Railways Illustrated - November 2020 - Preview

HELPING ALYCIDON

THE £100K CHALLENGE

IOW CLASS 484S TAKE SHAPE Wikimedia Commons/ Hfhs47djadshjd

THE RAILWAY WORLD – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

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FRANCHISING IS DEAD CONCESSIONS FROM APRIL 2021

Model Spot

Cavalex Steel Wagons

70 Years of Leicester Shed Northern Ireland’s Whitehead Museum My signal box visits a UK-wide effort Grand Central abandons Blackpool

Network Rail rises to post-Stonehaven

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Welcome to Railways Illustrated

A major turning point B

ritain’s railways are poised to reach a major turning point in their history if, as is widely expected, the Government abandons the franchise system introduced at privatisation and instead opts for a concession-based way of providing train services. This was among the ideas under consideration anyway, but the coronavirus crisis has forced the Government’s hand as it has had to step in and financially support the passenger train operating companies to the tune of billions. The passenger TOCs were never truly privatised in the same way the freight operating companies were as it was necessary to allow the Government to step in should a franchise fail in order to keep trains running. Under the concession path, as with Merseyrail and London Overground, the Government shoulders the financial risk (as it should for a national transport system) and pays a private firm a fixed fee to run the trains. It will be interesting to see how this works in practice, provided it does materialise.

Some of you may be aware of a ridiculous storm on Twitter recently that wrongly led to people accusing me of trying to apportion blame for the Stonehaven crash. As a former driver I find that very offensive, especially as I was trying to do the complete opposite! To set the record straight, I was trying to quell speculation about the speed of the HST, which many were arguing about. I simply said the RAIB would be looking at the OTMR readouts from the HST and the communications between the driver and signalman before it could confirm the speed, simple as that. The RAIB subsequently confirmed the speed at 72.8mph, slightly below line speed. It hasn’t released the communications yet, although there is no suggestion that any member of staff acted incorrectly. That is the thing I, as a former railwayman, was eager to establish.

Some operating procedures have since been amended in light of the incident and the weather conditions that prevailed at the time and I expect the final report will make further recommendations in that respect.

Unfortunately, this month we report on another incident, this time the derailment of an oil train near Llangennech in Wales on August 26. It is a relief that no-one was hurt and in this case it wasn’t weather related and the RAIB investigation is continuing.

However, combined with flood damage, it

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What future for the franchise system? LNER Azumas 800104 and 800106 share the York train shed with TransPennine Express Class 68 68025 on September 12. (Spencer Conquest)

has meant the Heart of Wales line will remain partly closed until November, with the site at Llangennech not expected to reopen until the New Year.

Many of you will have noticed from the front cover that Railways Illustrated is now in the hands of Mortons Media Ltd following a change of ownership agreed in September.

Please note the new contact details on the left-hand side of p4, particularly the email address for contributions (rieditor@mortons. co.uk). All subscriptions will be honoured, see p52-53 for subscription details. Mortons has an extensive history in rail publishing so the magazine is in safe hands as we work up plans for the future.

This change came at a rather awkward time for me as I suffered a stroke in early September. Fortunately it wasn’t a severe one, but any brain injury takes time to recover from and although I’m able to work, fatigue is a factor. So if the odd gremlin has slipped through the net this month please accept my apologies (well, that’s my excuse)!

In this issue we speak to the Deltic

Preservation Society about the recovery plan for damaged Class 55 D9009 Alycidon.

Simon Murdoch visits the Whitehead Railway Museum in Northern Ireland and John Stretton recalls 70 years of Leicester shed.

John Ledward details his efforts to visit and photograph as many of the UK’s signalboxes as possible, while this month’s Model Spot focusses on the BBA Cavalex steel carriers.

Next month I shall report on my personal experience following a trip to London in early September and how well the railway is coping and how passengers are adjusting to the coronavirus mitigation measures.

As the rail industry approaches a new era so does Railways Illustrated, and we will continue to bring you plenty of interest over the coming months.

Mark Nicholls Editor

November 2020 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 3

Contents Regular

EDITOR: Mark Nicholls CONTRIBUTORS: Mel Holley, Evan Green-Hughes, IAN FURNESS, Mark Hare, Al Pulford, Andrew Watts, Alistair Grieve, Colin J Marsden, Paul Biggs, Ian McLean, Bill Pizer, Martin Loader, Gavin Morrison, Pip Dunn, Gordon Kirkby, Paul Shannon and Simon Bendall.

