Railways Illustrated - March preview

CLASS 707s MOVE TO

SOUTHEASTERN

IOW 1938 STOCK RETIRES Wikimedia Commons

AFTER 83 YEARS

Jack Boskett

THE RAILWAY WORLD – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

www.railwaysillustrated.com

COVID Cut Backs

• Hull Trains and Grand Central hibernate • Staff sickness worries • Service cuts bite

LNER Class 91s temporary stand down

Model Spot

Life with the Southern’s EPBs Christmas Engineering spree Main line planned for VT Class 144s They tried to run a railway pt6

Threat to England’s decommissioned railway assets

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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

34 Steam News

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

6 Headlines

40 Pictorial

10 News

62 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

18 Fleet Review

70 Traction Action

24 Heritage News

72 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

30 What’s Happening To…? 75 Railwayana MAIN PICTURE: GBRf Class 66/7 66761 Wensleydale Railway Association 25 years 1990-2015 passes Chellaston with the 6X44 1110 Bescot Up Engineers Sidings to Toton North Yard working on December 15, 2020.

(Steve Donald)

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.

NEWS SPECIAL

NEWS SPECIAL

Christmas Engineering spree

AS USUAL Network Rail scheduled a huge amount of engineering work over the festive period, with the latest including very large projects forming part of the £1.2billion East Coast Upgrade.

However, this year was rather different given NR had to comply with COVID-19 regulations to keep the workforce as safe as possible. It was also somewhat different because of the latest Tier

4 coronavirus restrictions that were introduced in the South East before Christmas, which had the effect of dampening an already weakened demand from people for travel. This meant the level of works had very little impact on the few remaining travellers.

One of the largest projects took place at King’s Cross station, where the old Camden Sewer was diverted and replaced in just nine

days, which involved lifting all four running tracks immediately south of Gasworks Tunnel. Work began as soon as the final train had departed on December 24, with the first phase completed by December 31, which allowed a limited service to resume. Full running resumed on January 4. In addition to the sewer replacement, new overhead line and signalling equipment were installed in readiness for the

reopening of the third Gasworks Tunnel bore and changes to the track layout.

The next large stage of the project took place between January 16 and 24 when the tunnel box for the Werrington Dive Under was slid beneath the ECML using large jacks, a first for UK rail engineering. For nine days there was a limited service between Grantham and Peterborough.

The first part of a vital improvement to one of South East London’s busiest railways was completed in the heart of Lewisham between December 25-29. A junction crossing all four lines from Hither Green into the heart of London was renewed to improve the reliability of trains in the area. A second, three-day project began on New Year’s Day to renew a junction nearer to St John’s where lines from Lewisham join the main route into town. The work replaced equipment dating from the 1970s.

(All photos Network Rail)

The massive and complex job of replacing the Camden Sewer at King’s Cross was completed in time to fully reopen the station on January 4. It was just one of many jobs completed as part of the £1.2billion East Coast Upgrade.

Throughout January, weekend engineering works continued to install new overhead line equipment and improve the signalling at King’s Cross, as well as carry out maintenance

work between Peterborough and Hitchin, with direct train services suspended between the two stations.

Meanwhile, at Leeds NR completed the construction of Platform 0 over

Christmas. It will initially be used during times of disruption and for scheduled services from the May timetable change.

Further south, work continued at Gatwick airport on the station’s

upgrade and rebuild.

Over Christmas the final span of the site access bridge across Platforms 3 to 7 was lifted in and this will allow work to continue throughout 2021.

Strengthening works and J

Trackwork replacement and upgrades took place along the West Coast Main Line, including in the Euston area.

Advertising deadline February 8 4 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED March 2021

12 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED March 2021

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12 Christmas Engineering

March 2021 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 13

44 Life with Southern EPBs www.railwaysillustrated.com

12 News Special – Christmas engineering

A look at some of the extensive engineering projects carrier out over the Christmas and New Year period.

44 Life with the Southern’s EPBs

Alex Fisher charts the history of the granite city’s famous locomotive depot.

58 Model Spot – DRS Class 20s

Ian MacLean continues his analysis of the Midland Region Control logs from early 1986.

Simon Bendall reports on the new Bachmann Class 20/3s as DRS marks its 25th anniversary.

66 The legacy of the unknown 46 60s and 70s Southern Miscellany photographer 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.

76 They Tried to Run a Railway: Part 6

David Staines describes the unusual donation of slides given to the Spa Velley Railway and needs help identifying the photographer.

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ING HELPIDON ALYC THE £100K

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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

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Editor Mark Nicholls recounts some experiences with electro-pneumatic brake (EPB) stock on the Southern Region.

52 Britain’s Depots – Aberdeen Ferryhill

SU B

Features

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g Higher

New Future for Wolverton Works

Model Spot

A subscription to Model Spot

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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 pas

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CLASS 707s

MOVE TO SOUTHEAST ERN

Wikimedia Commons

IOW 1938 STOC

K RETIRES AFTER 83 YEA RS

THE RAILW AY WORLD

Jack Boskett

– PAST, PRESE NT AND FUTU RE

www.railway sillustrated.c om

COVID Cut Ba cks

• Hull Tra and Grand Cen • Staff sicins tral hibernate kness worrie • Service cut s s bite

tried to

FEATURE They tried to Run a Railway - Part Six

RunThaeyRailway Six

FRONT COVER: Rail operators continue to face difficulties during the latest lockdown, with staff shortages adding to the problems. Plenty of trains but few passengers at London Paddington. (Jack Boskett)

Part

Ian MacLean continues his analysis of the Midland Region Control logs from early 1986 – a time when the cold weather continued to play havoc.

RIGHT: Class 58 58020 Doncaster Works BREL at Toton TMD on February 15, 1986. The previous day had seen four failures of the type.

(Rail Photoprints/ Gordon Edgar)

Monday February 10

It didn’t take long for the first failure to occur as 86234 came to grief at Stafford in the early hours while powering the 1F01 0050 Euston-Liverpool. 86227 went forward after a 62-minute delay.

20042/097 continued to cause trouble.

After after running light from Springs Branch to Warrington to work the 6M25

LN ClassER

tempor 91s standary down

They tried to Run a Railway - Part Six FEATURE

Mossend-Dee Marsh forward, they were found to be short of water and had to return to Springs Branch to be topped up. As they continued to Warrington 20097 kept cutting out, with the fault traced to a defective jumper cable. The idea of using the 20s was abandoned and 6M25 ran forward from Warrington with a 47. J

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Life with the Chri stmas Sou ther n’s EPB s Eng Main line plan ineering spre e ned for VT The y tried to run a railw Class 144s Threat to Eng ay pt6 land’s

20/3s

76 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED March 2021

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March 2021 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 77

76 They tried to run a railway www.railwaysillustrated.com

MARCH 2021

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March 2021 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 5

PICTORIAL A frosty New Year’s Eve in the Worth Valley, and the first Mince Pie Special from Keighley to Oxenhope on December 31, 2020, hauled by flagship 2MT 41241, races away from Oakworth at Mytholmes Curve.

(Ben Bucki)

42 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED March 2021

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March 2021 RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED 43

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