HIGH-SPEED GCR
Could the former main line be a low-cost alternative to HS2?
PADDINGTON IEP GWR shows off the first Class 800 to receive its green livery
Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast
‘Westerns’ Shunters’ day out
KWVR CELEBRATES
CLASS 08 FLEET Cut-down cab loco hauls first-ever passenger train
to Falmouth The complete story from the long hot summer of 1976
■ High Speed 2 Key questions remain
■ LTM 1938 Stock
RAIL EXPRESS No. 243 AUGUST 2016
Getting back on track
40 PAGES
OF MODELLING
■ NUCLEAR ‘31s’
Profiling the 1980s locos
■ UNIQUE WAGONS Rare pictures of one-offs
■ 4-TC IN 4mm
Push-pull set unveiled
■ Class 68s start with Greater Anglia ■ Brexit threat to rail funding
CONTENTS
Issue No. 243 August 2016 GHOST TRAIN:
Commuters at Waterloo station on July 11 were greeted with the sight of a giant marshmallow man bursting up through the station concourse. It was part of a promotion for the latest Ghostbusters movie, the Stay Puft character being one of the monsters in the film. It was accompanied by fake ‘slime’ dotted around the station, as well as a pop-up shop designed to look like the entrance to a New York Subway stop, and fake business cards were handed out advertising Ghostbusting services. Sony Pictures
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HEADLINE NEWS
Brexit threat to regional funding; First IEP at Paddington; Staff disputes escalate on ScotRail and Southern; Class 68s start work with Greater Anglia; Southern cuts more than 300 services; GBRf says ‘92s’ are key for Caledonian Sleeper work; East Lancs return for ‘Warship’; DfT releases spec for South Western franchise; Tube stock on Regent Street; West Coast Railways fined £200k; ‘Ultra 73s’ fail again; Passenger satisfaction falls; Key questions remain for HS2.
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LU WORLD
32
REVIEWS
33 34
GCR ALTERNATIVE TO HS2?
Could rebuilding the former Great Central Main Line north of Aylesbury offer a low cost alternative to an all-new HS2?
‘WESTERNS’ TO FALMOUTH
There was a small window of opportunity for Class 52 haulage down the Falmouth branch in 1976, the locos' final summer, so how many made it?
0-60: CLASS 395
A return visit to HS1 in Kent to see if an Hitachi ‘Javelin’ can take top spot in our speed table.
MODELLING
This month we look at modelling the Class 31s dedicated to nuclear traffic in the 1980/90s, as well as RLA Underground Stock barrier wagons. Hornby’s Class 71 and Bachmann’s Covhops are reviewed, plus there’s news of a 4-TC set in ‘OO’ gauge from Kernow.
21st Century Grid Revival; The Railway Dilemma; Seventies Spotting Days: The Western Region.
DERBY TRAINMAN
The vital railway role played by milk and tea.
£21.50 NEVER MISS AN ISSUE... SUBSCRIBE TODAY – PAGE 20
TIME TRAVELLER
EXPRESS MAILBAG
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RAILTOURS
81
PRESERVATION
86
POWER BY THE HOUR
88
POWERSCENE
99
FROM ONLY
August news from the past 50 years.
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THEN & NOW: FALMOUTH
A test train in 1983 had to double up as a passenger train; in 2016 the NMT made the same trip, but sadly not in service.
Getting the LTM’s 1938 Stock back on track.
‘Desiros’ off the mark; ‘Teddy Bears’ on duty.
BLS targets NE ports; Class 68 heads to Alnmouth.
Rare outing for KWVR ‘08s’; IDRS ‘58’ moves to Peak Rail; Replacement ‘Thumper’ for Cricklade.
DRS ‘57s’ go into store; Riviera sells Class 47s.
Notable workings from around the country.
SHUNTER SPOT
A round-up of the latest news and moves.
100 UNITARY AUTHORITY
Class 387s move to Hornsey for staff training.
102 COACH COMPARTMENT
Second HST set emerges in GWR green livery.
103 WAGONS ROLL
New Freightliner MWAs use recycled parts.
