Innehållsförteckning för March 2025 från Rail Express

THE 16-mile long Severn Valley Railway suffered a serious landslip on January 29, between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade. The slip is so serious that the railway will face a large repair bill as well as disruption to services to its northern terminus. The slip is at Sterns, just south of Eardington station, where around 30 metres of track and trackbed have been lost to the embankment failure where a culvert crosses Mor Brook and the wing of a brick support wall has failed. Assessment work is being undertaken by specialist engineers to ascertain the extent of the damage, but the SVR has already said that ‘it’s clear this will be a major infrastructure repair project that will take considerable time and money’. It is not the first time the line…

THE Diesel Traction Group, which owns three different classes of diesel hydraulic and the unique Class 17 Clayton No. D8598, has won the Rail Express Award for Modern Traction. The award – part of the Heritage Railway Association’s annual awards – was presented to DTG chairman Philip Sawyer at the HRA’s awards and dinner in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on February 8, by Rail Express editor, Chris Milner. The group, who own ‘Warship’ No. D821 Greyhound, ‘Western’ No. D1015 Western Champion, ‘Hymek’ No. D7029, the Clayton – which are all based at the Severn Valley Railway – was recognised for the significant achievements made over a 50-year period in preserving, owning, operating and maintaining locomotives since first buying Greyhound in 1973. The award also acknowledges the exacting standards demanded for the operation of…

JANUARY 21 saw ScotRail HST set HA02 put back into traffic after more than four years out of use, meaning that, for the first time, all of the operator’s HST sets are now available for service. Even discounting set HA22, which was written off in the Carmont derailment in August 2020, there has never been a period when the entire fleet has been available for use; when set HA02 was stopped in November 2020, three other sets (HA06, HA19 and HA20) had yet to emerge from Wabtec, Doncaster following refurbishment and sliding door conversion. Set HA02 was the last of three sets which had been out of action for several years, to return to service, having been released from Wabtec, Doncaster on October 23 last year after a lengthy visit.…

0 GAUGE 7mm:1ft 1960-1989 ERA EIGHT DIFFERENT Class 45s make up the first batch of the brand-new Heljan ‘O’ gauge model. The locomotives are finished in mid- to late-condition appropriate to 1970s and 1980s, and fitted with sealed beam marker lights. A couple of models are produced with square-framed headlights too. Celebrities are not forgotten, with No. 45106 in heritage BR green included in the line-up. A handful of the new models are supplied without numbers, allowing the modeller to choose their favourites. To assist with matching numbers to paint and detail, the necessary fittings are supplied in the accessory pack. The subject of this review is Class 45/1 No. 45106 in late condition, decorated with a heritage paint scheme applied to the full-size locomotive in 1988, along with Tinsley depot plaques.…

00 GAUGE 4mm:1ft 1967-1973 ERA SOMEHOW, No. D5335 in BR green livery became something of a celebrity locomotive, making the Heljan model, released as part of its 2024 retooled range of BRCW Type 2 (Class 26/1) locomotives, an interesting one. Heljan chose to represent the locomotive in its (roughly) 1967-1973 guise when it received full yellow ends. Records indicate that it was the only BRCW Type 2 to do so. Further, it lost its white mid-level stripe and other embellishments as a form of ‘economy green’ livery in the early 1970s and, when its unreliable cab doors were replaced, they were allegedly blue ones. No. D5335 was a ‘hold out’ as far as its green livery was concerned, not receiving BR blue until late 1973. A closer look Examination of photographs…

00 GAUGE 4mm:1ft 2019 to present ERA The prototype HARD ON THE HEELS of our piece on the lack of a TransPennine Express Class 185 model in any scale comes the Hornby TPE Class 802 or ‘Nova 1’ five-car bi-mode multiple unit. Nineteen five-car units classified as Class 802/2 (802201-219) were introduced in 2019, with the first revenue service operating on September 28, 2019. A number of units entered traffic before the TPE vinyls were applied, resulting in some units running in plain grey base paintwork during 2019. The units were constructed as bi-mode trains due to the mix of electrified and non-electrified lines on its core Newcastle–Liverpool Lime Street route. It also provided insurance against the somewhat loose plans for electrification in the north of England at the time. The situation…

