Innehållsförteckning för August 2024 från Railways Illustrated

Since the last issue of Railways Illustrated was published a few weeks ago, the national passenger rail network has grown by six miles and two new stations following the opening of the £116 million Levenmouth Rail Link in Scotland on June 2, linking the communities around Leven and Cameron Bridge with a direct hourly service to Edinburgh via Kirkcaldy. While six miles might not seem much, the impact on the Fife communities now reconnected to the rail network cannot be underestimated. Funded by the Scottish Government, it returns passenger services to a route that previously closed to passengers during the 1960s when the rail network was extensively rationalised. As with other reopening projects, this is a moment for celebration. Reopening lost railway routes might seem expensive, but it is transformational…

THE SALE of Arriva Group by German transport company Deutsche Bahn AG to independent global infrastructure investor I Squared Capital was completed in early June. DB took over Arriva Group in 2010, but the company announced its intention to sell Arriva to enable additional growth of rail transport in Germany, allowing DB to focus on its core business. Arriva’s interests in Sweden and Portugal were sold in 2022, while the sale of the company’s operations in Serbia, Denmark and Poland (the bus division) was completed in 2023, leaving the remaining Arriva Group companies to be acquired by I Squared Capital. The sale between the two organisations was originally agreed last autumn (Railways Illustrated issue 251). Arriva and its operating companies have now all transferred to I Squared as part…

SCOTRAIL SERVICES should return to Stranraer for the first time in almost 10 months by the middle of July. Services through Ayr station were suspended after a severe fire at the adjacent Station Hotel at Ayr in September. The blaze caused wide-spread disruption to services on the route between Glasgow and Stranraer and badly damaged the Grade B-listed hotel, which has been disused for several years and is owned by an absent Malaysian businessman. A shuttle service was operated between Prestwick and one of the unaffected platforms at Ayr, and the resumption of full timetabled electric services between Glasgow Central and Ayr began on June 17, with Network Rail working to allow services to recommence between Ayr and Stranraer by mid-July. Work to demolish the imposing hotel has been a…

NORTHERN HAS introduced two return summer Saturday services between Rochdale and Ribblehead to encourage walkers, ramblers and nature lovers to explore the scenic beauty of the Yorkshire Dales. The ‘Yorkshire Dales Explorer,’ which first ran on June 8, departs from Rochdale at 07.52 and 14.52 and returns from Ribblehead at 11.08 and 18.05. The end-to-end time for the full route is about two-and-a-half hours. The trains are effectively an extension of two of Northern’s Rochdale to Clitheroe services, which will additionally call at Hellifield, Settle and Horton-in-Ribblesdale stations, before terminating at Ribblehead. They are timed to connect with services through to Carlisle, for passengers wishing to travel further along the Settle and Carlisle route, or to explore the border city. The off-peak day return from Rochdale to Ribblehead is £25.30,…

THE FA Cup Final on May 25 saw a specially-chartered train operate between Manchester Piccadilly and Wembley Central, taking football fans to Wembley for the clash between Manchester United and Manchester City. The 12-coach train – formed of Riviera Trains Mk.2 blue and grey coaching stock rake – was operated in top-and-tail formation using main line-registered preserved 86259 Les Ross/Peter Pan and West Coast Railways’ 86401 Mons Meg for traction, bringing the AC electric locomotives back onto their former West Coast Main Line stomping ground. The train departed Manchester Piccadilly at 08.41, returning from Wembley Central at 19.42 in the evening after the cup presentation was made. Manchester United won the match 2-1.…

