Innehållsförteckning för April 2021 från Rail Express

THE reduced passenger timetable operating during the coronavirus pandemic has benefitted freight trains by allowing them to run more efficiently with reduced journey times, writes Industry Witness. Network Rail has now said that for this to continue, a cutback of some secondary passenger services may be necessary at critical network locations where capacity is constrained – such as has already been suggested in central Manchester. There is an increasing number of freight operations running with a train length of 775 metres (technically the equivalent of 120 SLU in a traditional operating terms). Terminals are also being expanded to deal with trains of this size, with the latest being at Southampton docks. This expansion is likely to be accelerated following the announcement in the Government’s budget to establish a number of…

GB RAILFREIGHT’S No. 69001, the first of a new class of ten repowered and heavily reworked Class 56 locomotives, turned its first wheels in anger on February 15, when it worked a Kidderminster to Highley trip with ‘Shark’ brakevan No. DB 993876. The EMD re-engined Type 5 had originally been scheduled to move to the Severn Valley Railway to commence testing in early February, but this was delayed while a few last-minute issues were resolved. This included its official renumbering (from No. 56031), which took place on the 9th, along with that of No. 69002 (the former No. 56311). No. 66702 did the honours on the 15th, hauling No. 69001 as the 0Z69 Longport (Stoke)-Kidderminster. FIRST BREL ‘GRID’ No. 56031 was one of 16 Class 56s acquired from UK Rail…

DURING early February, No. 484002 was taken from Vivarail’s Long Marston workshops to Derby Litchurch Lane for trials on Bombardier’s test track, in advance of its transfer to the Isle of Wight. It then moved by road to Eastleigh East Yard on February 23, prior to being taken to Eastleigh TMD in advance of main line testing. Delays in the upgrade of the network and completion of work on the former London Underground D78 stock, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, mean that the units are now expected to enter service between Ryde and Shanklin in mid-May. One set, No. 484001, is already on the Isle of Wight.…

IN one of the most surprising developments of the last few years, Ermewa (previously SNCF-owned France Wagon until SNCF acquired Ermewa) has disposed of almost all of its original batch of 48 Arbel Fauvet-built Sfhimms-u (TOPS code IHA, design code IHE857) curtain-sided coil carriers, Nos. 33 87 4767 000-047. These were originally numbered Nos. 31 87 4767 000-047, but later renumbered in the early 2000s out of order. Delivered to Sims of Newport for scrapping in four batches since the end of 2020, this left just two vehicles extant at the end of February, No. 33 87 4767 029-1 (which is not in the UK) and No. 33 87 4767 046-5 (currently at DB Cargo’s wagon works in Stoke). The first two groups were delivered in December and January respectively,…

ALONG with the Class 91s mentioned in the last issue, LNER has also placed its remaining Mk.4 sets in store until the summer. The last rake to leave London was NL26 (Nos. 12220/474/465/429/325, 10311, 11295/326/426, 82223) which, along with No. 91109 Sir Bobby Robson, was hauled from Ferme Park depot to Doncaster Belmont Yard by No. 67003 on February 2. On February 12, No. 91107 Skyfall and set NL12 (Nos. 12222/431/404/426/330, 10333, 11284/312/412, 82212) arrived at Belmont Yard from Neville Hill behind No. 67006 Royal Sovereign after the electric loco had failed just east of Leeds station at the start of the move. The two arrivals join sets NL13/15/17 at Doncaster. At the time of writing, sets NL06 and NL08 plus spares coaches Nos. 12214 and 82205 are at Neville…

