Innehållsförteckning för December 2024 från Railways Illustrated

The end of September saw the closure of the last coal-fired power station at Radcliffe-on-Soar in the East Midlands, ending the use of coal for electricity generation in the UK after more than 140 years. Three months earlier, on June 28, the final trainload of 1650 tons of coal was delivered to the Nottinghamshire power station by GB Railfreight – providing enough fuel to generate electricity for about 500,000 homes for an eight-hour period. And that delivery marked the end of the long association between coal-fired power stations and the use of trains and the railway to deliver the coal that was used to fuel them. At one time, coal was transported around the UK from the once-numerous collieries to power stations on MGR (Merry Go Round) services, which ran…

TRANSPORT FOR London has announced it has awarded the current operator of the Dockland Light Railway network a new eight-year contract, starting from April 1 next year. KeolisAmey Docklands (KAD) has been responsible for operating and maintaining the DLR for the past 10 years. The new contract follows a competitive tendering process with TfL, which is “focused on delivering a number of key improvements to help deliver a better customer experience and meet future projected demand for services.” Improvements for passengers will include: ■ Rolling out and promoting Access DLR, a free travel assistance service for anyone over the age of 18 who needs extra support. ■ New satisfaction targets surrounding the appearance and availability of ticket machines, lifts, escalators and information systems. ■ Improved performance measures to ensure passengers…

PLANS FOR greater integration are at the centre of a strengthened Alliance Agreement that has been signed between ScotRail and Network Rail, updating a previous agreement that was signed between the infrastructure company and previous operator Abellio ScotRail in 2015. The aim of the new agreement is to deliver a safe, reliable and green railway that benefits the Scottish economy, society, and rail users. Under the high-level output specification, the Scottish Government sets out the investment priorities for Network Rail Scotland, featuring a number of projects underway which require the infrastructure company and train operator to work closely together to deliver. There is already integration and close collaboration between the two organisations, including an integrated control centre and a joint climate action plan, and also on the work currently underway…

GB RAILFREIGHT officially unveiled the first of its completed new hybrid Class 99 locomotives at the InnoTrans international trade fair on September 25, ahead of the first locomotive arriving in the UK early next year. The Class 99 has been built by Stadler in Valencia and is capable of being powered using diesel fuel or overhead electrification and is widely seen as a possible long-term replacement design for the Class 66, which is the most widely used locomotive type in use in the UK rail freight industry. GBRf has 30 of the bi-mode locomotives on order from Stadler, with the fleet being financed by Beacon Rail. The first locomotive is expected to arrive in the UK in spring 2025, with the full fleet due to be in service with the…

ASHLEY DOWN has become the latest railway station to join the national network, opening to passenger services on September 28. The new station, to the north of Bristol, has been built on the site of the former Ashley Hill station, which closed in 1964. It is part of a £300 million investment by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, in partnership with Great Western Railway, Network Rail and Bristol City Council. The construction of Ashley Down is part of a wider project to reopen the Henbury Line, with stations planned for North Filton and Henbury in the future. West of England Mayor Dan Norris led the celebrations at the official opening on September 27, and he was joined by Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Bristol North West MP…

THE ARRIVAL of autumn has seen Network Rail’s annual battle with the leaf-fall season get underway once again, as the infrastructure company works tirelessly to keep the rails clean from the issues created by leaf mulch during one of the most challenging seasons faced by the railway each year. Network Rail’s fleet of Railhead Treatment Trains (RHTT) and Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPV) were being positioned and tested around the country from early September in preparation and these will now operate until mid-December. Traction is provided by various freight operating companies from a number of RHTT hubs located around the country, with locomotives used to top-and-tail the RHTT services. Additionally, some passenger fleets have been fitted with equipment to assist with dealing with some of the issues caused by leaf-fall. A huge…

