Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i Railways Illustrated

Welcome to a specially extended March 2024 issue of Railways Illustrated, which is largely dedicated to the popular English Electric Class 50s to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the end of their operations on British Rail. The final Class 50-hauled charters took place during March 1994 and concluded with the ’50 Terminator’ on March 26, 1994, just a few days before BR was also consigned to the history books as rail privatisation came into effect from April 1. Two years ago we produced a special issue to mark the 40th anniversary of the withdrawal of the Deltics, which was well-received by many of our readers, so we’ve decided to do another and I hope you enjoy it. If you have a favourite type of locomotive that has a significant anniversary…

FREIGHT OPERATOR Direct Rail Services has announced its intention to sell a further four Class 37s from its fleet. The operator is looking to dispose of 37407 Blackpool Tower, 37419 Driver Tony Kay 1974-2019, 37424 Avro Vulcan XH558 and 37425 Sir Robert McAlpine/Concrete Bob. The company is also seeking to sell a quantity of Class 37 and Class 57 spares and materials, having largely dispensed with both types in recent years as the company has sought to modernise its fleet and move to more environmentally-friendly traction. Of the locomotives being offered for sale, 37407/419/425 were all active during the autumn railhead treatment train circuits around York, while 37407 and 37425 were active in January for the operator, although 37419 was understood to be out of service awaiting traction motor repairs.…

WEST COAST Railway’s Regulation 5 exemption has been withdrawn by the Office of Rail and Road, preventing the operator from using hinged door coaching stock that is not fitted with central door locking. The Carnforth-based train company, which challenged the requirement through a judicial review, is a significant operator of passenger charter services in the UK. It provides trains for various charter promoters, as well as operating the hugely popular Jacobite steam-hauled services on the West Highland Line between Fort William and Mallaig and the luxurious Northern Belle dining train. As this issue of Railways Illustrated closed for press, tickets for trains and services due to be operated by the company were still being advertised for sale. Part of the Railway Safety Regulations (1999) placed a requirement on train operators…

CHILTERN RAILWAYS has gone to the market for between 25 and 70 existing passenger vehicles to operate regional and intercity services on the Chiltern Main Line. However, the operator has denied speculation that it wants to take on the Mk.5A fleet recently withdrawn by TransPennine Express, which totals 66 coaches. Published on December 22, 2023, the tender notice states that the new fleet must be comprised of either self-powered multiple units or locomotive-hauled coaches; be able to be utilised in fixed formations of between five and six passenger vehicles or sub-multiples of; and be capable of operating at 100mph, along with a host of other requirements. It also states that “rolling stock proposed shall be available to support a driver training programme within 2024 and available to enter passenger service…

DRIVER TRAINING began on the Levenmouth line on January 8, ahead of the line’s reopening in June. ScotRail’s 158704 was the first train to be used after Network Rail commissioned the signalling on the six-mile line the previous weekend. The two-car diesel multiple unit operated the 06.03 Haymarket depot to Leven, before forming the 08.33 Leven to Leven (via Glenrothes with Thornton), the 09.34 Leven to Leven (also via Glenrothes with Thornton) and 10.36 back to Haymarket depot. The £116 million project to return passenger trains to Leven – for the first time since 1969 – involves the reconstruction of a double-track railway and two new stations, one at Leven and one at Cameron Bridge. ScotRail safety, engineering and sustainability director David Lister said: “With the new signalling system now…

AN EVENING photographic charter at Holgate Engineering Works in York featuring five Direct Rail Services Class 37s has raised £3000 towards Network Rail’s ongoing fundraising efforts to benefit Martin House Children’s Hospice. The event followed the end of the annual Railhead Treatment Trains, which have utilised the Class 37s on diagrams working out of York. 37407 Blackpool Tower, 37419 Driver Tony Kay 1974-2019, 37422 Victorious, 37425 Sir Robert McAlpine/Concrete Bob and 37716 were all cleaned in advance by a team of volunteers, removing heavy levels of accumulated grime that forms on the locomotives’ bodywork during the RHTT season. More than 70 photographers paid to attend the event on December 16, with the proceeds going to the Wetherby-based hospice. This is the latest in a series of fundraising initiatives led by…

