Rail Express August 2014

WABTEC visit

Behind the scenes in Kilmarnock

● NR fined £50m ● First ‘456’ for SWT ● Electrification threat

RAIL EXPRESS No. 219 AUGUST 2014

Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast

40 PAGES

OF MODELLING: ● MoD RAILWAYS

BOx TO BOx RETRO Signal boxes in the Cardiff Valleys

In the privatisation era

● 1990s BRAKE VANS

Their last hurrah in traffic

● APT-E PROJECT

Rapido announces 4mm model

Editor’s comment PRINT & DISTRIBUTION Newstrade & distribution COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE.

Paul Bickerdyke

01895 433600 Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton Published Third Thursday of every month

Rail Express Editor

This issue July 17, 2014 Next issue August 21, 2014

Welcome...

W

HEN Yorkshire won the bid to stage the Grand Départ of this year’s Tour de France bike race, there were many that scoffed and wondered how this could be. But anyone who saw the scenes on the television or in a newspaper will know that the critics were proved well and truly wrong.

The start of this year’s tour has been described as the best ever – not just by the team behind the Yorkshire bid, as you might expect – but by the tour organisers themselves. Its general director Christian Prudhomme said the number of spectators during stages one and two in Yorkshire had been “unbelievable”, and five times winner Bernard Hinault said he had never seen crowds like it in 40 years of cycling.

An estimated 2.5 million people turned out to see the cyclists race between Leeds and Harrogate on July 5 and York and Sheffield on July 6. Together with a third stage from Cambridge to London on July 7, the total number of spectators in the first three days amounted to a significant proportion of the 12 million the race normally gets over its whole three weeks!

One problem, though, was how to get to see the event. Roads were closed for hours before and after the cyclists, so for many the only option was to go by train. The three main train operating companies in Yorkshire – Northern Rail, TransPennine Express and

Advertising deadline August 8, 2014 ISSN No 1362 234X ©Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this

East Coast – all responded to the challenge and provided extra and longer trains.

There was an added bonus for rail enthusiasts, too, as three sets were loco-hauled, featuring Classes 20, 47, 57 and 67 at the sharp end. TPE’s set even recalled former days of travel across the Pennines by running ‘47s’ between Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough.

Despite all the planning, the sheer numbers wanting to travel were beyond expectations, leading to queues up to three hours long at Leeds on July 5 for those trying to get to the finish in Harrogate.

Leeds handled nearly 250,000 people that day, some 50% up on normal and well above the numbers at other peak times, such as just before Christmas.

On the whole, though, the railways coped well and everyone involved should be proud of the part they played in making this not just a regional success, but a national and international one too.

Our review on pages 8-10 covers all the major workings and the locos involved. A particularly nice touch were the bicycle wheels painted onto the buffers of DRS’ No. 57308 County of Staffordshire (see the front cover) – just one small example of how everyone bought in to making this the best Grand Départ the Tour de France has ever seen.

Paul Bickerdyke

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.

Rail Express is pleased to consider contributions for publication 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 each one, as we can 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 Divisional advertising manager Sue Keily skeily@mortons.co.uk Advertising Fiona Leak Tel: 01507 529573; Email: fleak@mortons.co.uk Production manager Craig Lamb Publishing director Dan Savage

Like us on facebook facebook.com/RailExpressMag Follow us on twitter@railexpress Visit our website railexpress.co.uk

Publisher Tim Hartley Designer Rosie Ward Reprographics Jonathan Schofield Subscription manager Paul Deacon Circulation manager Steve O’Hara

EDITORIAL

Simon Bendall Editor Rail Express Modeller Power by the Hour Shunter Spot Name Game Spectrum

Editor Paul Bickerdyke

David Rapson Powerscene

Christopher Westcott LU World (with Piers Connor)

RailExpressEditor@mortons.co.uk

Tel: 01507 529540 Editorial address Rail Express Magazine, Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ Member of the Professional Publishers Association

