Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Railways Illustrated

Recently, I found myself travelling back home by train when there was a serious signalling failure at Nottingham that severely disrupted my journey. There’s nothing particularly special about this, you may think, but the reason for mentioning it is to highlight the excellent customer service I noticed from the East Midlands Railway staff at Derby – where my train was diverted – under what was clearly very challenging circumstances. All of us who regularly travel by train have been affected by the strike action that has dominated the news agenda over the last six months, but no matter how frustrating the dispute can be for passengers, it must be remembered that the vast majority of our railway staff work incredibly hard to provide the best service possible. When there are…

THE LATEST Class 69 to be completed by Electro Motive Diesels at Longport – 69007 – has entered service with GB Railfreight following painting into BR blue at Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh. The bodyshell used for 69007 was originally 56037, and the locomotive is one of 16 Class 56s being converted into Class 69s by EMD for GBRf. Following completion of its rebuild, it undertook a test run on November 14 from Longport to Hams Hall and back. Two weeks later, on November 29, it undertook a light engine move from Longport to Trafford Park. The following day it was moved to Eastleigh for repainting, where it remained throughout December and over the festive period for work on its cosmetic transformation. On January 10, and with a repaint into…

THE PROLONGED period of wet and unsettled weather conditions experienced throughout most of December and into the new year created a number of severe weather-related incidents for Network Rail to deal with. Heavy rainfall has seen Network Rail carry out repairs following four serious landslips, the most recent incident taking place at Hook on January 15, a few days before this issue closed for print. Repairs were ongoing. Cruachan landslip The West Highland Line to Oban reopened for services on December 27 following work to repair landslip damage near to the Falls of Cruachan on Loch Awe just over a week earlier. The line was closed when more than 100 tonnes of debris fell onto the track and the nearby A85 road, from privately owned land above the railway on December…

DB CARGO announced in early January that it was seeking to dispose of a further 12 redundant Class 60s that are currently in store in Toton, Nottinghamshire. The locomotives – 60012/032/036/037/048/052/068/077/078/084/08 9/093 – have all been out of service for more than a decade. Of these, 60037 was the first to be stored in January 2006, while the most recently stopped example of the batch – 60084 – was stood down in June 2011. The closing date for registrations of interest was on January 20, with the tender documents expected to be issued shortly afterwards. The Class 60s were built between 1989 and 1993 by Brush Traction at Loughborough, with 100 of the Type Five freight locomotives being constructed for British Rail’s rail-freight sector. Following privatisation, all 100 were transferred…

NORTHERN HAS begun a consultation that could result in an order for new trains. There is currently no indication as to what exactly the operator is looking for, but its management has spoken in the past about standardising the fleet if possible. Northern currently has five diesel multiple unit fleets (Class 150, 156 158, 170 and 195), four electric multiple unit fleets (Class 319, 323, 331, 333) and one bi-mode fleet (Class 769). The operator issued a market engagement notice on January 5 for the supply of new rolling stock and associated maintenance support services, as well as financing for the new trains. The aim is to understand the potential suppliers’ capabilities and capacity ahead of publishing an Invitation to Tender. No date or further details have been given regarding…

Following their withdrawal on December 9 (Railways Illustrated issue 240), the final four Class 315 electric multiple units have now departed from Ilford, with three – 315837/853/857 – heading for scrap, while 315856 has moved into preservation with the Class 315 Preservation Society. The Class 315s had been in service on MTR Elizabeth Line services between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield, but the last examples were withdrawn in December after a working life spanning 42 years. Rail Operations Group’s 37884 Cepheus was used on all of the final Class 315 moves, with 315853 the first of the last four EMUs to depart from their former home depot on December 20, heading to CF Booth in Rotherham. Now preserved 315856 was moved from Ilford to the Dean Forest Railway by 37884…

