Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2021 i Rail Express

On September 13, the three Cardiff–Holyhead direct services started running with Mk.4 rolling stock cascaded from LNER East Coast operations. The sets provide First and Standard Class accommodation, including kitchen/buffet car facilities, and are made up of four coaches, plus a Driving Van Trailer, with Class 67 locomotive haulage hired in from DB Cargo. Typical journey time is 4hrs 30mins, which means there will be few through passengers, but intermediate journeys will be competitive and the service is a statement of intent about future ambitions to improve the infrastructure that will allow higher line speeds, which in turn will result in shorter journey times. This includes the North Wales coastal route that has been starved of investment, other than some signalling renewals which did not impact on line speed. The…

Spoil excavated from the construction of HS2 is being moved to a logistics hub located at the site of the former Willesden Freightliner terminal which opened in 1967 and later became one of nine Euro terminals to cater for Channel Tunnel traffic. It subsequently ceased to be used for inter-modal activity as the expected volume of international traffic did not materialise, and had fallen into disuse by 2005, although the site has been used since for a number of alternative rail-related purposes. As well as spoil, the hub will handle inward construction materials, including concrete rings that will line the HS2 tunnels. The excavated material is likely to amount to 5.6 million tonnes, which will be dispatched by rail to sites at Barrington, accessed from Foxton (Cambridgeshire), Cliffe (Kent) and…

CLASS 20 Bound for Crewe, Nos. 20205+20007 passed Walsall on the evening of September 20, prior to hauling Pacific No. 60163 Tornado to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. With the steam locomotive’s support coach in tow, the trio set off at midnight as the 5Z20 to Grosmont routed via Manchester Victoria, Wakefield Kirkgate and York. All three locos formed the 5Q21 17.01 Grosmont-York NRM on September 27 following the NYM gala weekend. Earlier in the month, Type 1s Nos. 20142 and 20189 had been moved by road to the NYMR and London Transport-liveried No. 20142 was noted at Whitby station on September 12. Heading light from Chaddesden to Worksop on September 16, Nos. 20118+20901 negotiated the Toton complex at 10.30 that morning. CLASS 31 Brush Type 2 No. 31128 put…

UNVEILED in its Railfreight triple-grey scheme in May, No. 66794 only entered full revenue-earning service in September. The Petroleum sub-sector branded Class 66/7 left Longport after a month of fettling for a shakedown on the arduous duties centred around Liverpool Docks/Tuebrook Sidings and was dragged to Merseyside on the 3rd by Nos. 60002 & 60021. Initially working the Shap/Tuebrook to Ashton-in-Makerfield loaded stone from the 6th, after a week it stepped up into the big league on the Liverpool Biomass Terminal-Drax biomass circuit, before being redeployed to the Roxby ‘inactive waste’ duties on behalf of Biffa towards the end of the month. Meanwhile, No. 66796 was outshopped from Eastleigh in a new HS2 environmental colour scheme with The Green Progressor name for an unveiling at Willesden on September 14 (see…

SHORTLY before the DfT announced the train operating company would transfer to Government ownership on October 17 (see Headline News, page 10), Southeastern introduced a new name for its Class 707 fleet, the first of which entered passenger service on September 27. The 30 units, which are in the process of being transferred from South Western Railway and will be used on the Hayes, Sevenoaks and Dartford routes, have been branded as ‘City Beam’ trains, although it is unclear whether this branding will be continued once the Operator of Last Resort takes over services. Arriving on Southeastern metals in the early hours on September 4, were Nos. 707011/12. Initially moving from Waterloo to Grove Park, they ran to Gillingham later that day to be prepared for use with their new…

NEW ARRIVALS AT CHINNOR FOUR Mk.1 coaches previously based at the now closed Elsecar Steam Railway have been acquired by the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway. TSO Nos. 3958 and 4903, SK No. 25562 and BSK No. 35305 all moved to their new home during September. HST BUFFET FOR LINCOLNSHIRE WOLDS ONE of five HST coaches delivered to the Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society back in March, TRFK No. 40713, has now moved to a new base at the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway, where it will be used as a static buffet. Another of the coaches, TGS No. 44015, has joined the Eastern Rail Services fleet, leaving three (Nos. 42504/11 and 44059) at Scunthorpe. LMS SLEEPERS GO FOR SCRAP A pair of LMS Sleeping Cars, SLF No. 394 and SLT(T) No.…

