Indholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2022 i Traction

Welcome In this edition of TRACTION we begin with a visit to Mossend Yard, the major rail freight centre in Scotland. John Dedman spent a day in June 1989 photographing freight train operations there. We start with the morning trains in this issue and will return in TRACTION 270 to view afternoon and early evening workings. David Hayes conclude his article ‘Remembering the MoD Trains’ by looking at the post privatisation years of military traffic. David Ratcliffe’s ‘Warwells and Warflats’ complimentary feature shows us some of the specialised wagons used by the MOD. The ‘Deltics’ are an ever popular and much missed locomotive class so Ben Wyvis’ article ‘My 22 Old Friends’ will bring back many happy memories. With each locomotive needing its own photograph we have decided to split…

Warwells and Warflats by David Ratcliffe The Ministry of Defence owned bogie Warwell and Warflat wagons are used to transport a wide variety of equipment between the various military depots situated around the country. Developed during the Second World War, the 77t glw Warwell was constructed by several builders with some 84 still in main line use in 1974 when they were given the TOPS code PFV and numbered MODA 95500 to MODA 95583. At 43ft long the design featured a heavily reinforced body, with the floor sloping down between the bogies to form a well capable of accommodating tanks and other large items within gauge. Diamond-frame primary suspension bogies were fitted at 33ft centres, while the wagons were all originally vacuum braked and could carry 51t when the load…

TRACTION MODELLING Heljan Class 86 Words: Howard Smith Photography: Tony Wright These new models feature design improvements from its Class 86/0 and represent the mixed-traffic 86/4 and freight-only 86/6 locomotives. Seven variants have been produced covering the 1980s to 2010s, with detail differences, specific to the prototypes for each one. An additional two locomotives have been produced as Gaugemaster exclusives in the swoopy-lined livery of Freightliner Powerhaul. Repainted into this livery from Freightliner yellow and green as late as 2011, it saw the locomotives into another decade, being withdrawn as recently as 2020. Many Class 86s remain stored at Crewe, and it’s possible that their lives aren’t over yet. Models are DCC-ready and fitted with a 21-pin socket. In DCC mode, the tail lights at each end can be switched…

Class 59 for ‘N’ – first images of working EP Dapol has unveiled images of an engineering sample for its N gauge Class 59. The prototype is intended to give the design team an opportunity to review the samples for part fitment, design and provide a feel for how model will perform on track. Dapol has reported that the design team is “going through its deliberations and preparing feedback for the factory”. Announced in July 2021, initial impressions are said to be “extremely favourable”, as can be seen in the images. In conjunction with reviewing the EP, Dapol’s design team is also reviewing parts that have arrived in the form of first shots of the locomotive. Models proposed are as follows: • (2D-005-000) 59005 Foster Yeoman silver Kenneth J Painter•…

The great diesel traction extinction event During the two years either side of 1970, one third of BR’s diesel classes became extinct. David Clough explains why. RAILPHOTOPRINTS.CO.UK/JOHN CHALCRAFT It is 1955 and the British Transport Commission (BTC) has secured government approval for a major modernisation programme. The eye catching part of this programme was a trial of diesel traction from a number of manufacturers to assess the worthiness of their offerings over a five year period, when decisions on future standard types would be made. Part of this plan for the pilot scheme was to encourage diversity of designs, which would be based on the experience of the manufacturers in diesel powered main line traction. Whilst the majority were diesel electrics, the chief mechanical engineer wanted to try diesel hydraulic…

A Morning at Mossend Yard John Dedman describes a visit to the major freight hub of Mossend Yard near Motherwell in June 1989. I started my railway photography in the mid 1970s after moving to a house which backed on to the Bournemouth main line at New Milton. This rekindled my railway interests which I lost at the end of steam in 1967 and I started getting into railway modelling and photography. During the next few years I started to travel further from home every year, mainly searching out various freight flows and locos in different parts of the country. By the late 1980s we had visited the Midlands, the Warrington area and Teesside and now Scotland was calling, so two of us planned a trip north. On Sunday 25th…