London Underground has taken delivery of its first train of Siemens-built 2024 Stock for eventual use on the Piccadilly line. This is the first of 94 nine-car sets to be ordered under the New Tube For London project launched a decade ago, which should see all of the Piccadilly, Central and Bakerloo lines receive new trains over the next 10 years, along with the Waterloo & City. The design of the train is based on the Siemens Inspiro platform and is notable for featuring articulated and walk-through cars on the ‘deep tube’ for the first time. The initial sets of the £1.5 billion order are being constructed in Vienna, Austria, and then hauled across Europe and through the Channel Tunnel for delivery to London, but assembly will eventually switch to…

Mendip newcomers A second batch of 34 new Greenbrier-built HOA-B hoppers arrived in the UK early on October 7, GB Railfreight’s 66762 being charged with the nocturnal move from Dollands Moor to Wembley. No time was wasted in forwarding them to Merehead to begin their careers with Mendip Rail, Freightliner’s 66418 taking 81 70 6774 110-143 onwards that morning. By the next day, some were already carrying their first load of stone. Meanwhile, those HOAs from the first batch of deliveries that had been stored at Exeter Riverside since August 27 were retrieved by 66560 on September 27 and taken to Whatley ahead of their entry into traffic. As a result, a further 38 of the Orenstein & Koppel-built JHAs have been stood down and moved to Crewe South Yard…

West Coast collects Rivera stock With the acquisition of the Riviera Trains fleet, West Coast Railways has started transferring the coaches to Carnforth. The first move took place on August 29, with 57010 and Class 40 D345 heading north from Burton with a mixed rake consisting of many of the Mk.2f TSOs (5945/955/965/976/987, 6137/177/183) and BSOs (9527/539) that had lain inactive and with poor paintwork since the end of the Fife Circle locomotive-hauled workings. Some are expected to make a rapid return to traffic to support West Coast’s upcoming Polar Express operations out of London and Edinburgh. Also included were operational BR blue and grey TSOs 6054 and 6176, the former returning back to Burton at a later date. More of the current railtour stock and a few other coaches…

Of the recent batch of locomotive repaints, the appearance of 70020 in Freightliner’s orange and black scheme has undoubtedly attracted the most comment, both for the GE’s general look and the predominance of yellow along the solebar. The first of the class to be completed by a contractor at UKRL Loughborough, it will not be the last either, as 70008 immediately took its place upon release in early October. There are no longer any active Class 67s in EWS maroon and gold after 67016 paid a visit to the Toton paintshop during September, emerging in the black and red version of the Transport for Wales livery. Staying with the Welsh operator, the DMSL car of 150279 has been repainted in TfW’s white and black unit livery as repairs to the…

A SPECIALLY chartered return journey along the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway on September 28, organised by the Branch Line Society and hauled by BR green 20214 Austin Maher, has raised another £2000 towards the society’s ongoing fundraising efforts to benefit Martin House Children’s Hospice. Withdrawn by British Rail from Toton depot in March 1993, 20214 has been based on the LHR since November 1993 and has remained on the Cumbrian heritage railway ever since, where it is mainly used for engineering trains but also acts as a standby in case of failure of any of the railway’s steam locomotives. The Class 20 is rarely rostered for passenger services on the railway in its own right, however, with the majority of LHR services being steam-hauled to connect with boat services from…

AFTER AN absence of more than a year, the Scottish Railway Preservation Society’s SRPS Railtours subsidiary has announced that it will be operating a one-way charter from Bo’ness to Crewe on December 30. The train will be hauled by the Crewe Diesel Preservation Group’s 47712 Lady Diana Spencer (currently disguised as scrapped classmates 47709 The Lord Provost and 47711 Greyfriars Bobby on either side of the main line-registered Class 47) and the SRPS’s main line-registered 37403 Isle of Mull. The train will be operated in top-and-tail formation, with the coaching stock being Locomotive Services Group’s ScotRail push-pull set. LSG’s ScotRail push-pull set and the CDPG’s 47712 are due to attend the Winter Diesel Gala on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway on December 28/29, where they will appear alongside the 6LDA…