3 Welcome

32 Steam News

DESIGN: Daniel John Design ART EDITOR: Kelvin Clements PUBLISHER: Tim Hartley PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Dan Savage

6 Headlines

42 Pictorial

10 News

54 From The Front Coach

EDITORIAL ADDRESS RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED magazine, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ WEBSITE: www.railwaysillustrated.com EMAIL: rieditor@mortons.co.uk

16 Fleet Review

70 Traction Action

22 Heritage News

74 Reviews

28 What’s Happening To…? 75 Railwayana

ADVERTISING Advertising representatives Craig Amess 01507 529537 camess@mortons.co.uk Fiona Leak 01507 529573 fleak@mortons.co.uk Group advertising manager Sue Keily skeily@mortons.co.uk

MAIN PICTURE: Freightliner’s 59202 and 66522 approach Fairwood Junction near Westbury on August 26 with the 7A09 0712 Merehead Quarry to Acton ‘jumbo train.

(Mark V Pike)

CUSTOMER SERVICES General Queries & Back Issues 01507 529529 Monday-Friday 8.30am-5pm Answerphone 24H help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk MORTONS MEDIA GROUP LTD Sales and distribution manager Carl Smith Marketing manager Charlotte Park Commercial director Nigel Hole ARCHIVE Enquiries Jane Skayman 01507 529423 jskayman@mortons.co.uk Origination and Printing Printed at Acorn Web Offset Ltd, Normanton, UK. Distribution Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PU Enquiries Line: +44 (0)207 429 4000 EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS CONTRIBUTIONS TO this magazine should be clearly typed and ideally sent by email. Photographs, which should be clearly marked with the contributor’s name and address, are submitted at the owner’s risk. Mortons Media Group Ltd cannot be held responsible for loss or damage, however caused. All postal submissions must include an appropriate SAE for the return of all material. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or his staff. © 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.

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FEATURE Helping Alycidon

W

hile working the southbound ‘Auld Reekie’ railtour on March 3, 2019, 55009 Alycidon was failed at Berwick after a serious electrical incident.

Subsequent investigations revealed a large power surge had damaged all six traction motors and one of the two main generators.

The damage was not consistent with what could be termed a ‘normal’ flashover where current arcs from one brush box to the next.

There was a burn mark on the roof of D9009 and also on the inside of the engine room roof. However, it turned out the reason was internal and nothing to do with the 25kV

Helping Alycidon FEATURE AC overhead lines. The loco spent some time at Nemesis Rail in Burton upon Trent but was finally returned home to Barrow Hill earlier this year.

A start on repairs

The arrival back from Sulzer of four of the six damaged traction motors on June 23 was a real tonic and some positive news amidst the terrible year everyone has endured.

Once the two remaining traction motors are back at Barrow Hill, the engineering team can plan the next stage, namely rebuilding the bogies.

There are some further good developments as volunteers were allowed to return to the DPS depot at Barrow Hill in late July. This was not the society’s decision but that of the Barrow Hill management. However, considerable mitigation measures were drawn up and the DPS Secretary, Nigel Hutchison, covered all contingencies, with which Barrow Hill’s safety manager was able to concur.

There was some further significant news, also on June 23, in the form of an offer to provide a settlement figure for the outstanding insurance monies that were

submitted as a claim for the disastrous failure of D9009 on March 3, 2019. The DPS directors were able to accept this offer.

These developments have been welcomed because the whole saga of number 9’s failure, the interminable amount of time taken to investigate its cause, the worry of not knowing if the DPS could claim any redress and, on top of all that, the coronavirus pandemic, has been most dispiriting. So it is good to report that the signal aspect has changed from red to double yellow!

Some more good news is that Power Unit Engineer, Pete Stojanovic, has managed to

procure two sets of On-Train Monitoring Recorder (OTMR) equipment at a bargain price. These are the ‘black boxes’ of the railway world and are earmarked for D9015 Tulyar and 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier in the fullness of time.

A long road ahead

There is a long and expensive way to go before things are back to normal, especially with D9009. The loco is going nowhere for the moment, despite the welcome insurance settlement, as it is not all roses. There is still huge expenditure to cover. The DPS J

BELOW: In happier days, D9009 Alycidon is seen at Brampton, on the approach to Appleby, with the returning 1Z45 1628 Carlisle to Willington Pathfinder tour on September 29, 2018.

The ‘Deltic Deviator’ had set out from the Midlands that morning behind 68004 Rapid, now at the rear of the train, with D9009 taking charge at York to traverse the Durham Coast and Blyth & Tyne routes before tackling the Tyne Valley. Completing the rare track was a trip over the Settle & Carlisle back to York. This would be the last tour successfully completed by the Type 5 before the incident six months later.

(Tony Woof)

FEATURE 70 years of Leicester shed

70years of

Leicester shed John Stretton recounts his almost life-long interest in the Midland shed at Leicester.

70 years of Leicester shed FEATURE

A

t the birth of British Railways on January 1, 1948 I was just four years and five months old and, consequently, wholly unaware of the event.

It was, however, a momentous time for the UK’s railway system, with all the erstwhile railway companies being brought under one ‘roof ’ and, supposedly, approximately 20,000 locos coming under a single control.