David Russell Preservation Railtours Unitary Authority Coach Compartment

Gareth Bayer Wagons Roll

William Watson Irish Angle (with Alan McFerran)

Independent publisher since 1885

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

Why not just ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month

CONTENTS

Issue No. 219 August 2014

The railways in the North played a major role in getting thousands of people to see the start of this year’s Tour De France, which began with two stages from Leeds to Harrogate and York to Sheffield on July 5 and 6 respectively. As part of its promotional activities, Northern Rail reliveried DMU No. 158849 with an eyecatching yellow-themed design, which is the colour worn by the leader of the bike race. The unit is captured at Dryclough Junction, Halifax, on July 6 on its way to Hebden Bridge. David Rodgers

8 NEwS

The Tour de France takes Yorkshire by storm, and the railways play their part; electrification threat to through TransPennine services; first passenger train over Doncaster North Chord; Network Rail profits up but performance down.

16 wABTEC SCoTLAND

A look behind the scenes at the Kilmarnock outpost currently refurbishing Mk.3s for FGW.

18 BoX To BoX: SoUTH wALES

We take a nostalgic look back at now-closed boxes in the Cardiff Valleys.

26 0 To 60: CLASS 323

The surprisingly nippy units of Cheshire.

27 MoMENT IN TIME: LoNGMooR A 1966 railtour to the Hampshire military railway produced some rare diesel haulage.

MODELLING

Including an examination of the various MoD railways, which offer a wide range of interest, plus modelling NR ‘57/3s’ and GLVs, and all the latest news and reviews.

40 PowER BY THE HoUR

Riviera ‘47s’ back in action; first RVEL ‘Ultra’ Class 73 unveiled; Class 68s stutter into use.

42 PowERSCENE

Our round-up of noteworthy loco workings.

29 EXPRESS MAILBAG

51 UNITARY AUTHoRITY

30 TIME TRAVELLER

53 SHUNTER SPoT

31 LU woRLD

54 CoACH CoMPARTMENT

No surprise a ‘Western’ beat a ‘67’; XP64 query solved; why Claydon ‘66’ went ‘beyond the gate’.

News from August over the past five decades.

Schoma locos converted to battery/electric use.

32 RAILToURS

Pathfinder trip sees third Class 70 work a tour.

34 PRESERVATIoN

Second Class 50 sold to Boden Rail; Embsay Class 47 to be reactivated; Daisy goes to NYMR.

Class 377/7s finally enter traffic, allowing first ‘319’ to leave for use by Northern Rail.

Fleet shuffles for Alstom and FGW.

Mk.1 buffet heads home to East Anglia.

55 wAGoNS RoLL

Twin jib crane conversion shown off at Brodie’s.

56 IRISH ANGLE

Northern Irish Rail unveils expansion plans; Irish Rail Mk.3s hauled north for scrapping.

Extra trains for the Tour de France in Yorkshire over the weekend of July 5-6 saw three loco-hauled sets drafted in using a total of eight locos from Classes 20, 47, 57 and 67. DRS No. 57308 was specially adorned with bicycle wheel buffers, seen at Leeds on the first day with the 13.30 to Harrogate. Brian Battersby

Infrastructure

Box-to-box Retro T

HE opening of the Cardiff Regional Operating Centre in 2010 spelt the beginning of the end for manual signalboxes in Wales.

Prior to 2010 many manual boxes had survived, not only in the South Wales Valleys but also in West and North Wales. By 2020, more than 40 other manual boxes from Holyhead in the north to Clarbeston Road in the west will be closed and relocated to computer screens in the Cardiff ROC. This article looks back at the boxes in the Cardiff Valleys, many of which have already closed in 2014.

Perhaps the first major rationalisation in the Valleys during the diesel era came in 1984 when Heath Junction was remodelled to free up land for house building. The old Great Western box was replaced by a portable building and NX panel.

