4936 Kinlet Hall at Chester after working a charter from Solihull, 12 July. Picture by Jim Scott (with permission)
The Strategic Rail Authority seems to be totally serious about its
idea
to run Class 390 Pendolino trains on London - North Wales services, to
the point that a draft Mon-Fri timetable has been prepared for a
presentation
in Bristol on 10 July. We reproduce this intriguing document below,
from
which you can see that the original plan for seven pairs of trains has
become six, and one of these appears to be no more than the night train
to Birmingham and back currently run by First North Western.
Unit type 221 390 221 221 390 221
=======================================================
Haulage by a locomotive is not a straightforward process, rather like the other latest generation of traction on other parts of the system. It is proposed that dedicated locos will be fitted with appropriate couplings already available for use, but currently, 390s that require assisstance have to use a (substantial) three-part coupler which is kept in a cupboard on each driving trailer, plus a 'bar' type device for assistance from a HST. There are a number of items that are required during this process, the most crucial being various air pipe connections and locking clips that have recently been found to be absent both during checks by drivers before entering traffic and during failure situations.
At the moment any assistance of a 390 from a locomotive is without ElectricTrain Supply (ETS), despite the Class 57 having a specially provided appropriately high ETS index suitable for normal operation of the on board facilities (and also drying facilities for the compressed air supply to the 390 as the unit has no valves to clear moisture that collects in the tank, unlike conventional traction). There is also a system of operation should the loco have a lower ETS rating (i.e. a 47/8) which will avoid excessive demand on the less able ETS alternator. The problem appears to be that the necessary ETS cables are not yet available - the conventional ETS sockets are male to female, while 390 sockets are both female. It is also necessary to have extended ETS cables to reach the extra distance created by the extension outwards of the 390 coupling from under the front bonnet and the completed assembly of the emergency coupler. Apparently an extended cable will be fitted to the dedicated locos in the future (wrapped around the front of the loco) and the other under the bonnet of the 390. So at the moment it is 'passengers out' at the first opportunity after retrieval; the poor souls may fry on warm days as the train is sealed from atmosphere once the doors are closed - part of the high speed running concept.
Assuming all the above can be resolved, it would however seem that the dedicated locos for North Wales duty will need some extra electronics to be able to haul a Pendolino in passenger service, to deal with the additional duties given to the driver connected with the operation of the door release when stopping at a station, and the various passenger communication apparatus (red pull handles) and emergency egress operation of the doors (green pull handles). This will mean a mini computer train management system will need to be fitted to the loco with an operating screen in both cabs. To find a suitable position in the loco cab will require some ingenuity considering the present layout and to make it work ... The alternative under current methods of operation would to have another driver in the leading cab of the unit being towed to deal with the doors/emergency situations using the same procedures as a live train. This would involve initiating emergency brake applications from the unit cab should a passenger emergency arise, plus the release of passenger doors at station stops.
Anyone confirm or deny any of this? - 11 July
47 739 Resourceful stands at Holyhead, awaiting departure with the 13:56 to Birmingham (Steve Morris)
Curious goings-on at Crewe. Ian Bowland writes: 'An HST, 43
084 leading 43 101, passed through platform 5 and took the
Manchester line - the window stickers were showing
London-Holyhead.
I was so busy trying to determine the window stickers that I didn't
notice
if there were any passengers on board, but it would appear it was the
stock
for the 08:40 London - Holyhead running empty to Longsight depot -
anyone
know why?
'Later on, it was announced that there was an extra Virgin train to Holyhead which would leave from platform 9 (!) at 12.05. I walked up to bay 9 to see a massive number of people trying to board 158 759 which was alongside 175 008 in bay 10. Eventually the people managed to board the train and it left at 12.25 with the aisles and vestibules completely full. Annoyingly, the 175 left for Holyhead soon afterwards and was virtually empty!'
47 756 Royal Mail Tyneside approaches Helsby with the 17:19 Manchester Piccadilly - Holyhead train (Chris Pendleton)
The same train stands at Prestatyn 12 minutes late. (Chris Pendleton.) Does Anyone know if the Crewe - Manchester empty stock working for this train has been officially retimed? It has noted by Mike Stone departing later than previously, around 16:25 from Crewe Carriage sidings. Something to do with the Stoke line being closed for engineering work, perhaps? - 12 June
Flying Banana: On Thursday 10 July Network Rail
'measurement
train' loco 43 013 arrives at Manchester Piccadilly (on time)
at
the head of the 12:00 from London St Pancras. Shortage of workable
ex-Virgin
locos, apparently. (Picture by Charlie Hulme)
A holiday shot from Rowan Crawshaw: 37 406The Saltire Society awaiting departure of the sleeper to London at Fort William on the evening of 7 July.