Identity

With much duplication of numbers between the various railways, it was necessary to allocate new identities to prevent confusion in control departments.

Ex-Great Western locos, having cast number plates, were largely left alone, but the rest that were now within regions largely mirroring the pre-Nationalisation railways, were allocated prefixes to identify their homes. The ex-LMS engines within the new Midland Region now began with ‘4’ or ‘5’, although it took several years before the task was completed and some locos were withdrawn before the change could be made.

To complement all this the various depots

throughout the country were grouped into mostly logical pools and boundaries and given their own codes. The Midland Region was allocated codes 1-28 and Leicester Midland shed, situated immediately north of London Road station to the east of the main line, was to be 15C, coming under the control of 15A (Wellingborough). It had previously been known as 10 under MR/ LMS. Its allocation at nationalisation was 70 locos, mostly a mix of Class 2-4 passenger types for local and/or semi-fast duties, and large and small freight engines.

The shed

Originally built as a relatively small roundhouse, with a conical slate roof capped by an ornate weathervane and holding 16 locos, the shed was on the east side and to the north of the main line into the Midland station, later known as ‘London Road’. It was opened by the Midland Counties Railway on July 5, 1840. Some time later, the western edge was sliced by the extension of the MR main running lines to the north and it was replaced after 15 years by a 40ft

turntable version slightly to the east, with two access roads.

Facilities improved over successive years, including the addition of a three-road straight shed built in the yard in 1893, adjacent to the southern edge of the roundhouse and with room for nine 4-4-0 passenger locos.

Initially coaling was by hand in wooden box tubs that emptied into the loco’s tenders or bunkers. The next 50 years saw incremental improvements/additions, including a repair shop, water tank and an open turntable in the shed yard built in 1904. However, the layout was increasingly cramped and unsuitable for daily activities and the LMS decided during World War Two that a root and branch approach was required.

Modernisation, which had initially been considered in the mid-1930s, began in 1944, with the final layout featuring a much larger octagonal ‘roundhouse’ with flat roof, covering nearly half of the facilities’ total acreage. There was also a new 60ft turntable in the yard, making use of the existing exMidland Railway pit and costing around £3,000, which was completed in 1945. J

MAIN PICTURE: A few years before Leicester Depot’s BR tenure passed, Class 56s 56045, 56054 and 56060, plus Class 60 60064 are stabled in the sunshine on July 14, 1991.

(All photos author)

Helping Alycidon Paul Gildersleve, the Deltic Preservation Society’s Publicity Officer, and Murray Brown, the DPS Chairman, report on the current progress in returning Class 55 55009 Alycidon to the main line following the serious failure it endured on March 3, 2019.

Advertising deadline October 15, 2020 4 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED November 2020

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38 Helping Alycidon

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46 75 years of Leicester Shed www.railwaysillustrated.com

66 Whitehead Railway Museum

John Stretton looks back at the history of Leicester shed and recounts some personal memories of the site.

58 Model Spot – Cavalex BBA and BLA steel wagons

Simon Bendall profiles the BBA and BLA steel carriers and how to create the loads.

Simon Murdoch visits the museum near Belfast and discovers a fascinating collection that is welcoming visitors again.

76 My Signal Box visits

John Ledward has a passion for photographing signal boxes and has spent many years travelling the UK in pursuit of his hobby.

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46 15C to LR – 75 years of Leicester shed

A pictorial look as heritage lines return to life.

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64 Heritage returns

The Deltic Preservation Society is facing a huge challenge to return 55009 Alycidon to the main line.

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HELPING ALYCID

THE £100 ON K CHALLENG E

IOW CLA 484S TAKE SHASS PE

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IS FRANCHIS ING DEAD? CO FEATURE My Signal Box visits BELOW: The glorious art deco box at Templecombe, built for the Southern Railway in 1938 and photographed on October 2, 2015, has been preserved.

(All photos author)

I

don’t know when I first started with my interest in signal boxes. It might have been when I took my first random photo while killing time standing on the end of Kensington Olympia station waiting for a freight train to arrive. That must have been around 1985. That box closed on October 4, 1992 and was demolished shortly after.

Looking through my photos, I also snapped Ely Station North on November 3, 1990, but my main interest really started in 2003 when the company I was working for at the time moved from Brighton to Maidstone. As

NCESSIONS FR OM APRIL 2021?

My Signal Box visits FEATURE this involved long drives for relatively short meetings I decided to visit the Maidstone stations for a break before travelling back home. It was there that I noticed the signal boxes situated at both stations and thought it might be a good idea to start recording boxes in the Kent area, as at the time they were plentiful. So, since April 2003 I have photographed approximately 700 boxes, 100-plus semaphore signals and quite a few signal gantries, all of which are now dying breeds, and I have covered all parts of Britain from east to west, north to south.