SPECIAL EVENTS at the Dean Forest Railway and the Bodmin & Wenford Railway have highlighted the work done in recent times in conjunction with the National Wagon Preservation Group to safeguard the future of two once-common wagon fleets. On the BWR, the recent autumn diesel gala on September 27-29 saw the preserved rake of eight CDA china clay wagons that had been secured in a joint initiative between the BWR and NWPG – 375050/061/063/067/090/091, 375113/117 – showcased alongside passenger workings, seeing use on the line hauled by resident locomotives 47306 The Sapper and 50042 Triumph and Hanson & Hall Rail Services Solutions’ visiting 50008 Thunderer. The diesel event came three weeks after the BWR held a China Clay Weekend, also utilising the CDA wagons and Clay Hood wagons. At the…

D2302 – Moreton Park: A change of locomotives at Moreton Park recently has seen the Class 04 take over from 03145 as the general use shunter. This is to accumulate some running hours and see what, if any, issues crop up. The locomotive is already booked to spend the winter in the shed so that the oil can be changed in the fluid flywheel, gearbox and final drive, along with the fitting of new axlebox oil pads. Work is also ongoing to reinstate the front marker lamps during its time in the shed, along with other electrical systems in the cab. Nothing major has cropped up while running D2302 so far, apart from the odd loose connections which were easily sorted. D3558 – Bo’ness: The Class 08 shunter is in…

There was a total of 480 Class 66s built for five operators in this country, delivered between 1998 and 2016. Of these locomotives, 87 are currently abroad having been exported by EWS (and subsequently under the DB Schenker and DB Cargo UK guises) to France and Poland, and by Freightliner, which also sent some of its Class 66s to Poland. Two locomotives have been scrapped, Freightliner 66521 and GB Railfreight 66734 The Eco Express (the original locomotive to carry this number), while a third, 66048, has been all but written off, having been acquired by Progress Rail for spares after being severely damaged in an accident at Carrbridge on the Highland Main Line in January 2010. As explained in previous Fleet Surveys, the Class 66s were delivered to this country…

➔ Next month, we are putting the illustrated into Railways Illustrated with a range of features from some of our regular contributors focusing on various aspects of railway photography, all designed to provide tips, advice and inspiration to help you get more out of your railway photography – and accompanied with some truly stunning and inspirational pictures. ➔ Steve Sienkiewicz presents a selection of his photographs relating to the rather niche practice of capturing trains in silhouette, where critical timing is required to photograph a dark subject set against a light background, creating an eye-catching and different type of image to the norm. ➔ The use of drones for railway photography is a relatively recent phenomenon that is growing in popularity, with more photographers investing in drones to provide a…

SIEMENS MOBILITY has officially opened its £200 million Goole Rail Village, with the transport giant also announcing plans to invest up to a further £40 million on the construction of a state-of-the-art bogie assembly and service centre at the newly completed site in Yorkshire. Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh MP and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, were among guests shown around the impressive new 67-acre facility, which will construct 80% of the new Piccadilly line trains currently being built for Transport for London. Additionally, Siemens said that all future UK train orders, including Siemens Mobility’s new battery trains, will be built at Goole, along with the facility also gearing up to serve other global markets by 2030. A total of 700 new jobs have been created, with…

THE OFFICE of Rail and Road has published its annual data on the average fleet age across UK train operating companies, with open access operator Lumo retaining its crown for operating the youngest fleet at 2.8 years. At the other end of the table, Chiltern Railways has maintained the more dubious honour of operating the oldest overall fleet, coming in at an average of 30.9 years. While a number of new trains have continued to enter service throughout the year, the snapshot nature of the survey reflects the situation when it was taken on March 31, 2024. The overall small size of Lumo’s train fleet – five Hitachi Class 803 five-coach EMUs – has helped keep it at the top of the table, with Greater Anglia in second place with…

