Comment: Where next for the 'Wessex Electric'?

Back on 2nd July 2006 'Wessex' unit 2422 'Operation Overlord' is leading a 10 car SWT service to Waterloo through Hersham. 

The days of class 442's working the premium 'Gatwich Express' service is now drawing to a close with news that the first class 387, which will take over from the class, is now in testing and due for delivery before the end of the year. Of course the class was never built for this work, which it is most unsuitable for. The 24 'Wessex Electrics' spent the first 19 years of their lives working services from Waterloo to Weymouth before being replaced by the newer class 444 'desiro' units. Once retired from Gatwick Express use there will be 24 five coach Mk3 build third rail intercity EMU's up for grabs. They will be a few years shy of their 30th birthday- but what could be next for these units, once described as the most comfortable in all of South East England?

442402 passes non-stop through Clapham Junction with a
Gatwick Airport to Victoria service in August 2012.

Further use in the South East on the 3rd rail system would be the obvious option- but there is scarcely any demand for these 'intercity' spec EMU's. Just looking at the recent order books of the London commuter TOC's reveals that the 442 just isn't the type of train being ordered today. Orders instead are for high capacity people movers such as the new class 700 for Thameslink and high capacity class 387's for Southern. Could there be any chance that the 442's may revert to the one line that might still be suitable for them- their old stomping ground from Waterloo to Weymouth? This is a possibility that cannot be totally ruled out but the author feels it very unlikely. The more modern class 444's are now well settled on this route and provide a slight increase in capacity over the 442's- further more displacing the 444's back to the Portsmouth Line where they started life would create a dramatic cut in capacity over 12 car class 450 trains which work many busy commuter services on this line (despite the complaints of some Portsmouth Line commuters!). The extra units could surely be used in the South West, but interoperability issues would also be an issue. Currently most Weymouth services split or divide at Bournemouth. Throwing class 442's into the mix with the newer class 444's would need a new look at the timetable to keep the fleets seperate. The only way I could see 442's having a place back on Weymouth trains would be if the power was finally upgraded to allow 10 car operation to Weymouth- at which point splits at Bournemouth could be removed and 10 car trains could run all the way through to Poole and Weymouth. Right now this seems unlikely.

Maybe new innovative 'growth' services could utilise the 442's? The Swanage railway will shortly be re-connecting with the national network at Wareham. The line has ambitions to once again connect the south coast town of Swanage with the mainline rail network- could a number of 442's be used to connect Swanage with destinations further afield? The heritage railway has several class 33's which can haul the 442 units when off the 3rd rail with the trains continuing on electric power beyond Wareham. A London to Swanage service would surely be the icing on the cake for the town and re-establish a through service which has not regularly run since 1969! Other options avoiding London could also be explored- maybe a train from Brighton to Swanage right along the South Coast?

Could the future use of class 442's be as hauled stock? On June 26th 2008 66547 hauls 2402 and 2010 through Wandsworth Town
while working a stock transfer from Eastleigh where the units had been in store.

Looking further afield it seems the most likely new home for the 442's could be well away from the 'juice' where they have spent all their lives. The North of England is suffering from an acute shortage of DMU's and new orders are thin on the ground as eventual electrification is the preferred option to upgrade lines and replace stock. One network where the capacity crunch is being particularly felt is Transpennine. Currently services are in the hands of class 185 DMU's running largely as single 3 car sets. These are routes where a 5 coach intercity unit would be ideal- especially if it was at relatively low cost. Could this be the perfect place for the class 442's to operate as hauled stock? The 5 car Mk3 build units are at least as comfortable as the class 185's and would allow strengthening of many Transpennine services with a huge increase in capacity. Sadly it would not be class 33's hauling the 442's but most likely a modern locomotive- class 67 or 68 would seem to be most preferable. With the 30, 1999 build class 67's seeking work this could surely be the perfect coupling of spare resources to meet a capacity need. As another advantage this option would render much of the electrical traction equipment- recycled from 4REP units dating back as far as 1966- obsolete.

With the 442's becoming spare over the next year only time will tell what fate befalls them next. I cannot help but feel these units are just too good to be scrapped yet- and after all this is the rail industry- one surprise seems to be just round the corner from the last!

A Baltic Adventure

It has been a little quiet on the posting front for the last week or so. The reason, as often seems to be the case was another escape from the country to chase down some trains. The destination this time was the Baltic states of Lithuania and Latvia with their appealing, and huge ex-USSR, double diesel engines hauling long Russian broad gauge freight trains. A full trip report will follow but here is a small taster of some of the delights of this trip.

TEP70 005 pulls away from Kaisiadorys with a train from Vilnius to Klapedia in Lithuania. 01/10/2015

2M62 0924 departs from Krustpils in Latvia with a train taking the line towards Rezekne. 05/10/2015

A line up of double locos at Krustpils- 2TE10Y-0190, 2TE116-184 and 2TE116-1259. 06/10/2015

On the outskirts of Riga is the main depot of Latvian Railways. Passing through the adjacent yard is 2TE116-1259 07/10/2015

Comment- Rail needs a union with Unions.

