Railways Illustrated - February preview

PASSENGER DEBUT FOR

GA CLASS 720s

CENTRAL DOOR LOCKING FOR Keith Partlow

MAIN LINE MK 1s

Wikimedia Commons

THE RAILWAY WORLD – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

www.railwaysillustrated.com

Rail’s Critical Year

Prospects for 2021 Final42s 1 Classid b ll e farew

Model Spot

Accurascale

JTA/PTA wagons

60s and 70s Southern Miscellany Diesels on the Highland Main Line Final Moorswater cement traffic Rail infrastructure spend cut by £1bn

Additional £825m to complete Crossrail

FEBRUARY 2021 £4.80

PLUS

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.

Contents Regular 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

60 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

68 Traction Action

22 Heritage News

70 Reviews

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

28 What’s Happening To…? 73 Railwayana MAIN PICTURE: Very grimy DB Cargo 66099 leads the 3J99 Doncaster Up Decoy to Peterborough RHTT diagram, with 66161 on the rear, on a sunny dry afternoon at Metheringham on November 22, 2020.

(Nick Edmonds)

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.

Advertising deadline January 11 4 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED February 2021

FEATURE What’s in store for Rail in 2021?

What’s in store for Rail in 2021? FEATURE

What’s in store for

FEATURE 60s and 70s Southern Miscellaneousy

60s and 70s Southern Miscellaneousy FEATURE

A particularly rare unit, No 053 was an instructional three-car set formed of vehicles converted from former London & South Western Railway steam-era coaches. The set entered traffic in 1931 as 3-SUB 1782 and was later made a 4-SUB (4579). It achieved this form in 1956 and was mostly hidden away in various depots for training. It is departing Brighton station after appearing at the open day there on June 30, 1973.

Rail in 2021?

Editor Mark Nicholls looks at what we might expect for the rail industry in the year ahead, which surely must be better than the previous 12 months.

T

here is absolutely no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a hugely negative effect on the UK, its population, its economy and its businesses.

But as I write this the first vaccine has been cleared for use, with others expected to follow imminently, and so after a monumental effort by the scientific and medical community to achieve this in such a short time frame there is finally a glimmer of hope.

38 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED February 2021

Backing the railway

Throughout the pandemic the Government has done a similarly huge job trying to support the economy, businesses and the workforce, but even with the best will in the world it can’t help everyone – and of course in the long term it is the taxpayer who will have to foot the massive multibillion pound bill. One industry it has helped is the rail industry through various emergency agreements designed to keep

trains running, initially for key workers and then, after the two national lockdowns, as the Train Operating Companies try to attract passengers back. In the longer term this is, of course, unsustainable and the Treasury is already very concerned at the cost, but for now it is obviously necessary.

All the signs indicate it will take a few years for passenger numbers and revenue to return to pre-COVID levels, and that is assuming that the effectiveness and take

www.railwaysillustrated.com

The Surrey Wanderer Railtour, with Battle of Britain Class 34089 602 Squadron heading the Norwood Jn – Epsom Downs leg at West Croydon on June 5, 1966 as a-SUB 4107 stands in the down platform. The special is in the up platform and the two men on the track are most likely clipping the points in readiness for the wrong line working when it departs; note the complete lack of hi-vis clothing at the time.

up of the vaccines live up to expectations and people have the confidence to travel again. But in the meantime, the railway is going to have to change in many ways and now is probably the best time to do it while traffic levels are reduced. Timetabling is one area in particular. One only has to look at the current punctuality figures to see the railway runs more efficiently when there is more slack in train frequencies, as this reduces the risk of congestion and delays. With the anticipated gradual rise in demand from next summer, frequencies should only be increased steadily to meet that demand. This will require more flexibility in timetable structures to allow more trains to be added outside of the planned summer/winter timetable changes. Capacity can be enhanced by using longer trains as needed, to make use of the rolling stock until such time as frequency increases are required. But this is a hugely complex area because timetable changes by one TOC obviously affect paths of several others, which is why they only usually happen twice a year. Trying to drop more trains in on an ad-hoc basis is far more difficult and so Network Rail’s timetablers are going to have their work cut out.

Similarly, a major reappraisal of the fares structure has to take place to encourage passengers to use the railway and be more suitable to a world now getting use to home working and flexible office attendance.

This is vital for commuter networks that are likely to be hit hardest as fewer people travel into major towns and cities at peak times. Several TOCs are already offering or suggesting more flexible ticketing, but this needs to be done on a national scale in a greatly simplified way – and I would suggest to the same standard UK-wide to make it easier to understand. There has been plenty of talk and suggestions over the year, and the still unpublished Williams Report is supposed to place fares reform near or at the top of the agenda. That said, simplifying such a complex system is not easy, and J www.railwaysillustrated.com

MAIN PICTURE: Commuter services are expected to take the longest to recover from the massive drop in passenger numbers because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Although due to have returned to traffic, South Western Railway’s Class 442s are currently not rostered in service, despite the re-tractioning programme continuing apace.

