FREE PICTORIAL SUPPLEMENT: BR THE TRANSITION YEARS 1967/1968
BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING RAIL TITLE March 2018
INTERCITY IS BACK! ScotRail revives famous brand for new HST services
Tribute to RHN Hardy 1923 2018 1923-2018
Performance Check: GWR’s Class 800 Bi-Modes
Tyseley: Shaping future of main line steam
New Trains: Orders and cascade plans detailed
◆ PLAN TO BAN DIESEL TRAINS BY 2040 ◆ EUROSTAR REACHES AMSTERDAM
k
HeadlineNews SIDELINES Far North sleeper plan moves forward
HITRANS (the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership Board) has been given support for further studies to be carried out into its proposal to introduce an overnight sleeper train from Edinburgh/Glasgow to Thurso. The study will be carried out by SYSTRA. Dubbed ‘The Midnight Train to Georgemas’, the service would use surplus Mk 3 sleeping cars and provide a connection with ferry services to Orkney from nearby Scrabster.
Boy and grandfather die in crossing crash
GRANDFATHER Barry Hearnshaw (72) and his 15-year-old grandson Will Hallett died when their car was hit by a Southern Class 377 EMU at a level crossing at Barns Green, Sussex on February 17. Both BTP and RAIB are investigating.
Virgin East Coast drops quiet coach
THE First Class quiet coach on Virgin East Coast services will be dropped from May 20. Virgin says that just 9% of passengers said they appreciate the First Class quiet coach. The Standard Class quiet coach remains unchanged.
‘Record price’ for diesel negative
A LARGE format black and white negative of two North British Class 21 diesel locos and a Class 20 on shed in 1960 sold on eBay last month for £506. It is believed to be a record price for a railway negative in the UK.
Police Scotland merger on indefinite hold PLANS to merge the British Transport Police in Scotland with Police Scotland have been put on hold indefinitely. The merger received substantial opposition in both Scotland and England, but was due for completion by April 2019. However, according to Police Scotland’s Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, ‘unresolved issues’ mean that combining both forces could compromise public safety. The Scottish Government will review the timetable. Scottish Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary Liam Kerr said the plan was “an unpopular move that virtually nobody is in favour of”. The official line of both the British Transport Police and Police Scotland is that both forces are working to ensure the proposed merger goes ahead as smoothly as possible.
Virgin West Coast deal extended – but East Coast close to collapse
VIRGIN and Stagecoach have been granted a further extension of their contract to operate the InterCity West Coast (ICWC) franchise, taking their deal through to March 31, 2019. However, the troubled Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) franchise could come to an end even more quickly than feared as its losses mount. The current ICWC franchise expires on March 31, but the Department for Transport (DfT) has extended it for one year, with an option for a further year, to ensure continuity before the start of the new West Coast Partnership franchise. In return for the longer contract, Virgin will spend £7.5million to refit its Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ fleet with improved on-board wi-fi and allow free use for all passengers. Installation begins in May and should be completed by January 2019, at which point free wi-fi will become available to Standard Class passengers as well as First Class. VT has also been tasked with identifying and eliminating
Class 91 No. 91111 For the Fallen, stands at Newark Northgate with the 1D26the 18.03 London King's Cross to Skipton on February 20. STEVE DONALD
locations on its network where there is no mobile communications signal. As part of the new contract, VT will upgrade all station ticket machines to accept contactless payment, provide more staff
at stations during busy times, spend more than £3m to improve station and train environments, provide additional seating at stations, and improve toilets, lighting and carpets on its trains. The invitation to tender for
the new West Coast Partnership is expected to be issued shortly. Virgin Trains is one of the shortlisted bidders for this franchise, in partnership with Stagecoach (50%) and SNCF (30%).
‘Radical’ NR five-year plan targets 15% cut in delays By Ben Jones
NETWORK Rail’s draft strategic business plan for 2019-24 prioritises renewals and upgrades aimed at reducing delays by 15% across the network, plus a greater emphasis on safety and a commitment to recruit 50% more women by 2024. More than £47billion will be invested in completing previously agreed enhancements, maintaining and improving Britain’s railways over the five-year plan, known as Control Period 6 (CP6). However, in comparison to previous control periods, there is a noticeable lack of new major projects, with NR focusing on general improvements and completing current schemes. Outgoing NR chief executive Mark Carne said: “This is a radical plan, an ambitious plan. It is not without challenge and risk. But with great people, great teams, the right quality of leadership, the right incentives and the determination to see it through, it can deliver the better railway that a better Britain needs.” NR has allocated £18.5bn for
operations and maintenance, a 25% increase over CP5, and a similar figure will be spent on the renewal of life-expired equipment. The plan also includes £10bn to complete previously agreed enhancements. New major projects are to be subject to a completely separate funding process, handled directly by the Treasury as business cases are presented to Network Rail, which has allocated £1bn to supporting and developing these schemes in CP6. One major project that does feature is the trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, which is already in progress. ‘Digital Railway’ initiatives such as Traffic Management Systems (TMS) and European Train Control System (ETCS), allied to other capacity improvements, are expected to allow the delivery of an additional 1,000 trains per day from 2021. NR plans to deploy new digital safety technologies to reduce the general risk of accidents to passengers by 10%, aims to reduce the risk of level crossing accidents by 13%, and halve time lost to workforce because of injuries by the end of the plan.
