Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2025 i Rail Express

THE latest addition to Eastern Rail Services’ active fleet is Mk.2e BUO No. 9807, which has become the first coach of this type to gain Network Rail yellow livery. It is also the first BUO to undergo a major upgrade, including the fitment of 27-way through wiring and installation of water supply tanks to support the ultrasonic monitoring vehicles and staff coaches on the ultrasonic test trains. The latter has been made possible by the removal of all the seating from the vehicle. A further upgrade is the fitting of a new CET toilets with the ability to diagnose faults remotely via a 4G datalink. Acquired by ERS in 2018, No. 9807 had been stored at Great Yarmouth since 2020, although it had a short spell at Duke Island Studios…

CLASS 03 No. 03179 has made a return to the Isle of Wight, 27 years after it last crossed the Solent on its return to the mainland after an extended career with Network SouthEast on the Island Line. Now in private ownership and back in NSE colours, the shunter’s return marks the completion of a nine-year restoration and the commencement of a decade-long loan agreement with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. The loco left its previous home at the Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway on October 21 for the journey to Portsmouth with the following morning seeing it conveyed across to Fishbourne by Wightlink and then onwards to Havenstreet. No. 03179 is due to make its first passenger outings at its new base over the weekend of November 29-30…

D&E MODELLERS have a good selection of re-issued Hornby favourites on their way to beat the post-Christmas blues, with most models arriving in early 2026. Railroad models feature strongly including a single Class 31 as Trainload freight Construction No. 31271 Stratford and three Class 37s. No. 37093 in police colours fitted with digital sound tops the list. Two privatisation era locomotives are included as Loram No. 37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach and DRS No. 37419 Carl Haviland. Both the Class 37/4s are offered as DCC-ready and digital sound fitted models. A single Railfreight Distribution (European) Class 47 is also included in this useful collection of models, with a digital sound option. Another Class 153 is listed, decorated as Northern Rail No. 153360 whilst electric traction fans will look forward to Network…

THERE ARE many different reasons why a layout is conceived and built and Toesley Brook has done just that by successfully fulfilling several important objectives for me. So far, it has taken around ten years, on and off, to reach its current stage of completion and whilst not completely finished, it is progressing well. Layout concept Toesley Brook is a prototypefreelanced layout which is operated with rolling stock from any era, starting with late 1980s BR blue and BR large logo liveried locomotives through to the post-privatisation era. The collection of locomotives and rolling stock seen in the adjacent photographs reflects this fun and flexible operating principle. All buildings have been chosen and researched to bridge this time frame so that there are no jarring inconsistencies when the layout is…

TT GAUGE 1:120 scale 1988 to present ERA HORNBY adds the useful Tiphook KFA bogie container flat wagon to its ‘TT:120’ range along with 20ft. and 40ft. dry box containers and a container tank too. They broadly follow the KFA models released in ‘OO’ gauge by Hornby a number of years ago. The new TT:120 model covers the second batch of KFAs built by Rautaruukki of Finland numbered as No. TIPH 93290-93489. Consequently, only the Sambre et Meuse VNH1 bogie has been tooled. Painted dark Tiphook blue, the KFA is more commonly seen in patched dirty grime as they are rarely cleaned except during overhaul. The models are marked for their current lessor, Touax and with the appropriate up-to-date markings. KFA traffic The KFA is a useful choice of intermodal…

THE five former Tilcon and Tarmac JGA-K covered hoppers that were despatched to Cornwall just over two years ago for potential use as replacements for the CDA china clay wagons are to be scrapped. Taken out of store at Long Marston and delivered to Exeter Riverside, and then on to St Blazey on August 19, 2023, at the head of the 6V73 service from Cliffe Vale, Nos. NACO 19177/88/92/4/6 were not a success, reportedly due to difficulties loading the wagons without top loading equipment. With the iconic roundhouse site up for sale, the hoppers were the last vehicles on site. On October 13, No. 66054 headed from Goonbarrow to St Blazey to perform the last rites, moving the five Tatrastroj Poprad, Slovakian-built wagons to the north pad (road 5) to…