RAILWAY Support Services has taken No. 08922 back on hire from English Electric Preservation, it being moved to the Chasewater Railway in mid-February for final checks before it moves on to a new contract at Garston Docks (Merseyside). While at Chasewater, the locos was used to shunt the MGR wagons at Chasewater Heaths on February 20, which also tested out its air braking system. Earlier in February, RSS shuffled its ‘08s’ around, with Nos. 08703 and 08752 moving to Wishaw (Warwickshire) from Chasewater for works attention (No. 08703 needing a generator change), while No. 08738 moved the other way for storage. LONDON MOVE With the last of LNER’s locomotive-hauled rakes of coaching stock departing Bounds Green (London), there is no longer any requirement for shunters on site as anything that…

THE tale of London Underground’s Asset Inspection Train can be traced back to July 2006 when funding was approved. The aim of the AIT project was to replace LU’s ageing Track Recording Vehicle, made up ofspare 1960 and 1973 Stock, which had entered departmental service in 1987. A stored four-car 1972 Stock unit, withdrawn from passenger service on the Northern Line in November 1998, was chosen as the basis of the AIT and its motors were overhauled at Acton Works in 2006 before the unit was rebuilt at Doncaster in 2007. Testing began in 2011, after which two withdrawn Victoria Line cars (Nos. 3079 and 3079) were added in 2013. These had been converted by Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh. The AIT’s goal was to use improved technology and fault…

A FORMER Transport for Wales Class 142 is set to enjoy a retirement in South Wales, having been donated to the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway (Carmarthenshire). No. 142006 was delivered by road to its new permanent home on February 15, arriving at the line’s Cynheidre base by road from Landore (Swansea). The previous month, on January 6, it had run from Cardiff Canton to Landore by rail. No. 142006 is the only surviving ‘142’ from the former Arriva Trains Wales/Transport for Wales fleet, the other 14 sets having been sent to Newport Docks for scrapping by Sims in January/February. Built as one of the GMPTE orange/brown sets, it was transferred to Cardiff in 2001, and it is planned to restore the unit into red/white/green ‘Valley Lines’ livery, as carried…

AFTER shuttling backwards and forwards over the 16 miles between Paddington and Heathrow for more than two decades, the final runs of the Class 332 fleet were on December 28. While most have now been sent for scrapping, three cars have been retained by Siemens for use at its new factory in Goole, Yorkshire. The ‘332s’ were ordered from Siemens in 1994 for a new dedicated Heathrow Express service between Paddington and the airport. Heathrow Express was planned pre-Privatisation as a joint venture between BAA and British Rail, but began running for BAA after Privatisation as an open access operator. A new line was built for it from the Great Western Main Line, just west of Hayes & Harlington, to run mostly in tunnel to the airport’s Terminal 4, and…

RARELY out of the headlines, Accurascale pushed on with development of its catalogue alongside another new model announcement in February. Deltics, mineral wagons and a new hopper wagon all make it into this month’s news round-up. Cut-and-shut HYA Shortened HYA wagons for aggregate traffic are added to Accurascale’s range of modern hopper wagon models and is a logical development of the modern HYA/IIA coal and biomass hopper wagon models, for which livery samples arrived at Accurascale for assessment. Growth in aggregate traffic coupled to the sudden decline in coal burning at power stations saw redundant HYA/IIA coal wagons transferred to aggregate traffic. The three-bay coal hopper wagons are too long, with too high a volume for aggregate which is more dense than coal making a reduction in length desirable. The…

‘SHARK’ 20t ballast plough brake vans became the standard BR design, based on the LMS ‘Oyster’ ballast plough brake van design. While they followed the same format as the standard BR 20t brake van family in having two verandahs and a central cabin, they were characterised by having distinctively shaped steel ploughs mounted under the verandahs, requiring a shorter nine-foot wheelbase to make room for them. The wagons were new-build, constructed in nine lots between 1951 and 1962 to two diagrams. Some variations existed between the various lots, the majority of which were built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company to Diagram 1/597. The first four of Diagram 1/597 were fitted with guard rails across the entrances to the verandahs, while the remainder were fitted with doors. They featured…