December saw freight operator DB Cargo offer 12 Class 90s and 10 Class 67s for sale as the company evaluates its locomotive requirements. The locomotives on offer are 67001/003/004/009/011/018/019/026/028/030 and 90019-021/024/026/028/029/034-037/039. All are currently located at Crewe Electric depot, with the exception of 67003/004/019/030, which are at Toton. The 30-strong Class 67 fleet was built in 1999/2000 for use by English Welsh & Scottish Railways (later acquired by DB Cargo’s German owner, Deutsche Bahn) on Royal Mail services, as well as being suitable for passenger workings, allowing older locomotive designs to be withdrawn from traffic. However, EWS later lost the Royal Mail contract for which it had been ordered and the fleet has never really been fully utilised. Of the 10 Class 67s being offered for sale, only 67028 is…

The expected cull of Great Western Railway Castle Class high speed train power cars took place following the December 2023 timetable change, the fleet now reduced to 12 operational Class 43s, with 43004/042/092/093/097/098 and 43156/186-189/198 remaining in service with the operator. In order to reduce the operational fleet of power cars, 43027/029/094 and 43122/153-155/162/194 were all removed from traffic by GWR in November and December. At the time of writing, all of the power cars recently taken out of service remain at Laira depot. Of those removed from service, 43027/029 are owned by Angel Trains, while 43094 and 43122/153-155/194 belong to First Rail Holdings and 43162 is a franchise asset of GWR and effectively owned by the Department for Transport. The December timetable change saw the number of diagrams worked…

CLASS 156 11/12 – 156417 5E12 04.45 Wolverton-Heaton, away since March 31, 2023, undergoing corrosion repairs and then overhaul. Renumbered from 156917 as part of the work and transferred to Northern upon release. 6/1 – 156456 5H70 06.52 Corkerhill-Wolverton. CLASS 166 20/12 – 166209 5Q81 08.50 Wolverton-St Philip’s Marsh. 20/12 – 166218 5Q70 14.30 St Philip’s Marsh-Wolverton. CLASS 319 13/12 – 37800 + 319367 + 319384 5Q76 08.18 Allerton-Sims, Newport. 19/12 – 319433 + 319457 3N19 10.47 Camden-Northampton Kings Heath. 20/12 – 37800 + 319366 + 319383 5Q77 07.58 Allerton-Sims, Newport. 22/12 – 37800 + 319361 + 319370 5Q76 07.58 Allerton-Sims, Newport. 9/1 – 37800 + 319372 + 319385 5Q76 08.18 Allerton-Sims, Newport. 11/1 – 37800 + 319368 + 319381 5Q79 07.58 Allerton-Sims, Newport. CLASS 321 Varamis Rail has taken…

TPE sets head to Long Marston With TransPennine Express having now ceased to use the Mk.5a coaching sets, early January saw them begin to arrive at Long Marston for secure store. On January 4, 37601 brought in 68032 and TP03 (11503 12707-709 12803) from Longsight while five days later, 37884 had 68024 and TP04 (11504, 12710-712, 12804) in tow on 5Q94, the 08.25 Longsight to Long Marston. Then, on January 11, 68021 delivered 11512, 12734-736 and 12812 (TP12) into storage before leaving for Crewe. Back on December 15, the last two sets at Scarborough, TP02 and TP06, were moved together to Gascoigne Wood top-and-tailed by 68025 and 68030, the latter locomotive and TP06 duly heading to Longsight on January 5. Of the remaining sets, these are now located at either…

THE 125 Group has announced amended plans to return Class 43 high speed train power car 43044 Edward Paxman to service fitted with a VP185 engine over the coming months, with classmate 43048 TCB Miller now likely to become the group’s power car that will be fitted with an original Paxman Valenta engine. When 43044 was first acquired by the 125 Group, it was in complete condition but fitted with a damaged VP185 engine, which rendered the power car unserviceable. As such, the group announced its plan to remove the defective power unit and install an original Paxman Valenta HST engine into the power car, which was professionally repainted into InterCity Executive livery prior to leaving Neville Hill depot and into preservation. The 125 Group acquired a number of Paxman…

THE GREAT Central Railway has acquired two Class 153 diesel units, but they are not intended to be used on normal timetabled passenger services on the heritage railway between Loughborough Central and Leicester North. Former West Midlands Railway 153371 became the first of the pair to arrive on the GCR in mid-December, with 153308 – last in service with East Midlands Railway – following on January 9. 153308 was previously owned by Angel Trains and stored at Ely Papworth Sidings after being taken out of service with EMR in December 2021, while 153371 was owned by Porterbrook and had most recently been stored at Long Marston since finishing with WMR in 2020. The intention is that the two units will be used to support driver and staff training facilities carried…

