Rail Express - January preview

THE UK’s FIRST GMs

40 years of NIR 111 Class

0-60 RETURNS!

Our time trial series is back with a Class 745

Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast

SWANSONG OF THE

RAIL EXPRESS No. 296 JANUARY 2021

‘483s’

‘

What it’s like to drive the veteran Island Line units

FLEX

’

STARTS WORK Converted unit carries its first passengers

MODELLING SECTION

■ ‘N’ GAUGE ‘GOYLE’ Full review of Farish stunner

■ RAPIDO UK

Six new models announced

■ PTAs IN FOCUS

Accurascale range examined

CONTENTS

Issue No. 296 January 2021

PLYMOUTH TRIO: Here is proof, if ever it were needed, that HSTs still play a role in long-distance inter-city services after more than 40 years, as no less than three CrossCountry sets were captured lined up at Plymouth on November 25. These were No. 43378 at the front of the 1S51/12.27 to Edinburgh, No. 43285 on the rear of the 1V44/06.11 from Leeds, and No. 43366 on the front of the 1M49/11.53 to Birmingham New Street. Jamie Dyke

FEATURES

NEWS

14

8

78

82

100 UP FOR FREIGHTMASTER

The printed version of the enthusiast’s guide to freight is about to end with the publication of its 100th edition.

SWANSONG OF THE ‘483s’

Two drivers recount their experiences with the Class 483/1938 Stock in London and on the Isle of Wight.

THE UK’S FIRST GMs

Five years before the Class 59s arrived in England, Northern Ireland took delivery of two 111 Class General Motors locos.

HEADLINE NEWS

Transport review will promote levelling up; ‘Aventras’ enter service with Greater Anglia; Funding for Irish rail schemes; Spread rails led to Sheffield derailment; More lines and stations proposed; Harrogate line goes tokenless; Funding for solar powered rail scheme; More money approved for Crossrail; HRA announces 2021 shortlists; Worksop cleared of wagons; Uncertain future for Elsecar Railway.

18

POWERSCENE

26

POWER BY THE HOUR

REGULARS 28

UNITS

88

TIME TRAVELLER

31

WAGONS

LETTERS & REVIEWS

32

COACHES

34

SHUNTERS & INDUSTRIALS

89

‘Peak Army’ at Dawlish; Three new books.

MODELLING

The highlight this month is Graham Farish’s ‘N’ gauge Class 31s, and we take an in-depth look at the retooled model. There is also news of Rapido Trains making a direct move into the UK market with six new models, and we show how to upgrade ready to run ‘OO’ gauge GUVs in a weekend project.

35 36

38

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Class 20s return to RHTT work; Return for LSL locos; Power cars go to store.

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Headlines from years gone by.

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Notable workings, Shed Talk, liveries & namings.

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‘Flex’ units enter service in South Wales.

Network Rail details new fleet.

More HSTs delivered to ScotRail; ETL buys more ex-Greater Anglia Mk.3s.

RSS shunter roundabout.

RAILTOURS

Class 69 highlight for GBRf charity tour.

PRESERVATION

125 Group acquires second HST power car; 4-SUB gains permanent home; Class 117 DMUs on the move; 'Goyle' action planned at Epping.

IRISH ANGLE

Dublin resignalling completed; Sperry Train kept busy through autumn.

The oldest EMUs on the national network are the Isle of Wight’s ex-London Underground Class 483s, which date back to the late-1930s, but by January 4 they should have all been withdrawn. Our feature on p78 takes a look at their operation, while the cover shot shows No. 483008 leaving Brading as the 12.49 Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin on September 21. Brad Joyce

Editor’s Comment PRINT & DISTRIBUTION

Newstrade & distribution Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. 0330 390 6555 Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton Published Third Friday of every month This issue December 18, 2020 Next issue January 15, 2021 Advertising deadline December 31, 2020 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.

All change at Ryde

M

ANY readers will have visited the Isle of Wight sometime over the last 30 years to sample the veteran Class 483 units rattling up and down the eight-mile route between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin.

These quirky units were converted from ex-London Underground 1938 Stock, making them by far the oldest trains in regular use on the national network.

But now their time is almost up, and from January 4 they will be taken out of traffic when the line is closed for three months while it is upgraded for their replacement Vivarail Class 484s – themselves based on former LU Stock, although this time heavily re-engineered and upgraded.

The island has relied on former LU Stock since the end of steam there in the mid1960s. Back then, the floor of the line’s only tunnel at Ryde was raised to help prevent flooding, but the downside was this made it too low for ‘standard-sized’ rail vehicles. This proved to be a massive mistake in hindsight, as the problem of sourcing suitable trains for the line has threatened it with closure at various times.

Now the future is rosy, however, with

Rail Express is pleased to consider contributions for publication

the ‘as new’ trains coming and improved infrastructure to allow a regular 30-minute service frequency from the spring.

Enthusiasts will no doubt miss the quirky ‘483s’ – and luckily at least two have been secured for preservation – but islanders and regular users will welcome the investment in their unique railway.

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.

IMPORTANT: Images should be ex-camera with no Photoshop manipulation.

ADVERTISING

Happy Christmas!

Talking of rosy futures, the roll out of the first coronavirus vaccine means we can now look forward to a much better 2021. As this is the last issue to be published in 2020, I would like to thank all our readers for your continued support in making this magazine what it is. I wish you a Merry Christmas, and look forward to meeting you out and about on the network again in a Happy New Year!

Paul Bickerdyke

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 Designers Tracey Markham, Tim Pipes Sales and distribution manager Carl Smith 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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Christopher Westcott

Nigel Burkin Editor Rail Express Modeller

David Rapson

Gareth Bayer Power by the hour Wagons

Alistair Grieve

LU World (with Piers Connor)

Powerscene

William Watson Irish Angle (with Alan McFerran)

Shunters

‘Industry Witness’ News Writer

SEA WALL STRENGTHENING: Network Rail has begun the next phase

of work to strengthen the Dawlish sea wall against damage by high tides and storms. The work eastwards from the station, which is expected to take up to two years to complete, involves the use of an eight-legged, jack-up barge known as a ‘Wavewalker’, said to be the only one of its kind in Europe. The giant structure is pictured in place on November 13 as Nos. 43207 and 43285 power CrossCountry’s 1V44/06.11 Leeds to Plymouth through the station. Robert Sherwood

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