Travelling afar

FRONT COVER: South Eastern and Southern/Gatwick Express Class 375 and Class 377 EMUs at Hastings on September 4. All franchises should be on a concessions basis from next April.

(Adrian Paul)

As I had covered most of the Kent boxes by car, and all of the remaining South Coast and Hampshire signal boxes had been easily reached, when the bug increased I had to broaden my horizons. This meant trains, buses and the odd car journey, cadging lifts from my poor long-suffering mate Paul Smith by travelling by train to Birmingham International from whence he took over to drive me to all points north. J

Model Spot

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Cavalex Steel 70 Years of Wagons Belfast’s WhiLeicester Shed tehead Mus My signal eum box visits a UK-wide effor Grand Cent ral drops Blac t kpool train s post-Sto

John Ledward has a passion for photographing signal boxes and has spent many years travelling the UK in pursuit of his hobby.

MY SIGNAL BOX VISITS 76 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED November 2020

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76 My Signalbox visits www.railwaysillustrated.com

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November 2020 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 5

NEWS Headlines

Franchises out, Concessions in THE FUTURE of the rail franchising system was outlined by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps on September 21. The Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) introduced at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic expired on September 20 but only a few replacement Emergency Remedial Measures Agreements (ERMAs) had been confirmed by the end of the previous week. Under the original EMAs the Department for Transport took revenue and cost risk and paid Train Operating Companies a fixed management fee in return. On September 1 the DfT exercised its option to extend the Emergency Measures Agreement covering FirstGroup’s Great Western franchise until at least June 26, 2021; the similar EMA for Southeastern

already runs until June 2021.

FirstGroup said it was in discussions with the DfT about its other three franchises (Avanti West Coast, South Western Railway and TransPennine Express). CrossCountry’s EMA does not run out until mid-October, concurrent with the end of its direct award franchise. Meanwhile, the ScotRail, Caledonian Sleeper and Transport for Wales franchises are managed by the relevant devolved government and are consequently not subject to the same expiry date.

It had been expected the EMAs would be replaced by longerterm ERMAs of about 18 months.

Current circumstances, with cases of COVID-19 on the rise again, mean passenger numbers are unlikely to return to anything approaching preCOVID levels any time soon and so

the plan has changed.

Shorter interim ERMAs of approximately six months were presented to the industry, with no further commitments from DfT after that. This would enable franchises to continue to the end of the financial year, after which operators would have the stark choice of returning to their previous franchise agreements, which would be unsustainable for more than a few days, or agreeing to move onto a fixed-fee ‘concession’ agreement with revenue risk and fare revenue passing to the Treasury and companies paid a flat fee to run trains. If neither option is taken up, the franchise will be taken on by the Government’s Operator of Last Resort.

The national media has been quick to assert that Grant Shapps “will

Llangennech derailment A SERIOUS derailment and subsequent fire occurred near Llangennech on the ‘Up District’ line at Morlais Junction in Carmarthenshire at approximately 2315 hrs on August 26. The train involved was the 6A11 21:52 service from Robeston to Theale, conveying 25 tank wagons, each loaded with diesel or gas oil. The incident resulted in a significant fuel spillage and a major fire. The driver was fortunately unhurt and reported the

incident to the signaller and, with the assistance of another member of staff, was able to uncouple the leading two tankers and move them and the train engine 60062 to a safe distance. In all, ten tank vehicles were derailed.

The fire was eventually extinguished by the fire service, but the incident necessitated the evacuation of several local residents.

The Rail Accident Investigation Board is carrying out an investigation

into the incident.

Nine wagons suffered various levels of damage. Leading the train were TDA TIPH78242 and TEA VTG85304. These both avoided the carnage behind and on August 31 were duly removed to Margam by 60062 for examination and a return to traffic. The 14 unaffected wagons at the rear of the train were recovered by 66004 on the same day and returned to Robeston.

They included TEAs VTG88157

The battered barrel of TEA 83 70 7792 015-0 or 016-8 is lifted onto an Allelys low-loader at Llangennech station during the clear-up process. (Steve Powell)

6 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED November 2020

permanently abandon franchises in the coming days”.

Official documents report the current EMAs are “unsustainable going forwards given the economic position and significant pressure on public finances”.

Even at the eleventh hour before the September 20 deadline the DfT said discussions were “ongoing” and it wouldn’t comment on commercially sensitive negotiations. It is worth noting that the arrangements with Merseyrail and the London Overground already run using the concession system.

The system moves the risk element away from the private companies to the Government and is thought to be favoured by the larger TOCs, especially those running intense commuter services.

and 83 70 7792 006-9, which were initially left attached to the derailed portion of the train. The others were TDAs TIPH78203/53/54, TIAs 33 70 7899 049-2 and 059-1, and TEAs VTG85301/03, VTG88102, GERS89004/10/19 and 83 70 7792 013-5.