Waterloo Underground station is closed during the summer industrial action of 2015 which crippled the
capital in a dispute over rostering of the 'Night Tube'.

Before I start let me just say- I am not anti-trade union. I am however dismayed at the relationship between trade unions and the rail industry. If you keep up to date with current affairs it seems that barely a week goes by without some sort of conflict; There are the well documented strikes by tube workers over rosters for the 'Night Tube', strikes in the West of England over the concerns of maintenance staff and just this week reports that London Underground's Waterloo & City Line will be brought to a halt because just three members of one union have voted for strike action.

The result of all this- the government is taking action to quash the unions and make it far more difficult for members to strike. New limits on the turnout required at strike ballots could cripple the unions and spark a prolonged conflict between the unions, the industry and the government.
Surely there is an alternative? I believe there is. The rail industry and trade unions need to work together for the good of union members. Right now it seems that the unions are prepared to stick their foot into any conflict in the interests of their members- and that foot will not budge. The primary role of the unions is of course to protect the interests of their members, and this should be supported. However this cannot be at the cost of progress, reform and improvement. The rail industry is being held back because every time a change, or improvement is proposed the trade unions oppose it. Why- because the unions have the power to hold the industry to ransom with their demands. The result stagnates the industry and forces the continuation of archaic practices in the interests of job security. It should be remembered that this is a growing industry. Jobs are being created and while some job roles will change in the course of industry developments there is the opportunity to retain staff within the industry- and in good jobs. The whole industry, trade unions included, needs to embrace the future. I am not suggesting for one moment this should be at the expense of employees, but a balanced approach needs to be taken. Unions need to take a holistic attitude. To protect their members while not showering the industry in unreasonable demands that stifle growth and ultimately prevent job creation- not to mention preventing improvements for the travelling public.

First Great Western passengers faced disruption over the
summer as strikes over future duty changes in relation to the
new Hitachi 'Super Express' trains hit services.

The unions seem intent with picking a fight with everything the industry tries to do. Recently I turned a page of a railway publication to find a full page advertisement by one trade union- it concerned the 'Northern Powerhouse' project, and slammed the amount of investment and the impact the project could have on it's members. This organisation claims to be pro-rail, however does nothing for it's own image by using statements which are, at best, 'imaginative'. One line on the page deplored Northern Rail's use of '50 year old Nuclear locomotives'. Yes, that is right 'Nuclear locomotives'! Is it really true that Northern Rail is using engines glowing with radiation, probably recovered from the depths of Chernobyl and clearly a hazard to our health? Or maybe they powered by their own internal nuclear reactors?.. Of course the line refers to the DRS class 37's being used by Northern Rail on the Cumbrian coast. Yes- these engines have hauled nuclear flask trains, and yes, some of them have celebrated their 50th birthday- but what is the point being made here? The locomotives are reliable and are providing a cost effective stop-gap solution to a rolling stock shortage. The fact that they have hauled nuclear traffic is totally irrelevant and pure scaremongering. This organisation is trying to make a point and instead heading off on a mis-informed 'anti-rail' tangent. Beneath this scaremongering headline there is a genuine message- The UK urgently needs more, fit for purpose, diesel trains. So why not say that? It may be less dramatic but who can fault the statement? This is a point that everyone can get behind; from government, TOC's, the public and the unions and their members.

Public support for the unions right now is at a low. After all these people have had their lives disrupted by strike action by employees whom they consider to be well paid and in good jobs. Surely the unions need to work on their public image. Their considerable clout could be used for the good of the railways and in campaigns the public will support- Staff at stations, a member of customer service staff on board all trains for example (and as long as they are employed and paid does it really matter if they are a guard or a 'train manager'?). We need to end the situation where every union demand can stop the country. Strikes are a tool of last resort and I don't advocate restrictions to prevent them- but the right battles need to be picked. Sometimes job roles will change. The unions should be mediators to the industry not dictators.

I return to my opening- I am not anti-trade union. I agree with much of what they stand for. However until a union can, pun intended, 'strike' a balance between protecting its members and allowing the industry to move forward I'm afraid I'll not be signing up.

458/0 farewell?

Back in the days of full Juniper services 8020 approaches Clapham Junction on 5th June 2008

The South West Trains class 458/0's look to finally be bowing out of service. The class were first introduced in 1998 as SWT's slam door replacement units, however they have had a chequered history ever since. Failing initially to reach appropriate levels of reliability the Alsthom built vehicles lost out to Siemens as the main replacement stock for slam door units with the Desiro being chosen as the main order. The 458 'Junipers' however found a home on the Waterloo to Reading service, where they have been concentrated since the early 2000's. Despite a plan to remove the units from traffic completely due to poor reliability the 30 x 4 car units settled down to traffic and went on to win the Modern Railways 'Golden Spanner' award for the most reliable new generation EMU in 2012.
In a strange twist of events, since 2013 the class have been rebuilt using redundant vehicles from the former Gatwick Express class 460's to form five car sets which have become numbered in the 458/5 series. All 30 class 458/0's and most vehicles from the eight car class 460's will be rebuilt into the new fleet which will comprise of 36 5 car units.
The scheme is running behind schedule which has resulted in an extended lease of life for the original class 458/5's. Despite a 'farewell' railtour- 'The Juniper Factor' running in May 2015 the trains have continued to see active service throughout summer 2015. The end is now nigh however with the last trainset due to to be taken out of service with SWT and send to Doncaster for re-building before the end of September.
While the 458/0's time is at an end the re-built 458/5's should be with us for many years to come providing additional capacity on services to Windsor, Hounslow and Weybridge.

