DMU
CLASS 142 ‘PACER’
IN anticipation of the possibility of being required for strengthening purposes or as general cover,
Nos. 142004/90, which had been stored at Blackburn King Street since April 5, returned to Newton Heath depot (Manchester) on June 19.
Three days later, four more ‘Pacers’ arrived back at Newton Heath,
Nos. 142065/68/71/87, having run from Heaton (Newcastle) via the Tyne Valley and West Coast Main Line. However, later the same day, these four were sent to Springs Branch (Wigan) for stabling.
Also on June 22, No. 142051 was sent to Sims, Newport for disposal, the first ‘142’ to be sent for scrap for several months. For the first leg of its journey (the 5Q56/05.39 Gascoigne WoodButterley), it ran with Nos. 142011/13, this pair being deposited there for preservation. No. 142051 then continued solo to South Wales for its appointment with the cutter’s torch.
CLASS 143 ‘PACER’
GWR Class 143s reached Penzance on two occasions during June, although both were to rescue failed ‘150s’ rather than being passenger workings. On June 8, No. 143603 ran from Exeter to Penzance and returned with failed
No. 150239. Four days later,
No. 143621 was sent from Exeter to collect No. 150249, which had run into issues while operating on the Falmouth branch on June 11.
CLASS 144 ‘PACER’
IN preparation for its transfer into private ownership, No. 144001 left the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (where it had been stored since April) on
May 29, forming the 5Z44/11.00 Keighley-Worksop.
Thirteen other units stored at the KWVR had outings on June 20 to ensure they remain in operational condition. Running to Skipton, and then either Kirkstall or Bradford Forster Square, the consists comprised: Train 1 Nos. 144012/17/22; Train 2
Nos. 144002/03/04/09; Train 3
Nos. 144016/19; and Train 4
Nos. 144005/10/11/13. Two sets,
Nos. 144014/20, had problems so were unable to run as planned.
CLASS 156 ‘SUPER SPRINTER’
RETURNING from Wolverton to Newton Heath on June 10, No. 156425 was diverted to Springs Branch owing to signalling issues between Stockport and Manchester. Seven days later,
No. 156464 was also released after refurbishment, while No. 156460 headed the opposite direction, forming the 5H70/09.03 Newton HeathWolverton.
CLASS 170 ‘TURBOSTAR’
THE third ‘Turbostar’ to be released by ScotRail for East Midlands Railway,
No. 170420, ran from Haymarket to Crofton for repainting and preparatory work on June 1. After completion, it moved to Barrow Hill pending entry to service later in the year.
Another of the recent transfers,
No. 170416, made its first driver training run on June 1, when it ran from Nottingham Eastcroft to Newark Castle and then Leicester. The unit made further outings later in the month, and on June 24, No. 170417 undertook several runs between Leicester and Derby.
CLASS 195 ‘CIVITY’ ‘PACERS’ RETURN:
Nos. 142087/068/ 065/071 climb the bank out of Manchester Victoria to Miles Platting on June 22 working from Heaton to Newton Heath. The units are to be used to strengthen services, and Nos. 142068/087 from this convoy plus No. 142004 returned to traffic on July 6.
DELIVERED to Edge Hill by road on
May 27, No. 195131 was noted on a test run to Preston and back on
June 22. Still to emerge are
Nos. 195132/133 – which, along with No. 195131, are the only Class 195/1 sets yet to appear in revenue-earning service. Two-car sets still to be put into traffic are Nos. 195020 (Huddersfield trainer), 195021 (returned to Newport for attention), 195022 (Huddersfield trainer) and 195023 (Wigan trainer).
Nos. 315833/859 returned to Ilford on June 16 and were quickly put back into service with London Overground.
CLASS 317
MOVEMENT of units between Ilford and Brodie, Kilmarnock for PRM (persons with reduced mobility) work is continuing. May 29 saw No. 317883 return south behind No. 37800 Cassiopeia after attention, and on
June 8 No. 37884 Cerpheus took
No. 317339 in the opposite direction when it formed the 5Q08/10.00 IlfordKilmarnock. The next day, the ‘37’ took No. 317348 back to Ilford.
June 19 saw No. 37800 employed to take No. 317886 to Kilmarnock for work to be carried out. The English Electric Type 3 returned to Ilford with No. 317340 the following day.
CLASS 319
NOW part of the Rail Operations Group fleet for the planned ‘Orion’ logistics services, Nos. 319009/373 were hauled from Long Marston to Eastleigh Works for conversion work by No. 37800 on June 6.
CLASS 345 ‘AVENTRA’
RECENT departures from Worksop have been Nos. 345026 (to Old Oak Common behind No. 37608 Andromeda on
June 2) and No. 345046 (to Old Dalby behind No. 37884 on June 18). These two transfers meant that, in late
10-CAR TRIALS:
Trials of five-car Class 720s units in pairs began on June 16 when Nos. 720511/515 made several runs between Shenfield, Wickford and Southend Victoria. Newly-arrived Nos. 720517/536 were similarly used on June 22, and these two are pictured on
June 24 descending Belstead Bank (near Ipswich) while working the 5Q36/09.50 Ilford EMUD-Ipswich Goods test run.
June, only two ‘345s’ Nos. 345045/48 remained at Worksop – these had visited Old Dalby the previous month, but returned to Worksop on May 28 and 27 respectively.
All the nine-car sets in use on the Paddington to Reading route were removed from service on June 11 pending a software upgrade – this was expected to take place in early July.
