Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2018 i Rail Express

MORE details have emerged about the future rolling stock to be provided by KeolisAmey during the new 15-year Wales and Borders franchise, which begins on October 14. There will be something old and something new, but mostly the latter. To list the old, Mk.4 coaches displaced from LNER by Hitachi IETs will be transferred in for the North-South Express service, which is to have three rakes of four vehicles. Twelve Class 170 DMUs are also to be acquired for the Ebbw Vale line, which will come from Greater Anglia when they are displaced by new rolling stock, and there will be five additional single-car Class 153s transferred from GWR for use on rural services. NEW TRAIN ORDERS A partial solution for the low-cost replacement of ‘Pacers’ has seen a commitment…

SPANISH firm CAF is to compete to build the HS2 train fleet to ensure there is sufficient competition from a newly-announced joint venture bid from Hitachi and Bombardier. The latter two companies have already worked together to build the 400kph Frecciarossa 1000 high-speed trains for Trenitalia. Alstom, Siemens and Talgo are also bidding for the contract. The HS2 deal will be worth £2.75 billion for a minimum of 54 trains to run on Phase 1 between London and the West Midlands. The fleet will be compatible with Network Rail lines, meaning they can go beyond HS2 to serve destinations such as Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The tendering process is due to start later this year with contracts awarded in late 2019.…

GB Railfreight has won a five-year contract to operate and maintain yellow plant for Crossrail/Elizabeth Line from September, bringing the company full circle after being involved with moving the spoil away from the tunnelling under London. In connection with this, Transport for London has ordered three maintenance trains: a Linsinger MG31 rail milling train and two Robel multi-purpose engineering trains with bespoke machinery attachments. All three are fitted with the Elizabeth Line’s signalling system, enabling them to move around the railway while passenger trains are still running, rather than in a possession. The milling process is claimed to eliminate the problems of sparks, fire and dust created by traditional rail grinding trains while leaving a smoother surface. It carries the number DR79101 (99 70 9127 006-3). The Robel multi-purpose engineering…

A SURPRISING, but welcome, move saw West Coast Railways operate a loco-hauled shuttle on the Oxenholme to Windermere branch in Cumbria for two weeks at the end of June. These were the first locos to work timetabled passenger trains on the branch since it was singled and downgraded as part of the West Coast Main Line electrification project in 1973. The shuttles resulted from a campaign led by local MP Tim Farron to reinstate train services to the important Lake District railhead after franchised operator Northern had replaced its trains with buses in a temporary timetable from June 4. Northern had been struggling to implement the new timetable introduced across its routes on May 20, and temporarily axing the branch was seen as a way to stabilise the situation. LOCO-FEST…

AFTER many years of decline, the number of modern traction depots is actually on the rise again to cope with the many new trains currently, or soon to be, entering service. Recent openings have included the new depot at Reading and Hitachi’s depots at Stoke Gifford (Bristol) and Swansea, while the former Eurostar depot at North Pole in London has also been reopened by Hitachi for its Class 800 IETs. New EMU depots have also opened in the last few years at New Cross Gate (London Overground) and Three Bridges (Thameslink), while Greater Anglia is planning to build a major depot to maintain new-build EMUs. Manningtree was the site chosen by Abellio Greater Anglia, but problems over land ownership, plus rail and road access, seem likely to scupper that plan…

GOOD news for Class 40 aficionados as the CFPS has announced No. 40145 will be running two one-way only charters in September as stock positioning moves. Friday, September 14, will see a trip from Carnforth to Bury, operated by West Coast Railways ahead of the following day’s Flying Scotsman charter from Bury. Starting at approximately 12.30, the train will run via Peak Forest, Hindlow, Warrington Arpley, Latchford, Fiddlers Ferry, Edge Hill and Manchester Victoria. There will be about 235 miles with the Class 40 and a Class 37 in ‘top and tail’ mode. The stock returns to Carnforth on Sunday, September 16, again hauled by No. 40145 ‘top and tail’ with a Class 37. This trip runs from Bury to Carnforth via both Bradford stations, Ilkley, Skipton, the Rylstone branch,…

