Innehållsförteckning för November 2024 från Railways Illustrated

GB RAILFREIGHT has opened a brand-new £2.5 million locomotive maintenance facility in Tonbridge in Kent. The maintenance hub was built by Cairn Cross and will be used to maintain GBRf’s Class 66, 69 and 73 fleets and will be operated by various GBRf partners, including EMD, Wabtec and St. Leonard’s Railway Engineering. The opening ceremony on August 30 was conducted by GBRf chief executive officer John Smith, accompanied by Rail Freight Group’s director general, Maggie Simpson OBE. The Tonbridge facility complements the existing GBRf maintenance sites at Doncaster and Peterborough, with the freight operator stating that it will significantly improve the operational efficiency of its locomotive fleet in the South East, while also offering significant carbon savings from reduced journey lengths by locomotives being moved for maintenance. GBRf CEO John…

THE SCOTTISH Government has announced plans to begin a procurement process to allow ScotRail Inter7City High Speed Train fleet to be replaced. While full details have not yet been made available, the procurement will be led by ScotRail on behalf of Transport Scotland and will seek a replacement fleet of trains for the HSTs which operate services on ScotRail’s Inter-7City routes between Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. It is expected that a contract notice in relation to the procurement will be published over the coming weeks. Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, said: “Resilient, reliable ScotRail services are key to encouraging more people to choose to travel by train rather than car, to cutting our transport emissions, and to helping to move people around Scotland for work, leisure and learning. That…

THE SCOTTISH Government-backed trial of off-peak fares throughout the day on all ScotRail services in a move designed to get people to use local train services rather than private cars ended on September 27, with peak fares reinstated from the following Monday. It was decided that the trial, which was subsidised by about £40 million, had not seen sufficient commuters and other travellers making the switch from car to train. Daily patronage was measured between April 2022 and July 2024, covering nine months of the pilot and a reasonably lengthy period before the trial was instigated last September. Analysis showed that while there had been a limited increase in passengers using rail services during the pilot, overall it did not achieve its aim of encouraging a significant modal shift from…

A THREE-YEAR £10 million project to refurbish Great Western Railway’s Class 165 and Class 166 Turbo diesel multiple units has been completed by Gemini Rail Services at Wolverton. The last train to be completed under the contract, 166220, returned to its home depot on the afternoon of September 10, after a short celebratory event took place at Gemini’s facility to mark the project’s end. The trains are leased to GWR from Angel Trains and the interior refurbishment project involved 57 trains consisting of 16 three-coach Class 165s (165101-114/116-117), 20 two-coach Class 165s (165118-165137) and 21 three-coach Class 166s (166201-221) The internal refurbishment works began in September 2021 and has seen all the trains pass through Wolverton, with each unit completed in a four to five-week timescale. The work involved a…

OPEN ACCESS operator Grand Central has applied to the Office of Rail and Road to extend its existing track access agreement until 2038, with the Arriva UK Trains-backed company proposing a fleet of new bi-mode trains for its services should the application be successful. Services operated by Grand Central run along the East Coast Main Line, with trains currently serving 15 destinations between the North East, West Yorkshire, and London King’s Cross. As part of the track access agreement extension proposal by Grand Central is the planned procurement of a new fleet of bi-mode trains to replace its existing diesel trains. The company currently has a fleet of 10 Class 180 diesel trains (180101-108/112/114) which date from 2000/01, which is supplemented by a pair of former Avanti West Coast Class…

The ScotRail Inter7City High Speed Train fleet was boosted in September with the return to service of Class 43 power cars 43128/169 following repairs at UKRL in Loughborough. While 43169 was in service with the operator until it was stopped in August 2022, 43128 had never operated a service for ScotRail, having initially been used as a spares donor power car following its delivery to Haymarket depot. Both power cars were sent to UKRL at Loughborough earlier this year for reactivation repairs, with work completed at the beginning of September. Their reassembly was assisted using compatible components from 43305/367, which were purchased by ScotRail to aid the reactivation of the two power cars. Following completion of repairs, the pair were moved back to Haymarket from Loughborough by road, leaving the…

The ongoing project by Progress Rail at Longport to create 16 Class 69s using redundant Class 56 bodyshells and running gear has seen the 13th converted locomotive completed, and following some testing it has been accepted into traffic with GB Railfreight. The Class 69s are fitted with Electro-Motive Diesel EMD 710 engines and modern electronic control systems, along with a host of other modifications. The first of the 16-strong order made its debut with GBRf just over three years ago in the summer of 2021. The latest locomotive to be completed is 69013, which used the bodyshell of 56312 (originally 56003). It made its debut light engine test run from Longport to Bescot and back – along with 66789 British Rail 1948-1997 – on August 27, and the trip was…