Training, testing and limited passenger running continued in 2020, however, and unit 442411 stands at Waterloo on March 3, 2020 waiting to depart to Portsmouth.

(Wikimedia Common/ Kentrailobserver37) ABOVE: Network Rail is continuing to deliver projects large and small across the UK – the refurbishment of the famous Ribblehead Viaduct on the Settle to Carlisle line is a prominent example.

(Network Rail)

February 2021 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 39

38 What's in store for rail?

B

60s and 70s Southern Miscellany

ritish Railway’s Southern Region was a fascinating place during the 1960s and 1970s, with a mixture of elderly EMUs gradually being displaced by BR designs based on the Mk 1 coach.

The Southern Railway produced a wide range of EMUs, including the 1935-built 2-BIL two car sets, the 4-LAV four car units and the 6-CORs, which included Pullman vehicles. And, of course, there were the 5-BEL Brighton Belle Pullman sets, which plied their trade between London Victoria

46 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED February 2021

and Brighton until 1972. During the 1960s BR/ SR dark green livery was dominant but this was gradually replaced by standard BR blue or the blue/grey livery.

As well as the wide variety of EMUs, the SR also dabbled in electric locos, such as Classes 70 and 71.

The Class 71 is probably the best known, alongside the Class 74s that were converted from Class 71s into electro-diesel form. The Class 70 dates from 1941 (20001) and was rated at 1,470hp; the small fleet was

retired in 1968. The final loco (20003) was built by BR at Brighton in 1948. It was slightly longer and had a 4-SUB-based cab design instead of the 2-HAL type used on the earlier pair.

The selection here is provided by Michael Welch and features photos from the collection of images taken by John Hayward. It must be remembered that film quality was not always the best at the time, but despite that many of these images are of historical interest and worthy of publication. www.railwaysillustrated.com

The two original Bulleid electric Class 70 locos at Brighton on and unknown date between 1966-68.

4-LAV units 2929 and 2943 run into Haywards Heath in early June 1968 with the 0947 Victoria to Brighton service.

A pair of 5-BEL Brighton Belle sets cross the Ouse River Viaduct heading for the South Coast on March 16, 1968.

www.railwaysillustrated.com

February 2021 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 47

46 Southern in the 60s and 70s www.railwaysillustrated.com

52 Model Spot – Accurascale JTA/ PTA iron ore/stone wagons

Ian MacLean casts an eye over the some of the diesel activity experienced on the Highland Main Line.

Wikimedia Commons/ Hfhs47djadshjd

CHALLENGE

THE RAILWAY

Carl Watson

WALES & BORD NATIONALISEDERS

THE RAILWAY

WORLD – PAST,

Wikimedia Commons

PRESENT AND FUTURE

AD IS DE S FROM FRANCHISCOINNCGESS CLION AYRIL TO 202N1 EQUIPM AP ENT Aimin strated.com www.railwaysillu

www.railwaysillu strated.com

g Higher

New Future for Wolverton Works

Model Spot

A subscription to Model Spot

Cavalex Steel

PLUS

Wagons

Taunton Cider ern Traffic ter Shed North 70 Years of Leices Museum PLU d’s White S head e effort Irelan visits a UK-wid My signal box abandons Blackpool Brita in’s Depo Grand Central en ts – Coalville hav RHTT one 2020 t-St seaso rises to pos Salisbury Sojou n UK action Second bailou rn – chasing Cromptons t for Transport GBRf 2021 tour for London

Network Rai

l

passenger deb ut for

£4.80

74 Diesels on the Highland Line Part 1: The 1960s and 1970s.

THE £100K

JANUARY 2021

Using images from the John Hayward collection, we showcase some of the units and electric locos of the Southern Region in the 1960s and 70s.

John Vaughan summarises the Moorswater cement traffic, which came to an end in later November 2020.

484S IOW CLASSPE TAKE SHA FUTURE PRESENT AND WORLD – PAST, BLUE PUL LMAN RESURRECTE D!

ING HELPIDON ALYC

£4.80

46 60s and 70s Southern Miscellany

64 Looking back at the Moorswater Cement flow

E AV

After a frankly terrible 2020, can this year be one of recovery for the UK’s railways?

IBE AND R S SC

NOVEMBER 2020

38 What’s in store for Rail in 2021?

SU B

Features

Class 69

offers great savings on cover price. See pages 58 and 59 for details.

Formerly used on South Wales iron ore trains, these wagons are now used to convey aggregates from the Mendip quarries.

