Rail Express magazine December 2019

CLASS 101 PERFORMANCE

in British Rail days and preservation

TEST CAR 2

RESTORED Full story of the brake test vehicle

Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast

NRM RECLAIMS HST PROTOTYPE

...but 125 Group gains two production power cars

2020AR

D CALEKN only

MODELLING SECTION

■ ‘OO’ GAUGE DELTIC Accurascale model revealed

■ 4mm RE-GAUGING Converting from ‘OO’ to 'EM'

■ IRISH PROGRESS ‘A’ Class in pre-production

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*U

‘PACERS’ INTO 2020 Class 142s will be retained to cover for the late delivery of new stock

No. 283

RAIL EXPRESS No. 283 DECEMBER 2019 £4.50

FREE!

CONTENTS

Issue No. 283 December 2019

INSIDE CAF NEWPORT: A rare look at the factory floor of CAF’s assembly plant in Newport, South Wales, taken during a visit by members of the Engine Shed Society on

October 12. Visible are various two-car Class 195/0 ‘Civity’ DMUs for Northern (from left Nos. 195004/8/7/9) undergoing testing. The delayed introduction of the ‘195s’ has contributed to the retention of ‘Pacers’ into 2020 (see pages 10 and 13). Stuart J Hood

FEATURES

NEWS

14

8

20

RESURRECTING TEST CAR 2

The inside story of how the former brake test vehicle was saved and restored.

SECOND CHANCE: CLASS 101

Riding these popular DMUs in BR days and preservation at the Mid-Norfolk Railway.

26

TRAFFIC WITH PEDIGREE

30

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

The former pet food workings to and from Melton Mowbray.

The non-BR shunters that could be found around Derby in the early 1990s.

75 76

REGULARS 19 33

SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS

78

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TIME TRAVELLER

Looking back to past headlines.

34

REVIEWS

35

EXPRESS MAILBAG

A selection of modern traction books.

Rare Class 77 photos; Derby oil drums.

MODELLING

There are tips galore this month, including how to regauge vehicles from ‘OO’ to ‘EM’, plus how to plan and build a layout’s all-important staging yard.

There’s the latest on new 4mm ‘Deltic’ and Irish A Class locos, which have both reached engineering prototype stage, while reviews include the Bachmann ‘Warflat’.

HEADLINE NEWS

Tories and Labour propose new bodies to oversee railway operations; New face in Scotland as Class 397s arrive; 1938 Stock trials 5G technology; Tinsley freight reborn; Derogations are essential to maintain services; No. 43002 moves to York; GA Mk.3 stock heads for store; Northern blamed for inherited problems; ‘142s’ to be retained into 2020; Competition for young rail photographers.

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LU WORLD

Cracks found in 1996 Stock draw-gear.

RAILTOURS

GN Class 313s bow out in style.

PRESERVATION

Porterbrook donates power cars to 125 Group, but NRM takes back HST prototype; Mk.3 Sleepers join Bo’ness and IRDS collections; Lastbuilt Peckett preserved at Gwili.

82

POWER BY THE HOUR

86

POWERSCENE

98

UNITS

Class 60s sold for scrap; Celebrity ‘47’ cut.

Notable workings, Name Game and Spectrum.

More ‘802s’ enter service with TPE.

100 SHUNTERS & INDUSTRIALS

Barclay loco returns to industrial use.

101 COACHES

Lounge car joins Locomotive Services fleet.

102 WAGONS

Romanian ‘Ealnos’ boxes arrive in bulk.

103 IRISH ANGLE

Historic Londonderry station reopens.

Prototype HST power car No. 41001 at Fifty Steps Bridge, Great Central Railway (Nottingham), on September 9, 2018. The power car has been in the care of the 125 Group since 2011, during which time it was returned to working order, but in a surprise move it has now been recalled by the NRM – see page 78 for the full story.

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 November 15, 2019 Next issue December 20, 2019 Advertising deadline December 6, 2019 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.

