Unit Focus
Class 150
May - second pair of three-car Northern Class 150s formed at Newton Heath, 150005 featuring 150117 and 52223 while 150006 is formed of 150147 and 57223. 150223 was a replacement for 150224, which was originally due to be disbanded. The three-car Class 150 diagrams centred on Rochdale, Clitheroe and Blackburn commenced operation from May 16.
Class 153
w/c 19/4 - 153302 Ely Papworth to Worksop by road. 20/4 - 153374 Ely Papworth to Landore by road, to be a spares donor for the Transport for Wales fleet. 26/4 - 153968 released to traffic with Transport for Wales from Canton, renumbered from 153368, this being the last of the non-PRM compliant TfW sets to be prepared. 3/5 - 153311+153376+153385 5Z01 1206 Burton Wetmore-Derby RTC.
Class 159
7/5 - 159005 1Z21 1005 Southampton CentralSouthampton Central via Fawley, this being a second outing connected with the reopening of the Fawley branch to passengers.
Class 165
7/5 - 165131 2P51 0725 Exeter St DavidsPlymouth, 5P51 0935 Plymouth-Exeter St Davids, first Turbo to visit Plymouth in passenger service.
Class 168
w/c 19/4 - 168329 Wolverton to Wirksworth by road, for testing following hybrid conversion.
Class 170
April - 170518 made up to three cars at Bristol Barton Hill with insertion of MS 56630 and renumbered 170618. Set was back in traffic by end of the month.
Class 172
23/4 - 172102+172104 moved from Wembley to Ilford to be prepared for transfer to West Midlands Railway in order to cover for late acceptance of Class 196s and transfer of Class 170s to EMR, 172101 and 172103 following on 28/4. 172104 then moved to Tyseley on 30/4 with 172102 following on 7/5. The four sets are likely to remain on loan until the end of the year.
Class 196
22/4 - two cars of 196111 delivered from CAF Newport to Donnington Rail Freight Terminal by road, the other two followed during the first week of May.
Class 317
At Eastleigh Works, Raxstar scrapped 317652 between 14-20/4, 317671 between 27/4 and 4/5 and 317659 between 10-17/5. 26/4 - 37884+317649 5Q76 0933 Ely Papworth-Sims, Newport Docks.
28/4 - 57305+317668+317660 5Q76 0933 Ely Papworth-Sims, Newport Docks.
29/4 - 57312+317669 5Q86 0458 Ely Papworth-Eastleigh Works.
6/5 - 57305+317663 5Q86 0458 Ely PapworthEastleigh Works.
7/5 - 317338+317340+317886 5A12 1359 Ilford-Parkeston Quay, for store.
13/5 - 57310+317662 5Q86 0458 Ely Papworth-Eastleigh Works, last of the Class 317/6 sub-class to be sent for disposal.
Class 319
4/5 - 57305+319009 5Q99 0910 Eastleigh Works-Brush, Loughborough, for Flex conversion. 17/5 - London Northwestern ceased to use a Class 319 on the Watford Junction-St Albans Abbey branch, 319218 working the morning peak services before being swapped for a Class 350. A Desiro is now the booked unit for the Abbey Flyers.
Class 320
3/5 - 37884+320307 5Q06 0907 Kilmarnock Bonnyton (Brodie Rail)-Yoker, refurbished. 3/5 - 37884+320322 5Q08 1401 YokerKilmarnock Bonnyton (Brodie Rail), for refurbishment.
Class 321
23/4 - 57312+321359+321355 5Q76 0852 Clacton-Sims, Newport Docks. 30/4 - 37884+321361+321362 5Q76 0915 Clacton-Sims, Newport Docks.
7/5 - 57305+321365 5E23 0958 ClactonWabtec, Doncaster, unit underwent component recovery and then moved by road w/c 10/5 to Sims, Hull Docks, for scrapping. All of 321344-366 have now been disposed of. 13/5 - 57305+321439+321443 5Q16 0958 Clacton-Gascoigne Wood, for store pending possible conversion for logistics use.
Class 323
5/5 - 37884+323201 5Q65 0956 Wabtec, Doncaster-Soho, ex C4 overhaul.
Class 334
10/5 - 334017+334032 5Y99 1030 Yoker-Yoker via Helensburgh Central, first test run for 334017 after returning from collision damage repairs at Brodie Rail, Kilmarnock, on July 14 last year. Unit ran into a heard of cows at Uphall on May 8, 2018, suffering considerable underframe damage. Set finally returned to passenger service on 17/5.
Class 345
April - 345020 reformed to nine cars at Old Oak Common. 29/4 - 37601+345048 5Q73 1300 Old DalbyOld Oak Common. 10/5 - Crossrail core opened for passage of nine-car sets, bringing an increase in testing. On 11/5, 345031 worked 5Y52 1024 Gidea Park-Old Oak Common and 5C86 1318 return with 345054 forming 5C88 1218 Old Oak Common-Gidea Park and 5Y54 1354 return. Two sets per day were testing thereafter. Seven-car sets are not permitted in the core as they do not have the required software.
Class 350
8/5 - 37611+350118 5Q94 1020 Northampton Kings Heath-Long Marston. 8/5 - 37611+350117 5Q91 1440 Long Marston-Northampton Kings Heath.