104 IRISH ANGLE
Second heavy freight trial; IR’s Belmond plans.
Our main feature this month looks at ‘Westerns’ on the Falmouth branch in 1976, their final BR summer. No. D1015 Western Champion did not make it there that year, but did in 2010 with a railtour from Crewe. The loco was back in the West Country again this year, seen leaving Plymouth on May 7 with ‘The Western Challenger’ to Waterloo via Exeter and Okehampton. Nicholas Brook
HEADLINE NEWS
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‘Brexit’ threat to regional funding There could be less funding but also reduced red tape following Britain's vote to leave the European Union. By ‘Industry Witness’ THE European Union has had an increasing influence on the funding, organisation, and operation of railways in the UK. Now, following the vote to leave that took place at the end of June, there are unlikely to be any immediate changes. However, the stipulations contained in the European-wide railway regulations will not necessarily continue after the expiration of the two-year notice period that the Government must give.
NO MORE EU MONEY
The biggest impact could be felt on regional funding. For example, the Cardiff Metro initiative has qualified for an EU grant of £150 million, while there has been past funding of the Ipswich chord for freight traffic plus contributions to the North Western electrification project. As these monies are paid out of contributions to the EU budget, it would seem logical that they could be replaced by the UK Government that would no longer be making such
payments. Another result of being in the EU was that Britain embraced the track authority structure (Network Rail) with separate financial accounts, so that train operators have a level playing field in terms of what is paid for track access. This requirement has prevented the merger of Network Rail and train operators, although alliance structures have sought to create common working practices with varying degrees of success. If the UK is able to choose whether a Network Rail type of organisation is retained, the issue is likely to be swayed by how independent operators – such as the freight companies – are able to ensure they retain an appropriate share of network capacity. This will also apply to where regionally sponsored train operating companies share tracks with a primary operator.
INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT
The EU has created its own standards in areas such as vehicle acceptance and signalling, but framed much of the operational content from the UIC (Union
Internationale des Chemins de Fer), which was formed as long ago as 1922 when common standards were adopted to enable international services to cross borders. In Britain, the movement of freight traffic by train ferry ships operated under UIC procedures, and very few wagons capable of use on the continent were registered in Britain, so that most rolling stock used was owned by other state railways or freight forwarders. The original reason for this was that the train ferries were operated by British railway companies, and wagon ownership was a balancing mechanism in the operating costs to which the tariff structure was related. It is unlikely, therefore, that technical standards will change in the short term. But it is being suggested that passenger rolling stock used on domestic services may become cheaper, as standards are adopted that relate only to UK operating requirements. As the Channel Tunnel is subject to the terms of an international treaty, which will remain in place, the
arrangements for running trains through it will not change.
EUROSTAR TRAFFIC
Eurostar is owned by the French and Belgium governments – and, with the ownership of HS1 in the hands of overseas investment organisations, there is very little British involvement in the ownership structures. Train services are currently being expanded as Eurostar takes delivery of 34 eight-car Velaro e320 trainsets from Siemens, which will work in multiple through the tunnel to reach Amsterdam and locations on the French TGV network. The limited freight services that run through the tunnel are hauled by British-based freight operators, although DB Cargo (formerly EWS/DB Schenker) is an offshoot of Deutsche Bahn with the alternative licensed operator, GB Railfreight, owned by Eurotunnel. The regime for track and standards will continue, so all aspirations to increase the number of trains through the 'Chunnel' remain realistic. E
Staff disputes escalate on Southern and ScotRail By ‘Industry Witness’
FIRST IEP AT PADDINGTON: Great
Western Railway showed off the first of its Hitachi-built Class 800 bi-mode sets at the London terminus on June 30. No. 800004 formed a VIP special from Reading for an official reception on Platform 1. The set has been vinyled in GWR green livery with yellow nose ends, with one driving car No. 811004 named Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the other No. 815004 Sir Daniel Gooch. The unit is pictured arriving into Paddington, and then alongside HST power car No. 43005 (with No. 43041 at the rear) – which has
8 RAIL EXPRESS August 2016
also just received the new livery. IEPs should enter service with GWR from next year. Paul Bickerdyke
AN increasingly acrimonious dispute between the RMT union and both ScotRail and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) concerns the introduction of driver-only operations and removal of guards carrying out safety-critical work. Another dispute concerning the introduction of 12-car trains on Gatwick Express services has been resolved, but only after a formal legal process was invoked by GTR. ScotRail was hit by four days of strike action by conductor guards at the end of June as a result of plans to transfer door control to drivers, which is the intention for the operation of Class 385 units being built by Hitachi for introduction in 2017. Where possible, replacement bus services were organised, and the train operator reported that some 70% of usual passenger numbers were able to travel. No alternative service arrangements could be made on the Far North or Kyle of Lochalsh lines. Strikes have also taken place on the Southern network, which prompted the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) to re-iterate that the procedures for Driver Only Operation did not result in an increase in safety risk. It added that removing the risk of miscommunication between the driver and guard could deliver safety benefits.
