Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2023 i Railways Illustrated

A regular comment I see in relation to almost any story about the railways is just how expensive it is to travel by train and how more people would travel if fares were lower. Certainly, when planning a journey by rail, just inputting the start and end points of the trip can bring up some truly eye-watering fares. Negotiating the range of ticket options and fares is complex and unnecessarily difficult, especially for those who aren’t familiar with using the railway on a regular basis. What baffles me is why the cheapest possible fare isn’t offered at the first option? But it rarely is. One of the joys of my job is that I regularly get to travel around the country by train and recently, while making arrangements for some…

NEWLY REPAINTED DB Cargo 66190 has been named Martin House Children’s Hospice – ahead of yet another marathon fundraising charter train to benefit the charity. Organised in conjunction with the Branch Line Society and railway staff, a series of charity charters have now raised more than £200,000 to benefit the hospice, which is located at Wetherby in West Yorkshire and provides family-led care for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses. The charters began after Network Rail employee Charlotte Bullock used Martin House for the care of her son Luca, who was born with multiple disabilities. Sadly, both Charlotte and Luca have since died – and they remain the inspiration behind the ongoing fundraising efforts. The naming ceremony took place on Platform 3 at York station on June 2, attended…

EAST COAST Main Line principal operator London North Eastern Railway has become the latest operator to unveil one of its trains in a special livery to mark the annual Pride Month celebrations. The colourful nine-coach Hitachi Azuma 801226 has also been named Together, applied prominently on each of the driving vehicles. The name was chosen by LNER colleagues and a special panel, with a shortlist then put to a vote of LNER staff. It champions the unification of all communities that the operator is proud to support, as well as the unique relationship between members of the LGBTQ+ community and LNER. The design of the livery, which runs along the full length of the train, was also created by LNER staff. Managing director David Horne said: “It is a momentous…

A CEREMONY was held on May 25 to celebrate the completion of the second section of the replacement Dawlish sea wall in Devon. The Network Rail project has been designed to provide greater protection for the railway due to the close proximity of the sea. Following serious flooding and storm damage in 2014, sections of the railway were left hanging in the air as the formation beneath the lines washed away. The new structure stands at eight metres tall – two-and-a-half metres taller than the original. It was developed as part of the South West Rail Resilience Programme, put in place to improve resilience of the railway between Exeter and Newton Abbot following 2014, and cost £80 million, funded by the Government. Stretching between Coastguards and Colonnade breakwaters, 415 metres…

EDINBURGH TRAMS has celebrated the opening of a three-mile extension of its line to Newhaven on June 7, which was delivered on time and within budget. Simultaneous departures from Newhaven with tram 259 and Picardy Place with tram 258 at noon marked the occasion. The opening was celebrated at Picardy Place by local schoolchildren, a performance by a piper, and the cutting of a ceremonial ribbon by Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day. The Newhaven extension features eight new tram stops – Picardy Place, McDonald Road, Balfour Street, Foot of the Walk, The Shore, Port of Leith, Ocean Terminal and Newhaven – providing a link between Edinburgh’s centre and some of the city’s most densely populated areas, as well as serving key destinations such as Ocean Terminal and its large shopping…

Redundant Great Western Railway Castle class high speed trains and CrossCountry HSTs face contrasting futures, the rolling stock leasing companies that own them have confirmed. The process for scrapping the first Castle vehicles has begun, with Angel Trains – which owns the doomed vehicles – keen to strip valuable reusable components to keep its other HSTs in operational condition. It is understood that stripping of several stored power cars is now at an advanced stage. GWR is retaining four Castle sets for passenger duties beyond the end of this year, having amended its previous announcement which stated the fleet would be removed from timetabled duties before the end of 2023, although it had always been envisaged that some sets would be retained for ad-hoc use into 2024. GWR has withdrawn…

Harry Needle Railroad Company has made 20056/069/087 available for sale and has returned other classmates in its fleet to traffic. The three Class 20s are located at Barrow Hill, Worksop and Shack-erstone respectively. The former has recently been assessed for a commercial contract, while the latter is operational and used on Battlefield Line services. Meanwhile, HNRC has also undertaken a 10-year overhaul on 20168, which has since been returned to Hope Cement Works. At Barrow Hill, former Scunthorpe Steelworks resident 20066 is currently being reactivated ahead of returning to Scunthorpe on a commercial contract. Finally, 20901 and 20905 have been hired to Rail Operations Group. The former has received power unit repairs ahead of its main line return, and both visited Leeds Midland Road for tyre turning. Still carrying unbranded…

