I was doing a bit of research the other day so I popped into the StopHs2 campaign’s website to look back through some of the deceitful nonsense and bluster they’ve spouted over the years. As you may have noticed, I do like a bit of number crunching! Whilst I was there I noticed that their archive’s a clear indicator of their gradual demise. Their archives go back to the spring of 2010, so I decided to have a look at how many articles they produced each year and tallied up the figures for each March and April. Here they are.
After being steady for so many years the decline since 2016 is marked. It’s hardly surprising as there’s nothing to report as nothing’s going on now the campaign’s collapsed. Most of the articles over the past couple of years have been reactive, complaining about Hs2 rather than campaigning to stop Hs2.
If you can take the time to browse through the archive there’s some hilarious predictions and pronouncements that haven’t aged well at all. There’s a rich vein of Joe Rukin’s lies to be mined too!
I’ll leave you with this gem from April 2015. In it, Penny Gaines claims that “it’s worth reminding politicians that HS2 is a big issue in constituencies along the line” Really Penny? In the attached video Joe Rukin makes the same claim, highlighting Warwickshire North, the constituency where the outgoing MP Dan Byles (an opponent of Hs2) had a wafer thin majority of 54.
So, what was the result? Well, the new Tory candidate INCREASED the Tory majority by 3%, from 54 to 2,973 as the BBC reported here. So much for Hs2 being an election issue! The same happened on other parts of the route too as I pointed out in a blog at the time.
When the last one out turns out the lights on StopHs2 I do hope they leave their archive online as a testament of how not to run a campaign!
Well, sort of. Today’s not a vintage one for Calder Valley timekeeping and all Westbound services from Sowerby Bridge are late. The frustrating thing is that there are no announcements and the information screens are next to useless as delayed trains simply drop off them! Here’s an example. There IS an 11.33
bu there’s no information on the 11.33 at all. As far as the system’s concerned it’s ceased to exist. Passengers have to use their mobile phone to try and find out what’s happening. The NRES (National Rail Enquiries) website showed that it’s running 30m late. Sure enough, an ex-Merseyrail Pacer hove into view at 12.03, allowing me to begin my delayed journey. It’s a busy service with the rear car rammed with prams and kids, so I’ve sought refuge in the front car.
Fortunately, I’ve given myself plenty of time to get to Crewe. Plus, the delay did have a silver lining as I managed to grab a nice shot of one of the local freight services which I’d have missed otherwise.
I’m now bouncing my way across the Pennines, I’ll add an update soon…
13:19.
After a pleasant stroll across a very busy Manchester city centre I’m esconsed on a very different train to a Pacer as I’m aboard Arriva Trains Wales 13:30 from Manchester Piccadilly to Tenby, on the Pembrokeshire coast. It’s worked by an Alstom ‘Coradia’ class 175, a design many feel has one of the most comfortable passenger saloons of the post-privatisation era.
The trains have a mixture of airline seating and bays of 4 (some with tables, some not). I’ve plumped for a table so I can use the laptop. Sadly 175112 isn’t fitted with power sockets but it does have free wifi throughout. There’s also a trolley service selling food and drink which is useful on such a long trip as this.
Not that it affects me. I’m only on here till Crewe!
17:13.
Well, that was an interesting day. The HSIRL report went well. There’s a lot of local interest in what Hs2 phase 2a means to the area. During our tour of the station we were given an insight into the ambititous plans there are for making Crewe a far more attractive and modern ‘gateway’ whilst restoring the listed parts of the station. I’ll blog about the report separately.
Right now I’m heading back to Manchester aboard one of Virgin’s Pendolinos. The sunny weather we had earlier has fled, letting rain take its place.
19:34.
My brief stint in Manchester’s come to an end. The weather lived up to the city’s reputation, although I didn’t mind. Taking pictures in the rain can be really creative. The only problem was that – now the days are getting longer – I didn’t have time to hang around till it got dark.