Class 360
9/5 - 360116+360119 became the first of the class to carry passengers with East Midlands Railway, debuting on 1P27 0930 CorbyKettering and 1M15 0955 return. 16/5 - squadron introduction of Class 360s with East Midlands Railway with five pairs working between St Pancras and Corby, 360101/110, 360102/112, 360106/108, 360111/117 and 360116/119.
Class 365
21/4 - 57312+365530 5A45 1134 Hornsey-Ely Papworth.
Class 377
4/5 - MS car 78842 from 377442 returned to Selhurst from Wolverton by road after long term repairs to damage sustained at Eastbourne on November 28, 2016, when a hand dryer in the toilet suffered an electrical fault and caught fire, this spreading to the rest of the toilet module and surrounding interior. 377442 subsequently returned to traffic as a threecar set numbered 377342 in December 2016. With the return of the MS, the set has been reformed as a four-car, renumbered back to 377442 and was undergoing an exam in mid-May prior to returning to traffic.
Class 387
11/5 - Class 387s debuted in passenger service between Swindon and Paddington covering for IETs, three 12-car formations in use, with the first workings being 387154/63/73 on 1U52 0728 PaddingtonSwindon, 387144/59/71 forming the
1P79 0655 Swindon-Paddington and 387155/62/74 with 1P80 0715 SwindonPaddington. 11/5 - 387301+387302+387306 5Q72 1325 East Ham-Wembley, hired in to provide additional units for GWR. These continued to Reading the following day behind 57306 as the 5Q74 1206 departure from Wembley. 13/5 - 387153+387174+387159 3Z77 1010 Reading-Reading Traincare via Bristol Parkway, 12-car test run. 14/5 - 387301 into service with GWR on 2K46 1412 Reading-Newbury, 387301 and 387302 both in use on the circuit the next day. The Class 387/3s will initially be restricted to Reading-Newbury duties as four-car workings.
Class 465
23-24/4 - 66731+465907 5Q88 2133 Wabtec, Doncaster-Slade Green. 24/4 - 66731+465910 5Q89 1130 Slade Green-Wabtec, Doncaster, routed via the Midland Main Line due to engineering work. 7-8/5 - 66789+465910 5Q88 2133 Wabtec, Doncaster-Slade Green.
8/5 - 66789+465906 5Q89 1130 Slade GreenWabtec, Doncaster.
Class 483
Three of the Class 483 cars returned to the mainland from the Isle of Wight were delivered to Booth’s Rotherham scrapyard at the end of April. Having been held at the Stoke yard of Reid Freight Services for almost a month, both cars of 483002 made the road journey on April 26, with car 129 of 483009 following the next day. The latter’s other vehicle, 229, was still awaited in mid-May.
Class 484
18/5 - 484004 moved by road from Eastleigh Yard to Sandown for unloading.
Class 701
27/4 - 47739+701509+56081 5Q11 1102 Derby Litchurch Lane-Worksop. 28/4 - 47727+701028 5Q10 0649 Derby Litchurch Lane-Arriva Traincare, Eastleigh.
29/4 - 47739+701019+56081 6X12 1255 Worksop-Derby Litchurch Lane. 1/5 - 47749+701029 5Q10 0713 Derby Litchurch Lane-Arriva Traincare, Eastleigh, loco’s translator equipment failed south of Market Harborough, 47739 sent from Leicester to assist from rear and train moved forward to Kettering. 47749 then removed with 47739 taking the unit back north to Leicester Humberstone Road. 5/5 - 47749+701029 5Z28 0914 Leicester Humberstone Road-Old Dalby. 7/5 - 47749+701031 5Q10 0830 Derby Litchurch Lane-Arriva Traincare, Eastleigh.
14/5 - 47749+701007 5Q80 0954 Arriva Traincare, Eastleigh-Alstom, Widnes, for modifications. 18/5 - 47749 + 701029 5Q10 0857 Old DalbyArriva Traincare, Eastleigh.
Class 710
29/4 - 37510+710378+37611 5Q72 1050 Old Dalby-Willesden TMD, set renumbered from 710278 in addition.
Class 720
30/4 - 47739+720560+56081 5Q70 1056 Derby Litchurch Lane-Wembley. 12/5 - 47739+720513+56081 5Q13 1039 Old Dalby-Worksop.
Class 769
20/4 - 57312+769426+57305 1021 Cardiff Canton-Cardiff Brickyard Siding, vehicles 77341, 62916 and 71797 then moved by road back to Brush, Loughborough, where they are due to be reunited with 77340 for testing after its delayed conversion into a Flex vehicle while frame damage was repaired. Stand-in and unmodified Class 319 car 77485 from 319374 was taken back to Long Marston. 26/4 - 57312+769925 5Q98 1124 Brush, Loughborough-Burton Wetmore, converted from 319425, 17/5 - 37800+769932 5Q98 1127 Brush, Loughborough-Burton Wetmore, converted from 319432, both sets for temporary store.
Class 777
5/5 - 66731+777002 6X29 0319 Dollands Moor-Kirkdale, recessed at Crewe until the evening where 66710 added to make top and tail.