Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Railways Illustrated

THE CLASS 37 Loco Group’s 37003’s As it stands, the group is able to fund engine has been refitted, and it has been able to move under its own power at the UKRL depot at Leicester for the first time in 12 years. In December 2013, 37003 was stored at Dereham on the Mid-Norfolk Railway after the discovery of oil and water mixed in the sump. Initially, after the removal of the heads, pistons, connecting rods and liners, it became apparent that the scope of the work was beyond the capabilities of a small team working in a yard without resources other than a Hiab crane. The committee made the decision to enlist the services of UK Rail Leasing (UKRL) at Leicester TMD to undertake a top-end engine rebuild, as…

AVANTI WEST Coast has introduced more services across its routes as part of a new September timetable change. An additional 86 trains per week have been added, equating to more than 38,000 additional seats – an increase of 3.8%. From September 15, the enhancement means that for the first time the operator will be running more trains than December 2019, with 2045 trains operating across its network per week. The greatest increase is between London and Liverpool, with an extra 36 trains per week scheduled to run with a half-hourly service in some of the busier periods. There are also 26 more trains per week between Euston and Birmingham NS/Wolverhampton. The increases have been made possible following the introduction of the new Class 805/807 Evero fleet – a £350 million…

INTERCITY RAN a multi-traction charter on August 25 using Class 40, 45 and 52 power, but sadly, Deltic D9000 Royal Scots Grey was not fit to take part as initially advertised. The ‘Western Wanderer’ train started at Crewe behind D213 Andania, which worked to Gloucester where 45118 The Royal Artilleryman took over for the run to Bristol TM. The 40 worked to Cardiff via Gloucester, before the 45 worked back to Bristol TM via the Severn Tunnel. The 45 remained on the train all day for train supply. D1015 Western Champion, hired from the Diesel Traction Group, then worked Bristol to Gloucester via Bath, Newbury, Didcot and Stroud before the 45 and 40 led the train back to Crewe in tandem. The charter marks the first time LSL has actively…

EX-BR SHUNTER 09106 has been repainted into a popular 1980s sector livery. The loco, now based at the Dean Forest Railway, has lost is HNRC orange and is now in the 1987-inspired ‘Red stripe Railfreight’ livery. This livery, first seen on the Class 58s in 1982 but adopted across the Railfreight fleet from 1987, was applied to a few Class 08s but no Class 09s, although the loco was previously a Class 08 – 08759. The 09 was in use at the September 13/14 DFR diesel gala, which also had 50021 Rodney and Deltic 55009 Alycidon starring, the first visit to the line by both classes.…

THE SEVERN Valley Railway has confirmed that it will once again be holding its winter diesel gala this year, with the date set for December 29. It will feature home fleet locos that are serviceable and not winterised. However, with 40106 having left the railway by then, just 46045 will be working with an operational steam heat boiler, so steam locos could be used to provide heat on the other two sets of stock. Expected to take part will be some, or all, of D9551, 20048, 33108, 46045, 50007/033/049 and D1015/62 and possibly 20142/189 if they are at the railway. D821 Greyhound could also be used if it is operational.…

About 10 years ago, I wrote a feature in Railways Illustrated asking if trainspotting was still a popular hobby and was it still enjoyable. Inspired by the popularity of The Greatest Gathering and personal observations of people being on station platforms writing down numbers and taking pictures, I have decided to revisit it. Much has changed in those 10 years. The rise of social media platforms, especially TikTok and YouTube, and everybody’s love/hate train fan Francis Bourgeois has made liking railways, well, less of an ‘embarrassment.’ I mean, when I was at school, you didn’t really shout too much about liking trains… not if you wanted a girlfriend. But hindsight also tells me the experiences I had riding around on trains in the 1980s remind me it was the…

WHICH RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED SUBSCRIPTION SUITS YOU BEST? 1: 12-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION BEST VALUE 12 print issues for £49 Direct Debit 12 print issues for £54 credit/debit card SAVE £15.80 2: SIX-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION 6 print issues for £26 Direct Debit 6 print issues for £28 credit/debit card SAVE £6.40 WHAT OUR READERS SAY ABOUT RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED Good all-round coverage from the enthusiasts’ perspective. ALEX KRILL Bloody good read and very informative. KEVIN DELANEY An informative insight into the railways of the past, present and future. PETER BURNETT Railways Illustrated is written by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, providing the latest news and developments on the national rail network and from our standard gauge heritage railways. This is the title for anyone who likes heritage diesel and electric traction and showcases some of the best railway photography…