As I walked between Piccadilly amd Victoria I couldn’t help but notice the number of teenage girls who were (how shall I say) not exactly dressed for the weather! It was only when I got to Victoria and saw them swarming around the entrance to the Arena that I twigged it’s because someone I’ve never heard of is gigging tonight.
The station was protected by a phalanx of British Transport Police, which was rather unfortunate for one dishevelled bloke on a bike who was clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time. The moral of the story? Don’t try and kick-off with half a dozen BTP officers as there will only be one winner…
My final steed of the day was one of Northern’s refurbished Class 158s. They’re not bad units and the refurb has improved them by adding PIS screens, but they are a bit of a dead end now. It would be lovely to have power sockets and wifi but I doubt the engines would stand the extra load.
Roll on our new trains!
20:13.
It seems the weather’s indifferent to the colour of your rose. Red or white makes no difference. What a change to this morning…
There’s a lot to write about at the moment but little time to do it, so here’s a brief look at what’s coming up over the next week.
The pair of us have been based at home for the past few days. Dawn’s been on holiday which has meant I’ve taken a bit of time off in order that we could explore and have some quality time together. We rediscovered an old haunt in a new guise when we walked up to Norland Moor which is on the opposite side of the Calder Valley to where we live. On the edge of the moor is a pub called the Moorcock Inn. It’s new tenants who’re doing some really exciting things with the place – which includes both food and drink. It’s worth a blog in its own right so that’s what I’m in the process of writing – although It’ll take a few days as I’ve other priorities. But here’s a taster (literally), we walked back up to the pub today and sampled some of the food they cook in the smoke ovens which have been installed at the back of the pub. These smoky potato’s are stunning! By the way, the plates and bowls they’re served in have been made in the very same ovens the potato’s have been cooked in.
Tomorrow I’m in Crewe for the launch of a new High Speed Rail Industry Leaders Group (HSRIL) report called ‘Fast Tracking Prosperity’ which is about the benefits of HS2 Phase 2a, so expect a blog about that first.
Later in the week I intend to be in London to add to my picture library, whilst on Thursday a group of rail industry friends are meeting up in Huddersfield for a catch-up and a few drinks. I’m sure there’ll be some more rolling blogging going on…
Well, that’s what it felt like here in the Calder Valley yesterday! We awoke to sunshine and gorgeous views across the valley, whilst the mercury in the Thermometer crept up into double figures. As Dawn is still on holiday we decided to make the most of the conditions and head out for a hike over to Mytholmroyd and nearby Cragg Vale. After 6 days down South where most of our time was spent doing an impression of battery hens we were both keen to get out and get some exercise.
There’s a fantastic range of walks around the valley both on and off-road (depending on the conditions). We began by dropping down from our abode on the side of the valley, heading through Sowerby Bridge, then walking up the hill to Sowerby itself. It’s a steady climb of 387 ft in 1.1 miles. At the Church Stile Inn pub we swung right to head down Pinfold Lane, which gives some fantastic views across the valley, as these pictures show.
Looking across the Calder Valley to Sowerby Bridge and Halifax beyond. The Wainhouse Tower (a Victorian folly) can be seen on the skyline to the right.
The beauty of zoom lenses! Here’s a close-up of the previous shot showing the mix of old and new properties and the the steep nature of many of the streets in Sowerby Bridge, plus the Wainhouse tower.
Looking almost straight across the valley to the edge of Halifax and an area called Norton Tower, which sits on a ridge high above the Calder Valley. The views from here are some of the best in the area.
Looking along the Calder valley towards Manchester. Our walk drops us down from the location to pass by the white house in the foreground, then meander along the valley (following the railway) to Mytholmroyd (on the left). In the background is the village of Luddenden.
The beauty of zoom lenses part 2! Here’s Oats Royd Mill (now residential) in Luddenden with Wainstalls beyond, then the moors above. The wind turbines are at Ogden, a mile or farther on..