CLASS 150 3/5 – 150281 ran from Canton to Landore, joining 150236 in being stripped for spares after having been denied a C6 bodywork overhaul. CLASS 175 30/5 – 175112 + 175115 5Q46 08.35 Landore-Ely Papworth. 31/5 – 37218 + 175103 + 37407 5Q42 09.24 Central Rivers-Crewe South Yard. 6/6 – 175001 + 175105 5Q96 08.35 Landore-Ely Papworth. 10/6 – 37884 + 175006 + 175007 + 37608 5W78 12.17 Crewe Gresty Green-Landore. 11/6 – 37884 + 175114 + 37608 5W97 08.16 Holyhead-Landore, last of the class stored at Holyhead to be removed. CLASS 197 21/5 – 66536 + 197119 6Q97 10.07 Donnington RFT-Crewe Carriage Sidings. 5/6 – 37407 + 197027 + 197029 + 37218 5Q94 13.33 Donnington RFT-Long Marston. 11/6 – 66504 + 197031 6Q98 11.01 Wolverton-Crewe Carriage Sidings. CLASS…

The period under review has been a particularly busy time for locomotive namings and de-namings. The namings of GB Railfreight’s 73128 and 73970 are featured within this issue’s Heritage News pages, while the background to the names recently applied to Northern’s 156424 and West Midlands Railway’s 730018 are covered in the News section. On June 14, Freightliner’s 59201 was named Westbury PSB 1984-2024 at Cranmore on the East Somerset Railway. DB Cargo’s newly regeared 66653 (the former 66194) has gained the Barry Needham nameplates that were previously carried by now-stored 60091, making the locomotive the first of the regeared DBC Class 66/6 sub-fleet to carry a name. Two other Class 66s have gained new names in recent weeks, with GB Rail-freight naming 66309 Charley Wallace at Edinburgh Waverley on May…

THE NENE Valley Railway is set to host a charity fundraising diesel gala featuring up to seven GB Railfreight diesel locomotives on September 7/8. The event is being organised by Modern Railways magazine, GBRf and the NVR, with funds raised going towards the work carried out by the MS Society, which provides support to those suffering with multiple sclerosis. GBRf will host tours of its Peter-borough headquarters and depot on a pre-booked basis throughout the weekend, with proceeds being donated to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, GBRf’s current charitable partner. The Friday before the main event, September 6, will feature a GBRf locomotive operating driver experience courses on the NVR route, while in the evening a series of ‘Ale on the Rails’ trains will operate using diesel locomotives…

THE CLASS 50 Alliance has successfully returned 50033 Glorious to traffic following an 18-month programme of repairs and restoration work to the former National Collection Class 50 at its Kidderminster base on the Severn Valley Railway. C50A chairman Anthony Middleton told Railways Illustrated that the recent work carried out on the locomotive was part of the alliance’s ongoing planned preventative maintenance and also on returning 50033 to good operational condition following it moving into the care of the C50A in 2018 after more than a decade out of use. Since its arrival on the SVR, the power unit has been removed from the Class 50, with the main generator, auxiliary generator and electric train heat generator all given overhauls. Additionally, the locomotive has undergone extensive bodywork repairs and a high-quality…

ANOTHER TWO preserved Class 43 high speed train power cars have made their debut passenger runs in preservation after being reactivated by their respective owners. First to make its re-entry into service was former First Great Western 43165 on May 25, which is now owned by 125 Heritage and based on the Colne Valley Railway. The power car arrived on the CVR last year, along with 43023 which was bought by 125 Heritage volunteer Matt Golding, with the one-mile heritage railway now home to a total of five HST power cars (43023/071/073/082 and 43165) and five Mk.3 trailer coaches (Trailer Firsts 41088 and 41205, Trailer Guard Standard 44058 and Trailer Restaurant First Buffets 40204 and 40706), although former East Midlands Railway coaches 41205 and 40204 are currently in static use…

AFTER A hectic couple of months, the number of diesel gala events settle down during the main heritage railway summer season of July and August, but there are still some exciting dates in the calendar to keep diesel enthusiasts occupied over the – hopefully – warmer months. On Friday, July 12, the Great Central Railway is holding an English Electric-themed running day, with five locomotives in service and an intensive three-train timetable in operation on the line between Loughborough Central and Leicester North. Resident GCR Class 37s D6700 and 37714 Cardiff Canton, along with 50017 Royal Oak, will be joined by the Class 20 Locomotive Society’s visiting pilot scheme Class 20 D8001 and A1A locomotives 31108, which are both on extended loan to the GCR. D8001 is also rostered to…