■ DUBLIN AREA RAPID TRANSIT (DART): The EMU working the 18.05 Bray-Malahide was failed at Dublin Connolly on August 24, while the 21.04 Greystones-Malahide started from Bray. A signalling problem in the Bray/Shankill area during the afternoon of August 25 caused disruption, while services in the Connolly area the following morning were disrupted because of signalling issues. The EMU working the 15.10 Malahide-Bray on September 2 was failed at Sandycove. Services were delayed until the unit was removed. The unit working the 11.15 Greystones-Malahide was failed at Sydney Parade on the 5th, while services on both lines were temporarily suspended between Sandymount and Lansdowne Road during the morning of the 6th after Serpentine Avenue level crossing was damaged by a road vehicle. The 16.30 Malahide-Greystones was cancelled on the 7th…

THE Class 319s on Thameslink had a reputation for doing an honest if unspectacular day’s work, along with most of British Rail Engineering Limited York’s output. Over 30 years ago, who would have predicted a second career for this class, banished to the outer reaches of the United Kingdom and fitted with diesel engines owing to historically disjointed efforts to provide line-of-route electrification? ‘Sluggish’ hardly describes the performance of the revised Class 769/4 units, now weighing a plated 159½ tonnes ‘in working order’ after the fitting of two 563hp diesel engines. There are few lines as flat as Wigan Wallgate to Southport, yet the number of absolutely level starts is minimal. Hoscar, New Lane and Bescar Lane are the best examples, but these are normally served by the Stalybridge (Manchester…

The huge effort made by the Deltic Preservation Society to return No. D9009 Alycidon to working order, is bearing fruit. Both bogies have now been rebuilt and are about to be placed back under the Deltic. All six traction motors had to be removed for repair following its disastrous power surge failure in March 2019, returning south from Edinburgh. Repairs for these traction motors alone have cost £184,000. A power unit lift to enable the damaged main generator to be removed is also scheduled and a replacement unit lifted in. Alycidon will then be taken by road to the Great Central Railway to be tested and run in. The DPS has received a request for No. D9009 to haul a railtour in April 2022 and is working to achieve this…

Revolution Trains keeps with a Metro-Cammell theme by adding the five different types of 1928 K-type Pullman coaches to its range. Constructed by Metro-Cammell, the 29 coaches were placed in service on GWR operated Ocean-Liner and Torquay Pullman services alongside the Tees-Tyne Pullman, Yorkshire Pullman and Master Cutler by the LNER and BR. In the 1960s, K-type Pullmans operated alongside other types of Pullman stock, adding to the appeal of the proposed new models. Today, a handful of K-type Pullman vehicles operate with former Brighton Belle trailers in the Belmond British Pullman and with VSOE in the past, hauled by a mixture of traction including Class 73s, Class 47s and most recently, Class 67s, bringing a contemporary dimension to the models. All five of the coach types will be offered…

SIX of the seven ‘OO’ gauge Mk.3 trailer models for the LNER HST farewell tour set of December 2019 have been released by Hornby, finished in heritage BR blue and grey as applied to the tour train, itself finished as near to the original BR HST livery as possible. It was a fitting farewell for a train which had served East Coast Main Line routes well; capturing the imaginations of enthusiasts who delighted in seeing a seven-trailer HST in BR blue and grey livery grace the rails once again. Two First Class trailers, three Standard Class trailers and a Trailer Guard Standard vehicle are first to be released, with printed details for up-to-date fittings such as central door lock lights and controls. They are to be followed up with the…

CENTRE headcode box Class 40s, which were constructed in 1961 and 1962, made up the final design of the class. The draughty communications doors of both disc and split box designs were consigned to history, replaced by a neat glazed four-character headcode box. Numbered as D345 to D399 (plus seven Scottish Region ones retrospectively fitted, although slightly different in appearance) it is represented by the second release of the Heljan Class 40 in ‘O’ gauge. It is a heavyweight monster of a model, very much like the full size locomotives in weight and appearance. The massive proportions of the body riding on archaic-looking 1Co-Co1 bogies with their unpowered front axles required to carry the 135t weight of the locomotives is a character replicated in the model. The Class 40 was…