Beacon Rail Two more of the leasing company’s Class 18s have found employment, with 18014 joining 18015 on hire to GB Railfreight at Eastleigh Yard, the shunter arriving from Wolverton on August 20. Eight days later, 18007 arrived at Tunstead Quarry, near Buxton, for evaluation by construction giant Tarmac. Freightliner Fresh from repairs at Burton, 08891 was returned to Felixstowe on August 19 to resume its interrupted duties at the north terminal. As a result, 08531 was removed back to the Nemesis Rail depot the following day after a stay of just four months in East Anglia to await its next duty. Great Western Railway The failure of 08645 with major engine issues at Penzance during August saw 08836 dispatched westwards from Laira on September 2 as a replacement. Unloaded…

THE GREAT Central Railway (Nottingham) returned passenger trains to part of its route for the first time in more than four years in early September. Operated on September 6/7 as part of the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre Road, Rail and Ale festival trains operated a one-mile return journey from Ruddington Fields station at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre to 50 Steps Bridge, with 08784 utilised to operate six shuttle services each day. At present, passenger trains over the route will only be operated on special event days, but volunteers are working hard to ensure that trains can begin running over the whole route as soon as practicable. The section currently back in use is close to the junction where trains will eventually be able to run towards Loughborough, with the…

THE CLASS 56 Group has successfully returned 56006 to service on the East Lancashire Railway after it underwent significant attention to resolve a number of faults by its owner, assisted by volunteers from the Bury Hydraulic Group. 56006 has been based on the ELR for a number of years, but in recent times the owning group has struggled to keep the locomotive available for service on the railway as various electrical faults have occurred on the Romanian-built Class 56s fault detection circuitry. However, efforts have concentrated recently on thoroughly going through the locomotive to resolve them, carried out by the C56G’s technical officer, Mick Palfreyman, and Malcolm Kirkwood from the BHG. With work at a suitably advanced stage, the locomotive was successfully restarted on September 7 and undertook some successful…

THE END of August and September has provided a crowded calendar for heritage diesel traction enthusiasts, with events taking place at the Wensleydale Railway, Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, Great Central Railway, Bluebell Railway, Nene Valley Railway and East Lancashire Railway. These pictures provide a taste of some of the highlights from a very busy few weeks. In the next issue of Railways Illustrated, we will present an extended photographic portfolio of some of the main diesel events from August, September and the beginning of October.…

LESS THAN six months after the ownership of two of the vehicles from Class 309 electric multiple unit 309624 was transferred to the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel and Wakes Colne, work on the conservation and restoration of one of the vehicles is progressing well. The three-coach EMU was bought by the Clacton Express Preservation Group from its previous owner on the Lavender Line in 2022 and remained at Isfield in store. Following the end of its storage agreement, unsuccessful attempts were made to sell the EMU, and it was announced that the unit could be sent for scrap. However, discussions with the EARM resulted in Driving Trailer Composite 75965 and Motor Brake Standard 61928 being donated to the EARM and moving to Chappel and Wakes Colne station on…

Now firmly established as a leading specialist in the maintenance, over-haul and servicing of locomotives and other items of rolling stock for a number of operators, it is sometimes easy to forget that UKRL is a relatively recent entrant into the rail sector. First established just over a decade ago in 2013, the company has grown steadily, attracting an impressive array of customers, mainly freight operators. It now boasts two facilities in the East Midlands, at Leicester and Loughborough, to cater for its growing order book. This is a company that has no intention of standing still. In early August I was invited to Leicester to meet managing director Gareth Roberts to find out more about UKRL and the work it does at its two sites. A highly experienced…

THE RUNDOWN of the Class 507 electric multiple units remaining with Merseyrail was accelerated from August 26 after they ceased to have any booked duties. Two days earlier saw three pairs of units, 507001/029, 507003/018 and 507016/023, in use on Southport to Hunts Cross services, with 507001/029 also employed on August 25. Beyond August 26, any passenger use of the Class 507s has become sporadic, such as covering for an unavailable Class 777 or during times of disruption. The virtual elimination of the vintage EMU fleet has been made possible by re-diagramming some Class 777s to operate singly rather than as pairs until such time as the remaining few sets are commissioned. Early on September 2, 37884 hauled 507010 and 507017 away from Birk-enhead North for scrapping by Sims Metals…

