Sommaire pour March 2023 de Rail Express

GB Railfreight has withdrawn its active fleet of Class 69s from service after the discovery of issues with the six used in revenue-earning traffic so far. The locomotives are being converted from redundant Class 56s by Progress Rail at its Longport facility. The project involves fitting a General Motors 12N-710G3B-T2 two-stroke power unit, GM alternator and new electrical cubicle. A new cab interior has also been fitted, while the braking system, bogies, wheelsets and traction motors have been retained from the ‘56s’. A seventh Class 69 (No. 69007 Richard Trevithick) had been released from Eastleigh Works following a naming ceremony on January 10, however this had not entered revenue traffic. A GBRf spokesperson told RE on February 2: “We have embarked upon a repower programme with Progress Rail to convert…

PORTERBROOK has told Rail Express that it is looking into alternative leasing options for 19 tri-mode Class 769/9s due to return from Great Western Railway this April. The four-car trains were ordered in 2018 and first delivered towards the end of 2019, but have never entered traffic with GWR and are being returned to the rolling stock leasing company due to the decline in predicted passenger numbers (RE321). The trains were converted from redundant Class 319s displaced from the Thameslink network by Class 700s. They retained their dual-voltage capabilities but were also fitted with two diesel engines to allow them to operate away from electrified routes. A Porterbrook spokesperson told RE that although the ROSCO was looking into new homes for the trains, there was nothing that could be said…

COACHES HAVING stopped its Mk.1 set after the ‘North Eastern Christmas Markets’ tour with No. D345 (40145) on December 3, Riviera Trains has sold off 11 coaches to West Coast Railways. These were moved to their new base on January 10. The vehicles concerned, which were hauled from Burton Wetmore to Carnforth by WCR No. 57012, are: FO (First Open) – Nos. 3097, 3119/121/123/141/ 146/147/149 and TSO (Standard Open) – Nos. 4991/998, 5009. Two other FO vehicles, Nos. 3098 and 3120, joined the WCR fleet from Riviera Trains in 2021. A number of Mk.1 coaches have been retained by Riviera, primarily catering vehicles, two of which from its former chocolate & cream set (Nos. 1651 and 80042) saw use with its rake of blue/grey Mk.2 ‘air-cons’ on the ‘Class 56…

JANUARY 10 marked the 160th anniversary of the first passenger services on the London Underground network. The original 3.5-mile section, the world’s first underground railway, was built between Paddington Praed Street and Farringdon station and was officially opened the previous day by the-then prime minister William Gladstone. On January 10 this year, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, unveiled a new heart-shaped roundel bearing the slogan ‘Love the Tube’ at Baker Street, which is one of the original stations along that first route. Copies of the same roundel can be found across the LU network including at Gloucester Road, Brixton, Oxford Circus and Covent Garden stations. “Over a remarkable 160 years, the London Underground has become synonymous with London and is a crucial part of our capital city’s infrastructure,” said…

CLASS 37 DIRECT Rail Services No. 37419 Carl Haviland 1954-2012 was used to move a two-element IPA cartic on the 6Z60 12.08 Gresty Green-Garston on January 23. No. 37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach ‘top and tailed’ No. 50008 Thunderer on the Branch Line Society’s ‘Shooter’s Swansong’ tour (January 14) in memory of the late Adrian Shooter. Starting out from Derby the special visited Hinksey (Oxford) and then Marylebone, Stratford-upon-Avon, London Paddington and back to Derby all via Bicester. DRS Nos. 37401 and 37422 Victorious were paired on January 8 to haul the 6Z10 12.50 Whitemoor-Stowmarket with HOBC wagons before setting off for West Ealing (Plasser) early next day. This was followed by a lengthy journey north with the 6X12 08.44 West Ealing-Tyne Yard via Carlisle. On January 17, DRS No. 37218…

HS2’S EUSTON TERMINUS CONSTRUCTION TO CONTINUE There has been speculation that a decision would be taken to terminate HS2 services at Old Oak Common, forcing passengers to change trains and use the Elizabeth Line to reach central London. This was discounted by the Government in a statement issued on January 27, that confirmed the enabling work to reach the Euston terminal would continue. When conceived, the HS2 route contained a number of routes and connections that have since been dropped from the project as costs escalated. The most recent cutbacks have been the Golborne spur off the Manchester line, which provided a connection with the West Coast Main Line at Wigan, enabling shorter journey times between London and Scotland and relieving congestion at Crewe. A much more significant reduction in…