A JOINT venture between Kernow Model Rail Centre and Revolution Trains has resulted in a high fidelity model of the Cargowaggon IZA twin-vans introduced in 1986 when 100 were built using an unusual permanently coupled design which proved to be very successful. Coded IPA and numbered 23 80 2794 000-099 they were originally cleared for the Dover train ferry and subsequently, the Channel Tunnel. The first batch represented by the model features ribs on the angled section of the doors which also forms part of the roof. Two more batches were constructed to a revised design intended to increase the payload and consequently of a slightly different appearance. Introduced in 1989 and 1990, the wagons were renumbered, along with the original batch, in the 23 80 2929 000-199 number series…

IN what is believed to be the first time any preserved traction has attained such a speed in Britain, power cars Nos. 43048/43089 reached 125mph on the East Coast Main Line south of Retford on February 19 after collecting newly-acquired coaches from Gascoigne Wood. ROG was the train’s main line operator. The 125 Group recently bought a further two vehicles, Nos. 42120/337, from the former NL03 set and these, along with Nos. 40741, 41067 and 42119 that were acquired towards the end of 2020, were moved to the DATS facility at Rectory Sidings (near Radcliffe, Nottinghamshire) by the group’s preserved but main line certified power cars. Accompanying Nos. 43048/43089 on the trip were Nos. 40730, 41057 and 42111, meaning the entire ‘2+8’ consist was made up of 125 Group rolling…

NORTHERN Ireland’s public transport operator, Translink, has said there are plans to replace the present De Dietrich/ Mk.3 stock used on the jointly-operated (with Irish Rail) Cross-Border ‘Enterprise’ service with “nine eight-car trains” by 2026/27. Translink also said there are plans to introduce “15 three-car regional trains, bi-mode or tri-mode”, and that a total zero-emission fleet would be in use by 2040. It is understood that the 21 new 4000 Class DMU intermediate cars on order from CAF will be the last diesel-powered passenger stock to be introduced by NIR.…

TRANSPORT for the North has made a formal submission to the Government for investment in Northern Powerhouse Rail, urging there should be a commitment to the new lines and major upgrades proposed, including the complete HS2 project to Leeds with separate access to the East Coast Main Line. If the plan is approved, new lines are to be built between Manchester and Liverpool via Warrington, and between Manchester and Leeds via the centre of Bradford. There would also be a major upgrade to the Hope Valley route between Sheffield and Manchester, and authority given to provide the HS2 cut-off line to serve Sheffield. The restoration of the Woodhead route has not been proposed. Routes from Hull to Leeds and Sheffield would be upgraded, as well as the restoration of the…

WITH Grand Central’s planned London to Blackpool service having been abandoned due to the downturn in traffic caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the four rakes of Mk.4 coaches overhauled and repainted for use on the proposed service have been moved away from Wembley, where they had been parked for the past few months. Sets WB02 (Nos. 12224/477/326, 10321, 11320, 82200) and WB03 (Nos. 12222/461/323, 10330, 11321, 82227) were moved to Eastleigh depot by Nos. 57305 and 57303 on February 2. They were followed by sets WB01 (Nos. 12211/434/310, 10318, 11319, 82201) and WB04 (Nos. 12210/452/316, 10301, 11322, 82230) on February 16, these two rakes being hauled to Eastleigh by No. 47813. Subsequently, sets WB02 and WB03 were hauled from Eastleigh to Worksop by the aforementioned No. 47813 on February 25,…

CLASS 20 AHEAD of the planned movement of Class 484 ‘D-Train’ electric units for use on the Isle of Wight, English Electric Type 1s Nos. 20007+20142 ran light from King’s Norton to Eastleigh Traction Depot on February 4. A problem with the former, however, resulted in No. 20142 having to run round at Banbury and run ‘nose first’ to Hampshire. Training with the Type 1s commenced on February 9, with round trips to Fareham repeated on each of the following two days. The Railfreight grey pairing of Nos. 20118+20132, nicely cleaned following their RHTT work in December last, ran light from Worksop to West Ealing on February 22. Once in West London they collected Balfour Beatty track machine No. DR73950 and took it to Sussex as the 6Q66/21.34 West Ealing-East…