The small panel at Heath fringed with the Cardiff power box to the south and Aber box to the

In a special edition of our regular feature on manual signalboxes, Michael Rhodes looks back to the days of semaphores in the Welsh Valleys north of Cardiff.

north until 1987, when Aber Junction closed – coincident with the closure of the ‘big hill’ from Aber to Walnut Tree Junction, a coal route giving coal from the Rhymney Valleys direct access to Radyr Yard and avoiding Cardiff.

Then in 2013 the last two boxes in the Rhymney Valley at Ystrad Mynach and Bargoed closed, with the portacabin at Heath Junction also closing and all control handed over to the Cardiff ROC. The Taff Vale lines north from Radyr diverge at Pontypridd and again at Abercynon. By the 1980s, the Rhondda Valley line had just two signalboxes at Gyfeillion Upper (adjacent to Tymawr colliery) and Porth. The small manual box at Porth was unique in that it opened in 1981 with a 16-lever frame and was the last lever box to be opened in the UK.

1 1. Bargoed. In July 2000, the loco-hauled commuter trains on the rhymney Valley Line were in the hands of Class 37s. Here split-box No. 37023 arrives at Bargoed with the 07.40 rhymney to Cardiff. In the background is the 1970-built 50-lever box – it had been ‘recycled’ from a 1960 box at Cymner afan. Bargoed closed in 2013.

18 raIL eXPress august 2014

2

Infrastructure

3 2. YstRad MYnacH. in 1994, class 150 no. 150261 passes Ystrad Mynach south signalbox with a Rhymney to Merthyr service via cardiff. the signalbox, thought to have opened in 1886, contained 45 levers when this view was taken. it closed in 2013 when it, Bargoed and the Heath Junction panel box were incorporated into the cardiff Regional operating centre.

3. aBeR. in 1978, class 47 no.47233 passes aber Junction box with an aberthaw to cwm Bargoed coal working. to the right of the engine, the lines to Radyr can be seen.

4. HeatH Junction. Back in 1979 there was still a daily trip from caerphilly tar plant to Radyr Yard, and one such working is seen behind class 37 no.37281 heading south past Heath Junction. the line on the left is the coryton branch and to the left of this was the Heath Model engineers’ steam railway. When the signalbox closed in november 1984, the model engineers relocated to the nearby Heath Park. the 77-lever Heath Junction frame was replaced by a small nX panel in a portable building.

4 august 2014 raIL eXPress 19

PRESERVATION STAY ON OR BAIL? That’s the choice at Williton, West Somerset Railway, as ‘Hymek’ No. D7017 heads into the station from Bishops Lydeard while ‘Warship’ No. D832 Onslaught waits in the platform loop with a train from Minehead. This superb shot from the front window was taken on June 7 during the WSR’s mixed-traffic weekend.

The ‘Warship’ carries a commemorative wreath to mark 70 years since the D-day landings in France during the Second World War. Ethan Lane

36 RAIL EXPRESS August 2014

PRESERVATION

Greyhound stopped THE Diesel Traction Group’s ‘Warship’ No. D821 Greyhound, which gained full yellow ends before taking part in the West Somerset Railway’s mixedtraffic weekend, has not returned to the Severn Valley Railway as originally planned. It has been stopped for maintenance and may visit Old Oak Common for some work to be carried out.

Passenger numbers at the WSR gala were up by 4% on the previous year.

The West Somerset Railway’s mixed-traction weekend on June 7-8 saw various combinations of locos from Classes 35, 42 and 52 paired up – including ‘Warship’ No. D821 Greyhound and ‘Western’ No. D1015 Western Champion, which are seen leaving Blue Anchor with a Bishops Lydeard-Minehead working on the first day.

Steve Donald

‘Daisy’ to be reunited with centre car A move on loan to the NYMR will see No. 101685 become a three-car set once again.

FORMER Longsight celebrity Class 101 DMU No. 101685 Daisy, formed of vehicle Nos. 50160+50164, has been loaned to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. It will provide cover for the line’s own two power cars, Nos. 50163 and 50204, which are both in need of overhaul.

No. 101685 was moved by road from the Llangollen Railway, where it had been taking part in the line’s DMU gala on June

21-22, to the NYMR on June 30.