One unit, No. 345065, had only entered service for the first time three days earlier. In the meantime, seven-car sets are being used on the route and, as a result, additional units have been moved from Ilford to Old Oak Common, including Nos. 345049 (June 3), 345052 (June 17) and 345006 (June 22).
CLASS 350 ‘DESIRO’
EN route to Long Marston for corrosion repairs, No. 350112 was noted passing Droitwich Spa behind No. 37884 on
June 20. Later that day, the ‘37’ returned to Northampton with No. 350122, which had arrived at Long Marston on May 30.
CLASS 360 ‘DESIRO’
A START has been made on carrying out a number of modifications to the Class 360/1 fleet, currently in use with Greater Anglia, prior to their transfer to East Midlands Railway later in the year. The 21 units are being made suitable for 110mph operation for use on the St Pancras to Corby route, and will operate under the ‘EMR Electrics’ banner when the new services begin – now scheduled for May 2021 rather than December 2020.
The modification work on the
‘360’ units is being carried out at Northampton Kings Heath depot, and the first to be dealt with, No. 360105, arrived from Ilford on June 7, Nos. 47727 Edinburgh Castle/Caisteal Dhun Eideann and 47749 City of Truro providing traction. After completion, it returned to Ilford on June 21, Nos. 47739/749 being used for the return move.
CLASS 387 ‘ELECTROSTAR’
HAVING undergone work in connection with its forthcoming transfer to
Heathrow Express, No. 387131 was taken from Ilford to Oxford Carriage Sidings by No. 37608 for storage on June 5. Four days earlier, No. 387141 had returned from Ilford to Reading behind No. 57306 Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate 175.
CLASS 442 ‘5-WES’
ANOTHER Class 442 was moved to Wolverton for retractioning on June 5, No. 442414 arriving from Bournemouth behind No. 47813. It joins Nos. 442402/ 15/19/22 at the Gemini Rail
Services site.
The ‘442’ fleet, having been stopped in March, when the number of timetabled services were reduced, remained out of service at the end of June.
CLASS 455
AFTER attention at Wolverton, where it had been since May 20, No. 455805 returned to Stewarts Lane behind
No. 37800 on June 16.
CLASS 465 ‘NETWORKER’
HAVING earlier deposited a pair of ‘466s’ at the depot (see below), No. 66720 formed the 5Q90/10.30 Slade GreenTonbridge West Yard on June 20 with
No. 465911 in tow. The pair headed for Doncaster two days later.
CLASS 466 ‘NETWORKER’
RELEASED from Wabtec, Doncaster on June 19 were Nos. 466013/27, the pair departing for Tonbridge West Yard behind 66720 and continuing to Slade Green the next day.
CLASS 710 ‘AVENTRA’
ANOTHER two five-car Class 710s emerged from Derby during June and were taken to Old Dalby for testing.
No. 710274 (which in 2019 underwent trials on the Velim test track in the Czech Republic) was transferred by Nos. 47813 Jack Frost and 57312 on June 15, while two days later,
Nos. 37800 and 57312 formed the 5Q58/10.55 Derby Litchurch Lane-Old Dalby with No. 710275 in tow. Of the other four examples that have been built in five-car formation, No. 710276 is at Willesden, No. 710277 at Old Dalby, and Nos. 710278/79 still to be released.
Another unit to appear from Derby is No. 710118, which left for Worksop on May 29. Hauled by Nos. 57305 Northern Princess and 57310 Pride of Cumbria, the pair of ‘bodysnatchers’ were also used to take No. 710114 from Worksop to Old Dalby the same day. June 12 saw No. 710122 taken from Derby to Worksop by Nos. 37608 and 47813.
New arrivals at Willesden from Old Dalby have been Nos. 710130 (June 8, moved by Nos. 57310 and 37608) and 710116 (June 16, handled by
Nos. 57312 and 47813). More units have entered service on routes out of Liverpool Street, and by late June, the following ‘710/1’ sets had appeared in traffic: 710102/03/07/08/17/1921/23/24/29.
CLASS 720 ‘AVENTRA’
BOMBARDIER has released more new Class 720 units from its Derby factory. Heading to Ilford from Litchurch Lane on June 11, sandwiched between
Nos. 47727 and 47749, was
No. 720517, while No. 720536 was also taken to Ilford on June 18, using
Nos. 47739/749 as traction – the fifth set to arrive there for testing.
Trials of units in pairs, thus making up a 10-car formation, began on
June 16 when Nos. 720511/515 made several runs between Shenfield, Wickford and Southend Victoria.
Newly-arrived Nos. 720517/536 were similarly used on June 22. Office of Rail and Road (ORR) approval for the units to enter service as single five-car sets was issued on June 8.
After a spell at Worksop,
No. 720519 returned to Bombardier, Derby on June 15.
CLASS 769 ‘FLEX’
STILL carrying Thameslink colours,
No. 769452 (ex-319452) was delivered by road to Cardiff Canton from
Brush, Loughborough during June.
It is the fifth ‘Flex’ unit for Transport for Wales to be released, the others (Nos. 769002/03/06/08) all having been repainted into TfW livery. None of these, or any of Northern’s ‘769s’ had been put into service by the end of June.
HULL Trains’ final set, No. 802305, made its first test runs from Newton Aycliffe on June 9, first making a trip to King’s Cross and back before undertaking an evening run to Manchester Airport. Meanwhile, the two sets that have been stored at Tyne Yard since May 6 (Nos. 802301/02) returned to Bounds Green on June 17, with Nos. 802303/04 heading the opposite direction the same day.