Last Class 322s sent for scrap
Original Stansted Express EMUs, which numbered just five in total, are all disposed of.
FOLLOWING on from the disposal of Nos. 322481/482 recorded in last month’s issue, the remaining three Class 322s were sent for scrap during September, having been stood down by Greater Anglia at the end of August.
No. 322484 undertook its final movement on September 7, when, along with No. 321903 (the last former West Yorkshire PTE ‘321/9’ in existence), it was hauled from Ilford to Sims Metals at Newport by No. 37884 Cepheus. The last two, Nos. 322483/485, were similarly disposed of on September 21, when Nos. 37884 took the pair to South Wales on the 5Q76 11.04 Ilford-Sims, Newport. At the beginning of the month, they had been located at Colchester, making their final runs under power when they ran to Ilford on September 6, (No. 322483) and September 7, (No. 322485).
‘322’ BRIEF HISTORY
The five Class 322s were constructed in 1990 and were, to all intents and purposes, identical to the ‘321’ units which were built around the same time – there was even a proposal to reclassify them as Class 321/5 at one point. Dedicated to Stansted Express duties (also known as Stansted Skytrain for a while), they received their own colour scheme and were fitted with extra luggage racks and additional First Class seating, compared to the Class 321/3 and 321/4 variants.
Ousted from the Stansted route after around six years, they operated thereafter for various companies, including North Western Trains, Silverlink, ScotRail, and Northern, from where they were withdrawn in 2020 following the introduction of CAF Class 331s. After a short spell in store, they were given a reprieve on account of them being PRM compliant, and returned to East Anglia for a further two years of service.
DMU CLASS 150 ‘SPRINTER’
IN readiness for the planned introduction of three-car Class 150s on services between Huddersfield and Sheffield in December, No. 150002 undertook a trial run from Huddersfield to Meadowhall and back on
September 25.
CLASS 156 ‘SUPER SPRINTER’
NOW carrying Northern colours in advance of its planned transfer to Newton Heath later in the year,
No. 156418 (ex-156918) returned from Wolverton to Derby Etches Park on September 5, and was back in service with East Midlands Railway a few days later. It means EMR now has three Northern-liveried sets in use, the other two being Nos. 156419/422. They will soon be joined by No. 156416, which, under its previous guise of
No. 156916, arrived at Wolverton for overhaul, repaint and modifications on September 5.
Another recent repaint into Northern livery is No. 156401, which was released by Arriva TrainCare on September 10, working the 5N38
09.35 Crewe CS-Newton Heath. Heading in the opposite direction the same day was No. 156415, which has been operating with Northern in its former East Midlands Trains colour scheme since it joined the fleet in December 2021.
CLASS 170 & 171 ‘TURBOSTAR’
HAVING been reformed as three-car sets at Selhurst in late August in readiness for their transfer to East Midlands Railway, Nos. 171202/402 have regained their former identities, Nos. 170423/424. Similarly, Nos. 171201/401 have reverted to their original formations, No. 171401 being renumbered back to No. 170422 at the same time. The other set still retained its ‘171’ identity in late September.
Three of the four sets being transferred away from Govia
Thameslink Railway, Nos. 170422-424, left Selhurst for Derby Etches Park on September 7, leaving No. 171201 at Selhurst. Nos. 170423/424 continued to Barrow Hill for temporary storage, while No. 170422 remained at Derby. The units retain Dellner couplings at present, despite having been reclassified back to ‘170’ units.
Further changes to the GTR fleet are in the pipeline, with the six Class 171/8 sets being reduced from four vehicles to three. The intermediate cars which are being removed will be used to increase six of the two-car Class 171/7 units to three vehicles. This will give a fleet of 12 three-car and four two-car sets.
ScotRail’s No. 170426 ran from Haymarket to Crewe CS for warranty work on September 10, returning north seven days later. Similarly, No. 170427 was observed passing through Stalybridge, heading to Crewe for attention, on September 18.
CLASS 197 ‘CIVITY’
FOLLOWING the release of No. 197009 on August 22 (as detailed in last month’s issue), the other three Class 197s which had been sent to Wolverton during the summer were taken to
Crewe the following month. Departing behind No. 66551 on September 6, was No. 197008, while two days later,
No. 197007 was taken to Crewe Basford Hall by No. 66517. No. 197006 followed on September 12, No. 90047 providing traction with No. 66509 also in the consist. This set subsequently returned to Telford Railfreight Terminal on September 15, No. 197024 being taken the opposite direction to Crewe on the same day. No. 66953 was provided for both these moves.
September 26 saw No. 197006 return to Crewe from Telford, its transfer being handled by Nos. 37510/608.
DEMU CLASS 201 & 202 ‘HASTINGS’
PRESERVED ‘Hastings’ set No. 1001, formed with power car Nos. 60116 Mountfield and 60118 Tunbridge Wells, worked a UK Railtours charter, ‘The Vectis Venturer’, from Tonbridge to Portsmouth Harbour and back on September 3. The DEMU displayed an ‘18’ route code (which was used for Chessington branch services) in memory of GBRf’s Paul Taylor, who organised many tours for charity over the years, and sadly died in August from prostate cancer.
EMU CLASS 318
RELEASED from overhaul on September 19, No. 318262 was collected by
No. 37884, which then formed the 5Q06 09.07 Brodie Kilmarnock-Yoker. The Class 37 then returned to Brodie Engineering with No. 318266 in tow.
CLASS 321
AS well as No. 321903 mentioned in this month’s main story, other Class 321s sent for scrap in recent weeks have been Nos. 321405/445, which were hauled from Gascoigne Wood (where they had been stored since June and May 2021 respectively) to CF Booth at Rotherham by No. 37800 on August 25. Still at Gascoigne Wood in late September were Nos. 321402/408/431/439/443/444.
CLASS 323
SEPTEMBER 9 saw No. 323236 run from Allerton to Wolverton for attention, with No. 323223 heading in the opposite direction later the same day.
CLASS 360 ‘DESIRO’
ON September 2, No. 360118 was hauled by No. 47727 from Cricklewood to Arlington, Eastleigh, for repainting into East Midlands Railway purple and white. The Class 47 returned to Cricklewood the same day with newly repainted No. 360111. Another set,
No. 360106, emerged from its repaint on September 20, and returned north on the 5Q98 14.22 Arlington EastleighNorthampton.
The last ‘360’ to retain First Group colours, No. 360110, was stood down for repainting later in the month, and was taken to Eastleigh from Kettering by No. 47727 on September 23.
CLASS 387 ‘ELECTROSTAR’
ANOTHER two former c2c Class 387s, Nos. 387301/302, entered traffic on Great Northern services on September 2, joining Nos. 387303/304 which had been put into use on August 25. The final pair, Nos. 387305/306, followed later in the month.
With all six of the Class 387/3s now in use with Govia Thameslink Railway, Nos. 387205-208 have recently returned to Brighton, the last (No. 387208) arriving back at Lovers Walk on September 17. One ‘Gatwick Express’ set, No. 387201, remains at Hornsey for use on services out of King’s Cross.