Not so fortunate were TDA TIPH78255 and TEAs VTG88101 and GERS89005, which suffered the worst effects of the fire, while TDA TIPH78202, along with TEAs 33 70 7899 044-3 and 83 70 7792 005-1/0150/016-8, received various amounts of underframe and barrel damage as they derailed. Worst affected of all was TDA TIPH78257, one end being bent though 90 degrees as one of its bogies was forced up into the barrel.

Unsurprisingly, the latter was cut up on site during the recovery, as was TIPH78202.

The remaining seven tankers were recovered using Colas’ Kirow crane DRK81612. It loaded each one and all the detached parts onto FLA container wagons (606101/02/09/10/57/58) for movement a short distance to the level crossing at Llangennech station.

There, a road crane transferred each wagon onto an Allelys low-loader for removal, with VTG-owned VTG88101 and 83 70 7792 005-1/015-0/016-8 going to Long Marston and those belonging to Touax, TIPH78255, GERS89005 and 33 70 7899 044-3, heading for Robeston.

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Carmont clear up continues

The remoteness of the Carmont crash site is evident in this aerial view, as is the extensive work Network Rail had to do to gain access for the heavy lifting equipment.

Work to recover the HST set began on September 10. (Network Rail)

FOLLOWING THE tragic crash of the ScotRail Inter7City HST at Carmont, near Stonehaven, on August 12, Network Rail has been preparing to repair the damaged track after removing the six vehicles. Once RAIB investigators had completed their onsite work, the removal began on September 10 using a 600-tonne crawler crane.

To enable access to the remote site, a 900m of temporary road and some bridges had to be built to bring in the specialist lifting equipment. Once all the vehicles had been removed, which took several days, engineers were able to assess the extent of repairs needed. The vehicles were taken by road to a secure area at Glasgow Works while the investigation continues. NR expects the repairs to take several weeks.

While the line south of Stonehaven remains closed, ScotRail has introduced a shuttle service between Stonehaven and Aberdeen, which started on August 31, and was followed from September 14 by the

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reinstatement of services as far north as Montrose, supplemented by replacement buses.

Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, said: “August 12 was a devastating day with the loss of Brett, Donald and Christopher in this tragic accident. While we will now begin the process of recovering the carriages and repairing the railway, we do so with a heavy heart. We will continue to work closely with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch throughout this recovery process so we can learn from this terrible event and help prevent similar accidents.”

The RAIBs has confirmed the sequence of events and that the train was travelling at 72.8mph, below the 75mph line speed, at the time of the derailment. There is no suggestion that any member of staff acted incorrectly in the incident. However, in an interim report to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, dated September 1 and published nine days later, NR set out additional precautions taken since the accident. Among these, a

cross-industry review has identified the need to strengthen industry rules providing instructions on train operations during extreme weather and for revised operating instructions, which were implemented on September 5. An emergency instruction to signallers regarding reporting and managing services during heavy rainfall events was issued on August 18, while emergency changes to allow route operations controls to determine rainfall thresholds and the operating restrictions to the train service based on local conditions and knowledge have also been published.

In response to the incident and to the rising frequency of flooding and land slips, NR has launched two independent task forces, led by world renowned experts, to help it better manage its massive earthworks (cuttings and embankments) portfolio and its understanding and response to severe weather events. Dame Julia Slingo FRS, former Chief Scientist of the UK at the Met Office

and a world-renowned expert in climatology, will lead a weather action task force with the objective of better equipping Network Rail to understand the risk of rainfall to its infrastructure, drawing on the latest scientific developments in monitoring, real-time observations and weather forecasting.

At the same time, Lord Robert Mair CBE FREng FRS will spearhead an earthworks management task force to see how Network Rail can improve the management of its massive earthworks portfolio, looking at past incidents, latest technologies and innovations and best practice from across the globe.

Andrew Haines, Network Rail Chief Executive made a significant statement when he said: “The Stonehaven tragedy resulted in three people losing their lives – this is a stark reminder that we must never take running a safe railway for granted. With more and more extreme weather and tens of thousands of earthwork assets across Great Britain, our challenge is massive.”

November 2020 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 7

NEWS

Eversholt confirms IC225 LNER lease

LNER Class 91 91109 heads north over the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick on September 8, with the 1S08 King’s Cross to Edinburgh service. (Tim Easter)

ROLLING STOCK provider Eversholt Rail has extended the lease of seven IC225 sets with LNER until the summer of 2023, with a possible further extension until the summer of 2024. The seven rakes of Mk 4 coaches will be backed up by ten Class 91s, among them 91101 Flying Scotsman, 91107 Skyfall, 91109 Sir Bobby Robson, 91110 Battle of Britain Memorial

Flight, 91111 For The Fallen, 91114 Durham Cathedral and 91130 Lord Mayor of Newcastle. Two more Class 91s are also likely to be added to the deal, providing a pool of 12 Electras, each of which is to receive a G-exam at Doncaster Wabtec. A series of improvements is also expected to be performed, as well as attention given to bogies, gearboxes, cardan shafts,

wheelsets, compressors and traction motors.