03145 – Moreton Park: A broken drive belt was discovered in the track formation, so 03145 was checked and it was found that one of the three vacuum exhauster drive belts was missing. The two remaining drive belts were also quite slack and slipping, so repairs have been carried out. D2280 – Toddington: The Class 04 shunter has been outshopped in British Railways green with wasp stripes. The locomotive is expected to return to traffic soon on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. D8233 – Bury: In late April, the team cut down eight bolts and fitted the conduit over the cab on the Class 15. The bulkhead lights worked, but a little more thinking was needed to work out how to get them to fit the conduit runs. The panels on…

Railway photography for me is about two things: a record for capturing a point in time to preserve a memory and an art form to create a great-looking image. Sometimes for me that is to recreate an essence of how things used to be. I’m always looking out for a composition that takes me back to when I was young, particularly the early 1980s. I like the challenge of capturing an image that looks almost like it could have been taken in the past. This is hard because modern details creep into the scene. It requires a suitable subject, an appropriate backdrop, often some tight composition to exclude modernity, and some compromises. It’s rarely going to be a perfect recreation of the past, but it is great fun trying to…

THE COMPLETION of the Leven-mouth Rail Link was celebrated with a series of special events ahead of the public launch of services on the six-mile route from June 2. The official reopening on May 29 saw Scottish First Minister John Swinney travel on the reinstated route to visit the two new stations at Cameron Bridge and Leven, with invited guests travelling on a re-liveried 158719 which is promoting the line. The event was attended by more than 300 guests from the local community and those involved in the project, with the First Minister unveiling commemorative plaques at both new stations, while a reception was held at Cameron Bridge station to celebrate the return of trains to the route for the first time since it was closed to passengers in 1969.…

TRANSPORT FOR Wales has provided an updated summary on the progress being made on the introduction of its new train fleet in a blog post on its website, provided by planning and performance director Colin Lea. The operator is introducing several new train fleets into service across its routes as part of a widespread modernisation plan for the TfW network. A fleet of 77 CAF-built Class 197 diesel multiple units (51 two-coach Class 197/0 and 26 three-coach Class 197/1) is currently entering service, while five Vivarail Class 230 bi-mode trains and 11 four-coach Stadler Class 231 diesel-electric multiple units have all now been accepted by TfW and are in service. Additionally, the operator has also introduced seven locomotive-hauled Mk.4 sets for its longer-distance services, being worked by Class 67s hired…

Railways Illustrated is written by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, providing the latest news and developments on the national rail network and from our standard gauge heritage railways. This is the title for anyone who likes heritage diesel and electric traction and showcases some of the best railway photography around. As well as an established team of writers, we also welcome contributions from you, our readers. Take out a subscription, save cash in the process, and take your place in our fantastic railway community. WHICH RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED SUBSCRIPTION SUITS YOU BEST? 1: 12-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION BEST VALUE 12 print issues for £46 Direct Debit 12 print issues for £50 credit/debit card SAVE £17 2: SIX-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION 6 print issues for £24 Direct Debit 6 print issues for £26 credit/debit card SAVE £7.50 WHAT…

THE CLASS 507 Preservation Society’s fundraising appeal to it to transport 507001 to the Tanet Valley Light Railway passed its target of £10,000 just two weeks after its launch – following high-profile publicity for the Merseyrail electric multiple unit’s preservation in the national media. The remaining Class 507s still in service on Merseyrail are now in their final weeks of operation as the introduction of the new Stadler-built Class 777 fleet reaches an advanced stage, with the 46-year-old second-generation EMUs expected to be withdrawn by the end of the summer. The Class 507 Preservation Society was set up last year to preserve one of the Merseyrail EMUs, which are currently the oldest passenger multiple units still in daily time-tabled use, having entered service in 1978. As one of the final…

