DB Trip Report 1-6 September 2016

Day 1 01/09/2016-

It was an early start from the Premiere Inn at Stanstead airport for the not too easy walk to the terminal (no pavements... but we didn't fancy paying £3 for the bus when that was actually a reasonably high percentage of the flight cost!). Our Ryanair flight to Memmingen was on time and we arrived nicely at a time without a good rail connection in to Munich. Our first taste of German efficiency was also showed off when the bus into town arrived just over 10 minutes late- a surprise to everyone who was expecting it on time.
Memmingen is quite a nice town it turns out and we found some lunch before returning to the station to see 218435 and 218481 on a northbound IC from Oberstdorf before eventually boarding the midday(ish) EC to Munich with 218416 and 281403.
With the weather reasonable and not much more of a plan than to try to track down some 218's for a run to either Muhldorf or Fussen (two routes we failed to tackle last time round) we headed to Heimerenplatz for a few hours of freight photography. Of course as soon as we turned up the light faded and by the time we left it was a full thunder storm- however the station was busy and while the 111's we could watch 3 years ago were much missed there was no let up in the freight traffic with trains often running back to back. Highlights of the freight activity included LocoMotion 139 312 on a container train and Spitzke Logistics V100-SP-008. We also got our first taste of the thoroughly uninspiring class 245's but did see a few more 218's than we were expecting on the Muhldorfs from the diagrams. One run had N-Wagons but we couldn't photograph that as a freight had parked up in front of us. The loco hauled Meridian turn was running slightly late and handled by 189918.
The rain having got too much we headed back to Munich Hbf in the hope that one of the evening departures to Muhldorf would produce both rabbits and some fresh air stock. It didn't go quite to plan. Due to some sort of problem on the rails many trains were running severely late, up to 60 minutes and one Muhldorf train was still sitting in the station long after it should have left, Dostsos of course. When one of our next options was started from Munich Ost we were beginning to give up on the idea- particularly as we had now realised we were committing ourselves to returning on a unit. Instead we developed a plan to get maximum locos with minimum distance, taking 218429 on a Memmingen train to Geltendorf to drop back onto the 17:52 Fussen train, again realising that a trip the whole way would get us back far too late, to Buchloe. This train as widely reported is a pair of rabbits, but rather than being double headed is two 218+Dosto sets together, one of which leaves at Buchloe. We changed sets at Kaufering to confuse the ticket lady and be sure to get both sets in with 218420 and 218415 now covered.

Trains back to Munich were still in a mess from Buchloe but we didn't have to wait too long for a loca with 245002. This was taken to Kaufering where we dropped back onto a much more rateable 218414 into Munich.
It had got late enough by our return that the 21:08 CNL to Rome had arrived in the station behind 115114 (nice to see these still in use)- after that was photographed it was off to the Augustina Beerhouse for some much needed dinner!

Day 2 02/09/2016-


One area we had largely failed to cover on our previous Rabbit hunting trip to Munich was Ulm so this became the main target of the day. First up was 120137 (whole class required!) on the 07:39 Karlshrue as far as Augsberg where there was time for a little look round before boarding an ICE on to Ulm.

I had an understanding that the Ulm-Lindau trains were still 218's and a good bet for N-Wagons but none of this was confirmed- so I was pretty pleased to see 218326 and N-Wagons sitting with Lindau displayed in the windows for the 10:12 departure! There was a little time to photograph other trains around the station which included the stabled rabbits and HGK DE669 (class 66) light engine. We have an enjoyable run in the front coach all the way to Lindau with the Rabbit before a quick leap onto the Austrian EC back to Friedrichschafen Stadt with 218465 and 218476 (I was desperately regretting that I had not transferred my loco records into my new DB book so had no idea if any of them were required!). We missed 218406 to Lindau while photographing the EC running round so it was a 628 unit to make the journey back. Incidentally except for our own set all other trains on the Ulm-Lindau corridor had been Dostos- a bit of luck for a change! At Friedrichshafen we saw the only Ludmilla of our trip -232201 but it was stabled a bit far away to really count it as a photo.