PLATFORM RISK
There remains concern about the Platform Train Interface risk, where RSSB has active projects to improve procedures. This has been highlighted by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), which noted there had been 12 reportable incidents last year involving passengers having clothing and other items trapped in closing train doors, where the door-safety mechanism indicated it was safe to depart. It was the RAIB’s view that a risk assessment should be carried at each platform face to identify risks caused by characteristics such as curvature and crowded conditions. At many stations where longer train formations have been introduced, drivers now receive confirmation from platform despatch staff that it is safe to depart, and this process is likely to be extended – but it is not relevant to the retention of guards. ■ Another dispute about the operation of new Gatwick Express rolling stock in 12car formations was the subject of legal action by GTR. An appeal against an initial injunction to require drivers to operate the trains was dismissed by the High Court, which ruled that ASLEF should pay £250,000 in legal costs incurred for the hearings. As part of the judgment, GTR undertook not to take disciplinary action against individual drivers who had refused to operate services.
NOSTALGIA
No. D1022 Western Sentinel reverses out of the single-platformed Falmouth station on July 24, 1976 after arriving with the 08.22 from Truro. The loco will run round in the loop just outside the station, then reverse back in to form the 09.10 departure to Paddington. Roger Geach
‘Westerns’ TO FALMOUTH Forty years ago, in the dying days of the Maybach-powered ‘Westerns’, a new opportunity arose for haulage on the Falmouth branch. Paul Bickerdyke tells the story of this remarkable summer working.
T
HE summer of 1976 was one of the hottest Britain had seen since records began, leading to droughts, forest fires and insect invasions. On British Rail, with the introduction of HSTs imminent, it was notable as the last summer in service for the Class 52 ‘Westerns’. It was also the year when a through train was reintroduced between Falmouth and Paddington. There was a window of opportunity for ‘Western’-haulage on the branch. Would it produce? The Falmouth branch has seen changing fortunes over the years. Opened in the 1860s to serve the town’s docks, by the late 1960s the once medium-sized terminus had been reduced to a single-track platform with no goods facilities, and passenger traffic consisted simply of a shuttle to and from Truro. Worse was to come in December 1970, when a new
22 RAIL EXPRESS August 2016
Falmouth station opened nearer the town centre and the former terminus was closed – although the line was retained for limited freight traffic from the docks.
HOPES RAISED
In May 1975, however, a resurgence began when the original terminus was reopened to passengers to serve the south end of the town and nearby Pendennis Castle. The 1970 station was then renamed The Dell with the old one becoming Falmouth (today these are known as Falmouth Town and Falmouth Docks respectively). Then, something of a surprise, the summer timetable of 1976 brought
the reintroduction of a through train to Paddington on summer Saturdays. The train began as the 08.22 Truro to Falmouth stopping service. The rake of six non air-con Mk.2s was already at Truro from a previous day’s working from Paddington. The loco ran light from Penzance off an overnight van train from Paddington, and was booked for a Class 50 but hopes were high that a Class 52 would substitute. Because the terminus at Falmouth only had a single-track platform, the train had to reverse out of the station to where there is a run-round loop for docks traffic. Here the loco could swap ends and reverse back into the station to form the 09.10 to Paddington. Like
“Someone had a friendly word with the shed foreman at Laira, and hey presto July 17 produced the first ‘Western’ on the train”
many holidays trains in the BR era, it was tightly regulated: those without seat reservations could take it only as far as Truro, and one carriage was set aside for such local traffic.