A pivotal point

T

HE election gun was fired as this issue went to press and, while the parties’ official manifestos were still to be published, the two biggest hinted at their views on how our railways should be run.

Both the Conservatives and Labour want to move away from the current franchising model, which they see as broken, and both also want to set up a new body to oversee operations. They disagree, however, on how that should be done.

The Conservatives are in favour of private companies running passenger services under fixed fee contracts, which transfers much of the financial risk to the Government – risk that has increasingly put off private firms from bidding for franchises in the face of shrinking profit margins.

The contracts approach is a kind of ‘backdoor’ nationalisation, but Labour is more in favour of full nationalisation – rolling back the 25 years since Privatisation and recreating something like British Rail.

Whichever approach you favour, and each has arguments for and against, either case will see the Government take on even more dayto-day control. And the problem with that is Governments of both colours have not had a

Rail Express is pleased to consider contributions for publication

great track record on this over the past couple of decades.

Many of the things passengers complain about are beyond the control of franchised operators and can be traced back to the Government of the day – such as fare rises, ironing board seats, and capacity constraints.

A classic example is promised electrification schemes being scaled back, but not before orders for new diesel trains were cancelled, meaning that older trains such as ‘Pacers’ – a symbol for some of all things bad on the railway – now have to soldier on into 2020.

There are many other issues at stake in this election – one big one, of course – but it seems our railways are at a pivotal point, and wherever you put your ‘X’ on December 12 will have an impact for years to come.

Paul Bickerdyke

Please do not send images that have already been sent to other publications. Prints & slides are sent at the owner’s risk and must be accompanied by a SAE for return. Digital images can be sent by email, but please bear in mind we may not be able to reply to every one, as we receive hundreds of images each week.

Although care will be taken with submissions, Rail Express assumes no responsibility for loss/damage, however caused. Submitted material may also be used in connection with other Mortons Media Group projects or as content on the internet. Payment for material used will be made promptly. Please send digital submissions to RailExpressEditor@mortons.co.uk or via CD or DVD to the editorial address.

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ADVERTISING

Group advertising manager Sue Keily skeily@mortons.co.uk Advertising Fiona Leak Tel: 01507 529573 Email: fleak@mortons.co.uk Publishing director Dan Savage Publisher Tim Hartley Production editor Sarah Wilkinson Designer Tracey Markham Reprographics Jonathan Schofield Subscription manager Paul Deacon Circulation manager Steve O’Hara

EDITORIAL

Want to know when your next edition of Rail Express is on the shelves?

Editor Paul Bickerdyke Tel: 01507 529540 Email: RailExpressEditor@mortons.co.uk Editorial address Rail Express Magazine, Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ

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Nigel Burkin Editor Rail Express Modeller

Alistair Grieve Shunters

David Russell

Preservation Units Coaches

Gareth Bayer Power by the hour Wagons

David Rapson Powerscene

William Watson Irish Angle (with Alan McFerran)

Christopher Westcott LU World (with Piers Connor)

‘Industry Witness’ News Writer

SCOTTISH SPLENDOUR: A stunning, and very different, view of Kyle of Lochalsh station as it juts out into the sea inlet between the mainland and the Isle of Skye – taken by drone after the arrival of Locomotive Services’ Type 4 No. 47593 and the ‘Lord of the Isles Statesman’ on October 20. The tour had started from Stevenage the day before with Nos. 47593 and 47501 (D1944) working in multi, but the latter failed en route and was removed at Tyne Yard.

Classmate No. 47810 (D1924) was added at Edinburgh, but this too was removed on the homeward leg on October 21 with suspected wheel damage following a derailment in the loop at Tweedmouth, near Berwick-upon-Tweed. Phoenix Images

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NEWSDESK

Heljan ‘OO’ Class 86/0 prototypes DEVELOPMENT of the latest version of Heljan’s ‘OO’ gauge Class 86 had reached the pre-production stage at the time of writing. The models have been approved for tooling with decorated samples expected early in 2020.