The centre car which operates with the two NYMR vehicles – Trailer Standard Lavatory No. 59539 – is to be inserted between the two power cars from No. 101685. This trailer is the centre car which previously formed part of No. 101685 when it was painted into green livery for use on the Blaenau Ffestiniog branch in the 1990s. It is somewhat faded in comparison with the two power

cars, so is likely to undergo a repaint to bring it up to the same standard as Nos. 50160/64, both of which have recently been overhauled at Butterley.

Withdrawn from service on December 24, 2003, No. 101685 entered preservation in 2005 and has had spells at the Elsecar Railway and Chasewater Railway.

■ NRM 108 BOUND FOR EAST KENT: Another DMU on the move is the

National Railway Museum’s Class 108 set, Nos. 51562+51922. A resident at the East Lancashire Railway since 2011, it is being transferred to the East Kent Railway and it is hoped to have the unit running in time for it to appear at the line’s gala on July 26-27.

Its arrival will enable the line’s resident Class 101 (Nos. 50256+ 56343) to be taken out of traffic for attention.

■ NORTH NORFOLK GREEN: The NNR held its diesel gala on June 13-15, with visiting locos including Class 14 No. D9531, Class 20 No. D8059 (20059), Colas Class 37 No. 37219, Class 40 No. D306 (40106) Atlantic Conveyor and Class 50 No. 50007 Hercules.

ABOVE: On the first day proper of the gala, No. D306 looks magnificent at Holt after arriving with the 14.33 DMU ‘drag’ from Weybourne. Aubrey Evans LEFT: On the day before the gala started, an EMRPS charter saw Class 37 No. D6732 (37032) from the home fleet haul an unfitted freight along the line, pictured here at the country station of Weybourne. Gary Thomas

August 2014 RAIL EXPRESS 37

D&E FILES

A busy scene at MoD Ludgershall during March 2003 as a mixed livery rake of VAA/VBA vans is unloaded by a forklift, the palletised load being placed on a Leyland DROPS lorry. To the left, a Ruston & Hornsby 0-6-0 diesel hydraulic shunter awaits its next move with palletised fuel cans and spare wheels alongside it.

MoD internal railway systems Despite much contraction over the decades, a number of Ministry of Defence army depots still retain their own railway networks along with a fleet of internal user wagons. Graeme Elgar describes the operation of such sites in the years since the privatisation of British Rail. All photographs by the author.

MILITARY railways are one of the lesser known parts of the modern rail freight network. A large amount of MoD related traffic is carried between geographically diverse depots, these ranging from Glen Douglas at the bottom of the West Highland Line to Shoeburyness in Essex and Marchwood on the west bank of the Solent.

Throughout the privatisation era, haulage has been provided by EWS/DB Schenker, the company taking over the contract upon its acquisition of Railfreight Distribution in 1997.

There are specific trains devoted to

the MoD contract in the timetable, which are centred upon the yards at Mossend, Carlisle and Didcot. The traffic is carried in various forms, ranging from armour and road vehicles on bespoke wagons to palletised consignments in vans or open wagons.

Depot working

Since the start of the 1990s, containers have played an ever increasing role in the movement of military goods at the expense of traditional wagons, and now account for a large proportion of traffic.

EWS Class 66 No. 66174 waits to propel the 6A48 trip to Didcot Yard out of the exchange sidings and past the gate house at MoD Bicester on October 18, 2006. The short working includes a VKA van and at least two PFA two-axle container wagons.

M10 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller August 2014

A lot of MoD depots have lightly laid 75lb per yard track and tight curvature, which precludes the use of main line locos beyond the exchange sidings, so the MoD has a fleet of Thomas Hill-built Vanguard and Steelman 0-4-0 industrial shunters to move wagons around the various depots. Some depots are relatively small, but others such as Bicester, Kineton and Marchwood are both large and busy.

