Innehållsförteckning för March 2024 från Rail Express

SIX Class 37s which had remained with Direct Rail Services into 2024, have been put up for sale. Five of the locomotives, Nos. 37407 Blackpool Tower, 37419 Driver Tony Kay 1974-2019, 37422 Victorious, 37425 Sir Robert McAlpine/ Concrete Bob and 37716 were most recently used on railhead treatment train (RHTT) duties based at York Holgate Works, and, following the end of that on December 15, 2023, were involved in a charity photoshoot the following day (RE333). The sixth locomotive, No. 37424 Avro Vulcan XH558, was not used on RHTT services and remains stored at Carlisle Kingmoor depot. The company said that the decision comes as part of its commitment to the environment, fleet modernisation and adapting to operational needs. In a statement, DRS said: “Since their introduction, the Class 37s…

DB Cargo UK plans to invest in its Class 92 fleet while having ‘66s’ as the backbone of its locomotive fleet, chief executive Andrea Rossi has revealed. In a message to the operator’s staff, seen by Rail Express, he explains the reasoning behind the decision to withdraw Class 60s, sell 10 ‘67s’ and put the final ‘90s’ owned by DB up for sale (RE333). He said: “We have recently carried out a wholesale review of our locomotive and wagon fleets, again with a view to optimising their management and deployment. “The reality is, we don’t need all the locomotives and wagons we currently have on our books, many of which have been out of service for quite some time already and are being held in storage in depots and sidings…

MERSEYRAIL withdrew its final three Class 508 electric multiple units from traffic in January, with the final set stopped by January 16. The operator had originally planned to withdraw the final three-car EMUs in December. Two sets undertook their last passenger runs on January 3, when No. 508108 was in action on West Kirby services, while No. 508114 operated on the Hunts Cross to Southport circuit. The following morning, the two units ran to Birkenhead North from West Kirby and Kirkdale respectively. Subsequently, on January 15, they were collected by Rail Operations Group No. 37800 Cassiopeia which then took the pair on their final journey, the 5Q78 06.11 Birkenhead North-Sims, Newport. The stoppage and disposal of these two ‘508s’ left just No. 508104 in traffic, and this set remained in…

00 GAUGE 4mm:1ft 1988-2005 ERA A little history SOUTHERN ELECTRIC modellers regard the Hornby Class 423 4-VEP as an important model given how common the full-size units were on the Southern Region. They operated over almost every electrified route and were most common on secondary and middle suburban services outside the Greater London area until the Connex South Central franchise modified a small number to operate short distance inner suburban services (4-VOP). The revamped Hornby model covers the post-1988 version, of which 191 four-car units were formed, renumbered as 3401-3591. This was fewer than the original fleet size, but numbers were affected by casualties from collisions and fire damage. The 4-VEP face-lift project commenced in late 1987 and included interior refitting with new trim, lighting and a PA system. Rebuilding…

00 GAUGE 4mm:1ft 1971 to Privatisation ERA First impressions CONSTRUCTED in 1971, the Open AB wagon, or OAA in TOPS language, is a welcome addition to the range of highly detailed wagon models produced by Rapido Trains. OAAs were the first of a number of air braked open general purpose wagons constructed on 20ft 9in underframes and were closely followed by the similar OBA open wagon. Just 100 wagons were constructed at BR Ashford with a body composed of three wooden drop-side doors, removable stanchions and fixed steel ends. The design was intended to be as flexible as possible with the door arrangement allowing the entire length of the wagon to be opened for loading. Other innovations included disc brakes and door controllers which is why there are no door…

MORE than four years later than planned, Class 701s have begun carrying passengers for South Western Railway, although currently only one set is in traffic per day. SWR ordered 90 third-rail Aventra electric multiple units from Bombardier Transportation in 2017 (Alstom bought the company in 2020) after it took over the South West franchise from Stagecoach. The trains were due to enter traffic from 2019, replacing Class 455, ‘456’, ‘458’ and ‘707’ EMU fleets. The first ‘701’ was shown to the press at an event at Derby Litchurch Lane on November 15, 2019. By that point there were already delays to the project. Covid-19 affecting driver training, and various software issues with the trains, which then also affected confidence in the fleet operating in a uniform manner, have been cited…