LIMITED CHANCE
There were 22 Saturdays in the summer timetable that year, and expectation was high for the first one on May 8. Unfortunately for ‘Western’ fans, Class 50 No. 50050 was the rostered loco – which rubbed salt into the wound, as Class 50s were part of the downfall of the ‘Westerns’ after they had been transferred in from the London Midland Region following electrification of the West Coast Main Line through to Glasgow. Disappointment was to follow on the next nine Saturdays, which saw the train worked by a variety of Class 47s and 50s, but no 52s. It is said that
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LU WORLD
Christopher Westcott & Piers Connor
Getting back on track The London Transport Museum’s preserved 1938 Tube Stock – identical to the units still in everyday use on the Isle of Wight – is due to return to railtour duties on the London Underground network in 2017. THURSDAY, June 30 represented the same day and date, albeit 78 years later, that the first 1938 Tube Stock train entered passenger service on the Northern Line. The 1938 Tube Stock (TS) was designed by a team led by W S Graff-Baker, and represented the first Tube train that housed all its mechanical equipment beneath the seats and floor. The final design had been developed from a small number of prototype 1935TS driving motor cars, some of which were famously streamlined. Just one car of the original 1938TS has survived, No. 10012, which today is part of the London Transport Museum’s four-car 1938TS heritage train. The other three cars are from a variety of different units. No. 11012 served on the Northern and Bakerloo lines, yet was originally driving motor car No. 11178 until September 1983. It was renumbered after the original No. 11012 had been damaged beyond
repair in London Road Depot, near Elephant and Castle. No. 12048 was once part of an experimental nine-car train, then numbered No. 98048, while No. 012256 served on the Northern City branch between Finsbury Park and Moorgate in the early 1970s.
UNDERGROUND LIFE
In almost 50 years of passenger service, the 1938TS operated across the Northern, Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Metropolitan (Stanmore Shuttle), Central (Epping to Ongar shuttle) and East London Lines. A six-car train made up of two threecar units was infamously involved in the Moorgate disaster of February 28, 1975, when 43 passengers died as the train ran through the Underground station and hit the buffer stops. For the final year of service in 1985, the staff at Stonebridge Park depot on the Bakerloo Line proposed to return a seven-car 1938TS train back to ‘as-built’
condition, or as close to it as possible. To fund the project, advertising space was sold throughout the entire train to a West End agency, with much of the train publicising the musical ‘Starlight Express’, hence the term becoming associated with the surviving four-car unit today. First withdrawn from regular passenger service in 1985, five 1938TS trains were overhauled and returned to service on the Northern Line from September 15 the following year. This was as a result of increasing passenger numbers, and the deteriorating condition of the 1959TS that also served the line. They operated for another 20 months before the final passenger service ran on the evening of May 19, 1988 – just one month shy of the 50th anniversary of their introduction.