SIM on trial The arrival of a Eurailscout-owned switch inspection nachine (SIM) in the UK at the beginning of June generated quite some interest among enthusiasts, primarily due to the two-axle wagon having HNRC-owned 20901 as motive power for its time undergoing trials on the Great Western Main Line. Numbered 99 84 0362 006-0, the Dutch-registered vehicle was built in 2016 but has only recently gained Network Rail approval, the infrastructure owner being keen to evaluate its digital data gathering and inspection abilities. June 5 saw the Class 20 move the SIM from Didcot, where it was delivered by road, to Bristol Kingsland Road for several nights of tests around Temple Meads before transferring to the London end of the route. Late on June 12, the duo were recorded at…

A FUNDRAISER has been launched to assist the ongoing main generator repairs required to return privately-owned Class 45/1 Peak 45132 to service on the Epping Ongar Railway. The GoFundMe appeal, organised by 45132 supporter Dave Franklin, has an initial target of £7500 to contribute to the costs of repairs, which should allow the Peak to return to service for the first time in almost a quarter of a century. The locomotive hasn’t hauled a passenger train for more than 23 years, having suffered a main generator failure while being prepared for use during a diesel event at its previous home on the Mid-Hants Railway in March 2000, as it hauled a train of locomotives and coaches up the steep bank at Alton. The damaged main generator was subsequently removed to…

THE TELFORD Steam Railway held another of its popular Multiple Mayhem galas over the weekend of June 10/11, featuring the railway’s two-car Class 108 DMU, Class 142 Pacers 142004 and 142058, and Pacer 144013. All four DMUs operated an intensive service on the Saturday, while the Class 108 and 142058 were in service the following day. The Saturday’s last train featured both Class 142s working a service in multiple, the first time that a four-coach Pacer formation had operated over the TSR’s two-mile route from Spring Village to Horsehay & Dawley. Volunteers got into the spirit of the event by asking passengers to select destinations to be displayed on the blinds in the cabs, resulting in a number of optimistic destinations being shown on the front of some of the…

FORMER MAIN line registered 31190 has been offered for sale by its owner, Dave Cunningham, just over two years after it first arrived at the Plym Valley Railway. In a Facebook post advising that the locomotive was available for sale, Mr Cunningham said that the Class 31 requires some mechanical and bodywork work to make it fully serviceable, but said that its tyres and wheel profiles on the bogies are good. Having previously operated on the main line, the locomotive is fitted with train protection and warning system equipment, as well as on-train monitoring recorders, and has been wired for Global System for Mobile Communications - Railways (GSM - R), although this is not fitted. Prospective buyers of the golden-ochre liveried Class 31 have until noon on July 14 to…

JUNE 12 saw King Charles travel on the Royal Train behind LNER A3 Pacific 4-6-2 steam locomotive 60103 Flying Scotsman to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway as part of the line’s 50th anniversary celebrations. The Royal Train travelled over the whole of the heritage railway route from Grosmont to Pickering, where the king unveiled a plaque and took the opportunity to view the legendary steam locomotive, which is celebrating its centenary throughout 2023. For the occasion, 60103’s cab roof was specially painted white and new lamps were fitted, in line with the tradition for locomotives hauling the Royal Train. NYMR chief executive Chris Price said: “It’s an honour to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the NYMR with a visit from King Charles III. For all these years we have preserved…

PETER, LORD Hendy of Richmond Hill, has been reappointed as chair of Network Rail and will hold the role for a further two years, Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced on June 8. He will continue to oversee Network Rail’s multi-billion-pound budget and steer the infrastructure company’s five-year plan, as well as working to ensure a smooth transition to Great British Railways, which aims to bring infrastructure and train operations under one umbrella organisation. He has held a place on Network Rail’s board since 2015 and was previously Commissioner of Transport for London for nine years, leading the successful operation of London’s transport for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “I am looking forward to supporting chief executive Andrew Haines and his team in maintaining and improving Network Rail’s delivery now…

ALSTOM CLASS 720/6 electric multiple units will enter traffic with c2c from September, the operator has confirmed. Twelve five-car sets, each with capacity for 695 passengers, have been ordered by c2c and are set to become the fourth fleet from the Aventra platform to enter traffic. A preview run for stakeholders operated on June 2 using 720605/607, with the EMUs taking passengers on a journey from London Fenchurch Street to Southend Central and back. On board, c2c managing director Rob Mullen told Railways Illustrated that the trains would be used through-out the day rather than only at peak periods, as per the fleet of six Class 387/3s c2c had been using. Technical issues were the reason why the trains are a year late entering service, he said, and that driver…