From Pinfold lane we dropped down a narrow road, losing 300ft to reach the little hamlet of Boulderstones before gaining a last bit of height, following the railway to reach Luddendenfoot, where there’s a bridge across the river Calder, but we cut right through a little industrial estate built on the site of the old railway station to walk along the Pennine cycleway which is sandwiched between the railway and the River Calder. It’s a sheltered, tree lined avenue which we followed all the way to Mytholmroyd.
The Pennine cycleway and footpath at Luddenden, looking towards Mytholmroyd.
It was along this stretch that we encountered one of my real hates – lazy, anti-social dog owners who also believe there’s such a thing as the ‘poo fairy’! Why else would you bag up your dog’s mess – then hang it up in a bloody tree? Who the hell do you think is going to remove it for you?
The tree cover gives way at the tiny hamlet of Brearley, before the Pennine way crosses over the railway and enters Mytholmroyd through dense woodland which covers the site of old railway sidings which were closed and torn up in the 1970s. Before then they were used as a staging post for the coal trains that used to cross the Pennines taking coal for export via Liverpool. Now they’re part of the Calder Greenway.
Once acres of sidings full of coal trains, now a greenway…
This part of the route brings you out right next to Mytholmroyd railway station. In fact you have to walk down one of the exit ramps to reach the village. Swinging left on the main road we walked crossed Cragg Brook which is the site of some major flood relief works. This whole area suffered terribly In the Boxing Day floods of 2015.
Flood relief work on Cragg Brook, with the Shoulder of Mutton pub to the right and housing estate to the left. This whole area was under several feet of water on Boxing day 2015.
Once you cross over the brook it’s a 1.4 mile 535ft climb to reach the Robin Hood pub, our ultimate destination. It’s a fantastic community owned pub with a great selection of real ales, gins and whisky – and some excellent home-cooked food. We were too early to eat so we stayed for a drink and a chat with a few locals before heading back down the hill to our next port of call, the Shoulder of Mutton pub opposite the railway station where we stopped for a bite to eat. The Shoulder was closed for many months due to the floods but it’s since been refurbished and serves a good selection of real ales as well as food. As the pair of us had given up meat for Lent I made up for it by choosing the roast pork loin with Yorkshire pudding and veg – not bad at all for £8.95! The service was fast and efficient and the food tasty.
Roast pork loin, Yorkshire pudding and veg.
We worked off our meals by strolling the 3.5miles back to Sowerby Bridge along the Rochdale canal. This isn’t the best stretch of the towpath as it’s pitted and full of puddles as far as Luddenden Foot. That said, part of it is being repaired and resurfaced at the moment. Despite the puddles, it was a lovely amble. Daffodils added a vibrant splash of colour and the many trees along the route are beginning to burst into life.
Back in Sowerby we popped into the Hogshead Brew House for a drink to celebrate as our Fitbits told us we’d passed the 30,000 footstep mark. The Hogshead brews its own range of beers and I chose a new one from their range, a 5.5% IPA which is pretty good.
Afterwards we made our last climb out of the village to home, adding another 570ft ascent to the list. All in all, not a bad days exercise!
Our Surrey sojourn ends today so the weather’s decided to change. We were greeted by clear skies and sunshine this morning although we were actually woken up by a bat! Somehow one of the little critters had got into the barn, waking Dawn up by crashing into a window blind as it flew up and down the room. I had to get up, open the door and wait for it to find its way out before deciding it wasn’t worth going back to bed and fired up the laptop to edit all the rail pictures I took in Guildford yesterday. The town’s a busy junction on the main line to Portsmouth. There’s two lines to London (one via Epsom) plus regular services to Reading, Redhill, Ascot and Haselmere as well as a daily Arriva Cross-Country service to/from Newcastle upon Tyne. Here’s a sample of what will appear on my Zenfolio website this evening.