When a train enters the security gates at the exchange sidings, the EWS/DBS loco normally leaves its train

there and couples on to any outgoing traffic. Time spent within the sidings is usually minimal, so as soon as the train list has been checked and a brake test carried out, the return service is ready to leave. Most MoD bases are today served largely by trip workings, for example Bicester and Kineton are fed from Didcot while traffic for Marchwood is staged at Eastleigh Yard.

The wagons that have just arrived in the exchange sidings are collected by the depot shunter and taken to the sorting sidings. Here, the train is split according to the wagons’ destinations

Two long term residents at Bicester are VKAs Nos. 210405 (all-over black) and 210622 (Lovat Spring vinyls), the pair being recorded in Graven Hill Yard, Bicester, on March 15 this year. In the background are both types of curtain-side PMA along with a former BR ferry van. The skyline is dominated by one of the disused coal ďŹ red boiler houses.

Supplement No.124

D&E FILES within the particular base and any internal-only wagons added as required, it being common for the two wagon fleets to be intermingled in this way while moving around the system.

Traffic for other depots is taken to the sorting sidings where the train is made up to be taken on to the exchange sidings for later collection.

Bicester in focus

The internal system at Bicester was built during the Second World War and consists of two circuits, Graven Hill and Arncott, linked by a single track main line. The latter connection along with parts of the circuits have been upgraded in recent years with heavier track and ballast, and the railway continues to be used today thanks to the inadequate local road network and opposition to MoD related vehicles passing through villages.

The line was previously fully signalled with key token working over the single line and a ‘Regulator’ (Yard Master/Supervisor) at each yard who would give instructions and tasks to traincrews. There were often three shunters and traincrews out on a daily basis at Bicester with a loco working each circuit and one working traffic

Recently repainted Steelman No. 301 Flack shunts at Graven Hill, Bicester, on March 25, 2003. Behind the three internal use exBAOR Warflats is a mixed selection of stored coaches, including a Mk.2f FO, two Virgin-liveried Mk.3 buffets and a Mk.1 TSO.

between the two. More recently, with less traffic travelling along the main line, the signalling has been removed, the points are hand worked and the single line operated on a ‘one train working’ basis.

At Bicester, intermodal traffic is taken to the ‘Gun Park’ sidings for unloading and any outgoing loads picked up and transferred to the sorting sidings. The destinations of both main line and internal wagons are

identified and are taken around the depot to be dropped off at loading bays/ warehouses as needed and others collected.

Until the depot trips became fully fitted, a brake van was attached to each trip. For the run along the main line from Graven Hill to Arncott, a brake van was required even after running fully fitted became compulsory, as this simplified matters when going through the security gates en-route as well as

at Ambroseden level crossing.

Up to 2000 or so, most trains ran unfitted and wagons were loose shunted with staff using brake sticks and shunting poles to ‘throw off’ wagons down sidings, where their progress was checked using the handbrakes. For the most part, the airbraked main line wagons had their brakes ‘leaked off’ and were run unbraked as most of the internal stock was either unfitted or vacuum fitted.

Ruston & Hornsby 0-6-0 diesel hydraulic No. 433 was based at MoD Ludgershall in March 2003. Today, this is Chiltern Railways’ No. 01509 at Aylesbury depot.

The most modern shunter design in the MoD fleet is the Steelman, as built by Thomas Hill in 1987-88. No. 270 Greensleeves is seen at Bicester in September 1996.

Carrying the current Defence Rail & Container Services purple and white livery, TOPSnumbered Vanguard No. 01542 was busy shunting at Ashchurch on February 28, 2004.

One of the most unusual shunter types to be employed were the Minilok DH60 road/rail machines, one being seen at Bicester in April 2003.

Supplement No. 124

❯

August 2014 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M11

REVIEWS

GAUGE 4mm:1ft

19921997

EXPRESS RATING

ERA

Kernow completes its weedkiller The Cornish retailer has released two Mk.1 coaches to allow its ‘OO’ Chipman weedkiller set to be finished.

NOW available from Kernow Model Rail Centre is the final element required to complete its limited edition representation of the Nomix-Chipman weedkiller train.