GREAT WESTERN Railway celebrated the completion of its new station at Reading Green Park on May 25, operating a special train for invited guests to view the new facility two days ahead of it being brought into use. A plaque was unveiled by the Mayor of Reading, Councillor Tony Page, and GWR managing director Mark Hopwood CBE. The station serves a growing area of Reading and is closely located to the Select Car Leasing Stadium, the home of Reading Football Club. During the week, the first Basing-stoke-bound departure is at 05.26 and 06.23 towards Reading. On Saturdays the first trains are the 05.50 towards Basingstoke and the 06.38 to Reading, while on Sunday the first Basingstoke train calls at Reading Green Park at 07.44 and 08.25 to Reading. GWR services…

DB CARGO operated its first train to Muizen in the north-east of Brussels – transporting 100-metre lengths of steel rails from Scunthorpe – on June 9. Working in conjunction with British Steel, the trains will operate on an average of one per month for the next four years, dependent on when they are required. The trains – which take three days to reach their destination in Brussels – are operated as two distinct legs, with DB Cargo UK responsible for the movements between Scunthorpe and Calais, and DB Cargo France then taking over to work the service between Calais and Muizen. The steel track will be used by Infrabel, which is Brussels’ railway infrastructure manager, and the rails will be used as part of its ongoing programme of work to…

As predicted in the last issue of Railways Illustrated, Direct Rail Services has placed three members of its Class 37 fleet up for sale as it plans modernisation moves and to dispense with some of its older locomotives. On offer are 37069, 37402 and 37423. The closing date for bids is 1pm on July 7, and the sale is being conducted through e-procurement system Atamis. The opportunity to view the locomotives will be available to interested parties after they have registered on the Atamis system. While it was anticipated that 57002 Rail Express would also be included in this sale, movement of the locomotive from Stowmarket was delayed and it was subsequently collected on June 13 by 66424 Driver Paul Scrivens 1969-2021 and moved to Harry Needle Railroad Company’s base…

TfW trials extended Mk.4 set The first of the Transport for Wales Mk.4 sets extended to five passenger coaches and a DVT finally emerged from Landore on May 24 following the completion of selective door opening modifications and other work. Set HD03 is now formed of 12217, 12324, 10312, 11325, 12446 and 82216, with previously stored 12324 being the new addition. Its debut run to Hereford was powered by 67008, with the formation later moving to Crewe for further training runs in early June. TfW currently has six Mk.4 sets formed up, although availability continues to be poor, with a seventh and potentially eighth still to be introduced into traffic. West Coast Railways Another set of West Coast Railways’ Mk.2 coaches is now at Hamilton for the fitting of retention…

THE LONG-AWAITED reopening of the Llangollen Railway’s two-and-a-half mile extension from Carrog to Corwen was celebrated on June 1-4, marking the completion of the £1.2 million scheme to build a new terminus. Now officially known as the Llangollen and Corwen Railway, the opening of its showcase station at Corwen marks a real moment of celebration for the railway and its volunteers. It follows a turbulent period in its history, which saw Llangollen Railway plc collapse into administration two years ago. Since then, volunteers have worked hard to return trains to the route between Llangollen and Carrog, while a dedicated Corwen station team has continued with construction work. The Llangollen Railway Trust, which now operates the railway, held a four-day celebration, with June 1 reserved for LRT volunteers and supporters, and…

FOLLOWING ITS move to the Nene Valley Railway and Railworld earlier this year, 125 Preservation has announced that its short-formed high speed train set will make its preservation debut over the weekend of July 8/9, just after this issue of Railways Illustrated is published. The assembled set consists of VP185 fitted Class 43 HST power cars 43045 The Grammar School, Doncaster AD1350 and 43060 County of Leicestershire, Mk.3 prototype HST Trailer Standard coaches 42355 and 42357, and first production Mk.3 Trailer First Buffet 40904. Presently, the power cars are painted in East Midlands Trains livery, the prototype Mk.3s are in Virgin Trains East Coast red and white, while the buffet trailer is in GWR dark green. Since its arrival on the railway 125 Preservation volunteers have been working hard to…

WITH THE groundbreaking diesel event at the Severn Valley Railway grabbing the headlines in recent weeks (see pages 54-59), the West Somerset Railway also held its first full-scale diesel festival for a few years on June 8-10. It saw thousands of enthusiasts sample the home fleet, which was boosted by the appearance of four guest locomotives. They were recently repainted SVR based Class 14 D9551, Waterman Railways Heritage Trust Class 25 D7659, the South Devon Diesel Trust’s 33002 Sea King and the Deltic Preservation Society’s main line registered 55009 Alycidon. A planned appearance of Hanson & Hall Rail Services Solutions’ 50008 Thunderer was cancelled in the lead-up to the event due to issues concerning the operation of the air-braked locomotive. Residents in use were Class 09D4107, Class 14 D9526, Class…

