ERS acquires remaining three ‘Nightstar’ generator coaches
The five former European Passenger Services generator vans are reunited under a single owner.
EASTERN Rail Services has purchased three more former ‘Nightstar’ generator vans, meaning that all five of the vehicles, which were rebuilt from surplus Mk.3a sleeping cars in the 1990s, are now in its ownership.
The latest three acquisitions, Nos. 96372/73/75, have been purchased from Motorail UK, all having been stored at Long Marston since May 2010. Its other two are both located at the firm’s base at Great Yarmouth – No. 96371 has recently seen use at Polmadie to pre-heat Caledonian Sleeper coaches, while No. 96374 has undergone a bodywork overhaul and now sports InterCity livery.
Converted at Doncaster Works, the five ‘Nightstar’ generator vans were intended to be used with Class 37/6s on the UK legs of overnight services, providing hotel power for trains running between Glasgow/ Manchester/Swansea/Plymouth and
Brussels/Paris. The project was abandoned in 1997, with the brandnew passenger coaches being sold to Via Rail and exported to Canada.
The converted generator vans were stored at North Pole for many years, before being moved to Wembley when Eurostar transferred its maintenance to Temple Mills. While No. 96371 remained at Wembley until early 2016 (when it was moved to Leicester following purchase by UK Rail Leasing), the other four were taken to Wolverton. A further move saw them end up at Long Marston, No. 96374 subsequently being taken to Wabtec, Doncaster for potential use as a static ETS provider, testing overhauled rolling stock.
■ Another generator coach, Riviera Trains owned Mk.1 No. 6310, was collected from Knottingley by
No. 31128 Charybdis on November 17 and hauled to Burton. It had been at Knottingley since April 2020.