Each Mk 4 set will be given an OH1 exam with a particular focus on bogie overhauls, couplers, doors and the interior saloon areas. All work is due for completion by January 2022.

Meanwhile, the final Class 91 booked to work north of York to Edinburgh was 91109 on September 4. This followed the

acceptance of the final LNER Azuma (801201) on September 3. However, as often happens, it didn’t work out like that as others have since followed due to diagram changes for engineering work or to cover for an Azuma.

These latecomers included 91124 on September 7 (1S04), 91109 on September 8 (1S08) and 91127 (1S12) on September 18.

EMR retains Liverpool – Class 442s to return Nottingham services EAST MIDLANDS Railway is to retain the provision of through services between Liverpool Lime Street and Nottingham – for now – according to the Department for Transport. The trains were to pass to TransPennine Express in the December 2021 timetable. Currently EMR runs a mostly half-hourly service pattern between Liverpool and Norwich via Manchester, Sheffield and Peterborough.

However, EMR has announced to staff that the through trains will no longer run, with the route spilt into LiverpoolNottingham and NottinghamNorwich halves. This is being

done to reduce the risks of delays impacting upon a wide geographical area, one of the weaknesses of the current arrangement.

Currently, EMR uses four-car Class 158s between Liverpool and Nottingham, after which a single two-car set continues to Norwich and back. Under the latest franchise agreement, parent company Abellio is replacing the Class 158s with Class 170s on the Nottingham-Norwich route, but there aren’t enough of them to cover the Liverpool section.

One option could be to take on 15 of the Class 185 DMUs due to come off lease from TPE next year.

8 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED November 2020

SOUTH WESTERN Railway is to reintroduce (again) its Class 442 Wessex EMUs with the December timetable change, once the new traction equipment has been fitted to the fleet. SWR has 18 five-car units that are to be used primarily on the Portsmouth line, working in pairs. Some sets were reintroduced in June 2019, but issues concerning interaction with lineside signals saw them stood down again in September. They were reintroduced in January this year before being withdrawn again in March when timetables were reduced at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gemini Rail Technology was contracted to carry out

refurbishment and retractioning of the units. The latter part is now under way at Wolverton Works. So far four units have been fitted with the new AC traction equipment and are due to begin testing in a signal-protected zone between Bournemouth and Weymouth. It is planned to finish the re-equipment phase by the end of the year. SWR does not need the units to run its planned December timetable, but will use them to provide additional capacity. The sets have also been fitted with new static converters, which should help avoid the electromagnetic compatibility issues that caused the signal interaction problems.

www.railwaysillustrated.com

NEWS

Blue Pullman HST makes progress

Soon to be a star attraction wherever it goes, the transformation of 43046 is under way at Eastleigh Works on September 2 with undercoat being applied.

(Carl Watson)

THE PROJECT to refurbish an HST set as a modern day Blue Pullman for Locomotive Services Limited is making good progress at Arlington Fleet Services’ Eastleigh Works. By early September repainting work on the first power car, 43046, was under way, with completion due towards the end of the month.

However, as the vehicles are finished they will be hidden away as far as possible from prying eyes until the entire formation is ready in late October.

Of the Mk 3s intended for the train, work on Trailer First 41059, 41108, 41162, 41169, 41176 and 41182 is under way, with all receiving the necessary internal

modifications for what will be a high-quality dining experience.

To achieve this, buffet cars 40801 and 40802 are being completely refitted and modernised in the kitchen area. Completing the initial formation will be 44078, which is being re-seated internally as a First Class vehicle to become a TGF. Trailer Composites 46006 and 46014 are providing their seats for this, along with other parts, with both expected to be scrapped in due course if no further role is identified. The HST’s first working in its new guise is scheduled to be on November 14 between St Pancras and Manchester Piccadilly.

With 41182 nearest the camera, two of the TFs undergo bodywork preparation on August 24. Most of the selected coaches were amongst the last to be overhauled for GWR so were in good condition and also carried the franchise’s green livery. (Carl Watson)

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Grand Central abandons Blackpool project OPEN ACCESS operator Grand Central has dropped its planned Euston to Blackpool services as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic. The company said it was economically unsustainable due to the uncertainty surrounding rail travel at the moment, despite exploring all the possible options.

This unfortunately means that jobs and supplier contracts are at risk and the company has been in touch with them. So far there has been no indication of what will happen to the Class 90s already repainted into GC black and gold, or the rakes of Mk 4 coaches.