D2302 – Moreton Park: Some attention to sorting out the Class 04’s air system faults was undertaken at the beginning of December. D2578 – Moreton Park: November saw the group’s attention focus on the Class 05’s clutch replacement. With the drive shaft out of the locomotive and other parts also out for repair or replacement, work continued on investigating the condition of items still on the locomotive associated with the clutch and the drive shaft The shaft brake was the next item on the list to be removed for investigation. Attached to the front of the gearbox, its function is to slow down the drive shaft when changing up a gear. In recent years it had not been doing its job properly so was taken off, where it became apparent…

At the end of a long siding at Rowsley South lie two Class 50s, having been at Peak Rail for just over two decades. Both are painted in the iconic British Rail Large Logo blue livery, and it’s fair to say that at first glance they appear to have seen much better days and look a little unloved. But appearances can be deceptive, as they are far from abandoned, and one of them – 50030 Repulse – is now well on the way to being an operational locomotive again. Photographs of 50030 and classmate 50029 Renown regularly appear online, often accompanied by comments based purely on their current external appearance and which are mostly critical of their ‘neglect’. However, a quick online search would reveal the reality of the situation.…

SOUTH WESTERN Railway has finally seen the long-awaited introduction of its 90-strong Class 701 third rail electric multiple unit fleet into passenger service, with 701037 being used on the inaugural 10.25 London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside service on January 9. The train worked one return journey – also forming the 11.30 return working from Windsor & Eton Riverside – throughout the rest of the first week, with 701037/039 both seeing passenger service as SWR carried out a soft launch of the new trains. It was planned that a second working would be introduced for the Class 701s from the second week. SWR is now advancing its driving training programme for the new trains after agreements were reached between the operator and unions in the lead up to Christmas.…

THE ANNUAL statistics of station usage, issued by the Office of Rail and Road, were revealed in mid-December, with the top 10 now all in London – and showing some interesting changes, due mainly to the opening of the Elizabeth line and how the new route has changed travelling patterns in and around the capital. For many years, the top of the annual table has been occupied by London Waterloo as the most-used railway station in Britain. However, the table has been transformed following the opening of the Elizabeth line, with London Liverpool Street now at the top, with almost 80.4 million entries and exits between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. The Elizabeth line effect has also seen London Paddington move into second place with 59.2 million entries…

STATIC TESTING of Rail Operations Assets Ltd 93001 got underway at Crewe South Yard in early January, with main line testing of the new locomotive expected to start at some point in February. The tri-mode locomotive – which features electric, diesel and battery power – had been at Harry Needle Railroad Company’s Worksop site since July 1, 2023, having been built by Stadler in Valencia. ROAL will initially test the Class 93 with a rake of six Mk.3s hired from Eastern Rail Services (10229, 10413, 11078/095, 12021/091). The coaches will be used during testing on the West Coast Main Line, with the Class 93 expected to haul the stock between Crewe and Carlisle, as well as far south as London Euston, although it is expected that it will likely run…

New deliveries December saw 20 more FEA-G intermodal twinsets delivered to the UK for GB Railfreight. On December 11, 66721 worked north from Dollands Moor to Peterborough with 81 70 4663 261 to 280, while the last day of 2023 saw 66752 run as far as Ferme Park with 81 70 4663 281 to 300. Colas Rail also received a belated Christmas present on January 10 with the delivery of new Plasser & Theurer Unimat 09-4x4/4S tamper DR75016, 66172 being employed to haul the machine from Dollands Moor to Acton Yard for onward movement to Plasser at West Ealing for commissioning. Hawk conversions Two further batches of JNA Hawk ballast wagon conversions were released by Loram before 2023 concluded, 37418 once again being employed to take them to Toton. On…

WORK ON the rebuild of an English Electric 12CSVT engine for installation into the Class 37 Locomotive Group’s 37003 is complete, with the overhauled power unit expected to be refitted into the locomotive in the near future, marking a significant milestone in the overhaul of the popular Type 3. 37003 is based on the Mid-Norfolk Railway and was taken out of service for an overhaul at the end of 2013, with the locomotive moving to UK Rail Leasing’s facility at Leicester in 2017 in an effort to accelerate progress on the locomotive’s overhaul. When 37003 was originally preserved in 1998, the locomotive did not contain a power unit, having been used for component recovery by English Welsh & Scottish Railways prior to its purchase for preservation. A suitable power unit…