Having already produced models of the Hunslet Barclay Class 20/9s and TTA water tanks over the past few years, the missing part of the ‘OO’ gauge rake was the modified Mk.1 coaches.

As if often the case for readyto-run models of departmental stock, the two coaches are representations of the real things rather than fully accurate models due to the number of bespoke modifications that cannot be catered for by Bachmann’s tooling. Normally operated with four coaches, Kernow has chosen to recreate the two vehicles that were the least modified, these being former TSO staff and dormitory coach No. CC99017 and ex-BCK dormitory and store coach

GAUGE 4mm:1ft

1950s1960s

No. CC99016 (39-000P, £79.99).

Displaying the TOPS code PPA, the pair carry the two-tone grey livery that was applied for the 1992 season and carried through to the set’s demise after the 1997 campaign.

A very nice job has been made of the livery with excellent lettering and lining and, in places, printed representations of the body modifications. No. CC99017 correctly sports a yellow end at one end only while the private owner registration plates are printed on the solebars. The white finished interiors also help disguise the fact that they are standard passenger mouldings.

Limited to 500 examples, Kernow reports that 80% of the run has already been sold. Although such limited editions are not for everyone due to the number of compromises involved, they are undoubtedly well executed.

EXPRESS RATING

ERA

GAUGE 4mm:1ft

China clay wagons return ANOTHER new limited edition release from Kernow Model Rail Centre is its latest run of BR diagram 1/051 china clay wagons (33-080X, £42.99, 500 pieces). Last produced in 2010 but always popular, this latest 4mm triple pack depicts the famous end tipping wagons in their original 1950s-1960s form with flat grey tarpaulins.

Numbered as B743687, B743788 and

B743802, all three are finished in BR bauxite with a moderate coat of white weathering over the underframe and lower bodysides.

One of the oldest models in Bachmann’s range, the wagons lack NEM coupling pockets while the cloth tarpaulins, which lift off if desired, really need upgrading to a plastic version as recently seen on Kernow’s exclusive ‘N’ gauge version of the clay opens.

Another welcome alteration to the model would be the replacement of the roller bearings with the far more common plate axleboxes. Still, the models look the part and are an easy way to put together a china clay train for a BR green hydraulic to haul.

M32 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller August 2014

1970s- ERA 1980s

S&T wagons from Invicta NEWLY released from Invicta Model Rail is a Bachmann-produced ‘OO’ gauge triple pack of five-plank open wagons (33-079Z, £35.99, 504 pieces). These portray a trio of 13t pre-nationalisation wagons based at Crewe for use by the Signal & Telegraph department in the late 1970s and very early 1980s. The chosen identities are former LMS examples Nos. DM417836 and KDM418631 along with ex-Great Western No. KDW138238.

However, the wagons are very much a compromise as with Bachmann not having a suitable five-plank high open wagon in its range, the models employ

the BR china clay wagon tooling, complete with end door and roller bearings but minus tarpaulins. While such a decision will likely put some purchasers off, if it can be overlooked the three wagons are very nicely finished. Featuring a weathered bauxite livery, all three have replacement planks picked out in olive green along with excellent printing of the various stencilled and hand painted lettering.

Reviews by Simon Bendall EXPRESS RATING

Supplement No.124

GAUGE 4mm:1ft

21

PIN

DCC

READY

19671970

EXPRESS RATING

REVIEWS

ERA

Invicta releases unique MLV

Now available from Invicta Model Rail is a limited edition of the only Class 419 to receive BR blue in the 1960s.

RECENT weeks have seen several new versions of the Class 419 Motor Luggage Van (MLV) released by Bachmann in ‘OO’ gauge. Although the new releases have tended to concentrate on the colourful sector liveries of Network SouthEast, LSE ‘Jaffa Cake’ and Royal Mail (the latter for the Bachmann Collectors’ Club), a further corporate era release has also appeared.

Produced exclusively for Sidcupbased Invicta Model Rail, this depicts No. S68004 in all-over BR rail blue (31267Z, £109.99). One of 10 MLVs built for the Kent Coast electrification project, they were used to provide sufficient luggage space on boat trains operating to Dover and Folkestone from London Victoria.

