Second High Speed Train moves to Scotland for training …… Scot Railsets timetable for Mk3s’ refurbishment
A second High Speed Train has moved to ScotRail for training purposes. It arrived north of the border on December 2 for crew training, with a Mk 3 coach delivered to Haymarket for staff training.
43037 and 43126 took Trailer Restaurant Buffet First (TRFB) 40210, Trailer Standard (TS) 42033/035/076 and Trailer Guard Standard (TGS) 44011 from Wabtec Rail Doncaster to Craigentinny. These were part of LA01, the rest of that set (TF 41024, TS 42007/034, 42559) having been left at the Yorkshire site for refurbishment and fitting of plug doors.
Of the coaches that moved north, TS 42076 is at Haymarket for maintenance training. That depot will eventually be where SR HSTs are based.
The operator will introduce HSTs from May next year, and has been training with a set since September. When introduced, the 26 HSTs (17 four-car and nine five-car sets) will increase capacity on SR by 33%. They will serve Scotland’s seven cities ( RAIL 836).
The HSTs are being cascaded from Great Western Railway, and on December 1 a second off-lease set was moved to Ely Potters Group for storage, with the power cars then moved to Wabtec Rail’s Brush Traction, Loughborough facility for overhaul before moving to SR.
The stored set, formerly LA12, comprises TRFB 40204, TF 41136, TS 42143-145, 42268, 42551 and TGS 44049. The power cars (43143/146) took all but two coaches to Ely from St Philips Marsh before travelling to Loughborough. Two TS coaches (42143/145) were left at Leicester, and these are destined for Inverness where they will be used for training.
The HSTs have been made available by the introduction of Intercity Express Programme Class 800s ( RAIL 838).
The next four Class 43s to be sent off-lease by GWR and which will be used by SR are 43012, 43135/163/179. These will be followed by 43032, 43168/169/183.
The first refurbished ScotRail High Speed Train Mk 3s are due to be delivered to Craigentinny on February 15, for testing, commissioning and training. The HSTs will then enter traffic with SR from May ( RAIL 836).
The four coaches are currently at Wabtec Rail, Doncaster, where they are being refurbished with new interiors and fitted with plug doors. The vehicles involved are Trailer First (TF) 41032, Trailer Standards (TS) 42045, 42561 and Trailer Standard (Disabled) (TSD) 42207. They will be collected by SR 43021 and 43132, which are currently being used for training.
Meanwhile, the first overhauled Class 43 power cars for ScotRail are due to leave Wabtec Rail’s Brush Traction Loughborough facility on January 17 and travel to Doncaster for testing with the Mk 3s. These power cars will be 43033 and 43148.
By the start of the May timetable change, when the HSTs are introduced by ScotRail, five pairs of ‘43s’ will have been overhauled (43012/021/033, 43132/143/146/148/168/169/183)
The next former Great Western Railway set to be sent off-lease will leave on January 11. 43012 and 43168 will take set LA05 to Leicester, with four coaches for refurbishment at Doncaster, and the other four for store at Ely. The power cars will go to Loughborough for overhaul, and will be released in late March.
At the start of February, a third pair of former GWR power cars will transfer directly to SR for training (43135 and 43179). These will take LA06 to Leicester, again with four coaches for refurbishment at Doncaster and four for store at Ely.
In late February, the first pair of ‘43s’ used for training by SR (43021 and 43132) will run to Loughborough for overhaul at Brush Traction, leaving 43037, 43126/135/179 in Scotland. At the same time, the second overhauled pair (43143/146) will be released from Loughborough for testing at Doncaster.
At the start of March, ex-GWR 43169/183 will take LA07 to Leicester, with the usual four Mk 3s for Doncaster and SR, four for Ely and store, and the ‘43s’ to Loughborough for overhaul.
Two weeks later, a mixture of coaches from LA61 and LA09 will be taken to Leicester by ex-GWR 43032 and 43168. Five of these are bound for store (TRFB 40221, TF 41103, TS 42028/029 and TGS 44009), while four will move to Doncaster.
At the beginning of April, ex-GWR 43160/164 will take LA09 to Leicester, with four coaches again for store at Ely and four for Doncaster. On the same day, 43021 and 43132 will be released from Loughborough.
The first five-coach set for SR will enter Doncaster for refurbishment on April 20. It will arrive at Leicester behind ex-GWR 43127/145 as part of LA10, with three coaches for Ely and the rest for Doncaster.
On the same day, 43169/183 are due to be released from overhaul, followed by 43032/168 at the start of May.
At that time, LA11 will move to Leicester behind ex-GWR 43003 and 43142, with three coaches for store and five coaches to Doncaster for refurbishment.