The tally of Avanti West Coast 11-coach Class 390/1 Pendolinos to have been refurbished has passed the halfway point, with 19 of the 35 Class 390/1s having now been completed by Alstom at their Widnes facility. The 19 Pendolinos refurbished so far, in order of completion, are: 390125/123/148/155/156/154/157/131/124/104/119/128/103/115/114/127/129/141/137 – leaving 16 Class 390/1s to receive the internal refurbishment works. AWC has 56 Class 390s, with 21 nine-coach Class 390/0s and 35 11-coach Class 390/1s. None of the Class 390/0s have yet passed through Alstom, with priority being given to completing the Class 390/1s ahead of the nine-coach trains. Avanti West Coast Pendolino refurbishment January 2023 Class 390/1 completed 390103/104/114/115/119/123-125/127-129/131/137/141/148/154-157 Class 390/1 to be refurbished: 390107/112/117/118/121/122/126/130/132/134-136/138/151-153 Class 390/0 to be refurbished: 390001-002/005-006/008-011/013/016/020/039/040/042-047/049/050 Withdrawn: 390033…

EMR takes Class 156s off lease The four Angel Trains Class 156s leased by East Midlands Railway have been dispensed with, 156470/73/97/98 all going off lease before Christmas. None of the quartet had worked recently, as their lack of wheelslip protection equipment compared to their Porter-brook-owned sisters saw them sidelined during the autumn, while 156498 had also been undergoing assessment of bodywork corrosion issues. All four ran together from Derby Etches Park to Barrow Hill on December 22 for stabling, with January 9 seeing them run as two pairs, 156473/497 and 156470/498, to Potter Group’s site at Ely Papworth for storage. The fourth of the Turbostars acquired from Transport for Wales was brought into service with EMR during December, as 170271 joined 170270/272/273. 170512 and 170535 were also released by…

With the festive period meaning little in the way of re-liveries, the highlight came at Eastleigh Works with 69007 unveiled in BR blue and renamed Richard Trevithick. For the unveiling, the locomotive carried its original number of 56037 complete with BR double arrows beneath the nameplate on one side, which were then promptly changed to its new identity and GB Railfreight logos before departure for Tonbridge West Yard. The latest red ‘Sheds’ at Toton include 66054 and one of the repatriated Euro Cargo Rail examples, 66244. December saw 360119 gain ‘Luton Airport Express’ branding behind its cabs, this being in conjunction with the forthcoming opening of the new DART passenger transit system between the airport and the parkway station. The branding also includes silver and gold swooshes applied to the…

THE CLASS 73 previously named The Bluebell Railway – 73133 – has been bought for preservation on the line after which it was once named. As briefly reported in the last issue of Railways Illustrated, the dual-braked locomotive is operational and considered to be in reasonable condition. Work is underway at Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works to strip the paintwork back to bare metal for welding and bodywork attention to be carried out, prior to repainting into an authentic – but yet to be revealed – livery. Work is expected to be completed by early March. Whether it will retain its 73133 identity or revert to its original identity as E6040 is currently undecided, but the locomotive will regain its former The Bluebell Railway nameplates. Stripping of its now-obsolete…

THE CLASS 50 Alliance has announced that Jonathan Dunster, the long-standing chairman who has led the organisation since the Fifty Fund merged with Project Defiance in 2006, is standing down from the position. The C50A has long been established as one of the leading modern traction preservation groups and under the leadership of Mr Dunster has gained a strong reputation for the professional way it runs. He will remain involved in the C50A, assisting the committee in an advisory capacity, and remains vice-chairman of Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC. He said: “It has been my pleasure to be chairman of the Class 50 Alliance and The Fifty Fund before that. However, the achievements of the last 30 years would not have been possible without the dedicated band of volunteers and…

THE SWANAGE Railway kicked off 2023 in style with a Winter Warm Up, which saw two of the railway’s steam locomotives joined by resident D6515 Lt Jenny Lewis RN and visiting 50026 Indomitable on the first full weekend of January. The four locomotives worked a series of passenger and demonstration freight trains over the weekend of January 7/8 with strong support from visiting enthusiasts, despite some poor seasonal weather during the event. Swanage Railway Company chairman Robert Patterson said: “Our Winter Warm Up special event was incredibly well supported by enthusiasts from around the country despite the mixed weather over the weekend and showed that there is continuing strong support, post-pandemic, for a new year gala. “The feedback I have received is that people particularly enjoyed the demonstration freight train…

A STRIPPED Class 153 single-coach unit has been delivered to the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway, where work will be carried out to convert the bodyshell into a community café and hub at the line’s Cynheidre base. The heavily stripped bodyshell of 153374, which was last in service with East Midlands Railway, had been acquired by Transport for Wales and transferred to Chrysalis Rail at Landore Depot in Swansea for component recovery to support TfW’s operational Class 153 fleet. Following 153374 being taken off-lease with EMR, the Class 153 was initially moved to the Potters Group site at Ely Papworth before being acquired by TfW, and then moved to Landore in January 2021. The vehicle arrived at its new home, with its doors and several windows removed. A priority will…

