Innehållsförteckning för January 2024 från Rail Express

DB CARGO UK is withdrawing its Class 60 fleet from service, replacing them with modified Class 66s. Speculation had suggested that the ‘60s’ would be withdrawn by the end of 2023, but no date has been confirmed by the freight operator. However, Pathfinder Tours announced that its ‘Festive Midland-Ian’ tour on December 16, set to feature top-and-tail DB Class 60s, would be the last such train DB would provide a ‘60’ for. As this issue of Rail Express went to press, there were four operational Class 60s in the WCAT pool, which were Nos. 60024 Clitheroe Castle, 60040 The Territorial Army Centenary, 60062 Sonia and 60074 Luke. A DB spokesperson told RE on November 23: “The Class 66 continues to form the backbone of DB Cargo UK’s fleet, with the…

ALSTOM is planning a significant reduction in activity at Derby Litchurch Lane which could involve the loss of more than 1300 jobs. The Midlands site has no confirmed work after the first quarter of 2024 until final assembly work on the HS2 train fleet, which Alstom is constructing in a joint venture with Hitachi, begins. This is likely to be in 2026, with Derby fitting the interiors, bogies and electronics. Construction of the final Greater Anglia Class 720, No. 720144, was completed in mid-November, while the final handful of South Western Railway ‘701s’ are nearly complete. After that, there are ‘730/2s’ for London Northwestern Railway to complete and the final vehicles for a contract exporting metro vehicles to Alexandria, Egypt. An Alstom spokesperson told Rail Express: “Alstom UK has been…

THE first of West Midlands Trains’ Class 730 Aventra electric multiple units entered revenue-earning service on November 13, when one of the sets of diagrams previously worked by Class 319s went over to ‘730’ operation. The diagram on the first day, which began with the 2B02 06.04 Bletchley-Euston, was operated by Nos. 730007/010, while on November 14 and the next three days, Nos. 730006/011 covered the workings. A second diagram was introduced on November 20 (see table), and this was operated by Nos. 730016/021 on the first day. Entering traffic later in the week (November 23) was No. 730018. The last services diagrammed for London Northwestern Railway ‘319’ operation were due to be worked by Class 730s from November 27. The use of three-car Class 730/0 fleet on LNWR workings…

OFFERED for sale earlier this year by Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC), No. 20087 has been bought for preservation, and arrived at the Kent & East Sussex Railway on November 11. The English Electric Type 1 has been purchased by the owner of two preserved industrial Austerity steam locos, Sapper and Swiftsure. It has recently undergone restoration by Heritage Rail Traction Supplies at the Battlefield Line, where it had been located since moving from Worksop in August 2021. The Kent & East Sussex Railway has identified a requirement for two operational diesels for the whole of 2024, which is its 50th anniversary year, and No. 20087 will be based on the line for the entire year, working alongside resident Class 14 No. D9504. A further loco is planned to be…

MORE High Speed Train Mk.3s have arrived at Eastern Rail Services’ Great Yarmouth site pending sale and export abroad. By November 23, no less than 40 such coaches could be found on site. On November 8, RailAdventure Nos. 43468/480 took three slam-door vehicles from Ely Papworth to Great Yarmouth. Two of the coaches (Nos. 40750 and 41087) were former London North Eastern Railway (LNER) coaches, while the third (No. 42585) was previously part of the East Midlands Railway fleet. A week or so earlier, former CrossCountry Nos. 42036 and 44017, which are expected to be used as spares donors, were moved from Ely Papworth to Great Yarmouth by road. The two rakes of coaches which had been taken from Laira to Barrow Hill for temporary storage on October 14/15 (RE331)…

SIEMENS Mobility unveiled the first completed pre-production 24 Tube Stock [TS] unit on November 16. Although the unit was built in the Austrian capital Vienna, the event was held at the company’s Test and Validation Centre in Wegberg-Wildenrath, Germany. Once testing has been completed, the unit will be transferred to the UK, destined to operate on the Piccadilly Line from 2025. At a cost of £1.5 billion, Siemens is currently contracted to manufacture 94 trains, which includes the supply of spare parts for five years, following the commissioning of the first unit. Siemens will also supply technical support for the first five years after the contracted warranty period, with the option for further support packages throughout the life of the train. There is the anticipation orders will be placed to…