AS TEMPERATURES soared in late June and early July, an increasing number of preserved railways resorted to using diesel power on services to prevent lineside fires from occurring. The East Lancashire Railway announced on June 30 that it would be using diesels only, and the following day saw No. 37109 operate on the line’s steam diagram, working alongside No. D9537. The same day saw No. 08757 in use at Telford for the same reason. Similarly, the Strathspey Railway suspended steam running after June 30 following a lineside fire, while the Middleton Railway used diesel traction on July 1. The Great Central Railway also used diesel power after a number of lineside fires, with Nos. 1705 (47117) Sparrowhawk, D5185 (25035) and 37714 Cardiff Canton all being called in action, the ‘47’…

OFFICIAL confirmation came on June 15 of the long-expected aquisition by GB Railfreight of the fleet of Class 56s assembled by UK Rail Leasing. In a press release, GBRf stated that the locos will be used to provide extra capacity as the company continues to grow its traffic portfolio. There had been speculation for some months that around 10 locos would be put through a modernisation programme, including fitting new engines. However, this aspect of the project has yet to be agreed, with GBRf merely stating it is “subject to final contract”. It has also emerged that if this re-engineering goes ahead, new cabs may be fitted to improve the type’s crashworthiness, which could significantly alter the appearance of the selected locos. POSSIBLE REINSTATEMENTS In the meantime, a small number…

BARS TIME finally ran out for two of the long-stored Class 31s at Wolsingham at the end of June, Nos. 31602 and 31468 being systematically demolished by local scrap merchant J Denham Metals. Network Rail yellow-liveried No. 31602, which had not worked since the end of 2012, was consigned to history on June 26 with Fragonset-liveried No. 31468 following within two days, having not seen use for over a decade. COLAS RAIL REINSTATED during April, No. 56090 returned to the main line for the first time in over 14 years on June 7 when the newly-overhauled ‘Grid’ led Nos. 56302, 50017 and 50050 on a 0Z56 Nottingham Eastcroft-Crewe test run, the return being headed by No. 56302. A second outing from Nottingham on June 21 ventured to Sleaford, with No.…

THE long-awaited return to action of No. 08580 after 12 years out of traffic finally occurred at the end of June but in an unexpected manner. Having received a major overhaul at Wishaw by Railway Support Services, the loco had been due to return to traffic during the spring, but a variety of niggling faults saw two diesel gala appearances missed and a planned deployment to Bounds Green deferred. However, these issues were rectified in time for No. 08580 to answer the call for assistance at a charity event at Hanson’s Ketton Cement Works, near Stamford, on July 1. Promoted by the Branch Line Society, this was four brake van rides over the internal rail system and planned to be powered by the two resident RMS Locotec Class 08s in…

THE DFDS (Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab) container service between Waterford Port (Belview) and Ballina ceased on June 5. The company announced on May 29 that the service was to be withdrawn because “Despite the best efforts of all parties involved (DFDS, Irish Rail and Waterford Port) the company has now concluded that the rail service cannot continue in its current form and we must cease to operate it”. DFDS had reduced the container service late last year in order to minimise losses, but loadings continued to be less than satisfactory, hence the withdrawal of the service. A statement by the port authority confirmed that “It was to continue to explore alternative opportunities for railfreight” at its port. When DFDS bought Norfolkline in 2010, the container traffic between the two locations continued.…

THE competition to produce the definitive re-creation of the BR/Sulzer Type 2s in ‘OO’ gauge took a further twist at the beginning of July, with Heljan joining Bachmann and Sutton’s Locomotive Works (SLW) in coveting members of the Class 24/25 family. Specifically, Heljan is looking at the type in its final Class 25/2 and Class 25/3 guise, which featured the revised design of bodysides and cab fronts. SLW has produced the ‘standard’ Class 24 in recent years while Bachmann’s long in gestation model of the headcode box fitted classmates is also tangibly progressing at last with the publication of a CAD image in its most recent collectors’ club magazine. Bachmann has previously stated that its revamped tooling will cater for a new Class 25 while the design of the SLW…

