Sommaire pour September 2019 de Rail Express

NETWORK Rail’s National Operations Centre is a fascinating place, perhaps one that few outside of the industry know exists, and this month our contributor Phil Marsh was lucky enough to spend some time there observing the work done to keep services running on time. The NOC monitors the entire network around the clock, overseeing local route control and stepping in when major incidents occur. Problems that affect passenger and freight services range from simple to complicated, serious to ridiculous – although even sombrero-wearing drunks (as happened when Phil was there) need to be taken seriously when they are near to moving trains, while far too often the team has to deal with the sad news of a suicide on railway property. The NOC also deals with more everyday aspects of…

NETWORK Rail has completed a £60 million project to enable 47 daily freight trains to run on the Felixstowe branch in each direction. The investment was supported by Hutchinson Ports UK and is a large step-up from the previous ceiling of 33 daily paths. The 13 mile line is not electrified, although this was proposed when the Great Eastern Main Line was electrified in the mid-1980s, which has therefore resulted in diesel traction being used throughout for containerised freights. The port opened its first container handling facility in 1967 and, as a result of continued expansion, opened the two mile North Quay branch in 1987 to serve the Central and North terminals. The South terminal continues to be accessed by the original line that ran to the closed Felixstowe Beach…

TRANSPORT for London is inviting tenders for an improved cab security system for all driving motor cars across London Underground. ‘J’ doors are located between the passenger compartment of a driving motor car and the train operator’s cab and most are fitted with safety glass or plastic covers to protect the handle mechanism. In recent years, however, there has been a series of incidents where passengers have been able to access the cab and even assault train operators. Bidders were expected to submit their tenders by early August to design, manufacture and deliver a lockable system on 1262 cab doors across seven types of rolling stock. The work is due to be completed by November 2022.…

JULY saw the disposal of No. 20035, one of the four Class 20s that returned from France in 2005, at EMR at Kingsbury. Located at the Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway since 2016, the loco had been gradually stripped of components over the past three years to provide spares for classmates Nos. D8137 (20137) and 20228. No. 20035 is the second of the former CFD ‘Choppers’ – which were bought by a consortium of preservationists – to go for scrap. To date, only one has been returned to action, No. 20228 at the Barry Island Railway, although this has since been stopped and is now nearing the end of an overhaul. No. 20063 is also being restored at the Battlefield Line, having spent several years in store, initially at Wishaw (Warwickshire) and then…

NAMED 56091 Driver Wayne Gaskell – The Godfather 66162 Maritime International Five 66302 Endeavour 66428 Carlisle Eden Mind 66747 Made in Sheffield 331106 Proud to be Northern 395018 Hornby Visitor Centre Margate, Kent NAMES REMOVED 156441 William Huskisson MP Class 56s are rare visitors to the Grimsby area, but on July 20 Colas example No. 56302 was captured approaching Great Coates Sidings No.1 signalbox with the 6X80/14.58 Doncaster Up Decoy to Ulceby via the Immingham & Grimsby Light Railway. Jonathan Longbottom…

LOCOMOTIVE SERVICES LSL’S No. 08737 has been repainted and renumbered – it now carries full BR green livery with its original, pre-tops number No. D3095. RMS LOCOTEC LOCO No. 08788 finally left Shotton on July 11, being moved to Teesport to replace No. 08613 which is in need of repair. No. 08788 was the last of the RMS ‘08s’ on-site at Shotton. Once No. 08613 had arrived at Wolsingham, the overhauled and repainted No. 08375 was due to move to its new owners at the Port of Boston. RMS’ Rolls-Royce Sentinel 0-6-0DH No. H014 has entered preservation, moving from Wolsingham to the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) in mid-July. Works number 10262, it was built in 1967 and entered service with the NCB at Ollerton Colliery, Nottinghamshire. WEST MIDLANDS TRAINS SOHO…

ARRIVA Trains UK took the opportunity in July to dispose of more than half of its Mk.3 coaches stored out of traffic at Long Marston. Some of the vehicles had not seen use for anumber of years, having last operated with Virgin Trains in 2003 or 2004, while others have been used or were more recent purchases. For example, Restaurant Buffet First (RFM) No. 10235 ran with Arriva/DB Regio as part of the Wrexham & Shropshire (WSMR) fleet, while No. 10246 was one of a number of coaches acquired after the collapse of Cargo-D, and acted as aspare coach on the ‘WAG’ service between Cardiff and Holyhead for a period. The list of vehicles sent to C F Booth at Rotherham for cutting up was: RFM – 10215/226/233/235/246, SO –…

