Table of contents for June 2017 in Rail Express

THE success of the Borders Railway has resulted in Transport Scotland taking forward an appraisal to reopen the complete Waverley route between Edinburgh and Carlisle, which was closed in 1969. The existing restored line covers 30 miles of the route as far as Tweedbank, leaving another 63 miles to reach Carlisle. Since train services were restored to Tweedbank in September 2015, the annual number of passengers has reached 1.4 million, which is far above predicted demand, and the terminus at Tweedbank alone recorded more than 300,000 passengers in its first year of operation. This is a greater number than expected, with the availability of a rail service proving an invaluable asset in restoring economic well-being by providing access to jobs in Edinburgh from towns served by the railway. As a…

A ONE-off event on April 23 saw four generations of East Coast traction run side by side along the four-track main line north of York. It was staged as part of a publicity campaign for Virgin Trains. The event – jointly organised by Virgin Trains, Network Rail, the National Railway Museum, Hitachi and Welcome to Yorkshire – featured A3 steam loco No. 60103 Flying Scotsman, Hitachi IEP No. 800101, VTEC Mk.4 set Nos. 82205/91105 and VTEC HST Nos. 43238/43290. The NRM’s ‘Deltic’ No. 55002 was also involved ‘top and tailing’ with Flying Scotsman. The event took advantage of an engineering possession that had closed the East Coast Main Line north of York. It began at Tollerton, about 10 miles north of the city, where the trains assembled in the early…

Express Mailbag BR’S BIG SHAKE-UP I ENJOYED the freight sectorisation article in RE251 (April issue) and found it an interesting read. The splendid main opening image shows what is most likely the long-distance Lackenby to Corby ‘Tubeliner’ at York. I think there were two such workings between Teesside and Corby back then. However, due to changes within the steel industry, the steel coils now arrive at Corby fromSouth Wales, but still provide a viable trainload operation with regards to the distances and tonnages involved. Another image on the same opening pages shows a Speedlink wagonload formation skirting the seafront at Dawlish. This is possibly something like a Plymouth (Tavistock Junction) to Bescot or St Blazey to Gloucester working conveying a mixture of traffics, mainly clay related. Such traffic in the…

IN BRIEF ACLG COMPLETES CLASS89ASSESSMENT THE AC LocomtoiveGroup has completed a thorough investigation of the unique electric locomotiveNo. 89001, allowing a full viewof the restoration work required. Testing of the rheostatic brake stacks has shown that both units have failed. These will be rebuilt with ‘new’ fanmotors of the more reliable type used in Classes 86 and 87. Anumber of obsolete components have also been identified for replacement, while several areas have been identified formoremodern components. CLASS 46 PROGRESS FOLLOWING its acquisition by D05 Preservation last year, No. 46010 is having contract repairs undertaken at Ruddington to return it to service. The work is being carried out by Pioneer Diesels Ltd, which has experience in the operation and restoration of No. 45060. Pioneer Diesels is also carrying out the repaint…

LOCO NAMINGS Naming of the newly repainted Colas Class 37 after the South Wales maintenance depot, part of which is now owned by the company following its acquisition of Pullman Rail back in May 2012. The loco also carries Canton depot plaques on its driver’s cabsides, it having spent the best part of 25 years based there during BR and EWS ownership. The name is also currently carried by No. 37714 in preservation and was previously applied to Nos. 56040 and 37422. No. 37254 was previously named Driver Robin Prince MBE. The latest constellation name to be applied to a Europhoenix loco, it taking its name from the winged horse of Greek mythology. Name previously carried by Nos. D835, 47298 and 47839. UNIT NAMINGS Named after the Heritage Lottery-funded project…

THE first HST coaches to gain power-operated doors and modifications to enable them to operate beyond 2020 should be put into service with Great Western Railway on the Exeter to Penzance route in September. The four-car set, being rebuilt by Wabtec in Doncaster, is the first of 11 shortened rakes being retained by GWR for use on the Cardiff-Penzance/ Paignton axis. It is made up of four First Group-owned vehicles, Nos. 42168+42093+42177+44055, of which one coach, likely to be No. 42093, will be fitted with a disabled access toilet. Other coaches will receive new vacuum toilets and all will gain CET tanks. Of the 11 sets to be rebuilt, five will be the First Group-owned sets (LA60-64). The remainder will be from the Angel Trains fleet currently operating with GWR…

THE Sidings is my third exhibition layout after Dyserth Road and Holland Park, both of which have featured in Rail Express Modeller in the past. My container terminal layout Holland Park did around 10 exhibitions but I soon started to lose interest due to the logistics of exhibiting it. It was by no means a large layout, but at 24ft in length, it was a lot of effort and those of you on the exhibition circuit know it can be hard and stressful work at times. Having to get two or three other operators to get time off work to help operate, along with the hassle of hiring a van, I had had enough and retired Holland Park and, in fact, I lost my modelling mojo altogether. I still visited…