EAST MIDLANDS Railway has released a series of images showing the interiors of its new £400 million Hitachi bi-mode Class 810 Aurora trains, ahead of their entry into service on the Midland Main Line from next year. The new trains feature more seats and luggage space than the operator’s existing Class 222 Meridian fleet, with modern interiors, air-conditioning, free and improved Wi-Fi, power sockets and USB ports at every seat, live passenger information screens, dedicated wheelchair spaces and bicycle storage facilities. Working with Derby-based design firm DG DESIGN, EMR has taken the proven FISA Lean seat – which is now in use across a number of train operators – and refined it to offer enhanced comfort and support, with increased-sized cushions, headrests and armrests, and finished in durable materials such…

A LONG-RUNNING dispute between drivers’ union ASLEF and train operator London North Eastern Railway – that had been due to see ASLEF members employed by the company walk out every weekend between the end of August and mid-November – was resolved on August 29, with the union stating that the planned strikes had been suspended. A statement issued by the union said: “Drivers working at LNER were due to strike after a long dispute with the company which saw existing agreements broken by the employer. “ASLEF members have consistently worked to negotiate with the company and explain why the breaking of agreements is unacceptable, but the company continued to operate inappropriately, including paying driver managers a premium to drive trains, not recruiting enough drivers to run a full service, and…

TRANSPORT FOR London has announced four pre-qualified manufacturers issued with an Invitation to Tender for a fleet of trams to replace the Bombardier Flexity Swift CR4000s currently in service on the London Tramlink network around Croydon. The original CR4000 fleet consisted of 24 trams, numbered 2530-2553, built in Austria by Bombardier in 1998/99, with an additional 12 Stadler Variobahn trams – 2554-2565 – provided between 2012 and 2015 for the enhancement of services on London Tramlink. CR4000 tram 2551 was seriously damaged in the fatal Sandilands derailment on November 9, 2016, and was subsequently withdrawn. The shortlisted manufacturers invited to bid for the contract to build the replacement fleet are Alstom Transport UK, CAF, Hitachi, and Stadler Rail. These can now proceed to the next stage of the formal procurement…

DB Cargo’s project to re-gear 10 Class 66s has now passed the half-way stage, with the sixth entering service in early September. The locomotives are emerging at a rate of roughly one a month, with 66651-656 all now in traffic, although this schedule may change with the approach of the autumn leaf fall season and the demands that this has on the freight operators, including DBC, which supplies traction for railhead treatment train workings on behalf of Network Rail. The re-geared Class 66/6s are being prepared to provide a suitable replacement for the now-withdrawn DBC Class 60 fleet, which had a higher tractive effort than the Class 66s. The re-geared DBC locomotives are similar to the Freightliner Class 66/6 fleet and have a lower gear ratio, which enables them to…

New generator coach for Locomotive Services The latest Mk.1 to be overhauled by Locomotive Services Group is BSK 35467, the former steam locomotive support coach having been converted into an additional generator car at Crewe. It made its main line return in its new form on September 13, when it was formed at one end of the chairman’s private train on a working from Euston to Glasgow Central, which was top-and-tailed by 86101 and 87002. Like the rest of the train, it is finished in BR carmine/cream with ‘Generator Car’ branding and the painted name of Daisy in small lettering on the ends. Meanwhile, the latest Mk.1 acquisitions by the company are FO 3090 and SO 4803, these both arriving at Crewe from the Swanage Railway by road in late…

Barriers dispatched The first set of barrier wagons and brake force runners for deliveries of the new Siemens-built London Underground 2024 Stock for the Piccadilly line has been dispatched to the continent. The evening of September 11 saw 66770 work the wagons from Tonbridge West Yard to Dollands Moor on the first stage of their journey to the Siemens plant in Vienna, Austria, consisting of IKA Megafrets 33 68 4909 113-5, 150-7 and 483-2 and IWA timber wagons 83 84 3523 002-7 and 010-0. All wagons have been loaded with concrete blocks to increase their weight and therefore brake force, while the two IWAs have received modified drawgear to form a pair of barrier wagons to couple to the tube stock. This modification is being carried out by WH Davis…

Arlington Fleet Services has completed further repaints on Locomotive Services traction, most notably outshopping 57003 in Railfreight triple grey with Distribution sub-sector logos, this recreating a previous period in the locomotive’s life when it was 47317. Also at Eastleigh Works, 43058 has joined the ranks of Nanking blue and white HST power cars, this consigning the green and silver Rail Charter Services livery to history. The latest locomotives to appear in GB Railfreight blue and orange encompass 60056 and 66303, these emerging from Toton and Loughborough respectively during late August. However, newly-rebuilt 69013 has returned to traffic from Longport in undercoat green and is likely to remain so for the rest of the year due to Railhead Treatment Train commitments. Meanwhile, the long-term hire of 66791 to Colas Rail has…