All change on test trains

On their first foray onto Southern metals 37219 and 37175 pause briefly at Clapham Junction on a gloomy 31st August 2015,
a typically gloomy Bank Holiday Monday. Like much of the Colas 37 fleet the locomotives have been purchased from preservation. The train was running from Derby to Hither Green ready for a weeks work on the Southern Region.

The contract to provide locomotives to haul Network Rail's fleet of test trains has been re-awarded and the previous incumbent, DBS has given way to Colas Rail. They
will use their new and expanding fleet of class 37's to provide traction to the various trains in the fleet. The new deal is likely to spell the end for class 67's on test train workings while the release into traffic of the class 73's being re-built by RVEL is also eagerly awaited to fill the gap left by the Network Rail class 31's which have now been withdrawn. It is expected that class 37's from DRS will continue to be hired in when they are required.

CD, SZZK, MAV, SZ Trip Report 20-25 August 2015

Thursday 20th August-

263 001 at Brno

Flew with Ryanair from Stanstead to Brno. Fairly painless and arrived into Brno on time, through passport control, picked up my bag and I was waiting for the bus into town about 10 minutes later.
The last time I visited Brno it was pouring with rain- this time the weather was much more pleasant- and not the scorching temperatures of the week before which I had thankfully missed.
I was pleased to see that there were still some 242 locos pottering around, I would say just under 50% still wearing the old red/cream livery. The 242's mostly seemed to work the trains to Breclaw and Vranovice. I went for a spin with 242 247 to Rajrhad on a Vranovice train, returning with 362 165. I then headed into town for a wander and to photograph some of the many trams (including old Tatras)- I could happily have stayed in Brno for dinner as it seemed a lovely city- but I had to get back to the station and make my way to Bratislava to meet my companions for the rest of the trip.

242 214 approaches Rajrhad with a train to Brno.

There are still some variations to the corporate Ceske Drahy
livery such as 362 019.

380 015 was the power for the 20:21 Euro City (which was annoyingly 35 minutes late). The journey into Slovakia was uneventful, but it was very noticeable upon crossing the border how much more graffiti there was and that Slovakia generally had a look of being a poorer country. By the time I had been delayed, checked into my hotel and enjoyed a very nice kebab for dinner it was 23:00 before I met my friends for some drinks in the old town of Bratislava.






Friday 21st August-
We awoke to a sunny morning in Bratislava and before long our first freight had turned up- A Siemens Eurorunner E189 845... well that isn't what I came here to see! Bratislava's main station is a great place to watch the trains and quite busy. I was particularly keen to catch some class 240's and this didn't prove to be difficult with one stabled in the middle of the station and several others appearing.

New and old Skoda's at Bratislava. There is almost 50 years between the designs of 380 019 and 240 136

363 099 with a car train at Svaty Jur

We went off for a ride with 240 139 towards Trnava (unfortunately on air-con coffins, but we didn't have a lot of time to hang around). A half hour break was taken at Svaty Jur during which a few trains were seen including a long automotive train with 363 099 at the helm. 381 001 was the traction for our return trip to Bratislava. A few more trains including a MAV M41 were photographed before we began to make our way to Komarno around lunchtime. 380 019 was the power for our Euro City to Nove Zamky where a tight connection was made onto a double deck unit (no 240 then) on to Komarno. A very pleasant lunch was enjoyed on the Euro City- the first of many on-train meals over the next few days.
Rail Trans International 242 557 was stabled on a train at Komarno but with no other obvious activity it was time to leave the station and start the walk over the Danube to Komarom.

Attractive 'Goggle' 468 001 at Komarom

There was a nice surprise waiting at Komarom- Bobo TFT's 'Goggle' 468 001 sitting outside the shed.A few more trains were photographed at Komarom before a Flirt unit was taken on to Gyor Gyarvaros. Only two freights were seen in the short stop here, the first a trip working between yards handled by DB 0469 112 and the second by DB Romanian 'Phoenix' loco 91 53 0417 002- quite a smart looking machine. 418 311 was seen on the 15:45 to Veszprem followed by 418 164 on the 16:03 to Celldoemoelk. This was taken to Gyoerszemere where my first minor disaster of the trip occurred. I jumped off for a photo while my friends continued a few stops further- the plan being to meet up again on the next train back up the line. Only it didn't stop where I had got off! Having had a similar problem earlier in the year in France I was really determined not to muck something up like this, but I had and was now due to be stranded for the next hour and a half. As it happened this did ultimately work out quite well for me as 418 140 made an unscheduled stop on the 16:40 Gyor to Celldoemoelk (ex Budapest) to be passed by the train back to Gyor (the one my friends were on, with, I believe 418 312). It didn't help re-unite the group but it got me back on a train, another original engined M41 as well. The only sensible move was to take this for a decent run down to Papa to pick up the next train back up the line. On arrival 418 108 was sitting in the opposite platform on Gysev coaches ready to take the 16:50 from Celldoemoelk back to Gyor- another decent run with a 'real' M41. At Gyorszabadhegy we paused for 628 319 to pass with a rail train. 418 309 was also seen pottering around at Gyor on the return.

