Innehållsförteckning för March 2022 från Rail Express

WHEN I was a kid I knew a special occasion was imminent because a Kellogg’s Variety Pack would appear in the kitchen cupboard. There was something about being presented with a big choice that was stupefyingly exciting. I was reminded about this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, when looking at the Happy Birthday feature on p76. A huge amount of traction celebrates a special birthday (one with a zero in it) this year, possibly more than any other this decade. At first glance, everything appears to be different, but look closer and actually those ‘Turbos’ look pretty similar. The same goes for the DLR stock (in fact five different tranches were built to the same original design). The second reason I was reminded about variety packs was when one…

AN outline tendering notice has been issued for the provision of bi-mode locomotives for use by TransPennine Express on northern and southern routes out of Liverpool Lime Street, and for Great Western Railway to power the sleeper services between London Paddington and Penzance. The specified requirement is for a minimum of 15, but up to 30 bi-mode locomotives for TPE, with an option for a further five for GWR. The locomotives should be able to haul up to seven TPE Mk.5a coaches or nine GWR Mk.3 sleepers. While the ability to operate off 25kV AC OHLE is specified, the alternative mode of traction is at the bidder’s discretion, though they are advised to assume a worst-case scenario of off-wire working equivalent to a maximum of 1200 miles under diesel power,…

THE High Speed Rail Crewe–Manchester Bill was presented to Parliament on January 24. The proposed legislation makes provision for a junction with Phase 2a of HS2 south of Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly Station; and for a railway between Hoo Green in Cheshire and a junction with the West Coast Main Line at Bamfurlong, south of Wigan. The line connects with the previously authorised Phase 2a section and immediately enters a tunnel which takes the tracks beneath Crewe station, with new infrastructure provided to extend the main line to Wigan, with a branch to reach Manchester Airport and Piccadilly station in central Manchester, where new platforms will be constructed using the site of the former Mayfield station, which was once used for excursion and later parcels traffic. JOURNEY TIME REDUCTIONS When…

METRO FLOW PROJECT UNDERWAY A £100 MILLION track dualling scheme on the Tyne and Wear Metro has been officially launched after operator Nexus joined local council leaders and contractor Buckingham Group Contracting to cut the first piece of turf. The Metro Flow project will see an existing freight line upgraded and electrified in South Tyneside, making it capable of carrying Metro services, boosting the capacity for an extra 24,000 passengers every day. A total of £95 million has been secured from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund, allowing Nexus to deliver the scheme, which will cost £103 million in total. Three sections of single track will be dualled between Pelaw and Bede Metro stations, with the most intensive period of track works taking place between September and December during a 12-week…

PHIL Civil has been working on his Thomas Hill Vanguard No. 103c at the Chasewater Railway. With work done to the cooling system, fuel system and a rebuilt air compressor, it has made its first moves under its own power in over 25 years. Since then, it has also received a new set of injectors, replacement fuel pump, starter motor, thermostat and several other jobs. Unlike the other locomotives in the fleet the engine will not be replaced in this one. However, one can never have enough power units and Phil has obtained another Rolls Royce C6, this time from a turkey farm. Purchased as a backup generator it has only run 240 hours since new and with all four locomotives in the fleet having the same engine, it is…

MK.3 DVT DISPOSAL LOCATED at the Fire Services College at Moreton-in-Marsh for over 12 years, Mk.3b DVT No. 82149 has been sent to Sims Metals at Newport for scrap. ‘MIDLAND PULLMAN’ EXPANSION MAKING its first appearance in the ‘Midland Pullman’ HST set on January 22, following repainting at Arlington, Eastleigh, was TF No. 41183. It brings the total number of HST coaches to carry this livery to 10: TK – 40801, TRFB – 40802, TF – 41059/108/162/169/176/182/183, TGF – 44078. MK.4 MOVEMENTS ON January 15, another former Grand Central set, GC02 (comprising Nos. 12224/477/326, 10321, 11320 and 82200), was taken to Eastleigh Works for compatibility modifications in preparation for its use by Transport for Wales. The set was moved south from Wabtec, Doncaster by No. 37611. The same day also…