Fitted with banks of batteries, this allowed the MLVs to work forward over non-electrified quayside lines to enable the luggage to be transferred directly to the waiting ships.

Delivered in all-over BR multiple unit green, No. S68004 would become the first MLV to receive a repaint, emerging in the then new BR blue livery with full yellow ends in March

1967. Subsequently, British Rail chose to adopt the blue/grey livery for its express EMU stock, meaning that the remaining nine MLVs gained this scheme upon repainting in 1968-70.

This left No. S68004 as the odd one out and it was the summer of 1970 before it received another repaint to bring it into line with its sisters.

One other MLV would receive BR blue but not until the early 1990s.

Following relegation to use as a depot shunter at Strawberry Hill in the spring of 1993, No. 68003 would be repainted to smarten it up. Displaying a number of lettering differences compared to No. S68004, it would not stray from

Sector era Mk.1 coaches arrive ALSO new from Invicta Model Rail this month are two limited edition twinpacks of Bachmann Mk.1 coaches, the ‘OO’ gauge models portraying vehicles from the Sectorisation era.

First up is a pair of Mk.1 Full Brakes (BG), these being decorated in the red livery of the Parcels sector (39-001Y, £74.99, 504 pieces). Both are numbered as NEAs in the 921xx series and correctly ride on the B4 bogies associated with this number range. The most notable of the duo is No. 92108 which carries the plain red version of the Parcels livery without the yellow stripes along the lower bodysides. This is the first time that this basic livery has appeared on the Bachmann model so it is a welcome bit of variation.

Joining it is No. 92138, which sports the full version of the livery with yellow stripes and BR arrows. This colour scheme has previously appeared as

part of Bachmann’s standard range but the new running number is welcome.

Both are well finished and perfect for parcels trains in the 1989-1995 period.

Joining them is a pair of Mk.1 Brake Second Corridor (BSK) coaches in Network SouthEast colours, these depicting EMU translator coaches Nos. ADB975875 and ADB977087 (39-001X, £74.99, 504 pieces). Employed to move EMUs from workshops to depots, the translators allowed the hauling loco to control the unit’s brakes, enabling the train to run fully-braked and consequently at a higher speed. During this period, the coaches required an ETH-fitted loco to power the on-board equipment so a Class 47 was the usual motive power.

The models depict the two vehicles as running circa 1988-90 before the windows were over-painted in NSE blue. Due to tooling limitations,

the depot until withdrawal a couple of years later.

Turning to the model, it is well finished in Bachmann’s usual shade of rail blue with the limited printing being well executed. Limited to 512 pieces, the tooling is the same as the standard MLV releases, meaning there are minor detail issues due to the build variations between the Phase 1 (Nos. 68001/2) and Phase 2 (Nos. 68003-10) units.

However, these are nothing to particularly worry about and the MLV certainly looks the part. For modellers of the Southern in the late 1960s, the model will certainly provide a bit of colour variation in a boat train.

GAUGE 4mm:1ft

they do not feature the modified compartment ends, where the gangway connection was removed to allow the required EMU coupling and brake pipes to be fitted. Nonetheless, they look good in the NSE livery.

19881995

ERA

Notably, all four coaches sport the revised roof tooling with the overly-prominent roof ribs now removed to leave a smooth finish.

Reviews by Simon Bendall

EXPRESS RATING

Supplement No. 124

August 2014 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller M33

ESSENTIAL READING FOR TODAY’S RAIL ENTHUSIAST

CALL 01507 529529 OVERSEAS CALL +44 (0)1507 529529.

LINES OPEN MON – FRI, 8.30AM – 7PM AND SATURDAYS, 8.30AM – 12.30PM

OR SIMPLY FILL IN THE FORM PROVIDED & RETURN TO OUR FREEPOST ADDRESS

FOLLOW US AT FACEBOOK.COM/ RAILEXPRESSMAG