HAVING completed their first revenue-earning duty in September on a Peterborough–Doncaster sand working, GBRf’s new bi-mode Class 99s have now received Authorisation for Placing Into Service (APIS) from the ORR, confirming full compliance with accessibility, environmental, safety, and technical standards. This milestone keeps the operator on track to introduce the Beacon Rail-leased locomotives into regular revenue service in early 2026. Nos. 99001 and 99002 continued their testing programme between Wellingborough and South Wales during the first four days of October, working a 4Q45 20.08 Wellingborough to Pengam Reception Sidings and a 4Q48 return via a layover at Cardiff Canton. Notably, on the first day of the month, No. 99001 provided sole power with No. 66302 trailing for insurance, before No. 69010 North Norfolk Railway 1975–2025 The Poppy Line replaced the…

CLASS 20 Remarkably ten different English Electric Type 1s found employment during November with Locomotive Services’ Nos. 20107, 20118+20132 Saltburn by the Sea handling five trips with the Chairman’s train between October 11 and 13. Having travelled empty from Carlisle on October 11 the first special ran as the 1Z90 15.08 Newcastle-Seghill Junction on the Blyth & Tyne prior to travelling around the Durham coast destined for Scarborough. Next day the train left for York and then Keighley travelling via Sheffield, the Hope Valley to Stockport, Huddersfield and Shipley and leaving the Worth Valley Railway for Euston on October 13 with the trio of Class 20s powering the train as far as Crewe. Classmates Nos. 20096 and 20107 Jocelyn Feilding 1940-2020 took a Mk.1 brake from Crewe to Bishops Lydeard…

COACHING STOCK TO MATCH the forthcoming Northern Ireland Railway (NIR) Hunslet Class 101 locomotive models has been revealed by Irish Railway Models (IRM) in response to customer requests for Mk.2 stock in original blue and maroon livery. The 1970s stock was purpose built at Derby for the Enterprise service between Dublin and Belfast. The build included driving trailers for push-pull operation along with a single Grill-Bar coach. The fleet was augmented with generator coaches built from second-hand BR Mk.2b BFK stock to supply power for the trains when the Hunslet locomotives were withdrawn from the service in 1980. The introduction of GM Class 111 locomotives also brought an end to push-pull working on Enterprise services. At the same time additional BR Mk.2b/c stock was acquired which saw NIR Mk.2 coaches…

THROUGHOUT the 1980s and early 1990s, it was not unknown for depots to add their own ‘style’ to their allocated locomotive fleets. Stratford, Finsbury Park and Tinsley immediately come to mind. But what was happening with the paint pot at a depot in the south Birmingham suburbs would win in a game of Top Trumps. Tyseley was essentially a DMU maintenance depot, but it also had a fleet of Class 08 shunters. The depot also had the facilities and expertise to undertake work on main line locomotives, including modifications and major repairs. During the mid-1980s, the depot employed several apprentices who were keen to increase the visibility of the depot. The humble shunter fleet was in their sights, and a plan was hatched to repaint two of the fleet in…

50 YEARS AGO… DECEMBER 1975 ■ ANGLO SCOTS Mk.3 LAUNCH INTERCITY LAUNCHED its new Mk.3 coaches on two return West Coast services between Glasgow and London from December 15. First services to benefit from the new rolling stock were the return ‘Royal Scot’ workings, 10.10 from Glasgow to London and 10.45 from London to Glasgow. The Mk.3 coaches were also used on the 17.30 departure from Glasgow Central and the 17.45 from London. ■ DISUSED TRACK CAUSES DERAILMENT FIFTY PASSENGERS and train crew escaped without injury on December 19 when a peak time train was derailed between Clapham and Wandsworth Town. The 08.59 from London Waterloo via Twickenham to London Waterloo was formed of 4EPB No. 5131 and 2EPB No. 5675. The rear bogie of the fifth coach and all…

A PLAN to link Dublin and its airport that has been in the offing for over 20 years may now come to fruition after being approved by the planning commission. The 19km Metrolink with 16 stations between the city centre and the airport and Swords will be mostly underground and cost €9.5 billion. Critics of the project say that in its present form it does not connect with any of the mainline stations in the city centre. If funding for the Metrolink is approved by government and construction proceeds, it will mean that a much-discussed alternative ‘heavy rail’ option an airport link via a new branch from the Clongriffin area on the Dublin to Belfast line will not be progressed. This may in part be possibly due to a lack…