THE FIRST Class 60 overhauled by UKRL forDCRail wasunveiled at Loughborough on August 28, with 60099 sporting a new livery and regaining its original name of Ben More Assynt. The livery was designed by Accurascale and is based on the old British Rail Trainload liveries with alight grey upper bodyside. The blue at the bottom is the same Cappagh blue as seen on 60028 and the grey is the same as that on its other three Class 60s and 56s. It also had a diamond plaque on the cab, another feature of the old Trainload livery. There are a few outstanding jobs to be completed on the loco before it is ready for load bank testing and then main line testing and entry into traffic. It has been running, but…

THE SCOTTISH Government has announced a £342 million investment in 69 new trains and 140km (88 miles) of further electrification of its routes. The new trains and the electrification of Fife and Borders railways was announced by Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop. They will be a mix of EMUs and battery electric multiple units (BEMUs) and will be expected to replace the Class 318/320 EMUs and some of the Class 156 DMUs. The exact breakdown of the new trains has not been finalised but could be 41 EMUs and 28 BEMUs. Their length has not been divulged, nor who will build them. Currently, ScotRail has ordered new train fleets from both Hitachi and Siemens but also has Alstom and Bombardier (the latter now owned by Alstom) trains in its fleet, as…

THE ENTIRE fleet of 15 Class 18 hybrid battery Bo-Bo shunting locos is being offered for sale by Romic. The Clayton-built locos were ordered by Beacon Rail but so far only a handful have been evaluated by customers, including Freightliner and GBRf, but none have been taken on permanently. 18001-015 were built from 2020 to replace ageing and costly diesel shunters like Class 08s, which date from the 1950s. Romic said: “These modern locomotives are ideal for shunting, industrial sites, docks, steelworks, nuclear power plants and mining sites. “[They] operate from modular lead-acid batteries, providing zero emission operation. The batteries can be charged from shore power, or from the on-board 55kW diesel generator, and are equipped with regenerative braking.”…

There are strong rumours that that all the Class 60s have been sold to Aggregates Industries *but 60011 will not be included *If true, 59 Class 60s will be owned by the company * surely, repowering has to be on the cards? * D5370 could stay in England ‘until further notice’ and could get set for visits to other railways * Talk of 37075 joining the SVR’s Class 37 gala have been dismissed; the loco is in bits! * But 37706 and 37901 have both been requested for the gala to ensure as many sub-classes as possible are represented * LSL ‘will send’ 37401/409 to attend… * …but 37403 and a set of SRPS stock won’t be attending ‘due to politics’ * but plans to get pioneer D6700 there have…

DC Rail has reunited a fourth Class 60 with its original name following the completion of 60099’s extensive overhaul at Loughborough, the return of the Ben More Assynt plates complementing the unveiling of a new blue and grey company livery. The nameplates, which commemorate the 3274ft mountain in the far north of Scotland, were previously removed in September 2010 when the loco received a repaint into Tata Steel silver. The Jackie Cleave nameplates on 66155 were finally unveiled at Acton on September 11, having been affixed to the newly repainted Class 66 back in July and subsequently covered over. They pay tribute to Jackie, a safety assurance manager with DB Cargo UK, who died earlier this year after a 27-year career on the railways, having become a driver under British…

A RUNNING day for Hymek D7018 has been arranged at the Great Central Railway on November 22. The loco will then be used on the line’s annual New Year’s Eve trains on December 31 prior to a planned move to the Severn Valley Railway in January. It will stay at the SVR for an extended period, and the plan is for the DTG’s Class 42 Warship D821 Greyhound to move to the West Somerset Railway for an extended stay. For the November 22 running day, D7018 will operate six round trips from Loughborough, withthe first departure at 10.30 and the last train arriving back at 21.06. It is hoped to have the steam heat generator in the train. Food and drink will also available, and there will be on-train raffle…

FOLLOWING THE end of its overhaul and repaint into Network SouthEast livery at the Rushden Historical Transport Society’s base, 03179 will be leaving Rushden and heading back to the Isle of Wight, where it was based with BR from June 1988 until October 1993 to work occasional infrastructure trains on the island’s 8½-mile network. The loco is nearing the end of its eight-year overhaul and has been repainted back into the livery it carried from December 1988 until it was sold and reactivated by West Anglian Great North Railway in 1998. As the RHTS currently doesn’t have any operational coaching stock and has been running Pacer DMUs for the last few years, 03179 was surplus to requirements, hence the move. Returning to the IoW will reunite it with fellow former…