AFTER a gap of three years, the Swanage Railway’s popular combined beer festival and diesel gala is set to return, taking its usual slot in the early part of May. Visiting locos are promised, although no details are to hand yet, and, as in previous years, there will be a ‘preview day’ on May 5. The line has also announced, subject to completion of staff training and conclusion of planning work, that it is to run DMU services between Swanage and Wareham for 90 days between May and September. Other lines which have recently announced gala dates for 2022 are the Keighley & Worth Valley and Epping Ongar Railways. DIESEL GALAS/EVENTS 2022 March 18-20: Strathspey Railway April 1-3: Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway April 22-24: Ecclesbourne Valley Railway April 23/24:…

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. ABOUT TO MEET THEIR WATERLOO On January 2, while I was waiting for my train, I took this picture from the end of Platform 3 at London Waterloo. The train on the left [455860] was the 15:40 stopping service to Guildford via Woking and the one on the right [455873] was going to Guildford via Epsom at an unknown time. I would love to see my picture in the magazine as I believe due…

Further running samples of the Class 91 have been assessed by Hornby and the arrival of the finished models in the shops is now not far off. Specification has been upgraded since they were first announced as a replacement for the obsolete model first released in 1990. They have a higher level of detail including a newly tooled pantograph, etched grilles and retractable buffers too. A 21-pin DCC interface socket is now standard and this has provided the opportunity to equip the Class 91s with additional lighting features. They include cab lighting, the ability to switch off the inner end running lights when coupled to stock and improved LED lighting. Three liveries will be offered in the first batch including InterCity Swallow, GNER blue and LNER red and white for…

Heljan has shipped its detail-specific models of the Class 86/4 to dealers in recent weeks. It is a Class 86 sub-class yet to be produced in such detail before. The first batch includes late-life Class 86/6s used by Freightliner and Class 86/4s as operated by Rail Express Systems, Caledonian Sleeper and EWS. Liveries covered in the first batch include: InterCity Executive; Railfreight Distribution (two forms), Rail Express Systems, Caledonian Sleeper, two Freightliner schemes and heritage electric blue. Pantographs are appropriate to each modelled locomotive, which required a Brecknell Willis pantograph to be specially tooled for some of the models. They have a suggested retail price of £219.95. www.heljan.co.uk…

CLASS 20s have been part of the Bachmann ‘OO’ gauge range since the early 2000s with the first model being released in 2003. There was some debate regarding the shape of the bodyshell and its overall proportions at the time of its release. Both the train reporting disc and centre headcode box versions of the model lacked lighting. It was electronically simple and featured an eight-pin DCC interface socket. The four-axle drive fitted to a heavy metal chassis certainly gave the model considerably better performance over the Lima model, which was welcomed at the time. Bachmann’s Class 20 also has the distinction of being the first Bachmann model to be factory-fitted with digital sound. With the tooling nearing 20 years of age and requiring a deal of work to upgrade…

CLASS 707 ‘CityBeam’ EMU No. 707005 was named after the late MP James Brokenshire on January 31, at a small event attended by his friends, family and colleagues, including Rail Minister Wendy Morton. Although he never smoked Mr Brokenshire was one of the 15% of lung cancer patients nevertheless diagnosed each year. The MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup campaigned tirelessly to improve local rail services throughout his career and was instrumental in the Siemens Class 707 trains moving to Southeastern. The five-car EMUs were first introduced by Southeastern in autumn 2021, running on the Hayes line and routes through Bexley and Sidcup, after transfer from their previous operator South Western Railway. All 30 units were due to have moved to Southeastern by this spring, but last month (see February…

ON December 17, the UK Government confirmed that the 2022 rail fare rise will be 3.8%, below the then retail price inflation rate of 7.1%. The Government will not increase fares by RPI plus 1%, as it did in 2021. Until the pandemic, fares were raised in January each year by a formula based on the RPI rate of the previous July, six months before. 2022’s increase has been postponed to March. The Government maintains a rise is necessary to contribute towards the cost of keeping rail services running during the pandemic, as well as helping to pay for service increases and improvements.…

If you asked me what locomotive I would be (if ever the chance arose), I wouldn’t hesitate to answer “a Class 08 Shunter”. Hardworking, resilient, timeless and beautiful are just a few things I’m inspired by this sweet loco to be. In their 70 busy years, they’ve picked up some wonderful nicknames. You’ve probably heard them called Grunt, Bumblebee, Pilot, Jocko, Diesel and The 350 (among all the strange names they have in the Thomas franchise.) Like many others, I know them best as Gronk. I recently got to know a lovely Gronk based in Southampton. Dressed in Powerhaul livery and freshly sprinkled by a touch of rain, sat 08585. Vicky A brilliant colleague of mine, who knows more about these diesel-electrics than he knows about himself, gave me a…