DP World, operator of London Gateway, is to commission a fourth berth at its rail-served logistics hub. The £300 million scheme will provide more capacity for the world’s largest vessels, and follows previous investment of £2 billion. The new quay will increase capacity by a third, in anticipation of the rising use of ships capable of conveying up to 24,000 TEU (20ft equivalent containers) between Asia and Europe by 2023. It also reflects the economic benefits that are expected to result from the creation of the Thames Freeport which allows the tariff free handling of imports that are re-exported. PORT THROUGHPUT UP Throughput at the port has been growing, with 888,000 TEU being handled in the first six months of 2021, which is an increase of 23% compared to the…

COLAS RAIL HAVING moved to Arley, on the Severn Valley Railway, for storage in July (see September issue), there has been some developments in Colas COTS pool Class 43s Nos. 43251, 43257, 43272, 43274 & 43277. A temporary covered area has been installed at Kidderminster and Nos. 43251 & 43257 were both reported there in the second week of September. Meanwhile, Nos. 43272 & 43274 departed the SVR on the 8th, working a 0Z43 light engine move to the Derby RTC. On September 29 they were seen sporting Colas logos on their sides This leaves just No. 43277 at Arley awaiting attention. No. 37025 was moved from Nottingham Eastcroft to Barrow Hill on September 16 to allow a wheelset swap to take place. It powered the first leg of a…

Correct to September 27, 2021 Allocations 142071 sent for disposal 197101 newly delivered HQ/HLHQ 387303-05 EM/HTHQ-RG/EFHQ 507006 sent for disposal 707011/12/25/26 WD/HYHQ-SG/ HUHQ 769922/27/32/35/44/47 HQ/SBXHRG/EFHQ Liveries  EMR purple: 170504/06/08, 360121 LNWR: 350109 Orion: 319373 SET: 707011/12 SWR: 450014/22/34/42/89 TfW: 153922 Named 220009 Hixon January 6th 1968 220016 Voyager 20 800031 Mazen Salmou/Charlotte Marsland 800317 Freya Bevan Names removed 802010 Corporal George Sheard Renumbered 159902-156402 156909-156409 319422-769922 319427-769927 319432-769932 319435-769935 319444-769944 319447-769947 Formation 345001: 340101+340201+340301+34 0401+340501+340601+340701+340 801+340901 Now in passenger traffic 345005/08/60720545/49/51/54/57/59/60/63/66/68 In further use Airedale Hospital: 55801 (144001) Preserved  East Somerset Railway: 129 (483009) Stored/stopped locations  Bletchley: 196006/07/10/11, 196104 Bournemouth: 455703 Clapham Junction: 455750, 455905 Crewe LNWR: 197001, 777002/05/07/09 Litchurch Lane, Derby: 720513/14 Long Marston: 144012/15/21 MoD Bicester: 365525 Old Dalby: 730101 Harwich Parkeston Quay: 317339/40,317501/10 Tyseley: 196009/12, 196109 Wimbledon: 455726,…

SCOTRAIL DELIVERY ONE of the four outstanding sliding door HST conversions for ScotRail, No. 42096, was delivered by road to Assenta Rail at Hamilton on August 30. Five-car HST sets have yet to appear in service, with most of the additional vehicles being stored at Slateford, Haymarket and Inverness. CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP FOR MK.3S OWNERSHIP of the seven Mk.3a coaches previously recorded as being sold to PNP Events Ltd, Nos. 12061/079/090/137/146/164/167, has been transferred to Nemesis Rail. As of late September, the former Greater Anglia Mk.3s were still at Long Marston. GWR HST UPDATE GREAT Western Railway’s ‘GTI’ sets are continuing to return to Wabtec, Doncaster for remedial work to be undertaken. Set GW07 (Nos. 48119-21 and 49107) returned to Laira with power car Nos. 43029/154 on September 2. Later…

PROBLEMS in arranging a convoy move (which would have seen Nos. 31128 Charybdis and 58023 visiting the line) resulted in the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway putting back its diesel gala until April 1-3, 2022. Instead of the gala, the line held a Class 31 and 37 running weekend on September 11/12. Looking forward to 2022, January 2 marks the 40th anniversary of the ‘Deltic Scotsman Farewell’ and the DPS is planning an event at the Great Central Railway, which may involve No. D9009 Alycidon as well as No. 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier, which is currently visiting the line. Further ahead, subject to an exchange of contracts, No. 55019 should be visiting the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway between April and June 2022. DIESEL GALAS/EVENTS 2021 November 6/7: Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway…

