Rail Express

HITACHI Class 805 bi-modes entered service with Avanti West Coast on the West Coast Main Line on June 2. No. 805009 was the first to carry passengers, forming the 1A16 10.16 Chester-London Euston, which actually started from Crewe. At the same time,

RAIL Operations Assets Ltd No. 93001 undertook a series of test runs, both light and loaded, between Worksop and Sheffield, at the end of May. Prior to the start of testing, the ‘93’ visited Crewe South Yard on May 16, hauled by Rail Operations Group

TOUAX Rail has contracted WH Davis to undertake tank checks and general repair on its 26-strong fleet of Arbel Fauvet-built 101.6-tonne tankers. Twenty-eight of the distinctive bright red TEA bogie wagons were constructed at AFR’s Douai works in Nort

NORTHERN has taken delivery of further Class 323 sets from West Midlands Railway, which have been released after the introduction of more Class 730-operated services in the Birmingham area. Arriving at Allerton from Soho on May 13, were Nos. 323206/2

THE end of May saw RMS Locotec commence its latest hire contract by providing No. 08754 to ScotRail for use at Haymarket depot, to the west of Edinburgh Waverley. As with No. 08648 at Inverness, its principal role will be marshalling High Speed Train

A Metro-Cammell Pullman coach last used on the main line as a Departmental vehicle more than 40 years ago has returned to service as part of the Royal Scotsman set. No. 316, formerly named Magpie, has been rebuilt by Assenta Rail at EG Steele’s Hamil

Recently repainted into Harry Needle Railroad Company orange and black livery, Nos. 20302/311, along with No. 50021 Rodney, were hauled from Eastleigh to Swanage by No. D1015 Western Champion on May 8, prior to their involvement in the weekend diesel

THE Wensleydale Railway is to become the new home for No. 47714 which has been bought for preservation from Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC). The ‘47/7’ is one of five Class 47s first put up for sale as surplus in 2022, and No. 47714 is the first

CLASS 50 Alliance locomotives will visit the Leven line on August 26, becoming the first railtour to visit the line since it reopened. This will be the third day of a three-day ‘Grampian Highlander’ charter run by Pathfinder Tours. The tour begins at

GREAT Victoria Street Station (GVS) in Belfast city centre closed on May 10, after the departure of the last train, the 23.32 to Bangor, formed of three-car diesel multiple unit No 3012. GM 8112 was on display in Platform 2 for part of the day and a

THE annual Swanage Railway diesel gala held in May always provides entertainment, and this year’s line-up was no different. As is the case every year, enthusiasts from across the country (and further afield!) make the pilgrimage for what is one of th

THE reopening of the Snow Hill tunnel and launch of Thameslink in 1988 brought with it a need for new dual-voltage AC/DC electric multiple units to operate on the route through central London. After many years of studies and discussions, authorisatio

BACK in February 2015, a Transport for London document proposed the ‘Central Line Heavy Overhaul Programme Lift’, or HOPL. It noted that the Central Line 92 Tube Stock [TS] fleet was already the “worst performing fleet on the LU network”, due to “poo

MORE than 5000 visitors attended the Severn Valley Railway during its diesel gala, held on May 16-19. People flocked to see the wide array of traction on offer, with resident Nos. D1015 Western Champion, D1062 Western Courier, D9551, 20048, 33108, 40

FOLLOWING the unexpected discovery of third-rail Class 777s being the quickest UK trains to reach 60mph (RE335) it has been my intention to track down sets rumoured to out-perform even those remarkable Merseyrail 0-60mph in 31 seconds achievements. I

AT LAST, a signature wagon for the BR era has been revealed by Accurascale, a wagon that will fit neatly in its ‘Powering Britain’ range due to its extensive use in coal traffic. The first model will cover Diagram 1/146, the standard BR hopper wagon

00 GAUGE 4mm:1ft 1963-1987 ERA THE BRAND-NEW Class 25/1 from Bachmann is without doubt an improvement over the first Branchlines model. Unboxing the model revealed a fine looking facsimile of the full-size locomotives, except perhaps for the unreal

TT GAUGE 1:120scale 1975 to 2019 ERA AS IS EXPECTED for rolling stock aimed at a market where it may be required to stand up to regular handling, the new TT:120 HST trailers appeared robust and solid when first removed from their boxes. There is a

WITH THE DELUGE of new releases from the larger manufacturers arriving in the shops, it would be easy to miss the excellent work being done by smaller producers which add much needed variety to the D&E scene. C-Rail Intermodal seeks out the more inte

00 GAUGE 4mm:1ft 1934-1978 ERA WHEN BANANA TRAFFIC declined in the 1960s, the remaining Southern Railway (SR) vans were either withdrawn or transferred to departmental use, gaining the ‘Tadpole’ name and eventually TOPS code RBV. They survived well

00 GAUGE 4mm:1ft 2003-2008 ERA MAKING a welcome return to the Hornby range is the Class 101 diesel multiple unit. This model was well received when first released by Lima before Hornby acquired it, and it remains useful to modellers working to tigh

AT THE TIME the large fleet of BR Mk.3 power door EMUs was decimated by the introduction of new trains on the enlarged Thames Link network and Anglia Main Line, modellers interested in the EMUs remained frustrated by the lack of manufacturer support.