418 140 smokes away from Papa with a train bound for Celldoemoelk.

New build 'Phoenix' loco 91 53 0417 002 at Gyor Gyarvaros

My friends had taken the 18:20 IC back to Budapest leaving me to follow on the 19:20 Railjet from Gyor with 1116 208. I didn't have time to buy a res as the que was huge. I approached the gripper to buy one to be told that I couldn't. That sinking feeling of 'oh' was just about to set in when she then said 'but it's ok there is plenty of room over here'. Excellent. Last time I arrived at Budapest Keleti in 2012 the entire area outside was a building site. Now it resembles a refugee camp- a sad reminder of the current migrant crisis in Europe.




Saturday 22nd August

M61 017 shunts the dining car ready to return at the front of the slightly delayed 14:42 Tapolca - Budapest Deli

Today has a beautifully simple plan- ride the Nohab and M62 on the heritage trains around lake Tapolca. We opted for the later start taking M61 017 on the 09:40 departure from Deli. At least it should have been. We arrived in plenty of time to find the MAV Nostalgia stock, but no loco. By departure time there was plenty of activity around the train- just one problem. No loco. Having almost given up on the entire day the Nohab eventually did turn up- about 90 minutes after departure time. The train left around 11:15, just behind the 11:05 service to Tapolca- not a lot of normals on board then!

M62 - 628 265 waits for it's passenger turn in at Tapolca.

Finished for the day, 628 265 with a
rainbow at Szekesfehervar.

The Nohab was great fun and lunch in the dining car very satisfactory- though my second major error of the trip soon surfaced- I had left my interail in the hotel! Oops!. Despite being cloudy almost all day we arrived at Tapolca in a patch of sun and got some photos of the run-round. The train being so late arriving there was just time to shunt the dining car on to the other end of the stock, run around and head off again, the return train to Budapest leaving some 15 minutes down. We rode the Nohab back to Badacsony before a quick look at the lake and then picking up 418 331 back to Tapolca.
628 265 put in a decent performance on the M62 turn. Heritage M41 2143 was passed at Balatonfured. The M62 was replaced, as planned, at Szabadbattyan for 431 285 for the run onward to Budapest Deli. The replacement presumably happening here as Szekesfehervar is a complete building site!

Sunday 23rd August

430 324 is just moments away from Budapest Deli

A slightly more leisurely day starting with a photo of the Nohab (on time to day) and a few electrics from a foot crossing between Budapest Deli and Kelenfold. Next up was a trip to the Budapest railway museum. Getting there was a bit of a farce... we headed to Nyugati for the 'scheduled local train' as stated on the website- only to find that this doesn't run anymore. No problem the nice info lady directed us to a trolleybus... that didn't go anywhere near the museum we were looking for! Cheers! 2 hours late we joined the 30 minute queue(!) to get into the museum. There was some sort of event on with small children everywhere and an intensive service on the 'garden railway'.

Steam locomotives line up around the turntable at the Budapest railway museum.

We didn't bother paying for a ride on the model lawnmower-driven Nohab as we concluded the one we had had the day before was probably better! Riding on the turntable was free though... so that had to be done. I have to hand it to the museum, while it was a hellish day to turn up and get a few photos of the locos, they were definitely spot on for the family day out and getting kids interested.

Passing trains at Szrliget. 761 004 and MAV 470 006

After a few hours it was all too much and we headed west in the hope of catching some FLOYD freights on the line through Tatabanya. 470 503 was the traction outbound. Having settled on Szarliget as our location we saw the following freights in around 2 hours:
Softronic Lema- CER 610 100 (never seen one of these before!)
MAV 630 008
Metrans 761 004 + 761 xxx
DB 'Phoenix' loco 91 53 0417 002 (again)
MMV 91 53 0480 007
Gysev Cargo ES 64 U2 070

We headed back to Kelenfold with 470 005. Here we were able to catch 630 006 LE and 630 040 with a fright while 418 331 was seen with an evening train to Tapolca.
A sensible move at this point would have been to head back into Budapest to get dinner at a reasonable time for the fist time in the trip- but of course as it was still almost light we didn't do this and instead went on to Ferencvaros. Staff didn't seem the least bit bothered about us wandering around the depot where we were able to photograph:

628 230 around the turntable at Ferencvaros depot, Budapest.

408 224
448 414
448 421
448 425
448 437
628 069 (Kozgep)
628 165
628 230
628 321
630 026
630 046
After the successful visit 431 537 was our chariot on to Kibanya Kispest before enjoying some heritage soviet metro action on line 3.

