Sommaire pour August 2017 de Rail Express

Neville Hill goes up the wooden sleepers to Bedfordshire (and beyond) with an overnight run to Scotland behind a GBRf Class 92. A NIGHT on the sleeper train, an unexpected stop, and the inconvenient position of a tunnel are all excuses for this sub-standard train recording – but the relative rarity of logging a 6,700hp Class 92 loco was too good to ignore. Finding level, uninterrupted starts is a genuine difficulty though. The table shows how No. 92014 accelerated its train of 655 tonnes tare, some 677 tonnes gross and 803 tonnes including the locomotive, from the Watford Junction stop. The gradient rises at 1-in-393 and the train did not quite get to 60mph before the GPS blanked out in Watford Tunnel, so the 60mph in 116 seconds is an…

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A CLASS 09 that has been domiciled at EMR’s Kingsbury scrapyard since September 2011 has been purchased by the Severn Valley Railway. No. 09107 moved to its new home at Kidderminster on June 15. It becomes the second ‘09’ to be based on the line, No. 09012 having been purchased from HNRC in 2013. A second air-braked shunter will be a useful asset on the railway, particularly as Belmond’s Northern Belle rake is now based on the line until 2027. Assessment work has already begun at Kidderminster depot with a view to returning it to traffic as soon as possible. Its arrival means that the possible restoration of No. 08635, which had previously been used as a spares donor but recently examined with a view to reactivation, is now unlikely…

THE long-awaited revenue-earning debut of the Class 88s finally arrived on June 12, with No. 88003 Genesis taking the honour. The early hours of that day saw it and No. 88002 Prometheus run light from Crewe Gresty Bridge to Rugby, where the latter was left to act as a spare loco. No. 88003 then continued on to Daventry to work back north with the 4S43/06.16 Stobart/Tesco intermodal to Mossend. The evening of June 12 saw No. 88004 Pandora haul its first train, it coming south with the corresponding 4M48/19.04 Mossend-Daventry. The loco had only performed its first main line test run on June 8, when it headed No. 88002 on the 0Z88/07.15 Carlisle-Crewe before returning alone to Kingmoor as the 0Z89/12.20 departure. June 9 saw No. 88004 become the first…

CLASS 20 RESPLENDENT in their lined London Transport livery, Nos. 20142 and 20227 accompanied No. 20189 (blue) from Derby North Dock to Peak Rail at Matlock on June 4, prior to collecting preserved Class 44 No. D8 Penyghent for transfer to Sheringham (for the North Norfolk Railway’s diesel gala), a move completed the following day. The ‘Peak’ was returned to Derby North Dock on June 17 behind No. 20142 for onward movement home while No. 20227 remained at the North Norfolk Railway. No. 20096 moved to Barrow Hill for an exam on June 22, having previously been paired with No. 20905 and used in the usual ‘top and tail’ formation with the HNRC duo of Nos. 20311+20314 on the regular LUL stock transfers. Late on June 19, the quartet left…

THE delayed introduction of the first of TfL Rail’s new Class 345 ‘Aventra’ units took place on June 22, when No. 345005 worked the 2Z04/10.35 Liverpool Street-Shenfield and 2Z05/11.39 return. The first unit had originally been planned to enter service in May, which would have enabled it to be featured in the final episode of the BBC series about Crossrail called ‘The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway’, but the launch was delayed as testing had not been completed. The same train, which was a relief service, ran with No. 345005 again on June 23, the unit resuming crew training duties after its single trip to Shenfield and back, while on June 24, No. 345007 made its passenger debut. Around 11 of the eventual 66-strong fleet are planned to be in traffic…

OUT of traffic since 2015, Mk.2a TSO No. 5366 has been returned to traffic by Riviera Trains. It made its first appearance on June 17, when it was included in the formation of Pathfinder’s ‘Welsh Central Liner’ from Burton to Shrewsbury and back. The vehicle had previously been offered for sale by Riviera Trains, but is now being retained for further use. Also in the consist was Mk.1 FO No. 3119 which was repainted into chocolate/cream colours at Eastleigh Works earlier this year. No. 5366 had been at Burton since September 2016, when it was brought north from Eastleigh with another Mk.2a TSO, No. 5292. Parts from this coach have been used to restore No. 5366. Rivera Trains now has two ‘fresh air’ (non air-conditioned) rakes of stock available for…

