Table of contents for July 2019 in Rail Express

THREE of the five bidders competing to build the HS2 fleet have submitted designs of how their trains could look. CAF, Siemens and Hitachi/Bombardier are bidding to win the £2.75 billion contract to supply and maintain 54 trains for Phase One of the HS2 project. CAF’s bid is based on its ‘Oaris’ platform, which it claims can operate at more than 360kph with reliability, comfort and safety. The company opened a manufacturing facility in Newport, South Wales in 2018 and has invested in local training and employment. Current contracts for the UK include DMUs for the Northern, West Midlands and Wales and Borders franchises. Siemens’ offering is based on its ‘Velaro’ range, which is already being used for high-speed services in Spain, China, Russia and Germany – not to mention…

MAY 18, the final day of the winter timetable, marked the end for full-length HSTs on the Great Western Railway network after 43 years. The fleet had been gradually phased out since introduction of the first replacement IET in autumn 2017, leaving four sets in service on the last day. Crowds turned out to see the final four departures from Paddington, which were the 18.03 to Plymouth, 18.15 to Cheltenham Spa, 18.22 to Hereford and 18.30 to Taunton (via Bath and Bristol), which was extended to Exeter St Davids. These four trains were lined up in adjacent platforms, and were formed with power cars Nos. 43188/43093, 43162/43172,43009/43185 and 43198/43002 respectively – a nice touch thus seeing the final departure worked by the first and last production power cars. No. 43198…

LONDON North Eastern Railway launched its first Class 800 ‘Azuma’ into service to Leeds on May 15, the day after a press run from King’s Cross to Peterborough and back. Set No. 800113 was used on both days, the first public service on May 15 being the 1D11/11.03 King’s Cross-Leeds (arrive 13.16) and 1A33/13.45 return. The following day No. 800102 worked the full diagram (DN801) beginning with the 1A12/07.00 Hull-King’s Cross. The introduction of a second diagram (DN802) on May 27 saw No. 800110 enter revenue service, its first working being the 1A06/06.40 Leeds-King’s Cross. Full details of the first six diagrams can be found in the table. These were the first of 65 ‘Azumas’ being introduced by LNER to replace its fleet of 45 HST and Class 91+Mk.4 sets…

JUNE 8 saw Locomotive Services hold the first public open day at its Crewe base since moving in to the former diesel depot at the south of the station. Some 44 locos and units were gathered for display, not just from the LSL fleet but from other main line and heritage operators (see table). Highlights included three ‘Deltics’, two ‘50s’ and the first visit of a Class 70 to Crewe Diesel (one each from Colas and Freightliner). Headed up by Virgin Trains and LSL, other organisations helping out included Freightliner, Colas, GBRf, DB Cargo, LNER, Northern, Network Rail/Loram, DRS, EMT, ROG, West Midlands Trains, Fifty Fund, Michael Owen, AST Signs and our sister title The Railway Magazine. Despite poor weather on the day some 5000 visitors attended, raising an estimated…

FOLLOWING the tradition of investing the heir apparent to the British monarch with the title ‘Prince of Wales’, which began in 1301, July 1 this year marks the 50th anniversary of the current Prince of Wales’ investiture –a day that saw the most intensive use of British Railways’ resources ever associated with a royal event. The ceremony took place in Caernarfon Castle, located at the end of the branch from Bangor and Menai Bridge on the line that, until closure in December 1964, ran on through to Afon Wen where it met the Great Western line between Pwllheli and Porthmadog. The track had been lifted between Afon Wen and Pant Crossing, a mile or so to the south of Caernarfon, during 1968. This disused section of line, which will be…

50 YEARS AGO... JULY 1969 SHORTEST ROYAL TRAIN JOURNEY: What was claimed to be one of the shortest and most secret Royal Trains ever was run by British Railways on July 1, the day of the investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon. During the morning, the Queen and members of the royal family wanted to leave the Royal Train, which was stabled at Menai Bridge Sidings, to pay avisit to Vaynol Hall, home of Sir Michael Duff, Lord Lieutenant of Caernarfonshire. As there was no road access to the sidings, BR formed a Royal Train comprising a diesel loco and inspection saloon, from the sidings to a crossing some ¾ miles away, where the royal party transferred to cars. After the visit, the one-coach Royal Train returned them…