THE discovery of a problem relating to the running gear of No. 60062 Sonia during routine maintenance has resulted in both Nos. 60024/074 being prematurely sidelined at Warrington Arpley and Toton respectively on January 18. While the New Year had begun with two active Class 60s and No. 60062 undergoing a ‘B’ exam at Toton, the month would not end well for the endangered DB locomotives, with all three downgraded from WCAT to the WQBA third level storage pool. No. 60024 Clitheroe Castle had been a solid performer on the Tunstead-Lostock-Arpley-Tunstead circuit since taking over from No. 60062 in December, while No. 60074 Luke had been a regular on the Wolverhampton/ Toton-Boston steel flow. Both were in service on January 17, and their planned trains were cancelled the following day.…

THE first appearance of a six-coach Mk.4 rake in traffic with TfW Rail occurred on January 20, when lengthened set HD01, powered by DB Cargo UK No. 67029 Royal Diamond, operated the 1V34 07.09 Crewe-Cardiff Central. The set was extended to six vehicles (five passenger coaches plus a Driving Van Trailer) during an exam at Arriva Traincare, Crewe, and had undertaken a test run from Crewe to Hereford and back on January 19. Another extended rake, HD03, has been undergoing major exam work at Crewe; this set was the first to be made up to six vehicles, this being carried out at Landore, but its return to service has taken longer than planned. It has recently been joined at Crewe by HD07 which is to be extended as part of…

WORK is progressing on two lines that are to be reopened, as well as on the Limerick to Foynes project. The restoration of the Athenry to Claremorris line is at an early stage with the removal of vegetation and debris being undertaken. A project that will also bring operational benefits to this route when it reopens is the installation of a loop at Oranmore between Athenry and Galway, for which €9.3 million has been authorised. Iarnród Éireann (IE) identified the reinstatement of a loop in the 13-mile section as essential because it will improve operating flexibility not only on services between Galway and Limerick/Dublin but also on the Athenry to Claremorris line. Progress with restoration of the Waterford (Belview) to Rosslare Strand line (The South Wexford line) is also at…

FROM TIME to time, the release of a new model will coincide with a completely unrelated event on the mainline, and so it has proven to be the case when 4-VEP No. 3417 Gordon Pettitt was hauled from Strawberry Hill to London Waterloo by two GB Railfreight Class 73s on January 27. The unit, affectionately known as ‘Gordon’, has been under restoration at Strawberry Hill depot by the Southern Electric Traction Group; a special work unit set up to restore No. 3417 which is owned by the Bluebell Railway. No. 3417’s trip to Waterloo, the first visit of the type to the station in nearly two decades, was preceded by another milestone in January, and that was its return to the National Rolling Stock Library. The release of the ‘face-lifted’…

ONE OF THE ICONIC wagons of the Railfreight era was the brightly coloured blue and white Scottish Malt Distillers Polybulk bogie hopper wagons (referred to as Distillers Polybulks in this article). They were introduced in 1983 following the success of a similar design built by Fauvet Girel in 1981 (Diagram E518). Coded as Diagram E538 and TOPS PIA-Y, they entered traffic around the same time as a second batch of the Fauvet Girel design (Diagram E561) which, like the 1981 batch, carried a colourful livery of green and grey with yellow ‘Grainflow Polybulk’ legends. Both wagon types were used on barley traffic for the Scottish distilling industry, working primarily up the east coast from East Anglia in Speedlink trains via Millerhill until the traffic was lost in 1991 when the…

