Innehållsförteckning för October 2025 från Railways Illustrated

A TWO-DAY diesel gala at the Midland Railway – Butterley was supported by DB Cargo, which sent seven Class 66s, two Class 67s and a Class 92. 66023 was only on display as it was not operationally fit, alongside 92011, but 66026/032/091, 66175 Rail Riders Express, 66200, 66652, and 67005 King’s Messenger and 67007 were all used to work trains alongside the visiting 45108 from the East Lanca shire Railway. 66091 was named Accurascale at the event as a mark of cooperation between the model maker and DBC.…

CLASS 150 17/7 – 150231 5M57 08.44 Landore-Derby Litchurch Lane. 4/8 – 150213 5Z13 13.50 Cardiff Canton-Landore, withdrawn. 13/8 – 150257 5Z57 10.20 Cardiff Canton-Landore, withdrawn. CLASS 153 16/7 – 153914 5Z14 09.32 Landore-Cardiff Canton. CLASS 197 29/7 – 66594 + 197025 6G97 10.06 Donnington RFT-Crewe Carriage Sidings. CLASS 313 24/7 – 37884 + 313201 5Q57 11.26 Eastleigh Works-Derby Litchurch Lane. CLASS 320 19/7 – 320417 5Q06 09.05 Wolverton-Yoker. 20/7 – 320413 5Q70 09.00 Shields-Wolverton. CLASS 331 29/7 – 37501 + 331013 5Q57 10.29 Allerton-Derby Litchurch Lane. 5/8 – 37501 + 331013 5Q36 12.54 Derby Litchurch Lane-Allerton. CLASS 345 30/7 – 37501 + 345055 5Q59 09.59 Old Oak Common-Derby Litchurch Lane. 4/8 – 37800 + 345055 5Q73 17.39 Derby Litchurch Lane-Old Oak Common. CLASS 350 28/7 –350232 5Z78 14.52 Northampton…

AS MANY as 15 Class 37s could attend the Severn Valley Railway’s October 2-5 celebration of 65 years of the popular English Electric Type 3s. The SVR has decided to hand over its regular autumn diesel gala to an almost exclusively EE Type 3 event. Aswellas37263,which is coming to the end of a three-year stay at the SVR, amix of preserved locos and those still in use with main line operators will take part. A set of West Coast Railway’s air-braked Mk. 1 coaches is planned to be brought in as locos from Locomotive Services, Colas, Europhoenix and Rail Operations Group can no longer work with the SVR’s home fleet of vacuum-braked coaches. The SRPS rake of Mk. 1 stock should also be visiting; a railtour from the Scottish central…

TO CELEBRATE the 60th anniversary of Class 14 D9551 entering traffic, a special running turn for the loco has been arranged at the Severn Valley Railway for Saturday, September 13. The private train will comprise three GWR ‘Top Light’ coaches and two observation saloons. Tickets are £10 per person for one round trip, £15 for two trips and £20 for all three round trips. The day also includes an additional shuttle between Bewdley and Kidderminster, so more than 100 miles of Class 14 haulage. The group will open its sales stand, as well as hold a raffle with prizes including a day on the footplate of D9551, a replica D9551 cabside number panel and other prizes. Footplate rides on D9551 are available during the day (subject to space, a strict…

Stood alone inside Derby Litchurch Lane at 07.30 on Saturday, August 2, day two of The Greatest Gathering, the biggest railway event in decades, it was eerily quiet. It wouldn’t be like this in 30, 60 or 120 minutes… it would slowly build up to a hive of activity, but for me, I stood for a few moments in that peace and quiet and wondered what Robert and George Stephenson would have made of it. What would these pioneers of the railway have thought of an 11-coach Pendolino in eye-catching livery, able to travel at 125mph, tilt as it takes bends, and deliver a 400-mile Euston to Glasgow journey in 4½ hours? How would they comprehend that a train could go that fast, with just one driver, sitting comfortably in…