IT has been some time coming, over six years in fact, but Bachmann has now received the first engineering prototype of the completely retooled ‘OO’ gauge Class 158. The original model was one of the first D&E items to be produced by the manufacturer back in the late 1990s and, as such, is rather dated by today’s standards, lacking both DCC compatibility and the ability to cater for an increasing number of detail variations. A new version was announced back in 2012 but a decision part way through the project to completely redesign the chassis to accommodate a new low-profile mechanism added to an already lengthy development. Although it will likely be next year before the model hits the shops, the sample provides a taste of what is to come…

FOLLOWING on from the highly successful launch of its 24½ ton hopper, Accurascale has now unveiled the identity of its next ‘OO’ gauge model. This will be the well known PCV ‘Cemflo’ cement wagons, which were immortalised in miniature decades ago by Triang-Hornby, and are remembered for the long distance Cliffe-Uddingston workings along the ECML, not to mention straying into the path of English Electric prototype DP2 with devastating results. Operated by the Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (APCM), the wagons wore Blue Circle Cement branding and were in traffic between the early 1960s and late 1980s. The Accurascale model will cover the second batch of wagons, which were built by Metro-Cammell, with CAD work already completed and tooling underway. Expected in two batches between October and December, pre-orders can be…

GERMAN supplier Modellbahn Union is now marketing ‘HO’ scale versions of the 90-tonne ‘Zafns’ or ICA slurry tanks as built by Arbel Fauvet at the end of the 1980s. The first batch of models was released last autumn with a second run featuring different numbers and brandings appearing earlier this year, the majority of those pictured here being from this latter group. Many may notice a strong similarity to the ‘OO’ gauge version of the same wagon produced by Dapol, particularly with regard to the highly reflective look of the pristine wagons and impressive finish on the weathered examples. Unsurprisingly, this is due to the British manufacturer producing the tankers for the German company, having resized the CAD work with relatively few alterations. Representing the most familiar look of the…

FOLLOWING on from the pair of Class 50s featured last issue, Kernow Model Rail Centre has now released a similarly exclusive duo of ‘OO’ gauge Brush Type 2s, both limited to 350 examples and employing the Hornby tooling. The first of these is No. D5579 finished in its well known golden ochre livery (R3674), as applied from new in an experiment to improve the visibility of the diesel fleet for lineside workers. Delivered to Stratford at the start of 1960, the model represents this initial look as, within a couple of years, the loco had gained overhead electrification warning flashes. By mid 1963, half yellow ends were in place and this remained its increasingly scruffy appearance until repainted in BR green around late 1965. Welcomely, the model employs the little…

THE Class 50 Alliance has confirmed the latest additions to the line-up for the Severn Valley Railway’s Class 50 Golden Jubilee gala event on October 4-6. Garcia Hanson’s No. 50008 Thunderer, Neil Boden’s No. 50017 Royal Oak and No. 50050 Fearless, and Paul Spracklen’s No. 50026 Indomitable are the latest to join this one-off event to mark the 50th year of the class The addition of these four should see 10 Class 50s in operation over the three days. The line up so far includes: Nos. 50007, 50008, 50017, 50026 (subject to completion of engine repairs), 50031, 50033 (subject to completion of overhaul), 50035, 50044 (subject to completion of engine repairs), 50049 and 50050. Class 50 Alliance director Jon Dunster said: “The event is shaping up well and we’re delighted…

THE KWVR was one of the first standard gauge heritage lines in the country, running its first official trains on June 29, 1968 – a few years after the Bluebell Railway (1960) but ahead of its nearby neighbour the Middleton Railway in Leeds (1969), as well as lines such as the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Severn Valley Railway (1970) and the Great Central Railway (1973). The five-mile branch runs up the Worth Valley in West Yorkshire from Keighley (where there is a main line connection) to Oxenhope, with intermediate stations at Ingrow, Damems, Oakworth and Haworth. It is best known to the general public as the setting for the 1970 film ‘The Railway Children’, as well as countless other appearances in film and TV productions. The branch was built…