THE SOUTH DEVON RAILWAY HAS launched a new £3 million share issue campaign to help safeguard the long-term future of the seven-mile heritage railway between Buckfastleigh and Totnes Riverside, as well as allowing the SDR to invest in a range of projects to enhance the line. The SDR aims to generate funds for a number of projects, which will include new visitor facilities and an upgraded museum at Buckfastleigh, station improvements, various locomotive restoration projects, a new building for carriage repairs and the construction of the second phase of the railway’s running and maintenance shed, along with initiatives to reduce environmental impacts. The minimum subscription is for 250 £1 shares, while the maximum shareholding that can be secured is for 100,000 £1 shares. Shareholders will receive a range of benefits…

MEMORIES OF the Network South-East era on British Rail have been revived on the latest Class 73 to be given a retro-repaint by GB Railfreight. The distinctive blue, white, red and grey colours were applied to 73128 at Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works, with the striking locomotive travelling to the Robertsbridge site of the Rother Valley Railway for a naming ceremony on May 31 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Kent & East Sussex Railway. With the KESR celebrating its golden anniversary in 2024 and a special 50th anniversary gala held over the weekend of June 1/2, the suggestion to rename a locomotive after the railway came from GBRf train manager Chris Stuchbury, who is also a volunteer fireman on the heritage line. The naming of 73128 as…

THE WENSLEYDALE Railway has boosted its resident fleet of diesel locomotives by purchasing 47714 from Harry Needle Railroad Company. The Class 47/7 was among a number of locomotives offered for sale by HNRC last year and has been located at Wabtec Doncaster for the last three years, where it has been used as a train supply locomotive for carriage testing alongside classmate 47703. Prior to its move to Doncaster, it was located at the Old Dalby test track facility for a number of years. Originally withdrawn by English Welsh & Scottish Railways in 1996, it was subsequently sold to Cotswold Rail, which revived it and returned it to main line use. It was hired to Anglia Railways between 2002 and 2007, and it was the only Class 47 to be…

It’s been an incredibly busy start to summer, with a number of high-profile diesel events taking place at some of our major heritage railways. Kicking off a rather hectic June was the Llangollen Railway’s mixed traction event – albeit with something of a heritage diesel bias – over the weekend of June 1/2. The Diesel & Industrial Heritage Weekend featured the three ex-BR main line diesel locomotives based on the railway – Class 26 5310, 31271 Stratford 1840-2001 and 47449 – along with 08202, the Class 108/127 hybrid DMU, diesel shunting locomotive Pilkington and industrial steam locomotive Austin No. 1 all in use on services between Llangollen and Corwen. The Sunday of the event also marked the first anniversary of the line’s official opening to the impressive new terminus at…

The first of 56 Swindon-built 650hp Type 1 0-6-0 locomotives, D9500, was released into service on the Western Region (WR) of British Railways 60 years ago, on July 24, 1964. As it turned out, D9500 was one of the final survivors of the class on BR, being withdrawn 4¾ years later on April 26, 1969. D9554 had the shortest time in traffic, at two-and-a-half years, and D9522 was scrapped less than four years after construction. Statistics like these have led to a constant stream of comments in the railway press, from 1969 right through to the present day, suggesting that these locomotives should never have been built. Research of the records held in the National Archives, however, indicates that this rather simplistic assertion is some way from the truth. Background…

Over the last decade, British outline O gauge modellers have enjoyed an unprecedented feast of high-quality ready-to-run models – many of which have been inspired by BR era diesels. Inevitably, Class 37s have featured prominently over the years and this new Class 37/0 from Danish manufacturer Heljan is the fourth iteration of its 1:43.5-scale ‘Tractor’. Way back in 2008, a split headcode Class 37/0 in as-built condition was one of its first 7mm scale locomotives, followed in 2017 by a similarly specified model of the later centre headcode Class 37/0. In 2019, attention switched to the exceptionally popular Class 37/4 sub-class, which proved so successful in O gauge form that three production runs were pumped out in quick succession. However, diesel and electric era modellers have continued to request more…