Infrastructure renewals will be better phased, with contracts issued over longer periods to avoid overloading the supply chain. The cost of improvements per passenger kilometre will be reduced by around 10%, building on the 40% total achieved across CP4 and CP5. CP6 will also see NR continue its transformation into a ‘federation’ of devolved regional businesses competing to develop best practice, reduce costs and deliver better performance. Regionally, headline targets include more than £2bn to be spent by the Western Route, supporting an additional 140,000 trains per year from 2019. Efficiency savings of 6% could save more than £100million and close co-operation with operators aims to improve reliability by 11%. Specific schemes will include a £50m signalling upgrade for London Paddington, further extreme weather protection work at Dawlish and Teignmouth, by providing extra sea defences, track upgrades in Devon, and £40m to restore the historic overall roof at Bristol Temple Meads.
In Wales, projects will include the restoration of Barmouth Bridge and Phase 2 of the Port Talbot resignalling scheme, plus a number of smaller projects to deliver better journey times. More than £3.5bn will be spent on Southern routes to help improve reliability on some of the country’s most congested railways. Agreed projects include complete replacement of signalling systems at London Victoria and along the Brighton Main Line to Balham, to Penge East via Brixton and suburban lines to Denmark Hill and Crofton Park, and the introduction of TMS across the whole region, giving signallers and planners the ability to predict delays and implement mitigation plans. More than 750 sets of points at key locations and earthworks at 300 locations will be improved to reduce the risk of landslips. The LNW route has been allocated more than £5bn to maintain its network and ahead of HS2, while another £2bn will be spent on the Anglia route to help Greater Anglia prepare for an entirely new train fleet in 2019/20.
Mark Carne to retire – search begins for new NR chief CHIEF EXECUTIVE of Network Rail Mark Carne has announced he will retire later this year. His decision will allow NR time to headhunt a new CEO ahead of the start of Control Period 6 (CP6), the next five-year regulatory period, which begins in April 2019.
10 • The Railway Magazine • March 2018
Chairman of Network Rail Sir Peter Hendy CBE said: “Mark has done an outstanding job and I want to applaud him for what he has achieved in his time at Network Rail. His leadership steadied the ship during the challenging transition to a public sector organisation
and he has been the architect behind the huge positive changes in the company, driving transformation, devolution and efficiency, with an emphasis on equality and diversity, too. “Three years ago he set out a strategic vision for a digital
railway transformation, which is now becoming a reality in our plans. “Perhaps his biggest legacy, however, is the change in safety culture that he has very personally led and which has done so much to make the railway and our workforce safer.”
Have you got a story for us? Email: railway@mortons.co.uk
Eurostar launches direct services to Amsterdam By Keith Fender
EUROSTAR launched its new direct service to Amsterdam and Rotterdam on February 20, running an inaugural train in the timings of one of the two planned daily services. When regular services begin on April 4 these will be the first direct trains connecting the UK and the Netherlands. The train, with invited guests and the media on board, was formed of unit Nos. 374031 and
The new destination of Amsterdam on the screen at St Pancras. ALL: KEITH FENDER
374032, which were delivered to Eurostar in 2017. The final seven Class 374 trains ordered (Nos. 374021-034) have been delivered with signalling systems for the Dutch network pre-installed. All but the last train (Nos. 4033/34) are now in service. Two trains will leave St Pancras International at 08.31 and 17.31, arriving in Rotterdam three hours one minute later, and taking another 40 minutes to reach Amsterdam. The Amsterdam trains will be timed for 1hr 48min non-stop between London and Brussels – the fastest timing on that route. Initially, at least, the trains will not serve Antwerp or Amsterdam Schiphol airport. Eurostar is partnering with the international part of Dutch national operator NS to crew the trains north of Brussels. Twenty Dutch drivers have been trained to drive the Eurostar ‘Velaro’ trains in intensive classroom training undertaken at Temple Mills, where the Eurostar simulator is located. The NS drivers also drive the Thalys TGV-derived trains between Amsterdam and Brussels. Eurostar drivers will change in Brussels with Eurostar drivers from the UK, Belgium or France driving from London. There will be no direct trains from Amsterdam to London
Set No. 374032 on arrival with the first train from London at Amsterdam CS – the 08.31 from London St Pancras International on February 20.