IT is almost a decade since Murphy Models ushered in a revolution for modellers of the Irish Rail system by releasing the General Motors 141/181 Class locos in conjunction with Bachmann. The ‘OO’ gaugemodels brought a quality and accuracy largely unseen before and attracted new interest to modelling the railways of Ireland. With further GM designs following along with a selection of coaching stock types, the basis was there to build layouts. However, freight stock did not benefit in the same way, modellers still needing to turn to kits, close stand-ins or, more recently, 3Dprinted bodies to produce wagons, and not alwayswith the degree of fidelity that some would wish. To resolve this unsatisfactory situation, newcomers Irish Railway Models (IRM) has stepped forward to produce a high-quality range of ready-to-run…

A schematic view of the BML2 proposals, showing how congestion on the Brighton Main Line could be relieved and new traffic flows created by reopening the Uckfield to Lewes route. IN January 2015, The Daily Telegraph reported that the 07.29 Brighton to London had arrived in London late every day throughout the previous year. Southern’s then interim managing director David Scorey responded that the company had not delivered the level of performance expected by its customers, stating that the network is extremely busy and congested. He used the analogy of the M25 at peak time, pointing out that the company is trying to run as many trains as possible and with as many carriages as possible. Welcome to daily life on the Brighton Main Line, one of Britain’s most congested…

50 YEARS AGO JUNE 1967 • SAC RECORD: A railtour organised by : our sister title The Raitwey Magazine : and Alan Pegler on June 17 set a new : record time between carlisle and : Skipton via the S&C.: The 'Hadrian Flyer' was to feature:a non-stop run by steam loco No.:4472 Flying Scotsman (then owned by : Mr Pegler} between King's Cross and : Newcastle-although on the day ttl is:was scuppered by a points failure at:Tuxford, Nottinghamshire.'Celtic'No.:D9005 took over at Newcastle and:ran through the Tyne Valley to cartisle, :then changed ends to head to Leeds:via Skipton.: Leaving 20 minutes late, the loco put in an outstanding performance and covered the 86.75 miles in 72 minutes and 47seconds against a booked timing of 81 minutes. It could have been even…

ROLLING stock on the Bakerloo, Central, Piccadilly and Waterloo & City lines – some of which date back to the early 1970s – are to be redesigned internally to improve accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility and visual impairments. The work to redesign the cars has been agreed despite the stock on the four lines being due for replacement by the New Tube for London from 2023 onwards. Wheelchair and pushchair areas will be created, plus new CCTV, improved passenger information systems, lighting and alarms will be fitted. The chosen designers SNCLavalin announced that the work will expand the lifespan of the fleets. However, Transport for London has also confirmed that the alteration work will not delay the introduction of replacement trains, with the Piccadilly Line’s 1973 Stock scheduled to…

CLASS 20 FOUR trains conveying London Underground ‘S’ Stock sets operated during the month, all ‘top and tailed’ by BR blue Type 1s Nos. 20096+20107 and HNRC’s Nos. 20311+20314. On April 11, the quartet conveyed LUL sets Nos. 21415/6 as the 7X09/15.55 Derby Litchurch Lane-West Ruislip, returning late on April 19 with sets Nos. 21311/2 as far as Fenny Compton and going forward next day as the 7X10/04.32 departure to Derby. Later on April 20, the four passed Tamworth High Level with the 7X09/15.55 Litchurch Lane-West Ruislip (sets Nos. 21301/2), while on April 26 they came off the Coalville line and traversed from Birmingham Curve Junction to Leicester Junction, south of Burton upon Trent, with sets Nos. 21467/8 forming the 7X09/11.47 Old Dalby to Derby Litchurch Lane. CLASS 37 MATLOCK…

THE first Class 319 set planned to undergo bi-mode ‘Flex’ conversion, No. 319456, was transferred from Wolverton to Loughborough by No. 47812 on April 11. Having already had interior work carried out at Wolverton, plus a repaint into Northern colours (thus becoming the first member of the class to gain the new livery in full), the unit was moved as the 5M99/15.12 Wolverton- Brush, Loughborough. It is planned that the re-engineered unit will be in service by spring 2018. The same week saw the four cars from No. 319427, which was used at Brush for evaluation purposes only, moved from Loughborough to Wolverton by road. There it joined several offlease units on site, including Nos. 319004/005, which were previously earmarked for use by Northern. This pair, and Nos. 319218/219 at…

