold weather and snow hit widespread parts of the

country at the end of January and early February, causing travel chaos in some parts but also allowing stunning photography in others when the sun came out again – such as here at Ribblehead on the Settle & Carlisle Line when, on January 31, No. 66723 Chinook passed heading south with the 6M38/11.25 Arcow QuarryBredbury (Greater Manchester). The photographer notes his relief that the nearby station pub was open for warmth, shelter and wi-ďŹ ! Tom McAtee

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East-West Rail identifies route alignments Route options are out for consultation covering the second half of the scheme to reopen the full length of the Oxford to Cambridge line.

By ‘Industry Witness’ DESIGN plans for an extension of the Oxford-Bicester route to Bletchley and Bedford were finalised and delivered to Parliament in 2018 to obtain the Transport and Works Order necessary for construction to begin.

This year will see the planning focus shift to the section of East-West Rail (which aims to reopen the full length of the former ‘Varsity Line’) beyond Bedford to Cambridge, which provides a greater challenge because it is not possible to use all of the former track bed as a number of developments have been built on the trackbed since it closed in 1967.

FIVE ALTERNATIVES

The need to find an alternative route has resulted in East-West Rail providing five alternatives as part of a consultation process. All of the options will see a connection with the HitchinCambridge line in the Foxton area, but there are two alternative corridors.

The first is the original route that operated via Sandy with platforms next to the East Coast Main Line, although the loss of much of the track bed towards Cambridge will result in the formation being built over a new alignment that would serve

How the Varsity Line used to look before it closed in 1967, as a Derby Lightweight DMU calls at Bedford St Johns on June 9, 1966 with a Cambridge-Oxford service. Andrew Muckley

Bassingbourn, near Royston.

The proposal would involve relocating Sandy station, given the development of surrounding land and the need for its expansion as an interchange point for the new line.

The second alternative contains a number of detailed options, but would essentially place the line in a corridor that serves Tempsford (close to St Neots) and Cambourne (a substantial new settlement with poor links to

public transport). There would again be the ability for passengers to connect with Great Northern services.

The cheapest option is to develop near the original route, which has been estimated to cost £2 billion, with other options costing up to £3.5 bn, but offering greater long-term economic benefit, and therefore might be judged as offering better value for money.

The expectation is the journey time between Oxford and Cambridge will

be 80 minutes, at least half the time it takes now to travel via London.

It is expected a detailed alignment of the route will be settled in 2020, which will be followed by a period of statutory consultation leading to the granting of a Development Consent Order by 2023 to enable construction to start.

There is no forecast opening date as yet other than an intention to complete by the mid-2020s.

Plans for privately funded projects are rejected By ‘Industry Witness’ THE Government has declined to support a number of rail investment proposals that would have relied on private, rather than public, funding.

In summer 2018, the Department for Transport put out a call for rail investment ideas that would be financially credible without Government support. The aim was for the rail industry to benefit from higher investment than would otherwise be possible from taxpayer funds and fare revenues. The involvement of private

sector promoters was also expected to result in greater innovation that results in lower costs.

There was a strong response to the scheme, with the DfT receiving 30 submissions. These are currently still being assessed, but some have already been turned down.

REJECTED

Among the rejected projects is the Heathrow Southern initiative, which is an eight-mile link between the airport’s Terminal 5 and Staines, which will allow direct access to/from a number of population centres.

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8 RAIL EXPRESS March 2019

Another rejection is the Windsor Link Railway, which requires less than 1000ft (300metres) of new track to connect the two current terminus stations and thus offer much greater connectivity with the ability to run through services.

The promoters expressed surprise the Government considered the proposals lacked credibility and that there had been no talks before the decision to make an outright rejection of the project.

A proposal made by HS4Air to provide a link between Gatwick and Heathrow airports is another casualty.

This is an ambitious scheme that would ultimately also connect HS1 and HS2, and has a provisional cost of £10 billion.

There is no indication yet of any proposals being accepted, which suggests positive decisions are being held over until the completion of the Williams Review.

There is better news for another DfT initiative, the First of a Kind competition, where five awards have been made. These are grants of

£350,000 each aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the rail network.