until December 2019 because of the need to agree immigration arrangements between the Dutch and British governments, with British immigration staff working in the Netherlands, as they do in France and Belgium for Eurostar services. For trains from London, the French police working at St Pancras will act as immigration authorities for Amsterdam-bound passengers
‘B1’ emerges at Grosmont after LNER repaint
THOMPSON ‘B1’ 4-6-0 No. 1264 emerged from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s Grosmont works on February 25 resplendent in newly applied LNER black. John Furness completed the transformation from the previous BR black into LNER livery with red lining in time for the loco’s appearance at the Severn Valley Railway spring gala on March 16-18. The Thompson ‘B1’ Locomotive Trust locomotive was built by North British months prior to Nationalisation, but never carried this livery under LNER ownership, having been turned out in apple green. MARK O’BRIEN
as the Netherlands is a member These will offer journeys of of the EU ‘Schengen’ travel area. around 4hr 45min between Eurostar is building new Amsterdam and London with a departure lounges, which layover of about 50 minutes for will include security and the change, and security and immigration-screening areas at immigration checks. both Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Until the start of through Until direct trains are available trains, servicing of the from Amsterdam to London a Amsterdam sets will take place series of connecting trains will at Brussels Forest depot, the use Thalys units to Brussels, with return working to the Belgian passengers changing to Eurostar capital being promoted by from Brussels Midi. Eurostar and Thalys.
Join an RM trip to see Union Pacific's ‘Big Boy’ ‘BIG BOY’No. 4014 has been undergoing a mammoth restoration – and you can be one of the first to ride behind the Union Pacific (UP) giant. The Railway Magazine is in discussions with specialist tour operator Darjeeling Tours to take you to see the‘Big Boy’, the UP heritage base at Cheyenne and lots more of railway interest in the Colorado and Wyoming areas, and maybe further afield. In their heyday, 25 4-8-8-4 ‘Big Boys’were produced for the UP between 1941-1944, working heavy freight between Wyoming and Utah, over the Wasatch mountains. Forced out by diesel locomotives, the last revenue train hauled by a‘Big Boy’ran in July 1959, with a number of the class remaining on
standby for several years afterwards. Of the 25 built, eight survive and No. 4014 was re-acquired by UP in 2013, with the aim of returning the loco to steam as part of the company’s Heritage Operations active fleet. No. 4014’s mammoth restoration is expected to come to a conclusion in the spring or summer of 2019. An outline itinerary is still being developed, but you can register your interest now, with no commitment, and will be sent details of the tour as soon as they become available. Email peter@darjeelingtours. co.uk in the first instance or write to Darjeeling Tours Ltd, Lime Tree Lodge, Thorpe Road, Mattersey, Doncaster DN10 5ED.
Global giants planning ‘world class’ test centre for Long Marston HITACHI Rail Europe (HRE) and Bombardier have joined forces in a proposal to build a‘world class’ test centre for new trains at Long Marston in Warwickshire. The two global transport giants are also working with Quinton Rail Technology Centre – home to Vivarail and a large quantity
of stored rail vehicles – and have applied to Stratford-upon-Avon District Council for planning permission to develop the centre. If authorised, the centre would be used for new train approvals, endurance testing, commissioning, acceptance and signal integration testing, and
could create up to 50 new jobs by 2022. Currently, capacity and capability for testing new trains in the UK is limited, with the main facility being Network Rail’s Rail Industry Development Centre (RIDC) near Melton Mowbray – formerly the BR Old Dalby test track. However, no
large test loop allowing continuous running is currently available. The large volume of new train types requiring testing and approval over the next few years means many are being tested abroad – for example in Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic and Romania (see separate story on p9).
HRE and Bombardier have created a joint venture to bid for London Underground’s DeepTube Upgrade contract, potentially delivering up to 250 new trains for the Bakerloo, Piccadilly,Waterloo & City and Central line. Both are also hoping to supply new trains for the next South Eastern franchise.
March 2018 • The Railway Magazine • 11
Multiple Aspects
with Lord Berkeley
Confidential task force will identify ‘annoying’ EU rules and laws to be scrapped in post-Brexit period
B
REXIT provides an opportunity for ministers to scrap (and take the credit for doing so) many of those irritating European Union (EU) rules and standards that prevent Governments from doing what they’d like to do by allowing the implementation of plans not enforced by EU legislation that would ultimately make the railways better, cost less and help passengers – and freight if they have heard about it! MPs have set up a special and confidential task force to identify which rules and standards they will
abolish immediately we leave the EU – and in the mean time, ignore others, where possible. There has been no debate or consultation about this and, no doubt, the Government intends to make these changes using secondary legislation or other means, known as Henry VIII clauses, named after the monarch who made laws as he went along and beheaded anyone who opposed them. In the UK we have some good pressure groups who look after the interests of different users of the
railway, safety, and public transport generally. However, is it not time Government introduced legislation to make the road users of level crossings responsible for their own failings? At present, whatever an errant motorist does to avoid waiting for a train to pass, it is ‘always Network Rail’s fault’, often causing NR to spend more than £1million per crossing to protect motorists from their own stupidity. The same comments apply to bridge bashing; again it is usually the fault of NR if a truck hits a bridge
because the truck driver does not know the height of their vehicle or has not seen the sign. The Law Commission proposed some sensible changes to such legislation some five years ago, but Government has done nothing. I can see little chance this will be part of Brexit transport changes as they could require all drivers to understand English road signs; instead they are more likely to make it easier to exceed the speed limit, lower fuel duty and change MOT tests. every 10 years.