Heljan’s Version 2/3 of the Class 86 represents the 100-stong class of AC electric locomotives from introduction in 1965 when painted in an early BR blue scheme with white roofs, until renumbering under TOPS as Class 86/0.

The model does not feature (pre-dates) the fitting of ‘flexi-coil’ suspension, intended to reduce track damage caused by the higher unsprung mass resulting from the use of axlehung traction motors.

Heljan arranged for one of the Class 86 pre-production models to be finished in rail blue livery with full yellow ends and TOPS numbers to give an idea of how the new model will appear in 1970s condition.

Seven different liveries

Heljan has released details of the first liveries to be applied in its brand-new AL6 and Class 86/0, which includes three models finished in early BR

blue with white roofs with small warning panel; full yellow panel and as introduced with no yellow on the cab fronts and red bufferbeams.

Four models are to be finished in

Three models will be offered in early rail blue condition with white cab roofs and either a small yellow panel, no yellow panel or full yellow ends with E-prefixed numbers.

The small yellow panel version of the early BR blue model. The four character headcode boxes will be illuminated with LEDs.

An unpainted pre-production model with the new design of Stone-Faiveley pantograph and early condition bogies.

standard rail blue with full yellow ends, black underframes and fitted with cast double arrows representing the 1960s with E-prefixed numbers as AL6 and the 1970s and early 1980s with TOPS numbers as the Class 86/0 sub-class. The latter consisted of locomotives equipped with one of the two similar types of traction motor used in Class 86s and not selected for flexi-coil suspension fitment.

Detailing has been refined and brand-new models of the Stone-Faiveley pantograph will be fitted, which will be finer in appearance to the one used on Version 1 of the model. It will also use Heljan’s proven and highly respected four-wheel drive mechanism with allwheel current collection, frame mounted motor and brass flywheels.

The body shell, detailing and bogies are new toolings with details specific to the 1965 to early 1980s era, matching the proposed liveries. Sanding gear detail will be fitted to those models finished in post 1973 condition. In all, it promises to be a treat for West Coast Main Line modellers of the BR blue era.

The suggested retail price is £189.95 and advanced orders can be placed with Heljan stockists.

Large scale ‘Grid’ revealed by Heljan HELJAN has finalised the CAD stage of the development of its brand-new ‘O’ gauge Class 56 and has authorised the design for tooling.

Specification for the new Class 56 model includes one motor and

Heljan has completed the design of its brand-new ‘O’ gauge Class 56 model and tooling has been approved.

flywheel assembly fitted to each bogie which should produce enough traction to haul a long rake of Dapol’s HAA wagons.

Working head, tail and cab lights will be fitted using LEDs, whilst DCC-users will welcome the simple screw terminal connection for decoder installation.

The CAD pictures released

by Heljan depicts a late Doncaster or Crewe-built variant of the locomotive with exposed bufferbeam, surface mounted marker lights and a raised air

M10 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller December 2019

Fully modelled cabs with detailed bulkheads and flush glazing are just part of the model’s anticipated high level of detailing.

horn grille applied to the cab fronts.

To the side, the standard cab side window arrangement is included alongside the correct pattern of radiator grilles for the build. Detailing of the injection moulded plastic body shell will include etched grilles, locomotive-specific details such as two different hand rail and door handle arrangements, together with optional radio aerials fitted to the cab roof. Cab detailing will include bulkhead detail, driver’s desk and controls alongside seats and flush glazing.

The specification for the model

Each bogie will be fitted with a motor and flywheel assembly, whilst electronics includes LED lighting and provision for a smoke generator for simulated exhaust effects.

also includes fully working cooling fans (two of them), provision in the body for fitting a smoke unit for exhaust effects and space for digital sound speakers has been made in the fuel tank and battery box area of the underframe.

Due for release at the end of 2020, the model is shaping up to be an impressive replica of a popular heavy freight locomotive with a great deal of scope for different liveries and traffics.

Livery details, locomotive numbers and prices remain to be confirmed by Heljan.

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