Coaching Stock News
First outing for ROG Mk3s
Some of the former Greater Anglia and Transport for Wales Mk3 stock that has been acquired by the Rail Operations Group saw its first passenger outing on July 18.
Chartered by Transport for Britain, the train ran from Lichfield to Buxton and featured 37608 and 57312 top and tailing 37884. The use of 37608 was unplanned though, with 57312 proving troublesome before departure from Castle Donnington with the empty stock, it only being fit for use as a source of electric train supply. As a result, the outward leg ran more or less two hours late throughout. The Mk3s included ex-welsh vehicles 10249, 12176 ad 12180 along with 10406, 11093, 11099, 11101, 12125 and 12154, once of Norwich.
Welsh Mk4 set swapped
The current Transport for Wales locohauled diagram saw a set swap in June with HD01 making its passenger-carrying debut on the Holyhead to Cardiff route.
This is formed of Mk4s 12225, 10325, 11323, 12454, 82226 and was in the care of 67025 for part of the time. The DVT from set HD02, 82229, has received its charity vinyls, these being on a blue background and promoting the work of the RNLI Lifeboats with the slogan ‘Float to Live’.
Scotrail latest
The few remaining additional HST trailers for Scotrail continue to trickle out of Doncaster with 43135 and 43149 departing for Slateford on
June 25 with just TS 42178 between them. Three days later, 43135 and 42078 continued to Inverness now formed with 43034 and 42077. No five-car Scotrail sets have yet seen use in passenger traffic. Set HA19, which was released in such a form earlier in the year, was running as just 40619, 42255, 42568 and 42256 during June. Its other TS, 42029, is still undergoing repairs after derailing at Dalwhinnie in April.
GWR warranty work
Half of set GW08 was released from Doncaster on June 30, 43027 and 43155 returning to Laira with just 48122 and 49108, while 48123 and 48124 remained behind.
On July 5, 43004 and 43154 headed north to Yorkshire with GW01 (49101, 48101, 48102, 48103) and the expectation is that most, if not all, the Castle sets will need to return for attention to corrosion issues.
Storage moves
More than a year after the end of the Fife Circle loco-hauled sets, six of the Mk2f ‘air-cons’ were returned to Riviera Trains on June 17. 37716 was entrusted with the 5Z37 06:18 Kingmoor-burton Wetmore, conveying TSOS 5945, 5955 and 6027, along with BSOS 9521, 9527 and 9539.
All had been previously stripped of their Scotrail vinyls, or DRS branding in the case of 9521, leaving them in a patchwork of dark blue and Virgin colours where the paint had been pulled off.
The only exception is 9539 which retains an immaculate coat of Arriva’s dark blue!
A power car transfer from Burton to Long Marston on July 2 saw 57312 haul 43045, 43060, 43073 and 43075 for further storage and also included two ex LNER/EMR Mk3s, namely 41165 and 42109.
Charter news
The private set operated by Locomotive Services for owner and chairman Jeremy Hosking has gained a second Mk3 sleeper, 10519, carrying the same red and cream livery as the other dedicated vehicles. This was overhauled by Independent Rail at Chesterfield and returned to Crewe in early June, featuring on an outing to Oban later in the month.
Riviera Trains has hired two of its Mk1 First Opens, 3098 and 3120, to Steam Dreams. These were collected from Eastleigh Works by 47245 on June 17 and taken to Southall. By early July, both were featuring in otherwise West Coast sets, standing out due to their chocolate and cream colours.
Latest disposals
The third week of June saw six Mk4s once from set BN01 collected from Worksop and taken to Sims at Newport for disposal, these being 11298, 11301, 11401, 12307, 12414 and 82207. At Toton, long stored Mk.2f FO 3303 was scraped on site at the beginning of July, while Raxstar cut Mk3 buffets 40707 and 10224 at Eastleigh Works on July 19/20