THE discovery of a potential engine issue while operating at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway led to the 125 Group removing No. 41001 from service as a precautionary measure. The prototype power car has been suffering from a cooler group leak and during the KWVR event it also threw oil out. While still operable, the decision was rightly taken to withdraw it from use to prevent a serious failure – such as a ‘leg out of bed’ – from occurring. No. 41001, which belongs to the NRM but was restored and is operated by the 125 Group, attended the Severn Valley Railway gala as a static exhibit. Following an offer of accommodation by East Midlands Trains, it was hauled to Derby by No. 60095 and 66789 on May 21…

COMMUNITY groups are being offered the chance to acquire a redundant ‘Pacer’ DMU when the fleet is withdrawn from service later this year. The Department for Transport, in conjunction with Porterbrook (which own the majority of the Class 143 fleet and all the Class 144s) and Arriva Rail North, is to hold a competition whereby groups will be invited to put forward proposals for future uses of vehicles – such as cafes or village halls. The competition will be launched in the summer, and groups wishing to be involved should contact communityrailcompetition@dft.gov.uk for further information. One item any potential new owner will need to address is that of the power operated bus-type doors, which may need to be replaced by something more secure and water-tight. ■ ‘Pacers’ are not be…

GB Railfreight (GBRf) is leasing three more Euro-spec Class 66s from Beacon Rail Leasing and converting them for use in Britain. Swedish locos Nos. T66403/4/5 will become Nos. 66790/791/792 respectively, taking the number ‘66s’ in the GBRf fleet to 91. The locos will first undergo upgrades in Gothenburg, Sweden, before being shipped to Immingham and transferred to EMD’s Longport facility for conversion to UK specifications. They will also receive GBRf livery before entering service. The first of the three arrived at Immingham on June 2, and was taken away to Longport the following day by No. 66741 as a 0Z90/06.59 departure. GBRf already operates five locos previously used in Europe and converted to UK spec. Nos. 66747-749 came from Holland and Nos. 66750/751 arrived from Germany. The freight operator’s managing…

ABELLIO GREATER ANGLIA WITH the first inter-city Stadler Class 745/0 ‘Flirt’ EMU No. 745002 now at Norwich Crown Point, attention is turning to the eventual disposition of the 15 Class 90 locomotives currently leased to Abellio for Liverpool St-Norwich services. The latest news is that No. 90001 and 90002 are destined for Locomotive Services Ltd, based at Crewe, while the remainder are expected to join Freightliner’s fleet. In the here and now, however, No. 90009 returned to East Anglia on May 21 after attention at Crewe EMD. The loco worked back to its home depot (0Z21 to Norwich Crown Point) under its own power. COLAS RAIL CLASS 37/4 No. 37421 has returned to traffic after several months out of service just in time to take up residence with No. 37418…

WITH the withdrawal of its last eight-car rakes from service on May 18 (see Headline News), the movement of redundant HST coaches to Long Marston and Ely has accelerated in recent weeks, with 46 vehicles being sent away in the period under review. April 26 saw Nos. 47813 Jack Frost and 47815 Lost Boys 68-88 collect eight off lease coaches. Running as the 5L46/08.13 Laira-Ely Papworth, it conveyed Nos. 40231/722, 41106, 42098/332/348/512 and 44093. Heading the same direction from St Philip’s Marsh on May 13 were Nos. 41056, 42074/081/126/503, 44043 and 46015, this move being handled by No. 47815 on its own. Two days later, the same ‘47’ took seven more vehicles (Nos. 40715/721,42049/071/083/514 and 46005) from Laira to Ely Papworth. A further transfer to Ely on May 24 used…