RAILWAY SUPPORT SERVICES RSS No. 08703, on hire until end 2022 to GB Railfreight, has been named Jermaine, after a young HS2 supporter, the surprise naming (for Jermaine) taking place on September 14. The shunter is based at HS2’s Willesden logistics hub (see Headline News, page 12). The recently purchased Clayton CD40s (see October issue) are already being put to work. At the end of September No. 4618-4 was at Network Rail’s Melton Rail Innovation & Development Centre, with No. 4618-3 to follow as part of the GBRf five-year contract to operate the facility. These machines will release the ‘08’s currently present (Nos. 08580 and 08922) for other duties, including a long planned one at Garston. No. 4618-5 has gone to London Underground, while No. 4618-7 is at Boulby mine…

REVEALED in our September issue, the first examples of Freightliner’s new FFA-G twin container flats are now in the UK. Similar in appearance to the VTG Ecofret wagons and apparently utilising the same Wabtec LN20 low-noise, low track force bogies, the operator describes these as around two tonnes (12%) lighter with 980mm deck height, allowing access to all parts of the W10 network while loaded with 9ft 6in ‘high cube’ boxes. Built by Greenbrier Europe at Wagony Swidnica in Poland and designed over a period of two-and-a-half years in partnership with Wabtec Axiom Rail, the new vehicles are finished in the same grey scheme as recent MWA box wagon deliveries. Notably, the 20 pairs made the European mainland legs of the journey completely behind FL Group power, courtesy of its…

THE latest ultrasonic inspection of the Irish rail network by Sperry has again featured the loco-hauled train, as the new machine that will replace it has yet to be commissioned. GM No. 079 worked a 14.40 Portlaoise PW yard to Portarlington and 15.43 return test trip on September 2. The train consisted of a wagon loaded with a tank and spoil container, the Sperry container wagon and on-loan RPSI ‘BR’ van No. 3173. On September 6, the train, with No. 079 in charge, ran to Mallow and was recessed en route in the down sidings at Limerick Junction. The next day, No. 079 hauled the train from Mallow to Cobh. Cork standby locomotive No. 220, which had run light to Cobh, returned the train to Cork with No. 079 following…

READERS familiar with the rail network around Glasgow will gain a new perspective from the images on the following pages, captured on August 16 from Eurocopter AS355 Twin Squirrel helicopter, registration number G-NLDR, one of two aircraft in use by Network Rail’s Air Operations team, which has been operational since 2007. Images taken from the helicopters, as well as a fleet of drones, survey Network Rail’s infrastructure and adjacent land and help to predict and prevent failures by identifying developing faults before they result in breakdowns, keeping the network running safely and smoothly. Chris Ashworth, National Aerial Survey specialist says: “We have the best office on the railway” and Rail Express has to agree! Images are fed into Network Rail’s RouteView system, which monitors land movement, land use and weather-related…

Pathfinder Tours has announced a new tour to run on December 4 – ‘The Christmas White Rose Express’. Hauled by the CFA’s Nos. 50007 and 50049, the destinations are York, Durham and Newcastle, with an originating point of Cardiff. Pick-ups are at Newport, Bristol Parkway, Cam & Dursley, Gloucester, Worcestershire Parkway, Bromsgrove (then a standing start up the Lickey) and Birmingham New Street. The only requirement is stamina – a nice early start at 05.20 from Cardiff is followed by a late arrival back into the Welsh capital at 23.55. Two weeks later, on December 18, UK Railtours will make another visit to Beverley from London King’s Cross. As Class 67 is precluded from the Hull-Beverley-Scarborough line, Nos. 50007 and 50049 will take over the ‘A Beverley Christmas Carol’ tour…

Canopy fitted MGR MGR wagons return to the Dapol range with a new version of its popular model fitted with what appears to be an original style canopy. They were fitted to some MGR wagons from new, which were coded HCA, as well as being conversions of standard HAAs undertaken by Railfreight, although not all HAAs were treated as planned, because some loading points could not handle the taller wagons. A modified or aerodynamic canopy was applied to MGR wagons in the early 1990s to reduce dusting, starting with the 1980s-built HDAs which became coded as HBA, alongside standard HAAs which became HFA. Whilst it is difficult to tell which canopy type has been tooled by Dapol at this stage, it appears to be the original type fitted to HCAs.…