450548 threads its way through the complex trackwork at the entrance to Guildford station yesterday
We’ll be driving back later this morning so I’ll write a rolling blog of the journey. Looking at the weather forecast it seems we’ll be leaving the sunshine behind in the South and heading into heavy rain back home, which means it might be an ‘interesting’ trip.
Before we left we had to pop in and say goodbye to someone. Regular readers of this blog will know that my sister-in-law Jo Platt lost her long battle with cancer last December. Jo’s buried in the churchyard in Tilford.
12.06
The good weather didn’t last. By the time we’d reached the M4 we were back in low cloud and rain. Soon we were engulfed in spray as we negotiated the roadworks for the few miles we were on the motorway.
The situation wasn’t much better on the Northbound A34. There’s a lot of water on the road. What there’s also a lot of is dead badgers. We saw over half a dozen on our way up the A34 and A43.
14.01.
We’re currently taking a break at Watford Gap services. The place is packed with cars and lorries on the Northbound side, plus this visitor which took me completely by surprise. Luckily, Dawn saw it arrive.
15.48.
We’ve just pulled off the M1 at jn 35a. It’s good to be off the motorway. It’s been very busy and the road conditions have put a strain on Dawn due to the heavy showers, spray and motorway muppets needed her full attention.
Looking at the lumpen skies we’re in for more heavy rain yet.
Well unless you’re back in Yorkshire and other parts of the North where it’s been snowing. Here in Surrey we’ve not seen any of the white stuff – just plenty of rain. Due to the weather we’ve had another relaxing day which kicked off with brunch in Farnham where the family were met by a friend and her sun for a leisurely brunch.
Afterwards we returned to Tilford where the local pub (the Barley Mow) was having an event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Air Force. The Farnham Brass band played in the beer garden whilst inside a variety of musicians, singers and dancers entertained in the warm and dry! I had to feel sorry for the brass band as the conditions were less than ideal. With Easter being late this year you would have hoped for better weather, but then – that’s bank holidays for you! Here’s a few pictures from the pub.
The fact the beer garden’s empty and the band are wrapped up warm gives the (weather) game away…
Good job ‘Singing in the Rain’ was part of the bands repertoire!
The weather may not have defeated the brass band but it certainly encouraged us to retreat into the warmth of the pub where we stayed to hear ‘The bunker girls‘ (who’d come all the way from the Isle of Wight) belt out a few old tunes.
‘The bunker girls’ belt out a few tunes…
We’re enjoying another foodie evening tonight as we’re off to a Thai restaurant in Guildford…
It’s been a quiet Sunday here in Surrey. The weather’s been dry but dull so I had some time to myself, leaving Dawn & her family to their own devices for the morning whilst I took time to catch up on more picture editing, captioning pictures to add to my Zenfolio website .
This has taken me on a real trip down memory lane – to the former East Germany in February 2007 when a group of friends who styled themselves as the ‘Asperger-Tourettes Railway Touring club’ visited the stunningly scenic and impossibly romantic Harz railway. This metre gauge line spans a network of 140km, running 25 steam locomotives as well as diesel locomotives and railcars. If you want to learn more about the railway, here’s a link to their website. If you’ve never visited, you really should. The line connects some beautiful little towns in the Harz mountains which are steeped in history – ancient and modern. The railways tracks may be narrow but there’s nothing small about the steam locomotives. Here’s one of the big 2-10-2 tank engines that are used on many services.
Weighing in at over 60t fully loaded and at more then 3.6 metres tall, these are no toy trains!
Winter wonderland. One of the smaller Mallet engines hauls a train through typical Harz territory – pine forests.
Steam and snow…
The junction of Drei Annan Hohne can be surprisingly busy, with several trains in attendance at one time.
I’ve a gallery on my Zenfolio website dedicated to the Harz railway, so if you want to see the full selection, click on this link.