Back at Lindau we had around 30 minutes to take some sunny photos in the harbour, get some lunch and photograph 218429 which had arrived on a regional train from Munich. Our chariot forwards was a pair of 612 units, which gave a very enjoyable run with the front window blind open to give us a wonderful tilted drivers eye view of this spectacular line. The journey came to an abrupt end at Oberstaufen where the line is shut for tunnel works and we transferred onto a bus for the onward journey to Immenstadt.




2143.18 greeted us as we had hoped with the Obestdorf ALEX portion but that is about where our luck ran out on this branch. A nice afternoon's photography was planned on the branch, and well, I have some stunning photos of 612 units! The first IC (due to arrive at 16:44) totally failed to show up- and it would have been in sun, though there were some coaches already at Oberstdorf with a rabbit- very confused as there isn't an earlier IC and all the literature showed the 16:44 arrival- anyway- it didn't show up. We headed back to Altstadten for the second IC, which duly arrived in cloud- the same small one that had been lingering above us for the best part of 90 minutes... had we had a car we'd have escaped it probably everywhere else in the valley!





We did manage a couple of photos of the 2143 but none could be described as 'full sun' despite the amount of blue in the sky. Even leaving at a sensible hour and taking 223065 back to Munich on an ALEX it was almost 21:00 by the time we arrived in Munich. 115350 with the more attractive rounded front had brought in the sleeper this time so this was photographed before another trip to the Augustina Beerhouse and then the hostel bar.





Day 3 03/09/2016


Another day which probably could have benefited from some more advanced planning. We had concluded that the 103 was still working the Worgl diagram and with a report that required 113 had worked the train the previous weekend rather than 245 it seemed worth a go. We took the leisurely 09 something OBB EuroCity to Italy as far as a roasting Rosenheim where there were far too many Meridian units, lots of Germans in traditional dress and some girls handing out a weird coca-cola and orange drink. We did see a bit of freight also but were generally in the wrong place for most of it. On que 103113 rolled in with the IC to Munich and despite the sun being largely wrong some quite pleasing shots were taken.

Once into Munich we headed out west as it was felt some more shots of the 218's on Zurich EC's were needed. We stopped at Kaufering for shots from the bridge, which turned out to be a more constrained shot than we hoped. The sun took a while to warm to us and while we didn't get our EC in sun (again!) we did get a 245 and an ALEX. 218's are very scarce on this line on Saturdays so we took the only all day diagram (a Fussen) back to Munich Passing with 218497 which was a bit of a beast.
We set up near Munchen Aubing for our final shots in this area and FINALLY got an EC in full sun along with several other trains- if only it had been a weekday we'd have had plenty of rabbits! When we lost the light it was time to head back into the city at a reasonable hour, go for an explore and find some dinner.
Finally it was back to the station to board the City Night Line to Hamburg. 115350 again brought in the stock and 101008 could just be made out at the dark head of the train. For a service which looses money and is going to be discontinued it was very busy with all of the berths we saw fully booked. Progress I suppose.


Day 4 04/09/2016



Arrival in Hamburg was about 20 minutes late as I recall and I hadn't slept as badly as I was expecting. Still badly though. 101001 was now at the head of the CNL as it headed to Altona but for ease of our hotel we left the train at the impressive Hamburg Hbf. The weather was as dull as anything and we didn't really have a plan for the day (are you spotting a pattern here?).
After checking in we headed back to the station to buy Bratwerst and formulate a plan... one was fairly quickly made to take the 09:24 IC to ride some Rabbits (might as well since it was so grey) and get in the portion to Dagebull Mole. Only problem- we couldn't find the train. Oh... it leaves at 09:16 on a Sunday. Missed. Wandered around Hamburg a bit and eventually took the next IC at 11:24. This was 101096 to Itzehoe for 218314 and 281341 forwards. We had planned to take the train to Westerland and then come back to reach Minature Wunderland at a reasonable hour... but seeing that the weather was brightening up and that this train too had a portion to Dagebull Mole we decided to do that instead.
The first big surprise was waiting at the NEG station in Niebull- what on earth was former DSB MZ 1439 doing there?! I wasn't expecting to see any of these locos on this trip! MZ shock over it was an enjoyable run behind the DMU up to Dagebull- very weird being hauled by a unit in IC coaches!
The sun tried its best to come out while we were by the sea, and put in an appearance for the boat, but sadly not the train. We headed back in the single car DMU (the two car one had towed us to Dagebull) to Niebull as it had better opening windows than the IC coaches. A very curious branch and well worth the effort of doing with the IC portions. The DMU was fitted with a very good live information screen... which unfortunately was suggesting that the IC we were joining onto was going to be 60 mins late from Niebull... unfortunately it wasn't wrong. Arrival at the DB station revealed that it was job stopped on the line to Sylt with 'an accident at Klanxbull'. With a northbound IC going nowhere and two Sylt Shuttles also ready to go but not it was decided that the best option would definitely be to take the only train which was going anywhere- and that was 245212 on a southbound NOB. Fortunately we did repair our rabbit total when we realised that by Heide that the IC was only 15 minutes behind us. We bailed and successfully also scored 218321 and 218322 back to Itzehoe- it was the same 101096 back to Hamburg Hbf.
We had looked up the opening hours of Minature Wunderland the night before, and though it was now a bit tight we still ventured over to spot some smaller trains- The 2 1/2 hours we had inside wasn't nearly enough, but definitely better than not going at all. Honestly- if you are in Hamburg it is fantastic!
It ended up being a late night again with a pizza by the station well after 22:00.