THE author wishes to thank the Engine Shed Society (ESS) for its help with this series of articles, and in particular Philip Stuart who is joint author, with Paul Smith, of the book Railway Depots , published by Ian Allan in 2010. The ESS was founded in 1986 for people interested in depots old and new, and publishes a quarterly magazine called Link. Its AGM is usually held in autumn at a depot on the national or preserved networks. It is also seeking information on shed demolition dates. www.engineshedsociety.co.uk…

TRANSPORT for London has announced that Siemens has won the contract to build and maintain 94 new trains for the Piccadilly Line. The new trains will be built at a brand new factory in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, and will replace the current fleet of 175 three-car half-trains of 1973 Tube Stock that currently operates the 41-mile line. They are due to be delivered between 2023 and 2026. Five pre-qualifying manufacturers were invited to tender for the contract to construct the New Tube for London in January 2016: Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Hitachi and Siemens. These bids were submitted to TfL on September 26, 2016. The trains will be slightly longer than now, but will allow passengers to walk between cars and also feature air conditioning. They are designed to…

Your letters, emails, feedback and other comments are always welcome. Contact us at: Rail Express, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR; or email: railexpresseditor@mortons.co.uk. The editor reserves the right to edit all letters, and the views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the magazine. ‘37s’ ON BUXTON ICI WORKINGS I ENJOYED the article on the Buxton ICI stone wagons and workings in the July issue. I enclose a picture of No. 37168 at Chinley on the ICI hopper empties on March 6, 1981, which we recorded as a Northwich-Tunstead. My friend and I were surprised to see a Class 37 on this working rather then a ‘25’ or ‘40’, so I wonder when they started using ‘37s’ at Buxton, as…

PRIVATELY-OWNED Class 40 No. D213 Andania was due to be moved from Barrow Hill to Locomotive Services, Crewe, on July 10. The locomotive is being prepared for main line action following the completion of fitting of all the mandatory equipment. The company, which is hiring the Class 40 for an initial period of three years, told Rail Express there were no confirmed details of when and where its first charter would be. Scarborough, Holyhead and Carlisle make up the three most likely destinations and, of course, there will be the mouth-watering prospect of No. D213 paired with the CFPS’ No. 40145 in the fullness of time. READ THESE AND HUNDREDS MORE EDITIONS IN THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVE classicmagazines.co.uk/rmarchive Like us on facebook facebook.com/RailExpressMag…

THE removal of the last remaining EMU cars from the now closed Electric Railway Museum at Coventry was completed on June 18, when the last vehicle 4-SUB DMBSO No. 12796 left the site for anew home at LSL’s Margate storage facility (the former Hornby factory). The complete 4-SUB, No. 4732, has been moved to Margate, along with the sole-surviving Class 503 set and 4-EPB trailer No. 15354 (from set No. 5176), which is a donor for the ‘SUB’. It is the first time that the 4-SUB and Class 503 units have been undercover for more than 20 years, and the newly-formed Heritage Electric Trains Trust has set a 10year timescale for their restoration to display standard and heritage railway operation, which it estimates will cost a seven-figure sum. Other departures…

THE closure of the Electric Railway Museum in Coventry endangered two former Central and South London Railway (C&SLR) carriage bodies. The cars, Nos. 135 and 163, were constructed in 1904 and 1907, of timber and metal frame respectively. The London Transport Museum has moved car No. 163 to Neasden Depot, where it arrived on June 15. However, they are keen to point out that this does not mean that the car is being accepted into the museum’s collection. Car No. 163 is considered to be in very poor condition, having corroded extensively. The museum says it will explore every option, but scrapping cannot yet be ruled out. Meanwhile Car No. 135 has been moved by the Suburban Electric Railway Railway Association to private store in Sellindge, Kent.…