SURVIVORS
Of the seven cars of the original Starlight Express train, three survive today as part of the preserved four-
car unit. Of the others, following withdrawal Driving Motors Nos. 10291 and 11291 were earmarked for reuse on the Isle of Wight alongside several other 1938TS DMs, and were renumbered Nos. 127 and 227 respectively. Trailer No. 012371 was sent to Eastleigh as part of the Isle of Wight project – where 1938TS can still be found in everyday use shuttling between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin – but was subsequently scrapped. Meanwhile car No. 12027 was withdrawn prematurely due to a defect, with No. 12048 taking its place in the museum’s unit. Following withdrawal, the Starlight Express was stored, being displayed at the Northern Line Centenary depot open day in November 1990. It was then transferred to Cockfosters Depot in December 1991, and was once again on display at the Ruislip open day in May 1993. As the collection of the London
A view of the London Transport Museum’s preserved 1938 Tube Stock unit at Arnos Grove on July 21, 2013, before it went into its current overhaul programme. Sights like this should again be possible from next year. Charlie Johnson
30 RAIL EXPRESS August 2016
KERNOW UNVEILS ALL-NEW 4-TC EMU
No
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DIESEL AND ELECTRIC ERA MODELLING
ELECTRICAL SURGE Hornby’s Class 71 has arrived as DJ Models shows off painted samples of rival model
YOUR
40 PAGES
OF MODELLIN G
START
HERE! Profiling and modelling the Class 31 nuclear flask fleet
Modelling Underground stock RLA barrier vans
EXHIBITION DIARY
Midland Railex celebrates NSE The Midland Railway-Butterley will again be staging an exhibition in August, with 30 years of the sector as its theme.
In addition to its collection of NSE passenger stock, Tonbridge West Yard is also well known for its large variety of engineers’ vehicles, including scratchbuilt and heavily converted items. One of several cranes to be seen, in this case a Booths-built example, is included in a formation of ‘Mullet’, ‘Salmon’ and ‘Sturgeon’ wagons, all in the care of Class 33 No. 33052 Ashford. Gareth Bayer
THE latest model railway exhibition to join in the 30th anniversary celebrations of Network SouthEast will be Midland Railex on August 13-14. Now in its sixth year, the combined model and prototype event continues to be a success for the Midland Railway-Butterley, the proceeds of the show going towards many projects at the preserved line. The layout line-up was still being finalised as this column was written but at least three NSE-themed layouts will be on display. Most notably these
include the return to the exhibition circuit of Walford Town, the popular ‘EM’ gauge layout from the Leamington & Warwick Model Railway Society having been originally retired in 2010. Joining it is another heavyweight, this time in ‘OO’, in the form of Tonbridge West Yard, owner Paul Wade having made many scenic improvements and additions over recent months as well as adding new stock. Of a more recent vintage is the Nottingham Model Railway Society’s Streatham Mainline, the busy ‘OO’
gauge layout featuring a host of NSE stock along with freight traffic. Other confirmed attendees are Titheridge Junction from the Bradford MRC, the ‘N’ gauge model featuring Western Region motive power in the blue era, while in the same scale is the green/ blue transition Dunkow Road by Andy Small. The usual selection of traders will be in attendance as will Bachmann with its roadshow stand. Providing support to the NSE layouts will be an extensive display of models and
literature by Rail Express Modeller, this including reserve stock from Tonbridge West Yard that is not normally seen in public. As usual, an intensive shuttle service will operate from the public entrance at Butterley to the various exhibits at Swanwick Junction. Sadly, plans to have at least one NSE-liveried diesel in attendance and hauling the shuttles failed to come to fruition. Instead, home fleet locos will be in use with Nos. 31162, 46045 and 47401 all expected to be in action. E
DIARY DATES AUGUST 6
Exmoor Rail Model Railway Exhibition, The Minehead Eye, Mart Road, Minehead, Somerset. 10am-4.30pm. Adult £5, child £1, family £10.
AUGUST 6-7
St Andrew’s Model Railway Exhibition, St Andrew’s Town Hall, Queen’s Gardens, St Andrew’s, Fife. www.eastneukmrc.co.uk 10am-5.30pm Sat, 10.30am-5pm Sun. Adult £4, child £2.50.
AUGUST 13-14
Railwells 2016, Wells Town Hall, Market Place, Wells, Somerset. www.railwells.com 10.30am-5.30pm Sat, 10.30am-5pm Sun. Adult £6, unaccompanied child £4, accompanied child (under 14) free. Layouts include Drewry Lane (OO).
AUGUST 13-14
The Midland Railex Exhibition 2016, The Midland Railway-Butterley, Butterley Station, Ripley, Derbys. www.midlandrailex.co.uk
M26 RAIL EXPRESS Modeller August 2016
10am-4.30pm. Prices TBA See text for layout details.