CONSISTING of a plain blue base colour with silver grey doors, it is the vinyl embellishments (or spots) that lifts Saltire livery. Very little exists in the way of off-the-shelf models for modelling ScotRail in its post-2008 form, particularly the suburban services centred on Glasgow and the Central Belt routes, despite its modelling appeal. It is one of the reasons why the recently reissued Bachmann Class 158 finished in Saltire livery is proving to be so popular (see p M20). Fortunately, the livery is simple to paint, requiring only three main livery colours plus the obligatory warning panel yellow. Paints for Saltire blue and silver are available from Rainbow Railways (rainbowrailways.co.uk) together with ‘OO’ gauge (4mm scale) transfers for coachingstock. Some paint matching revealed that Tamiya XF-63 ‘German Grey’ is…

MERSEYRAIL Class 777s finally entered passenger service on January 23, after an agreement was reached with drivers’ union ASLEF the previous week that allowed their introduction. No. 777049 was the first of the four-car trains to carry passengers on the Merseyside third-rail network, forming the 10.50 Liverpool Central-Kirkby. The following week No. 777009 replaced it, with an all-day diagram introduced as more staff are trained on the new fleet. Stadler is building the 53 Class 777s which are the first publicly owned fleet to be introduced into traffic for more than a generation. Specifically designed for the Merseyrail network, the ‘777s’ are Britain’s most accessible train with step-free access provided via intelligent sliding steps that detect all various platform positions via ultrasonic sensing equipment, which closes the gap between the…

EUROSTAR Group, which incorporates mainland European operator Thalys and cross-channel operator Eurostar, launched its new brand in Brussels on January 24, and announced plans to carry 30 million passengers per year by 2030. In 2022, Eurostar carried 8.3m passengers, while Thalys carried 6.5m. When the alliance between the two companies was first announced in September 2019, the ambition was to increase the 19m passengers carried then to 30m, however the pandemic has had an impact on both operators. From the end of this year, all customer touchpoints including the company’s 51 trains (25 in the Eurostar fleet, 26 in Thalys’) will carry the new look, which will use the Eurostar name. The company said Eurostar was chosen “due to a high consumer awareness at both a European and global level,…

POWER BY THE HOUR TWO Class 47s have been cut up onsite at West Coast Railway’s Carnforth headquarters, by Rotherham-based scrap merchant Ron Hull Junior. Nos. 47194 and 47368, were the first ‘47s’ to be scrapped since the remains of former GW150 celebrity No. 47500 were removed from the same location towards the end of 2020. Since then, WCR has disposed of Nos. 37165 in May 2022 and 37710 in April 2021, but had left its fleet of spares donor ‘47s’ untouched. No. 47368 was the first to receive attention and cutting was complete by the end of the third week of the month. New to Immingham in August 1965 as D1887, this Loughboroughbuilt machine spent most of its career bouncing around various Eastern Region depots in relative anonymity before…

AFTER more than 10 years in the ownership of Harry Needle Railroad Company, No. 20166 has returned to preservation, after being purchased by a member of the Caledonian Railway Diesel Group. The ‘20’ arrived at its new home from the Wensleydale Railway, which had been housing the locomotive for HNRC, on January 18. The ‘20’ is operational and the Caledonian Railway hopes to put it into traffic this summer. No. 20166 had a previous spell in preservation between 1991 and 2007, during which time it was based at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, although it had a spell on hire to RFS for Channel Tunnel construction work during 1992/93. In 1995, it gained a Tinsley-style livery as per that applied to 20030/064 in 1987 and was named River Fowey. The…

WITH the movement of main line shunters in a post-festive lull, the most significant action came at Cardiff Tidal in mid-January. On January 18, No. 08630 returned to South Wales following a 10-month stay at Burton Wetmore for fitting of new wheelsets. The locomotive still retains the black and red Celsa livery applied back in July 2016, but the Celsa Endeavour nameplate that was carried on one side only is no longer in place, having been removed prior to leaving Cardiff last March. With No. 08630 returned, this allowed No. 08389 to leave Tidal for the first time in three years, it initially went to the Freightliner depot at Leeds Midland Road for tyre turning, where it was unloaded on January 19. Once completed, it was expected to take its…