As part of the background, a taskforce report was commissioned from the Rolling Stock Leasing Company Angel Trains.

PRIORITY

It concluded the removal of diesel-only passenger trains can be achieved by 2040, and outlined aims for further investment in a range of alternatives, including bi-modes, hydrogen and battery trains.

Among the priority lines for potential battery hybrid trains will be the Lakes Line in Cumbria. Train operator Northern will shortly submit a business plan for it to potentially be one of the first lines to benefit from the technology. Manufacturer Alstom, engineering company Viva Rail, and rolling stock owners Angel Trains and Porterbrook are also developing a range of alternatively fuelled trains for the UK network, including battery hybrids and hydrogen powered units.

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Boden Rail ‘50’ sold to Great Central

No. 50017 re-enters preservation and loses main line status.

By Robin Jones

THE Great Central Railway has bought Class 50 No. 50017 Royal Oak from Boden Rail. The sale of the ‘Hoover’, minus its main line running safety systems, was completed on February 1, ending a nervous few days in which the loco had been threatened with scrapping.

Royal Oak, one of two Class 50s owned by Boden Rail along with No. 50050 Fearless, was put up for sale on January 21.

A statement from the company said: “Due to business commitments, and to keep investing in No. 50050 (which includes generators being overhauled) and the return to service of No. 37240 (which will have its own role soon), we can no longer support No. 50017, especially with space constraints at Nottingham Eastcroft.

“The locomotive can either be sold complete with safety systems for a set price or sold at a reduced price with all safety systems removed, or can use it as component recovery to support Nos. 37240 and 50050.

“This is a difficult decision, but the railway is a changing place and the workshop must take priority.

As Rail Express closed for press, GCR officials were arranging transport for the ‘50’ to be brought by road from Boden Rail Engineering’s

No. 50017 was returned to the main line under Boden Rail ownership, such as on May 19, 2015 when it was paired with No. 50007 to work a Washwwod Heath to Boston steel trip – the return pictured at Barrow-upon-Trent (Derbyshire). Ryan Tranmer

base at Nottingham Eastcroft.

No. 50017 was built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows in 1968 for use on the then non-electrified section of the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and Glasgow. Like all of its 49 classmates, the loco ended its career on the Western Region, working its last BR train in September 1991 before being withdrawn because of main generator damage.

Royal Oak was restored to working order by Project Defiance volunteers on the West Somerset Railway before being placed with VSOE at Crewe.

It was later moved to Tyseley

Locomotive Works and then to the Plym Valley Railway, where further major work was carried out, including an extensive external restoration.

Neil Boden bought No. 50017 in 2014 and moved it to the former Alstom facility at Washwood Heath for a return to main line condition.

It was understood No. 50017 may go straight into traffic on the GCR, Britain’s only double-track heritage main line.

Speculation was also mounting it may appear as a major attraction at the April 13-14 diesel gala, which should also see East Lancashire Railway-based Class 14 No. D9537 as special guest.

IN BRIEF TRAMS TO GET AUTO BRAKING SYSTEM

TRANSPORT for London has announced its fleet of Tramlink vehicles will be fitted with an automatic braking system designed to bring a moving tram to a controlled stop if it exceeds the track speed limit. This follows the fatal accident in November 2016 when excessive speed caused a tram to overturn on a sharp bend at Sandilands, Croydon, killing seven passengers and injuring 62 others.

The braking system is described as the first of its kind in the UK and will be installed by Engineering Support Group Limited. It will operate alongside the driver protection system that alerts to distraction and fatigue, which has been in use since September 2017.

Automatic braking was one of the recommendations set out by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch following the Sandilands crash. It will be installed at high-risk locations identified by RAIB, but has the potential for further use across the tram network.

IVATT DIESEL GROUP LAUNCHES APPEAL

THE Ivatt Diesel Re-creation Society (IRDS) has begun fundraising to acquire the remaining major components required to build a replica of LMS diesel No. 10000. IRDS already has an engine, frames (donated from No. 58022) and bogies (recently acquired from the EM2 Society) – but still needs a generator and other smaller parts. Many of these can be reused from Classes 20 and 37 as they become available, but require cash in the bank to enable the society to act quickly.