THE 2019 season of Belmond Grand Hibernian (BGH) tours has continued with the dedicated locomotive No. 216 being a regular performer, although other motive power has also been used at times. Highlights of the tour programme so far have been the first revenue earning run of the luxury train over the Western Rail Corridor (Limerick to Athenry) and the first use of a 201 Class locomotive in passenger service between Ennis and Athenry. This planned addition to the BGH itinerary occurred on May 17 when No. 216 and the train of 10 Mk.3s worked the 07.00 ex-Killarney leg initially as far as Ennis. The guests were then treated to a coach tour and the stock serviced using a road tanker to empty the waste retention tanks. No. 216 and its…

■ TRAFFIC AND TRACTION: A feature of NIR operations during the Easter period each year has been the running of a ‘Family Train’ from Belfast Great Victoria Street station (GVS) to Portrush and return on Easter Monday. This day fell on April 22 this year, and the 09.40 GVS to Portrush extra was worked by six-car DMU Nos. 3019+3021. The 17.30 ex-Portrush return was worked by another six-car formation, which was headed by No. 4006. The Family Train was an initiative that NIR introduced some years ago to give families the opportunity to travel to the seaside resort in adedicated train and free from unsociable behaviour. Many timetabled trains from Belfast and Londonderry on this day ran through to Portrush, as the resort was the destination of choice for the…

CALEDONIAN Sleeper services were split from ScotRail by the Scottish Government and let as a separate franchise, won by Serco in 2015 with the promise of a multi-million pound upgrade to the service that would include new rolling stock. The writing was on the wall for the current fleet of Mk.2e BUO, Mk.2f RLO and RFB, together with the Mk.3 sleeping cars themselves. Much of the stock has been used on the service since the formation of the ScotRail franchise in 1997, operated by National Express and latterly First ScotRail, and in the case of the Mk.3 sleeping cars, since their introduction in the early 1980s. It has remained the mainstay of the Caledonian Sleeper fleet throughout the privatisation period until the formation of the separate Caledonian Sleeper franchise, with…

A REPORT by the UK Major Ports Group has revealed that restrictions on the availability of paths is reducing the competitiveness of rail and causing road transport to be used as a result. This is not the favoured solution for many port operators given the high level of reliability of rail services compared to the delays caused by congestion on motorways and trunk roads. The situation has been highlighted by the shortage of trans-Pennine capacity for the movement of biomass from Liverpool to Drax without lengthy diversions, and the lack of gauge clearance to convey high capacity containers that now make up the majority of boxes used for intermodal deep-sea traffic. Network Rail has made some investment as part of the Strategic Freight Network (SFN), but this has focused on…

STEAM (*=DISMANTLED UNDER OVERHAUL) 5029*, 34046, 45231, 46100, 60532*, 70000. DIESEL 08737/762, 20189/205, 37190/606/608, 43048/423,47593/614/712/830/841, 50049/050, 55016/019/022, 56049, 57301/307, 66503, 67006, 68027, 70008/808. ELECTRIC 73001/951/952, 86622, 88005, 90045, 91119. MULTIPLE UNITS 121034, 142001, 221101, 319433. COACHES 9004, 13227, 35465, Set PLPR1 (9523, 975091 & 977997). ALSO VIEWABLE (BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE) LOCOS 47811/816, 92038. COACHES 310, 1211, 1658, 1863/83, 3045, 3188, 3229/31/40, 3312/44/48/84, 3438, 5912, 6311, 9479, 10224, 35317/451/511, 80043, 93568, 94170/522/538,99884/993.…

FOR almost four decades, the Brush-Sulzer Class 47 was the most common locomotive on the British rail network, their ubiquity leading to several uncomplimentary nicknames and a general lack of passion for the type within enthusiast circles. Their popularity increased from the 1980s, however, as they gained new liveries, older traction disappeared, and a huge number of namings personalised what had been a homogeneous fleet of almost identical machines. This accelerated as retirements increased over the next two decades, and today they are almost just as likely to get the ‘gen groups’ buzzing as a Class 37. Well, almost. With 113 examples still around, including the EMD-repowered Class 57s, that is far too many to cover in one article, so this first part will look at the railway company-owned fleet.…