Grand Central’s Managing Director Richard McClean said: “So much effort has been put into these exciting plans to launch services between London and Blackpool, that it is heart-breaking to have to

abandon them at this point, but the pandemic and its effect on our expansion plans have just proved too big an obstacle.

“Because Grand Central operates under an Open Access business model, we receive no external financial help and we rely completely on what we generate in ticket sales. Despite months of work to adjust our costs, and monitor travel behaviour for signs of change, it became more obvious to us that to invest in what is essentially a start-up enterprise in this climate was simply not feasible and therefore we reluctantly reached the very tough decision to cease the project permanently.

“We will now concentrate on rebuilding our two existing routes, which returned to service earlier this summer, following lockdown.”

SWR introduces the Arterio

SWR Class 701 701005 arrives at Reading with a training run from Waterloo on August 18. The units have been named Arterios by the operator and are due to begin passenger services on the Reading route by the end of the year.

(Spencer Conquest)

SOUTH WESTERN Railway is branding its new Class 701 Bombardier EMUs as Arterios. The name is a play on the word artery to signify the use of the trains on the operator’s arterial commuter routes to its beating heart at Waterloo. The project has been further delayed by the coronavirus pandemic but SWR is aiming to introduce the entire fleet of 30 five-car and 60 tencar units through an accelerated schedule over 12 months. Driver and technician training is now under way on the new fleet and the ten-car units are to be introduced first, with most of the five-cars sets flowing afterwards.

The Arterios will replace Classes 455, 456, 458 and 707, with the first ‘701s’ due to be introduced on the Reading line by the end

of the year. First to go will be the Class 458 fleet, mostly employed on the Reading route. Next will be the Class 455s and 456s, the oldest EMUs in the SWR fleet, and finally the Class 707s, which have only been in service for three years and are to move to Southeastern, but will then be sub-leased back to SWR from next summer until their replacements are in place.

Among the new features on the Arterios is the Assisted Braking and Door Opening (ABDO) function. This brings trains to a stop and opens the doors automatically, which should reduce station dwell times. There are also bio-reactor toilets, the 701s being the first UK EMUs to be fitted with bio-reactor tanks, which require emptying less frequently than traditional examples.

November 2020 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 9

NEWS

IoW Class 484s take shape

New life for Kilmarnock THE KILMARNOCK workshops vacated by Wabtec Rail earlier this year have been purchased by Brodie Engineering to allow the company to expand its refurbishment and repair activities. During August, it was busy fitting out the building, which will be used alongside the existing Bonnyton depot rather than replace it. The first stock to arrive was ScotRail’s 158709 on August 20, coming by road from Inverness for damage repairs after hitting a

fallen tree near Ladybank on July 5.

This was followed by 170107’s three cars arriving by road from Tyseley at the end of August for repairs to the considerable sideswipe damage sustained at Bromsgrove on March 24 when the CrossCountry set struck a derailed DB Cargo Class 66 66057. The new workshop will also be fitted out to cater for overhauls on ScotRail’s HST sets, as Brodie has already carried out work on a number of power cars.

Aventras rule on Heathrow Connect Two of the Vivarail Class 484 units, including the first – 484001, to replace the elderly Class 483 tube stock on the Isle of Wight take shape at Long Marston.

(Phil Dominey)

Partial Heart of Wales line reopening in November Class 360 360205 calls at Acton Main Line on August 6 with a Paddington to Heathrow T4 service. (Joel Coulson)

CROSSRAIL CLASS 345s officially took over all three of the TfL Railoperated Heathrow Connect diagrams between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport from September 14. One circuit had been worked by the class since July 30, but the other two had remained in the hands of the Class 360/2 fleet, which bowed out of use on September 13. On the first day of the new order, nine-car sets 345034, 345062 and 345070

The devastation caused to the Heart of Wales line by recent flooding is evident in this view taken on August 13. (Network Rail)

FOLLOWING SERIOUS flood damage caused by storms on August 12/13, Network Rail has been working hard to repair the Heart of Wales line between Shrewsbury and Swansea. The problems were made worse by the derailment at Llangennech two weeks later (see Headlines pages). The storms closed the route near Llandrindod Wells, but Network Rail predicts the repairs will be completed in November; however, the line at Llangennech isn’t expected to be fully repaired until the New Year.

Network Rail has cleared hundreds of metres of debris at Llandrindod Wells, while work is under way to re-instate the tracks and surrounding area. Engineers are working hard to stabilise the tracks and embankments while installing new drainage culverts, and the installation of CCTV will enable improved monitoring of water levels in future.

The level crossing at Llandrindod Wells will also be improved this autumn with the bulk of the work being delivered between December 4-14.

10 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED November 2020

were working to Heathrow, but the two Hayes & Harlington shuttles utilised seven-car sets 345020 and 345064, which had been in use for the preceding six weeks. The five members of the Desiro sub-class, 360201-05, will remain in reserve for now but face an uncertain future as they are owned outright

by Heathrow Airport Holdings rather than a leasing company and currently have no new operator lined-up.