My 22 Old Friends: Part 1 For some time Ben Wyvis has thought about producing a definitive list of his most poignant memory of each of the Class 55 ‘Deltic’ locomotives. The list, as you would expect, is personal and based on nothing more than memories from 40 years or more ago. RAY BRISCALL In July 1977 my family and I were travelling from our home in the Highlands to North Yorkshire. We arrived in Edinburgh, with onward connections to Darlington on the 17:55 Edinburgh to Leeds. As we walked down platform 19, I could hear the sound of idling Napiers: ‘St Paddy’ was standing at the head of the 17:00 to King’s Cross, calling at Newcastle and then York. After much pleading for a change of plan, we boarded…

TRACTION MODELLING in partnership with BRM NEWS New ‘26’ introduced for Scottish show Heljan is introducing a new version of its popular OO gauge Class 26 to fill a significant gap in the fleet. In response to demand since the announcement of its new O gauge Class 26/1s with twin car-style headlights for working the Far North Lines, a new OO gauge model will also be released with twin car-style headlights, as fitted by Inverness depot for Far North Line operation in the early-1970s and retained until the mid-1980s. The new models are the first stage of a revamp of its OO gauge Class 26/1, which will also include mechanical, detail, DCC and electronics upgrades to meet the expectations of modellers in the 2020s. New features include separately switchable headlights, marker/tail…

Liverpool Lime Street There are few more dramatic terminal stations in Britain than Liverpool Lime Street. With its superb overall roof, high retaining walls and bridges as well as tunnels at the station exit the location gives the photographer plenty of scope for interesting compositions, something that Gavin Morrison has used to good effect on many visits over the years.…

Remembering the MoD Trains: Part 2 Stand at ease as David J. Hayes concludes his look back at these trains during the post-Speedlink era by overviewing such operations in the privatisation period MARTIN LOADER. WHEN the British Rail pre-privatisation freight companies Transrail, Loadhaul and Mainline Freight were acquired by American railroad operator Wisconsin Central, and collectively rebranded as English, Welsh & Scottish Railways (EWS) in 1996, it was only a matter of time before Railfreight Distribution (RfD) would be added to the fold as well, and this finally happened in November 1997. EWS’s already impressive business portfolio was now joined by the likes of Channel Tunnel traffic and Government Stores contracts for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), both of which could be easily absorbed into the successful Enterprise wagonload operation…

TRACTION MODELLING in partnership with BRM ANNESLEY WOODHOUSE Simon Lawson found an ideal trackplan for this Nottinghamshire-based layout, which is a mirror-image duplicate. Photography by: Andy York Simon had always wanted to model Mansfield Woodhouse because of the use of the old goods shed as a platform shelter for passengers, but couldn’t do it well in the space he had available. Annesley Woodhouse is near the M1 motorway and, as such, could be the location of a Park & Ride station, giving him the excuse of running more East Midlands Trains services than usual on the Robin Hood Line. If he created a link to the line running to Sheffield via Chesterfield, extra services by Cross Country and Northern Rail could be added. With this in mind, Simon decided that…

Accurascale reveals new Class 31 for ‘OO’ Accurascale has revealed a new suite of models depicting the Brush Type 2/Class 30 and 31 locomotives. With engineering prototypes unveiled, the new models are said to have been developed from detailed surveys of numerous prototypes, as well as a 3D scan and works drawings. The manufacturer aims for this model to be the “definitive representation model of the classic BR mixed-traffic design”, covering almost every detail variant that existed throughout their 65-year lives. The models are tooled, with several working samples undergoing evaluation and testing. Initial engineering prototype samples arrived with Accurascale’s production teams in mid-January, with models and component parts assessed for fit, finesse, and finish. Improvements have been identified in areas such as the roof fan grille and other areas,…

Early Belgian electrics: Part 2 Colin Boocock continues his survey of Belgian electric locomotives tracing developments from the 1960s. COLIN BOOCOCK The class 125 was a group of sixteen Bo-Bos added from 1960, whilst class 140 was a small batch of six similar locomotives but with a higher top speed of 140km/h. The ‘140s’ were altered by 1968 to become standard with the ‘125s’ and renumbered 125.101-106 in consequence. All became class 25 at the 1971 renumbering. In the mid-1970s, the last eight class 25s were modified with dual voltage supply and push-pull equipment for hauling the prestigious Benelux expresses between Brussels and Amsterdam. These were push-pull trains because of the need to reverse in Antwerpen Centraal station. The eight locomotives became sub-class 25.5 and for a time were liveried…