628 165 awaits its next duty in the shed at Ferencvaros.

Monday 24th August

480 017 waits to leave Budapest Keleti with the 08:10 to
Sopron and Szombathely. Note the Gysev coaches.

Disaster are supposed to come in threes? Well this morning got off to an impressively bad start. Having left my companions to fly home from Budapest I had decided to head out early to cover the Ludmilla on the Keszsthely turn otherwise I would regret it. The only way to get there was an early start on a RailJet from Keleti to Gyor, then down to Celldoemoelk. All was going there, the RailJet was in the platform, but there was some confusion whey I tried to buy my reservation for the 07:24 to Gyor... a reservation ultimately in hand I returned to the concourse to discover the train had gone- Oh no! It's 07:24 from Kelenfold!!! A little cursing and an aborted idea to chase the train across Budapest using Metro Line 4 (it would never have worked) and that was the day's plan in the bin before 07:30.
I made my way to Gyor instead behind 480 017 and headed to Csorna just in case any Ludmillas were still lurking here- they weren't. Back to Gyor 430 325 to then work out a plan to meet EC245 the 'Citadella' to get into Solvenia. There were three options, via Csorna and Szombathely, via Celldoemoelk, or straight down to Veszprem. When 418 204 was seen ready to go with the 11:47 to Veszprem the decision was made as I had covered very little of this line before. The journey is very slow (I did worry shortly after leaving Gyor when a road sign showed 69km to Veszprem- it was going to take 2 hours to do 69km!!?) but some sections, particularly the southern half of the journey are very scenic.

Former Gysev loco 418 204 pauses at Zirc while working the 11:47 Gyor - Veszprem.

664 104 has just attached to the 'Citadella' at Hodos and will
now haul the train noisily through to Pragersko, Slovenia.

It should have been just over an hour wait at Veszprem for the Citadella... but at it's booked time the train was nowhere to be seen, and the platform had only two other people on it. I began to get worried- I did need to be in Ljubliana that night in order to make my flight home the next day! Time ticked by and there was very little information, just an occasional announcement of which all I could make out was 'Euro City' 'Citadella'- what they were saying about it I did not know! Around 35 minutes late I was relieved to see the train pull in behind 431 314 and I nabbed myself a compartment at the back of the train. Despite some an efficient run round at Zalaegerszeg we had lost more time in loops waiting to pass trains and arrived at Hodos some 50 minutes late. I had been worrying about the next bit for several days- a lot rested on what was going to take us forward to Pragersko- had I come all this way to bowled out by a silent 645? No. There was only one loco at Hodos and that could have taken us forward and it was 664 104. Panic over I spent the next two hours listening to this monster of a loco- certainly one of the loudest diesels I have traveled behind. Not sure I'd say it was the nicest sounding (I'm not sure it was supposed to be making a noise like screeching tires?!), but certainly loud! As others have said much of the electrification is at an advanced stage, but there are still the occasional gaps and a lot of the OHLE is yet to receive wires of any sort. I'm sure it'll be done before the Great Western! By the time we said goodbye to the Reagan at Pragersko it was almost dark, a shame as the next leg of the journey with 342 014 looked like it could have been very scenic.

342 014 at Pragersko waits to take EC246 forward to Ljubljana

It was a bit of a stagger to reach Ljubljana where we arrived 55 minutes late.

Tuesday 25th August
Not time for much this morning before my Wizz flight back to Luton. A quick wander round Ljubljana which looks to be a lovely town and 20 minutes at the station which seemed to be very busy. 661 032 and 664 014 were both seen stabled. The amount of graffiti on the multiple units out here is appalling.



Conclusions-
Another excellent whistle-stop trip. Thanks to Rob, Rabbit and Matt for the company. After two very hurried trips I feel I've still barely touched the surface of the Czeck Republic, or Slovakia for that matter- A longer trip in its own right is definitely required. Hungary never disappoints and it was great to get a ride behind an M62 out there and to have such good, and unplanned luck with the M41's. I will be back for more- and maybe one day I'll manage to find an ex-British FLOYD loco working!?
I hardly feel like I saw Slovenia- so that's another one to add to the list to come back to- though I suspect the Citadella will have gone electric before I am able to.

M41 passes M62 at Balatonkenese, one of many passing loops on the railway to the north of lake Balaton.

What is the worst station in Europe?

Railway stations were the cathedrals of the industrial era. Rising high above platforms across the world massive station canopies constructed of steel and glass shone a light into the smokey station beneath. Many of the Victorian era stations are still masterpieces today- however concrete constructions of the 1960's and 70's have fared less well against the test of time. Birmingham New Street in the UK is famous for being dark, dingy and uninviting (a situation soon to change, at least at concourse level following a massive refurbishment) while Penn Station in New York is also often criticised for being an uninviting underground labyrinth.
Despite their floors these large stations are largely well looked after and well used. To meet my candidates for the title of 'worst large station in Europe' we have to travel south east from the UK-

Third Place-
Budapest Deli Palyaudvar, Hungary

Completed in 1969 this station must once have been an imposing sight- the only post war modern station in Budapest. Today it is, at best, dilapidated. Train, tram, metro and bus services seem poorly integrated and the station appears to have suffered from a long term lack of maintainance. The stairs from street level to the higher concourse and platforms are in a particularly bad state with decrepid shops and stalls hardly adding to the aesthetic.