A NEW partnership will see the 125 Group’s HSTs become resident at the East Lancashire Railway (ELR). The collaboration is described by the 125 Group as offering “the best of all worlds”, providing it with access to the main line as well being able to operate and maintain its fleet at a preservation site. A six-car HST was expected to appear at the ELR’s DMU gala on November 8/9, working alongside resident units and visiting No. 79900 Iris. The set, formed of power car Nos. 43089 and 43159 Rio Warrior with trailer Nos. 40741, 41057/67, 42111/120/337, arrived from Alstom, Derby on October 31. Of the other vehicles which make up the 125 Group’s fleet, power car Nos. 43025/048 left the Midland Railway – Butterley with TRFB No. 40730 on October…

WITH SO MANY locomotive classes being spoken for and by several manufacturers, attention is increasingly being turned to multiple units, with the Class 313 and Class 314 three-car EMUs the latest ‘OO’ gauge models to be revealed for the EFE Rail range. Development of the new models appears to be advanced, with engineering prototypes and a livery sample available at the time of the announcement. To be effective, EMU models in ‘OO’ gauge should have fully modelled interiors and this can be tricky when there is extensive glazing in each car, as is the case with this family of multiple units. This has been overcome by fitting dual coreless motors within a diecast metal chassis, with one motor powering each bogie of the powered centre car. The same vehicle contains…

OO GAUGE 4mm scale 1957 to 1995 ERA TAKING ON A LARGE DMU CLASS consisting of numerous different vehicles, including driving and centre cars is no mean feat and one that manufacturers have been reluctant to do in any scale until Heljan announced its intention to produce the Class 104 DMU family. It has taken Heljan some time to deliver the Class 104 and this is undoubtedly due to the complexity of the project. Built between 1957 and 1959 and allocated to the Midland and Eastern Regions, they are a key unit for modellers of those regions where they ran as two-, three- and four-car sets. Their lightweight design made them suitable for steeply graded routes in the Pennines including the Buxton line. They also found use on short distance…

OO GAUGE 4mm scale 1982 to present ERA Prototype particulars THE BR STANDARD independent snow plough fleet was supplemented with additional ploughs built using bogies recovered from scrapped Class 40 and 45 locomotives. The conversion required the removal of traction motors and gearing together with the small load-bearing wheel at the front of the bogie. The bogies were fitted with new floors and ballast boxes to add weight to allow them to be safely propelled in snow clearing work. A Beilhack plough was fitted to the inner end of bogies with sufficient clearance for the plough flaps to be deployed. The ZZA coded ploughs passed into Railtrack ownership upon privatisation where they were overhauled and painted black. Some were equipped with solar panels and electrical equipment boxes for onboard lighting. Subsequent…

CONTINUING this year’s Railway 200 celebrations, Hitachi held an open day at its Newton Aycliffe works on October 4, tying in nicely with the local Stockton & Darlington 200 events. Around 2000 people attended the event - the first time Hitachi had opened the doors to the public. The event also marked the 10th anniversary of the County Durham site being opened by the then Prime Minster David Cameron in September 2015. Visiting Newton Aycliffe for the weekend was the Railway 200 exhibition train ‘Inspiration’ and the Locomotion No. 1 replica which was providing rides on the test line. Also present was LNER Azuma No. 800209. Construction of the 460000 sq ft factory followed an announcement in 2009 that the Agility Trains consortium – which included Hitachi – had won…

ALYCIDON will be back on the national network in 2026 after an absence of two years. During its UK Railway charter to Scarborough on August 19, 2023, disguised as sister No. 55013 The Black Watch, to honour centenarian York driver Harry Wilson, electrical issues were encountered on the return journey. This saw the ‘Deltic’ withdrawn from traffic whilst investigations were undertaken. Although these were concluded in 2024, No. 55009 suffered an engine failure whilst attending the Nene Valley Railway’s Diesel Gala. Investigations found that the power unit is not dephased, (crankshafts out of alignment) but the output shaft from the engine to the main generator has failed. Once this Napier has been lifted out and the main generator removed, remedial attention will be given. The power unit swap is to…

THE continuous battle with the elements in respect of the CO/OP stock, typically with corrosion to the steel body of the unit, means that ongoing cycle of repairs have been needed since the cars arrived in 1981 and 1984. An initial intention to house the CO/CP unit within a building were first mentioned in RE340 (September 2024) and these plans have developed further. The Underground Railway Rolling Stock Trust (URRST) is now in advanced talks with the Quainton Railway Society (QRS) to finalise the design of a new Engineering and Lifting workshop that will accommodate the former Underground rolling stock. This sizable new building will support three roads, being approximately four LU cars in length and being situated in the approximate area where the CO/CP unit has stood for many…