Day 5 05/09/2016



Today was one of the real targets of the trip- photography on Sylt. We had worked out that by travelling on a Kiel train from Hbf we could pick up the 08:40 NOB on our Schleswig-Holstein tickets when it called at Elmshorn at 09:01- this worked well and got us up to Morsum an hour earlier than if we had travelled from Altona (and scored 112156). The weather was again not great in Hamburg, but as we headed north the clouds cleared beautifully and we were able to enjoy a full day of full sun (with some clouds inland to help the photos- wonderful!). Photos were taken after the long walk to the Hindenburgdam and also at Morsum and Keitum. We also just about made it to the beach in Westerland with time for an ice cream before coming back.

The environment of the Hindenburgdam is something quite different to anywhere else- but photography isn't always the easiest trying to catch the train in the landscape. One unexpected thing that did not help was the fact that there is clearly a re-signalling scheme in its advanced stages- while semaphores were still in use each had a new colour light in front looking almost ready to go. These had not been evident further down the line at Niebull or Langenhorn.

While aware that 245's had very much taken over in this area we were really hopefull that we might see at least one train with something else both on the NOB and the Sylt Shuttle. Sadly we were disappointed as every single train was 245's- there was barely even a chance for us to have missed any. One surprise we did get was 'Big Mak' DE2700 002 with 'Augozug Sylt' branding working what appeared to be a test car shuttle from Westerland to Niebull and back- with these locos being so angular the light is somewhat unforgiving for photos, but still nice to see. All IC's produced as expected with pairs of 218's and we managed to photograph 5 of the trains all in all. The light was so good we stayed out a little later than planned for the final northbound IC and it was well worth it- though arrival back in Hamburg was somewhat later than planned, again via Elmshorn and with a nice surprise of 112125 on a nice rake of N-Wagons! I'd not seen any of these at Hbf on my last trip so quite unexpected. Dinner was at McDonalds!



Day 6 06/09/2016



Our final day and one involving an awful lot less mileage than those which had gone before! The sun was shining again in the morning but as we left for Hamburg Harburg our Metronom train was plunged into mist! Oh no! Fortunately it had just about cleared by the time we arrived. Last time I visited I managed to scare all the freight away- this time my luck fared somewhat better, though the more interesting trains definitely seemed to be those which were wrong for the sun. More interesting sightings included SBB Re4/4 421396 and EVB logistick 140848 which were stabled, also seen were DE6607 (class 66), 151113 and 151094, EGP blue 151078, HBC 212272, 155112, 296037 and of course a plethora of Traxx locomotives.