The appeal is being fronted by Stan Fletcher (98), who was the commissioning engineer on No. 10000 in 1947, and now president of the IRDS. He became involved with the original loco when it was just a frame at Derby Works, but then accompanied the loco on its trials on the Midland and West Coast Main Lines. The aim is to raise £100,000 by his 100th birthday in March 2020.

CLASS 37 MODEL RAISES MONEY FOR CHARITY

BACHMANN Europe presented a cheque for £3,709.90 to the Leicestershire-based charity Loros on January 25, the money coming from sales of its ‘OO’ gauge model of No. 37099 Merl Evans 1947-2016.

The real loco was named in 2016

by Colas in tribute to Merl, who had been Bachmann’s head of research and development until his retirement in 2014, and was instrumental in creating the company’s model range. Loros is a charity that provides hospice care in Leicestershire and Rutland.

RARE LOCO WORKING TO LOOE: The aptly named ‘Looe Brush’ tour

on February 3 saw a rare loco-hauled passenger trip along the Looe branch in Cornwall, ‘top and tailed’ by Nos. 47772 and 47826 (and pictured at the single-track terminus). The tour, organised by the Branch Line Society, also visited the nearby Moorswater cement terminal and Buckfastleigh on the South Devon Railway. Perhaps more importantly, the tour was allowed to use the connecting line to the Looe branch at Liskeard (inset) as well as the newly authorised connection to the SDR at Totnes. Phil Marsh

INTERMODAL DIVISION AGREED

MARITIME Transport and DB Cargo have reached an agreement in principle to launch a new division called Maritime Intermodal. The division aims to increase railfreight capacity and competition in the intermodal market, and will initially contract four dedicated services out of Felixstowe and Southampton.

March 2019 RAIL EXPRESS 9

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IN BRIEF CALL TO REOPEN MARCH TO SPALDING LINK

THE East Regional Transport Association (ERTA) has called for support for reopening the March-Spalding rail link.

A recent housing application at Cowbit threatens to obliterate the trackbed of the former rail corridor, which survived the Beeching closures of the 1960s, but finally succumbed in 1981.

With more than 30 years of development in the area, ERTA believes reinstating the link would benefit passenger travel from South Lincolnshire to Cambridge and Stansted Airport, and allow more freight to be removed from roads.

The association wants any new housing or industrial developments to be around the trackbed.

LCGB MOURNS PRESIDENT

THE Locomotive Club of Great Britain (LCGB) has announced the death of Jack Turner, its club president and founder member.

From the formation of the club in Aylesbury in 1949, Jack undertook a variety of roles.

He contributed towards the LCGB growing from a small trainspotting organisation to a major national society, famous for its steam railtours in the 1960s and for its overseas tours, which continue today. He was a career railwayman, and his final posting was as chief operating inspector of the Euston Division.

He retired in early-1993 after more than 46 years of service.

HULL TRAINS HST

HULL Trains has taken on an extra trainset – an ex-Great Western Railway HST. The set is formed with power cars Nos. 43165 and 43190, which ran north from Reading to Hull on January 29.

It visited Hull Botanic Gardens depot on January 30, believed to be the first HST there for more than 20 years, then performed its first test run to Grantham and back.

Hull Trains has been criticised after a high number of cancellations, following a series of failures among its fleet of Class 180 ‘Adelantes’.

‘FLIRT’ ON TEST: Greater Anglia’s Class 755 ‘Flirt’ No. 755405 was performing test runs along the Great Eastern Main Line on February 1, running from Norwich to Colchester and back, then Norwich to Ipswich and return. The 09.34 Colchester-Norwich Crown Point is pictured emerging from Ipswich Tunnel into the station – the bi-mode set running on diesel power. Rather than having underfloor engines, these units feature a walk-through diesel module in the centre of the train. Keith Partlow

Passenger satisfaction falls The fallout from the May 2018 timetable change continues to affect the railways.