Thanks to our friends at Compass Tours for sending along news of their Freightliner Class 47-hauled railtour to Scotland planned for Saturday 12 July. Shaun Courtnage writes: 'The Tayside Liner (Freightliner 47/0 tour) to Perth has now had to be postponed to 30 August due to the company providing us with train crew and carriages not being able to find train crew willing to work at 03:45 in the morning (the time forced upon us by Network Rail following engineering work). Tickets issued will now be valid for 30th August, or a future tour. We apologize for the disapointment and inconvenience caused, and understand that our passengers for the day had worked their schedules around our tour, in the same way we had organized our lives to give up time to run the tour.' See www.compasstours.cjb.net for more information. - 9 August
47 786 Roy Castle OBE at Bangor with the 1D82 from Birmingham on 8 July (Rowan Crawshaw)
Railtour news #2: Class 40 ahoy
Thanks to 'Yellowcake UF6' for the following timings for forthcoming movements starring 40 145/D345:
Friday 11 July 0T40 light engine (May be 5T40,hauling one coach) 1223 Castleton- Arpley. Vitrol Works 1255, Manchester Vic 1305, Astley 1324, Arpley Yard 1349.
Saturday 12 July 0T40 light engine 0901 Arpley Yard - Lime Street (Via Low Level Route (Carterhouse jct etc), Lime Street arrive 09:55.
Saturday 12 July: 1Z40 passenger charter 07:12 Birmingham Int -Carlisle: Madley 0837, Crewe 0847 - 0855, Runcorn 0916,Lime Street 0937 - 1010,Huyton 1025,St Helens Shaw Street 1042,Wigan NW 1103, Preston 1124, Lancaster 1141, Tebay 1216, Penrith 1236,Carlisle 1255, 1Z41 1449 Carlisel - Birmingham Int, Culgaith 1519, Appleby 1529, Garsdale 1555, Ribblehead 1612, Hellifield 1631 - 1710,Blackburn 1755 - 1757 (Crew change), Farrington Jct 1813, Wigan NW 1826, WBQ 1839, Crewe 1910 - 1950. 40 145 then runs light as 0T41 1935 ? Crewe - Longsight.
See the Class 40 Preservation Society website for more info about this tour and this fine locomotive. - 9 July
Green machine
Still in service with Virgin is 47 851 (aka D1648) Traction
Magazine, which spent the weekend of 5-6 July on North Wales Coast
duty. On Saturday 5 July 47 756 Royal Mail Tyneside
stands in the carriage sidings silent while 47 851 awaits to leave with
the 13:35 Holyhead - London Euston, 5 July (Deiniol Williams)
Back again on Sunday 6 July, and looking in very good condition on a
sunny afternoon waiting to leave for London. (John Lewis)
The close-up. Is that worksplate original or a replica? (John Lewis)
Awaiting departure. In the background 47 786 Roy Castle OBE (John Lewis)
Pulling up Holyhead bank past the water tower. (John Lewis.) 47s are booked for these weekend duties on the morning train (between Crewe and Holyhead) from London and afternoon return through the summer, due to the requirement for HSTs to work to Newquay which does not have a run-round. - 6 July
We've been asked to point out that the steam train at Chester on Monday 30 June was not the Northern Belle, but a charter run by Travelsphere Holidays Ltd. - 6 July
I decided to go to work on the train from Shotton to Manchester Oxford Rd on Friday 4 July, and was delighted to find 47 739 Resourceful on the 07:40 departure, albeit that the train didn't actually arrive in Shotton until 07.49. The picture shows the train at Manchester Oxford Road, where it arrived only one minute late.
I returned to Shotton behind the same loco on the 17:22 departure from Oxford Road, and that service didn't depart Oxford Road until 17:27. Despite a very hairy race to Chester the driver had only managed to claw back four minutes by the time I alighted at Shotton.
As I was walking across High Level the 17:50 service to Wrexham arrived, so here's a Class 142 on these pages for a change. - 6 July
Class 121 960 011 working the 2Z02 09:02 Crewe-Holyhead Video Survey Train, the dull overcast condition highlighting the powerful 'video' lights, near Abergele at 10:39 on 4 July. (Larry Goddard)
Back to the subject of the franchise awards: another week passes with no announcements, but we believe that the SRA has now made its decisions on both Wales & Borders and Trans Pennine, which are now in Transport Minister Darling's intray. Don't ask us how long he will take to look at them... - 6 July
47 756 Royal Mail Tyneside runs through Crewe station on 3 July with the empty stock to form the 17:19 Manchester - Holyhead. (Ian Bowland)