Second Place-
Skopje, Macedonia

The original Skopje station was badly damaged in the devastating earthquake of 1963, resulting in a new modernist concrete structure being completed in 1969. While impressive at it's opening the station has suffered from many years of under-use and under-investment (compounded by the unrest in Yugoslavia during the 1990's). Today just a few platforms are in use and much of the station building is used as the cities bus station- and is in much better condition than the section still used for trains. The station boasts extensive graffiti inside and out, crumbling masonry and sets of escalators gathering dust which have clearly not worked for years. Some platforms do not even have tracks!
Fortunately major upgrade work began in 2014 and will see the station completely modernised - hopefully the results will be worth the wait and, together with new trains due to arrive in late 2015, could begin an upsurge in the popularity of Macedonia's railways.


First Place-
Sofia, Bulgaria

Another communist masterpiece of its time, Sofia station opened in 1974 and with its construction mostly of marble must have been an impressive sight at the time. Once again the the building in this fairly poor country has suffered from years of poor maintenance. Escalators which once moved passengers now stand dormant, beyond repair. The screens and clocks which once gave passenger information have long since stopped working, making the task of finding ones train quite challenging. While the station has a general air of dereliction the interior of the main concourse is still light and airy however the platforms are in a poor state. The addition of a burnt out car on one platform secures Sofia as my personal 'worst station in Europe'. Fortunately, like Skojpe, a major re-building program is now underway to upgrade the station to modern standards by early 2016.

GB Railfreight on the Caledonian Sleeper

Currently the only class 92 in the GBRf corporate colour scheme, 92032 worked the London - Glasgow sleeper on the night of
15th July 2015. This loco is not one of the dedicated 'sleeper' fleet and is more usually seen on freight workings.

Undoubtedly one of the finest looking locos on the mainline- 47847 departs
Glasgow Central with the empty stock working to Polmadie of
the previous nights sleeper from London- 09/07/2015

Continued unreliability of GBRf's dedicated fleet of class 92's for the Caledonian sleeper contract has led to a wide range of traction appearing on the trains. Class 90's continue to be hired in from DBS and locomotives from Freightliner have also now made appearances on the trains. The GB 'Heritage' fleet also continues to see action on front line sleeper services in addition to ECS duties with 86101 and 87002 working Anglo-Scottish sleeper services.
As well as electric locos being hired in Serco continues to hire class 67's from DBS to work the highland portions of the sleeper train until GBRf's rebuilt class 73's become available. On occasions class 47's from GBRf have also worked portions of the train, particularly from Castairs to Edinburgh, and empty stock between Glasgow Central and Polmadie depot.

The interesting selection of traction seems set to continue for some months yet as the dedicated class 92's receive modifications and maintenance to help them settle in to their new role on the sleeper. The teething troubles are hardly surprising considering the under-utilisation of the fleet for so many years. With some TLC the class 92's will almost certainly be able to provide many years of reliable service hauling the overnight trains from London to Scotland- ironically hauling sleeper trains (all be it to Europe) was one of the original purposes for which the class 92's were built back in the early 90's!

PKP (mostly) 29th July - 5th August 2015

A trip to Poland for the Wolsztyn Experience and some general cranking.

29th July-
Flew to Berlin Schonefeld with Easy Jet from Gatwick. A slight panic on the way there when my friend forgot to set his alarm (of course he had the boarding passes)...

A fine train, but definitely not my favourite livery! 370 010 arrives into Berlin having worked the Berlin Warsaw Express from Poland.

Your author enjoying a polish meal onboard the
EuroCity train. Very tasty though perhaps a bit over
generous with the gherkins!

Despite a delay waiting to reach the runway at Gatwick we arrived into Berlin on time. Taxing across the completely new but out of use runway for the still unopened Brandenburg airport was quite a strange experience! Understanding that all the trains to the airport had gone over to 'Talent' units since my last visit I was very pleased to emerge from the subway to find myself standing next to a DOSTO driving trailer. On the other end was 143 193 with the RE14 service which was taken to Hauptbahnhof.
370 007 in a ghastly pink T-Mobile advertising livery arrived with the 13:37 to Warsaw.
Having failed spectacularly to procure a bratwerst at Hauptbahnhof we decided to go for a meal in the dining car- this proved to be an excellent decision with proper food on proper plates, and not too expensive either. Well recommended.
Transfer to Wolszytn was from Zbasyznek by a very nasty SA108 unit.







30th July-

ST43 382 pauses at Wolsztyn. The coaches were being removed for works attention.

First day with the Wolsztyn experience (which I will write about in more detail separately) .

ET22 1160 near Zbaszyn.