AUGUST 20-21
Model Tram and Railway Exhibition, The National Tramway Museum, Crich Tramway Village, Crich, Derbys. www.tramway.co.uk 10am-5pm. Adult £16, OAP £12, child £9, family £39.
AUGUST 20-21
Scarborough and District Railway Modellers Exhibition, The Memorial
Hall, Potter Hill, Pickering, N. Yorks. www.sdrmweb.co.uk 10am-5pm Sat, 10am-4pm Sun. Adult £5, Concession £4.50, accompanied child free. Layouts include Invercalley (N) and Lomond Street (OO).
AUGUST 27-28
Border Rail 2016, The Auld Baths, Bath Street, Hawick, Scottish Borders. 10am-5pm Sat, 10am-4pm Sun. Adult £4, OAP £3, child £2.
Supplement No. 148
RAILTOURS
Gary Boyd-Hope
BLS teams up with GB Railfreight to go ‘off network’ at North East ports
The Ports of Sunderland and Tyne are the targets for a Branch Line Society tour from Crewe at the end of August. A PAIR of GB Railfreight Class 66/7s are to provide the motive power for the Branch Line Society’s August 29 offering, which will not only take in the branches of the Port of Sunderland and Port of Tyne, but also proceed beyond the Network Rail boundary at both locations. Working in top-and-tail formation on a Riviera Trains Mk.2 set, the proposed itinerary submitted to Network Rail sees the ‘66s’ departing Crewe at 06.16 then proceeding to Stoke-on-Trent, Colwich, Lichfield Chord, Burton Up Goods and into
Derby for an 08.00 pick-up. Heading east, the route then runs via Beighton Junction, Ferrybridge North Junction, York (picking up at 09.30), Darlington Down Bypass, Ferryhill (reverse), Norton-on-Tees East Junction (subject to box opening), Cliff House Down Goods Loop and into the Port of Sunderland.
PORT TO PORT
Having run beyond the Network Rail limits, the train will reverse and return to Ryhope Grange Junction, reverse again, then continue northwards to
Sunderland, through East Boldon to Boldon North Junction and onto the branch into the Port of Tyne. Another reversal over the branch and the train will head west at Boldon West Junction via Pelaw Down Goods Loop and into Newcastle for an extended break and leg-stretch. After leaving Newcastle, the two Class 66s will retrace their steps back along the coast to Ferryhill, reverse, then reach York to set-down at around 19.15. The train will then proceed via Ferrybridge North Junction, Moorthorpe Up Goods Loop, Masborough Junction,
Up Canklow Goods and Derby (setting down at 20.45), Burton Down Goods, the Lichfield Chord, Colwich and back to Stoke, arriving at 22.00. Finally, the train gets back to Crewe at 22.30.
CHARITY DONATIONS
In recognition for allowing private owner infrastructure access, a donation is to be made to the Port of Sunderland’s nominated charity, Seafarers UK, and similarly to a charity of the Port of Tyne’s choosing. For further details visit www.branchline. org.uk/events.php. E
‘Deltic Borderer II’ takes Alycidon to Tweedbank FOLLOWING the high level of demand for its ‘Deltic Borderer’ on April 9, which took the Deltic Preservation Society’s No. D9009 (55009) Alycidon over the Borders Railway, Pathfinder Tours ran a ‘relief’ train – the ‘Deltic Borderer II’ – on June 18. Starting out from Derby at 05.00, ‘Number Nine’ kept near perfect time for the journey to Edinburgh, reaching Chesterfield ahead of schedule and Sheffield on the dot. York was left bang on time and almost three minutes had been gained by the time the ‘Deltic’ rolled into Newcastle. This was home turf for the locomotive, and after Newcastle it started to gain on the working timetable, being four minutes up at Alnmouth and seven ahead by the time it passed through Berwick-upon-Tweed. This remained the status quo for the remainder of the run, but at Portobello the train had dropped to a minute down, finally rolling into Waverley just over two minutes late. The Borders line presented no issues for No. D9009, Tweedbank being reached four minutes early at 13.31. A little under an hour later, the train was on the move again, leaving Tweedbank at 14.24 and reaching Edinburgh at 15.23 against a booked time of 15.32. The return leg to Derby got underway just over two minutes late at 18.03, but this was soon brought back and Berwick was passed a minute-and-ahalf early and Newcastle reached five minutes up. Thanks to an early departure from there, the train made good progress and rolled into York a full 10 minutes early, although it left 12 minutes late. Between York and Sheffield the train ran between three and four minutes late, but by Chesterfield was once again two minutes up and finally rolled into Derby as booked at 00.32. The loco did not put a foot wrong all day, and proved that this 55-year-old racehorse still has it where it counts.