CLASS 33 HAVING moved from Southall to Carnforth in May, narrow-bodied Class 33/2 No. 33207 accompanied No. 37516 on the 1Z25/07.06 Carnforth-Scarborough as far as York on June 21, before handing over to Bulleid ‘Pacific’ No. 35018 British India Line. There was more ‘Crompton’ action the following day as No. 33029 replaced No. 37669 on the shuttle services between Oxenholme and Windermere, ‘top and tailing’ the three coaches with No. 57316 and working over the weekend until late on June 24. CLASS 37 A TRIO of BR large logo blue ‘37s’ handled the Branch Line Society’s ‘Nosey Peaker’ tour on June 14 with Nos. 37424+37407, and No. 37401 at the rear, forming the outward leg as 1Z49/07.58 Stafford-Buxton via Manchester Victoria and returning via Altrincham (see photo on pages 80/81).…

LESS than two months after the arrival of the first Class 365 in Scotland, ‘Networker’ units have begun operating services between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street. The first workings took place late on June 23, when Nos. 365517/537 formed the 1R42/22.30 Glasgow QS-Edinburgh and 1R49/23.30 return. No. 365537 retains its Daniel Edwards (1974-2010) Cambridge Driver name. The following day saw the same pair in action, running between Glasgow and Linlithgow only, owing to engineering works. June 25 saw Nos. 365509/525 in passenger service along with the aforementioned Nos. 365517/537. More units are due to enter traffic in the coming weeks, which will enable the next batch of Class 170s to be released for transfer to Northern. Further units delivered to Scotland in recent weeks have been Nos. 365509/537, which…

■ TRAFFIC AND TRACTION: The international North West 200 motorcycle road races during week ending May 19 saw extra traffic to Portrush. On the 19th there was a 09.50 Belfast Great Victoria Street (GVS) to Coleraine extra and an 18.30 Portrush to GVS. As on previous occasions, the Portrush branch halts at University and Dhu Varren were closed for that day as their platforms are not long enough to accept six-car DMUs that are used on busy days. NIR subsequently stated that during the summer period the following would apply: On Saturdays from June 2 to September 1, branch services between 10.30 and 19.30 would omit the halts as would services between 10.30 and 19.30 on Mondays to Fridays between July 2 and August 31. On Sundays June 3 to…

WORK is now underway on a second version of Dapol’s highly successful ‘O’ gauge Class 08. As promised, this will see the model modernised to represent later builds, alterations including pressed doors with short hinges, metal cab doors, air compressor cabinet and a reduced number of marker lights. Expected around Christmas, fully decorated locos include No. 08717 in BR blue with Inverness stag emblems, InterCity-liveried No. 08795, Railfreight triple grey No. 08740 and the Privatisation era duo of Freightliner’s No. 08891 and EWS’ No. 08709. These liveries will also be available in unnumbered form, the BR blue model also dropping the stag. All 10 of these models have a RRP of £225 with DCC sound versions also available at £400. Also in Dapol’s 7mm range, livery samples of the BR…

HELJAN has announced a new batch of Class 52 ‘Westerns’ in ‘O’ gauge. These include the first appearance of the oddball chromatic blue with small yellow panels as No. D1043 Western Duke while there is a weathered ‘standard’ blue version as No. D1067 Western Druid. Completing matters are BR green/half yellow No. D1035 Western Yeoman, the maroon duo of Nos. D1061 Western Envoy (half yellow) and D1039 Western King (full yellow) and BR blue No. D1023 Western Fusilier. Meanwhile, due towards the end of this year is a new batch of 4mm scale ‘Hymeks’, the most interesting but conversely least useful being No. 35017 in its preservation era ‘Dutch’ grey/yellow livery of the 1990s. The others are the BR green pair of Nos. D7015 (no yellow) and D7088 (half yellow),…

LOOKING at the Bachmann 2-EPB unit, it occurred to me that with a little work, I could possibly convert it to become a 2-HAP, the main differences being the provision of two lavatories and a first class section in the trailer car. I had previously built a DC Kits 2-HAP and had another waiting in the wings, so measuring the lavatory section of this plastic kit against the 2-EPB, it was aperfect lengthways fit between the relevant passenger doors. Extra lavatory window body sections were duly sourced from DC Kits, two different pairs of panels actually arriving, one pair from the HAP kit and the other from an Eastern Region AC unit. Those from the latter set were not only longer overall but the distance between the two compartment windows…