■ DB CARGO UK: The two MXAs (Nos. 965061 and 965077, both ex-BNA/ BMA) which returned to Axiom at Stoke in May for an assessment on their future, were joined by another six on June 9: Nos. 950228 (82 70 4703 110-5), 951077 (82 70 4703 160-0), 951228 (82 70 4703 1 ■ EDINBURGH ‘BINLINER’ WAGONS: The recent closure of the Edinburgh Waste Transfer Station at Powderhall some two years earlier than expected has resulted in the redundancy of the small fleet of 12 KFA container flats assigned to this duty (KF010E, EDC 95420-95431). O/FYA usually employed on the 6M16 Tees Yard to Knowsley. More recently, two flats – Nos. EDC 95424 and EDC 95425 – have been receiving modifications at Axiom, Stoke. Both have been fitted with a large…

EARLY June sawOxford Rail receive the first fully factory-decorated samples of its new ‘OO’ gaugeMk.3a coaches, these all being finished in InterCity colours. The batch consisted of several Tourist StandardOpen (TSO), First Open (FO) and Restaurant First Modular (RFM), enabling the company to kindly loan one of the FOs to Rail Express Modeller, as illustrated here. As usual, these samples are produced to check the accuracy of the livery artwork, both in terms of colours and printing as well as the actual application methods. The models were subsequently closely examined and a list of corrections passed to the factory in China. These should hopefully include minor adjustments to the proportions of the InterCity stripes, there being a small discrepancywhen compared against the real thing. The coaches are now fitted with…

RATHER overshadowedby other Hattons exclusivemodels in recent weeks, theend of June sawthe welcomeappearance of the first decorated samples of the ‘OO’ gauge ICI limestonehoppers. These are being produced for the retailer by Oxford Rail with 20 different versions planned for release. Introduced in 1936, the vacuumbrakedwagons worked out of the Peak District carrying limestone, particularly to Northwich, until 1997, thereby seeing use withawide rangeof diesel traction. The Hattons' modelswill span this entire62-year period, taking into account the twodifferent bogie types employedand the changes inbranding style and numbering, thewagons ending their careers under the ownership of Buxton Lime Industries. This initial batch of livery samples covers the sixmodels that featurepristine battleshipgrey; the weathered and steam-eramid grey versions still being awaited. Pictured areNo. 3274 in 1950s-early 1970s condition with diamond frame bogies…

IF you want to conjure up an imageof a classicmechanical signalbox, Scropton Crossing maywell be it, with cable pull semaphores in both directions, a crossover, and manually-operated crossinggates. As signalman, if you arenot swinging on its levers, you are swingingon its gates! The 1884-built ’box controls an absolute block in both directions on the North Staffordshire (Derby-Stoke) Line, east of Uttoxeter between Tutbury and Sudbury. It is situated in semi-rural surroundings, adjacent to the village’s St Paul’sChurch and its very distinctivebell tower. Scropton’s frame consists of a distant, home and section lever for each direction, plus three levers for the co-acting crossover and corresponding ground signals. There are also two wicket gate levers, the gate release lever and four spares. All the signals are cable pulls, with the Up Distant…

FOLLOWING its move from Ruislip to Acton Works in May (see page 3 last month), preserved Metropolitan Railway electric loco No. 12 Sarah Siddons is currently undergoing inspection as part of preparation work for a heavy overhaul. A full specification and understanding of the amount of work needed is currently unknown, but generally the loco is thought to be in good condition, having received its last major overhaul during the 1990s. General maintenance has always been ongoing as regular checks have been made over the years. However, the trickier topic is ensuring that newer members of the engineering teams gain both knowledge and experience of the older technologies. The aim of the work at Acton, hoped to be completed by the end of summer 2018, is to keep Sarah Siddons…

THE Class 56 Group and East Lancashire Railway have reached agreement for No. 56006 to become a resident at the line for an initial period of three years. The Romanian-built Type 5 has been based at UK Rail Leasing’s Leicester depot since leaving Barrow Hill in 2014, although it has appeared at a number of gala events over the past two years. The loco left Leicester on July 2, being hauled to Derby Etches Park for tyre turning by No. 37800, after which it was collected by ‘Whistler’ No. 345 (40145) on July 4 and hauled to Bury. In addition to being used at galas at the East Lancashire Railway, the Class 56 will have a number of running days and is also expected to be used on driver experience…

JUNE brought tangible signs of the Class 68 fleet being prepared for use on the upcoming TransPennine Express loco-hauled services. The early hours of June 13 found No. 68025 powering a short rake of Riviera air-conditioned Mk.2s on a fuel consumption trial for TPE. Running as the 5Z08/01.00 Crewe Down Refuge Siding-York Holgate, this travelled via Warrington, Manchester Piccadilly, Huddersfield and Leeds before returning as the 04.47 departure from York, this going via Victoria rather than Piccadilly. TPE MODIFICATIONS Meanwhile, Nos. 68019, 68020 and 68021 were transferred to the new XHTP pool at the start of June, this being for locos that will be used by TPE. The trio subsequently spent the month out of service at Gresty Bridge undergoing modifications in order to work with the new CAF loco-hauled…