00GAUGE4mm:1ft 1979 to 2004ERA IT HAS BEEN a number of years since the release of the as-built Class 411, 4-CEP model which represented the class from its construction until the 1980s refurbishment programme undertaken at Swindon works. The new model concludes the CEP story from the start of the 1980s through to the withdrawal of surviving units in 2004 when Class 375 Electrostars were introduced on Kent Coast lines and Class 444 along with Class 450 Desiro units on the South Western. The 4-CEP was slowly diminishing in number during the 1990s as ways to remove the old and increasingly tatty units from Kent Coast routes were sought. Further, during the 1990s, Stagecoach needed more units for its South West Train franchise resulting in a sizeable number being transferred, tidied…

REVIEW 00 GAUGE4mm:1ft 1961-1987ERA FOURTEEN TCV car carriers were designed and built by Newton Chambers of Sheffield to replace older car carrying vehicles used on the East Coast Main Line (ECML). Introduced in 1961, they were fitted with some interesting innovations for the time, including a second car deck in a well between the bogies which was accessed through a hydraulic lift system, a feature whose use was discontinued after an accident. The capacity per TCV was six cars, an increase over conventional car carrying vehicles. The lower well could accommodate two smaller cars and four on the upper deck to a maximum load of 12.5 tons. The vehicle design was also innovative, being a metal framed vehicle covered with fixed lightweight GRP panels to protect the load, giving the…

TEN 10-car tri-mode trains have been ordered by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) from Spanish manufacturer CAF. The trains will feature electric, diesel and battery power and will be assembled at the manufacturer’s factory in Newport, south Wales. They will replace the Class 91/Mk.4 sets used by LNER, although the new fleet will operate on more routes than the trains they will replace are currently used on, with LNER telling Rail Express that the CAF trains will likely serve all routes other than Aberdeen and Inverness. David Horne, LNER managing director, said: “Successfully delivering this new fleet is an integral part of LNER’s Business Plan. Our focus is ensuring we create a fleet that truly matches the needs of all our customers, with clear targets on setting new standards for…

AFTER two years out of traffic, Colas Railfreight No. 37057 Barbara Arbon returned to service on November 13, while Locomotive Services’ No. 37409 returned to main line action on November 29, after three-and-a-half years out of service. However, Direct Rail Services No. 37401 Mary Queen of Scots was finally removed from traffic, ahead of its expected sale, which was due to be concluded as this edition of Rail Express went to press. Following a brief visit to Loram Derby on November 6/7, which resulted in a return to Nottingham Eastcroft with No. 37116, split-headcode survivor No. 37057 returned to the former Railway Technical Centre site on November 9, to take up its first test train duties for two years. The first job for the ‘37/0’ was a 15-hour long tour…

ALTHOUGH the past few decades have seen hundreds of Bogie Bolster D and ‘Salmon’-based vehicles being sent for scrap, a rump of useful wagons still remained in service. This changed at beginning of October as DB Cargo UK began to make serious inroads into the two fleets, with just under 100 vehicles making their final journey during that period. The arrival of hundreds of new Network Rail bogie flat and box wagons leased from Wascosa, combined with the Loram Rail’s JNA-Y programme, has had a huge impact on the legacy wagon fleet. This has so far manifested itself with the withdrawal of the 1990s-2000s period ballast/spoil open conversions that mostly run on chassis built between the 1960s and 1980s. There are two fleets that have somehow escaped this cull until…

THE Downpatrick and County Down Railway (D&CDR) suffered significant flood damage caused by heavy rainfall that began on October 30 and which continued into the next day. Downpatrick was one of the worst areas affected by the floods in Northern Ireland and buildings and stock at the D&CDR were damaged with most of the track submerged until waters began to subside. Officials from the railway were only able to gain access to the premises on November 4, when it was discovered that the damage was so serious that the planned diesel gala on January 6 had to be cancelled due to concerns regarding possible damage to traction motors and axle boxes, as well as any other components that could have been damaged. Established in 1982 on a barren site with…