Dragging feet over border checks on Eurostar Amsterdam service
Forging closer collaboration with the heritage sector
Consultants still rule the roost
way. Is this why costs are so high?
AT A time when our politicians seem keen to cut every link to the Continent, it is good to hear Eurostar is starting a through service from London to Amsterdam in April. This should create competition with popular air services, and also with the lesser-used Harwich/Hook of Holland night ferry, where a solo cabin costs only £60, including the fare for a foot passenger. Sadly, a through return Eurostar service from Amsterdam to London becomes a service with change at Brussels because the four governments involved – after many years of negotiation – are still unable to agree how and where to do the border checks and still refuse to do them on the train. However, our ministers never had to experience the delays and frustrations of immigration checks when on business – they are simply waved through the VIP channel!
I WAS honoured to be invited to speak at the Heritage Railway Association annual dinner in Birmingham on February 10. It was an amazing event, with people from all around the UK and Ireland demonstrating their commitment to service quality, safety, and engineering excellence on their railways, large and small, and showing the power of the voluntary sector in not only giving training and many new skills, but having fun doing it all. It is good ministers are now encouraging this sector’s own businesses by suggesting there is demand for expansion, for reopening old lines, and also for working more collaboratively with Network Rail to allow through running, as has happened on the Swanage line. This is an area where the bureaucracy of NR needs reviewing! The HRA President, Lord Faulkner of Worcester, and chairman, former MP Brian Simpson, do a great job in looking after the interests of the HRA. Keep up the good work!
THE saga of Network Rail’s costs goes on and on. I recently heard there was a plan to relay the two tracks between Totnes and somewhere east of Plymouth next year, and there is interest among the Peninsular Rail Task Force, representing councils and other authorities in the South West, to encourage Network Rail to increase the line speed of this section from 60 to 75mph, in order to save a few minutes on the journey time to Plymouth. It apparently involves increasing the cant on the track without any realignment, but the cost quoted of £300million seems heroic; worse still is the apparent need for £60k of ‘consultants’ study to work out how to do it! So NR is going cap in hand to the Department for Transport for this money since the ORR has decided this is an ‘enhancement’ and not a ‘renewal’, which needs ORR and DfT approval. No doubt the £60k is for consultants to make the business case for going a bit faster; surely any competent track maintenance and renewal company knows how to do this and, of course, check and report on the clearances to structures on the
Diesel fade-out quandary
SO ONE Minister of Transport tells us diesel-powered trains will be phased out by 2040 and another cancels electrification projects at the drop of a hat! Given many trains and locomotives can last 30 to 40 years, what means of propulsion do minsters expect the railways to use after 2040? There is hydrogen, but that still seems in its infancy, and there could be trains with solar panels on their roof, but less useful at night or in tunnels. Battery technology is developing fast, but how much battery power would a freight locomotive need to haul 2,000 tonnes of aggregate, competing with hundreds of trucks still using diesel – albeit getting cleaner all the time! Maybe ministers should not try to micro-manage the railway and, instead, challenge the sector even more vigorously to reduce its costs and improve its efficiency. berkeleyafg@parliament.uk
■ (The independent views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The RM or the Rail Freight Group, of which Tony Berkeley is chairman).
Railways in Parliament
by Jon Longman
Strike mandate ends
LEO Docherty (Aldershot) asked what steps the Department for Transport (DfT) is taking to prevent future strikes on the South Western Railway. Transport Minister Joseph Johnson said: “The RMT’s current mandate for strike action on South Western Railway (SWR) expires in April. During the RMT strikes over Christmas and New Year, SWR operated around 70 per cent of their services, keeping passengers on the move. “In December, the Secretary of State met with Mick Cash to renew his offer of guarantees of employment to people who currently fulfil the role of the second person on the train beyond the length of the franchises. “The Secretary of State and I continue to encourage a dialogue between the parties to resolve the union’s dispute and avoid further unnecessary strikes for passengers.”
Ticking TOCs plans
LAYLA Moran (Oxford West and Abingdon) asked if the DfT will make it policy to include an automatic delay repay scheme in future rail franchise agreements. Mr Johnson replied: “We want train operating companies (TOCs) to make claiming compensation for delays swift and simple. “We have encouraged better promotion and increased awareness of delay repay schemes and we have encouraged TOCs to make the claims process simple and easy to use. We welcome the fact that all TOCs now have a dedicated online claim process. “Passengers are more willing than ever to demand and get fair compensation if their train is late or cancelled, with more than £73 million paid out to successful claimants in
12 • The Railway Magazine • March 2018
2016/17 – an increase of 63.8 per cent on the 2015/16 total of £44.9 million. “We are improving passenger compensation by introducing relay repay from 15 minutes, which is being rolled out across the network as franchise contracts come up for renewal.”