GTR Class 377s to get £55m makeover GOVIA THAMESLINK Railway and leasing company Porterbrook have commenced a £55m five-year project to modernise 214 Bombardier Class 377 Electrostar EMUs used on Southern services, and 56 Class 387s used on Gatwick Express and Great Northern services. Some are only five years old, but the majority have been around for 15-20 years.

The work is to be done under the project name Aurora and will take place at GTR’s Selhurst Depot.

Included will be the installation of real-time passenger information screens, USB and power points, energy-saving LED lighting, passenger counting equipment and on-board diagnostic systems, such as an upgraded on-train data recorder. Forward-facing CCTV will also be added to the units.

The first example is expected to be ready this autumn, after which the output rate should be one unit a week.

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Crossrail centre section New home for to open in 2022 DATS test trains A FURTHER delay to the completion of the central section of the Elizabeth Line between Paddington and Abbey Wood means the line will not open until the first half of 2022, project promoter Crossrail Ltd said on August 21. The most recent estimate had been summer 2021, but the effects of the coronavirus pandemic has forced a further slip in work and testing. However, Crossrail also added that there could be an opportunity to bring

the opening date forward, subject to progress during the intensive testing phase.

Once the section opens there is likely to be a phased introduction of the full service running from Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east in line with National Rail timetable changes that happen in May and December every year.

The revised date also means the cost of the project is now estimated to rise to £19bn.

Class 314 Hydrogen demonstrator THE UNIVERSITY of St Andrews is looking for an industrial partner to participate in the Zero Emission Train Project, which will see redundant Class 314 EMU 314209 fitted with hydrogen fuel cells as a technology demonstrator. The project is being led by Scottish Enterprise and Transport Scotland.

Brodie Engineering and Londonbased Arcola Energy have already completed concept designs under

phase one of the project. Phase two would see the EMU modified to use fuel cells under a 12-month contract worth an estimated £2.2m.

The unit is expected to be demonstrated at a heritage railway, likely the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, as part of the COP 26 climate change conference, which is due to take place in Glasgow in November 2021.

DATS’ 43054, 91122 and 91128 InterCity 50, and DB Cargo’s 90035 sit at the old Colwick Total Sidings on September 5; the former oil sidings are now finding a new use to house some of the DATS fleet. (Barry Duffin)

THE FORMER Total oil terminal at Rectory Junction, near Colwick, has been brought back into use as stabling sidings for the test train stock owned and operated

by Data Acquisition and Testing Services (DATS).

Reactivated during August, the site now consists of just two sidings, with all of the tanker discharge apparatus removed following its closure in May 2019. With the company’s collection of stock

continuing to grow, congestion at Leicester Depot has forced a new site to be found that still provides access to both the Midland and East Coast routes.

By the end of August, 43054 and 43066 were present, along with a number of Mk 3s, while 90035, 91122 and 91128 were deposited on September 2 following maintenance at Crewe Electric, the transfer being carried out by 67025.

Line reopens at Polmont Chart Leacon Revival following flooding THE MAIN Edinburgh to Glasgow route via Falkirk High reopened to trains on September 21 after major repairs following the line being badly flooded on August 12 when the Union Canal burst its banks. Large sections of track and ballast were lost along a length of 300m. In the subsequent six-week

closure Network Rail had to rebuild the line completely, right down to and including the foundations, by replacing 15,000 tonnes of ballast and soil and laying a kilometre of double track. This involved 4,500m of rail, 4,424 concrete sleepers, 3,000m of signalling cable and 10,000 tonnes of new ballast.

The overgrown site at Chart Leacon, which is soon to become a stabling and light maintenance facility for GTR Class 700s. (Network Rail)

Network Rail has completed repairs to the flooded Edinburgh-Glasgow route at Polmont, allowing it to reopen on September 21. (Network Rail)

12 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED November 2020

DEMOLITION WORK is under way at the former Chart Leacon Depot in Ashford as new life is brought to the Kent site. The former Bombardier depot closed in 2014 and is being revived by contractor Balfour Beatty for Network Rail. The site is to be used for stabling and light maintenance of Thameslink trains in Kent. These will be stabled at Hitachi’s Ashford Depot, with Southeastern Electrostars displaced from there to five new sidings at Chart Leacon.

A lengthy legal battle with landowner Bellamile was eventually

resolved last year when the High Court ruled out an appeal against the compulsory purchase of the site. Ashford Borough Council had approved a planning application from Network Rail earlier in the year, while Network Rail separately received approval for a Transport and Works Act Order application seeking compulsory acquisition powers. NR says the revival of the depot will create 50 new jobs alongside numerous other indirect jobs associated with the site. NR has purchased the whole of the former depot site. www.railwaysillustrated.com

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