THE CLASS 33/1 Preservation Company’s 33111 is returning to Barrow Hill for bodywork and other repairs. Its final working appearances prior to work beginning were during its working visit to the Bluebell Railway, where it was in service operating in push-pull mode with the Southern Electric Traction Group’s preserved 4VEP 3417 Gordon Pettitt at the diesel gala between September 6-8, and then at the Bluebell Railway’s Beer Festival on September 20-22. The Class 33/1 has been a long-time resident on the Swanage Railway, but its repairs are to be completed at Barrow Hill, where the owning group originally returned its two locomotives to service. It is expected to be at least a year before 33111 returns to Swanage. The C33/1PC also owns Civil Engineers ‘Dutch’ yellow and grey 33108 on…

THE DMU Group (West Midlands) is expanding its fleet of diesel multiple unit vehicles on the Severn Valley Railway following the purchase of a three-coach Class 101 DMU from its previous owner. The Class 101 is formed of Driving Motor Brake Standard 50253, Trailer Standard Lavatory 59303 and Driving Motor Composite Lavatory 50170 and moved from their former home on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in mid-September. Prior to preservation, it was one of the last Class 101s to remain in service with First North Western until withdrawal in late 2003, operating services in and around Manchester as 101692, formed of the DMBS and DMCL vehicles. It is also remembered for being painted into a unique Caledonian blue livery from its time operating on ScotRail services. The unit has been based…

The concept for the Drax 50th anniversary photographic charter started out as a rather simple proposal to do a night shoot featuring a GB Railfreight (GBRf) Class 60 at the head of a rake of biomass hoppers, posed against the fantastic backdrop of the power station. However, as discussions progressed it quickly snowballed throughout the spring and summer into something much bigger, but much more memorable too. The team at Drax were keen to add the photographic charter to their 50th anniversary celebrations programme. As a series of three railtours were planned to visit the power station on Sunday, August 18, it was agreed that the previous day would be the ideal date, taking advantage of some of the railtour locomotives that would also be present, ready for the…

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…

Capturing the railway at night was something that grasped me from an early age, as I started to develop my photography skills. From long overnight stays in Crewe to freezing cold winter nights at Preston and Carlisle during the late 1980s and early 1990s, capturing such unique atmospheres and moods certainly makes me embrace the approach of winter as the nights draw in. Low-light conditions or artificial lighting can create interesting contrasts and vibrant colours, enhancing the visual appeal of old railway infrastructure against more modern settings. Nighttime also unveils a totally different world when it comes to the railway, showcasing station lights set against starry skies, with a quiet ambience that can add an element of mystery and drama to photographs. Overall, night photography around the railway has no…

APPROXIMATELY 60 coaches owned by charter coaching stock provider Riviera Trains have been sold to West Coast Railways, with the stock scheduled to be transferred to its new owner with effect from September 30. In a statement issued on September 13, Riviera Trains said it had entered into a rolling stock sale agreement with Carnforth-based West Coast Railway Company (WCRC): “As the leading operator of charter services in Great Britain, West Coast Railway Company will acquire all of the current Riviera Trains coaching stock assets with effect from September 30, 2024, strengthening its position in the charter trains industry. “The sale covers about 60 coaches, including both of the operational and central door locking-fitted blue and grey-liveried Mk.2 sets that are extensively used by a wide number of railtour promoters…

ALSTOM IS to continue maintaining TransPennine Express’s 12-strong Class 397 Nova 2 fleet until at least December 2025, following the signing of a new £10.4 million contract extension between the two organisations. The five-coach Class 397 Nova 2 electric multiple units were built by CAF and first entered service with TPE in 2019. The Nova 2 fleet is used on TPE’s North West services between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport to Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central via Preston. Alstom will continue to provide maintenance, stabling, servicing and cleaning services for the Class 397 at Longsight in Manchester and Polmadie in Glasgow, which are both connected to the West Coast Main Line. Services managing director UK and Ireland at Alstom, Peter Boardley, said: “Securing this contract extension is a testament…