IN a novel piece of fundraising, the Mickleover Model Railway Group has commissioned Bachmann to produce a limited edition Class 37 in ‘OO’ gauge, the proceeds from which will help to pay for a new clubroom. The group, which organises the Derby exhibition, is currently housed in a pre-fabricated building but this is now in poor condition and needs to be replaced. The exclusive model will portray Inverness’ No. 37114 Dunrobin Castle in BR large logo blue with Highland stag emblems, a livery that has long been overdue for production on the current Class 37/0 tooling. This will be priced £149.99 and is expected to be released in late 2017 or early 2018. As usual, it is limited to 512 examples and will feature the correct combination of body features,…

EARLY summer is here and with it comes the annual Diesel & Electric Modellers United exhibition in Burton upon Trent. Taking place on the first weekend of June, this event will once again see some of the finest diesel and electric era layouts gathered together under one roof and supported by a range of quality traders and demonstrations. A total of 15 layouts will be squeezed into the town hall venuewith ‘N’ gauge representation provided by Jon Dean’s LoftholeOil Terminal and Steve Farmer’s blue-era LymebrookYard. Moving up to 4mmscale, ‘OO’ gauge hasaparticularly strong representation this year, including Worthing MRC’s Loftus Road, Mick Bryan’s newDerbyRTC-inspired Deadman’s Lane and VopakTerminal, an impressivepiece of South Wales industrial modelling by Paul Rolley. Continuing in ‘OO’, other exhibits include the current day Acton Parkway by…

HELJAN shows little sign of letting up on the pace of its ‘O’ gauge releases, with the arrival of another much requested and popular type. Having already tackled the English Electric Class 40, the equally sizeable and weighty BR version of the 1Co-Co1 Type 4 design has now appeared in the form of the ‘Peaks’. With three classes to choose from along with different headcode arrangements, Heljan has followed its usual policy of producing just one of these, albeit in a range of liveries. Sensibly, it is the Class 45s that have been selected for production, specifically those that featured the ‘split centre’ style of headcode panels from new, Nos. D31-D67 and D108-D137. Livery-wise, there is the expected BR green with half yellow panels and grey roof, grilles and body…

VIRGIN Trains and Stagecoach have announced that French state operator SNCF will join them to bid for the next West Coast passenger franchise, which will include running trains on HS2. The ‘West Coast Partnership’ franchise will run from 2019, and SNCF has been brought in for its knowledge of running high speed intercity services. It has the largest fleet of high speed trains in Europe (over 400 trainsets) and operates around 700 services per day at speeds up to 200mph. SNCF will hold a 30% stake in the joint venture, with Stagecoach 50% and Virgin 20%. The three firms have already submitted an expression of interest and will now prepare for the Invitation to Tender, which is expected to be issued by the end of the year. FIRST CLASS 802…

Aprll21 .._the last dlly that Landon Undaqpa .... d openrted 'D' stock in normal servtce, elthGUJh two rallt.ours were planMdfor subMquantweeb. 'D'stockh• openrted on tha Dlstrtct Llnallnce 1910, but h1sncJW been fuUy repblced by new Bomb1rcliriuilt w stoct. M1ny or the cttv~nc e~rs haw been 1c:qli111d by VMirei~ hOMMW, far use in the Clall230 'D-'D'IIIn' c:anvars'lan pn!Jact. On the last dey, Nos. 1032 and 7007 stand at Blrkinc workin1 Tn~in 004 from Upmlnstar t:D Richmond. Alex Thorkildsen…

CHILTERN Railways has withdrawn its last two Class 121 ‘Bubble Cars’, which were the oldest diesel units still in regular main line passenger service and the final ones to operate with vacuum brakes. The final day for Nos. 121020 (55020 in blue livery) and 121034 (55034 in green livery) was due to be May 19, the final weekday before the summer timetable came into force. The heritage slamdoor units had been retained for use on the Aylesbury to Princes Risborough shuttle during the morning and evening peaks, when the TOC’s moremodern units were needed elsewhere. Class 121 DMUs were introduced in 1960, with 16 being built by the Pressed Steel Company followed by 10 trailer cars with a cab at one end. They were built for use onWestern Region branch…

IT has been a tense fewyears. In 2015, the landowner informed the Colne Valley Railway – based near Castle Hedinghamon the picturesque Essex/ Suffolk border – that he had plans for the site that did not include the railway. The CVR Preservation Societywas faced with moving lock, stock and barrel to a new site – and, while onewas initially found nearby, that deal fell through and it was back to square one. The main problem was the CVRPS did not own its own trackbed, a lesson there to be learned by any other heritage lines in a similar situation. Heritage operations at Castle Hedinghamdate back to the early 1970s, when the founders acquired a piece of the former trackbed and set about building a station and running line – the…

IT is not every day - nor every year in fact - that there is chance to travel behind a Class 55 on Southern metals. Thus a planned special on the evening of October 7 might well appeal to those based in the south of England who are normally deprived of ‘Deltic’ haulage unless prepared to travel quite a distance to and from the more normal starting points. As part of the DPS 40 event to be staged at the Bluebell Railway, which will feature no less than four Class 55s working all the services (Nos. D9002, D9009, 55019 and 55022), the DPS’ Network Rail-certificated machine No. D9009 (55009) Alycidon will be making an evening circular trip that includes dining as well as Standard class fares. This trip, titled ‘DPS@40’,…