THE Downpatrick and County Down Railway’s ex-NIR two-car 80 Class DEMU, Nos. 69+749, continues to be used for crew training trips and other non-passenger duties. The preservationists have also been active restoring the interior of the vehicles to original condition. While the two vehicles were reliveried at York Road Works into the original maroon, blue and white colour scheme prior to their transfer to Downpatrick on May 13, 2018, the interiors remained unchanged. However, a small team of volunteers has transformed the interior of driving trailer No. 749 into almost as-new condition. The work, which was carried out over 10 months, included fitting the original type of linoleum floor covering and ‘Burma Teak’ Formica wall covering, most of which was salvaged from scrapped vehicles. The seat frames were refurbished off-site…

MEASURING up various ‘OO’ gauge Mk.2 air-conditioned coaches shows some subtle differences between various manufacturers' interpretations of some important features. Two were checked after measuring up the new Hornby Mk.2f coaches: the first being the red and white striping which is so characteristic of Intercity Executive livery in both BR and Swallow formats. On the prototype, the white line is narrower than the red and to confirm the exact width, measurements were taken from a full size coach at Eastleigh. The white band is 100mm deep (1.3mm in 4mm scale) whilst the red one is 180mm deep (2.4mm in 4mm scale). The new Hornby Mk.2f coach had the correct width white stripe. The red one, being just a tad wider, is still too narrow at 1.6mm. In comparison, Bachman’s model…

CARDIFF CANTON Class 37s are popular modelling subjects, making the reissue of the ‘OO’ gauge split-box Class 37/0 in ‘Dutch’ livery as No. 37046 a good move by Bachmann (32-792). Ordinary, non-celebrity locomotives (such as No. 37046) which carried no nameplates or special embellishments, are important models to produce because they should make up the bulk of any modeller’s stable and offer scope for renumbering with due attention to the detail applied to it. The prototype locomotive led a fairly uneventful life after its introduction to traffic in July 1962, which included a short stint in Scotland. It is typical of many Class 37s which were not included in the heavy general repair programme. Working freight traffic and infrastructure duties when based at Cardiff Canton, it attracted attention through its…

HERE we present the results of another trawl through the Rail Express modern traction archives, this time with a selection of images from British Railways’ Southern Region in the 1950s, 60s and 70s (the Western Region was covered in the September 2016 issue, and the Eastern Region in the April 2019 issue). The Southern Region has been increasingly dominated by electric multiple units over the last century, but locomotive-hauled trains remained – particularly on freight (as today) and also on the more prestigious passenger workings. Amongst the highlights on the following pages are the Western Region hydraulics that covered Southern Region turns, plus a BRCW Type 2 (later Class 27) on a cross-London interregional working, as well as some lines and classes now sadly long gone. We hope you enjoy…

‘FLIRTS’ ENTER SERVICE STADLER bi-mode No. 755410 became the first of Greater Anglia’s new fleet to enter service on July 29 when it worked between Norwich and Great Yarmouth/Lowestoft – the loco-hauled ‘short set’ diagram. The unit is one of 38 three and four-car Class 745s being introduced onto regional services in East Anglia, part of 1,000 new vehicles being built for the GA network. The ‘short set’ is not finished with yet, however, as it was in service on selected days in August while the ‘745s’ are bedded in. ‘MIDDY’ DIESEL THE Mid-Suffolk Light Railway at Wetheringsett, near Stowmarket, took delivery of a new locomotive in June with the arrival of John Fowler 0-4-0 diesel No. 20337. Built in 1933 it worked at the Nabisco Foods factory in Welwyn…

Got something to review? Send any books, DVDs or other items to the editor at: Rail Express, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Class 26, 27 and 33 Locomotives / Class 67 and 68 Locomotives Both by Andrew Cole Published by Amberley www.amberley-books.com96 pages, colour, 234x165mm, softback. £14.99 each TWO books by the same author focusing on Sulzer powered Type 2/3 and modern Type 5 locos. They both follow a picture-and-caption format, with mostly two pictures per pages totalling around 180 photos in each. The Sulzer book covers the Type 2s that became synonymous with Scotland and the Type 3s built for the Southern Region. None of the photos go back further than the mid-1980s, which is a shame because there is a rich history missed from the…