THE JUNE 2 timetable change marked the introduction into traffic of Avanti West Coast’s Hitachi Class 805 bi-mode trains, serving routes from London to the Midlands, Chester, North Wales and, later, in the North West. The Hitachi-built five-coach Class 805 bi-modes (diesel and electric) and seven-coach Class 807 electric trains have been named Evero by AWC, with the £350 million train fleet maintained by Alstom at Oxley depot in the West Midlands. The fleet will eventually consist of 13 Class 805 and 10 Class 807s and are set to replace the Class 221 Super Voyagers operated by the company. Switching between electric and diesel traction, the bi-mode Class 805 Everos will mainly operate on the London to North Wales route, while the electric Class 807s trains will focus on London,…

FIVE YEARS after the Virgin brand disappeared from the privatised rail network, the Virgin Group has confirmed that it has begun the process of bringing the company back into the railway – by applying to the Office of Rail and Road for four open access paths which could see the distinctive brand back in operation on the West Coast Main Line. The company has applied for four paths in each direction, with trains operating between London Euston and Rochdale (calling at Nuneaton, Stoke-on-Trent, Stockport, Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria) or from London Euston to Preston (calling at Nuneaton, Stoke-on-Trent, Stockport, Manchester Piccadilly, Bolton, Horwich and Chorley). It has also applied for paths between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street, with intermediate stops at Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Runcorn and Liverpool…

THE JOINT project between Alstom, Angel Trains and Avanti West Coast to refurbish the interiors of the Class 390 Pendolino fleet is complete, with 390020 emerging from Alstom’s Widnes factory in late June – bringing the curtain down on the £117 million three-year scheme. The Pendolino refurbishment began with 390125 in July 2021 and was designed to return the fleet – the first of which were introduced into service in summer 2002 – to ‘as new’ condition and to provide an improved passenger experience for the stalwart West Coast Main Line fleet. The whole project was managed by Alstom, with the work carried out at Widnes. The first phase involved the 35 Class 390/1 11-coach trains and was completed in mid-August last year, before attention turned to carrying out the…

Rail Operations’ 93001 finally takes to the rails Almost a year after being delivered to the UK, Rail Operations Group’s Stadler-built tri-mode locomotive 93001 commenced main line testing between Worksop and Sheffield at the end of May as work to allow the loco-motive to enter traffic progresses. 93001 has been based at Harry Needle Railroad Company’s facility at Worksop, where it has been under-going commissioning works. After being hauled by 37608 for tyre turning at Tyseley on May 16 and returning to Worksop four days later, the tri-mode locomotive ventured out onto the national network under its own power on May 28, undertaking a series of light engine trials between Worksop and Sheffield for two consecutive days. Between May 30 and June 1, 93001 continued its main line testing on…

Merseyrail Class 777 deliveries completed The protracted delivery of the 53 Stadler-built Class 777 sets for Merseyrail was finally completed on June 12 with the arrival of 777035 in the UK. This was forwarded from Dollands Moor to Wembley by 66067 in the company of Nexus Tyne & Wear sets 555002 and 555021, with 43468 and 43480 then moving the set onwards to Walton Old Junction, Warrington, that evening. Similarly, the small hours of June 13 saw the two Class 555s moved to York by 43423 and 43467 and later forwarded to Pelaw. On May 29, 777033 and 777047 had also reached the UK, with 66020 taking them to London, where 43423 and 43467 provided the traction for their movement to Warrington to await the call to Kirkdale for commissioning.…

GB Railfreight has created a further ‘celebrity’ Class 73 by repainting 73128 into Network SouthEast colours. The transformation took place at Eastleigh Works during May ahead of the locomotive’s Kent & East Sussex Railway naming on May 31, recalling the similar – but not identical – look of sister 73126 when it was similarly named back in May 1991. Also released from the Arlington paintshop have been 69010 in standard GB Railfreight blue and orange and 59104 in Freightliner orange and black. All of the TransPennine Express Class 68s have now been stripped of their vinyls at either King-moor or Gresty Bridge, leaving 68019-032 inclusive in plain blue. UK Rail Leasing has repainted recently-imported 66313 into standard GB Railfreight colours ahead of its entry into traffic with the operator. The…