LIVING on borrowed time for many months, it would appear that the venerable No. 31233 (new to traffic as No. D5660 in October 1960) has come to the end of the road after almost 57 years roaming the network. Despite its age and need for an overhaul, the Brush Type 2 had continued to work sporadically during the early months of 2017. LAST RUNS Its last test train sortie began on April 10, when it took an ultrasonic test train from Derby RTC to Neville Hill before finishing at Doncaster the following night. A final run with a 3Q88/20.35 Doncaster West Yard-Derby RTC late on April 12 took No. 31233 to Adwick, Skellow Junction and Hatfield & Stainforth then Kirk Sandall to Brancliffe East Junction before later reaching Mexborough and…

NEWS ROUND-UP Great Western Railway APRIL proved to be • qaaet month far shunter news with the GWR fleet pravldll'll the only nDI:ebl.. miMimenb. RaiHsed from repah lit L.onm, Depertmentel Gray-Uvelfed No. 08645 Hiles Bqptt departed Derby eraund April13. HIIWIMII'", rather then reblmin1 to Its UIUIII home lit Lelre,lt heedad Into Wales Instead, blllnJ deposited at Lendore. Here, It has repllced No. 08795, which lslklelfned with wheelset problems. Rather thlrl this 1hunter being blklln 8W8J to Derby, the Jow.toeder departed empty to st. PhiUp's Marsh, where No. 08663 st su..collectad for Its own attention It l.onlm. GB Railfreight FRESH from • heavy eum, No. 09002 -released from Baii'OW HID an AprilS before hudlnc south bact to Whttamoor Yald. This allowed stablemate No. 09009 to be released from Mllrch the next…

THE 18-strong General Motors-built 071 Class entered revenue earning traffic 40 years ago in 1977. On May 23 that year, No. 082 was the first to begin to recoup Coras Iompair Eireann’s investment, while No. 088 was the final one on July 6. Last year’s events to celebrate the delivery of the fleet to Ireland in 1976 were notable and included a two-day railtour, a commemorative plaque, and the alteration of class leader No. 071 into retro livery. This year’s railtour programme for the enthusiast market follows on from 2016’s successes and continues to cater for followers of the popular class, which remains numerically intact. SOCIETY TOURS No. 082, the only member of the class to be named, is the most recent 071 Class locomotive to be outshopped (in grey…

APRIL saw Hattons release the first images of its exclusive batch of limited edition Class 121 ‘bubble cars’, the ‘OO’ gauge models being produced by Dapol. These were actually the first view of the upcoming singlecar DMU, the manufacturer having previously only shown the closelyrelated Class 122s in publicity and at exhibitions. While Dapol will be offering the most common liveries of BR green, blue and blue/grey in its own range, an agreement with Hattons will see many of the later and more colourful schemes produced solely for the Liverpudlian retailer. A total of seven Class 121s will be available, including both the original and revised forms of Network SouthEast along with pioneer No. 55020 in its mid-1980s GWR chocolate and cream livery. More up to date are No. 55020…

1. Less than fivemonths from withdrawal,amagnificently scruffy No. 47467 passes Wychnor Junction on August 1, 1998, with the 6E96/13.51 Warrington Arpley-Lindsey Oil Refinery. In tow are 12 TTAs and one TUA, the discharged tankers returning to Humberside to be refilled with diesel fuel or, to give it the correct name in rail parlance, traction gas oil (TGO). Illustrating the rather uneconomic nature of the traffic, the outward 6M98 working had left Lindseymuch earlier that day, touring the EWS depots at Toton, Leicester, Bescot, Crewe and Warrington, dropping off loaded tankers and collecting empties as it went. The motley collection of tankers is also noteworthy with ex Esso, Total and BP examples in evidence. Gareth Bayer 2. A line of five Esso TTA tankers, led by No. ESSO56269, await unloading at…

RECENT weeks have seen a number of new releases fromOxford Diecast in its ever-growing range of 4mm scale diecast road vehicles. Pictured here are a selection of the most noteworthy newmodels, this including the first appearance of the Leyland Sherpa van. Introduced in 1974, the Sherpa – as it soon became known–was available in a range of body styles and quickly became a favourite for fleet use thanks to its manoeuvrability. Oxford has produced the initial body style, as manufactured up to 1982, with both the van and minibus variants. The van appears in Royal Mail colours with bi-lingual English and Welsh lettering (76SHP001, £6.45) while the minibus gets British Rail yellow (76SHP002, £6.45). Both feature W-suffix number plates, dating them to 1980-81. Staying with vans, the Mk.3 Ford Transit…