Mid-December saw the Bluebell Railway dispose of six coaches that had long been offered for sale with little interest, all going to the A1 Group scrapyard at Wokingham. These included the three LMS sleepers previously used as volunteer accommodation, First Class and six-axle 398 and Second Class four-axle 603 and 623, along with Mk.1 sleeper composite 2442, which was the last SLC in existence. All four coaches still contained asbestos. Also sent on their last journey were two Maunsell-design Southern vehicles, Travelling Post Office sorting van 4922 and Third Corridor 2356, both having structurally unsound bodywork.…

Sadly, in recent times – well, pretty much ever since the pandemic started – I feel I’m becoming overly negative. Maybe it’s my old age. Maybe because there’s a lot of other stuff going on in the world at the moment, but the fact is I fear for the long-term sustainability of many charter promoters. As I’ve said before, charters are entertainment. They are a luxury ‘product’ and as such are dispensable. My concerns are several-fold. First up, the price of a ticket is skyrocketing. I’ve said in this column before that charters actually offer good value when you compare them in the measurement of ‘pounds per hour of entertainment’, and while I still agree with that, to a degree, it’s no longer as simple. The problem is that the…

For enthusiasts of AC electric locomotives, there can be little to beat racing down the West Coast Main Line behind a Class 86 at 100mph. For broadcaster and lifelong railway enthusiast Les Ross MBE, he went one step further – buying a redundant Class 86 and restoring it to main line use, with it regularly hauling charters along parts of the WCML route. And best of all, he can usually be found travelling on his locomotive whenever it is in action. March this year marks the 15th anniversary of 86259 Les Ross/Peter Pan successfully returning to main line passenger action on March 1, 2008. That first tour saw the Class 86 head the appropriately-named ‘Les Ross’s Daytripper’ – promoted by Vintage Trains – from Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime…

IT WAS a case of third time lucky for UK Railtours when the ‘GBRf Class 56 Farewell’ charter operated on January 14 – having previously been postponed twice due to the ongoing industrial action affecting the railways. The charter was originally due to operate on September 17 last year but was postponed when strike action was subsequently announced for that date and the tour was rescheduled to run on January 7. The revised date was then hit by industrial action, which saw it pushed back by a further week. However, the fully-booked charter was finally able to run on January 14, when GBRf’s final two operational Class 56s – 56081 and 56098 – hauled Riviera Trains blue and grey Mk.2 coaching stock set from Wembley Central to Barrow Hill Roundhouse…

Major work was carried out at Morley over the festive period as part of the ongoing project to upgrade the Transpennine route between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. The first phase saw works carried out to the east of the station to ease the curve into the tunnel which will allow trains to operate through the station at higher speeds. As part of the project, Morley station is to be relocated about 75 metres from its current position to allow for longer platforms to be built. A new footbridge with lifts will also be installed. The next phase was due to take place over the last weekend of January and from February 4-12. It will see buses replace trains between Huddersfield and Leeds on some services, and other trains will…

NETWORK RAIL closed the distinctive 1960s-built power signalbox (PSB) at Birmingham New Street on Christmas Eve, with the signalling switched over to the West Midlands Signalling Centre in Saltley during the festive railway shutdown. The concrete-built Birmingham PSB was brought into use in 1966, with its Brutalist style of architecture bringing admiration and derision. However, in recent times, its area of operation has reduced as Network Rail has worked to modernise the network in the West Midlands and as the work of traditional signalboxes has been transferred to the WMSC. The PSB was built as part of the West Coast main line route modernisation in the 1960s and was one of four power signalboxes in the West Midlands, replacing 64 manually operated signalboxes at the time it was brought into…

JUST OVER a year after regular train services returned to the Dartmoor Line between Exeter St David and Okehampton by Great Western Railway, a celebratory event was held to mark the completion of restoration work on the station building at Okehampton. As reported in our Dartmoor Line feature in the December 2022 issue of Railways Illustrated (238), the building has undergone an extensive transformation over the last 18 months. It was previously refurbished in the 1990s but has now been brought up to modern standards while fully respecting its Southern Railway heritage. Although Okehampton is unstaffed by GWR and tickets for the trains are obtained from a vending machine on the platform, the building now contains toilets, a heritage-style waiting room, a shop for the Dartmoor Railway Association, a Dartmoor…