Rural expansion
DR David Drew (Stroud) asked what steps the DfT is taking to encourage the reopening of rural railway lines and halts. Mr Johnson said: “The Government is working with local authorities and other partners to identify the best new rail projects that can unlock new housing and economic growth, ease overcrowding, meet future demand, and offer good value for money. “It is also helping them to identify new ways of designing, financing and funding
additional rail capacity. “We will consider proposals on a case by case basis, based on the economic benefits and business case put forward by local partners.”
26-30 Railcard roll-out
ALEX Sobel (Leeds North West) asked when the DfT plans to roll-out the 26-30 Railcard nationwide. Mr Johnson replied: “The Government will work with industry to extend the benefits of discounted rail travel to ensure those aged 16 to 30 can access concessions. “This will include the introduction of a new railcard for ages 26 to 30, which the Government anticipates will increase the number of journeys taken. “Further details will be announced in agreement with industry and will be implemented from spring 2018.”
BIMODES AND
WESTERN W WIRES HM Queen and Duke of Edinburgh journeyed in Queen Victoria’s footsteps on June 13, 2017, marking the 175th anniversary of the first Royal Train. They travelled from Slough and are seen arriving at London Paddington in Class 800 Hitachi IET No. 800003, which is named Queen Elizabeth II at one end and Queen Victoria at the other. JACK BOSKETT
With increasing numbers of the new bi-mode Class 800 trains entering service on the GWR, Keith Farr analyses whether these sleek units can match the performance of the venerable HST125. TABLE 1: DIDCOT-PADDINGTON Train: Power: Total weight: Date: Recorder: Recorder’s position:
09.30 Bristol – Paddington 800009 (5) + 800008 (5) 501/525 tonnes October 16, 2017 K S Farr 7/10
09.30 Bristol – Padd’n 800011 (5) 250½/270 tonnes November 13, 2017. K S Farr 1/5
Distance miles 0.00 4.70 8.39 11.60 14.49 16.35 17.16 4.94 11.71 13.53 15.05 17.54 19.73 21.26 22.74 25.05 26.90 30.29 31.74 34.73 35.83
Sched min 0
Actual ms
Timing point DIDCOT Cholsey Goring Pangbourne Tilehurst High Level Jct READING (10) Twyford Maidenhead Taplow Burnham SLOUGH Langley Iver West Drayton Hayes Southall Ealing Broadway Acton ML W’bourne Park PADDINGTON
6½ [2] 13 14 5 8½ 11½
15½ 16½[1] 18 [1] 25½
Actual ms 0 00 4 28 6 43 8 31 10 04 11 21 13 11 4 47 8 41 9 44 10 32 11 45 12 48 13 32 14 16 15 23 16 16 19 19 20 39 26 59
Speed mph – 91½ 104 110/114 110 57* 94/111 105/102¶ 107 120/125/124 125/126 124 124/118* 120 125 125/12½* sigs. 31 86/97 - * sigs -
* speed reduced by brakes
14 • The Railway Magazine • March 2018
4 21 6 34 8 20 9 53 10 56 12 36 4 36 8 31 9 30 10 16 11 29 12 32 13 16 —— 15 08 16 01 17 44 21 30 24 06
Speed mph 0 00 93 106 111/115 114 78* 93 112/107¶ 114 123 125 123 123 122 125 109* 41* -
¶ changeover, diesel to electric
A
S IN the title, ‘bi-modes’ came first, arriving on the Great Western Railway before wiring was complete. Electrification had fallen behind schedule and exceeded budget; GWR therefore decided to make its fleet of InterCity Electric Trains (IET) totally bi-mode from the start so they would be up and running as soon as possible. Otherwise, the rolling stock cascade programme would have been left in further disarray: GWR would have been unable to release InterCity ‘125’s to ScotRail, which in turn would have delayed the transfer of Class 170 DMUs to increase capacity elsewhere. Great Western’s intention to employ other displaced ‘125’s on semi-fast services in Devon and Cornwall would also have been jeopardised, as would the concomitant release of elderly ‘Sprinters’ and ‘Pacers’. The cascade sequence thus depended on the punctual introduction of IETs, electric or not; so bi-mode it had to be. The down side is that reliance on bi-mode gave the Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling an excuse for halting electrification at Cardiff instead of Swansea and, on the Bristol line, at Thingley Junction, Chippenham. Beyond those points, Mr Grayling seemed to think passengers would not notice their ‘electric’ train had metamorphosed into a diesel, despite lower speeds and subdued grumbling from underfloor engines in the centre vehicles. Time for a comparison: a Class 800/0 five–coach IET weighs 250½ tonnes empty, the drive-end vehicles powering when the train is operating as an electric, and the centre three, each with an MTU1600 R80L diesel engine, normally set at 750 brake horsepower, contributing up to 2,250bhp. Therefore, in
World Record
OfficiallyThe the world’s longest-running railway series, established in 1901
Class 800s are beginning to make their mark on the Cotswold line. Set No. 800023 leaves Moretonin-Marsh on February 2 with the 09.54 GWR service from Great Malvern to London Paddington. FRASER PITHIE
diesel mode, a pair of five-coach 800s in multiple, weighing 501 tonnes, produces 4,500hp – the same as a 2+8 IC125 weighing 408 tonnes. In theory, at least, the power-toweight ratios are 9.0hp/tonne for the diesel bi-mode against 11.1hp/tonne for the ‘125’. Great Western Railway states the diesel generators can now produce 940hp each, in line with the intended Class 802 sets for West of England services and increasing the powerto-weight ratio to 11.3hp: but detailed analysis by members of the Railway Performance Society (RPS) suggests this maximum has not yet been utilised. At low speed, however, a bi-mode’s acceleration is set at 0.75 metre per second per second up to about 20mph, giving a faster immediate ‘get-away’ than that of a ‘125’. The acceleration rate then drops so, by the time the train reaches about 30mph, speed is increasing more slowly than with a ‘125’.