BESIDES those credited elsewhere, this issue has been made possible by the contributions of the following readers, to whom the editor is most grateful: Adam McMillan, Alan Peters, Alex Thorkildsen, Andy Hebden, Barry Gill, Ben Bucki, Brad Joyce, Chris Addoo, Chris Gee, Chris Wakeman, Colin Pottle, Craig Munday, Dave Kirwin, David Carr, David Dockray, Dean Parsons, Des Harris, Elliott Reeder, Gary S Smith, Gordon Kirkby, Harry Smith, Hayden Sheppard, Iain Scotchman, Jack Bowley, Jack Prentice, Jack Taylor, James Garthwaite, James Welham, Jamie Perry-Giddins, John Hales, Martyn Tattam, Matty Walker, Mick Tindall, Mike Cooper, Mike Lalley, Nick Green, Nick Sanderson, Nigel Cockburn, Paul Clark, Paul Senior, Peter Foster, Philip Izzard, Ric Pickett, Russell Ayre, Ryan Hayward, Spencer Conquest, Stephen White, Steve Donald, Steve King, Steve Porrett, Steve Sienkiewicz, Steve Stubbs, Stuart…

ARRIVA TRAINCARE ARRIVA Traincare’s Bristol Barton Hill-based No. 08516 has had a repaint, losing its pale grey with LNWR branding and now sporting fresh Arriva Traincare colours. MENDIP RAIL AT the very end of December, No. 08643 was returned to Merehead from the Hunslet workshops at Barton-under-Needwood following completion of its overhaul. Its place at Hunslet was taken by No. “08296” although the locomotive is in fact No. 08787. The original No. 08296 was scrapped in 1994 bearing the number 08787, which it gained whilst at Crewe in 1991/92. RMS LOCTECH IN early January, Locomotive Services Limited No. 08631 was returned home to Crewe after the completion of an overhaul carried out by RMS Locotech. It has been at Wolsingham since 2019, the completion delayed as RMS was waiting for…

■ DB CARGO: While not on site at Stoke as long as Nos. 966041 and 966210 (see lead story), five-unit WIA car carrier No. 85 70 4971 036-4 finally left the former Marcroft Engineering facility on January 7, having arrived way back in May 2020. The 66-metre-long wagon had been clogging up the busy site awaiting parts. Meanwhile, FKA ‘Megafret’ No. 81 70 4908 009-3 has now been recoded FOA following container spigot modification. ■ DIRECT RAIL SERVICES: With DRS divesting itself of its Class 37 fleet, opportunities to record the popular locomotives on snowplough duties are becoming ever fewer. Enthusiasts in East Anglia had a treat on December 23, when Nos. 37069 and 37425 worked a 7Z98 11.51 Norwich to Norwich via Lowestoft test working with ZZA independent ‘ploughs…

Correct to January 21, 2022 Allocations 42024/26 LA/EFHQ-HQ/SCEC 42506 LA/EFHQ-HQ/SCEC No longer registered (scrapped) 40705/40/48, 41092/99,41120/50, 42091, 42116/28/46/ 50/54/58/86/91/92/93/98/99,42215/26/35/38/39/41/44,42323/40, 42407, 42586, 44077/80 For sale 82101/26, 9704/05/07/09/10 Sold Bluebell Railway: 3068 Eastern Rail Services: 96371-75 East Somerset Railway: 3066, 21272 Stored/stopped locations Doncaster Wabtec: 10301, 11322, 12210, 12305/16, 12452/80/86, 82230 Eastleigh Works: 10321, 11320, 12224, 12326, 12477, 82200 Moved to Nemesis Rail, Burton Wetmore: 1651, 1813, 3097, 3110/19/21/23/41/46/47,4927/91/98, 5009, 35469, 80042 Disposal Sims Metals, Newport: Arrival date: January 5: 82149…

PREVIOUSLY part of Andrew Briddon’s collection at Darley Dale (Peak Rail), 2-HAP EMU No. 4311 has been sold to the Thompson Locomotive Collection. The third-rail unit is due to move to its new owner’s yard at Clipstone (near Mansfield) at some point in the future. In advance of this, restoration work is being carried out on the unit, and in late January a start was made on tidying up the cab and stripping of a compartment of rotten panelling which will be replaced. Withdrawn in 1995, No. 4311 entered preservation in 1999 and was part of the Electric Railway Museum collection until the closure of its Coventry site in 2017. It arrived at Darley Dale the following year. The set is one of two such units to survive, the other…