OL49-69 is the loco currently in use (OL49-59 is expected to return later in the summer after overhaul at Leszno).
Without regular scheduled steam services this year the operation is instead working 4 day schedules covering some regular trains instead of railcars.
Today the steam worked two round trips from Wolsztyn to Zbaszynek.
The day had a few surprises- firstly at ST43-382 at Wolsztyn in the morning with a freight, also including two of the 4 wheel 'heritage' vehicles based here being taken away for attention. With so few ST43's now in traffic it was good to see one in revenue service.

Lotos 181 092 heading towards Germany at Zbazyn.

Zbasyznek proved to be busy for freight and in our brief layovers the following was observed:
DB Schenker 170 046
ET22 845 + SM42 842 (LE)
Lotos 181 092
Lotos EU07 199
ET22 1160
Rail Polska M62M 015
DB Schenker 170 039 (LE)
Freightliner E189 211

These usually do their best to avoid me so I was pleased when Rail Polska M62M 015 caught a patch of light at Zbaszynek.

31st July-

Ol49-69 passes Blotnica with an afternoon return from Leszno. The sun fortunately started to shine on the day it mattered!

Short steam trips to Nowavies Mochy, Rakoniewice and Stefanowo. Plenty of time to wander around the town of Wolsztyn and enjoy cocktails and dinner at the excellent Powozownia restaurant/bar. 

1st August-

ST43-382 pulls out of Leszno roundhouse.

Classmates ST43-208 and ST43-406 are viewed from the cab.

Two return steam trips to Leszno.
SU42 504 parked up in the station at Leszno.
Various locos parked up in and around the depot including a pair of ST44's and an SM31 in the roundhouse.
ET43-382 was around again and being shunted around to take a coal train forward to, I believe, Glogow. I managed to blag our way into the cab of the diesel which wasn't difficult and then my friend ended up driving the thing- cheeky so and so!
Spend the afternoon linesiding the steam with the help of a car and a fast driver.

M62 1186 stabled at Miedzrzecz.

2nd August-
A longer steam trip to Miedzychod by way of Zbasyznek and Miedzrzecz (where Pol Miedz Trans M62 1186 was stabled). A reasonably extensive evening in the bar followed before saying an extended goodbye to the cocktails in the Powozownia.







3rd August-

A shot I have long wanted to take; SU45-089 with a train for Kostryn photographed on the river passing through Gorzow.

Leaving Wolsztyn in the morning the original plan was to head directly to Gdansk. However until a chance discussion with Howard of the Wolsztyn experience I had not realised that the loco hauled trains for the Kostryn festival would still be running. I had wanted to cover these trains with SU45's for a couple of years so a new plan was very quickly drawn up, Instead of heading to Poznana and Gdansk we traveled by car to Zbaszynek and then on by railcar to Gorzow. The day was far from disappointing with SU45's on all the trains through Gorzow during our time there:
R88905 07:35 Krzyz - Kostryn - SU45 089
R80902 07:59 Kostryn - Krzyz - SU45 115
R80904 09:56 Kostryn - Krzyz - SU45 089
R88907 10:32 Kryzy - Kostryn - SU45 079
R80906 13:16 Kostryn - Krzyz - SU45 079
R88909 13:41 Krzyz - Kostryn - SU45 089
R88911 15:35 Krzyz - Kostryn - SU45 115

A smart SU42-506 arrives at Krzyz with 2 coaches from Pila.

Unfortunately it was only possible to get a ride with 089 and 079 (the only SU45 I didn't require) as in order to get to Chojnice (which it turns out is not pronounced anything like it is spelt) for the diesel train to Gdansk the following morning meant the last train we could take to Krzyz was at 14:08 from Gorzow leaving a long fester before the 17:26 on to Chojnice. Plenty of festival-goers clearly also had to take the long fester option as the station was littered with rucksacks and camping mats.

With all the loco hauled activity on the line to Kostryn I was not expecting to see any on the line to Pila- however I was quite mistaken as a very smart SU42 506 rolled in at 12:50 with the 11:57 from Pila with two double decks.
Making a note to watch subsequent arrivals from Pila was a good move as no sooner had SU45 rolled out with the 15:35 to Kostryn than another SU45 - 241, pulled into the station with the 14:41 from Pila!

Another departure from Krzyz to Kostryn. All in all four SU45 locos were in use on the line replacing the usual DMU's.

By this time attention had started to turn to what would form the 17:26 to Chojnice- I had naturally assumed and expected it to be a unit- but there was a set of articulated double deck coaches in the designated platform which had earlier arrived from Pila. With all the shunting going on I fully expected these to be moved to another part of the station- but instead SU45 079 shunted another coach onto the front and proceeded to sit there for some time. With no units in sight were we going to get lucky and get a hauled set all the way through to Chojnice?
The 16:00 from Pila arrived with a unit, and promptly announced it was going to form the 18:25 to Pila, meanwhile the front coach behind SU45 079 was opened up (the articulated set being locked out of use)- we were going to Chojnice hauled. Shame it was another run with, by now, very dud 079 - but still a massive bonus over the unit I expected!
Finally passed the 16:58 Pila - Krzyz which was unidentified but definitely a hauled set.