Preserved is one of the most misused words in railway writing. Talk of locos ‘entering preservation’ like it’s some sort of job just doesn’t make sense. Then there’s the grey area of what’s actually preserved and what isn’t. And how do you even define ‘preserved’? For the purpose of this, and the subsequent feature next month looking at main line locos, I will regard any ex-BR loco that is owned by a preservation group, heritage railway, or private individual as relevant for inclusion. Those owned by established TOC and spot hire companies such as West Coast Railways, Colas, Swietelsky and the like are excluded. Though I don’t regard them as ‘preserved,’ locos acquired as a source of spares are mentioned. This feature looks at the preserved diesel shunters – Class…

D9537–Wirksworth: An August working party started with giving the brake frame a second coat of grey oxide. The cooler group was also given a good degrease. Inside the loco, a start was made on scraping the rust and muck from the B-end, where the brake frame sits. The transmission was also given a good scraping and then a general hoovering-up was undertaken in the B-end. Next, a start was made on removing the fan, which will be finished another time. Also, one of the feet was removed from one of the spare turbos so it could be sent away and attached to the turbo being overhauled. D8098 – Loughborough: With 31463 edging closer to returning to the GCR at Loughborough after overhaul at Ruddington, the plan is the lorry that…

It has been a remarkable 25 years since Bachmann first released its Class 08 to the 4mm scale market and, with it, delivered a statement of intent. The model was not only one of the manufacturer’s first highly detailed diesel offerings but also a game changer for shunting operations, it being capable of performing as such a loco should at slow speeds. This was largely unheard of at the time, when modellers were used to the indifferent performance of Hornby and Lima Class 08s, not to mention their visual shortcomings. Bachmann’s ‘Gronk’ went on to serve the manufacturer well over the subsequent quarter of a century with numerous releases in a kaleidoscope of colours and periodic upgrades, such as adding DCC compatibility. However, as standards progressively increased, both in detail…

ALSTOM IS opening its Polmadie depot, in south Glasgow, to the public on Sunday, October 12 to commemorate its 150th anniversary. The depot is currently the main base of the Caledonian Sleeper coaching stock, where it is maintained and cleaned by more than 100 staff who provide a round-the-clock service, as well as servicing Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 Pendolinos. Arriving by shuttle bus from Glasgow Central, visitors will be welcomed by a line-up of rolling stock that has been based at the depot over the last 150 years. This will include 37403 Isle of Mull from the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS), a Freightliner Class 90, and the depot’s Class 08s. A Class 99, a Class 92, a Class 73/9 and a Class 66 – all courtesy of GB…

GB RAILFREIGHT and Colas Rail Freight have started operating the 2025 railhead treatment season with the specialist wagons being moved into position and locos being prepared and hired in. GBRf is using its own Class 66, 69 and 73s, supplemented by additional Class 66s hired in from other companies, most likely DB Cargo. It has been bolstered by 59003 Yeoman Highlander and 66790-792 returning to its fleet after hire to Colas, as well as recently imported 66316 finally being reactivated in time, plus the full complement on Class 69s now in traffic. Colas is hiring 37405, 37419 and 37425 Concrete Bob/Sir Robert McAlpine from Swietelsky, and until 37405 can be released, 37667 Flopsie has been drafted in as cover from Locomotive Services. The two Swietelsky locos were formed with a…

CROSS COUNTRY HAS announced adjustments to its timetable from December 14 as part of the rail industry’s twice-yearly timetable review. It coincides with a major industry-wide update to the timetable on the key East Coast Main Line corridor. This includes significant changes to services for other operators using the rail artery, which spans 393 miles between London and Edinburgh. Overall, CrossCountry trains will increase, with additional trains on the busy Reading-Newcastle and Birmingham-Leicester routes on both weekdays and weekends. Passengers travelling on Sundays will also see a more resilient and reliable timetable. However, significant engineering work on the network from Christmas until the end of January means the new timetable will not come into full effect until February 2026. It comes as CrossCountry’s Class 170s continue being refurbished, with several vehicles…

