Innehållsförteckning för August 2025 från Railways Illustrated

Do you ever have one of those moments where you just want the ground to open up and swallow you whole? I had that a few days ago when I got an email correcting me on my loco ID feature, as its seems I got one of the case study loco IDs wrong! Well, I had got it right… I had just bloody well written it incorrectly in the article. The image I am referring to is what I wrote as 37147, but is actually 37149! I had indeed identified it as 37149 and told the photographer Colin Marsden that it was 37149, so I do not know what possessed me to write 37147 in the feature – other than that has been one of the initial shortlist of eight…

OPEN ACCESS operator Lumo has agreed to take on five Class 222s, 222001-005, for use on a new Stirling to London service to start the new route until its new Hitachi AT300 bi-mode units are delivered. They would be reconfigured as six-car sets. However, there could be a slight delay in their transfer as the Class 810 bi-mode units – also an AT300 design – may be delayed in entering traffic for East Midlands Railway to replace the Bombardier diesel units. An EMR spokesperson said: “The five-car type testing for our new Class 810 Aurora trains has been completed and the ORR has granted authorisation to place them into service in May 2025 – a key programme milestone. “However, testing and the transfer of units to EMR and Rock Rail…

FIRSTGROUP HAS submitted the first phase of an application for a new open access rail service between Hereford and London to the Office of Rail and Road. It plans to expand its open access rail operations as part of its successful Lumo business. In December 2024, FirstGroup placed a £500 million order for 14 trains from Hitachi Rail in County Durham. It has an option for a potential second order of similar size and the Hereford fleet would form part of this option. The proposal is for two return journeys a day (one on Sundays) between Paddington and Hereford, calling at Bristol Parkway, Severn Tunnel Junction Cwmbrân, Pontypool & New Inn and Abergavenny.…

701 Arterio availability starts to increase for SWR Following the introduction of the summer timetable, further Class 701 Arterio EMUs have been brought into service by South Western Railway so, that by the second week of June, up to nine sets were being recorded in traffic on certain days. On May 21, 701042 carried passengers for the first time when it formed 1D05, the 06.24 Waterloo-Dorking, while 701035 got its floors dirty on May 28 when it worked 2U45, the 15.33 Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside. On June 9, 701044 became the 12th set in service by forming 2O05, the 06.00 Waterloo-Waterloo via the Kingston loop. Active Travel increase Two more of the Active Travel conversions for Transport for Wales have been completed and released from Landore. On May…

London’s Waterloo station played host to three naming ceremonies in the space of 10 days from late May, two of which involved GB Railfreight. On May 28, 66728 unveiled updated Chartered Institution of Railway Operators nameplates to mark the organisation’s silver jubilee year, this also being an opportunity to replace the previous version of the name as one nameplate had been missing for some time. Two days later, it was 69016’s turn at the London terminus to formally unveil its new white British Transport Police nameplates and blue and white police livery. Lastly, on June 6, one of Network Rail’s Robel Mobile Maintenance Trains was present to be named Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB after the outgoing Permanent Secretary to the Department for Transport. Staying with GBRf, 69010 was a guest…

AFTER MORE than two decades at the Downpatrick & County Down Railway, experimental railbus RB3, otherwise known as RDB977020, has moved to the Gwendraeth Valley Railway in Carmarthenshire. Originally built in 1981 by British Rail Engineering Limited as one of four experimental lightweight railbuses designed to serve lightly used rural lines, RB3 spent the early part of its life in England and Northern Ireland, originally on the Coleraine-Portrush line and display at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, before arriving in Downpatrick in 2001. Following a long period out of use, it has now been donated to a new heritage line. Chairman of the Downpatrick & County Down Railway, Robert Gardiner, said: “RB3 was always an unusual and significant piece of railway heritage, but one that didn’t quite fit our…

A RAFT of extra locos to star at the August 1-3 Greatest Gathering event at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane works have been announced from both heritage groups and the main line railway. The latest preserved locos lined up for exhibition include the sole-surviving Class 17 Clayton D8568, which has local connections it was built at nearby Hatton. It will be joined by new-build Class 23 Baby Deltic D5910. Also set to attend are Class 24 D5054 from the East Lancashire Railway, pioneer Class 37 D6700 from the Great Central Railway and four more Type 4s from the Severn Valley Railway–46045, 50035 Ark Royal, 50044 Exeter and 50049 Defiance. Some exhibits have also started to move to the site by road, with preserved AC electric locos 83012 and then 85006 arriving…

