Innehållsförteckning för September 2022 från Rail Express

BLANKET line closures as a result of extreme weather have prompted criticism that Network Rail should be more prepared for such events, be capable of maintaining services and work with train operators to organise alternative means of transport for passengers making essential journeys. The response is the appointment of a task force of independent experts to investigate the factors that allow rail systems elsewhere to operate at high temperatures of the type recently seen in Britain, which peaked on July 19 with recordings that exceeded 40°C (see also p8). The choice of independent experts appointed to the task force reflects the different elements of expertise required that starts with weather forecasting, represented by Dame Julia Slingo FRS, formerly chief scientist at the Met Office, and a world expert on climatology.…

IN ITS most anticipated tender announcement yet, Direct Rail Services has unveiled plans to divest itself of a further 13 locomotives, which comprises all 12 remaining Class 37s on its books, along with its final Class 57/0. In a previously revealed move (see Headline News last issue), the operator will sell Nos. 37218, (recently repainted back to its original DRS livery) 37401, 37402, 37407, 37419, 37422, 37423, 37424, 37425 and 37716 under a leaseback arrangement, although the specific details of this, understood to be for around two years, have not been revealed. Of these 10, Nos. 37402 and 37407 at Carlisle Kingmoor and No. 37423, on display at the Crewe Heritage Centre, are all stored XWSS, while the remainder are all in the active XHSO pool. The remaining three machines,…

COACHES RAIL Operations Group’s brief flirtation with loco-hauled coaching stock came to an end in July, when its last five vehicles – Nos. 10249/59, 12176/80/82 – were sold to Eastern Rail Services. Their disposal follows that of the firm’s other nine Mk.3 coaches for scrap earlier in the year. The five coaches, which have been acquired by Eastern Rail Services, were hauled from Castle Donnington to Great Yarmouth by No. 37608 Andromeda on July 11. Also in the convoy were two other coaches which have also joined the ERS fleet: Mk. 2f TSO Nos. 5919 and 6046, which were last used by LORAM on its promotional train in 2021. ERS has additionally bought the other two LORAM vehicles, TSO No. 5810 and BSO No. 9525, and the BSO was expected…

THE unprecedented temperatures, causing a risk of lineside fires, resulted in many railways abandoning the use of steam traction and relying entirely on diesel operation during the latter half of July. Other lines cancelled services for several days as areas of the country reached record temperatures. The Severn Valley Railway was one of the lines which ditched steam operations, and from July 13, three diesel diagrams were in place, with a fourth loco appearing on occasions, such as when a private charter was in operation. The line suspended operations entirely on July 18/19 owing to the extreme heat forecast, and from July 20-23, Nos. 20142/189 were also hired from Class 20189 Ltd to supplement the fleet, which was depleted for a couple of days as Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50049…

THE British Rail Class 313s, built at York from 1976, were the first units to have dual direct and alternating current supply capabilities. By some strange quirk of railway illogicality, in their latest guise the units had their overhead supply equipment removed when rebuilt as Class 313/2s at Wolverton, despite 25kV alternating current having been the industry standard for many decades. The Class 313s’ life has been extended by finding a home on the Coastway lines based around Brighton after having been displaced from their original Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City/Hertford North inner suburban stamping ground. When it was realised they were likely to escape the Rail Express 0-60 lists an extra effort was made to catch up with them, only to find them no longer in use on Covid-19…

A FEW eyebrows were certainly raised when UK Railtours revealed its ‘Class 56 Farewell’ railltour for September 17, not least because it was not exactly the end of the Class 56s. Now, if the tour was titled ‘GBRf Class 56 Farewell’, that might have been more accurate. What this means is that the long-lived locomotive type, dating from the 1970s, will have had three farewell tours – the first in 2004, the second in September 2022, and the third when they literally end their Network Rail touring days in a year yet to be decided. Pathfinder Tours commemorated the class’s demise in 2004 when, on March 31, ‘The Twilight Grids’ set sail with No. 56115 from Bristol to York. Here, No. 56078 embarked on a circular run taking in Leeds,…

HOT on the heels of the opening of the central section of the Elizabeth Line and associated stations in May, the new Barking Riverside branch opened in July. Originally scheduled to open to passengers this autumn, TfL revealed in June that progress on the 2.8 mile electrified branch and island terminus was sufficiently advanced to bring forward the opening date. Unfortunately, the day chosen – Monday, July 18 – coincided with the UK’s hottest weather so far this year (see separate story below). With red weather warnings issued for the first time (danger to life), the official opening ceremony was postponed and although public services did start on the day as planned, TfL advised passengers only to travel if absolutely necessary. The service runs as an extension of Gospel Oak-Barking…