The next day we headed off to enjoy something else rather special, steam on the mainline. The ‘Rodelblitz’ was a train that ran from Eisenach to Arnstadt via the scenic line through Oberhof using locomotive 41 1144, one of 366 Class 41 2-8-2 fast goods locomotives built between 1936-41. They’re amazing machines and very different if all you’re used to is British steam locomotives. The locomotive hauls coaches from the old Deutsch Reichsbahn (East German railways) whilst the staff wear DR uniforms and sell old DR ticket stock which adds to the period feel.
41 1144 takes a break at Zella-Mehlis whilst working the Rodelblitz on the 11th February 2007
The old East German coaches allow you to hang out of the window and appreciate the sights, smells and sounds of a loco working hard.
Old DR ticket stock used on the Rodelblitz
Buffet car staff getting into the spirit of things by setting off fireworks from the coach window!
On arrival at Arnstadt we had the opportunity to visit the nearby railway museum which is housed in an old locomotive roundhouse. It contains a wide selection of steam and diesel locomotives, most of which are in working order.
0-6-0 tank engine No 89 6311 was built by Henschel & Sohn (Kassel) in 1936
The full selection of pictures (and more from a previous trip in 2006) can be found here.
Greetings from soggy Surrey! Yesterday was a bit of a washout as the rain meant my camera stayed in its bag all day. Instead I had a relaxed day with my wife’s family doing nothing much at all – although I did manage to re-edit a few archive pictures, just to keep my hand in. I still have several hundred old pictures that used to be on my former Photopic site that I’ve not had chance to add to my new Zenfolio website. That said, I’m lucky, 99% of my pictures were backed-up on hard-drives so when Fotopic suddenly pulled the plug I didn’t lose out – unlike many people who hadn’t kept their pictures safe elsewhere. I still curse the people who destroyed the vast Photopic website. It was a rich social and historical archive with a worldwide base that’s been lost because they had no idea of its historical value. Here’s one of the pictures I was editing. Class 42 number 42-2718 (Luxembourg number 5519) at Eisenach, Germany in the early hours of a February morning in 2007.
Today we’ve been up early, preparing the evening meal before we join a group of friends for an amble around Tilford which (inevitably) will end up in a pub somewhere. I’ve been helping Dawn prepare this leg of lamb which will be slow roasted whilst we’re out..
I hope you and yours have an enjoyable Easter. I should be back later with a few more pictures…
SUNDAY UPDATE.
Despite the gloomy weather yesterday’s walk had a good turnout, especially amongst the younger members of the Tilford troop who had a wonderful day rushing headlong through all the massive puddles we encountered en-route. The fun they had in such innocent pleasures took me back to my own childhood. The rain stayed away right until we stopped for a break at a local pub (The Duke of Cambridge) then the drizzle arrived briefly, but cleared before we moved on to the final leg which took us back into the village. Here’s a few pictures from the walk.
Strolling along the banks of a very full River Wey
The depth of some of the puddles meant a snorkel would’ve been more useful than wellies…
A game for all the family…
Enjoying a post walk drink at the Barley Mow, Tilford.
Whilst we’d been out walking, the lamb had been cooking slowly for several hours. When we got home and checked the oven, this is what we found…
Cooked to perfection…
Dawn had prepared a two different desserts to finish off the evening. The Lemon Meringue pie proved especially popular and didn’t last long!
We’re off to the South for a few days today. Friends are cat and house-sitting, leaving us free to enjoy Easter with Dawn’s family down in Tilford, Surrey. I expect to be able to do some mobile/rolling blogging, even though we’ll be in the car rather than relaxing on a train.
We both gave up eating meat for Lent, so today we’re heading to the Bolster Moor farm shop to pick up some goodies first – including some of their award-winning pork pies. I told Dawn’s brother (an exile from Yorkshire) that I’d bring him a a red-cross parcel of pork-pies and local bottled beers!
Right, time to get a move on…
10.32am
The weather’s been kind, so we had a lovely cross-country drive to the Colne valley and the farm shop where we stocked up on local produce for export to Surrey. Luckily, we hit them at a quiet time.