As the light was becoming difficult it was time to head back to Hamburg Hbf for our daily bunny fix with the IC which runs through to Hamburg on diesel power. I found a shot north of the station on the bridge which I am still not entirely sure whether I like and waited out for the 218's... and waited... around 40 minutes after they were due I gave up (you've got to call time at some point) and of course while I was in the middle of a traffic island walking back to the station lo and behold the 218's appeared! A quick dash across a main road much to the surprise of the motorists resulted in me getting a phot- but not the one I really wanted! Why do we do this railway photography thing again?
Our final shots were at the south of the station from the adjacent road- unfortunately due to the delay on the IC the sun had gone round just a touch too far here and the shots were not what they could have been- but still nice to get a few pictures of the 112's before picking up our cases and heading to the airport.
Easyjet delayed our flight to Luton by just over an hour, but didn't bother to tell us until 30 minutes before it was due to take off and after we had gone through all the security bits to the non-schengen gates- Even I knew it was going to be delayed before they told us- the lack of a plane on the stand was a massive give away!










Conclusions-


I still feel I need to spend more time in Germany (and get a ride to Fussen and Muhldorf) and I'm already thinking of coming back to Bavaria with a car next year.
N-Wagons were very hard to come by in Bavaria and it turns out we were very lucky to get a long run on them with a 218 (even if it turns out that diagram is a good bet)- the Ulm-Lindau line probably now sees the most regular 218 activity in Germany with trains each way almost every hour- there is some good scenery too so I feel a repeat visit will be made before these disappear.
Travelling on City Night Line re-enforces the absurdity of its withdrawal. This is not a lightly used service and surely there is a way to make it pay- fortunately OBB seem to think so as well, but despite some routes being saved the damage it will do to night services in Europe will irreparable. Throughout the train there were stickers for the 'Save the Sleeper' campaign and the guard on arrival in Hamburg was keen to announce that we would be welcome to ride CNL again but 'would have to be quick because the powers have decided to end the service in December'.
I feel Sylt and the lines north of Hamburg are done now- unless the Ludmilla's would like to make another appearance on freight anyway. Venturing up here for 245's isn't a patch on the 218's which used to work the Sylt Shuttle and while I would quite like to sample the pointless 'Sylt Shuttle Plus' I doubt I will make the effort. Things might get a bit more interesting when competing shuttle services begin but the loss of the semaphores probably counters this.
There are still plenty of loco hauled trains to see in Hamburg with 112's and clearly some trains still with N-wagons. I didn't get to check services out of Altona or catch up with the Kiel 218's on this trip so those still remain a target. Hamburg Harburg remains a great place to see freight and I was pleasantly surprised with the volume of non-Traxx seen.

Welcome Home Wessex!

2415 prepares to leave 2418 out of Waterloo following the first ROG charter. Until 2007 this would have been an everyday scene.

On bank holiday Monday 29th August the Rail Operations Group ran their first passenger charter. The trip was a simple first itinerary using a pair of class 442 EMU's for a return run from Waterloo to Bournemouth. The ROG have so far specialised in performing stock transfers, particularly with their two class 37's fitted with Dellner couplers to avoid the use of barrier vehicles. The recent award of a passenger licence opens up more opportunities for ROG to expand their business, and with a fleet of 5 'passenger' class 47/8's recently acquired hopefully this is a company we can expect to see more of in the charter market.

2406 and 2405 lead a Gatwick Express into Victoria, the
re-building of Battersea power station being very much evident.

The class 442's used on Monday's charter are some of the stored fleet which have been released from Gatwick Express duties and which are currently in the care of the ROG at either Eastleigh or Ely. The later are being kept 'warm' by one of the class 47's, while the Eastleigh based fleet are being used on 'warming runs' on the national network to keep the units in good condition. The fleet were built for use on the Wessex route after the Weymouth electrification from 1988 and worked here until 2007 when the fleet were withdrawn before moving to Gatwick Express. For many the South West Main Line still feels like home for the 442's- but with their future far from certain, will I ever see one at Waterloo again? I'd like to think so.

Summer Saturdays in Anglia- 10 years ago.