THE first of the new Class 805 fleet for Avanti West Coast broke cover on July 12, at Hitachi Merchant Park. The unit was brought outside, fuelled, then placed back inside the test shed to resume static testing. No. 805001 is the first of a fleet of 13 five-car bi-modes which will replace ‘Voyagers’ on the North Wales coast route (Chester/ Holyhead). The pioneer unit is expected to start dynamic testing in September, before moving on to the network under its own power before the end of the year. Entry to service of the first unit is still anticipated in spring 2023. Private train operators form Rail Partners THE anticipated transfer of functions undertaken by the Rail Delivery Group, which previously absorbed the Association of Train Operating Companies, to the…

THE last of 26 Class 153s to be refurbished by Chrysalis Rail at Landore have been released back into service by Transport for Wales. The final two units to be dealt with, former East Midlands Railway Nos. 153318/382 are now back in traffic – they had previously operated with Transport for Wales as Class 153/9 sets, retaining their previous operator’s colours, since early 2021, before entering the workshops at Landore earlier this year. Over the past two years, Transport for Wales has increased its number of Class 153s from eight sets to 26, of which nine have been purchased outright from Angel Trains, along with another as a spares donor. A further four, which last saw use with Northern, have been acquired from Angel for use as bike trains, similar…

TOWARDS the end of July, TfL announced that it had received a draft financing proposal from the Department for Transport (DfT). In a statement, Andy Byford, London’s Transport Commissioner, emphasised that: “No agreement has yet been reached and we must make sure that the proposal is fair and that the conditions are realistic and deliverable.” The ongoing issue of long-term funding for TfL is unquestionably political. An agreement was already due to have been reached by the end of June. As talks continued, the date was pushed back to July 13 and then again, to July 28. “We… maintain we have met every condition that has been set by Government as we have worked towards agreeing a multi-year funding settlement,” Byford added. All this follows the fourth financial agreement between…

GM No. 087, which had been out of traffic for over two years, returned to service in June after being released from Inchicore Works. The locomotive was initially used on infrastructure duties and then on June 21 worked a fully loaded Ballina to Dublin Port IWT container train. Two days later No. 087 worked an empty Waterford to Ballina timber train. The locomotive was subsequently a regular performer on timber traffic and was recessed at Claremorris on Sunday, June 26, with a loaded Ballina to Waterford train, which continued to Waterford the following day. Timber also continues to be transported from Westport to Waterford. No. 088 headed a Waterford-bound train on June 29. This locomotive was also noted, on July 2, recessed at Claremorris with a loaded timber train. On…

CIÉ magnesite wagons Irish railway modellers will be delighted with the release of another brand-new wagon type in ‘OO’ gauge by IRM: Córas Iompair Éireann magnesite wagons. They were built specifically to convey magnesium carbonate for the Quigley Company between sites in County Waterford and Cork, together with limestone from a dolomite quarry in Co. Kilkenny. The operation commenced in 1970, with the last trains operating in 1982. They are the perfect partner for current models of CIÉ motive power, including A Class locomotives. Announced at the beginning of 2022, the models have now arrived and will be reviewed in the next issue of Rail Express Modeller. irishrailwaymodels.co.uk Wagons for cement, china clay and coal traffic Understandably, of the swathe of July releases from Accurascale, the Class 55 model featured…

CLOSER-TO SCALE wheels are offered by Accurascale as a straightforward, drop-in accessory for its brand-new Class 55 Deltic model. They go a long way to improving the accessibility of ‘EM’ (18.2mm) and ‘P4’ (18.83) gauge modelling. This is not the first time a manufacturer has produced the correct finescale wheel sets for its locomotive models and ensured that they will fit the model with minimal work. Sutton’s Locomotive Works produces a finescale wheel option for its 4mm scale Class 24 locomotive, although the separate drop-in wheel set packs are a first for Accurascale. A set of ‘EM’ gauge wheels was acquired thanks to Accurascale to check how easy they would be to fit. Extensive running tests were also conducted on a large layout with a ruling curve radius of 36-inches…

WE booked a stay of just four nights, although extended stays are feasible. Booking was quick and easy, made through holiday partner Hoseasons, who also offered a flexible payment plan as you certainly pay for the unrivalled view on offer (more on that later) as well as the obvious novelty of the accommodation itself. Upon arriving at Brunel Holiday Park in early July, we were greeted by the caretaker (who lives on site). He was an extremely friendly local, who had messaged us a couple of hours earlier to say we could check in early – already proactive and putting the customer first, I appreciated this kind gesture. He told us everything we needed to know – he also knew exactly who we were so this personal touch went a…

