Rail Express

Colas Rail ‘70s’

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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20th August 2018

THE new year had just begun when Nos. 70803 and 70805 were unloaded from the Atlantic Concert at Seaforth Docks, Merseyside, on January 4, 2014, following their month-long journey from the General Electric factory in Erie, Pennsylvania. So began the story of the Colas Rail Class 70 fleet, which has gone on to be a…
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CLUES TO THE ‘WELLY BOOT’ PULLMAN

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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20th August 2018

REGARDING the Scottish Met-Camm Pullman picture (Express Mailbag, August issue), I think I can identity it – or at least narrow it down, because three of the former Eastern Region Pullmans were sent to Scotland for departmental use after withdrawal from regular services. These were Kitchen Second No. E335 (condemned April 24, 1976); Kitchen First…
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JANUARY 2019

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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20th August 2018

FEATURES CALLING AT DERBYA railwayman’s view on the recent station remodelling and upgrade. GAS GIANTSA look at the distinctive former BOC, which are reviewed in model form on page M26. 0-60: CLASS 321It is back to East Anglia to test out these ex-British Rail workhorses. FATE OR COINCIDENCE?The bizarre story of No. 47299’s fatal crash.…
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The ‘Trying Banana’

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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17th August 2018

THE Hatfield derailment of October 17, 2000 was a watershed moment for Britain’s railway, and most railway engineers around at the time would rather forget the ‘nervous breakdown’ the system experienced in the months that followed. The infrastructure owner Railtrack went into something of a commercial tailspin, but it was clear that whatever organisation emerged…
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Tenders sought for HS2 fleet

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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17th August 2018

THE Government has issued an invitation to tender to the five bidders hoping to build the initial fleet of trains for HS2. The winner will design, build, test and maintain at least 54 high-speed trains, which will be based at a new depot at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. The shortlisted companies – which are Alstom,…
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Back to the future

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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17th August 2018

FIFTY years ago saw the end of steam on British Railways, with the running of the famous 1T57 ‘Fifteen Guinea Special’ on August 11, 1968. Our small tribute to that day is on page 7, with a shot taken from the tour, of the crowds at Liverpool Lime Street and the new order in the…
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December upgrades postponed

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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17th August 2018

THE upheaval caused by the extent of timetable changes in May, which even now have still not been fully implemented by Northern and the Govia Thameslink Railway, has brought about a decision to put off further major changes in December across eight franchised operators. These include Great Western Railway, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express and South Western…
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Heljan surprises with new ‘25’

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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14th August 2018

THE competition to produce the definitive re-creation of the BR/Sulzer Type 2s in ‘OO’ gauge took a further twist at the beginning of July, with Heljan joining Bachmann and Sutton’s Locomotive Works (SLW) in coveting members of the Class 24/25 family. Specifically, Heljan is looking at the type in its final Class 25/2 and Class…
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NRM begins review of its diesel and electric fleet

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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14th August 2018

THE National Railway Museum has begun a condition review of its entire diesel and electric fleet to decide the way forward for each of the vehicles in the collection. A Conservation Management Plan will be drawn up individually for each item of rolling stock which will look at: the condition of the vehicle now; what…
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KWVR celebrates 50 years

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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14th August 2018

THE KWVR was one of the first standard gauge heritage lines in the country, running its first official trains on June 29, 1968 – a few years after the Bluebell Railway (1960) but ahead of its nearby neighbour the Middleton Railway in Leeds (1969), as well as lines such as the North Yorkshire Moors Railway…
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