Fresh from the release of the English Electric Class 50s, Accurascale has gone more modern for its next locomotive subject in OO gauge, delivering an all-new recreation of the Brush-built Class 60s. This was designed to offer a fresh take on the popular heavy freight machines and provide an alternative to Hornby’s 20-year-old tooling, which was good for its time but now suffers from some idiosyncratic choices by its manufacturer. In the event, the Accurascale model has ended up going head to head with a rival offering from Cavalex Models, which has developed its own version of the Class 60 and just released the final liveries in its first batch of locos. Inevitably, there is an overlap in the colour schemes offered by the two companies, but they have largely…

The state of preservation ➔ There are more than 500 preserved diesel and electric locos in England, Scotland and Wales, but how many work, what’s being restored, what may never run, and what could be scrapped? In the first part of two features, we look at the near-200 preserved shunters to assess the state of the preserved ‘fleet.’ ➔ Is train spotting still a fun hobby? Much maligned for many years, the recent rise of the first ‘celebrity’ train spotter has seen an increase in youngsters appreciating the railways. But do people still sit at stations and take numbers? We visit some major stations to find out if it’s still a popular pastime. ➔ Big, beautiful Brushes: Our Nostalgia feature is a superb selection of images from Peter Fitton’s amazing…

AS WIDELY expected, Chiltern Railways has agreed a deal to take on all 13 sets of ex-Transpennine Express Mk. 5A CAF coaches for use on its Marylebone to Stourbridge route. It will increase its locomotive-hauled operations from four to nine diagrams a day. Because the Mk. 5As have a different operating system to the Mk. 3 coaches they will replace, Chiltern will be leasing 68019-032 directly from Beacon and returning 68010-015 to DRS as they cannot operate with the newer coaches. Also,68018Vigilant willbe made available as a ‘rescue only’ loco, but DRS’s 68033/034 (which it owns outright rather than leases fromBeacon) will not be included in any operational agreement, despite them previously being compatible with the Mk. 5A coaches. As soon as the contract was signed, moves began to reactivate…

THE FIRST of 26 Class 158 two-car DMUs for East Midlands Railways has been unveiled after its refurbi shment. Unit 158847 was shown off to the press and local stakeholders at an event at Nottingham on July 24. It is the first of the fleet–comprising 16 owned by Angel Trains and 10 by Porter brook – that will benefit as part of the £5.2 million package. The upgrade is part of a wider £60m enhancement programme for the company’s regional multiple unit fleet which has already started on the Class 170/5s and was due to start soon on the Class 360 EMUs at the end of August. Externally, the unit has had the same all-over purple livery as applied to the 170/360 fleets, while inside 158847 there are seat foams and…

THE SEVERN Valley Railway reopened fully as planned on July 25 after the landslide between Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth was repaired. Hundreds of visitors flocked to join the special ‘reunification’ launch and were treated to 20142 Sir John Betjeman working the trains, while simultaneously pushing 60103 Flying Scotsman around for the day in light steam due to a high risk of lineside fires due to the exceptionally hot weather. Other steam bans on the SVR in the even hotter temperatures of mid-August saw D9551, 20142, 20189, 821 Greyhound, 50033 Glorious and D1062 Western Courier all in regular use as the line staged impromptu daily mini diesel galas.…

HASTINGS DIESELS Limited has announced its fifth outing of 2025 will be on September 20 –its 100th railtour since it returned its Hastings DEMU set 1001 to the main line in 1996. This 426-mile trip starts at Hastings and heads via Bromley South, Kensington (Olympia) and will take passengers to five destinations: Oxford, Leamington Spa, Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham Moor Street. The return will see no set-down at Kensington, but it will stop at Clapham Junction instead. More details, including fares and timings, are at www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk/railtours…

GBRf breaks record for run-round B Railfreight was celebrating winning another entry into the Guinness Book of Records after successfully completing a locomotive run-round in just 67 minutes. The momentous occasion happened at Derby station on August 31 when 57307 Lady Penelope arrived hauling a multi-coloured Pendolino on achartertrain from Crewe. Rather than doing the sensible thing and propelling into Litchurch Lane Works, it was felt that the 57 needed to run round to drag the train the final few chains of ‘massive Quail track’ into the works. The effortless run-round included a whole 10 minutes of the 57 being sat two metres away from the Pendolino, which was heard to be saying, “not now, I’ve got a headache” – before relenting and allowing it to be ‘progressed.’ During the…