FREIGHTLINER has finally removed its last pair of the iconic BR/English Electric ‘AL6’ locomotives from its operational fleet. It was something of a speedy run down for the 16-strong sub-class, with repairs still being authorised well into 2020 and the first example only stored last May. However, this was not unexpected after the arrival of 13 former Greater Anglia Class 90s last year. The end was not without a few final flings, with Nos. 86613+86632 paired up early in February on their classic Great Eastern-North London-West Coast Main Line route with containers in tow. Typically entrusted with the 4M45 Ipswich-Garston and 4L60 return, the pair worked this diagram every day until February 5, when they were removed from 4M45 at Crewe Basford Hall due to a lack of hours on…

TRANSPORT for Wales increased its ‘Flex’ diagrams from one to two with effect from February 22, details of which can be found in the accompanying table. On the first day of two set operation, No. 769452 was initially used on Diagram 2, the first working of the ‘769/4’ sub-class in passenger service, although it was replaced by No. 769008 during the morning. The TfW fleet comprises Nos. 769002/003/006-008/421/426/445/452, and all of the ‘769/0’ sets have seen passenger use. TFW ‘FLEX’ DIAGRAMS DIAGRAM 1 2P07/07.02 Rhymney-Penarth 2R08/08.33 Penarth-Rhymney 2P10/10.02 Rhymney-Penarth 2R11/11.33 Penarth-Rhymney 2P13/13.02 Rhymney-Penarth 2R14/14.33 Penarth-Rhymney 2P16/16.02 Rhymney-Penarth 2R17/17.33 Penarth-Rhymney 2P19/19.02 Rhymney-Cardiff Cen Unit to Canton for possible swap then ECS to Penarth 2R21/21.48 Penarth-Rhymney DIAGRAM 2 2P05/06.06 Cardiff Cen-Penarth 2R06/06.33 Penarth-Rhymney 2P08/08.02 Rhymney-Penarth 2R09/09.33 Penarth-Rhymney 2P11/11.02 Rhymney-Penarth 2R12/12.33 Penarth-Rhymney 2P14/14.02…

REDUNDANT HST stock last used by GWR, ScotRail, LNER and EMR all found its way to Sims, Newport during February as both Angel Trains and Porterbrook disposed of vehicles. After a failed attempt to move the coaches on February 4 (owing to problems with loco No. 37510), eight TGS coaches were sent for scrap on February 11. With Nos. 37884 and 37611 supplying traction, and running as the 5Q78/07.20 Ely Papworth-Newport, Nos. 44001/007/010/011/018/038/039/093 undertook their final journey. All were former GWR coaches, but Nos. 44010/011/039 saw temporary use with ScotRail in 2019. Another movement from Ely Papworth to the South Wales scrapyard took place on February 18, when eight former LNER vehicles were sent for disposal. Nos. 42104/122/161/171/172/219,44031/056 were hauled by Nos. 37510+37611, although No. 37510 ran into problems again…

LOCATED on the corner of Melton and Drummond Street, the former Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway station building has survived unused by the travelling public since September 30, 1914. Now, as part of the rebuilding work at Euston, the London Transport Museum says the building is due to be demolished at some point prior to July. The station building closed as a result of the merging of services between the former Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway and City and South London Railway – both now part of the Northern Line. The following day, the Underground Electric Railways of London took over services, with a new station entrance and exit opened within the Euston mainline station of the time. 106 years later, the former station is used for air…