Express Mailbag Your letters, emails, feedback and other comments are always welcome. Contact us 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. ELUSIVE LOCOS ANDREW Rogers’ article on his search for No. 47222 in your May edition (‘On The Hunt: 47222’) afforded me a wry grin since it was one of only two non-ETH ‘47s’ to elude me for sight (the other being No. 47319 Norsk Hydro). Unlike Andrew however, sadly I never did catch up with '222 prior to its demise. I was particularly amused to note that it had worked a Salisbury to Exeter…

THE 125 Group has taken delivery of the first-built Mk.3 TGS (Trailer Guards Standard) No. 44000, the vehicle having been donated to the group by its previous owners Porterbrook Leasing. The coach arrived at its new base at Ruddington from Long Marston on May 31. The 125 Group’s John Zabernik told Rail Express that the vehicle would be particularly useful once the group hopefully acquires aproduction power car, which has the same electric train supply (ETS). It can also provide an additional form of guard’s accommodation instead or as well as prototype power car No. 41001, which the group operates. The TGS does not contain a parking brake, although this is not seen as a problem at the GCR(N) as trains always run in ‘top and tail’ mode, so a…

‘RAT’ VISITS BRISTOL A CLASS 25 put in an appearance at St Philip’s Marsh depot in Bristol on May 20, when South Devon Diesel Traction’s No. D7535 (25185) visited for tyre turning. The loco was en route from the Severn Valley Railway to the West Somerset Railway. CLASS 26 TO VISIT G-WR THE Llangollen Diesel Group’s No. 5310 (26010) is being moved to the Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway to enable its traction motor swap to be undertaken, which requires the loco being lifted from its bogies. It is hoped to have the work completed in time for it to see use at the G-WR diesel event in late July, prior to it returning to Llangollen for the line’s gala in September. ‘GOYLE’ REPAIRS OUT of action since 2017, Regional Railways-liveried No.…

THERE were three notable additions to Locomotive Services Ltd’s roster during the period under review – all of them locomotives that were previously considered preserved. The fate of the Dean Forest-based ‘HA’ duo of Nos. 73001 and 73002 (see last month) has finally been resolved, although only the former has a main line future ahead of it. May 1 saw BR blue No. 73001 moved on the back of a low loader to Crewe DMD ready for its return to service, while its colleague was also tripped by road to Eastleigh Yard, for onward transfer on May 2 to Eastleigh Works by No. 66779, having been re-registered on TOPS in the MBED pool for the move. Large logo No. 73002 is in poor condition, having been stored outside for more…

CLASS 20 PATHFINDER Tours’ ‘Jolly Fisherman’ special on bank holiday Monday, May 27, saw a pair of Type 1s head off to the Lincolnshire coast as they did so many times in years gone by. Running as the 1Z31/10.36 Chaddesden-Skegness, the tour was hauled by blue-liveried Nos. 20096+20107, the pair having taken over from a GBRf Class 66 (see also page 78). A similar combination of motive power covered all the movements of London Underground stock during May, with Nos. 20901+20905 and 66767 handling all duties prior to May 23 when the latter was replaced by classmate No. 66787. The only noticeable change to these workings has been the use of Polybulk wagons rather than tanks between locomotives and coaches, the former being collected from Hexthorpe on May 7. Nos.…

WH Davis has revealed the 20 newlyrebodied 102-tonne JNA aggregates box wagons, converted from former JSA bogie coil carriers, in a striking dark blue livery of owner VTG Rail UK. The conversions, which were designed by WH Davis, retain their original iron ore tippler-style underframe and braking system, with the characteristic Axle Motion bogies, with buffers and standard screw link couplers. They also retain their JSA numbers (Nos. 4020/73/5/98, 4100/2/3/7/9/15/6/22/3/5/7/8/31/2/4/7) and do not carry painted 12-digit UIC numbers or VKM. Only 20 are planned at the moment, but with plenty of JSAs still in store there are opportunities to revitalise more of the fleet. Fifteen of the donor JSA wagons (Nos. VTG 4020/73/5/98, 4100/2/3/15/22/3/5/7/8/32/4) were delivered to Langwith Junction from long-term store (since 2013) at Long Marston on March 19…