Whilst Dawn shopped for meat, I picked up the essentials…
Then we broke our Lent fast with one of these!
Bolster Moor pork pies are excellent. Freshly made each day, their crusts are crisp but crumbly and the dense meat melts in your mouth. There’s just the right amount of spicing and moisture, unlike their rival from Melton Mowbray, which I’ve always found dry and brick-like. These are proper pork pies!
Yum!
13.40 Update, Watford Gap service
We’re well on our way South, having stopped at Watford Gap services on the M1 for lunch. Driving across country to the M1 was ‘fun’. West Yorkshire’s road have suffered badly from the ice and snow we’ve had in spades this year. There’s potholes aplenty, especially on the higher roads which are more exposed to the elements. I wouldn’t want to be cycling on them as they’re far worse than the roads in India I did so many mile on earlier in the month.
It was almost a relief to get on the M1. As usual, traffic was heavy with a mix of commercial vehicles and cars. The idiot factor was very much in play on some stretches as some car drivers displayed no sense of lane discipline to dart in and out of traffic almost willy-nilly. As a consequence, Dawn’s language became quite colourful on occasion!
I must admit, Watford Gap’s changed a lot since I was a teenage hitchhiker. I used to pass through frequently on my way to/from London and I spent many an hour here, waiting in hope that the next lift would come sooner rather than later. If you were heading North it was always useful to have a sign saying where you were going as it increased your chance of getting a lift. That’s because the M1 and M6 motorways diverge a few miles North and it saved wasting the time of helpful drivers who were going the wrong way.
In those days the food offering was traditional greasy spoon fare. If you were a vegetarian chips and beans was about your lot. Now there’s a variety of outlets, McDonalds cater for the burger brigade whilst Costa provide for caffeine addicts and the snack brigade. WH Smiths flog the usual sandwhiches but there’s also two different outlets (including a noodle bar that) cater for healthier eaters. I plumped for Paenang curry from Chozen Noodles as a contrast with my earlier pork pie.
14:42.
We left the M1 at Junction 15a, now we’re heading across country on the busy A43, a dual carriageway that’ll take us to join the M40. We’ve left the good weather behind now, rainclouds have swept in from the South so our wipers are working on warp factor four! Soon we’ll be passing the location where the road will be crossed by phase 1 of Hs2, not that you’d know. The local ‘nimbys’ never got round to putting up placards here!
15:32.
A numerical juxtaposition’s seen us swap the A43 for the A34, an even busier artery that serves Southampton, which is why it’s always clogged with lorries. The road also serves as a bypass for Oxford and that stetch had the long Northbound tailbacks we see each time we use the route. Mind you, Southbound’s not much better today and the weather conditions aren’t helping.
18:41
‘Home’ again! After stopping off in Tilford we’ve now settled in to our friends barn for Easter. Let’s just hope the weather picks up now…
This evening we’re off for a family reunion and meal at the Barley Mow pub in Tilford. I might add a pic or two from there. If I don’t – enjoy your Easter!
UPDATE, Aug 2019. I’ve added new details where the position (and future) of some fleets has changed since this was originally written.
The old expression ‘feast or famine’ springs to mind when I look at the situation our railways are currently facing with the amount of new trains on order and old ones coming off-lease.
I remember when the railways were first being privatised. The uncertainty around what was happening led to a 1,064 day hiatus when no new trains were ordered. This led to the closure of the ABB works (formerly BREL) at York, where the majority of the BR built trains that still run in service were constructed.
How things have moved on from those days! Now we have a massive amount of new trains coming into service or on order. Also, a mix of old and new train builders are either planning (or building) new assembly plants in the UK. TALGO have plumped for Scotland whilst CAF have picked Llanwern in S Wales and begun construction. Alstom have a site in Widnes whilst Siemens have announced a site in Goole.