THE number of ex-BR shunters on the books of Railway Support Services has now increased to 20, with the purchase of two further locos. The first of these is No. 09015, which becomes the sole Class 09 in the RSS fleet and resolves, for now, the fate of the shunter. Stored by EWS in March 2007, it was delivered to TJ Thomson’s Stockton scrapyard almost four years later. However, No. 09015 was immediately resold to the National Railway Museum and departed for Wishaw (Warwickshire) at the end of March 2011. It was originally planned that No. 09015 would become an additional shunter at York, being regarded as ‘plant’ rather than part of the National Collection. However, this scheme was abandoned later in 2011 when No. 09017 was acquired from DB…

ASERIES of three return trips between Dublin Connolly and Howth ran onMay 28 to celebrate the 170th anniversary of the arrival of the railway at the present terminus at Howth in May 1847. Steam traction in the shape of Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) locomotives Nos. 85 and 461 were each used for the Connolly toHowth legs (two trips and one trip respectively). Diesel tractionwas planned for each of the returns from Howth, and Irish Rail GM No. 088 was employed on the duty throughout the day. The consist was six Cravens coaches and ‘BR’ vanNo. 3173. ANNUAL LAND CRUISE June 15-21 saw the running of the third annual ‘Emerald Isle Explorer’ railtour. Organised by Steam Dreams and featuring RPSI locomotives and stock, the six-day tour also saw the…

AS is now traditional, Bachmann provided an update on the state of play with its ranges at the start of July, this being a sort of mid-year report where the latest samples are shown to the model railway press and progress on models under development is detailed. Notably, the manufacturer reported that sales of its model railway items increased by 8% in the past year, suggesting that its policy of continuing to focus on high-quality models is working. Inevitably, prices continue to be a point of discussion, with Bachmann correctly pointing out that its position at the top of the marketplace means it has far more overheads than the increasing number of small-scale companies, costs that can only be met by selling models at a price that will cover them.…

RELEASED back in February 2012, the ’OO’ gaugeClass 350 ‘Desiro’ marked Bachmann’s entry into the world of modern EMUs, the company delivering a very impressive take on the Siemens-built units. Despite being eminently suitable to work alongside Hornby’s ‘Pendolino’ and other current day stock, it did not sell quite aswell as expected, the three releases hanging around for quiteawhile even after discounting. This could well have been due to the lack of a fully developed 4mmscale catenary system and the effort needed to install one, or just that there was little interest in modelling the southern end of the present dayWest Coast Main Line. Whatever the reason, it has taken until now for Bachmann to return to the ‘Desiro’, reconfiguring themodel into the third rail Class 450 version. Used exclusively…

JUNE 13 was a momentous day for railways in Dorset and the Swanage Railway in particular when at 10.23 a through passenger service left Swanage for Wareham for the first time since January 1, 1972. The train was formed of four West Coast Railways’ coaches ‘top and tailed’ by ‘Crompton’ No. 33012 and ‘Syphon’ No. 37518. The dream of re-opening the branch in full has been a goal of the Swanage Railway for more than 40 years (see also Time Traveller on page 30 this month). Although its initial attempt to acquire the full line in the late 1970s failed, the route was instead re-opened in stages. Diesel trips began around the Swanage station area in summer 1979, followed by extensions to Herston Halt in 1984, New Barn in 1987,…

THE winning bidder for the next South Western rail franchise, First MTR, has ordered 750 ‘Aventra’ EMU vehicles from Bombardier, which will effectively replace the Siemens-built Class 707s that have yet to enter service with outgoing franchisee South West Trains. The units, which will be similar to the Class 345 fleet being built for Crossrail but with 2+2 seating throughout, will be constructed in Derby and supplied in five and ten-car formations for use on the routes out of Waterloo to Windsor and Reading. The £895 million deal is said to be the largest ever single contract for ‘Aventra’ trains anywhere in the world. First MTR takes over the franchise on August 20, and the new trains are due to enter service from mid-2019. Like us on facebook facebook.com/RailExpressMag…

SPRINGWOOD Junction is just to thewest of Huddersfield, where the lines to Penistone and Sheffield diverge from the main trans-Pennine route to Stalybridge and Manchester. In the above shot, taken on June 27, 1981, Class 40 No. 40124 erupts from the double-track south tunnel with the Saturdays-only 09.35 Newcastle-Manchester Victoria. There is still a double-track junction to the Penistone line, while the eastbound route through the north tunnel (upper) is single track. Note how the hillsides and cutting walls are fairly bare of vegetation.…