HEIDELBERG Materials is to introduce a zero-emission shunter for use at Whatley Quarry, after becoming the first company to order a ‘08e’ battery conversion from Positive Traction. Announced on January 23, the project will see No. 08296 rebuilt by the Chesterfield-based company with delivery planned for this summer. The decision to opt for a converted Class 08 comes after Heidelberg trialled prototype No. 08308 for two weeks in October last year, the firm declaring that it was impressed by its performance and efficiency. As the first production conversion, No. 08296 will incorporate a number of improvements over its sister, based on the lessons learnt so far. This will include an increase in the number of battery packs from two to six, giving over 600 kilowatt hours of available energy. This…

THE East Coast Main Line timetable for 2025 has been finally agreed. The proposals were first issued for consultation in 2021 with a view to early implementation using additional capacity that had resulted from a decade of infrastructure investment in schemes, amounting to a claimed £4 billion. Vested interests such as train operating companies, Network Rail and local authorities all had reservations about the plans and certain revisions were made, only to be stymied by a warning that the agreed timetable would reduce reliability. After another rethink, a final compromise has eventually been reached to permit the new timetable to start in December this year. The main thrust of the changes involves the provision of a third train per hour from London King’s Cross to Newcastle. Prospective passengers currently seeking…

WITH the Railhead Treatment Train season firmly in the rear-view mirror, and a number of high profile freight services coming to an end, Colas Rail has placed No. 56087, 56094 and 56096 into ‘warm store’, with Nos. 56078 and 56105 expected to be stopped next. These Class 56s require further repairs or major exams and the operator has five locomotives on long-term hire from other operators, Nos. 59003 and 66790/791/792 from GB Railfreight/ Beacon Rail and No. 70009 from Freightliner/Akiem Rail. Notably, No. 56094 was the first of the Colas ‘Grids’ to be returned to service in May 2012, and this was followed by No. 56087 in September of the same year. No. 56096 was the sixth member of the fleet to debut on the main line in the operator’s…

CLASS 20 Despite low clouds and rain, the rebuilt four-car Brighton Belle Pullman electric unit made a fine sight leaving Crewe bound for Chester at 10.50 on January 28, top and tailed by LSL Type 1s Nos. 20132 and 20118. This was the first test run for the unit and also a first duty on the main line for the Type 1s since early November, the pair having travelled from Barrow Hill to Crewe the previous day. Another round trip followed after midday, while the sun shone the next morning when the Type 1s powered the 5D41 09.25 Crewe HS-Chester and 5K42 11.10 return prior to the afternoon run being cancelled. The Balfour Beatty Type 1s Nos. 20901 and 20905 visited Colchester with the drain train from Welwyn Garden City…

00 GAUGE 4mm:1ft 1958 to present ERA BRAND-NEW TOOLING for the Diagram 24 Mk.1 Restaurant Buffet car (RB) has been developed by Bachmann, which is different from its existing range of ‘OO’ gauge Mk.1 coaches. The design is also used in the new BSO and FO stock released at the same time as the RB. It appears to follow the construction style successfully employed in its Mk.1 Southern Region EMU range. A BR blue and grey RB model bearing the number No. E 1687 is the review subject. It comes fitted with Commonwealth bogies and is vacuum braked. Bodyshell and roof tooling The original Bachmann Mk.1 coach design consists of separate roof, sides and underframe tooling, the latter also incorporating the coach ends. The roof moulding has a flange which clips…

AS the railway community counts down to a nationwide partnership-led campaign to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, TfL has confirmed that it does not have any plans of its own to recognise Rail 200. Consequently, TfL has said it ‘will be looking to support the London Transport Museum, our concession operators, and our stakeholders, with their own celebratory plans.’ TfL says ‘it will also support Network Rail and other organisations with any requests throughout the year, but we have none of our own events planned’. Instead, TfL is recognising and celebrating the 25th anniversary since it was formed to manage London’s transport network. TFL25 TfL took over managing London’s transport network from London Regional Transport (LRT) in July 2000. Since then it has launched the Croydon tram…