WHILE THE winter is usually fairly quiet for diesel enthusiasts, the Nene Valley Railway and East Lancashire Railway are both hosting events aimed at heritage modern traction enthusiasts. Firstly, on February 3, the NVR is hosting a HST 1st Birthday running day for 125 Preservation’s short-formed HST set, featuring HST power cars 43045 The Grammar School Doncaster AD1350 and 43060 County of Leicestershire, to commemorate the first anniversary of the preserved HST arriving on the Cambridgeshire heritage railway. The set – which also features Mk.3 prototype Trailer Standard coaches 42355 and 42357 (originally 42000 and 41002 respectively) and first-built production Trailer Restaurant First Buffet 40904 (originally 40001) – will work the 10.00, 11.30, 13.00 and 14.30 services from Wansford, with return and day rover tickets available. The HST will then…

THE ANNUAL online Railcar of the Year award, organised by The Railcar Association, has been won by the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s two-car Class 101 diesel multiple unit. The DMU, which consists of driving motor brake standard M51189 and driving motor standard lavatory Sc51803, returned to service in late October following an extensive overhaul by the KWVR Diesel Railcar Group, resplendent in BR blue livery after spending much of its time in preservation carrying lined BR green. Each year TRA organises an online poll to decide which preserved DMU project deserves the award. The other vehicles nominated for this year’s poll were the immaculately restored Class 104 driving trailer composite lavatory M56182 on the North Norfolk Railway, the Llangollen Railway-based Class 127 driving motor brake standard M51618, the Wensleydale…

This special issue of Railways Illustrated celebrates the legacy of the Class 50s, three decades after the last examples were withdrawn by British Rail in March 1994. From an overall fleet of 50 locomotives, it’s fair to say that the Class 50s are represented well in preservation, with 18 still remaining in private ownership. A detailed feature on the preserved Class 50s was contained in issue 222 (September 2021), and as we enter 2024, 10 of the surviving locomotives are either operational or close to being operational again, four are undergoing repairs, three are midway through comprehensive rebuilding projects, and one is stored awaiting its turn for restoration. Currently operational for use on heritage railways – excluding the main line-registered locomotives – are 50015/017/026/033/035/042, regularly seeing use on their home…

The beginning of the end for the Class 50 fleet came in 1987, with the withdrawal of 50011 in February, followed by 50006 five months later, and 50014 in December. In the case of first-withdrawn 50011, that locomotive was destined to survive for a further five-and-a-half years thanks to its use as a test bed for overhauled power units at Crewe Works; the dubious distinction of being the first locomotive to be scrapped fell to 50006. After undergoing component recovery, the former Neptune was moved to Vic Berry’s scrapyard in Leicester for final disposal, which took place in March 1988. It would be just over a year before the next member of the Class 50 fleet was scrapped, and a total of seven locomotives were scrapped during 1989, all of…

This year was not even a week old when the first new locomotive model arrived at retailers, in the form of the Bulleid electrics built for the Southern Railway. Announced just a few months ago, the OO gauge locomotives are the latest release under the EFE Rail banner, this being the Bachmann-controlled range that is typically used to release model tooling owned by third parties. This not only makes the models more widely available than would otherwise be the case if restricted to just one retailer, but it also ensures greater publicity and support thanks to Bachmann’s market presence. The three prototype diesels designed by Oliver Bulleid for the Southern Railway but delivered to British Railways, numbered 10201-203, previously appeared in model form some five years ago thanks to Kernow…

LNER HAS renumbered Class 91 electric locomotive 91105 as 91000 to commemorate the 1000th issue of RAIL magazine, which was first published in 1981. The locomotive emerged from Neville Hill on January 10, working the 06.56 Skipton to London King’s Cross service, before a short photo call took place on Platform 8 at King’s Cross for contributors and publishing staff, before it formed the 10.33 King’s Cross to Leeds service. The magazine’s logo has also been applied alongside the fleet number, although it is understood that the renumbering is temporary and that it will revert to 91105 over the coming weeks. The locomotive is still identified as 91105 on allocation systems. In November 2004, English Welsh & Scottish Railways renumbered 60016 RAIL Magazine into 60500 to commemorate the publication of…