The British Transport Commission’s Modernisation of the Railway report was released on January 25, 1955, by its chairman, Sir Brian Robertson, and suggested a £1.24 billion spend on the railways to update its traction, rolling stock, railheads and passenger lines, with new diesel locos and railcars and the electrification of both main lines and commuter routes. Just to put that into perspective, that figure in today’s money is £29.4 billion (throughout this piece, the current value of figures quoted will be in brackets, and that makes you realise what an overpriced project HS2 really is given that’s now about £100bn). This massive spend would, it was hoped, generate £85 million (£2.85bn) in additional turnover for the nation’s then much bigger railway. Remember, this was before Beeching did his worst. It…

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 £49 Direct Debit 12 print issues for £54 credit/debit card SAVE £15.80 2: SIX-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION 6 print issues for £26 Direct Debit 6 print issues for £28 credit/debit card SAVE £6.40 WHAT OUR…

Accurascale’s march through the greatest hits of English Electric has already seen the company tackle the Deltic and then the Class 37 in OO gauge, and this has now been followed up with the release of the Class 50 in the same scale. The manufacturer is certainly not taking the easy route as it expands its locomotive roster, taking on three of the most popular classes – and all with their own idiosyncrasies ready to catch out the unwary. It has been more than 20 years since the last new model of the class, Hornby making its entry into the high-fidelity diesel market with a ‘Hoover’ that was good, and certainly leagues apart from the previous Lima offering, but not great. There were the deeply recessed radiator shutters designed…

TO CELEBRATE 40 years of the Class 59s, Freightliner is considering repainting pioneer 59001 back into the Foster Yeoman silver and blue livery it and 59002-004 wore when they were delivered to the UK in January 1986. The American-built General Motors Class 59s were trailblazers as they were the first privately-owned diesel locos to be put into regular use on the then heavily nationalised British Rail network. Foster Yeoman bought them in response to repeatedly unreliable performance it was getting from BR’s Class 56s that worked its stone trains out of the Mendips. Once resistance from the unions over buying from America rather than the UK was overcome, the four locos docked in the UK on January 21, 1986. They were joined by 59005 in June 1989, while fellow stone…

LOCOMOTIVE SERVICES’ Peak 45118 The Royal Artilleryman had a busy last week of May, which started on May 26 when it became the first Class 45 to visit St Pancras since 2004, followed by a rededication to its namesake regiment on the following Friday, May 30. That charter visit saw it work the ‘Master Cutler’ from Leeds, recreating the days of Class 45s on this service in the 1970s and early 1980s. Its arrival was the first 45 to use the new platforms at St Pancras. The last 45 into St Pancras was on April 8, 2004, when 45112 Royal Army Ordnance Corps worked a special train to commemorate the ‘closure’ of the original station under Barlow’s trainshed just before developers started a three-year rebuild of the station for use…

GB RAILFREIGHT’S first two Stadler Class 99 Electro-Diesels, 99001/002, arrived in UK on June 10, when they docked at the Port of Bristol. They were then moved by lorries to the nearby Avonmouth Hanson sidings, where they were collected on June 17 by 66307 Ipswich Town, which took them to Leicester depot, the new home for the fleet and where they will be maintained by Stadler Rail Services. Although built in Valencia, they arrived from the Velim test track in the Czech Republic where they had been undergoing proving trials. Several GBRf drivers have been to Spain to gain traction knowledge on the new Co-Co locos. 99001/002 are the first of the initial batch of 30 locos that GBRf has on order from Stadler, financed through Beacon Rail. John Smith…

THE NINTH of the batch of 10 Stadler tri-mode Class 93s ordered by Rail Operations Group docked in the UK on June 13 when 93008 was unloaded. It was preceded 10 days earlier by 93005 arriving at the Port of Bristol on June 3. Both locos were then taken to Worksop by Allely’s Heavy Haulage. Their arrivals leave just 93009 to ship to the UK, and it was due to land on about June 30 or in the first week of July. The locos have also started to expand their sphere of operations on proving runs to new destinations including Ipswich and Glasgow Central. On June 2, 93001/002 undertook two return runs between Worksop and Newark Northgate, via Retford, which were then replicated on June 4 by 93001/007 and on…