GREAT Western Railway is once again preparing significant changes on its network. Since 2014, the Great Western Main Line has been electrified, between London Paddington and Cardiff Central, and from Reading to Newbury. Planned electrification from Didcot Parkway to Oxford, from Chippenham Junction to Bristol Temple Meads via Bath Spa, and from Cardiff Central to Swansea, which were all part of the original wiring plans, were cancelled on cost grounds as the Great Western electrification project expenses soared. On October 16, 2017, the first Hitachi Intercity Express Trains (IETs) entered traffic, and the subsequent introduction of 93 IETs enabled GWR to remove High Speed Trains from long-distance services from London in May 2019. But that wasn’t the end of the HSTs. Due to the delays to the GWML electrification, the…

TRANSPENNINE Express was due to remove the Class 68-hauled Mk.5A Nova 3 sets from traffic as this issue of Rail Express went to press. Although they will remain on lease to TPE until May (RE331), the plan is for the operator to store the CAF-built stock while the ‘68s’ will be returned to Direct Rail Services. Two sets were found to have cracks, TP01 and TP05, and the former has moved to Wolverton Works for modifications. Four Class 68s had also already returned to DRS duties by the start of November, Nos. 68019/020/022/031, although they were still available to TPE if required. This left Nos. 68021/023-030/032 for the final few weeks. There was also a spare pair of locomotives, Nos. 68033/034, which had been modified to operate the Mk.5A stock,…

RARELY REGARDED with much affection by many enthusiasts, the Class 323 EMU comes of age in the modelling world with an announcement of a ‘OO’ gauge model by Dapol, and that is one of the surprise announcements alluded to above. At last, modern and second-generation EMUs are being recognised as viable candidates for commercial scale models and very welcome it is, making this announcement the headline one for this issue of Rail Express Modeller, and against a tough field of competition! Its announcement at Warley is appropriate, with the units being local to the area, but not for much longer. Technical specification Dapol intends to take advantage of the unusual sounds made by Class 323 EMUs when under power by including factory-fitted speakers to each of the three cars and…

ONE of the missing prototypes from the first run of the Accurascale MGR collection was the CDA china clay hopper in original ECC International (ECCI) livery with a blue hopper cradle. A total of 124 purpose-built CDA wagons were introduced in 1988 followed by conversions from MGR wagons. The classic ECC International livery was applied from new, and it managed to survive into the early 1990s when the ECCI logos started to be removed. The wagons are closely associated with St Blazey allocated Class 37/4s in the 376xx number sequence which will make them popular models for the late BR Railfreight era. They will share specifications with previously released models including a cast metal underframe, provision for 26mm long axles and a wealth of small details and fittings, bespoke to…

00GAUGE4mm:1ft MDV: 1961-1992ERA MDW: 1985-1992ERA VACUUM-BRAKED MDV 21t mineral wagons were converted for use in scrap metal traffic between 1985 and 1987. Wagons from both Diagram 1/119 and Diagram 1/120 MDV series were modified with a through air brake pipe allowing the wagons to be operated in the formation of air-braked trains, primarily Speedlink services. TOPS-coded MDW, the scrap wagons were added to the second batch of 21t mineral wagons to be released by Accurascale, which arrived this past October. The new batch includes further packs of Diagram 1/120 MDVs and unfitted Diagram 1/107 MDO wagons, all with new numbers and upgraded underframes. Upgrades and corrections The upgrades applied to the model are in response to feedback from customers. They are better detailed with small details such as the position…

WEST Coast Railways has been granted a further three-month exemption by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to continue operating Mk.1 coaching stock on the national network. A previous exemption had been due to expire on November 30, 2023, and the latest extension will now expire on February 29, 2024. The regulator wants all operators using slam-door stock to provide a fitment plan for door locking systems, with the regulator providing exemptions for all companies that provided plans, however WCR did not provide one and so was originally given a deadline of June 30 (RE327) and has received subsequent exemptions. WCR has challenged the ORR via a judicial review with a judgement expected early in the new year. The exemption allows WCR to continue operating using the stock in…

RECENT weeks have seen little activity among the shunters remaining in use with main line operators, but this has been compensated for by several developments concerning preserved machines. Unusually, much of this has centred on the Class 03s, where several sales have gone through. On November 1, No. D2051 departed the North Norfolk Railway after 23 years of inactivity, much of it spent at Holt, having been sold following the death of its owner. The part-restored shunter was delivered to the Telford Steam Railway the following day. Also once at the NNR, No. 03063 was delivered to Dereham less than a week later and now belongs to the Mid-Norfolk Railway after it was bequeathed to the line. The shunter has been away from public view since moving to the Suffolk…