NEW TRAINS for Scotland will be split into three fleets – suburban, intercity and scenic, with the first due to be delivered in 2027. ScotRail operations director David Simpson said the operator intends to start the tendering process for the new fleets this year. The exact number, specifications and configurations have not yet been finalised. However, Mr Simpson confirmed that no diesel trains will be ordered and that all of the trains will feature level-boarding, with the interiors and vehicle lengths likely to be decided as a result of market consultation. He explained that the decision to order new trains – to replace the Class 153, 156, 158 and 170 diesel multiple unit fleets, the Class 318, 320 and 334 electric multiple units and the Inter7City High Speed Train fleet…

GB Railfreight has reached agreement with European rolling stock leasing company Akiem to lease 11 locomotives. The locomotives feature four European specification Class 66s and seven Class 77s – which are essentially the same design as the Class 66 but were ordered originally for Euro Cargo Rail in France, designated as Class 77. They will be renumbered in the Class 66/3 range, following on from 66301-305, which are now leased by GBRf after being dispensed with by former operator Direct Rail Services last year. The newly acquired locomotives will, therefore, be numbered between 66306 and 66316. The 10-year leasing deal with Akiem will see £25 million invested to increase the number of locomotives throughout GBRf’s operations. The 11 locomotives will operate services for GBRf in intermodal, energy generation, infrastructure, waste,…

The number of Class 67-hauled Mk.4 diagrams was expanded to three from January 9, with a trio of the former Grand Central sets having now seen a return to passenger use. Following the debut of set HD05 in November, HD04 did likewise from December 20, this being formed of 12211, 12310, 10318, 11319 and 82201, with 12434 not in the formation at present. The set is also now in plain black without the orange stripe, and was paired with 67022 on its first day, forming the 1V91 05.33 Holyhead to Cardiff. The January increase brought about the introduction of locomotive-hauled operations between Cardiff and Manchester Piccadilly, with further workings due to be taken over as more sets become available for traffic and reliability improves. On January 9, a reformed HD01…

Riviera sells Mk.1s Riviera Trains’ decision to cease using Mk.1 coaches except for catering and staff roles was confirmed on January 10 when 57012 transferred 11 vehicles from Burton Wetmore to Carnforth. Included in the working were FOs 3097 and 3119/21/23/41/46/47/49, along with TSOs 4991/98 and 5009. All these vehicles have been sold to West Coast, with the company set to undertake the fitting of retention toilet tanks and central door locking to allow continued main line operation – modifications Riviera was unwilling to fund. Meanwhile, another of the former EWS/DB Mk.2f coaches acquired by Riviera has been disposed of. FO 3318 moved from Burton to J Watson & Sons Ltd of Stafford back in early November for scrapping. LSG Eastleigh arrivals A transfer of Midland Pullman vehicles from Crewe…

Land Recovery receives more JNA boxes The remainder of the new JNA-U boxes for Land Recovery were released from WH Davis on January 5, the first batch having been delivered in September last year. GB Railfreight’s 66701 was provided for the transfer from Shirebrook to Redcar, it hauling 81 70 5932 699 and 701/02/07/14-18/20-26. Wascosa FEAs completed The final rake of Wascosa-owned FEA flats for use by Network Rail was transferred from Dollands Moor to Eastleigh on January 11, 66760 having charge of 81 70 4524 037/49/50/53, 110/27/28 and 221/22/42/43/46-49/53/55/57/59/60. The same 6Z66 working also ran on December 21, 66791 having the latest batch of Wascosa MLA ballast boxes, 81 70 5932 401-30, in tow. Rail release for Network Rail JNAs A batch of Network Rail’s new JNA-Y ballast wagons…

The festive period means that there are only two namings to report this month. As mentioned in the Shunter News section, 08805 at Soho has been named Hunslet after the depot’s teddy bear mascot, while 69007 has been named Richard Trevithick following repainting. The donor bodyshell used for the Class 69 was from 56037, and this locomotive previously carried the same name before the nameplates were transferred to now-scrapped 37417. 08703 has lost its Jermaine nameplates, having now finished work on the HS2 spoil trains at Willesden. Meanwhile, the Fairbridge Investing in the Future nameplates applied to South Western Railway’s 450114 have been removed following the unit being repainted out of its former South West Trains livery into the dark blue and white colours of SWR.…