By ‘Industry Witness’ THERE was a sharp decline in the rating of a number of Train Operating Companies according to the latest National Passenger Survey results, which cover the period from September 1-November 16.

Overall, 79% of passengers were satisfied with their journey, with 80% approving of the station facilities, and the train service rated at 76% satisfaction.

Services on the Great Northern route out of King’s Cross/St Pancras saw the lowest level of satisfaction, with a rating of 68%, a decline of 9% compared to the previous survey, which is a reflection of the slow recovery from the disruption that followed the disastrous May 2018 timetable change.

Many services on the route to

Cambridge and Peterborough are now formed of trains running through the Thameslink core section and, as well as planned cancellations that have led to large gaps between services, there are residual problems with the availability of drivers and infrastructure failures.

It was always a weakness of the plan that delays anywhere on the routes south of Blackfriars meant local users on the GN route would find their service cancelled or delayed. Controllers have also added to the woes by removing station stops at short notice because of late running in an attempt to recover time for the next working.

Passengers using Northern services have also registered a decline in satisfaction, with a similar 9% fall to 72%. Again, there has not been a full recovery from the effects of the May 2018 timetable change, mainly through a lack of rolling stock. This followed the delay in transferring DMUs from ScotRail as a result of a slippage in the electrification programme and technical issues with new rolling stock.

The dispute with Northern train crews,

which has resulted in continued strike days, has also impacted on service reliability. TransPennine Express and South Western Railway are other poor performers, with both receiving a 73% satisfaction rating from users. Issues have again been service reliability as a result of timetable changes and, for SWR, a continuing train crew dispute.

TOILETS AND CAR PARKS

The provision of station facilities is also monitored, and the three largest overall areas of complaint are a lack of toilets, where more than a third of all passengers were dissatisfied, and a lack of car parking facilities. A more recent cause of complaint is the lack of wi-fi at stations, which compares poorly with other retail service providers.

There were some bright spots, however – such as Chiltern Railways, which has successfully implemented timetable changes that have delivered through services between Oxford and Marylebone. Passenger satisfaction improved by 4% compared to the previous survey to reach 92%.

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CHINGFORD ‘AVENTRA’: No. 710263 became the first of the class to reach

Chingford, north-east London, overnight on January 25-26, working a test trip from Liverpool Street and back. The units are due to take over on London Overground’s West London, North London and West Anglia routes, but their introduction is running about a year late because of technical issues found during testing. John Tomlin

10 RAIL EXPRESS March 2019

GOBLIN EMU: No. 378232 entered service on the Gospel Oak-Barking (Goblin) route

on January 28, seen that morning heading for Gospel Oak at Upper Holloway. The unit has been shorted from five to four cars to work this route as a stop-gap to the introduction of the delayed Class 710s. It is due to be joined by two more shortened ‘378s’. Tom Baker

12 RAIL EXPRESS March 2019

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TfW to focus on improving services in North Wales

A dedicated unit has been set up to promote rail use between Chester and Holyhead.

By ‘Industry Witness’ GREATER emphasis will be given to improving rail services in North Wales following criticism the new Wales and Borders franchise contract included little focus on train services serving Llandudno and Holyhead.

A dedicated business unit has been created by Transport for Wales at Wrexham that will oversee plans for enhancing the timetable on the main line route between Crewe and Holyhead and associated branch lines.

The route infrastructure is largely unchanged since the replacement of steam in the 1960s, when the largely four-track formation was cutback to a two-track railway.

Singling the line between Chester and Wrexham has also proved to be a severe constraint on developing services, and will need to be re-doubled if proposals for a Metro service centred on Chester are to go ahead.

The 15-year franchise awarded to Arriva in 2003 did not contain any requirement to enhance services or update rolling stock on the coastal route, although efforts were made

to improve connectivity by running through-trains beyond Chester.

The mind-set remained focused on the coastal resorts, where economic decline did not provide a growing market for rail travel.

There is now a realisation providing services that enable access to employment opportunities in Chester and North West England is a priority.