THE LAST of GB Railfreight’s 16 Class 69s has entered traffic, with 69015, built using the body of 56009, outshopped from Arlington Fleet Services on August 26 in a version of the old BR Red Stripe Railfreight livery. The Class 69 conversions were undertaken by EMD at Longport between 2021 and 2025 as GBRf was looking for affordable additional traction before the Class 99 project was finalised. Due to the fact 56009 last worked a train 30 years ago and has spent many years in store in the open, it had suffered far more body corrosion compared with other Class 56 donors, hence it was delivered later than 69016, which used previously preserved 56097 as its donor and was in a far superior condition. Of the 135 Class 56s, 15…

THE LAST Class 66 to work in the UK, 66316, has finally entered traffic. The loco was formally accepted by GB Railfreight on September 2, becoming the last of a batch of 11 Class 66s sourced from mainland Europe and leased through Akiem. Given GBRf is now putting Class 99s into traffic, no more examples of the most successful freight loco to run in the UK are expected to arrive in the UK. In fact, GBRf is also indicating it may not renew the leases on those 66s due to come off-lease in the new year. The loco follows on from 66306-315, which are already in traffic with GBRf. It had been delayed in entering traffic due to the amount of work needed to be done. Because of the added…

Chiltern Railways is applying a new two-tone blue livery to the Class 68s and Mk. 5 sets it is leasing from Beacon Rail. By mid-September, 68020 and an unidentified Mk. 5 set had received the vinyl warps at Arriva Traincare’s Eastleigh depot, along with revised Chiltern ‘C’ logos. GB Railfreight has added two further special liveries to its fleet, with 66791 outshopped from Eastleigh Works during August in the green livery of Heidelberg Materials. While the livery is similar to Freightliner’s 59101, the green employed is of a notably darker shade. Later in the month, Arlington also completed the final Class 69, with 69015 rolled out in Railfreight Red Stripe livery. At Crewe, Locomotive Services has repainted recently acquired 90026 into the same LNWR-inspired lined black livery that already adorns…

CLASS 150 27/8 – 150238 5V83 13.46 Wolverton-Exeter TMD. 6/9 – 150219 5V83 10.00 Wolverton-Exeter TMD. CLASS 156 10/9 – 156502 5S07 10.15 Wolverton-Corkerhill. 11/9 –156503 5H70 09.24 Corkerhill-Wolverton. CLASS 170 25/8 – 170102 5Q26 12.20 Tyseley-Crewe Carriage Sidings, for refurbishment. CLASS 197 30/8 – 197036 into passenger service, debuting on 1J72 20.40 Chester-Shrewsbury with 197019. 11/9 – 66504 + 197039 6G97 10.06 Donnington RFT-Crewe Carriage Sidings. CLASS 334 8/9 – 334004 5Q06 09.47 Wolverton-Yoker, away since 10/7/24 for welding repairs. 9/9 – 334014 5Q70 09.09 Yoker-Wolverton. CLASS 350 23/8 – 350243 + 350247 + 350248 5Z45 10.55 Northampton Kings Heath-Wembley. 8/9 – 350252 + 350256 5Z45 10.56 Northampton Kings Heath-Wembley, all five units off-lease and for store. CLASS 360 10/9 – 37501 + 360113 5R57 09.24 Kettering-Derby RTC, for…

Railway photography for me is about two things: a record for capturing a point in time to preserve a memory and an art form to create a great-looking image. Sometimes for me that is to recreate an essence of how things used to be. I’m always looking out for a composition that takes me back to when I was young, particularly the early 1980s. I like the challenge of capturing an image that looks almost like it could have been taken in the past. This is hard because modern details creep into the scene. It requires a suitable subject, an appropriate backdrop, often some tight composition to exclude modernity, and some compromises. It’s rarely going to be a perfect recreation of the past, but it is great fun trying to…

June 10, 1989. Another Network Day and there was only one thing on my mind – Class 50 mileage. Sadly, a week before, my favourite, 50039 Implacable, was condemned and joined other old faves on the scrapheap. So, for this day, I set myself the challenge of getting haulage behind as many different 50s as possible in a single day. Anyway, there were still 40 of the class left in traffic, and they were still solid on the Exeter-Waterloo line – more so since they had replaced 33/1s on the Waterloo-Salisbury semi-fasts; the NSSA pool had been expanded by seven to 20 locomotives. (50001-003/005/007/009/016-018/027-030/041/043-045/048-050) Despite Implacable’s demise, the Old Oak Common NWRA pool for Thames and Chiltern work still had ten 50s in it (50023-026/031-036), while the Civil Engineers’ DCWA…