Three more DVTs secured for heritage sector
THE Northampton & Lamport and Colne Valley railways and Crewe Heritage Centre have become the latest lines to acquire a Mk. 3b Driving Van Trailer ( DVT).
The purpose- built control cars which allow the driver to operate a locomotive from the opposite end of a train, have been acquired from Porterbrook Leasing following their withdrawal from Greater Anglia Class 90- hauled push- pull services between Liverpool Street and Norwich which have now been replaced by Class 745/ 0 units.
These Class 82 DVTs were originally used by Virgin Trains on the West Coast Main Line ( WCML) until the Pendolinos were fully operational. Following the introduction of the Class 745/ 0 units, the locomotivehauled sets have all been withdrawn from service, with the last set running its final services on March 24.
The first of four DVTs to be preserved so far, No. 82125 has since 2019 been used as a hauled carriage at the Mid- Norfolk Railway.
As reported last issue, Porterbrook has donated No. 82118 Britannia for static display at Crewe Heritage Centre, along with Mk. 3 coach
No. 12114.
A statement from the heritage centre said:" These vehicles were a common sight through Crewe for many years and will make a fantastic addition to our collection. We intend to display the vehicles alongside our Class 87 electric locomotive No. 87035 Robert Burns to create a short train set. Nos. 82118 and 12114 were chosen as ideal candidates for preservation as they ran with No. 87035 on its last service in 2004.
"We plan to use the space inside the DVT as an exhibition area, with the driving cab open to visitors. Our plans for the Mk. 3 coach include a general sitting area and a classroom for school visits during the week. In the long term we plan to externally paint the vehicles into a prototypical BR livery:'
Porterbrook's director of stakeholder engagement Rupert Brennan- Brown said:" We are delighted to see these vehicles go to a good home, where they can show the evolution of passenger travel on the WCML to future generations:'
Legacy
On May 15 No. 82114 arrived a tthe Northampton & Lamport Railway after being bought from Porter brook using a legacy donation in memory of Alfred Staden, an inventor connected with the Northamptonshire leather/ shoe industry who passed away in June 2016 aged 93. His legacy and other donations were shared with several other Northampton organisations.
The acquisition of the DVT is part of the ongoing project to increase the number of vehicles for passenger services as well as boosting the variety of vehicle types, operational resilience and quality of stock. The project aims to create a rake of air braked coaches while increasing the educational opportunities by preserving Mk. 3 vehicles as a way of telling the story of BR's in- house coach development alongside the line's existing Mk. 1 and Mk. 2 coaches.
No. 82114 is to remain in its current Greater Anglia livery, but will be fitted with a generator to provide electrical supplies to the other vehicles in the rake, thus allowing non- ETH/ ETS fitted locomotives to haul the rake throughout the year.
Around the same time, DVT No. 82121 Carlisle Cathedral was delivered, also by road, to the Colne Valley Railway at Castle Hedingham.
Mk. 3 DVTs were built from 1988 by British Rail Engineering Limited ( BREL) at Derby Litchurch Lane works and were introduced to the WCML with Mk. 3 coaches.
Evolution
In late 2018, No. 82113, converted into a self- powered vehicle dubbed No. 19001, ran trials along the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway in October. The Artemis- led project saw the DVT fitted with a JCB engine and hydraulic accumulators, which store energy during braking for reuse during acceleration to reduce overall energy consumption. The vehicle is unlikely to actually carry No. 19001 or be allowed out on the main line.
Meanwhile, in 2019, Jeremy Hosking's Locomotive Services Ltd bought two Class 90s, Nos. 90001 Crown Point and 90002 Eastern Daily Press1 870- 2010ServingN or folk for 140 Years as part of an ongoing expansion of its operation as a train operating company, protecting its heritage locomotives from excessive use.