ANNOUNCED back in January 2016, the development of Heljan’s latest 4mm scale shunter has been a rather protracted affair but the first batch of Class 07s arrived in the shops during June. A total of eight models have been released to all retailers, these being equally divided into two groups. The first quartet covers the Ruston and Hornsby0-6-0s in as built condition and encompasses the BR green pair of Nos. D2985 and D2990 along with the BR blue duo of Nos. D2992 and 07010. The other four depict the dual-braked version of the class with an additional cabinet on each bonnet side as well as related pipework and high level brake pipes. Reviewed here is No. 07005 in BR blue and this is joined by No. 2993 in the same…

THE second half of the year should see a considerable number of Class 37s released in ‘OO’ gauge by Bachmann, with the standard catalogue items being joined by the recently announced ‘sales rep’ specials and a handful of more traditional limited editions. The first of this glut has now arrived in the form of No. 37049 Imperial in Railfreight triple grey with Coal sub-sector emblems (32-790). An early recipient of the livery in June 1988 following overhaul at Doncaster Works, the loco was the fifth Class 37 to receive Coal logos and, in the event, would be the only unrefurbished split headcode box example to be treated. Bachmann’s model portrays No. 37049 as released from the South Yorkshire works with red nameplates and without any other embellishments, such as depot…

GREAT North Western Railway has been given the go-ahead to run open access services between Euston and Blackpool North. The company will run six return trains on weekdays, five on Saturdays and four on Sundays. It will use four trainsets formed of a Class 91+six Mk.4s+DVT displaced from the East Coast Main Line by Hitachi IETs. Rights have been given from May 2019 to December 2026 – ending just before HS2 is due to start operations. Virgin Trains currently operates four return trips between Euston and Blackpool, meaning there will now be up to 10 trains a day to and from the Lancashire resort. GWNR says it will differentiate its service with a different calling pattern (Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Preston, Kirkham & Wesham and Poulton-le-Fylde) and discounted fares in…

THE invitation to tender for the next East Midlands franchise, which will commence in August 2019, was published by the Department for Transport on June 7. The main problem faced by the three remaining bidders – Stagecoach (the current operator), Arriva, and Abellio after a bid proposed by a consortium made up of First Group and Trenitalia failed to materialise – will be what rolling stock to use. Previous assumptions that the route would be electrified beyond Bedford to reach Nottingham and Sheffield were abandoned by the Government in 2017 due to rising cost estimates and the transfer of express services to HS2 in 2033. The extension of wiring to Corby was retained, which will allow a new hourly semi-fast service to be established from December 2020 using EMUs. The…

FOUR-CAR EMU No. 710261 became the first of the class to be delivered to its new future home at Willesden depot, North London, when it was hauled there ‘top and tailed’ by Nos. 57305 and 37884 on June 13. The unit was then used for the press launch on June 20, giving the first chance to look inside the newly-completed train. The ‘710s’ are due to start work on the London Overground route between Gospel Oak and Barking from November, before also taking over on the Euston-Watford Junction and Liverpool Street-Chingford/Cheshunt routes. The fleet will comprise 48 four-car units (Nos. 710101-131 and 710256-272) plus six five-car units (yet to be allocated numbers). The ‘710/1s’ are AC only while the ‘710/2s’ are dual voltage (AC and third-rail for use on the…

ALTHOUGH primarily known as a steam railway for enthusiasts and tourists, diesels have been a key part of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s heritage operations from its beginnings in the late-1960s. At weekends, and on weekdays through the main operating season, the railway runs a diesel railbus or DMU service that is used by local residents travelling by train to avoid the busy road traffic in the surrounding tourist area. Today the KWVR operates public rail services on more than 200 days per year. The railway has also been proposed for a more formal commuter service on a number of occasions, connecting into main line services at Keighley for residents of the valley to access the cities of Bradford and Leeds. West Yorkshire Metro funded a study in 2009,…