47818 hauls the afternoon empties from Great Yarmouth to Crown Point depot. Most of the passenger runs ran via Reedham but the final train was booked to run via Acle. The location is Whitlingham Junction where the lines to Sherringham and Cromer branch from the Wherry lines towards Yarmouth and Lowestoft. 24/08/2006

47818 prepares to run around it's train at at Great Yarmouth. This would have
been the 10:00 departure from London Liverpool St. The loco was a regular
performer on the trains and was painted specially into 'One' colours. 24/08/2006

Last weeks post covered the current loco hauled operations on the Wherry lines out of Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft- currently featuring top and tailed diesel locomotives on a short rake of coaches, but I also mentioned the long association of class 47's with these lines. While looking back through my photo archive I discovered that exactly 10 years ago I had found myself in Anglia for my annual trip to Great Yarmouth to sample the 47 hauled summer trains.
The trips comprised of two workings in each direction (plus associated empty moves) where a class 47 hauled the Norwich-Yarmouth portion of through intercity services to and from London Liverpool Street on summer Saturdays. The trains would run as normal to Norwich where the class 47 would back onto the train and then run non-stop to Great Yarmouth. On arrival at the seaside town the locomotive would run round before hauling the set back to Norwich from where it would form the next London departure with it's electric loco. As can be seen from the pictures the class 90, or 86 in previous years, also came along to the seaside for the ride.

One of the very last survivors on Anglia, 9701 is seen at Ipswich.
It would go on to be used by Network Rail.  24/08/2006

In 2016 locomotives for the train were provided by Cotswold Rail, and the current franchise holder was National Express, branding the operation 'One'. By this time almost all Mk2's had been phased out in favor of Mk3 stock with just a handful of Mk2 DBSO's remaining in traffic.
The final year of class 47 hauled intercity trains to Great Yarmouth was 2014.

Now there are TWO short sets in Anglia!

With 50 years between them 37419 and 68019 are seen at Norwich with their respective loco hauled sets for the Wherry Lines. 17/08/16

37405 passes the Semaphore signals and box at Reedham 17/08/16

This is certainly not the first time I have written about diesel loco hauled passenger activity in East Anglia (and I hope it won't be the last). For several years now locomotives and coaches have been hired as a stop-gap measure to cover for a shortage of DMU's in the region. It was a surprise to some when the class 47's which had performed these duties for many years were replaced in June 2015 by class 37's. It was perhaps even more of a surprise when in July 2016 a second loco hauled 'short set', powered by brand new class 68's from DRS was also inaugurated to serve the Wherry lines.The reason for the use of 68's on some local services can be directly attributed to the damage sustained by 170204 which struck a tractor on an occupational crossing in April. The unit has severe cab damage and is expected to be out of traffic for many month for repairs to be completed. This situation exasperated the already fragile availability of DMU's based at Norwich Crown Point.

68016 heads across the broads towards Acle from Great Yarmouth.

For the enthusiast it makes the Wherry lines from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft a mecca for loco haulage with two class 37's and two class 68's available on trains every weekday. Combine this with the beautiful scenery of the broads and traditional semaphore signalling and it is easy to see the appeal for the photographer also.
The class 68's are currently scheduled to perform with Abellio Greater Anglia until the end of the current franchise in 2016. It is currently uncertain what plans will be put in place beyond this date to provide continued coverage for 170204.

37419 approaches Reedham with the 14:55 Norwich Lowestoft 17/08/2016

The current booked loco hauled workings in the area (Monday - Friday) are:

37405 approaches Acle with the 13:17 Great Yarmouth - Norwich.

Set 1 (class 37):
07:47 Lowestoft - Norwich
08:36 Norwich - Great Yarmouth
09:17 Great Yarmouth - Norwich
10:36 Norwich - Lowestoft
13:17 Great Yarmouth - Norwich
14:55 Norwich - Lowestoft
15:48 Lowestoft - Norwich
17:36 Norwich - Great Yarmouth
18:17 Great Yarmouth - Norwich
19:00 Norwich - Lowestoft
19:55 Lowestoft - Norwich

68016 'Fearless' at Great Yarmouth with the 18:47 to Norwich.

Set 2 (class 68):
06:52 Norwich - Great Yarmouth
07:32 Great Yarmouth - Norwich
08:09 Norwich - Great Yarmouth
08:45 Great Yarmouth - Norwich
10:05 Norwich - Lowestoft
10:57 Lowestoft - Norwich
16:40 Norwich - Great Yarmouth
17:17 Great Yarmouth - Norwich
18:06 Norwich - Great Yarmouth
18:47 Great Yarmouth - Norwich*
20:40 Norwich - Great Yarmouth
21:17 Great Yarmouth - Norwich
22:05 Norwich - Lowestoft
*Via Reedham

37419 approaches Somerleyton with the 15:48 Lowestoft - Norwich stopping service on 16th June 2016.