A 1:76 SCALE model (‘OO’ gauge) of a Dublin Bus adorned with a unique advertising livery for Iarnród Éireann passenger services is the latest Irish Railway Models (IRM) commission from Britbus. The Leyland RH Class Olympian double deck bus, introduced in late 1990, featured contemporary images of the Iarnród Éireann scene, placed against Dublin inspired backdrops, when reliveried in the mid-1990s. Trains on buses In 1994, two buses were completely painted with Irish Rail adverts. No. RH90, was decorated to advertise fast track parcels services whilst the featured bus, No. RH41 (registration mark 90-D-1041), received railway scenes featuring an LHB Dart train, together with new Class 201 locomotives, coaching stock and a 2600 Class multiple unit. The hand-applied advertising livery became known as ‘Inter City’ and was remarkable in its…

AMONG the most satisfying modelling projects are those that can be completed in a couple of days, using readily available and inexpensive materials. The featured MTV/ZKV four-wheel box aggregate wagons was built using the venerable but useful former Airfix tank wagon kit, currently produced by Dapol. It can be bought for anything between £6 and £9 and includes metal three-hole disc wheels (sometimes), alongside a very useful underframe. When the scrap box is ransacked for as many useful off-cuts of styrene card and strip as possible, the construction cost of the project can be kept to as little as £10 to £15. The painting stage can add about £5 due to the cost of transfers and finishing materials. Nonetheless, a satisfying kit-bash project, that emulates a conversion undertaken by Standard…

The Department of Transport revealed on September 28 that the Government’s Operator of Last Resort (to be known as SE Trains) will take over the running of Southeastern services from Govia on October 17, when the TOC’s current direct award contract expires. While an extension until March 2022 was originally a possibility and new operating contracts have been agreed with other operators, the DfT claimed that financial irregularities that led to the non-declaration of £25 million of taxpayer funding had caused a serious breach of the franchise agreement’s ‘good faith’ obligations. Although the money has since been reclaimed by the public sector, the DfT has chosen to take on operation of Southeastern in the same way that it currently runs Northern and LNER. Passengers and frontline staff have been told…

SIX Mk.2 ‘air con’ TSOs which last saw use with ScotRail on Fife Circle services in 2020 have been moved into Network Rail’s QRSV pool and taken to Cardiff Canton to be prepared for use with the company. The coaches were hauled south from Motherwell, where they had been stored since the cessation of loco-hauled services on the Cardenden loop, by No. 37716 on August 26. RETENTION TANKS FITTED Like the five former Caledonian Sleeper coaches leased from Eastern Rail Services, these Mk.2s have an advantage over many other vehicles, as they already have retention tanks fitted, making them ideal for use on trains where staff are needed to be present. Their exact role has yet to be revealed. DRS still has 20 Mk.2 coaches on its books (see table),…

OCTOBER 25 sees First Group launch its new Open Access service between King’s Cross and Edinburgh, running under the ‘Lumo’ name. Training runs have been continuing, and in addition to using a set from the Hull Trains fleet, units have also been hired in from TransPennine Express. This has provided the unusual spectacle of TPE liveried IETs at King’s Cross. Units observed at the London terminus during the latter half of August and into September were Nos. 802202/06/09/11-14/17/18. Of the five sets which make up the ‘Lumo’ fleet (Nos. 803001-5), No. 803004 was hauled from Merchant Park Sidings to Darlington by No. 66797 on September 20, after which it undertook a test run to Prestonpans and back prior to returning to the Hitachi plant. The following day saw the set…

A test run in advance of a planned main line charter to Kingswear ended up in disappointment when No. D1015 Western Champion suffered a seized engine while piloting a GBRf freight service on September 17. It was the loco’s first main line outing since 2016, and it had been due to haul the ‘Champion Torbay Express’ to Kingswear eight days later. The Class 50 Alliance’s Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance stood in on this tour (see Railtours, page 86). The September 17 test run had been arranged in conjunction with GB Railfreight and involved the diesel hydraulic running light engine from its Kidderminster base to Avonmouth prior to piloting No. 66719 with the 6M42 09.20 Avonmouth-Penyfford cement train as far as Gloucester. Following the loaded test run, the ‘Western’…