■ TIMETABLE CHANGE: A new bus and rail timetable was introduced by Translink on and from January 10. The rail timetable replaced the December 3, 2021 document and was introduced following a directive from the Department for Infrastructure which was stated to be in response to reduced passenger numbers following the Northern Ireland Executive Regulations and Guidance on essential travel. While off-peak and weekend services across the system received only minor changes, some peak period Monday to Friday services on the Belfast Great Victoria Street (GVS)-Londonderry and Larne lines were withdrawn. Details are as follows: All trains on these routes are now stoppers and Whiteabbey has been removed from the Londonderry line timetable. The 06.05 GVS-Londonderry has been withdrawn and a 07.43 Coleraine to Londonderry runs in its path. The…

REFURBISHED Mk.2f DBSOs and vacuum braked ‘Vanwide’ 12t vans in ‘OO’ gauge, alongside repurposing of the brand-new Graham Farish Class 319 tooling to produce an ‘N’ gauge ‘Flex’ Class 769, are revealed by Bachmann in its spring 2022 announcements. In its presentation, Bachmann reported as having a good year in 2021 despite the global shipping challenges and those related to model pricing. A combination of Christmas and Chinese New Year has seen a delay in some of the models announced in the winter 2021 communiqué. Bachmann also reports that efforts to keep costs down in the face of massive increases in global shipping and material costs have been largely effective. However, the cost of manufacturing the ‘OO’ gauge JPA cement tank wagons has seen a decision to make them a…

Southern Electric modellers celebrated the planned reissue of the 4-VEP which is expected in late 2022. Hornby recognised the popularity of the model, but was reluctant to reissue it in its original form. Retooling of the cab fronts, interior detail and roof details has been undertaken, alongside improvements to the drive and couplings. The StageCoach SWT and Southern versions have been confirmed, even though some modellers have pointed out that another Network SouthEast model would be widely welcomed, too. Only the face-lifted version of the 4-VEP, with additional passenger accommodation installed in the brake van area of the MBSO intended to increase seating capacity (34xx and 35xx number series), is being released with revised tooling and technical improvements at this time. The pictures supplied by Hornby will certainly stoke up…

With tooling progressing well on its brand-new Class 56 model, Cavalex Models is confident enough to issue a suggested retail price of £189.95. It wished to avoid the need to issue price revisions part way through the project and now believes that the hurdles that can result in price adjustments are now behind it. Test shots from the mould are being assessed as this issue goes to press and further details of a first engineering prototype are expected soon. Cavalex Models is accommodating all of the variants of the Class 56 within the tool bank alongside careful research to ensure that liveries match the applied details for a given time slot in the history of the class. www.cavalexmodels.com…

BRITISH RAIL developed the ‘Vanwide’ 12t ventilated van in response to customer demand for a general freight vehicle with doors wide enough for loading palleted goods. Equipped with flush fitting sliding doors on curved runners that guided the open doors along the van sides, they were ideal for loading in confined locations unlike vans with traditional barn doors. The name ‘Vanwide’ came about through the wide nine-foot opening which made the vehicles quite useful, even after the delivery of larger capacity air braked vans. Furthermore, its short wheelbase permitted operation at loading points with sharp curves. In effect, the ‘Vanwide’ bridged the gap between traditional BR wagons and the large capacity vans of the modern air-braked railway. Construction of 2000 vehicles was undertaken at Wolverton and Derby in 1962, eventually…

VERY much associated with the Railfreight and Privatisation era, the Sfins2 bogie vans were built in 1987 to the UK loading gauge by German rollingstock manufacturer Waggon Union. The 160-plus wagons (documented as 83 80 4741 000-161) were coded as IWA under TOPS. Part of the fleet was operated by Cargowaggon for general freight traffic, some of which would be short term flows, together with aluminium from Anglesey and the Ditton Foundry. IWAs were operated on Norsk Hydro fertilizer traffic too, originating from Immingham to various terminals around the country alongside Kimera bagged fertilizer traffic from Ince & Elton. A very good demonstration of how the wagon is opened is shown on the video ‘Rail Freight Today 5: South East’ produced by Boulevard Entertainment. The variety of traffic carried by…