THE recent introduction of further Class 720 Aventra EMUs has enabled Greater Anglia to withdraw its remaining Class 317s from regular service. A final booked working took place on July 16, when Nos. 317343/508 spent the day operating services between Liverpool Street and Hertford East, their final working being the 2O21 23.09 Hertford East-Liverpool Street. Thereafter, the four remaining ‘317s’ were kept on standby until later in the month, although none operated in traffic and the pair used on July 16 ran from Ilford to Cambridge via Liverpool Street on July 21. They remained there until July 26, when they were tripped to Ely Papworth for storage by No. 37884 Cepheus. This left just two sets, Nos. 317337/338, with Greater Anglia at Ilford and, having run to Cambridge two days…

CLASS 20 Pathfinder Tours’ ‘Chopper Topper’ on July 2 ran from Burton to Gloucester, Donnington, Shrewsbury, Stafford and back to Gloucester before the final leg from Horton Road Junction to Burton-on-Trent. Motive power came in the form of Nos. 20007+20142 ‘top and tailing’ with classmates Nos. 20205+20189. There was another outing for No. 20189 on July 17 when replacing 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle on two return trips between Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon departing from Snow Hill station at 10.00 and 14.07. Seven days later, and running in the same timings, Nos. 20189+20142 handled the ‘Shakespeare Express’ as Network Rail’s steam ban continued to bite. Following the East Lancashire Railway’s diesel gala, Nos. 20096+20107 hauled No. 37703 from Heywood to Burton Wetmore where they attached No. 20303 for the remainder of…

Swiss wagon lessor Wascosa and GB Railfreight took over London Victoria station’s platform 2 on June 28, to show off the five different vehicle configurations that they are providing to Network Rail as part of a 10-year contract. One each of the types was on display, along with an as-yet unequipped FEA, as follows: FEA-W 81 70 4524 098-0 No modules FEA-W 81 70 4524 064-2 ‘Mullet’ with rail carrying bolsters/stanchions FEA-W 81 70 4524 070-9 ‘Tench’ with mesh-sided cages for carrying switches and rail FEA-W 81 70 4524 066-7 ‘Salmon’ with track panel/sleeper modules MLA-W 81 70 5932 284-9 ‘Falcon’ low-sided box JNA-W 81 70 5932 167-6 high-sided box (More images/details to follow in a Wagons Special next issue.) The modules are designed to be swapped using a forklift…

THE number of Class 08s owned by Railway Support Services continues to increase, with the latest acquisitions – Nos. 08507 and 08605 – coming from Riviera Trains. Of the pair, No. 08507 was the first to be collected, being retrieved from the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway in the first week of July. It had been based at the line since November last year, initially arriving from Eastleigh Works to assist with ‘Polar Express’ workings and the rake of Mk.3s hired-in to form the trains, which required an air-braked loco. Taken to Wishaw, it was undergoing an exam as July ended. In contrast, No. 08605 in its freshly applied InterCity colours was still awaiting collection from Knottingley at the same time. While the new livery would suggest employment at Neville Hill…

NEWSDESK BACHMANN announced its first brand-new Graham Farish ‘N’ gauge model in quite some time ago as part of its autumn 2022 announcements. A ‘Poole’ Class 90 has been part of the range for many years but has not been produced in any form for some time and it no longer matches the standards being set by current standard ‘N’ gauge models. The completely new Class 90 model is a more sophisticated one, equipped with a refined mechanism powered by a coreless motor. Gearing is set up for prototypical driving speeds and all wheel current collection together with twin flywheels will assist with reliable operation. Advanced electronics based around a NEXT18 decoder (the old model was not fitted with an interface) includes illumination of the detailed cab interiors and LEDs…

0 GAUGE 7mm:1ft 1955-1987 ERA BULK CEMENT traffic began to take over from the practice of transporting portland cement in bags loaded in 12t vans during the 1950s which could not keep up with the growing demand for cement. Specialist wagons were designed for bulk cement traffic making the distribution of cement products more efficient and with better load protection. The 22.5t ‘Presflo’ (Pressure Flow) wagon was introduced in 1955 following development of a successful prototype in 1954. The fleet of 1840 ‘Presflo’ cement wagons was constructed by BR Shildon, Gloucester RCW, Butterley Iron, Central Wagon and Metro-Cammell in 12 lots, with the final lot manufactured by Central Wagon in 1961. They were allocated Diagram number 1/272 and featured a heavily ribbed covered hopper which was intended to withstand the…

HAVING recently moved ‘home’ to North Wales I recalled a trip I’d done over 10 years ago using a ‘Ffestiniog Round Robin’ ticket. I was pleased to see the ticket was still available, but I had to wait until early July 2022 before I could make the trip, as the Ffestiniog Railway had not resumed trips all the way from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog following the Covid pandemic. So, on the glorious morning of July 8 I walked from my home across to Llandudno Junction station to join the 06.21 ‘WAG Express’ which took me to Shrewsbury, hauled by No. 67025 to Chester. The Mk.4 carriages are comfortable and quiet. Here the train reversed for an on-time arrival at Shrewsbury, where I spent the next hour watching trains and having…