AFTER a gap of more than nine years, the Class 50 Alliance’s No. 50044 Exeter returned to main line use on September 5, when it was used on the Preston to Bescot leg of GB Railfreight’s ‘This Time it’s Personal’ four-day charity railtour, sandwiched between Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance. No. 50044 last saw main line use in July 2012, when, while working a GBRf staff charter, it suffered a major power unit failure, putting it out of service for several years. A replacement power unit was obtained from one of the now-scrapped Portuguese Class 50s (No. 1807), and following modifications, was fitted to the loco, and it began operating at the Severn Valley Railway in 2019. Although stopped for several years, No. 50044 has remained main line certified…

September 10 saw the move of RMS Locotec’s 0-6-0 shunter No. 08762 from Wolverton to Great Yarmouth, where it joins Eastern Rail Services’ No. 08870. The following day saw it used to shunt the stock of an incoming steam railtour for watering, believed to be the first time in 30 years that the Yarmouth carriage sidings have been used to service stock.…

UK wagon builder WH Davis has signed a contract to provide 30 new 101.6-tonne JNA (UIC code Ealnos) box wagons for delivery in the second quarter of 2022. This will be the third iteration of the JNA design from the Langwith Junction-based manufacturer. They follow the 20 vehicles delivered in 2019 to VTG Rail which utilised former JSA coil carrier underframes and Axle-Motion bogies (see July 2019 issue) and the recent order for 46 JNA-U ‘Megabox’ variants for Beacon Rail/GB Railfreight that will employ recycled TF25 bogies and braking equipment from redundant ex-Freightliner HHA hoppers (see October issue). The latter are still expected to be delivered at the end of the year. The new JNA boxes will effectively be variants of the 75m3 ‘Megabox’ design, albeit shorter in length and…

IT is now 27 years since the return of Pete Waterman’s ‘Peak’ No. D172 Ixion to the main line, the first preserved diesel to break the so-called diesel ban (see the Preserved diesel locos on the main line feature in the January 2020 issue) – although there had been several runs made by preserved locos, either officially sanctioned or otherwise! Interestingly, there was no such ban on the use of preserved electric traction, providing it met the necessary safety requirements, which meant a couple of locos, as well as several EMUs, saw action on the main line prior to 1994. This feature examines the preserved electric locos which have seen use on British Rail and Railtrack/Network Rail metals. The first preserved electric which took to the main line in the…

STANDARD RAILWAY WAGON CO (Standard Wagon) built a fleet of 150 aggregate box wagons on the underframes of redundant 1950s ESSO four-wheel tank wagons in 1975. The wagons retained vacuum brakes and roller bearings on a 15-foot wheelbase underframe. Numbered as B390000-149, they were utilised on aggregate traffic in the West Country and from the Mendip quarries to London and the Home Counties. A uniform livery of BR bauxite with black underframes was applied to what was likely the first of many heavily ribbed box wagon conversions utilising tank wagon underframes. MTVs, as they were coded under TOPS, spread their area of operation to the north of England with sightings as far as Tinsley, Peak Dale and Warrington being recorded. In the late 1980s, the fleet was transferred to departmental…

OVERHAUL of the Bachmann locomotive range continues apace with the Class 47 being the latest in the range to be completely redeveloped with new bodyshell tooling, refined detailing, new drive and more sophisticated electronics. It replaces the existing model which was always highly regarded by modellers. The new model, which has been three years in development, introduces fully motorised radiator fans in a ‘OO’ gauge model for the first time, but at a premium price in the top of the range of three specifications of model. With it comes a new marketing concept beyond just offering DCCready and DCC sound fitted versions of various models. A DCC-ready (Standard) version, a digital sound equipped model (Sound Fitted) and one with additional detail fittings including tinted glazing and motorised fans in addition…

Autumn colour forms the backdrop to the small wagon repair depot operated by DB Cargo which, on October 27, 2019, was occupied by four locomotives stabled over the weekend (Nos. 66027, 66118 and 66174 are visible). A lovely industrial area micro-layout could be based on this scene, backed by a bank of silver birch trees modelled with autumn foliage which belies the industrial nature of the area served by the railway. The nearest track is an entry line to Tees Yard from the Middlesbrough direction. There is a hard standing in front of the small workshop building together with the usual paraphernalia associated with modern servicing points: skips, tool stores, safety railing adjacent to an inspection pit, lighting, signage and grass growing on the track. One could add almost any…