A CHARITY charter organised by West Midlands Railway in conjunction with the Branch Line Society, which ran on September 29 (just before this issue was published), has brought the curtain down on the final WMR Class 323 electric multiple units on the Birmingham cross-city line after more than 30 years of dominance on the route. ‘The Class 323 Farewell’ tour was expected to see a pair of the five remaining WMR Class 323s operating a day-long round trip between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street, with proceeds from ticket sales split between the Scotty’s Little Soldiers and Brain Tumour Research charities. The Class 323 fleet, which is owned by Porterbrook, has been in operation on the cross-city line since 1994, connecting Birmingham with Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield, Redditch and Bromsgrove.…

EAST MIDLANDS Railway has applied Pride rainbow vinyls to Class 170 Turbostar 170501, in time for an event in Skegness on September 7. This is the second EMR train to have the rainbow colours applied, following on from 158773 which was unveiled as EMR’s ‘Trainbow’ just over two years ago. The initiative came from EMR’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Network to celebrate Pride and promote diversity in its workplace. The livery includes both the Pride and transgender flags along the sides of the two-coach train. The train made its debut taking passengers between Nottingham and Skegness in connection with an official Pride event at the Marketplace on Pride Street in the Lincolnshire seaside town, with Pride flags, banners, goodie bags, sunglasses and sweets being handed out to passengers upon arrival at Skegness…

The paint shop at Arlington Fleet Services Eastleigh Works has been kept busy, with a Class 37, Class 43 and Class 57 all being repainted in recent weeks. First to emerge was 57003, which has been given a retro repaint into Railfreight triple grey livery with Distribution sector decals. While this livery was never applied to a Class 57, the locomotive was converted by Brush Traction using the body-shell of 47317, which did carry Rail-freight Distribution livery prior to conversion. While the locomotive carried Tinsley depot plaques on the cabsides as 47317, its new retro look has seen the more appropriate Crewe Diesel Depot plaques applied to reflect LSG’s main depot facility where the Class 57 is now based. In addition to its repaint, 57003 has also been named Inter…

The latest period under review has been rather quiet for locomotive namings, with just three to report. A visit of the Inter City Railway Society saw Locomotive Services Group’s newly repainted 57003 named Inter City Railway Society 50th Anniversary 1973-2023, in recognition of the golden anniversary of the popular railway enthusiast’s organisation. As reported on the news pages, Freightliner, in conjunction with the Railway Benefit Fund and Avanti West Coast named 90041 Pete Waterman OBE in a surprise ceremony at Crewe station on September 11. The nameplates also incorporate the logo of the RBF, of which Mr Waterman is president. Another GB Railfreight Class 60 has been repainted at Toton by DB Cargo staff, with the latest recipient of the dark blue and orange colours being 60056, gaining the…

THE LONG-AWAITED passenger debut of 58023 in preservation is expected to take place at the Severn Valley Railway during its Autumn Diesel Bash on October 3-6, subject to the locomotive successfully completing some test running following its movement to the railway from UKRL on September 14. The Mainline Freight blue Class 58 had originally been expected to make its preservation debut at the SVR’s 2023 Spring Diesel Festival but subsequently failed axle testing in advance of its move and had to be withdrawn from the line-up. With the axle replacement carried out by UKRL at Leicester over the past couple of months (Railways Illustrated issue 259), the locomotive was approved to be hauled over the main line and was collected by the Class 50 Alliance’s 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance…

03179 – Rushden: The shunter’s nose end was refitted in mid-August, so it is looking more like a Class 03 again now. The plan was that it would be painted in early September. The front radiator grille is already finished and awaiting fitting. The flowerpot exhaust chimney has been stripped and repainted in primer, and as the casting is quite rough, it will require some preparation work before painting. Work has also started on stripping, repairing and preparing the front marker lights, the steam-era lamps that were carried by most of the Class 03s. Once stripped of layers of paint, the castings have been found to be very coarse, so there is also a fair amount of work to be done. 11103 – Mangapps Railway Museum: The Class 04, once…

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Dapol first released its Class 08 shunter in O gauge back in 2016, this depicting the early builds with strap-hinged bonnet doors and vacuum brakes only. The tooling suite was subsequently expanded to cater for later batches with pressed steel bonnet doors, dual brakes and othermodernised features, allowing a selection of liveries from the sectorisation and privatisation eras to be portrayed alongside the perennially popular BR green and blue. After something of a hiatus, the shunter has now returned to the manufacturer’s line-up with a further selection of liveries. Inevitably, this has also come with a price rise, meaning that one of the model’s selling points – a readyto-run O gauge locomotive for under £200 after taking retailer discounts into account – no longer stands. Nonetheless, with a recommended retail…