THE decision of DB Cargo to eliminate its Class 60 fleet (see Headline News) is, perhaps, not surprising in view of the downturn in traffic, with the operator already in discussion with unions regarding a reduction in its workforce (RE331). The ‘Tug’ fleet had been dwindling in the last year, repairs not being sanctioned as individual machines became due for repairs. The last four operational machines on the company’s books, Nos. 60024/040/062/074, will bow out by the year end to await their fate, with DB either offloading them to other operators or selling them for scrap. With two other operators, GB Railfreight and DC Rail, having another 14 operational examples on their combined books, opportunities for railtour duties look rosy and, of course, a diminishing, vintage freight class will become…

LONDON UNDERGROUND AS custodian of London’s transport heritage, the London Transport Museum (LTM) has a huge responsibility. It displays and stores its conserved exhibits in two exhibition sites. The flagship is the 1872 Grade II listed former Victorian Flower Market in Covent Garden, which opened its doors to the public for the first time in March 1980, formally opened by HRH Princess Anne. Since then, the collection has been rearranged twice, most recently undergoing a £22 million refit between 2005 and 2007. One of two surviving former G-Stock Driving Motor (DM) cars, No. 4248, can be found on the ‘Raised Table’, built in 1993 during the first refit, mounted alongside Metropolitan Railway locomotive No.5 John Hampden, Class 4-4-0T steam locomotive No.23, built in 1866, and Chesham coach 400. All exhibits…

NEW RAILWAYS ON November 15, Rail Minister and HS2 Minister Huw Merriman delivered his six-month update on High Speed 2. Although this is a twice-yearly event anyway, this came little more than a month after the Government axed the planned new railway north of Birmingham (RE330) to much criticism. Speaking in the House of Commons on November 15, Mr Merriman once again claimed Network North, which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced would ‘replace’ the HS2 investment, would direct spending away from the future phases of HS2 towards local and regional transport schemes. This is despite that money having never actually been allocated to the new railway. The Government suggests that this will be £36 billion, and that the railway will benefit from the investment, however, when it was announced the…

WARLEY SHOW announcements came thick and fast, and not least among them was the revealing of an ‘O’ gauge Class 24 by Heljan, with samples showing a wealth of detail, much of it locomotive specific. Dubbed as ‘24s for 24’, by Heljan, the brand-new model has reached the first engineering prototype stage with samples being displayed at Warley to whet the appetite of those modellers that appreciate the smaller locomotive designs. They will be much welcomed by those looking to squeeze a compact ‘O’ gauge layout into the average home, perhaps with some portability. All-new bodyshell tooling for several versions along with dedicated underframe and bogie fittings, together with differences in roof fittings, will ensure that a wide range of locomotives with specific detailing to suit applied liveries will be…

00GAUGE7mm:1ft 1976 to preservationERA HIGH STANDARDS continue to be upheld by brand new ‘O’ gauge models from Heljan, with the Class 55 continuing the trend set by the recently released Class 58 and particularly the Class 73/1. The 2023 edition of the Class 55 consists of seven models in late BR condition (post-1976) along with three covering the heritage years, fitted with high intensity headlights. It is not the first time that Heljan has produced a Class 55, but this is a completely brand-new model which has been redesigned with a better body shell and a tooling set which allows a wide number of different locomotives to be modelled at different times in their careers. Late-life Class 55s had a very specific character with recogniseable spotting features. They include plated…

REVIEW 00 GAUGE4mm:1ft 1941-1960ERA THE ‘RAZOR EDGE’ AEC express parcels railcar is a unique vehicle of which only one was constructed by the GWR at Swindon in 1940. It spent most of its working life under BR ownership and lasted until 1960 where it would have rubbed shoulders with pioneer BR diesel classes in daily service. In common with the passenger version previously released by Heljan, it was fitted with two AEC diesel engines of 105hp along with conventional draw gear enabling it to haul an additional parcel van or two. GWR No. 34 or BR No. W 34 W was constructed with the same angular fronts and straight body panels as passenger cars Nos. 19-33 which meant it differed from the only other parcels car, No. 17. It operated…