Wessex Wind-down

On 16th July 2016 the ROG's 37800 approaches Clapham Junction hauling 2418 and 2415 from Three Bridges to Eastleigh for store.

The new face of the Gatwick Express (all be it working for
Thameslink on a Bedford service), 387201 at East Croydon.

With the continued introduction of new class 387 units on Gatwick Express duties the winding-down and storage of class 442 'Wessex Electric' units has gathered pace. Once trains have been taken out of service they are being held initially at either Brighton Lovers Walk or Three Bridges depots before being moved on behind diesel traction to Eastleigh works for further storage. Due to space constraints at Eastleigh the units which are likely to be in store for at least the medium term are beginning to be moved onward to the Potters Group sidings at Ely for further storage. Moves away from the Brighton Mainline are being carried out by the Rail Operations Group which has seen it's two ex-French Heavyweight class 37's, 37800 and 37884 along with recent purchase 47812 involved in the transfers. A class 47 is due to remain at Ely throughout the storage contract to provide a shore supply to the 442 units. Those currently considered to be in 'warm store' at Eastleigh are seeing some limited use with the ROG on 'warming runs' from Eastleigh to Basingstoke to keep the units in good order.

37884 hauls 2420 onto the South West Mainline at Byfleet & New Haw on 4th August 2016.

The future for the 24 1988 built train sets is still unclear. In the short to medium term Southern will be retaining 6 sets to provide peak hour services from London to Eastbourne while the remaining 18 of the fleet are set to transfer to store.
The ROG is to run it's first passenger train on 29th August using two class 442 units from Waterloo to Bournemouth returning the trains to their original stomping ground in passenger service for the first time since 2007. More details are available at http://www.vintagetrains.co.uk/railops-tour-1/

Isle of Wight Electrics

It is difficult today to imagine steam locomotives on trains of up to 6 coaches on the pier at Ryde. On 10 July 2004 007, the first class 483 to be repainted into LUL colours approaches Ryde Pier Head.

As the summer holidays are now very much upon us many many peoples thoughts will be turning to their 

006 is seen at Ryde Eplanade on 06.05.28. To the right of
the photo is the Hoverport for services to Southsea. Being
able to watch both the trains on the pier and the Hovercraft
from this spot is a particular highlight of a trip to the Island.

summer get away and for rail fans what could be a better location than the beautiful Isle of Wight? I have been fortunate enough to have always had a connection with the Island and fondly remember waving to Network South East liveried class 483's disappearing into Ryde Tunnel with a hoot from the driver. As I have grown older the ex-London Underground class 483's became a staple of my trips to the Island and over time the attractive Network South East livery was replaced by the 'dinosaur' livery (which must be one of the worst colour schemes every to grace a train!) and finally the return of the trains to London Underground red. 

The current Island Line runs from Ryde Pier Head where it meets Fast Cat ferries to Portsmouth Harbour to Shanklin calling at intermediate stations of Ryde Esplanade, Ryde St Johns Road, Smallbrook Junction (for the Isle of Wight Steam Railway), Brading, Sandown and Lake. The line is a small remainder of a once extensive network of 55 1/2 miles of line which covered this small island. Build by the Isle of Wight Railway the route from Ryde St Johns Road to Shanklin was opened in 1864 with an extension to Ventnor in 1866. The extension to Ryde Pier Head following in 1880. 

A side view of the terrible 'dinosaur' livery on 008 as it travels between Brading and Sandown on 1st August 2007. The livery was intended to pay homage to the Islands reputation of the 'Dinosaur Isle' due to the high number of prehistoric skeletons found on its south coast.

With works on the pier structure very much in evidence
006 heads towards the Esplanade on 10.07.04.

After just shy of 100 years steam trains were removed from the Isle of Wight Railways in 1966, though by this time just a shadow of the former network remained. The 8 1/2 miles which would remain were to be electrified and supplied with former 1923 'standard' tube stock re-configured to run in 3 or 4 car formations as class 485 and 486. The ex-underground units were delivered in standard Rail Blue and given the southern designation 4VEC and 3TIS (a full formation making a 7VECTIS, Vectis being the Roman name for the Isle of Wight!). The units later received Blue/Grey livery before finishing their lives in NSE in the mid 1980's

One of the prettier stations on the route is Brading, where 

007 is seen on 10.07.04. The island platform is an obvious 

indicator that this station has seen busier times- until 1957 

this was the junction for the branch to Bembridge though 

passenger traffic ceased in 1953. 