WEST Coast Railways’ exemption to operate rolling stock without central door locking (CDL) was revoked by the rail regulator on January 10, after a judicial review rejected WCR’s challenge against the decision to ban such vehicles (RE333). This means that any coaching stock not fitted with CDL cannot be operated, however WCR is able to continue operating its trains if it uses stock fitted with the safety equipment, or if it is the operator for other companies, such as Pathfinder Tours trains using Riviera Trains stock, if it is fitted with CDL. Having expressed its “serious disappointment” regarding the regulator’s decision, WCR has urged the ORR to reconsider its decision. An ORR spokesperson told Rail Express that WCR’s Regulation 5 exemption had been revoked. They said: “Rolling stock without central…

THE long association of RMS Locotec with the Weardale Railway, and particularly the maintenance depot at Wolsingham, is set to end as part of a restructuring by the company. With many of its current hire duties and staff based in the Midlands or the south, RMS is to centralise its operations and move away from the line in County Durham, thereby reducing travel and transport costs. Recent years have also seen associated companies establish other bases of operations, such as Eastern Rail Services in Great Yarmouth and Positive Traction in Chesterfield, reducing the need for Wolsingham. As a result, a mass transfer of shunters away from the north east began in January, a process that commenced over the festive period with the movement of English Electric-built No. 2150, otherwise known…

THE first BAA air-braked steel carrier, No. 900000, which was built in Ashford in 1972, has been sent to EMR Kingsbury for scrapping. The first 49 of what would eventually become a fleet of 305, 40ft, 100-tonne wagons were built between September and December 1972 to diagram 1/441/ lot 3792 primarily for carrying steel slabs. Numbered No. 900000-900049 they were painted all-over bauxite and featured a narrow fishbelly frame design. They were notable in being fitted with a vacuum through pipe allowing them to be consisted with older vehicles. Under TOPS these would become BAB, although from the mid-1980s the now obsolete pipes began to be removed with the consequent recoding as BAA. Other distinctive features of the new design were the heavy duty FBT-6 bogies with a two-metre wheelbase,…

CLASS 20 On January 5, Nos. 20142 Sir John Betjeman and 20189 left Kidderminster with barrier vans prior to collecting three-car TfW Rail Citylink tram-train No. 398004 ready to set off as the 6Q21 15.40 Old Dalby-Pengam and later 6Q22 23.45 Pengam-Pontypridd. Further moves for the Type 1s were scheduled for January 12, when problems with No. 398005 caused the trip to Pengam to be cancelled and the locomotives moved on to King’s Norton. A week later, on January 19, Nos. 20142 and 20189 duly returned to Old Dalby only for a points failure to thwart their efforts once again. Success was finally achieved on January 26, when Nos. 20189 and 20142 sandwiched No. 398005 on the 6Q21 15.40 Old Dalby-Pengam. Instead of the usual quartet of RailAdventure High Speed…

No. D1015 Western Champion could be back hauling charters this June if the Class 52 passes its planned proving runs and its certification process is completed. This involves another, heavier, loaded freight, a full speed run with passenger stock, and the certification process. The inaugural, and hugely welcome, return of the ‘Western’ is pencilled in as an East Anglian start, with Paignton as a likely destination. The Diesel Traction Group (DTG) has spent hundreds of man-hours in repairing the problem experienced when the locomotive last operated a main line test run on September 17, 2021, which forced its withdrawal for major attention. This latest test, the first of several booked test runs, occurred on January 10, when the Class 52 hauled the 6M42 09.20 Avonmouth Hanson Siding-Penyffordd Cement empty tanks.…

WHILST there appears to be some gloom being spread across social media by some observers in the hobby, manufacturers are continuing to deliver brand-new and innovative models, with several notable arrivals taking place during January. Cavalex Models’ Class 56s, a reworked 4-VEP EMU and new 88DS shunters from Hornby have landed in the first weeks of 2024. A busy year is in store with Accurascale with several new models due in the first months of the year, and Heljan also has a large programme of new releases for 2024 to look forward to, starting with the Class 47. Include a new exhibition at the NEC in April; the launch of the ElectraRail Graphics (electrarail.co.uk); West Hill Wagon Works opening a new store in Kirkby In Ashfield in Nottinghamshire (westhillwagonworks.com) and…