I’ve interviewed many people over the years, sometimes a bloke in a suit talking about an infrastructure project, other times some company executive accompanied by a marketing bod spoon-feeding them in their ear. But I can say, hand on heart, there are few people better to interview than Peter Watts. In railway terms, Peter is a household name. Almost everyone - enthusiasts and industry managers alike - knows him. Most will have either worked with him or been on one of his trains. In 1973, he ran his first charter train under the F&W Railtours banner, the initials standing for Fielding & Watts - Tony Fielding being Peter’s early business partner. That first train was from Gloucester Eastgate station (which closed two years later) to Pwllheli. It was a success,…

It is some what surprising that it has taken quite so long for a manufacturer to give the Siphon G ventilated milk vans the modern-day ready-to-run treatment. After all, the Great Western Railway-built vehicles were long-lived and found widespread use, with the design perpetuated by British Railways for a time, going on to appear in several distinct variants. While the Siphon G has featured in 4mm scale before, this was back in the 1980s with both Lima and Mainline having a go, of which the latter was the better representation. With both long discontinued, the need for a new model has been obvious for a long time, with Accurascale finally stepping forward to fill the gap. Announced in December 2021, the models have now arrived and, as is typical for…

DB CARGO has repainted 66023 into a special celebratory livery to mark the coronation of King Charles III, which took place in May. The royal blue locomotive bears a Union Flag and the official coronation logo featuring emblems from the UK nations. Work on repainting the locomotive was carried out at Toton Traction Maintenance Depot, DB Cargo’s principal locomotive maintenance facility in the UK. Its new look was officially unveiled by Toton depot manager Matt Manson at the company’s annual family and friends event at the Nottinghamshire depot on June 17, witnessed by a crowd of about 800 DB Cargo employees and invited guests. The same event last year saw 67007 emerge in royal purple livery, applied to mark the late Queen’s platinum jubilee. DB Cargo chief executive officer Andrea…

NETWORK RAIL is uncertain regarding the future of the New Measurement Train following the publication of its £44 billion spending plans covering the period from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2029. As part of those plans, £152 million has been set aside for data collection. It has already been confirmed that NR is looking to increase the delivery of intelligent data on infrastructure condition. Jason Saxon, NR’s director of asset information, said: “The true answer to whether the CP7 investment will see the end of the NMT is that we don’t know yet. The reason for this is that unlike with previous investments in our infrastructure monitoring capability, our requirements aren’t around specifying classes of rolling stock and other components that we insist are used – we are instead…

A TARGET to reopen Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight for South Western Railway Island Line services in time for the annual Isle of Wight Festival has been narrowly missed, with Network Rail confirming a new date of July 10. The 143-year-old pier has been undergoing an extensive programme of heavy maintenance and renewals designed to extend its life by a further 60 years. Throughout the closure, train services between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde Esplanade have been replaced by a minibus shuttle, while Island Line services have continued as normal between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin. Since April, track and steelwork replacement has been completed, and a new weather screen has also been installed. Network Rail stated that its engineers have been working hard to recover from a three-month delay…

TRANSPORT FOR Greater Manchester has appointed DB ESG to deliver new safety equipment to prevent over-speeding of trams on its Metrolink network. This is in response to recommendations made by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch following the tragic derailment at Sandilands in Croydon in 2016, when a tram overturned. DB ESG – working in partnership with Sella Controls – will design, install, test and commission the Driver Vigilance Devices and Tram Overspeed Protection Systems for the entire Metrolink fleet of 147 trams. The new system will use GPS and other information to determine the location and speed of the tram. In the event of over-speeding, the driver will be alerted, and if there is no response, the brakes will be applied automatically. The TOPS system will operate independently of other…

Although there are a number of preserved heritage modern traction locomotives operating in the former British Rail Civil Engineers Department yellow and grey ‘Dutch’ colours, the popular and attractive livery has reappeared on the main line following the release of GB Railfreight’s 73119 from St Leonards in the retro paint scheme, which features GBRf branding in white lettering on the second-man’s cabsides. The locomotive, which has now lost its Borough of Eastleigh nameplates, was released from St Leonards on June 5 and hauled by classmate 73109 Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary to Tonbridge West Yard. The new old-look Class 73 is dual-braked and is expected to be used on charters and heritage railway event visits as a travelling ambassador for GBRf, as well as on normal services worked by…