50 YEARS AGO... AUGUST 1967 ■ HOVER TRAIN HOPES FOR GRANT: The National Research Development Corporation set up a subsidiary company called Tracked Hovercraft, which it hoped would receive a Government grant to enable it to carry out full-size hover train tests. Permission had already been given for an 18-mile long concrete track, raised six feet from the ground, from Earith (east of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire) to Denver Sluice (near Downham Market in Norfolk). A short length of track and a test vehicle were built, the latter preserved today at Railworld in Peterborough, but ultimately the project was defeated by the development of high-speed conventional trains. 40 YEARS AGO... AUGUST 1977 ■ SWANAGE SET BACK: Plans by the Swanage Railway Society to restore the branch from Wareham were hit by…

THE undisputed champion of ‘rare’ lines, the Branch Line Society, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year with a first-ever special run in conjunction with Southeastern Trains using a single Class 465/0 unit. Whilst many might not normally think of spending good money to ride in such an everyday EMU, participants of ‘The Southeastern Metrolander’ will enjoy a remarkable tour embracing many lines previously not traversed by a passenger train. The tour runs on September 23 and the highlights include Slade Green depot, Bramdean and St Mildreds EMU sidings (Grove Park), Orpington carriage sidings, Victoria Grosvenor carriage sidings, and Dartford carriage sidings. It will also visit an array of turnback sidings, including the very much sought after Sevenoaks Gusset. All profits from the charter, including an on train raffle and…

WEST Coast Railway has boosted its fleet of Metro-Cammell Pullman cars in service with the return to traffic of Parlour First No. 325 Amethyst. It has been given a TOPS identity of No. 99025 and named Amber, the Amethyst name having already been applied to another of WCRC’s fleet, No. 99352. The original Amber, No. 324, now forms part of the Royal Scotsman set as No. 99961, State Car No. 1. No. 325 last saw main line service back in the 1970s, after which it had a spell at the Strathspey Railway before moving to Southall for a period and then the Mid Hants Railway. It departed there with No. 315 Heron for Carnforth in December 2013, following acquisition by WCRC. Subsequently, No. 351 was also acquired from the Mid…

FORMER HTA bogie coal hopper No. 310711 – which has been reduced to around 80% of its original length by the removal of one hopper bay – has been released from Axiom Rail, Stoke-on-Trent, following brake tests and a repaint. The bright red HRA aggregates hopper has received the new 12-digit UIC/ERA number No. 41 70 6723 001-7 GB-DBSUK (not DBCUK) and the UIC designation Fabnooss. Its painted capacity is 76.9-tonnes with a tare of 24.7-tonnes, which means it is slightly heavier than its original specification (see June issue). There is a question mark over the exchange code 41 when recent renumbers of DB wagons have received 82. The prototype departed Stoke-on- Trent on June 2 for Warrington Arpley behind No. 66102. It had made its way to Peak Forest…

THE Belmond Grand Hibernian train (BGH) has been active during the period under review on its regular programme, with an 071 Class locomotive continuing to be booked for the Connolly to Waterford and return (to Heuston) via Bagenalstown legs. No. 077 was noted on this duty on May 28 and also the following day. Retro-liveried No. 071 transferred the BGH from Heuston to Connolly on June 3, while dedicated loco No. 216 worked it from Connolly to Belfast and return as far as Dundalk later the same day. On June 4, No. 071 worked the luxury train from Connolly to Waterford, thence to Bagenalstown (overnight) and on to Heuston the next morning. The BGH was out of traffic for maintenance purposes from June 5-8, and was then hired to transport…

Catching the eye on the Bachmann stand was the first appearance of one of the 4mm scale regional limited edition Class 47s, this being the livery sample of No. 47714 in Anglia Railways colours. Announced at the start of this year, a quartet of Brush Type 4s is being produced, each loco having been selected by four of the manufacturer’s sales representatives. These will only be available from retailers in each rep’s area with, unsurprisingly, the turquoise loco allocated to shops in East Anglia as well as the East Midlands and South Yorkshire. The model will be available in both DCC ready (£154.95) and DCC sound (£244.95) forms, the latter being limited to 150 examples of the 512 strong production run. Illustrated last month in artwork form, the Bachmann VDA…

JUST a year shy of the design’s 10th anniversary, the ‘Super Low 45’ (SL45) or TOPS code IDA is again a regular sight on intermodal services out of Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, principally to Purfleet and Mossend. Launched with great fanfare at WH Davis’ Shirebrook workshops in April 2008, the semi-permanently coupled twin-set was designed with two particular issues at the forefront. The major design feature was the ‘Super Low’ 720mm deck height, which would allow the conveyance of 9ft 6in high-cube containers without restriction on the W8 gauge network, this being particularly useful for diversions and for serving new terminals. This could not have been achieved without the use of the then new SCT Europe (Wabtec) Barber BLR14.25 ‘Low Ride’ bogie which sports wheels of just 577mm in…