HS2 has unveiled designs for adriverless people mover to connect its Birmingham Interchange station with the nearby airport, International station, and National Exhibition Centre. Twenty-metre vehicles will depart every three minutes over a 1.5-mile route entirely on a viaduct, the system being capable of carrying up to 2100 passengers per hour in each direction. Contactless bank cards can now be used instead of paper tickets on Manchester Metrolink tram services, with passengers ‘touching in’ at the start of their journey and ‘touching out’ at the end rather like the system already used in London. Fares are automatically calculated based on the zones passed through. A London Underground Jubilee Line train ran between Finchley Road and West Hampstead on September 1, 2018 with 10 sets of doors still open after the…

LOCOMOTIVES BR Green: 08737 (D3905) Caledonian Sleeper: 92006 DB Cargo red: 66077 Maritime blue: 66162 Newell & Wright Container Services: 66747 ScotRail InterCity: 43037, 43124 UNITS Azuma: 800203/04 Northern: 150130, 150273, 155344, 156441, 158867, 158905, 333014 Pendolino revised: 390134/35/36 Pride: 700155 Renatus: 321330 South Western Railway: 159017 Transport for Wales: 158828/32, 175002 White with green doors: 350104/08/15/23 COACHES Blue: 6181 GWR green: 48115 Pullman: 3362 ScotRail InterCity: 40612, 42055, 42276, 42576…

RAILWAY Support Services has undertaken a shuffle of its ‘08s’ in July, partly initiated by damage caused to No. 08934 at Dagenham. This shunter was hit by a derailed wagon and, whilst initially it was going to be repaired, further investigation found twisted frames and so it was transported direct from Dagenham to Barrow Hill for component recovery. The moves commenced on July 12, with No. 08939 moving from Neville Hill to Felixstowe, joining No. 08757 there for a brief period before the latter was shifted to Dagenham on the 15th. No. 08934 was then moved to Barrow Hill, and the merry-go-round was completed with No. 08846 heading north from Wishaw to Neville Hill to replace the space vacated by No. 08939. With no OTMR or TPWS fitted, No. 08846…

SIXTH SCOTRAIL HST SCOTRAIL took delivery of its sixth rebuilt HST rake on July 3when set HA21 was released and, with power car Nos. 43127/176, moved north as the 5S03/03.13 Wabtec Doncaster-Perth. The set is formed of Nos. 40612, 42055/276/576, with No. 40612 having been rebuilt from No. 41134. No. 42579 has arrived at Wabtec by road from Haymarket for sliding door conversion. FINAL GWR SET DUE to arrive at Wabtec, Doncaster around the end of July was another Great Western Railway set (OC38, made up of Nos. 42003/202/264 and 44036) for rebuilding. It will emerge as GW11 in due course. The set is the last in the GWR conversion programme, although another two cars (Nos. 42251 and 44008) will also be rebuilt and act as spare cars. CHILTERN STOCK…

NORTHERN Ireland Railways ran a revised special timetable on the Belfast to Portrush/Londonderry line from July 14-21 for the 148th Open golf championship, which was held at Royal Portrush for only the second time, after a gap of 68 years. Just under 238,000 spectators were said to have attended the event overall. The initial special timetable indicated that most of the planned extra trains to Portrush for spectators from the Belfast direction would only serve Belfast Great Victoria Street (GVS) and Lanyon Place stations. However, with many visiting spectators also accommodated at locations en route, it was decided to change the arrangements. This saw a regular timetable, with some alterations, operated from July 14 to end of service on the 16. Then a special timetable in use from July 17-21…

■ TRAFFIC & TRACTION: Retro-liveried No. 071 was failed at Ballina on June 24 and transferred to Dublin North Wall on the 29th in the consist of the 08.15 IWT container train, which was headed by classmate No. 081. The inclusion of No. 071 ‘inside’ No. 081 required the removal of two wagons from the normal 18-wagon consist because of train weight and length issues. The train was recessed at Tullamore and Portarlington en route. No 071 was then stabled at North Wall, and ran light engine from there to Inchicore on July 3. The locomotive was repaired and was active on ballast duties in the Mallow area on July 16, followed by Limerick Junction on the 20th. The other retro-liveried 071 Class locomotive, No. 073, was also proving problematic…

MODELLERS now have a choice of two current ‘OO’ gauge Mk.2f coach models with the release of Hornby’s brand-new Tourist Standard Open (TSO), First Open (FO) and Brake Standard Open (BSO) coaches, initially in Intercity Executive livery with italic typeface markings. The differences between the Bachmann and Hornby models is stark; the latter not having any of the electrical and DCC innovations applied to the Bachmann models. The suggested retail price of the Hornby models is also considerably less, reflecting a simpler design and less involved assembly which will appeal to a certain section of the D&E market. The model is based on the final design of the hugely successful Mk.2 coach introduced in the mid-1960s following the XP64 trials. Mk.2f stock entered service in 1973, equipped with air-conditioning and…