THE TWO Class 43 high speed train power cars and three Mk.3 HST trailers owned by 125 Preservation have arrived at their new home in Cambridgeshire following their delivery to the Nene Valley Railway and Railworld in January. First to be delivered to the NVR’s base at Wansford was 43060, which arrived on January 10, with 43045 following a day later. Both power cars were successfully started following the delivery of 43045, and their exteriors were given a wash to remove the built-up grime they gained while in store at Long Marston. They were last in passenger use with East Midlands Railway and spent a short period of time on hire to Colas Rail Freight after they went off lease with EMR. All change The first of the Mk.3s to arrive…

THE LLANGOLLEN Railway’s financial position has improved significantly through 2022, despite continued challenges facing the heritage railway sector. Now operated by the Llangollen Railway Trust, the railway was on the brink of closing completely in March 2021 when the previous operating company, Llangollen Railway PLC, went into administration. Despite the challenges faced by all heritage railways in the current economic climate, the LRT has reported that it expects to record a net profit of between £50,000 and £100,000, subject to any adjustments on audit. The railway has made more use of diesel locomotives and DMUs for their services during 2022, partly due to steam locomotive availability but also to save costs. However, the railway is predicting a substantial loss for 2023 due to continued investment in the railway’s infrastructure and…

MK.2F TSO carriage 72617 has been moved from its former home at Wirksworth on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway to the MFN Club at Shipley Gate in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. The coach, which was last in service with Gatwick Express, had been in use at Wirksworth as a static catering seating vehicle but was rendered redundant following the arrival of a Mk.1 Restaurant Miniature Buffet coach. The Mk.2 was then put up for sale by the EVR’s operating company WyvernRail plc. During the journey to its new home, the coach had to make a rather difficult move along Long Lane, passing beneath the Erewash Valley Line to access the MFN Club site. It is understood that the carriage will be used for events taking place at the venue.…

The fleet of Class 502 electric multiple units were built by the LMS at Derby between 1939 and 1943. They were well designed and constructed, with many of the incorporated design features becoming the benchmark for virtually all multiple units subsequently built. The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway electrified the 18.5-mile Liverpool Exchange to Southport route using a 625v DC live rail set-up that opened for business on March 22, 1904, creating the world’s first electric inter-urban railway. An add-on to the route was the short 3.5-mile section of line in the Southport suburbs that ran to Meols Cop, Hesketh Park, Churchtown and Crossens (the latter three stations located on the Preston to Southport line), with electric services commencing on April 5, 1904. With the success of the electrics and the…

For its follow-up to the Deltics, Accurascale has opted to come more up-to-date with its next 4mm scale locomotive, this time dipping into the electric market with the Brush-built Class 92s. It is certainly an interesting choice, one partially explained by the manufacturer’s equally newly released Mk.5 Caledonian Sleeper stock and the desire to provide a compatible locomotive to the same high standard. The dual-voltage electrics have been seen before in the scale, Hornby and Lima going head-to-head with competing models in the mid-1990s. The Italian model was widely regarded as the superior of the two and now resides in Hornby’s range, having replaced the manufacturer’s own tooling following its acquisition of Lima. Naturally, both were of their time and a version to current standards has long been desired by…

RICHARD BENYON has added an HST cab to his The Cab Yard collection after the National Railway Museum decided to dispose of the cab from 43049, which was previously on display inside the Great Hall at York for many years. The NRM now has two complete HST Class 43 power cars in its collection, with 43002 Sir Kenneth Grange on display at York and 43102 The Journey Shrinker now based at Locomotion in Shildon – which led to the decision to dispose of the cab. The cab was removed from 43049 after it was damaged, with a replacement cab fitted to the power car. The damaged cab was subsequently repaired and donated to the NRM for display at York. 43049 Neville Hill still exists and is now part of Locomotive…

THE REMAINING Class 313 electric multiple units in use with Southern on the Coastway routes have survived in traffic into the new year, but with rumours growing that they are likely to be with-drawn before the May timetable change is introduced, the surviving operational members of the fleet could well be on borrowed time. The Class 313s were introduced into traffic on British Rail in 1976 and are now the oldest working EMU fleet still in regular service. Southern has a fleet of 19 Class 313s on its Coastway services out of Brighton, but four of the vintage EMUs have now been taken out of use and stored. The withdrawal from service during 2022 of the Class 315 and Class 317s from the national rail network has seen the number…