EAST COAST Main Line principal operator LNER has highlighted its commitment to operating more sustainable travel with the application of a light blue vinyl wrap to Hitachi Class 801/2 Azuma electric multiple unit 801204, which has also been named Our Planet. The new-look train was launched into service on September 22, which marked World Car-Free Day, and LNER said the unveiling of its specially liveried train is a “timely reminder of LNER and the wider rail industry’s key role in encouraging a low carbon economy.” LNER said it has reduced carbon emissions by 47% since the launch of its Azuma fleet in 2019. It also stated its intention to use some of the most environmentally sustainable products and materials available when applying new liveries to future trains, part of its…

THE REIGN of the West Midlands Railway Class 323 electric multiple units on the Birmingham cross-city line ended in late September, a moment marked by the operation of a special charter between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street featuring two of the units. ‘The Class 323 Farewell’ was operated on September 29 by WMR in conjunction with the Branch Line Society and saw celebrity Centro-liveried 323221 and classmate 323222 head from the West Midlands to Liverpool. The sell-out train raised £22,000 for the Scotty’s Little Soldiers and Brain Tumour Research charities. The Class 323 fleet has been in operation on the cross-city line through Birmingham since 1994, the route connecting the city with Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield, Redditch and Bromsgrove. The trains have been replaced with new Alstom-built Class 730…

THE OFFICE of Rail and Road (ORR) has requested an improvement plan from Northern in relation to how the operator deals with passengers who have pre-booked additional assistance. A recent survey conducted by the ORR showed that 18% of passengers who had booked assistance at a Northern-managed station and responded to the survey reported that they did not receive any help. As a result, ORR wrote to Northern in July, but the regulator said that Northern’s response “did not reassure it that the operator understands the causes of its poor performance, nor has robust plans in place to secure improvements, nor has made appropriate progress against previously planned actions.” The regulator has now formally requested an improvement plan from the operator, setting out how it will assist rail users with…

Class 43 High Speed Train power cars 43301 and 43303 have returned to use on Network Rail workings with Colas, following the conclusion of Midland Main Line electrification testing on the newly electrified section between Kettering and Wigston, as part of the Midland Main Line upgrade project. Five former CrossCountry power cars were leased to Colas following the end of their use with CrossCountry in September last year, but the pair saw little use and spent a number of weeks in store on the Severn Valley Railway, along with Romic-owned ex-CrossCountry Mk.3s 42097, 42376, 44012 and 45003 which were also set to be used as part of the electrification testing – the coaches featuring the logos of Colas, Eastern Rail Services, Romic and the Powerlines Group. The latest round of…

Fire-damaged Class 150 returns October 9 saw 150279 make its first main line run in more than two years as repairs to the collision and fire damage sustained at Craven Arms on May 23, 2022, neared completion at Landore. Both it and 150242 were significantly damaged after they struck a stolen mini-digger that had been abandoned on the line, rupturing their fuel tanks. The repaired set is now a hybrid formed of DMSL 52279 and DMS 57242, these being the least damaged of the four cars. When 52242 and 57279 are also released in due course, they will form a similarly hybrid 150242. The first test run for 150279 was a short outing across the Swansea area to Port Talbot and back. While these two sets are returning, the withdrawal…

HNRC Fresh from an E exam, 08527 was more or less complete at Barrow Hill at the end of September, the work having been finished off with a repaint into the company’s orange livery. Positive Traction The 08e battery prototype, otherwise known as 08308, made its first move away from Barrow Hill on October 11, a year after arriving for its initial unveiling and subsequent trials within the confines of the site. The rebuilt shunter headed south to Whatley Quarry for what is expected to be a two-week test with Heidelberg Materials. Railway Support Services Fresh from engine repairs, 09022 departed Wishaw around October 8. However, rather than an immediate return to Boston Docks, the Class 09 was taken to Tyseley for further attention, including tyre turning. Meanwhile, with 08507…