THE tilting capability of the Holyhead-Euston ‘Super Voyager’ was of no benefit as it sidled up to a red signal at Colwich Junction, Staffordshire. After a brief wait, the aspect cleared to green and the Manchester driver had every incentive to recover the lost time. Colwich Junction is a suitable location from which to make a 0-60 calculation, starting uphill at 1-in-452 before four changes within the range ‘down 408 to up 317’ until 125mph was reached around Elmhurst, just north of Lichfield. The GPS recorder was located in one of the few locations where it works on a train in the ‘Voyager’ family. It is understood that the Class 221s that retain their tilt ability are about only 3½tonnes heavier than classmates with the mechanism isolated, but the average…

RAILTOUR operators have long come up with somewhat unusual tour titles, and UK Railtours is at the forefront of these. So, top marks to the operator for the following two, both of which involve extinct or nearly extinct species. Taking off on November 17 from London Victoria is ‘The Return of the Short-haired Bumblebee’. This is a Forgotten Tracks tour embracing the Grain and Dungeness branches in South East England, and it is at the latter destination that the title becomes apparent. The tour is dedicated to Bombus Subterraneus, a species of short-haired bumblebee thought to have become extinct in the 1980s but recently reintroduced to the nature reserves of Dungeness. Also taking off from London Victoria, this time on December 8, is ‘The Festive Oozlum Bird’. This meandering tour…

THE National Railway Museum has begun a condition review of its entire diesel and electric fleet to decide the way forward for each of the vehicles in the collection. A Conservation Management Plan will be drawn up individually for each item of rolling stock which will look at: the condition of the vehicle now; what the NRM wants to do with it (for example, is it at risk due to its condition? should it be a static exhibit? restored for use but limited to the NRM yard? or occasional or even regular use?); and how any of this should be achieved/done. The fleet review is in its early stages and is being undertaken by the museum’s curatorial staff in conjunction with the diesel volunteer team. No timescale has been set…

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THE Bury Hydraulic Group’s ‘Warship’ No. D832 Onslaught is set to visit another railway later this year, with an appearance at the Great Central Railway in September. Also visiting should be a Class 66, courtesy of GB Railfreight, and a yet-to-be-announced guest. The Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway’s ‘Back to Broadway’ gala at the end of July will feature a visiting ‘Hymek’ as well as the previously announced ‘Warship’. No. D7017 will be moved by road from the West Somerset Railway for the event. Riviera Trains’ No. 08605 should be a draw at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway on August 11. The loco is currently having its vacuum brakes reinstated. The previously planned appearance by No. D7076 will no longer take place (see separate news story). In addition to its appearance at the line’s…

JUNE proved to be a quiet month for locomotive repaints with just four HST power cars emerging in new colours, beginning with Nos. 43169 and 43183 in the ScotRail Intercity scheme from Brush Traction. Meanwhile, at Derby, Loram outshopped No. 43465 in the revised East Midlands Trains colours during June with No. 43484 then following it through the paintshop. Notably, when No. 43465 was transferred from Neville Hill to Derby on May 27 by Nos. 43044 and 43480, it was carrying white and orange East Midlands Trains lettering on its Grand Central black and orange livery, suggesting it was once intended to enter service without a repaint. The application of new logos was also in evidence elsewhere during June, with No. 47727 receiving Caledonian Sleeper stags at Edinburgh Craigentinny late…

EASTERN Rail Services’ hire fleet has been bolstered by the acquisition of three vehicles which form part of the Caledonian Sleeper fleet. Their purchase from the TOC comes just months after ERS began supplying a vehicle (InterCity liveried Mk.2f BSO No. 9513) for use on Caledonian Sleeper duties between Edinburgh and Fort William. The three coaches which have joined the fleet are Lounge Cars Nos. 6700/03 and Unclassified Brake No. 9800. One of these, No. 6700, has recently been repainted into Caledonian Sleeper colours following a visit to the Weardale Railway for attention at Wolsingham depot. Also now in the livery is Mk.2e BSO No. 9497, and the two newly repainted coaches departed for Scotland behind No. 47727 on June 13, running as the 5Z47/16.45 Bishop Auckland West-Polmadie. The BSO…