Scrag ends
IETs were designed to use diesel traction only on the scrag ends of routes beyond the wires, where high-level performance at speed is not required. They were never intended to rely on diesel over fast sections such as Didcot to Chippenham or Bristol Parkway, as they will be doing at least until the end of 2018 because of the electrification backlog, and they have difficulty keeping net schedules on such routes. GWR, meanwhile, is examining ways of making better use of the horsepower already available. In a five-coach unit, the 750hp engines in the second and fourth coaches supply hotel power, such as air-conditioning and heating. This output is fixed at maximum level, but could be adjusted to match varying demand, so when less heating (for example) is required spare power is released for traction. The diesel generator in the middle coach does not supply hotel power, but produces no more output for traction than its partners: the allocation of power for on-train services is there, but dormant, and could be utilised at the rail. It was on October 16, 2017 the first Class 800s entered public service on the Great Western Main Line. At this stage, electric power was available only between Paddington and the outskirts of Maidenhead, where the driver would lower the pantograph(s) and switch on the diesel generators in the centre vehicles of
TABLE 2: PADDINGTON-READING Train: Power: Total weight: Date: Recorder: Recorder’s position:
13.45 Paddington – Swansea 800011/80010 (10) 501/525 tonnes December 11, 2017. K S Farr 1/10
Distance miles 0.00 1.10 4.09 5.54 8.93 10.78 13.09 14.56 16.10 18.29 22.30 24.11 30.89 35.10 35.83
Sched min 0
Timing point PADDINGTON Westbourne Park Acton ML Ealing Broadway Southall Hayes West Drayton Iver Langley SLOUGH Taplow Maidenhead Twyford MP 35¼ READING (8)
6½ 8½ 9½
13½ 16½ 19½ [1] 25
Actual ms 0 00 2 11 5 02 5 52 7 34 8 28 9 34 10 17 11 01 12 04 14 00 14 55 18 21 21 29 23 40
# changeover, electric to diesel
Speed mph -/38/31* 38 95 110/124 120 126 125/123 124 124 125 123 118# 117 16* sigs. -
Gradient 1-in Level 1760R 1204R 1204R 1320R Level 1640F Level 1320F Level 1320R 1320R 1320R 1320F/L Level
[1] = 1 min recovery time
GWR IET No. 800004 Isambard Kingdom Brunel is captured at speed along the Great Western Main Line, near Challow, on August 28, 2017. JACK BOSKETT
March 2018 • The Railway Magazine • 15
KEEPING STEAM ON THE NETWORK
Tyseley: Shaping the future of
Main Line Steam?
As the steam railtour market undergoes one of its most significant overhauls in decades, Gary Boyd-Hope talks to Tyseley’s Michael Whitehouse about Vintage Trains’ bid to become an independent train-operating company owned by the general public.
O
NE year ago The Railway Magazine presented an in-depth look at the strategic vision laid down by Tyseley for its long-term survival – not only in an ever-changing rail industry, but also as part of a multi-cultural and increasingly busy cityscape. The masterplan covers all facets of the Tyseley operation, from the running of regular steam-hauled expresses out of Birmingham and the unique selling point of three ‘Castle’ class 4-6-0s, to the revival of the Metropolitan Railway Carriage & Wagon Company name and the redevelopment of the former 84E shed at Tyseley itself. At the very heart of the plan lies Vintage Trains’ (VT) bid to become an independent, British-owned, fully integrated
Express steam trains working out of Birmingham, hauled by Great Western-designed 4-6-0s such as ‘Castle’ No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, is the unique selling point of the Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society. ROBIN COOMBES
20 • The Railway Magazine • March 2018
train-operating company (TOC), the application for which has already been submitted to the Office of Road and Rail. In early December, the new Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society (CBS) launched a £3million share offer to raise the capital required to turn the vision into a reality. Included in this is a minimum sum (£800,000) required to prove to the ORR that VT has the financial wherewithal to run trains independently. In a nutshell it sounds like a worthy and admirable goal, but look a little deeper and you’ll find that there is actually far more to it
than that. For Tyseley’s move towards TOC status is not just about its own survival, but it may also help shape the future of main line steam operation as a whole. To quote Tyseley chairman Michael Whitehouse: “Main line steam has reached a tipping point which is very real, and the railway preservation world needs to wake up, realise the issues and join with us in developing the solutions.” As we fast approach the 50th anniversary of the end of BR steam, main line steam
coming to a critical junction which, unless faced, understood and dealt with, could result in a ‘make or break’ situation for the railtour market. The issues Michael refers to are many and varied, ranging from the simple fact that we have a busier national railway network, to ageing motive power and an equally aging workforce. Together these factors could heavily influence the future direction of the steam railtour industry, which is one of the primary reasons why Vintage Trains and others are striking out on their own.