GOVERNMENT Covid restrictions were eased from January 27 with an emphasis on removing requirements to work from home and encouraging a return to fixed employment locations. This is likely to be beneficial to train operators, as a greater number of commuters can be expected to travel in the coming months. There has not been any immediate change to employment practices that have emerged as a result of the pandemic and this is interpreted as being due to nervousness about using public transport after Government advice that it should be avoided and the reduced travel costs that come with working from home. It remains a ‘finger in the air’ guesstimate about the return of commuters and how demand will settle in the longer term. For other categories of rail travel the…

THE Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that the public will be able to participate in an online vote to determine the location for the future home of Great British Railways (GBR), the successor body to Network Rail. The Government has already pledged that new headquarters will be outside London (as part of its Levelling Up agenda), and from February 4, towns and cities across the UK, particularly those with strong links to the railways, have been encouraged to put their name into the hat. The GBR Transition Team will shortlist the best applications in May, after which a public vote will help determine the winning location. Applications will be measured against six criteria including connectivity, railway heritage and public support. The DfT suggests the new GBR headquarters will be…

‘PWM’ PROGRESS BODYWORK repairs on No. PWM650 are continuing at the Heritage Shunters Trust’s shed at Rowsley, with much new steelwork being fitted. Acquired in 2016, the ‘PWM’ has been in preservation since 1990 and was initially located at Lincoln Holmes Yard. HST VISITS LORAM THE 125 Group’s MTU-powered No. 43159 was moved from Ruddington to Loram at Derby for attention to a broken spring and an Ultrasonic Axle Test (UAT), as well as TPWS/AWS testing, on January 18. Once complete, it will partner VP185-engined No. 43048, replacing No. 43089, which is to undergo a major exam together with a fuel injector overhaul and replacement. NORTH STAR FINALLY ARRIVES AT NYMR FOLLOWING delays in its road transfer from Bishops Lydeard, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway took delivery of…

CUT DOWN ‘08’ RETURNS TO SOUTH WALES THE Gwendraeth Valley Railway has taken delivery of No. 08994 from Burton, the third ‘cut down cab’ shunter to be based at the site near Kidwelly – see Shunters (p24) for more details. ‘WESTERN’ PROGRESS AN examination of the failed power unit on No. D1015 Western Champion has revealed that there has been metal to metal contact through the oil film, which ultimately caused a bearing to seize. A replacement, overhauled, power unit has been fitted to the loco and is in the process of being reconnected. NORTH WESTERN TRAINS COLOURS FOR ‘PACER’ THE Chasewater Railway is repainting No. 142030 into North Western Trains livery of blue with gold stars, as carried in the late 1990s. IOW DREWRY RAILCAR RETURNS TO USE DREWRY…

TFL ordered 14 diesel-hydraulic locomotives as part of Contract 211 of the Jubilee Line extension (Green Park to Stratford) from the German manufacturer Schöma. Constructed in 1995, the first two locos, No. 5 Sophie and No.8 Emma formally entered service on March 14, 1996, with a ceremony presided over by LUL managing director Dennis Tunnicliffe. The locos were utilised to equip the tunnels between Green Park and Canning Town stations, with the extension, which was completed in 1999, opened in stages. At the end of the project, all the locomotives and wagons were transferred to the core business Transplant unit.…

RAIL EXPRESS (RE): You’re currently more than two-thirds of the way through a c2c training initiative ‘From Street to Seat?’ that gives non-rail industry people a fast-track route to becoming a mainline train driver. How did you come across the opportunity and what has it involved so far? KAYLA COLES (KC): I saw an advertisement on the c2c website in January last year (2021) and completed an online questionnaire. I was called for an assessment day which involved lots of psychometric testing and tasks, and after that I was called back for a panel interview. Then, after around two months, I was told I’d been selected. After that, starting in June 2021, I was in the classroom for around four months and since then I’ve been in the cab with…

Hard on the heels of the Hornby 2022 catalogue launch and its announcement of a new six-coupled Sentinel industrial shunter in three liveries, comes a new batch of the popular 0-4-0 type, including retooled side rail version. Popular for their small size and suitability for compact layout themes, freelancing and simple assembly making them ideal for repainting and detailing, the Hornby Sentinels are likely to sell out quickly. Priced at £108.99, the models will be revisited in the next issue. www.hornby.com…