No. D9009 Alycidon leaves Galashiels, near journey's end on the Borders Railway, with Pathfinder Tours’ 1Z54 Derby to Tweedbank ‘Deltic Borderer II’ on June 18. Iona Butlin
Pathfinder to take a DRS Class 68 from Gloucester to Alnmouth A NEW addition to the Pathfinder Tours excursion calendar is the ‘Northumbrian Explorer’, a multi-faceted day tour that is expected to take a DRS Class 68 from Gloucester to Alnmouth, Northumberland. After an early 05.00 departure from
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Gloucester, the train will make nine pick-ups en route to Derby, including Cheltenham Spa, Kidderminster and Birmingham New Street. Derby is due to be reached at 07.40 where the final pick-up is made. The train then travels across the
Midlands and Yorkshire and into County Durham and the historic Earldom of Northumbria. Tourgoers have the option of alighting at Durham, Newcastle, Morpeth (for the Blyth Tall Ships regatta or Cragside House) or Alnwick for its famous castle. Supplementary fares
apply for add-on excursions. The return leg is made over the same route, departing Alnmouth in the late afternoon and returning to Gloucester at 22.40 For more information visit www. pathfindertours.co.uk.
TRACTION & ROLLING STOCK
David Rapson
Powerscene Our authoritative class-by-class review of newsworthy locomotive workings.
CLASS 20
FOLLOWING the movement of LUL ‘S’ Stock during the first week of June, there was a slight change of motive power for the first time since February 17 when No. 20905 replaced No. 20132 in the quartet. Thereafter, on June 8, Nos. 20096+20905 and 20107+20314 were paired up on the 7X09/11.47 Old Dalby-West Ruislip moving sets Nos. 21553/4. The Type 1s passed Spondon on June 15 with sets Nos. 21541/2, diverted because of engineering work on the route between Knighton South and Branston Junctions, and were next reported at Leicester with Nos. 21545/6 on June 22. Meanwhile, Nos. 20189 and 20205, looking immaculate in fresh coats of BR ‘standard’ blue livery, were on show at the Tyseley open day on June 25. Painted at Washwood Heath, it means No. 20189 has lost its grey roof and solebars that were hangovers of its ill-fated time in Balfour Beatty colours.
CLASS 31
NEW in October 1960 as No. D5660, No. 31233 was still active at the beginning of June powering the 1Z10/05.06 Derby RTC-Old Dalby test train on June 2 and returning to the research centre the following afternoon. Featured in the train’s formation was test coach Mentor which pre-dates No. 31233 by some six years. Subsequently, the torch for the Brush Type 2 design was carried solely by No. 31452. On June 17, it took a Railvac machine from Doncaster to Derby, then to Long Marston the following day. On June 23, No. 31452 towed No. 56312 from Willesden to Washwood Heath before returning the Railvac machine to Doncaster two days later. Then, on June 28, the green machine passed Stafford at 14.35 with five Anglia-liveried Mk.2f coaches, running as the 5Z31/14.46 Crewe South Yard-Burton Wetmore.
CLASS 37
COLAS Railfreight’s No. 37116 reached
Perfect summer weather greets DRS Type 3 No. 37425 on June 22 as it hauls the 14.37 Barrow in Furness-Carlisle at Seascale. On the same day, however, the southern part of the country was enduring terrible storms! Steve Burdett.