This month the Rail Delivery Group published the 6th edition of its Long Term Passenger Rolling Stock Strategy. It makes for interesting reading. It points out that
” The number of new vehicles committed for delivery in the five-year period that commenced in April 2014 (CP5) and in the early years of CP6 is now 7,187 – more than 50% of the current in-service fleet of 14,025. These new vehicles have a capital cost of more than £13 billion, and around 50% will be built in Britain. The average age of the national fleet is estimated to fall from 21 years to 15 years by March 2021, while the numbers of vehicles in service will grow by 6% next year and by a further 5% to 13% by 2024″
Those 7,187 vehicles will see a step-change in our existing fleet and the near elimination of loco-hauled, main line services and displacement of many of the old BR built fleets. As the document highlights,
“Major orders for new build vehicles coupled with the reduced electrification programme has so far resulted in over 4,000 vehicles being displaced from service in the next 3 years. Many of these vehicles are near the end of their life, but 150 are brand new. As at March 2018, there are over 1,500 vehicles less than 30 years old that do not currently have a future lessee, so while over 7,000 vehicles will be built, the net impact on the national fleet total will be less than this number. Displaced, serviceable vehicles bring challenges to the supply chain, notably for owners who may have idle assets, but also for overhaulers who would historically have refurbished mid-life vehicles for their next role.”
That’s a hell of a lot of displaced trains with nowhere to go. OK, many will be on a one-way trip to the scrapyard (who would want to lease Pacers or Class 313s and 315s?) but there’s a significant number of trains with life left in them yet. Firstly, here’s a list of what’s coming into service now or in the next few years.
Now here’s a list of what’s coming off-lease and when.
As the list shows, 2019 is going to bring big changes. Class 90s on Anglia and 91s on the East coast will disappear, even some modern DMUs like the 170s and 185s will be surplus (although I’m sure they’ll find homes somewhere). It’s clear that the old Pacers will be going for scrap, although some will be preserved. I do wonder about the future of the single-car 153s. Could they be added to Northern’s 155 fleet to make permanent 3 cars in the way GWRs 158/9s have been? Due to modern engine emissions standards and the fact they have ‘grandfather rights’ I can’t see the 150s and 156s remaining homeless for long either. Curiously, whilst the list mentions the 313 & 315 fleet, it neglects to mention their Merseyside cousins, the 507/508 fleet. From 2019 they’ll be replaced by new trains from Stadler of Switzerland.
The idea that some trains could be converted for freight use has been mooted. HSTs are one example, and there are suggestions that Pacers *could* be (however unlikely). Here’s a couple of examples of when this happened in BR days.
A Class 114 ‘Derby Heavyweight’ DMU converted for express parcels traffic and based at Cambridge stands in one of the bay platforms in York on the 21st January 1990.A former Class 302 unit converted to carry Royal Mail by stripping out the interior and adding roller doors which was used on services out of Liverpool St seen at Stratford (E London) on the 4th May 1990.
Other fleets which are unlikely to find new homes are the old BR 3rd rail stock such as the SWR 455s – despite them having been re-tractioned recently (link). They date from the early 1980s, so they’re 35 years old, and I can’t realistically see them being converted to bi-mode or 25kv overhead – especially as more modern fleets will also be off-lease. Another fleet with an uncertain future (despite having been expensively rebuilt between 2013-16) is the Class 458/5s.
In 2020, just 2 years after entering service, the Siemens Desiro Class 707s will be homeless – although again, I can’t see them remaining so for long. The same with the Anglia Class 379s and I would think the Class 360s and former LM 350/2s. The Class 323 fleet’s an interesting one. Split between Northern and the former London Midland franchise, both will be surplus from 2019-20. They’re a popular train with both passengers and crew – and pretty nippy, but will their age (they were built in 1992-3) and fact they’re a small non-standard fleet of 43 units count against them? Some of the 319s on the list may have a future as more bi-mode conversions but, for me, the big question mark is over the surplus BR built class 317s and 321/322s. I’m not a fan of any of them, the passenger environment’s not as good as the later Class 365s (also surplus, but I hope they do find a home) plus, what’s the need for 100s of 4 -car EMU’s now that electrification’s being scaled back? I suspect a few ROSCO staff will be asking the same question…
Of course, this glut of surplus trains may yet grow depending what happens when the next SET franchise is let. Will we see the Class 465’s and 466s being added to the list?