Despite their advanced years, the Class 37s continue to receive new liveries, with 37423 the latest to gain a fresh look. Repainted by Boden Rail at Colwick, the former DRS Type 3 now carries a revised grey and turquoise Europhoenix livery with ‘Rail Services Partner’ branding. Meanwhile, 37419 has joined 37422 Pegasus in the orange and blue Swietelsky scheme following a visit to Loughborough during July. Of the new liveries applied to main line-registered traction for The Greatest Gathering, the grey and red garb now carried by 90018 is perhaps the most striking. Part of Freightliner’s ongoing 60th anniversary celebrations, the scheme is inspired by the original 1960s container livery and was applied by Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works. Also unveiled at the event were the former 56301, now…

SWR reaches milestone for Arterio introduction The steady rollout of the Class 701 EMUs by South Western Railway achieved a notable milestone on August 12 with the introduction of the 17th diagram for the units. There are now more weekday workings for the class than there are for the remaining Class 455s, where just 16 diagrams exist for eight-car formations. Although the rate varies, typically one Class 701 is being introduced per week, with 701012 debuting on July 21 with 2V45, the 16.07 Waterloo-Waterloo via Hounslow loop, while 701013 followed seven days later on 2C05, the 05.26 Waterloo-Reading. Illustrating the variance, 701058 appeared for the first time on August 11, forming 1D10, the 06.22 Dorking-Waterloo, with 701057 following just two days later on 2O53, the 18.00 Waterloo-Waterloo via Kingston loop.…

THE DIESEL groups based at the Mid-Hants Railway have launched a £30,000 appeal to build loco stabling shelter for the fleet. Andy Fuller, part of the group that owns 50027, said: “We have several heritage diesels based at Ropley. Despite our diligent care and attention, they are suffering by being exposed to the elements throughout the year. However, we now have an opportunity to create a shelter for the fleet – and we need help. “We need to raise thousands of pounds to get cover over the Ropley TMD sidings. With financial donations, we can get work started on planning and construction straight away. “You can help by donating to this GoFundMe page – please donate whatever sum you can afford. Every penny will go towards the construction of cover…

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…

MORE EXPORTED HST power cars have been renumbered and put into traffic in Mexico as more routes are planned to be worked by the sets. Of the 18 locos shipped to South America so far, eight are now in traffic and have been renumbered, another eight are being prepared for use, and two have been identified as spares donors. Those in traffic and now renumbered are 43007 (FIT3009), 43022 (FIT3008), 43170 (FIT3007), 43306 (FIT3010), 43307 (FIT3011), 43316 (FIT3012), 43320 (FIT3013) and 43378 (FIT3014). Those donating parts are 43158 and 43295, while 43027, 43153/160/162/194, 43238/312/319 are also now in the country and most are expected to be returned to traffic. The new routes expected to be handed over to HSTs are from Coatzacoalcos to both Salina Cruz and Pakal Ná and…

THE START of public operations of Belmond’s super-luxury train, the Britannic Explorer, has been repeatedly delayed due to issues with the coaching stock, but it was hoped it would start running with passengers in late August. The train did run with passengers on August 1, but that inaugural trip ran into issues and had to be terminated Bedford. The train was taken out of service and the programme suspended while Assenta, which is responsible for the maintenance of the coaches, undertook more tests to find the root of the problems – which were door interlocks and wiring issues, as well as a few other minor technical issues. These have now been resolved, and the train restarted a period of testing with Belmond staff on board acting as guests. The plan…

A START on the main line testing of GBRf’s new Stadler Class 99s, running under their own power, started on July 23 when 99001 worked 4Q90, the 21.50 Peterborough Yard-Doncaster Decoy Yard test train. The loco had a trailing weight of 910 tonnes, comprising 20 IIA hopper wagons with 69014 EMD Longport behind the 99 and 69013 on the rear – one 69 for insurance in each direction. The first run was planned for July 21 but delayed by paperwork issues for two days. The train left the GBRf depot at Peterborough a few minutes behind schedule but then experienced two unexpected brake applications shortly after departure which delayed it by more than half an hour. Further delays due to other trains occurred before Stoke Tunnel, but thereafter the train…