PROSPERITY

Gross Value Added is a measure used to define prosperity, which is a reflection of average income in a given area. The figures are low in North Wales, with counties such as Denbighshire (which includes Rhyl) and Conwy (with Colwyn Bay and Llandudno) having figures of £16,482 and £15,568 respectively in 2017. This is about half the figure of the Cheshire East authority, which recorded £32,314.

A new service is to be established once rolling stock resources are available between the coastal resorts and Liverpool, which will use the reinstated Halton curve. But the journey time will not be competitive for commuting until there are significant

line-speed improvements and an ability for express services to overtake stopping trains.

Wider afield, there is dismay there are no plans for the region to benefit from HS2, which is scheduled to reduce the journey time between London and Crewe to 55 minutes in 2027. However, the two HS2 trains per hour that will use the Crewe cut-off could be operated by two trainsets in multiple, which could then split to allow additional destinations to be served on the conventional network.

Electrification as far as Chester has been discussed in the past, but low traffic levels on the North Wales route as a whole means electrification is unlikely to see a return on investment.

The additional expense of providing a small fleet of bi-mode trains is also likely to be prohibitive.

As part of the focus on economic improvements in the region, there is the ambition to modernise the port at Holyhead so larger ships can be handled. This could be attractive to cruise ship operators and for container traffic, although there is currently no rail facility for freight.

IN BRIEF APPROVAL GIVEN FOR HORDEN STATION

PLANS to build a £10.55million station in east Durham have been given the goahead.

The scheme, at Horden, near Peterlee, will have two 100metre platforms connected by an accessible footbridge, shelters, a 136-space car park and bus stops. Initial work is due to start imminently, with the station expected to open to passengers in spring 2020.

Durham County Council has been working closely with Network Rail on the project, which will be funded by the authority with support from the Department of Transport’s New Stations Fund and a grant from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

WINDCUTTERS LOADED TO PONTYPOOL & BLAENAVON

SIX 16T mineral wagons from the Great Central Railway are being moved to the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway on a 10-year loan (with possible five-year extensions). As part of the agreement, the railway will maintain, restore and operate with vehicles, which were among 39 ‘Windcutter’ wagons saved in the 1990s. They were once a common sight in South Wales on coal trains.

The first appearance of the wagons will be on May 26-27 as part of the P&BR’s Coal Train Weekend’.

NEW DEPOT FOR IPSWICH

FREIGHTLINER has announced plans to build a locomotive and wagon maintenance and fuelling facility at Ipswich yard.

The investment will help boost the local economy, creating around 20 jobs and using local suppliers for the materials and equipment. Ipswich was chosen because of its strategic positioning close to the Port of Felixstowe, from which Freightliner operates 22 trains a day.

The new depot will be a steelframed building, 54metres in length, and includes an inspection pit, two overhead cranes and an extended on-site car park for staff. It will also house a wheel lathe used to maintain and re-profile wagon and locomotive wheel sets.

WHITEBALL CLOSURE

‘TRACTOR’ FAREWELL: Northern

and DRS ran a final loco-hauled trip round the Cumbrian Coast line on January 11, Nos. 37409 and 37425 ‘top and tailing’ the 2Z37/09.52 Carlisle-Carnforth and 2Z38/13.10 return, with profits from the enthusiasts’ special going to local charities.

The outward trip is seen at Grange-overSands with No. 37409 leading. The final booked loco-hauled workings for Northern had run on December 28 with Nos. 37424 and 37425 working the two diagrams - see pages 26-29 for more. Jamie Squibbs

Irish Rail seeks pre-owned DMUs THE National Transport Authority (NTA), which oversees public transport in the Republic of Ireland, published a notice on January 25 stating it was seeking “pre-owned” DMU vehicles for Irish Rail, writes William Watson.

The document, called ‘Provision of Pre-owned Rail Vehicle Fleet’, stated only that the requirement

was for 60-80 vehicles in three- or four-car units with a driving cab at each end. They could be bought outright or hired for a period of at least seven years, with the vehicles chosen to be available for delivery prior to February 28, 2020.

Interested parties were asked to respond to the NTA by February 26, 2019.