An interesting fact is that the Railway Magazine calculated we’d need 52 miles of sidings to store the vehicles that are coming off-lease. 52 miles! That’s a hell of a logistical and economic challenge for the ROSCOs. As the old Chinese curse says ‘may you live in interesting times’ – and for the ROSCOs and train maintainers, they certainly are…
To round up, here’s a few examples of the fleets which are coming off lease.
Missed off the RDG off-lease list are the 177 vehicles that make up Mersyrail’s Class 507/508 fleets. The 507s were built for Merseyside in 1978-80 whilst their sisters, the 508s were originally built for SW London services in 1979-80 as 4-car units. They transferred to Merseyside in 1983, leaving one car behind which was incorporated into a late build of the Class 455s which replaced them.The 43 strong Class 323 fleet is split between Northern Rail and the former London Midland franchise, originally, the plan was that both would be be relinquished, but now it looks like Northern will keep their 323s which will be joined by most of the WM sets. Abellio Greater Anglia are replacing their entire train fleet with brand new vehicles, which means even this 30 strong fleet of 2010 built Class 379s will go off-lease.AGA will also be dispensing with the services of their 15 Class 90s and Mk3 coaching stock. Some of the Class 90s are now due to go to Freightliner to replace Class 86s. Other trains going off-lease are these Class 321 EMU’s and the Class 170/2 DMU’s, both seen here at Norwich.9 of these two-car Class 156s will also be coming up for grabs in 2019…21 sets of these Siemens Desiros were built at Krefeld, Germany in 2002-3. AGA will make them all surplus to requirements. They’ve now found a new home for the future with East Midlands Railway who will use them on St Pancras – Corby services. Two variants of the Class 455s that BR built in 1981-85 for SW London suburban services. A total of 364 of these vehicles will be made redundant by 2020.BREL built 24 of these 2-car Class 456s in 1990-91. All will be surplus in 2020.Rebuilt from the original Alstom Juniper Class 458 and their sisters, the Gatwick Express Class 460s between 2013-16, the 36 strong 458/5 fleet will be redundant.The last 2 of the 30 strong Class 707 fleet only entered service this month. SWR will be relinquishing them in 2020.The Class 313 fleet are currently the oldest trains operating on the national network (exc the IoW). Built in 1976-77, they’re being displaced from GTR services out of Moorgate and Kings Cross by new Siemens Class 717s at the moment The 41 strong Class 365 fleet were built by ABB York between 1994-95. They were last trains BR built before privatisation caused a hiatus in orders that led to the closure of York. They’re also my favourite of the BR fleet. 100mph capable, comfortable and with good visibility. Originally intended to go to GWR they’re now coming off-lease with no home to go to and handed back to the DfT by Eversholt as the original lease is DfT owned.The Class 91s and Mk4 coaches took over most East Coast workings in the early 1990s. They’ll be rendered redundant by the arrival of the Hitachi ‘Azumas’ in 2019. There’s no firm plans to cascade them elsewhere. Suggestions that they could be used on the Midland Main Line foundered because of the cost of gauge-clearance.
STOP PRESS!
Just to show how quickly things change, whilst I was writing this came the announcement that Heathrow Express services will continue to operate until at least 2028 under a management contract between Heathrow Airport and FirstGroup subsidiary Great Western Railway. This means HEx will bid goodbyes to their 14 strong fleet of Class 332s as GWR will be using 12 specially modified Class 387s to run the service. That add another 61 100mph vehicles only 20-21 years old looking for a home….
A Siemens/CAF Class 332 used by Heathrow Express. Today was announced these units would be replaced by specially modified GWR Class 387s
Paul Bigland 