‘Less space and paths’
“Take the network for example,” says Michael. “We are seeing more and faster trains in the timetables, meaning less space and paths for spot-booked charters. “Add to that the fast disappearing operating skills and knowledge. Very few drivers now remain who really understand steam locomotives, and in particular those who are competent to drive them at 75mph with 11 coaches in all conditions. Furthermore, when away from their home base, steam locomotives have no back up (unless they take a diesel with them), and the national railway staff are not trained to understand them.
“Equally, there are probably only a handful increasingly rely on a smaller and smaller of people around who really understand group of people for their destiny.” steam locomotive engineering and who have Of course, attracting the next generation the requisite facilities to fix locomotives to of engineers, drivers and firemen remains one the required standard. You only have to look of the principal challenges faced by preserved at the number of locomotive failures and railways, and this is particularly relevant for examine the causes so see the evidence of this.” main line operation. How do you lure the An ageing steam locomotive fleet is one of technology-savvy iPad generation away from the key concerns Michael raises. As he points SnapChat and Instagram, and encourage them out, many of the current main line-registered to pick up a firing shovel? And, as Michael locos are rapidly approaching their 100th points out, how many really have the time to anniversaries, and with advanced age comes indulge in spending hours and hours learning wear and big repair bills. the requisite skills to repair and operate a “We are now facing complete renewals steam engine. of major parts which costs in excess of “It’s not all doom and gloom, but it is half a million pounds a throw,” explains necessary to face reality and work out a plan Michael. “Look at the number of appeals and to deal with the real issues,” says Michael. locomotives laid up on the main line list, then “Over the last 20 years we have been doing look at the number of them whose tickets that at Tyseley. We have learned how to repair have or will soon expire. Compare this to the locomotives. We have a train of our own number that are still in ticket and coming back carriages. We have a workshop. We have a on line. main line-connected depot. We have created a “The support network is shrinking, too. tour company. All of those need constant plate Some of these main line engines are owned spinning. What we don’t have is a licence and, by individuals or societies that have no facilities of their own, and which are coping with dwindling memberships. As such they
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NEW TRAINS ROU UNDUP
A Class 385, destined for ScotRail, inside the production hall at Hitachi, Newton Aycliffe, on November 20, 2017. CHRIS MILNER
MOVING IN,
MOVING ON,
MOVING OUT
Britain’s train fleet is undergoing its biggest transformation since the 1950s, with around 5,700 new vehicles being delivered or on order. BEN JONES looks at what we’ll be seeing on the rails over the next few years and how it will affect existing trains.
I
f you keep an eye on the railway press, the large number of orders for new trains in recent years won’t have escaped your attention. The launch of fleets such as Hitachi’s InterCity Express Trains (IETs) will no doubt have alerted you to the dawn of a new generation. More and more passengers are using Britain’s railways, either to commute into our big cities or for leisure travel, and complaints about overcrowding and outdated trains have been on the rise. Couple that with a generation of ex-British Rail trains coming to the end of their working lives and the 38 • The Railway Magazine • March 2018
requirement for new and additional trains is clear. By 2021, more than 7,000 new vehicles will have been added to the fleets of train operators across the country. Many will replace older trains such as the Class 142-144 ‘Pacers’ and iconic InterCity 125s, as well as a whole raft of ex-BR Electric Multiple Units (EMUs), while others will add much-needed extra capacity. According to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), the new vehicles “represent an investment of at least £13.8billion by the private sector in rail” and will enable “more than 6,400 extra services each week by 2021, benefiting all
parts of the country”.