THE DB Cargo programme to convert redundant HTA coal hoppers into shorter and thus more efficient HRA aggregate hoppers has reached a major milestone with the completion of the first 10 ‘production batch’ wagons at WH Davis’ compact site at Langwith Junction, Shirebrook. The wagons are numbered immediately after the 10 conversions currently underway at DB Cargo’s facility at Stoke-on-Trent, namely: Nos. 41 70 6723 011-014, 41 70 6723 028/029, 41 70 6723 031/033/034/036. Of note is that No. 41 70 6723 013-2 has buffers at one end, likely to have been added during the conversion as no No. 330xxx series buffer-fitted HTAs have been sent to Davis yet. The 10 departed Davis’ yard on June 25 behind No. 66098 as the 4Z19/14.15 Shirebrook to Doncaster Belmont Down Yard. Other…

■ TRAFFIC AND TRACTION: A fire damaged a signalling relay room at Bray on May 18. As a result, DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) and Dublin-Rosslare line services experienced serious disruption for over a week. The Bray to Greystones section was closed and bus substitution introduced. A very limited DART service operated in each direction between Bray and Dalkey, with normal operation to and from the latter to Howth and Malahide. The service on the Bray to Dalkey section was withdrawn after each evening peak to enable repairs to be carried out. Rail tickets were accepted on Dublin Bus services during the period of disruption. Three DMUs were confined to the Greystones-Rosslare Europort area: Nos. 22x18, 22x41 and 29x12. A normal service was restored from start of service on Sunday,…

JUNE saw Heljan release the first images of its under development ‘O’ gauge Class 50, which is expected to be released early next year. As ever, the model is said to be subject to corrections and improvements in several areas. Currently carrying an RRP of £699, six general release models will be produced in refurbished condition, including unnumbered examples in BR Rail blue, large logo blue and original and revised Network South East. Completing matters are No. 50007 Sir Edward Elgar in Great Western green and No. 50149 Defiance in Railfreight triple grey with General markings. www.heljan.dk Hattons has also commissioned two exclusive limited editions of the ‘Hoover’ for release at the same time, these being the early 1990s ‘railtour’ pair of No. 50008 Thunderer in ‘Laira blue’ and ‘Dutch’…

THE initial batch of BR design 2-HAP electric units (Nos. 6001-42) were built at Eastleigh Works in 1957/58 to replace the Southern design 2-HAL units on the Gillingham and Maidstone lines. The Driving Motor Brake Second Open (DMBSO) car of each set was identical to that found in the BR 2-EPB units in the series 5701-79 but upgraded with an express gear ratio. In contrast, the Driving Trailer Composite Lavatory (DTCL) was an amended design in that it featured three first class compartments with a side corridor behind the cab, two lavatories (one for each class) and a five bay second class saloon. Units No. 6001-42 were classified as ‘1951 Stock’ as they employed electro-pneumatic control equipment. Three more batches subsequently followed, beginning in 1958 with Nos. 6043 to 6105…

IN addition to the general release Class 07s, Heljan has produced a single model exclusively for Hattons. This depicts No. 07001 in its unique orange and grey HNRC colours as applied in the autumn of 2000 when the shunter was undergoing overhaul for industrial use. The loco was originally purchased from Peakstone by Harry Needle in 1989, it spending part of the next decade at the South Yorkshire Railway. However, between 1993-97, it was hired to Mayer Parry for use at its Snailwell scrapyard, near Newmarket. Re-registered on TOPS at the end of 2000, No. 07001 was deployed to the Creative Logistics rail freight terminal at Ordsall Lane, Salford, in the spring of 2001. However, rail traffic to the site ceased around 2004 in the wake of the asylum seeker…