FIRSTGROUP HAS submitted the first phase of an application to the Office of Rail and Road for a new open access rail service between London and Sheffield as part of its Hull Trains operation. The proposal is for two return journeys each day between London King’s Cross and Sheffield, calling at Retford, Worksop and Woodhouse, with FirstGroup stating it aims to provide a faster link between London and Sheffield than alternative services currently operating. It is hoped that services will begin during the second half of 2025, should the application be successful. The stations at Worksop and Woodhouse do not currently have a direct service into London, with commuters having to change trains. FirstGroup estimates there are 350,000 people in the Worksop and Woodhouse catchment areas who would have direct…

AS MERSEYRAIL introduces more of the new Stadler-built Class 777 trains into service, time is rapidly running out for the older Class 507 and 508 electric multiple units which have provided services on the network since the late 1970s. Although a number of Class 507s remain in traffic and are likely to be active on Merseyrail services for a few more months as the changeover to the new Class 777 accelerates, the withdrawal of the Class 508s should have been completed by the time this issue is published at the beginning of February. Although it was originally expected that the final Class 508s would be withdrawn by the end of 2023, three examples – 508104/108/114 – managed to cling on into 2024. However, 508108 and 508114 were withdrawn on January…

ENGLAND AND Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps MBE visited Nottingham Express Transit’s Wilkinson Street depot on December 14, 2023, to unveil her name on Alstom Citadis tram 222. Miss Earps was brought up in the Nottinghamshire town of West Bridgford and began playing for the West Bridgford Colts when she was aged 10. She was joined at the depot by a number of junior players from that same club. She said: “It’s not every day you get a tram named after you and it’s lovely to be back home in Nottingham to unveil it. I can’t quite believe it. “It’s also great to meet some of the up-and-coming young West Bridgford Colts players, which is where it all began for me. I’ll be sure to take a trip back to…

NEW LOCOMOTIVES could be on the agenda for Freightliner as the operator makes the case to operate more electric-hauled trains, as well as using alternative fuels. Speaking to The Climate Show on Sky News in mid-December, the operator highlighted the need for the Government to support modal shift to rail. In a statement highlighting the television show, the company said: “Freightliner calls on the Government to set a long-term target to treble rail freight volumes by 2050. Such an ambitious target will be a clear statement of intent from the Government and provide confidence to the private sector to make significant investments in long-term assets that deliver growth.” Louise Ward, safety and sustainability director at G&W UK/Europe, said: “We are not just calling on the Government for support; we are…

Spot hire company Europhoenix has taken delivery of the three Class 37s – 37069, 37218 and 37423 – which were purchased from former owner Direct Rail Services at the end of last year. The three locomotives were moved from DRS’ Crewe Gresty Bridge depot to UK Rail Leasing’s facility at Leicester on December 29, with Rail Operations Group’s 37611 Denise and 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer utilised to top-and-tail the convoy. Europhoenix managing director Glenn Edwards told Railways Illustrated in early January that the company plans to return all three to service but has yet to carry out detailed assessments to establish the level of work required, but he hoped they would be reactivated sooner rather than later. Initial work will see the obsolete DRS branding removed from the bodysides. 37218 is…

Axe falls on Northern Class 319s The ever-dwindling fleet of Northern Class 319s just managed to see passenger use into 2024 before the final units were stopped for the last time. The December timetable change saw the end of booked work for the units, but they still made sporadic appearances over the festive period. On New Year’s Day, 319369 was in use between Manchester Victoria and Wigan North Western via Chat Moss, while on January 2 319368 was turned out to work 2A12, the 08.02 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport, before mostly spending the day shuttling between Liverpool and Wigan. Its last duty was 2C31, the 20.52 Wigan North Western to Liverpool Lime Street, this proving to be the final passenger working for the Class 319s with Northern and…

The release of 37409 in 1980s-style ScotRail colours from Eastleigh Works in early January got the year off to an interesting and slightly controversial, start with Locomotive Services wanting the newly rechristened Loch Awe to match its set of push-pull Mk.3 coaches. Also at Eastleigh, 59201 emerged in Freightliner orange and black on January 8, meaning all of the Class 59/2s have now been repainted out of their obsolete DB Cargo colours. In contrast, 66067 is the latest DB Cargo Class 66 to go red at Toton. All of the Class 444 Desiros now carry South Western Railway colours following the completion of 444045 at Bournemouth in January, 444040 having been the first of the class to be re-liveried, using vinyls, back in August 2017. The Class 450s are equally…