ROMIC HAS confirmed it will be keeping the two Class 20s, 20007/205, it recently purchased from Michael Owen and indeed has announced that Dereham, on the Mid-Norfolk Railway, will be their new base. The two locos arrived on May 23 and took part in the MNR’s three-day diesel event on May 24-26. Simon Lowe, from Romic, said: “Regarding our Class 20s. They’re not for sale. We were initially offering them for sale online with the agreement of the previous owner. We subsequently decided to keep them ourselves and use them for our growing hire business. The listing on the website pre-dates this decision by some months. “We know we have the oldest main line-registered loco in 20007, so please be assured we see their future very much in the UK,…

West Coast HST plan With West Coast Railways set to introduce its own HST set, the first rake of vehicles arrived at Carnforth on May20, 47802 and 47812 hauling TS 48102/110-112/130/149 and TGS 49103/104 north from Laira, with the Mk. 2f pair of 6176 and 9526 employed as barriers. Meanwhile, a further set of stock was dispatched to Fort William on May 21 to support ‘The Jacobite’ services, 37518 Fort William having charge of seven Mk. 2s, FO 3360/62, TSO 5952, 6021/22, 6103 and BSO 9391, along with Mk. 1 micro-buffet conversion 99318. Of note is that 6021 has now lost its Pullman umber and cream colours for standard maroon. This set’s arrival allowed eight other coaches, 1860, 3350, 3417, 5453, 5985, 6000, 6115 and 21266, to be returned to…

THE HASTINGS Diesels project to create a second four-car DEMU set has moved on a stage, with the overhaul of Trailer Second Open 60502 being completed at St Leonards. Now finished in a fresh coat of BR blue and grey, the past four years have seen it progressively restored from as-withdrawn condition and it will now join 60000 and 60501 in set 1001. 60502 undertook a main line run for the first time in 39 years on June 9. Part of the original Hastings unit 1001, it was withdrawn on May 11, 1986, and its near four decades of inactivity is the longest time that a Hastings vehicle has been out of action before returning to service.…

JUNE SAW a number of diesel galas staged at some of the established heritage lines, with a number of visiting locomotives providing enticing line-ups for modern traction followers. The West Somerset Railway’s June 5-8 diesel event featured home fleet locos D2133, D9526, D6566/75 and D7018, joined by 45108 and 50015 Valiant from the East Lancashire Railway, D1015 Western Champion from the Severn Valley Railway and 25185 from the South Devon Railway. D7017 had to sit the event out as it was still undergoing a bodywork overhaul which will see it emerge in BR blue with small yellow panels and white window frames. A week later, the North Yorkshire Moors gala had some challenges but still delivered a stand-out event. Home fleet locos 31128 Charybdis, 31466, 37264 and 47077 North Star…

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…

THERE HAS been a change of plan regarding wrapping Class 66s in a new livery for the new Belmond Britannic Explorer train as GB Railfreight ramps up the training for the introduction of the train, planned for July. The initial plan was to have 66744/745 wrapped in the same light blue as the 10 Mk. 3 coaches, which has now changed despite both having been repainted in new coats of the standard GBRf livery ready for their wrap and losing their nameplates. Instead, just 66748 looks set to be given the wrap, and it will lose its West Burton 50 nameplates. However, RI understands that Belmond has expressed serious concern over the state of NR’s lineside vegetation and the damage it could do to the fleet of freshly overhauled Mk.…

THE CONTINUED issues with Class 73/9s forced GB Railfreight to hire 37403 Isle of Mull from the Scottish Railway Preservation Society to work the Caledonian Sleeper trips between Edinburgh and Aberdeen for several days in June. On June 13, the 37 worked 1A25, the 04.28 Edinburgh-Aberdeen (a portion off the 21.15 Euston-Inverness) with 73968 retained as a translator vehicle as the 37 cannot couple directly to the Mk. 5 sleepers. The pair then headed back on 1B16, the 20.26 Aberdeen-Edinburgh, although the Class 73 was not running as the 37/4 could provide train supply via the ‘ED’. On June 14, they handled 1A25 again, but as it was a Saturday, they did not return, so the next working was on June 15 when they headed south on 1B16, the 20.36…