InterCity Express
The most high-profile, and largest, of the new train orders is the Government’s £5.7billion InterCity Express Programme (IEP). In summer 2012, the Department for Transport (DfT) agreed a deal with Hitachi Rail Europe for IC125 replacement trains, totalling 122 sets (866 vehicles), to replace current stock with Great Western Railway (57 sets) and Virgin Trains East Coast (65 sets). The GWR fleet is being gradually filtered into passenger service after extensive type
testing, and is a mix of Class 800 bi-mode five-car (36 sets) and 21 nine-car trains with 25kV AC overhead electric equipment and underfloor diesel engines. Virgin Trains East Coast will have 10 five-car and 13 nine-car bi-modes plus 12 five-car and 30 nine-car 25kV AC Class 801 electric-only sets. They will be branded as ‘Azumas’ for East Coast Main Line services from King’s Cross to Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland. Even the ECML electric sets will feature a single diesel engine, allowing them to be shunted ‘off the wires’ or run at low speed to the nearest station if there’s a problem with the electric supply or route. VTEC expects its first ‘Azumas’ to make their passenger debut in November. On top of the IEP fleet, GWR has ordered a further 36 Class 802 bi-mode trains (22 five-car and 14 nine-car) with more powerful engines and larger fuel tanks for West of England routes. Designated AT300 by Hitachi, this design has also been chosen by TransPennine Express as its new 125mph flagship, with 19 sets due to start work in December 2019 and Hull Trains, which is to receive five sets in 2018/19. The first two TPE Class 802/2s are now under construction in Japan and due to arrive in the UK in the summer for testing. The remaining 17 trains will be completed at Newton Aycliffe and in Pistoia, Italy. In total, Hitachi will build 1,285 Class 800-802 vehicles at its plants in Japan, Newton Aycliffe, in County Durham, and Pistoia, between 2015 and 2019, and more could be added if the company wins the contract to build new bi-mode trains for the Midland Main Line.
Outside the Hitachi factory in Newton Aycliffe, on January 23, is a Class 800 IET in GWR green. Carrying the ID of T40 (for train 40), believed to be set No. 800305, it is about to begin initial dynamic testing. GARETH JONES
‘People movers’
Another huge new train fleet now entering service is dedicated to the cross-London Thameslink operation, which is set for a major expansion in May 2018. Again backed by the Government, this order for 1,140 EMU vehicles, formed into 60 eight-car and 55 12-car sets (Class 700/0 and 700/1, respectively), was controversially awarded to Siemens in 2013. The trains are built at the company’s Krefeld plant in Germany before being tested and delivered by rail via the Channel Tunnel to the UK. The ‘700s’ entered service in 2016 and have now completely replaced the previous Class 319 and 377 EMUs used on Thameslink routes. From December 2019, when the £6bn programme is complete, up to 24 trains per hour will operate through the central section tunnels between St Pancras and Blackfriars, linking destinations as diverse as Brighton, Cambridge, Bedford, Littlehampton and Maidstone. The ‘700s’ are designed to move large
Inside the production hall at Newton Aycliffe on May 16, 2017, where around a dozen Class 800 vehicles are being built alongside Class 385s for ScotRail. Bodyshells arrive from Japan and are fitted out in the UK. KEITH FENDER
numbers of people as efficiently as possible and feature wide, fast-acting doors and extensive standing areas to cope with peak time demand. Siemens has also sold 30 similar five-car Class 707 trains to South West Trains (now South Western Railway) for suburban routes in south-west London and 25 six-car Class 717 sets to Great Northern to replace Class 313s on Moorgate inner-suburban services from 2019. The ‘707s’ are gradually entering service
with SWR, but will be displaced when the new operator’s ‘Aventra’ EMUs arrive in 2019/20 (see later in feature). The first of GN’s Class 717s should arrive in late-2018 and will feature a modified design with cab end emergency doors – mandatory for operation in the Moorgate tunnels. The expanded Thameslink operation is designed to provide better north-south connections across London, with the £14.8bn new Crossrail route running east to west, linking Shenfield, Abbey Wood and Canary
Both the new Class 745 Stadler ‘Flirt’ (left) and the Class 720 Bombardier ‘Aventra’ will form the backbone of the new fleet of trains for Greater Anglia.
March 2018 • The Railway Magazine • 39
Panorama
Creating an illusion of ‘speed’ by using a slow shutter, an East Midlands Trains HST powers away from Doncaster with a service bound for London St Pancras on September 9, 2015. JACK BOSKETT
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A showcase for the best in railway photography
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland volunteer Nicky Cox oils around LMS-NCC ‘WT’ 2-6-4T No. 4 as it is prepared for service inside the RPSI’s depot at Dublin Connolly on December 16. GERRY MOONEY
American-built ‘S160’ 2-8-0 No. 5197 is reflected in the Cauldon Canal as it heads away from Consall during the Churnet Valley Railway gala on February 4. ROBERT FALCONER
BRCW Type 3 No. D6501 stands at the Midland Railway-Butterley’s Swanwick Junction with a freight train during an East Midlands Railway Photographic Society photo charter on October 28 last year. STEVE DONALD
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Panorama Almost 25 years have elapsed since ex-LBSCR ‘A1X’ 0-6-0T No. 32678 re-created this timeless scene at the Kent & East Sussex Railway's Hexden Bridge on December 16, 1993. The ‘Birdcage’ coach carried green on one side only, having been specially repainted for the Geoff Silcock/Sentimental Journeys charter. PETER ZABEK
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A showcase for the best in railway photography
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