END of life condition Mk.1 coaches in BR blue and grey livery have been added to the Graham Farish ‘N’ gauge range, finished with ScotRail markings. The models are based on the up-to-date ‘N’ gauge Mk.1 coach tooling with separate flush glazing units and opaque injection moulded plastic body shells. Close coupling cams are fitted to the coach frames alongside vacuum brake equipment and individual moulded truss rodding. B1 bogies are fitted to both coaches with correctly sized metal disc wheels. Roof detail includes ridge dome ventilators, prominent roof ribbing and wire water tank filler pipes. BSK and SK One coach is finished as No. 34668, a Brake Second Corridor (BSK) coach (374-197); whilst the accompanying Second Corridor (SK) coach represents No. 18360 (374-066). Both models are finished with a…

DISSATISFACTION with the comfort of seating on new trains, which emerged with the introduction of Siemens-built Class 700 units on Thameslink services as older types were replaced, resulted in the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) commissioning research to establish future standards. Passengers have branded the Thameslink seating as ‘ironing boards’, with the same description subsequently applied to other classes, such as the Class 387s operating between King’s Cross and King’s Lynn. In the latter case, there is a very poor experience in terms of passenger comfort when compared to the Class 365 trains they replaced, as these were specified by Network SouthEast as express units with full carpeting and seating arranged in bays adjacent to the windows. The new long-distance Class 800 series of trains being built by Hitachi…

THE area around Torbay in Devon has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and Paignton itself was mentioned in the 11th century Domesday Book, remaining a small fishing town until the 19th century when trips to the seaside began to become fashionable amongst those with time, and money, on their hands. Like many coastal towns, however, it was the coming of the railway that transformed the area into the tourist destination it is today. The Great Western Railway opened its line from London to Bristol in 1841, with the Bristol & Exeter Railway opening throughout in 1844, followed by the South Devon Railway to Newton Abbot at the end of 1846 and Plymouth in 1849. The branch from Aller Junction to Torre –the original Torquay station – was completed at the…

Express Mailbag Your letters, emails, feedback, corrections and other comments are always welcome. Contact us by post at Rail Express, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR; or email: railexpresseditor@mortons.co.uk. The editor reserves the right to edit all letters, and the views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the magazine. GALA GRIPES HAVING been to the Spa Valley Railway’s diesel gala on August 2 to catch the Class 27, which I have had a soft spot for since my visits to Scotland as a young boy many years ago, I was surprised to see No. 27001 with a large headboard and a converted tail-lamp as headlight working on one of the trains in the late afternoon (the 17.00 Tunbridge Wells West…

WITH wi-fi having been introduced at 54 Underground stations within zones 1-4, cabling has now been installed into a section of tunnel on the Jubilee Line to test the feasibility of introducing 4G wi-fi services across the entire Underground. Trials of 2G, 3G and 4G services are being undertaken on the eastern end of the Jubilee Line on station platforms and within tunnels. If this trial is successful, Transport for London intends to award a contract to one of four already-identified bidders to install the infrastructure that will include 5G services. The current approximate completion date is ‘mid-2020s’ across the Underground network.…

THE 30th anniversary of the opening of Mangapps Railway Museum is being celebrated over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Class 04 No. D2325, which worked the first train at Mangapps in 1989, is gaining a new coat of BR green for the event, which should also see Nos. 03089/197/399, 31105/233, 33202 Dennis G Robinson and 47579 James Nightall GC in action. The South East Locomotive Group’s No. 33063 RJ Mitchell is to visit the Dean Forest Railway for its gala in September. Another Sulzer, No. D7535 (25185) is to appear at the Llangollen Railway at the end of September, providing the first opportunity to ride behind a Class 25 on the line since the departure of No. 25313 in 2009. ‘Clayton’ No. D8568 is to pay its first visit to…

NEW ENGINE BLOCK FOR ‘37’ THE Class 37 Loco Group has acquired an English Electric 12SV Mk.2 power unit, built in 1967, from an industrial site for use in No. 37003 following the discovery of cracks within the main crank of the loco’s engine earlier this year. The engine block from the newly-purchased unit will be built up using components from the current power unit. The group estimates the work will add £27,000 to the cost of the overhaul of No. 37003, which is being carried out at UKRL’s Leicester depot. It had been hoped it would be back in service as No. D6703 in time for its 60th anniversary in December 2020, but now this may no longer be possible. An appeal for funds has been made to assist…