GB Railfreight has created two more unique liveries following the outshopping of 69016 and then 66710 from the Eastleigh workshops of Arlington Fleet Services. While the Class 69 has received a predominately white and blue livery to promote the British Transport Police, 66710’s all-red garb forms part of the Railway 200 celebrations and features the logos of the GWR, LMS, LNER and Southern on its four cabsides. 66745 has joined recently completed 66744 in receiving a fresh coat of GBRf blue and orange at Loughborough to remove the Europorte livery elements. Both GMs were expected to receive vinyls wraps as dedicated power for the Britannic Express luxury train, but this is now to bestowed on just 66748. Meanwhile, DB Cargo’s contribution to the year’s railway festivities, a repaint of appropriately-numbered…

THE OVERHAUL on 27056 at the Great Central Railway is drawing to a close and the loco has been repainted back into BR blue, but with a shortlived livery tweak – a white solebar stripe. Eastfield depot applied the stripe, along with red bufferbeams, in November 1983 for its planned use on a Royal Train at the time. It carried it until late 1984. This is the first time the loco has run in blue at the GCR, where it has been permanently based since 2008. It was stopped for overhaul in 2016. Attention is now turning to the continuation of the overhaul of another Sulzer Type 2 at the railway, Class 25 D5185, which was stopped in 2019.…

THE TWO-AND-A-HALF-MONTH loan of Class 121 55024 to the Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway reached its conclusion in mid-May, with the maroon ‘bubblecar’ returning home to the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway. Meanwhile, Waggon und Maschinenbau railbus 79960 has also returned to its home line of the North Norfolk Railway; it arrived on June 4 to take part in the ongoing 50th anniversary celebrations. However, its stay is only temporary and in due course will resume its long-term loan at the Ribble Steam Railway.…

THREE OF the Type 4s based at the Severn Valley Railway will be attending the Mid-Hants Railway’s July 11-13 diesel gala, with previously announced D1015 Western Champion now being joined by Warship D821 Greyhound and Peak 46045. With 47579 James Nightall GC and 50008 Thunderer also expected to take part, this will give a mix of Sulzer, EE and Maybach Type 4s. Class 20s D8059/188 are also due to work at the event and other guests may be added to the line-up. The Embsay & Bolton Railway, in North Yorkshire, is running a diesel gala on August29-31, with residentsD2084, 08773, D8110 and 37294 all announced as working alongside long-term guest loco 31452, from Eastern Rail Services The following weekend sees the Bluebell Railway hold a diesel gala, on September 5-7, with…

D2094 – Milton of Crathes: One of the trio of Class 03s based at the Royal Deeside Railway, D2094, has recently received attention. While its bodywork is now tatty, its early 2000s paint job has evolved with a natural, weathered look, but one of the volunteers has taken on the task of doing something about it. They have meticulously cleaned and primed the exposed metalwork; this is a crucial step in preserving its structure for years to come and the process to protect the cab and other areas. Having not run for about nine months or more, D2094 recently had a successful 30-minute run-up. It is a major step forward, though the team are still addressing some key items like the jackshaft bearings. As part of the careful maintenance, the…

The number series of British Railways’ diesel locos built in the 1950s was haphazard, and batches of numbers were allocated to new-build locos with little consideration for later-build batches. The numbers also made little logical sense. You’d think BR would have started with the lowest numbers for the smallest locos and worked its way up? Nope. D1 was 2300hp Type 4 – a Class 44 (because everyone is so familiar with these classifications, I will use them from the outset even though the TOPS classifications didn’t come in until 1968). That production run ran to just 10 locos, although a later order of quite enhanced designs followed on, so D11 was a Class 45. There was no D100 to start a class and instead, D200 was used for another Type…

The Greatest Gathering! The railway is 200 years old and there are plenty of celebrations around the of country to commemorate this milestone. The biggest event is The Greatest Gathering at Derby, which will have as many as 100 locos on display. Railways Illustrated looks at the diesels and electrics being exhibited and assesses what their contributions to the railways has been – good, bad, or indifferent! The Class 99s are here: The first two of GB Railfreight new Stadler electro-diesel Class 99 locos have arrived in the UK. We examine in detail at the new locos – their spec, construction, and delivery schedule – and look at what they will work, what changes they bring to the GBRf fleet, and indeed the railfreight market in general. Ten pictures: This…