PASSENGER

UT FOR GA CLASSDEB720 s

Keith Partlow

CENTRAL DOOR

ING FOR MAIN LINELOCKMK 1s

THE RAILW AY WORLD

Wikimedia

Commons

– PAST, PRESE NT AND FUTU RE

www.railway sillustrated. com

Rail’s

ritica ProspectC s for 2021 l Year

FEATURE Diesels on the Highland Line – Part 1: The 1960s and 1970s

Diesels on the Highland Line PART 1

The 1960s and 1970s

Ian MacLean casts an eye over some of the diesel activity experienced on the Highland Main Line following the end of steam on the route.

Final Class 142s bid farewell

Diesels on the Highland Line – Part 1: The 1960s and 1970s FEATURE

T

he Highland Main Line (HML) is one of, if not the, toughest routes for traction in the UK. The line includes the highest point on the BR network at Druimuachdar Summit, standing at 1,484ft above sea level, and further north Slochd Summit reaches 1,315 ft. Both summits have fearsome approaches in both directions.

With these, coupled with the cost of getting coal to Inverness and factoring in the bleak winter weather, it was not surprising that the route was a priority for dieselisation.

The first diesels

On June 18, 1958, Brush Type 2 D5511 was sent north from Edinburgh to Perth for trials in the Highlands. After being used for crew familiarisation it was noted working the morning Inverness-Perth parcels on July 5, before undertaking a stint in the Edinburgh area. It was back on Inverness shed on August 4 and powered

the afternoon freight to Wick the next day.

It also worked on the West Highland Line during its trials but was back on the Eastern Region at the start of September. It would be another 15 months before diesels arrived at Inverness permanently.

The first diesel allocated to Inverness was English Electric Type 1 D8032 on January 29. 1960, followed by D8033/4 as they came off the production line. During February BRCW Type 2s 5338-46 were also allocated to the Highland capital as BR started to eradicate steam from the north of Scotland.

As such, D8032 was noted on the 0920 Perth-Inverness goods on February 9 before returning south coupled to D5346. Initially the diesels were put to work on freights where the Type 2s enjoyed a traction advantage over the Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 steam locos they were to replace. However, a fitted head was required on freights due to braking problems experienced with the Sulzers on

the steep downhill gradients. Steam on the line enjoyed a brief renaissance during April and May when several Inverness Type 2s were borrowed by Haymarket to dieselise the Edinburgh to Aberdeen route until more BRCW Type 2 reinforcements arrived from Hornsey in north London, although the 0806 Perth-Inverness Class H freight and 0920 Inverness-Perth remained in the hands of the Sulzers.

Derby-built Type 2 (later Class 24) D5114 was transferred from Kittybrewster to Inverness during April, followed by D5115 and D5116, before brand new 5117 was allocated to Inverness on May 14. Deliveries then continued up to D5132 towards the end of September. Diesels were gaining a hold on the Highland Line by May 22 when D5338/5339 were on the 1705 InvernessPerth. D5114 worked the 0806 PerthInverness the next morning. D5338 had been J fitted with a tablet catcher by this date.

BRCW Type 2 Class 26s 5333 and 5337 depart from Blair Atholl on the Highland Line on March 9, 1973.

(Gavin Morrison)

FRONT COVER: LNER Class 801/2 801222 generates spray from its pantograph on December 4, 2020 as it heads south at Sutton with the 801222 1E07 08:30 Edinburgh to King’s Cross service. (Nick Green)

Model Spot

PLUS

Accura

scale JTA/PTA wagon s

60s and 70s Diesels on Sou ther n Misc ella ny the Fina l Moo rsw High land Mai n Line ater cem ent Rail

74 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED February 2021

www.railwaysillustrated.com

www.railwaysillustrated.com

February 2021 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 75

74 Diesels in the Highlands www.railwaysillustrated.com

FEBRUARY 2021

£4.80

WHY NOT TAKE OUT A SUBSCRIPTION? traf infrastructu Additional re spe nd cut fic by £1bn £825m to complete Crossrail

The easiest and cheapest way to get your copy of Railways Illustrated each month is to take out a subscription. Full details are on page 58-59. At the moment a subscription by Direct Debit means you will beat any price rises, you usually receive the magazine earlier than the on-sale date and you won’t miss an issue.

February 2021 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 5

PICTORIAL In fading afternoon light, DRS Class 66/4 66427 approaches Slitting Mill farmers crossing near Staveley, Derbyshire with a Daventry to Doncaster Iport Tesco intermodal on November 27, 2020.

(Robert Falconer)

42 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED February 2021

www.railwaysillustrated.com

www.railwaysillustrated.com

February 2021 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 43

ENDOFPREVI EW

I fy oul i k ewhaty ou’ v e r eads of ar ,whynot s ubs c r i be,ort r ya s i ngl ei s s uef r om:

www. c l as s i c magaz i nes . c o. uk