THREE EMPLOYEES of Network Rail have been recognised in King Charles II’s New Year Honours List. Nick Millington, interim route director for the Wales and Borders route, has been awarded an MBE for services to the railway, charity, and the NHS. End user computer lead for Network Rail, Stephanie Hart, has also received an MBE for her work to create Network Rail’s Laptops for Schools programme, which helps provide old laptops to underprivileged children. Meanwhile, Eastern region regional freight manager Mark Bridel has been awarded the British Empire Medal for fundraising he has carried out on behalf of Martin House Children’s Hospice, which provides free care for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses in West, North and East Yorkshire. Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: “I would like…

SCOTRAIL’S FLEET of 40 Class 334 electric multiple units are to undergo a £12 million modernisation project by Alstom. The Class 334s – which were built by Alstom – are used on services between Edinburgh and Glasgow and were introduced in 2001. The trains are owned by Eversholt Rail and leased to ScotRail. The modernisation project will see the trains’ pneumatic and electrical components such as auto couplers, gangways, batteries, underframe air valves, toilets and the driving cabs heating ventilation and air-conditioning systems overhauled. A previous project carried out in 2015 saw the interiors of the trains modernised, with air conditioning, at-seat charging points, wi-fi and internal passenger security CCTV installed, and this latest project is seen as a continuation of investment in the fleet. The latest programme of works…

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THE CLASS 315 Preservation Society has successfully taken delivery of newly preserved Class 315 electric multiple unit 315856 following its withdrawal by MTR Crossrail on December 9 (Railways Illustrated issue 240). The four-coach EMU – consisting of driving motor standard coaches 64571 and 64572, trailer standard 71336 and pantograph trailer standard 71444 – left its former Ilford depot home on December 23 behind Rail Operations Group’s 37884 Cepheus for temporary storage at Lydney Junction on the Dean Forest Railway. The unit remained at Lydney until January 9, when 315856 was moved further along the DFR for the first of the DMS vehicles to be collected by road transport to move it to its new permanent home on the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway at Cynheidre. It was unloaded the following…

D2302 – MORETON-ON-LUGG: Work on the Class 04 includes welding on some support brackets for the replacement air pipework behind the buffer beam. With the replacement pipework now in place, it allows a start to be made on planning the fitting of the new exhaust silencer, the rebuilt coolant radiator and front bonnet panels. Work on the restoration has restarted in earnest. Items receiving attention included cleaning, filling/re-plating where necessary, and rubbing down the front bonnet body sections before being given coats of primer, undercoat and gloss paint. The radiator fan has been refitted into its housing and preparation work started on the new silencer. D2578 – MORETON-ON-LUGG: The Class 05 needs a major service, but luckily its suspect starter motor has been given a clean bill of health and…

It’s a bitterly cold winter morning and photographer Kevin Delaney and I are in Derby to go behind the scenes at Loram UK and to discuss the business and its future plans with maintenance and rail operations director Ross White. Loram UK is very much a one-stop shop for rail vehicle maintenance and operations, with the company almost unique in the UK for the variety of services it offers. Its workshop facilities are centred around the former Railway Technical Centre site, close to Derby station in the East Midlands. Following privatisation, engineering facilities at the RTC were initially taken over by Serco and Fragonset (later FM Rail). When FM Rail subsequently went into liquidation, the site was taken over by Rail Vehicle Engineering Ltd and in 2015 American rail grinding…

➔ Following his feature about how Network Rail deals with the challenging autumn leaf fall season (Railways Illustrated issue 240), operations director Chris Gee returns in our next issue to talk about the work carried out by the company in preparation for the many challenges that winter weather can bring. ➔ Continuing the wintry theme, well-known railway photographer Tom McAtee presents a selection of his images of trains in snowy conditions. While a decent covering of the white stuff can make for stunning photographic conditions, it takes dedication to head outdoors in pursuit of snow. ➔ The popularity of HST preservation is growing as the rundown of the fleet continues, but the delivery of three Class 43 HST power cars and a trio of Mk.3 trailer coaches to the Colne…