BESIDES those credited elsewhere, this issue has been made possible by the contributions of the following readers, to whom the editor is most grateful: Stewart Armstrong, Joel Coulson, Alexander Cromarty, Brian Dobbs, Steve Donald, Simon Howard, Brad Joyce, Gordon Kirkby, Stuart Kirkby, Mick Langton, Chris Newton, Graham Nuttall, Keith Partlow, Chris Playfair, Colin Pottle, Karen Richardson, Steve Sienkiewicz, Jamie Squibbs, Tim Squires, Gary Stringer, Steve Stubbs, Jack Taylor, Mick Tindall, Martin Turner, and many more.…

JUNE 30 was abig day at Rocks by Rail (Rutland) with the reintroduction to traffic of the 220hp Yorkshire Engine Co 0-6-0DE No. 1382. It was built in 1961 (with Works number No. 2791) for the United Steels Companies Ore Mining Branch, and worked at the Colsterworth ironstone quarry (Lincolnshire) until its closure in 1972. No. 1382 was the last to leave as it was retained to help with track removal, after which it moved onto the Normanby Park steel works (Scunthorpe) until entering preservation in 1981 at the Rutland Railway Museum (now Rocks by Rail). A regular performer until sidelined with electrical issues, the diesel loco spent many years out of traffic until a new owner and the Industrial Diesel and Industrial Railway Preservation Group took it on. Restoration…

■ SPECIAL TRAFFIC: The annual historical reenactment ‘Sham Fight’ at Scarva on July 13, saw the running of the usual shuttle service from Portadown for spectators. This series of eight DMU-worked trains ran from 09.40 to around 12.00, with seven trains scheduled to run empty to Poyntzpass to crossover and return to Portadown. One train returned to Portadown via Newry. A return shuttle service from Scarva to Portadown was provided later the same day. Like us on facebook facebook.com/RailExpressMag…

WITH delivery of its brand-new ‘OO’ gauge model of the up-to-date Ealnos MMA bogie box wagon imminent, Revolution Trains has turned its attention to producing a ‘OO’ gauge model of the ‘Sfins 2’, a large ferry van constructed in Germany in several batches, with slightly different diagram numbers, between 1987 and 1990. TOPS coded IWA, the wagons are general purpose bogie ferry vans of 19.5m in length over the end panels and capable of being loaded to 90 tons gross laden weight (GLW). They are fitted with two large integral side and roof sections which are opened using wheels located on the wagon ends. Each roof section is lifted slightly as the wheels are turned, with the lower part engaging runners to allow them to slide open, one over the…

September 7 Olney Model Railway Club 21st Annual Exhibition. Carlton House, 38 High Street, Olney, Buckinghamshire, MK46 4BB. 10.30-16.30 Sat. Adult £3. www.olneymrc.org.uk September 7/8 Medway Model Railway Show. Fort Pitt Grammar School, Fort Pitt Hill, Chatham, Kent, ME4 6TJ. 10.00-17.00 Sat, 10.00-16.00 Sun. Adult £5, Child £2, Family £12. Expo EM Autumn 2019. The EM Gauge Society. Kettlethorpe High School, Standbridge Lane, Sandal, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF2 7EL. 10.00-17.00 Sat, 10.00-16.00 Sun. Adult £9, Members £7, accompanied child free. www.emgs.org/events/exhibitions September 14 Kettering and District Model Railway Society. Greenfields Primary School, Highfield Road, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN14 1JS. 10.30-16.00 Sat. Adult £5, Concessions £4, Family £12. www.kdmrs.org.uk September 14/15 Faversham Model Railway Club Exhibition. The Abbey School, London Road, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8RZ. 10.00-16.30 Sat, 10.00-16.00 Sun. Adult £5, Child…

ALL but 24 HST power cars and their associated Mk.3 trailers have been released by First Great Western for store or reallocation following the introduction of Class 800 and Class 802 multiple units on long distance intercity services originating from London Paddington between late 2017 to May 2019. West Country services originating from Plymouth and Penzance were the last to be replaced with Class 802 units in May 2019, bringing an end to HST domination of Great Western long distance trains. However, they are not so easily dislodged and will continue in the West Country as mini-HSTs to the delight of their followers. Twenty-four power cars and 48 Mk.3 trailers remain to make up 11 sets of two-plus-four mini-HSTs for operation between Penzance, Exeter, Taunton and Cardiff Central. The Mk.3…