THE month of April has seen a drastic cut-back of railtour activity as the pandemic and its repercussions continues to wreak havoc on railtour operators’ plans. Most of the big players now see May or June as the starting point to resume railtour activities. Several booked tours have already been redated on numerous occasions – although one apparent exception is the British Belmond Pullman, which has yet to cancel its seven tours in April. There should be a far greater number of tours to publicise in next month’s issue, but worthy of mention is Saphos Trains’ June 3 outing, the ‘Welsh Marches Whistler’. The clue is in the name, as a Class 40 is booked to take the train from Preston to Crewe (where two steam locomotives double-head the special…

ENVIRONMENTAL issues continue to be discussed at Irish government level in connection with the objective of having zero-emissions transport by 2040. Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has authorised a Strategic Rail Review, and its terms of reference and other details are planned to be published by late March. The announcement that a review has been authorised comes as decisions regarding the possible reopening of three closed lines reach a crucial stage. The EY report (see Headline News last issue), which stated that the Athenry to Claremorris section of the Western Rail Corridor (WRC) should not be reopened, has been criticised by politicians, local media and pro-rail lobby group ‘West on Track’. The group said it disagreed with the estimated cost of reopening the line, and that it would challenge the report…

THE summer of 2020 will be marked in the annals of British train timing as a fallow period, almost devoid of material. If Covid-19 is successfully overcome, it might leave future Rail Express archivists wondering why the 0-60 column had taken a break – in the meantime, we have to deal with a set of ever-changing restrictions. After meeting with cancellations in December 2019 caused by a shortage of drivers trained on the new CAF-built Class 397s, it was September 2020 before I decided to try for the five-car EMUs again. There are few unrestricted level starts on the TransPennine Express routes from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Manchester Airport, but the best results can be obtained from Lockerbie. Although there are gradients of 1-in-528 (rising southbound and falling northbound), an…

DELIVERED to Bournemouth depot in 1988 as a replacement for the South Western Division allocated 4-REP third rail EMUs and 4TC trailer units, the 24 five-car Class 442 EMUs modernised long distance services on the Waterloo-Bournemouth line and the then recently electrified line between Poole and Weymouth. The EMUs were based on Mk.3 stock, fitted with power plug doors – a new feature for British rolling stock at the time. The design concept was new for both BR and the former Southern Region, with the vehicles being based on the 23-metre long Mk.3 coach and fitted with sealed passenger saloon windows and air-conditioning. The trailers were recognisable in having the same window and body shell profile as stock used in HST and InterCity train sets, while the powered MBLS was…

CLAYTON Equipment has announced a deal with Beacon Rail to build 15 of its 90-tonne CBD90 Hybrid locomotives, which are powered by 524kWh lead-acid batteries that can be charged from either a shore supply or an onboard EU Stage V-compliant 56kW diesel engine. While construction is yet to begin, the Rolling Stock Library has allocated these locomotives the designation Class 18, indicating they will all be main line registered – although with a top speed of 20km/h, they are unlikely to travelling any great distance. Clayton is the company most remembered for the ill-fated Class 17 in the 1960s, but times have moved on since then and now, 60 years later, it is getting the next class number in the sequence.…

WITH the completion of FWA-C Ecofret 2 three-unit container flats for VTG Rail/GB Railfreight now well into double figures, and testing not yet complete on set No. 83 70 4520 198-0 + 83 70 4521 035-3 + 83 70 4520 199-8 at Derby RTC, this has created capacity issues at WH Davis’s Langwith Junction site. To ease the pressure on space, a pair of transfers took place during February that removed 16 sets (equivalent to 48 platforms). The first move took place on the 4th, when Cappagh blue-liveried No. 60028 was sent to Shirebrook to collect ‘outers’ Nos. 83 70 4520 200-205/210-217/222/223 and ‘inners’ Nos. 83 70 4521 036-038/041-044/047, the train forming a 6Z08/12.30 to Gascoigne Wood, via a run-round at Toton Yard. A DC Rail Class 60 was also…