SEVERAL ‘OO’ gauge models of interest to D&E modellers have been announced by Hornby as part of its mid-year release. There is a welcome return of the nicely detailed KFA intermodal flat, this time with up-to-date TOUAX markings and loaded with one 40ft ‘Hyundai’ container and one 20ft ‘Maritime’ container (R6927) for £39.99. The same wagon is offered without containers for £32.99 (R6926) with Tiphook markings, providing scope for modellers to load their own containers for intermodal trains or use it for other flows, such as containerised gypsum. Ordinary everyday wagons such as ballast and spoil wagons are always welcome to build up complete trains and the reissue of the MHA as a single wagon (R6929) for £20.99 and a triple pack (R6928) priced at £60.99 will be seen as…

TIME is something that must be devoted to a sprung suspension project for it to be a success – in the first stage of this project, bogie subframes and bogie bolsters alongside the fabrication of the all-important bearing carriers took considerably more time than one might expect. A point where all of the components come together with the modified Class 37 bogie frames with their articulation units will soon materialise. But not quite yet, because another etch called for attention – one with some very fine components indeed and it challenged the author’s soldering skills once again. Several important points arise from the building of the bogie subframes. Neglecting to drill out holes in the frames after soldering or to check their diameter prior to folding will make putting the…

MILITARY vehicles have been transported by rail for decades, often on specialist wagons built for the purpose, including the Warwell, which was originally ordered by the Ministry of Supply during the Second World War and placed in traffic in 1942 and 1943 for the task of transporting Sherman tanks. A total of 200 were constructed by three manufacturers: Gloucester Carriage & Wagon built half of the wagons; Head Wrightson fabricated 75, while the remainder were built by the Southern Railway. The design featured a strong low fixed deck of heavy construction that was built to be as close to the running rail as possible between diamond frame bogies to maximise the loading envelope. It has a distinctive curved shape that facilities loading with tracked and wheeled vehicles together with screw…

DB Cargo has lost ground to other freight operating companies over the last five years, according to figures released by the Office of Rail and Road. DBC remains the single biggest haulier in terms of kilometres worked, but has fallen from more than 15 million kms in 2015/16 to around 12.5 million kms in 2018/19 (see graph). The biggest gain in that period has been by GBRf from just under five million kms worked to more than seven million kms. Together with Freightliner (which has remained steady at around nine million kms throughout), these three FOCs account for 86% of all freight traffic. Total freight train kilometres rose to 33.6 million kilometres in 2018/19, a 2% rise compared with 2017/18. The total amount of freight lifted rose to 75.4 million…

NETWORK Rail has announced the allocation of its haulage contracts for the five-year period from 2019-24. There are eight sub-divisions in the contract and each of the larger freight operating companies has secured business. The haulage of bulk ballast movements and possession requirements will be handled by Freightliner, GB Railfreight, Direct Rail Services, DB Cargo UK and Colas Rail UK. Local distribution centres are to be operated by DB Cargo at Millerhill, Carlisle, Doncaster, Toton, Hinksey, Westbury and Hoo; and by GB Railfreight at Bescot, Whitemoor and Eastleigh. Operations at Crewe have been awarded to Freightliner. Multi-Purpose Vehicles for railhead treatment trains and weed spray work will be operated by DB Cargo and Balfour Beatty. Other RHTT work will be deployed on a regional basis by each of the five…

