Coaching Stock News
Riviera Trains vacates Eastleigh Works
With its charter fleet having seen little use in the past two years due to the pandemic, Riviera Trains has chosen to consolidate its operations on the Nemesis Rail depot at Burton Wetmore and withdraw from Eastleigh Works. The latter has been home to the company’s Mk.1 stock since the closure of Old Oak Common in 2009, forcing Riviera to find a new southern base within easy reach of London. However, with little income from railtours and charters, splitting the coaching stock fleet between two locations is no longer cost-effective, with Burton already home to the air-conditioned Mk.2 set. On January 7, 66084 and 66020 transferred 16 Mk.1s from Eastleigh to Burton, the 5Z45 09.40 departure featuring FOS 3097 and 3110/19/21/23/41/46/47, TSOS 4927/91/98 and 5009, generator-fitted BSK 35469 and catering cars 1651, 1813 and 80042. Following arrival at Burton, the DB locomotives continued on to Knottingley with 35469 and Mk.2f TSOS 5998 and 6042, the latter for fitting of retention tanks. A number of coaches remain at Eastleigh awaiting transfer, some of which are receiving attention prior to departure.
The latest coach to be sold by Riviera is FO 3112, which has been purchased by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society for overhaul and a return to the main line. Held in reserve in recent years, the vehicle requires its end crash structures to be renewed, while the centre doors will also be sealed as part of an overhaul that is planned to take place at Bo’ness over the next year once it arrives from Eastleigh. When finished, it will be used in the SRPS’S main line charter set, allowing one of the existing FKS, 13229 or 13230, to be retired.
Blue Pullman HST modifications
A programme to fit retention toilet tanks to Locomotive Services’ Blue Pullman HST has commenced at Eastleigh Works. First to be completed will be TF 41183, which was repainted last summer and has yet to feature in the set. On December 7, power cars 43046 and 43055 ran from Crewe to Eastleigh with Mk.3s 40802 and 41108 in tow, the latter being the next for modification. In contrast, the kitchen car is receiving further internal changes to enlarge the staff area and remove the remaining seating.
Rare visitors to Eastleigh
The post-christmas period saw Arlington Fleet Services receive another Royal Mk.3 to work on, dining car 2916 being admitted for a bogie overhaul. It was transferred from Wolverton Works by 66177 on December 29. Five days later, on January 3, British Pullman generator van 6313 and support coach 99545 (ex-courier van 80207) arrived at Eastleigh from Stewarts Lane, sandwiched between 67021 and 67024. Both are in for attention to their bodywork.
Welsh Mk.4 developments
The former Grand Central Mk.4 sets destined for use with Transport for Wales have continued to move about the country as preparations for their return to traffic continue.
The last set held in store at Worksop was collected by 37884 on December 23 and taken to Wabtec at Doncaster, this featuring 10301, 11322, 12210/316/452 and 82230. On January 15, 37611 was tasked with transferring 10321, 11320, 12224/326/477 and 82200 from Doncaster to Eastleigh to be modified to work with the Class 67s. The other two sets of black Mk.4s are already present at the Arriva depot for the same purpose.
Coaches for sale
January saw Direct Rail Services put further coaches up for sale, including Mk.2f DBSOS 9704/05/07/09/10, which have largely remained out of use since the Cumbrian Coast workings finished in December 2018 and are stored at MOD Longtown.
Also up for grabs and stored at the Cumbrian base are Mk.3b DVTS 82101 and 82126, which last saw use with Virgin’s ‘Pretendolino’ set. Meanwhile, Network Rail has put the two derelict Mk.1s that have resided opposite Bletchley TMD for more than 30 years up for sale, these being GUV 93723 and burnt-out
BG 84564, which ended its days as sandite coach ADB977618. The sale documents note that the small forest now surrounding them will be cleared first!
‘Castle’ HST debuts
With Great Western Railway’s HST fleet struggling for availability, the most recently completed batch of extra Mk.3 trailers have been brought into full use. The notionally spare TGS of 49117, along with TS 48136 and 48137, were noted making up GW08 with 48123 throughout the festive period and into January. Meanwhile, GW13 was almost correctly formed on January 10, with TS 48135 and 48149, along with TGS 49113 in the set, completed by 48145, which had 48150 taking its place in GW15. On January 13, 43005 and 43155 returned GW09 (48125-27, 49109) to Laira after work at Doncaster.
Grand Hibernian arrives in Glasgow
The former Irish Rail Mk.3 coaches that make up Belmond’s luxury Grand Hibernian landcruise set have begun to arrive at the Assenta Rail workshops in Hamilton. Brought over by road from Ireland, the coaches will receive the standard gauge BT10 bogies recovered from off-lease Chiltern Railways and Greater Anglia Mk.3s last year. The set is due to be redeployed elsewhere in Europe once the modifications and other upgrades are completed.