A huge amount of diesel hauled trains for 2015 in Krzys! I will definitely consider coming back next year for the festival weekend- of course that is if the SU45's last that long?

Very smart in the right light- Przewozy Regionalne EU07-186 at Krzyz.

11:56 Pila - Krzyz - SU42 506
14:41 Pila - Krzyz - SU45 241
16:58 Pila - Krzya - Unidentified loco
17:26 Krzyz - Chojnice - SU45 079

Other active locos seen at Krzyz:
PR- EU07 187
SM31 087
EP07 1026
Akiem (unbranded) 186 263
ET22 2008
EP07 435
PR- EU07 222
ET22 600
ET22 648
ET22 202
EP09 034

4th August-

SU42-532 at Rytel with the hauled service from Chojnice to Gdansk and Hel.

Having effectively missed a day in the Gdansk area while getting distracted by the festival diesels there was a bit of catching up to do today.
A lot of the ground was made up by taking the diesel hauled service from Chojnice to Gdansk, negating the need to ride it on the Hel line later. As promised SU42 534 was waiting with R50798 the 07:18 to Gdansk with two single deck coaches and an articulated set.
A good run up to Gdansk (including run around at Tczew) before leaving the train to drop off our bags at our hotel.

SU42-1007 and SU42-1006 haul EIC 5530 from Hel to Gdynia, seen passing Kuznica on the Hel peninsula.

Back to the station to catch EU07 1521 on a freight before boarding EP07 1065 up to Gdynia. Plan was to take the EIC to Hel which I expected to be the CD 754... not the case, the Goggle was nowhere to be seen and instead SU42 1006 and SU42 1007 were in charge of the train. No windows to hear the locos on the run up to Hel, not that they make any noise anyway. The return EIC was photographed as well as the other locos stabled at Hel- SU42 1005/8/10. Interesting to note that the yellow DMU's on the route had been strengthened with the addition of a loco hauled coach- I hadn't expected the DMU's to have conventional couplings- but they do.
Most trains on the Hel line seemed to be between 10-15 minutes late all afternoon.
A pleasant afternoon was spent on the beach followed by an excellent but somewhat rushed meal before taking the unconventional move (for a rail trip) of the 20:10 boat back to Gdansk. A very pleasant day.

5th August-
Having been to Hel and back today was a chance to catch some freight on the line south of Gdansk which I was expecting to be busy. Every trip has a disappointment or two and today was to be it. In 2 1/2 hours just one southbound freight was photographed, the northbound line seeing only a little more traffic (looking straight into the sun of course). I'm sure the line can be busy- I think I will put this down to poor luck to make up for the SU45's earlier in the week!

 Unbranded EU07-166 was the only southbound freight seen between Gdansk and Tczew. 

Seen was:
Newag 6Dg 139 (LE)
DB 170 048
ET22 1174 (LE)
EU07 096
ET22 1097
EU07 166 (Unbranded white/grey livery- anyone know the operator?)
A couple of passenger and a few Pendolino trains also broke the silence:
EP07 391
EP09 040
EU07 072
EP07 1040
EU07A 003


The intention was to finish the trip with a loco hauled run from Tczew back to Gdansk, but even that didn't work with the timetable if we were to make our flight. We settled on a unit back and ended up quite pushed for time once it was missed due to not realising our noodle lunch in the shopping centre was going to come as a sit down meal! On a positive the food was good and the cafe area has a great view over the station so we could see that no more freight was missed.
A quick 'tourist' wander around Gdansk resulted in us missing the planned airport bus (are you spotting a theme here!?)... so a huge ice cream was instead conquered in this time. The bus to Gdansk airport is slow and fairly unpleasant. This situation will change on 1st September when a new rail link to the airport is opened- A DMU was in the airport station testing when we passed.

Conclusions:
Overall an excellent trip. Wolsztyn was great fun (and I highly recommend the footplating experience)- with any luck 2016 will see daily steam services resume, most likely on the line to Leszno.

SU45-079 approaches Gorki Notecki

Covering the SU45's on the Kostryn trains was a real unexpected bonus of the trip and most enjoyable- having done it once I will definitely be tempted to return next year.
The Hel Line was good entertainment, though clearly a shadow of the summer fun it once was with 'real' SU42's- great beaches near the line though if one wants a break from the trains. Unfortunately as a result of the 'change of plan' we never made it to Leba to sample the diesels on this line.
Since I was last in Poland in 2012 a lot more EMU's have come on stream and far fewer locos now wear traditional colours (only one active ET22 spotted in green all trip)- however there is still much of interest in Poland and I will of course be back.
Travel for the whole trip was on point to point tickets with many of the Polish regional trains being purchased on board. I think we may have paid an extra couple of zloty for the privilege. This arrangement is certainly much more hassle than using a railpass which as I usually would for such trips.
Thanks are due to Jon Wright for convincing me that Wolsztyn was a good idea, and for his company on the trip. Also to Howard at the Wolsztyn Experience for all his assistance during the week and especially his gen on the SU45's.

A somewhat shabby SU45-241 arrives into Krzyz with a set of articulated double deckers from Pila.