THE CLASS 40 Preservation Society has temporarily removed its flagship locomotive D345 from main line operations while it tries to identify and resolve a recurring fault with the Class 40 that has caused it to shut down unexpectantly while in use. CFPS chairman Clive Elverstone told Railways Illustrated that while D345 remains operational and in generally good condition, engineering volunteers from the society have been systematically working through the locomotive but have so far been unable to trace the cause. Temporarily withdrawing the locomotive from main line operations negates any risk of the Class 40 suffering a failure while working a charter or the current issue leading to a more serious problem. A statement issued by Mr Elverstone on October 1 to the CFPS members’ Facebook page read: “It is…

THE LAST of the surviving Class 45/1 Peak locomotives that had yet to operate a train in preservation returned to action at the end of September, more than 37 years after it last worked a passenger train before withdrawal by British Rail in May 1987. Owned by Pioneer Diesels Ltd and based at Barrow Hill Roundhouse since 1999, 45105 has undergone a meticulous restoration, being worked on around the owning group’s commercial contract locomotive overhaul activities, as well as maintaining the other heritage locomotives for which it is responsible. The locomotive’s debut passenger working took place on the weekend of September 28/29, with the Saturday workings operated in conjunction with a Garden Railway Show at Barrow Hill. During its first day in traffic the Peak worked a total of 24…

MORE THAN four years after entering preservation, two second-generation Class 142 Pacers have made their passenger debuts at their respective home railways in recent weeks. First to re-enter service was 142013 at the Midland Railway – Butterley DMU Gala on September 21/22. The Pacer has been undergoing an overhaul and repaint into Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive orange and tan livery in recent months and is the second Class 142 to enter traffic at the MRB, following on from Provincial blue 142011 which first carried passengers at the railway in 2022. Also based on the line is former West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive second-generation 141113. At the DMU event, the two Class 142 were operated alongside the Class 141 and the line’s Class 108 twin-car set, LO262. Highlights included parallel…

Few people could fail to be impressed when they see the standard of the cosmetic restoration achieved on Freightliner’s long-withdrawn 90050, which rolled out of the workshop at Crewe Heritage Centre (CHC) in early August – a locomotive that just a few months earlier had looked almost certain to be destined for scrapping. While the Class 90 will never pull a train again, it is now pristine and to the casual observer, looks fantastic. The impressive transformation of the electric locomotive is just the latest in a number of projects spearheaded by CHC’s dynamic duo, Brian Porter and James Mather, who have now managed a number of projects, all designed to celebrate the rich heritage of the railway town where the centre is located and some of the locomotives with…

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 growth in the number of model railway manufacturers has undoubtably been a good thing for the hobby, not only allowing the number of subjects portrayed to be increased dramatically, but also a general all-round increase in standards. When it comes to diesel locomotives, however, with more companies chasing a limited number of classes, clashes are becoming increasingly common. The latest design to see two manufacturers go head-to-head is the Class 31, where Accurascale and Bachmann have released new models within weeks of each other. Both had correctly identified the existing Hornby model as being ripe for the taking, capitalising on some shape issues and a stubbornness to release some of the most desirable livery and detail combinations. Both of the newcomers have focused heavily on the BR blue era…

NETWORK RAIL has implemented a five-point improvement plan for London Euston after a number of incidents in recent months have led to severe overcrowding at the station. It has been acknowledged that the current design of the busy terminus is outdated for current passenger demand, but the situation with over-crowding has been brought into focus following a number of service disruptions – with the resulting crowd levels within the concourse causing concern for the safety of passengers. The amount of time passengers are kept waiting on the concourse before being allowed onto platforms ahead of train departures is also stated as a cause of overcrowding on occasions. Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has tasked the station’s teams at NR and train operators serving Euston to look at how…

THE FINAL Royal Mail trains operated without any fanfare on September 20, bringing an end to the movement of mail and parcel traffic by the company, slightly ahead of the October 10 termination date previously announced. The 15 four-coach Class 325 electric multiple units (325001-009/011-016) used for the services are owned by Royal Mail, which said that the increasing age of the trains and difficulty in securing parts for maintenance were the main reasons for withdrawing them. The Class 325s have been operated and maintained by DB Cargo on behalf of Royal Mail for the past 11 years and maintained at Crewe Electric Depot. For the last period of operation from June 16, a total of 13 Royal Mail trains were operated by DB Cargo each week, with one service…