Nemesis Rail forms new Mk. 3 charter set Burton-based Nemesis Rail has revealed its first steps towards creating a set of Mk. 3 coaches for use on both main line charters and preserved lines. The first three completed vehicles were unveiled during the Midland Railway’s Ale On The Rails 200 event over the weekend of July 19/20, with TSOs 12079, 12146 and 12167 sporting a striking Nemesis Rail livery adapted from the underlying Greater Anglia colours using vinyls. The trio of Mk. 3s were delivered to Swanwick Junction from Burton by 67007 on July 15, the Class 67 having earlier taken 10403, 11096, 12009, 12093, 12107 and 12150 to Burton. These six Mk. 3s remain the property of the Midland Railway Trust but have been loaned to Nemesis for use…

The Greatest Gathering festivities at Derby Litchurch Lane over the first weekend of August provided plenty of opportunity for naming ceremonies, with Freightliner christening newly-repainted 90018 after the event itself on the Saturday. The previous day saw GB Railfreight name both of its Railway 200 red Class 66s, these currently spending much of their time with the Inspiration exhibition train. 66719 was named after the former Conservative minster and now broadcaster Michael Portillo, while 66710 pays tribute to Karen Harrison, the first female train driver to be employed by British Rail. Meanwhile, DB Cargo also named its specially finished Railway 200 GM but only on a temporary basis, 66200 becoming The Jeremy Vine Show on the Friday of the event but with the vinyls removed by the time the loco…

THE MID-HANTS Railway is the first preserved railway to take ownership of a Class 150 Sprinter second-generation BR DMU, with ex-Transport for Wales 150231 moving to the Watercress Line after its appearance at The Greatest Gathering. Porterbrook has donated the 1987-built two-car DMU as the TfW Class 150/2s fleet is being withdrawn following their replacement by new Stadler and CAF DMUs in South Wales. The unit started life working from Newton Heath from February 1987 and had spells at Cardiff, Derby and Tyseley before moving to Norwich in 1994, where it was named King Edmund in September that year. It was then painted in Anglia Railway’s turquoise livery before returning to Tyseley in 2007 and then to Cardiff again, where it received Arriva Trains Wales colours and later Transport for Wales…

IT WAS very last minute, but 26043 returned to action at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s July 25-27 diesel gala, albeit only in a limited way. It wasn’t advertised on the roster, but it was advised that it could possibly work in tandem with the Class 45 on the Saturday only if the owners were happy it would perform okay. Luckily for those attending the three day gala, they were indeed treated to a return trip by the ex-works Class 26 piloting its bigger Sulzer stablemate on one return trip. However, the 26 wasn’t the only attraction. The arrival of the National Railway Museum’s pioneer Class 37 D6700 for the three days allowed not only a pair of original green 37s with D6700 and D6948 but also atriple header on the…

D3265 – Llangollen: Work has continued on the overhaul of the Class 08 based in North Wales, with a start made on looking at the valves and guides and also pressure testing of the block itself. Firstly, a tool was made to remove the collets and enable the valve springs to be removed to then take a valve out for inspection and check the condition of the guides. All was good here so far and will just need lapping in before building back up again. Meanwhile, the team carried on work preparing the block for pressure testing. When the heads were removed, it was initially found that water had entered one of the bores, so it was necessary to ascertain that this was rainwater due to its extended period unused…

When new, D5300-06 were just seven of the original pilot scheme batch of 20 BRCW Type 2s, what we know as Class 26s. They started life working passenger trains in England on the GN lines out of King’s Cross and Moorgate. Along with D5307-19, they all soon migrated north of the border in April/May of 1960 and from then on would be inexplicably linked with Scotland. They would now be seen working passenger trains on the Waverley Route among others until 1966, when they were called to works for overhaul. During those overhauls, D5300-06 had had air-brakes fitted, to be used on the new merry-go-round coal trains to Cockenzie Power Station, to the east of Edinburgh. As part of this, they also lost their train heat boilers and boiler water…

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