THE five Class 360/2 units that were retired from their ‘Heathrow Connect’ duties in August and September 2020 have been sold by Heathrow Airport Ltd to Rail Operations (UK), the parent company of Rail Operations Group. The expanding operator says the units will be used to assist in its transformation of UK rail freight logistics. It has already unveiled its first Class 319 ‘Orion’ conversion, and further examples (Nos. 319011/373/380) are being modified at Eastleigh Works along with two ‘Flex’ sets, Nos. 769008/009. Initial freight services with these units are planned to operate between the West Midlands and Scotland. All five 360/2s have been taken to Bicester to be stored, where they join a number of Rail Operations Group Mk.3 coaches. The first pair to be moved, Nos. 360204/205, were…

Correct to February 21, 2021 Allocations 142006 CF/HLHQ-HQ/SCXH142018/78/87/90/94 NH/EDHQ-HQ/ SCXH 142023 HT/EDHQ-HQ/SCXH143611/20/21 EX/EFHQ-HQ/SBXH 144018 off registration – preserved 150210/20/23/25 NL-NH 150268 NH-NL 156428/29 HT-NH 170530 TS/EJHQ-NM/EMHQ196006/07/08 newly delivered HQ/EJHQ 196108 newly delivered HQ/EJHQ315829/33/43/49 IL/EBHQ-HQ/SAXU 317503 off registration - scrapped 317514 IL/EBHQ-HQ/SCXH317651/54 IL/EBHQ-HQ/SCEC 317653 IL/EBHQ-HQ/SCXH317655/64/66 off registration - scrapped 319004 off registration - scrapped 321350/51/57 IL/EBHQ-HQ/SAXU 321446 IL/EBHQ-HQ/SAXU 360111 IL/EBHQ-BF/EMHQ701015/21/22/26 newly delivered HQ/HYHQ 701501 newly delivered HQ/HYHQ720552/58 HQ-IL 720565/70 newly delivered HQ/EBHQ 769930 HQ/SBXH-RG/EFHQ Now in passenger traffic 720552/58 Renumbered 153313/14/18/22/26-153913/14/18/22/26 319430-769930 Formations  170530: 50630+79630 170532: 50632+79632 170535: 50635+79635 720101-44: 450101-44, 451101-44, 452101-44, 453101-44, 454101-44 Now in nine-car formation 345039/47/52/57 Sold  ROG: 360201-05 Siemens, Goole: 63400, 72412, 74800 (332001) Preserved  Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway: 142006 Plym Valley Railway: 142023 Wensleydale Railway: 142018 Stored/stopped locations  Doncaster Wabtec: 321334 Donnington RFT: 196006/07/08,…

THE deal between Ed Murray Ltd and the Chasewater Railway has come to an end, with Ed Murray due to vacate the site and relocate all its locomotives back to the North East. The company had been making use of the Chasewater workshops to overhaul and maintain much of its fleet, but that will now be carried out elsewhere. The workshops will revert to being just used for the heritage railway’s fleet, but the railway itself will still be used for testing and running-in commercial locomotives – in particular those of Railway Support Services and Clayton Equipment.…

THE 125 Group has saved a third HST power car for preservation. The purchase of No. 43044 from Porterbrook, the leasing company that also donated Nos. 43048/89 to the group in 2019, has been funded by two long-serving group members. No. 43044 has been chosen as the recipient of a Valenta power unit and Marston Excelsior cooler group, as fitted when originally outshopped from construction at Crewe in March 1977. The operation of a power car in this configuration has always been one of the objectives of the 125 Group, and when the vast majority of the HST fleet was being rebuilt with MTU engines, the opportunity was taken to acquire the components to enable this to take place. The 125 Group has six Valenta engines and five Marston cooler…