MAY 26 saw the first of London North Eastern Railway’s Mk.4 sets undertake its last working with the TOC before being taken out of traffic to be prepared for return to Eversholt. Set BN23 was taken to Bounds Green after working the 1E27/18.30 Edinburgh-King’s Cross. It is formed of Driving Van Trailer No. 82226, First Open Nos. 11292/323/423, Kitchen Buffet Standard No. 10325, Tourist Standard Open Disabled No. 12318, Tourist Standard Open Nos. 12454-456, and Tourist Standard Open End No. 12225. Set BN25 was next to be stopped (DVT No. 82216, FOs Nos. 11294/325/425, RSB No. 10312, TSOD No. 12322, TSOs Nos. 12446/464/519, and TSOE No. 12217). Another Mk.4 rake was expected to be stopped by the end of June, with three more by the end of August. BN23 and…

MY teenage self would hardly believe I am making this trip. Back in the early 1980s, most enthusiasts looked down on the then still newish HSTs as they systematically set about replacing loco-hauled travel across all parts of the non-electrified InterCity network, seeing off much-loved loco types such as ‘Westerns’, ‘Deltics’ and ‘Peaks’. In general, you really only took one if there was no other way to get to where you wanted to be. Over the next four decades, however, HSTs have more than proved themselves worthy of the title ‘diesel icon’, and have thus become a firm favourite in the enthusiast world. Which is why I used the trip to Long Rock depot open day in April as my farewell fling to their use on top-link Western Region services,…

ALTHOUGH they are well-established on the European mainland, tram-trains have been a long time coming to Britain. After a series of misconceived proposals, and expensive rescoping, tram-trains started a commercial service experiment on October 25, 2018 from the streets of Sheffield city centre over tram and rail lines to terminate at the Rotherham Parkgate retail outlet. The three-car articulated sets use 750V AC overhead supply to power their 66 tonnes tare weight using a hefty 1,166hp. It might seem surprising but the tram-trains are not easy to time. The sudden variations in speed are difficult to record, and there are no uninterrupted accelerations to their specified 100kph (62mph) top speed. With a maximum permitted track speed of 55mph, this is hardly surprising. The chance to open up comes on Network…

TRANSPORT for London has launched an initiative to assist passengers by advising where there is congestion across the Underground network. A four-week pilot ran in 2016 using wi-fi connection requests from passengers’ devices as they passed through any of 54 stations within fare Zones 1-4. Data was collected from 5.6 million mobile devices, 42 million journeys, during the one-month period. The results enabled TfL to identify the routes that passengers used when making their journeys. For example, 18 different routes were found to be used for travel between King’s Cross and Waterloo, which could not have been identified from ticketing data or surveys. The system will now be rolled out to assist TfL to identify real-time information about journeys and assist TfL to identify routes used through stations and interchanges…

UK Railtours is running two trips from Marylebone to Quainton Road to coincide with agala event at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre celebrating its 50th anniversary. The specials on August 25/26 should feature the London Transport Museum’s red-liveried 4TC (Class 438) unit ‘top and tailed’ by a pair of Class 20s and a‘33’. To add to the rarity, and instead of taking the Chiltern route via Princes Risborough, the trains will be routed through Harrow-on-the-Hill and the Metropolitan Line before taking the freight-only line north of Aylesbury to Quainton Road. After a short break, the specials head back through Aylesbury to visit the Met Line terminus at Watford via the little-used Watford North Curve before returning to Quainton Road. After a second break of more than an hour, the trains return…

THE Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is to be the new permanent home for Class 14 No. D9537, and it will not be returning to the East Lancashire Railway where it was previously based. The ‘Teddy Bear’ moved to Ecclesbourne in October 2018 on what was originally planned to be a one year loan, after it should have returned to the ELR. The owning group is keen to make it clear that the decision is not as a result of any disagreement with the ELR, and the majority of those involved remain actively involved with other projects and locos at the East Lancs – including No. D9531, which will provide a representative of the Class 14 fleet. In addition, No. D9502 remains under restoration at Bury. No. D9537 had been based at…