GREAT Western Railway has announced a series of engineering works that will affect passenger journeys through the South West.

From February 18 until March 8, the route from Taunton to Exeter St David’s will be closed to rail traffic as Network Rail carries out maintenance work in Whiteball Tunnel, while further work at Marley Tunnel (west of Totnes at the summit of Rattery Bank) will mean only a reduced service will be able to run between Plymouth and Exeter.

Long-distance services between the South West and Paddington will be diverted around the work at Whiteball, adding up to 60 minutes to journey times, with replacement bus services to intermediate stations.

March 2019 RAIL EXPRESS 13

PRESERVATION

No. 90028 waits on the NRM’s Great Hall turntable ready to be named.

14 RAIL EXPRESS March 2019

David Russell

The naming party included (from left) Sir William’s widow Lady Judy McAlpine, Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy, LNER managing director David Horne, DBC chief executive Hans-Georg Werner and NRM director Judith McNicol.

PRESERVATION

NAMING HONOURS SIR BILL: An event was held at the National Railway Museum in York on January 11 to honour Sir William McAlpine, the rail champion and former owner of No. 60103 Flying Scotsman, who passed away in March 2018. DB Cargo’s No. 90028 was named after Sir William in the museum’s Great Hall before being shunted out to line up alongside the celebrity steam loco, now owned by the NRM, which had arrived at the head of a special UK Railtours trip from King’s Cross. The ’90’ later hauled the tour back to London before going back into service on hire to LNER. GBRf's stored 'Tug' No. 60008 also carries the same name. All photos by Paul Bickerdyke

No. 90028’s new nameplate, Sir William McAlpine.

After the line-up with Flying Scotsman, No. 90028 was shunted out of the NRM by the museum’s No. 09017 and then dragged back on to the main line by DBC’s No. 67018.

March 2019 RAIL EXPRESS 15

FLEET SURVEY

The Midland Railway’s line between Lancaster and Morecambe was one of the earliest to be fitted with overhead wires, then became a test bed in the 1950s for a new AC standard. For this, former London area LNWR EMUs were converted and redesignated AM1 Class – and set No. 21 (led by vehicle No. M29023M) is pictured arriving at Lancaster Green Ayre station on April 16, 1960.

Wired for power!

Following our look at first generation DMUs in the December issue, we trace the development of overhead catenary EMUs in the British Railways era.

A

S early as 1903, the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) began to electrify local routes in the London area, in response to increasing competition from tram operations. It chose a German overhead system, which provided power at 6,700V AC, and the initial route was between London Bridge and Victoria via Denmark Hill, which was energised in 1909. Success, in terms of passenger numbers, led the LBSCR to expand its electrification programme, and the routes from Victoria and London Bridge

to Crystal Palace were equipped with overhead catenary in 1912, while a much more ambitious plan for main line electrification to Brighton and Eastbourne was also approved by the company. The First World War was to intervene, however, and the wires reached only as far as Coulsdon North and Sutton in 1925.

When the LBSCR became part of the Southern Railway in the 1923 ‘Big Four’ Grouping, it was decided that the much more widespread 600V DC thirdrail system, which had been chosen by

The LBSCR pioneered overhead-powered traction with its South London network between Victoria, London Bridge, Crystal Palace and Coulsdon. One of its initial threecar sets is pictured at Wandsworth Road in 1909. Creative Commons

16 RAIL EXPRESS March 2019

the London and South Western Railway, would be adopted as a standard for future Southern electrification. As a result, the LBSCR routes that had been overhead wired were converted to thirdrail in 1929.

The rolling stock for the start of LBSCR services in 1903 was built by the Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (which later became Met-Camm) and comprised a fleet of three-car units. As demand grew, two-car units were added to provide flexibility for peak and off-

peak working, with six-car formations operating at the busiest times. With the extension to Crystal Palace, the railway works at Lancing (West Sussex) also built stock to supplement vehicles from external suppliers.

The Manchester to Altrincham line was electrified in 1931, with what would become Class 505 units lasting in service until 1971. A three-car set led by No. M29235M arrives at Warwick Road station on April 29, 1971.

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