THE DELTIC Preservation Society has announced that one of main line-registered Class 55 Deltic 55009 Alycidon’s two Napier Deltic engines suffered a complete failure on May 26 at the Nene Valley Railway. The BR blue Deltic – which has been running as long-scrapped classmate 55013 The Black Watch for the past year – was taking part in the NVR’s Locomotive Legends weekend, hauling both passenger and fitted-freight trains along the heritage railway’s route between Peterborough Nene Valley and Yarwell. The initial problems with power unit 451 were identified on the Saturday of the event. A statement issued by the DPS said: “The duty fitter prepared the locomotive, with [engine] 451 being the unit to work the day. There were no signs of issues and when the driver arrived, the engine…

THE WENSLEYDALE Diesel Traction Group has repainted 37250 into English Welsh & Scottish Railways maroon and gold livery ahead of its first working visit away from the Wensleydale Railway, when it attended the popular Keighley & Worth Valley Railway summer diesel gala in late June, just after this issue went to print. Since returning to service in 2019 following a full power unit overhaul, 37250 was painted into Civil Engineers ‘Dutch’ yellow and grey livery, which was originally intended to only be applied for a few months as a temporary guise. The coronavirus pandemic lock-downs saw the planned repaint delayed, however, and since the Wensleydale Railway reopened after restrictions were lifted, 37250 has been in high demand as a key member of the railway’s heritage diesel fleet. The Class 37/0…

GB RAILFREIGHT also supplied two locomotives to the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway for its Spring Diesel Gala on May 16-18, with one dedicated to one of the founding members of the Scottish Railway Preservation Society. With much of the home-based diesel fleet currently out of traffic, the only resident locomotive in service over the weekend was the SRPS’s main line-registered 37403 Isle of Mull, with GBRf sending recently introduced into traffic and newly-named 66309 Charley Wallace and Caledonian Sleeper 73970, which was named W.S. Sellar at a ceremony on the Friday of the event in memory of SRPS founder Stuart Sellar. Mr Sellar died in 2023, and his son is still an active working member in the diesel department at the BKR. Commenting on Facebook, Mr Sellar’s son – also called…

They may still seem ‘new’ to some enthusiasts, but the oldest Class 90s are more than 35 years old, with the first examples of the type now in scrapyards awaiting disposal. They were built by BREL Crewe between 1987 and 1990 as mixed-use locomotives and were split between sectors, but in reality the freight Class 90s often appeared on passenger services while locomotive-hauled trains were still plentiful. Their sphere of operation did spread to the East Coast Main Line to support the often-ailing Class 91 fleet in its early days and, indeed, until the late 2010s they could often be found over on the ECML where they were typically used on trains between London King’s Cross and Leeds. Class 90s were also used for freight duties, with locomotives typically found…

This issue of Railways Illustrated celebrates the 60th anniversary of the British Railways 0-6-0 Type 1 diesel-hydraulic Class 14 locomotives, the first of which entered service with BR on July 24, 1964. As you will read later in this issue, their time in traffic with BR was brief, only seeing service for a handful of years before being withdrawn in the wake of the railway rationalisation following the infamous Beeching Report – published in March 1963, more than a year before the first of the 56-strong fleet had even been completed, although its effects were in full swing by the time D9500 rolled out of Swindon Works. The 48 examples subsequently sold into industry fared much better, with many going on to enjoy a further two decades of service with…

➔ The Growler Group is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the two Class 37s in its care – 37215 and D6948 – with a special running day for the two locomotives on their Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway home on August 16, with 2024 also marking three decades since the group first purchased 37215 from British Rail. Andy Coward heads to Toddington to find out more about this leading diesel group for the latest of our Preservation Profile features. ➔ The latest Hitachi-built trains to enter service is the bi-mode Class 805 Evero, which were launched into traffic with Avanti West Coast at the beginning of June and are replacing the Class 221 Super Voyagers. Railways Illustrated were invited by Avanti to travel on one of the new trains to sample…