88 RAIL EXPRESS August 2016
Penzance early on June 2 and later that night traversed both the St Ives and Falmouth branches with its test coaches. Stable companions in the COTS pool, Nos. 37219 and 37421 ventured to Weymouth with a test train on June 6, while No. 37025 visited Hastings the following day. By June 15, Nos. 37116 and 37219 had teamed up on test duties, the latter paying its second visit to Weymouth inside 10 days, having run south from Derby RTC via Worcester Shrub Hill, Evesham and Chippenham. June 21 found the colourful duo of Nos. 37057 (BR green) and 37254 (InterCity) in action, working the 1Q96/15.56 Gas Factory Loop-Ferme Park via Shoeburyness. Direct Rail Services examples covered much ground in Scotland during June with former Eurostar Type 3s Nos. 37601 and 37602 heading a test train to Oban on June 8 and running south from Fort William to Carlisle two days later. Also on June 8, Nos. 37607 and 37688 had charge
of the 04.00 Garve-Mossend Yard engineers’ train as far as Inverness. Classmate No. 37059 took a Plain Line Pattern Recognition train over the Highland Main Line to Inverness on June 11, handing over there to No. 37688 for the run to Aberdeen. Since the restart of the ‘Scarborough Spa Express’ on June 2, West Coast Railways double-headed Type 3s have covered the trip between Carnforth and York Holgate, where the steam locomotive takes over. On that first day, Nos. 37516+37685 were in charge, leaving Carnforth at 08.18, while the following Thursday (June 9) saw Nos. 37668+37685 on the train with a revised departure time of 06.55. On June 16, Nos. 37668+37669 passed Colton Junction with the outward leg and the same locomotives covered the duty on June 23, as did Nos. 37669+37706 on June 30. No. 37518 stood in for the rostered steam locomotive on the afternoon ‘Jacobite’ (the 2Y68/14.40 Fort WilliamMallaig) on June 6, although Stanier
SHUNTER SPOT
Simon Bendall NEWS ROUND-UP HNRC
HAVING succumbed to generator failure, No. 08389 was recovered from Cardiff Tidal on May 28 and taken to Moveright’s Wishaw yard, where repairs are due to be carried out under contract by Traditional Traction. A second of HNRC’s former Ministry of Defence Class 01/5s has arrived at the East Kent Railway, No. 01543 being delivered from the Wensleydale Railway on May 25, where it joins earlier arrival No. 01546.
Mendip Rail
DELIVERED to Whatley back in March following traction motor repairs at Wishaw, No. 08650 has now been transferred to Merehead, the movement between the two quarries taking place sometime in the spring.
National Railway Museum
A SHUNTER swap was carried out at Locomotion on June 9, with No. 08911 arriving by road from York, its first movement away from the city since January 2012. This allowed the veteran No. 08064 to be returned to the National Railway Museum for maintenance, ending its two-and-a-half year stay at Shildon.
Serco
WITH its defective generator attended to, Serco’s No. 08956 was released from repairs at Wishaw during early June and returned by road to the test centre at Asfordby. Despite its return, Traditional Traction’s covering shunter, No. 08484, also remained on site at the end of the month awaiting collection.
Traditional Traction
WITH Traditional Traction’s No. 08511 sidelined with generator problems and no spare loco available, a replacement was drafted in on sub-hire from Wabtec, with No. 08571 despatched southwards from Doncaster to Derby Works during the first week of June. It was still at work a month later. E
MAIN LINE SHUNTER: An increasingly rare sight these days is a shunter outside of a depot or yard, but it is still possible to see one making trip workings between Knottingley and Milford Sidings across the West/ North Yorkshire boundary. One such working on June 27 is captured about halfway at Burton Salmon, as heavily faded DB red-liveried No. 09106 works a single bogie hopper towards Milford. Christopher McCann
LOCATION UPDATE Asfordby Test Centre: 08956 Derby Works: 08571. East Kent Railway: 01543. Locomotion, Shildon: 08911.
Merehead: 08650. Moveright, Wishaw: 08389. National Railway Museum: 08064.
August 2016 RAIL EXPRESS 99