THE Deltic Preservation Society’s No. D9009 (55009) Alycidon has been quarantined at Nemesis Rail’s Burton depot pending the results of an investigation into what caused the loco to become damaged while hauling the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s ‘Auld Reekie’ tour from Edinburgh to Doncaster on March 3. DB Cargo, which operated the tour, is also taking part in the investigation and is liaising with Network Rail. A forensic engineer undertook an inspection of the ‘Deltic’ on May 23. The results of this are awaited, but the DPS says there are burn marks indicative of arcing from the overhead line. No. D9009 had been fitted with a pair of overhauled bogies (eventually destined for classmate No. D9015/55015 Tulyar) just before the tour, its own bogies having been removed to enable a…

THE Severn Valley’s Spring Diesel Festival on May 16-19, supported by Rail Express and our sister title The Railway Magazine, once again proved to be an unmissable highlight in the diesel year. Some 18 locos worked an intensive timetable over the four days, including seven preserved diesels normally based elsewhere, four main line locos and another seven from the home fleet. Highlights included GBRf ‘Tug’ No. 60095 and DRS dual-mode No. 88006 Juno, while it was also the first chance to sample No. 37688 Great Rocks in its new Trainload Freight grey livery and No. 31163 in its RTC departmental colours as No. 97205. Sadly, planned appearances by ‘Teddy Bear’ No. D9551 and ‘Peak’ No. D4 Great Gable were scuppered by mechanical issues, while the 125 Group restricted prototype HST…

STORED in December 2018, Direct Rail Services’ No. 37419 has made a triumphant return to service repainted in its classic InterCity Mainline livery, which it originally wore in British Rail days after an overhaul at Glasgow Works in July 1990. Latterly one of the infamous Tinsley ‘volcanoes’, briefly gaining the unofficial painted name Mt Pinatubo (along with Nos. 37415 Mt Etna, 37416 Mt Fuji and 37426 Mt Vesuvius), it lost the BR general user scheme in July 1996 after becoming one of the first locomotives to be repainted for its then new owner English Welsh & Scottish Railways. No. 37419 is now re-registered in the XHAC pool (for DRS Class 37/47 ETS) and reunited with its Carl Haviland 1954-2012 nameplates. It waved goodbye to Loram, Derby on May 21, working…

THE long-awaited appearance of a Class 710 ‘Aventra’ in passenger traffic finally took place on May 23, when two sets were put into use by London Overground. The distinction of being the first set to carry fare-paying passengers fell to No. 710261, which formed the 2G43/11.36 Gospel Oak-Barking. It was followed less than 30 minutes later by No. 710269, which worked the 2G47/12.05 Gospel Oak-Barking. The next day saw No. 710262 in service, and from this day two sets were in regular use working alongside the three Class 378 units (Nos. 378206/209/232) that have been operating on the line in recent months in shortened four-car formation. Further units will be put into service once software modifications have been completed. It is planned to restore the full timetable during the summer,…

THERE has been good and bad news for members of the Ruston-built 88DS fleet, as one has begun an overhaul while another awaits the axeman. Telford Steam Railway-based Ruston No. 382824 (built 1955) is getting some much needed attention after eight years out of use. Its engine was started in April, and this was followed by a move into the old Loco Shed so that work could commence on the bodywork while the engine work continues. Having worn a fake British Railways livery and masquerading as No. D2959 for the past 38 years, the locomotive is to be returned in its original colours as when it worked at F.H. Lloyd’s steelworks at Darlaston (West Midlands). Whilst the future of No. 382824 is looking rosy, the same cannot be said for…

DAPOL has released pictures of its forthcoming ‘OO’ gauge Bogie Bolster E, TOPS coded BEV, which should be in the shops by mid-summer. It’s a logical choice of wagon for the range that follows on from the successful YCV ‘Turbot’ model, with many shared components between the two. Two batches of Bogie Bolster E wagons totalling 1200 units were constructed in the early 1960s by Ashford works numbered B923300-B924399 and B924800-B924899 to a single diagram. Fitted with bogies by David & Lloyd and vacuum brakes, the wagons were considered to be a modern design at the time and intended for revenue use before their short length and changes in steel traffic flows saw them become under utilised. Some were switched to departmental use before the 1980s rebuilding programme to fit…