■ LOCOMOTIVES: Freight continued to operate during the period under review. 201 Class locomotives dominated IWT container traffic between Dublin Port and Ballina, and noted in use were Nos. 216, 218, 220, 223, 225 and 228. Ballina to Waterford timber traffic saw Nos. 078 and 082 in use. 071 Class locomotives noted on Tara Mines (Navan) to Dublin Alexandra Road bulk ore traffic were Nos. 080, 082, 083 and 086. GM No. 083 was on permanent way duties in late January in connection with relaying of the down loop at Roscrea on the Nenagh branch, and it also worked a train of new rail from Belview to Portlaoise PW yard on January 30. Retro-liveried GM No. 071 was active on PW duties in the Athenry area during early February when…

THE Wrexham, Shropshire & Marylebone Railway Company was formed in 2006 to run open access trains to London from an area of the Welsh and English border that last saw such through trains in the 1990s. The initial company was a joint venture between John Laing and Renaissance Trains, and it was given approved by the Office of Rail Regulation to run trains from December 2007. A delay saw services actually begin on April 28, 2008 – at which time Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Regio owned a 50% stake (that it would increase to full ownership by September 2009). The use of loco-hauled stock happened almost by accident. Cheaper to run, Class 158 or 170 DMUs were the first choice, but none were available at the time. However, spare Mk.3…

‘RAT’ fans were delighted with Sutton's Locomotive Workshop's (SLW) announcement of the Class 25 with the later design of flat-sidedbody shell, representing part of the Class 25/2 and Class 25/3 subclasses. The reveal of the new modelis slightly earlier than intended by SLW, which has its eye on the forthcoming release of another model with the view that it wanted discerningmodellers to have a clear choice. Livery samples had arrived in time for the announcement, which will see the models enter production in March, with delivery of the first fourmodelsanticipated for late summer. SLW has completed all checks of the tooling, livery and colours of a design it hopes will surpass the high standard first set with the highly acclaimed Class 24 model. It will be equipped with the proven…

MODELLERS keen to create realistic collections of modern wagons throughout the 1980s and early 1990s relied heavily on the ‘OO’ gauge kits by Cambrian Models, primarily for engineers wagons, although many revenue wagons were offered in the range too. Affection for the range is high among modellers who experienced that era when hi-fidelity models of modern rollingstock we see today simply did not exist. Apart from building such classics as the four-wheel POA scrap wagons and the ballast hopper wagons, the kits were valued for the many additional parts found in each kit which were carefully stored away for wagon building and conversion projects once a wagon was completed. This article looks at the relatively simple ZCA ‘Seahorse’ wagon kit (C16), which was a conversion from revenue air-braked OCA general…

RECORDS from the 1990s show that it was a time of change for the Trainload Coal Class 31/1s, many of which were transferred to nuclear traffic and coal train pilot duties from Trainload Petroleum after the arrival of Class 60s at Immingham. After being allocated to Crewe Diesel Depot (CD), the locomotives migrated to Toton (TO) for maintenance purposes, although usually out-stationed at various locations including Workington for nuclear traffic. In 1994, the locomotives were transferred from Trainload Coal to the newly formed ‘Transrail Freight’, based at Wigan Springs Branch (SP), with duties including infrastructure and general freight making them an ideal choice for a layout based in the West Midlands or the North West. By 1996 and the acquisition of Transrail Freight by North-South Railways (EWS), the locomotives were…

WHILE the popularity of ‘N’ gauge is not as great as ‘OO’ gauge, new models continue to arrive, filling significant gaps in the available range of BR-built wagons, particularly departmental wagons. At the end of January, the former DJM ‘N’ gauge ZJV ‘Mermaid’ side tipping ballast wagon was reissued under the EFE Rail label, alongside the release of a completely new model of the ZUV ‘Shark’ ballast plough brake van. The shark is an excellent addition to the EFE Rail range of ‘N’ gauge models and was released in four different liveries bridging its history from introduction to the BR Sectorisation era, in pristine condition, making them perfect for weathering and customisation. The type represented by the model is Diagram 1/592 with oil axle boxes and self-contained buffers. The body…