As reported, October has seen the annual Network Rail railhead treatment train (RHTT) circuits get underway as part of the infrastructure company’s battle with the autumn leaf-fall season. The RHTTs are operated around the country, alongside a fleet of Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPV), with contracts for locomotive provision and crewing for the various circuits awarded to the freight operating companies. One noticeable change that has come into place for the 2024 RHTT season relates to the operator of the York circuit, which for the past few years has been operated by Direct Rail Services using Class 37s – with certain sections covered by the circuit only suitable for the Type 3 locomotives. However, the decision by DRS to dispense with much of its heritage fleet – including the remaining Class 37s…

CLASS 175 26/9 – 175101 + 175116 5Q46 10.02 Landore-Ely Papworth, terminated at Nuneaton with a door issue. 3/10 – 175101 + 175116 5Q46 12.00 Nuneaton-Ely Papworth, failed between March and Manea with brakes stuck on, eventually released by a fitter, and the units ran back at slow speed to March Up Yard after 19.00. 7/10 – 37218 + 175101 + 175116 + 37510 5Q48 10.34 March Up Yard-Ely Papworth. CLASS 197 17/9 – 197119 debuted in traffic, noted on 1B39 13.49 Cardiff Central-Swansea. 24/9 – 66511 + 197035 6Q97 10.07 Donnington RFT-Crewe Carriage Sidings. CLASS 319 26/9 – 37884 + 319373 5Q42 10.14 Castle Donnington EMDC-Crewe South Yard. CLASS 321 3/10 – 37800 + 321305 5Q76 10.09 Ilford-Sims, Newport, the first of the 30 re-tractioned Renatus sets to be…

Locomotive Services Group has applied nameplates to three members of its fleet. Following repaints at Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works, 37401 has had a replacement set of Mary Queen of Scots nameplates applied, while 43058 has become the latest power car to be named after a Scottish Loch, becoming Loch Eil for use on the company’s recently launched West Highland Pullman services. The third LSG naming is 57311, which was named The Institution of Mechanical Engineers on October 12. The naming of 57311 had originally been expected to take place earlier in the year when ex-LNER A2 Pacific steam locomotive 60532 Blue Peter had been rededicated at King’s Cross, but was deferred. September saw GB Railfreight also apply new names to three of its locomotives. On September 18,…

VOLUNTEERS FROM the Class 50 Alliance worked on the final preparations to cosmetically transform privately-owned 58023 at Kidderminster, ahead of the Class 58 making its preservation debut at the Severn Valley Railway’s Autumn Diesel Bash in early October. As reported last issue, 58023 moved to the SVR on September 14 from its home base at UKRL in Leicester after having undergone axle replacement work to return it to operational condition. Following some test running along parts of the SVR, the locomotive was confirmed as being available for traffic, allowing it to be one of the main attractions at the autumn gala. The Class 58 was taken into Kidder-minster Traction Maintenance Depot on the weekend of September 21/22 where its paintwork – applied at Shackerstone during work to return it to…

AS A prelude to the Severn Valley Railway Autumn Diesel Bash, the railway hosted an evening photographic charter on October 1. It centred around the SVR’s turntable at Kidderminster Traction Maintenance Depot, alongside a line-up of classic traction at the neighbouring carriage shed, with the two locations used to recreate some once-familiar scenes from Old Oak Common depot in London and Polmadie depot in Glasgow respectively. Following the recent repaint of the Class 50 Alliance’s 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance into the popular Large Logo blue livery, the opportunity was taken to use the turntable outside Kidderminster TMD to recreate the era during the early 1980s when Large Logo and BR blue Class 50s would often be stabled around the turntable at Old Oak Common, where many of the 50-strong…

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