LONDON Liverpool Street station could be rebuilt with a new building above it as part of plans revealed in a public consultation held in mid-January. The scheme from Sellar, which developed London Bridge Quarter and Paddington Square, and MTR, follows an initial public consultation held in November. Network Rail is also involved in the project and the three organisations are working with stakeholders including Transport for London and Hyatt, which owns the Andaz London Liverpool Street hotel (formerly the Great Eastern Hotel). If the plans are approved, there would be 840,000sq ft of offices and around 190,000sq ft of hotel space (via a six-storey building) which would be built in the airspace mainly above the station and hotel’s 1990s elements. The Victorian train sheds will not be touched by these…

UNITS THE continued introduction of new Class 720 Aventra units resulted in Greater Anglia handing back more Class 321s to Eversholt Rail in January. Two sets, Nos. 321304/317, formed the 5H72 12.48 Clacton-Wembley Yard on January 13. They join Nos. 321301/324, which had arrived at Wembley on December 21, and were the first pair of Renatus units to be taken out of service. Also now out of traffic are Nos. 321303/325/330, and two of these, Nos. 321303/330, ran from Ilford to Clacton for decommissioning on January 14. No. 321325 was already on site, and all three are expected to be sent to Wembley in the coming weeks. The remaining ‘321s’ are due to be stopped over the next few months, and during January, the number of booked weekday workings into…

THE National Wagon Preservation Group’s ‘Project Petroleum’ fundraising scheme (see RE321) raised a significant five-figure sum during December and January, allowing the team to purchase nine two-axle TTA tank wagons from the batch of 22 that moved south from Grangemouth to Gascoigne Wood on November 15. Two others will be acquired by group members privately. A further pair, Nos. VTG 60874/9 (both built Norbitt-Pickering, 1966), will be heading to a new life at the Great Central Railway. One will join the Quorn Wagon & Wagon group’s fleet of superbly restored two-axle tanks, which now includes a stunning trio of recently outshopped vacuum-braked Esso vehicles from various builders. The other will be used for locomotive water at galas, a role that has led to many other two-axle tankers surviving against the…

A mini diesel gala was held at the Downpatrick and County Down Railway (D&CDR) on January 7, in conjunction with the Irish Traction Group (ITG). Such events may be a regular feature at heritage railways in mainland Britain, but they are very uncommon in Northern Ireland, or the Republic. This is due to there being only a few heritage lines and a small number of diesel locomotives and units in preservation which are in running order. While it was not possible to use any visiting traction due to the D&CDR being isolated from Northern Ireland’s rail network, nonetheless the event was sold out, with return coach connections from Dublin also on offer. Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) and Irish Rail traincrew, both current and retired, attended the event to see how…

INTERVIEW CHANGE is in the air in the rail industry, and this is certainly the case at Direct Rail Services. A reliance on older traction has been replaced by a desire to use more environmentally friendly and reliable traction. Popular with enthusiasts they may be, but the Class 20s, ‘37s’, ‘47s’ and even ‘57s’, which served DRS so well since it began operating in 1995, have required replacing. As the business evolves, so the need for traction that meets improved environmental standards is vital. This is why the Class 68s and ‘88s’ were ordered, and why more new traction is on the horizon. This is also the reason why the days are increasingly numbered for the remaining ‘37s’ and ‘57s’ operated by DRS and why even the 19 Class 66s…

THE Class 318s pre-date their Class 320 cousins by four years, so it might be expected that they would have been inferior. At 36 and 32 years old respectively it might also be thought that the classes would be showing their age. Under the solebar perhaps they are, so we could well owe a debt of gratitude to the Glasgow Shields Road depot staff for maintaining reliability. Inside, the sets travelled on were clean and comfortable with apparent zero-tolerance of any vandalism. And soft seats too! Many of the Class 318 diagrammed journeys are on runs with short distances between stops, or they have frequently changing and sometimes steep gradients. As we have seen with Classes 314 and Class 320, the Gourock line is more suitable for recording 0-60mph acceleration.…

AS REPORTED in REM225, Heljan seemed to be heading for a very busy 2023, and the company has started the year by revealing the livery prototypes of two brand-new ‘O’ gauge models. The Class 73/1 appears as decorated samples with GB Railfreight No. 73107 Tracey and Network SouthEast No. 73126 Kent & East Sussex Railway catching our eye. Heljan reports that the models are composed of over 550 individual components and the level of detail apparent in the images is breathtaking – particularly around the bogies, bufferbeams and on the underframe – bearing out this point. When examining sample models, it must be noted that parts might not be fitted properly and the liveries may be subject to revision. Specification for the new model is as advanced as its other…