THE DIESEL Traction Group has cause for celebration following the operation of a successful loaded main line test run for its preserved Western Region Class 52 Western diesel-hydraulic locomotive D1015 Western Champion – just over two years after a similar test run ended in despair for the group. The January 10 test run saw the BR blue Western undertake a light engine move over Network Rail metals from Kidderminster to Avonmouth, before joining GB Railfreight’s 66714 Cromer Lifeboat on an empty cement tank train from Avonmouth to Haresfield Loop as a loaded test, then returning light engine to its base at Kidderminster on the Severn Valley Railway. DTG chairman Tom Sawyer said that the group’s engineers had deemed the test run to be a success, with just a couple of…

THE SEVERN Valley Railway’s first post-Christmas Winter Diesel Day has been hailed a major success by the railway – attracting more than 1000 paying passengers to the heritage railway and generating £30,000 in ticket revenue. Originally billed as a steam-heat diesel running day featuring the Class 40 Preservation Society’s 40106 and the Peak Locomotive Company’s Class 46 D182 on services alongside some of the SVR’s resident diesel fleet, the on December 29 morphed into a bigger-scale occasion, with an impressive line-up of locomotives pressed into service to blow away the Christmas cobwebs. Also in use were Michael Owen’s visiting 20007 and 20142, the Diesel Traction Group’s Class 17 D8568 and Class 52 D1015 Western Champion, the Class 33/1 Preservation Company’s 33108, privately-owned 37263 and the Class 50 Alliance’s 50035 Ark…

THE BODMIN & Wenford Rail-way has announced that it is considering selling its Class 121 single-coach railcar 121020, as it appraises its fleet requirements amid challenging trading conditions affecting many heritage lines. The unit was acquired by the Bodmin Railway Trust in 2018 following its withdrawal from main line service with Chiltern Railways, where it had been used mainly on services between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough. For its last role prior to withdrawal, the vehicle was fitted with central door locking and underwent other works to allow it to remain in main line operation, with the railway stating that the unit is largely still in its ex-main line condition. While the railway has said it’s possible it will retain it, it has stated that sensible and realistic offers of interest…

The mid-1980s could be described as the high-water mark for the Class 50s, as the fully refurbished fleet worked extensively across the Western Region, the Waterloo to Exeter line, and to the West Midlands – from Paddington and the southwest. Their workload had, in principle, changed little since West of England services went over to High Speed Train operations in the early 1980s. Weekly diagrammed mileage, on a variety of trains including passenger, parcels, and freight trains, was consistently in the 100-105,000 bracket and peaked above 107,000 in the summer 1986 timetable. At about the same time, however, high-level decisions were being made to start running down the 50s from the following year. As the railway moved away from being run regionally to a structure more aligned with the needs…

The Class 50 Alliance is one of our leading and most respected heritage modern traction preservation groups. With six Class 50s in its fleet, it previously featured in a Preservation Profile in issue 231 of Railways Illustrated. But in the days before its merger with Project Defiance (the original owner of 50049 Defiance), and long before 50007 Hercules and 50033 Glorious joined the fleet, the Fifty Fund was responsible for blazing the trail when it came to Class 50 preservation. These days, the Fifty Fund is the membership and support organisation of The Class 50 Alliance, which is responsible for the maintenance and operation of 50007, 50031 Hood, 50033, 50035 Ark Royal, 50044 Exeter and 50049, both at the Severn Valley Railway, and, in the case of 50007/044/049, on the…

Railway photography, for me, is about two things: a record for capturing a point in time to preserve a memory and an art form to create a great-looking image. Sometimes for me, it is to recreate an essence of how things used to be. I’m always on the lookout for a composition that takes me back to when I was young, particularly the 1970s or early 1980s. I like the challenge of capturing an image that looks almost like it could have been taken back then. That’s hard because modern details creep into the scene. It requires a suitable subject, an appropriate backdrop, often some tight composition to exclude modernity, and some compromises. It’s rarely going to be a perfect recreation of the past – though some photo charters can…

→ A special fundraising photographic event took place at York Holgate Works in In mid-December, featuring five Direct Rail Services Class 37s that have recently been deployed on the autumn railhead treatment train circuits around York. Network Rail production director, regular Railways Illustrated contributor and organiser Chris Gee details the amount of work that was carried out in advance of the event, from getting the necessary approvals, through to the significant task of ensuring that all five Class 37s underwent extensive cleaning to remove the dirt that had accumulated on the locomotives throughout the RHTT season. → Steve Stubbs takes a look at the history of rail traffic operated in connection with the former UK Atomic Energy Authority site at Winfrith, located in a relatively rural part of Dorset between…