South Wales debut for Class 197s The long-awaited passenger debut of the Class 197 DMUs in South Wales finally took place on June 12 when 197019 formed 1T94, the 10.20 Chester to Cardiff Central, thereby becoming the first of the CAF-built units to carry passengers south of Shrews-bury. This was followed up two days later when 197010 worked 1V94, the 08.05 Holyhead to Cardiff. Despite the expanded sphere of operation, no more of the class had been accepted for traffic by mid-June, the figure having held strong at 15 sets since April, namely 197002/004/006-013/015/017-019/021. Newly-delivered 197048 was hauled from Donnington to Crewe Carriage Sidings by 70011 on May 16 to begin commissioning, with 70014 and 197049 following on May 23. Fresh from modifications, 197108 was collected from Wolverton by 66520…

THE HERITAGE Electric Trains Trust has highlighted the plight of its unrestored three-car Class 503 electric multiple unit as it prepares to move it from its current storage location–in the hope of creating new interest in kickstarting its restoration. The London Midland & Scottish Railway-built EMU – consisting of Driving Motor Brake Standard 28690, Trailer Standard 29720 and Driving Trailer Standard 29289 – was secured by HETT following the closure of the Electric Railway Museum in Coventry in 2017, which saw a large number of historic EMU vehicles dispersed around the country. The Class 503 moved to Locomotive Services Group’s storage facility in the former Hornby Railways factory at Margate, which LSG is now transforming into the One:One Collection museum, displaying a wide variety of rolling stock from LSG’s collection…

AFTER A rather hectic June, the calendar for heritage modern traction enthusiasts in July is calmer, with just two prominent railways hosting diesel events. July 7-9 will see the Gloucester-shire Warwickshire Railway operate its extensive home fleet of diesel locomotives at its annual Summer Diesel Gala, alongside visiting Peak Rail-based Waterman Railways Heritage Trust Class 25 D7659, attending fresh from its recent appearance at the West Somerset Railway. This will be the second time the Class 25 has operated over GWSR metals, having last been at the line in 1997. The event also marks the 25th anniversary of the Growler Group’s 37215 first running under its own power on the railway on July 5, 1998, when it operated a test run between Toddington and Gotherington. Locomotives expected to be in…

A PRESERVATION attempt to secure recently-withdrawn pioneer Class 313 electric multiple unit 313201 and maintain it in operational condition has been announced by the East Kent Railway-based 400series Preservation Group. Peter Spokes from 400sPG told Railways Illustrated that discussions were progressing well with Beacon Rail Leasing and Arlington Fleet Group regarding the preservation of the blue and grey liveried EMU, and he was hopeful that final agreement would be reached by the end of June. He said that the unit will remain at Eastleigh – where it arrived on May 10 – and will be kept in operational condition and maintained to main line standard. Mr Spokes said he was extremely grateful to both Beacon Rail Leasing and Arlington Fleet Group for their help and assistance, with the discussions being…

03162 – Llangollen: More manpower has been put on restoring the Class 03 based at the Llangollen Railway. Both rear windows have been removed in order to get a good paint protection around them as the existing paint is flaking badly. The 1960 factory-fitted ‘sunroof’ was finally opened after some 40 years of rust ‘sealant’ was chiselled away and is now being cleaned up. The cab roof continues to take rust killer and white primer. The front wasp stripes have been sanded down and treated, where required, with rust killer and the radiator pipes have been primed. D9525 – Wirksworth: In early May, the team undertook a bit more preparation work before the lift to put the engine back in. It was finally possible to refit the injector fuel leak…

Big enough to cope but small enough to care is very much the impression I got during my visit to Arlington Fleet Group (or Arlington Fleet Services, as it is often known) at Eastleigh Works. The works is large and thriving, but Arlington has only been in existence for 20 years, and the quality of its work and ability to be flexible for customers has seen it quickly grow to become a leading railway engineering and facilities company. We were invited to take a look at the facilities and discuss the firm’s work with systems director John Campbell, one of the founding ex-BR railway engineers who set up Arlington in 2003 and later took over operations of the vast site at Eastleigh, which had been closed and stripped out by…

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→ Network Rail operations director Chris Gee explains how the company manages services on the busy nine-mile freight-only Rylstone Quarry branch, which runs through the scenic Yorkshire Dales National Park from Skipton, accompanied by some of Chris’s stunning photography of trains operating on the line. → The small station at Castle Cary in Somerset becomes a bustling transport hub during the Glaston bury Festival, being the closest railway station to the iconic and ever-popular music event. Andy Coward visited Castle Cary during the festival to find out how GWR staff manage the huge influx of additional passengers using the station. → Renowned railway photographer John Whiteley has delved into his extensive photographic collection and converted some of his favourite black-and-white photographs into colour, all thanks to advances in computer technology.…