THE newly elected Irish government, in its draft investment plan, has included the recommendations contained in the All-Island Strategic Rail Review (AISRR) which was published on July 31, 2024 (Rail Express 341). While they are only recommendations, the draft programme for government, which was published on January 16, states that the new government’s priorities include a reduction in the carbon footprint and a commitment to increasing funding for public transport. The need to increase capacity between Dublin and Drogheda and other upgrades across the system come high on the list of priorities, while also to be considered is the reopening of closed and mothballed lines, more electrification and the increased use of the railway for freight. The draft programme also indicates that the Shared Island Fund will receive extra funding…

A REPORT from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) into the derailment of a pair of Class 195 DMUs travelling at 56mph at Grangeover-Sands has ruled that the cause was a void in the track as a result of a damaged water pipe caused by a tampering machine. None of the four passengers and crew aboard unit Nos. 195104/195133 were injured in the accident, although the three carriages of 195104 was damaged after hitting a stone retaining wall. The comprehensive RAIB report outlines a long history of flooding on land north of the line, which was reclaimed from the sea when the Cumbrian line was built in 1850s. This flooding had been dealt with in a variety of ways over the years, the most recent using pumps connected to a…

SURPLUS to requirements after completion of the Scottish Hydrogen Train Project which was carried out at the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway by the University of St Andrews and other partners, No. 614209 (ex 314209) was moved to Glasgow Works during January, where it is to perform a new role for Gibson’s Engineering, which took over operation of the site in 2024. Following decommissioning and removal of the experimental hydrogen pack and associated equipment, the former Class 314 is to provide facilities for a training academy at the former BREL works, providing hands-on practical training for apprentices and competency maintenance for existing staff. The unit is no stranger to the site; most of the ‘314’ overhauls were undertaken at Glasgow Works, and No. 314209 last visited in 2016 when it was…

REMOVED from traffic in October 2024 after an inspection found damage to its main generator, the Class 40 Preservation Society’s No. D345 (40145) is to be returned to working order with assistance from West Coast Railways. The ‘Whistler’ had previously undergone an independent inspection at Carnforth, having been moved there from Bury after suffering issues during a running day at the East Lancashire Railway, and on two main line railtours earlier in 2024. To enable No. D345 to be returned to service as quickly as possible, it is to be fitted with the main generator from No. 40135, which has been out of action at the East Lancashire Railway since 2020. This generator is to be dispatched from Bury to Bowers Electrical at Heanor for what the society hopes, after…

NEW TOOLING for the Hitachi Class 800-series trains (AT300 family) headlines the Hornby range for 2025 (as far as D&E models are concerned), together with reruns of Railroad range favourites. GWR steam-era modellers have the new ‘Saint’ Class to look forward to and rolling stock includes newly tooled twin packs of BR (SR) buttery and kitchen cars. Hornby has also made an effort to be involved with the Railway 200 celebrations by offering a Southeastern Class 395 in a special livery which is yet to be revealed. New models for the Railroad range dominate the 2025 range, with some models being produced from older toolings. Digital sound from the TXS range also features strongly in the Railroad range which has proven to be popular over the years. Hornby believes that…

WITH the remaining examples of BREL Ashford and Shildon-built BAA/BBA steel carriers having notched up over 50 years of service, and considered life-expired, DB Cargo UK has now taken delivery of the first members of a new design of slab and coil wagon. These use refurbished components from scrapped BAAs with NACO Axle-Motion bogies recovered from HTA coal hoppers. The 60 vehicles, which DBC is describing as ‘repurposed’, will supplement the 190 BYA ‘Nissen hut’ steel carriers converted to slab and ‘stegosaurus’ coil carriers since 2021. The first to be outshopped carry the code BAA (design code BA003A, AARKND BAA-R) and the new number series 900400-900459, although future coil carrying variants may be designated BCA. The vehicles are also provided with painted 12-digit ‘UIC’ numbers in the 82 70 4614…

UK RAILTOURS’ ‘Kentish Maiden’ tour, which is booked to operate on March 20, will be using stock from the fleet of Eastern Rail Services. The Great Yarmouth-based stock owner has amassed a large fleet of Mk.2 and Mk.3 carriages and many of these have been used for test train purposes. This will be the first time any of the stock has been used on railtour duties and is being welcomed as it allows competition within a limited market. With railtour prices ever escalating, competition will, in theory, keep prices in check which, in turn, should benefit the railtourer. Being Great Yarmouth domiciled, this will still mean empty stock working to and from the tour’s originating point, which inevitably has a bearing on price. GB Railfreight is the operator for the…