The 'new' stock was replaced in 1992 with more second hand tube trains, this time of 1938 vintage. These were formed into two car class 483's which could run together as a 4 car set in times of peak demand. Nine trains were delivered to the island (with one further set as a spare). As of 2016 just 5 trains remain with: 004, 006, 007, 008 and 009 in service with 002 also stored on the Island. The stock which is more than 75 years old is now nearing the end of it's useful life and it is likely that a decision will have to be made on the line's future within the next decade. Various options exist from replacing the current trains, converting the route into a tramway, or potentially closing the railway altogether.

009 nears Brading on 07.08.01.

As well as the regular electric trains steam services operate on the 5 1/2 mile former Isle of Wight Central railway route from Smallbrook Junction to Wooton operated by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. This is a delightful railway to travel on with traditional Island engines and coaches and is well worth a visit.

All of the Island Line trains are maintained at Ryde St Johns
 Road depot where 006 and 004 are seen in 'dinosaur' days 
on 1st August 2007.

W11 'Freshwater' one of the two Terriers of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway is seen between Ashey and Havenstreet on 10th April 2007. 

ZSSK Slovakia Trip Report 10-15/07/2016

Saturday 9 July
I can't really count the first day of this trip as we didn't see any trains- well except for the journey to Luton Airport. Luton was as chaotic as usual with the shuttle bus taking around 20 minutes, far more than the 7 minute journey it proudly announced due to getting stuck in traffic most of the way to the airport.
Wizz did the honors of flying us to Kocise which was uneventful. We picked up our car and made our way to the Hotel Kras in Rosnava which would be our base for the next four nights. The hotel was fine except for the lack of any sort of air conditioning or a fan in the rooms resulting a few uncomfortable nights. Despite the hotel lady telling us that there were plenty of eating options we couldn't find any in the main square which served anything other than pizza.
After a reasonable, and cheap, meal we almost went 'out out' via a few bars but our success rate sealed the fate of the evening- the first bar appeared to be entirely occupied by a wedding party, and the second- which looked very good- was totally empty!
To bed then.

Sunday 10 July



While the main aim of the trip was to search for 'grumpy' diesels we headed north to the mainline in the hope that this would be a bit busier on a Sunday. Weather was good and we found several pleasing locations between Straba and Liptovsky Michel.
The line was reasonably busy with passenger services mostly in the hands of 362's and 363's with the odd 350 and pendolino thrown in. RegilJet also operate some trains over the line which are hauled by their new Vectron locos.

Freight was almost exclusively in the hands of the large double-section 131 locos. There were a handful of trains hauled by the older electric 183's but none of these ever seemed to be going the right way for our shots.
The successful day was finished off with a very nice meal from some sort of traditional log cabin style restaurant on the road back towards Poprad before we again crossed the mountains for a fairly late arrival back in Rosnava.


Monday 11 July

In almost pristine condition silenced 751 171 prepares its train to leave Dobsina for Plesivec.

Grumpy reflections. The final timbers are loaded at Dobsina.

Today was the beginning of the 'Grumpy' search properly. James who I was travelling with and who had worked out pretty much the entire plan for this trip (Thank you!) had acquired the freight timetable for the line between Zvolen and Kocice, and while it wasn't going to be a procession of trains we were confident we had the gen we needed to secure a good number of photos and to be in the right place at the right time.
We first headed to the crossing at Roznava for an eastbound freight and got our first disappointment of the trip- due to a timetable reading error we were a few minutes too late and didn't see it. Not that I'm convinced it ran anyway.
Still... all was not lost that was only the first train.

751 125 prepares to head west from Plesivec with a short freight.

The Grumpy diesels in this area are based out of Plesivec and daily trains are booked up three branch lines. We chose to to head up to Dobsina on the branch that was closest to us having already seen some good photo spots here the previous day. There is no passenger service so the Grumpy freight was our only chance- fortunately we got to Dobsina and the train was there, and so was our first Grumpy diesel- a rather pristine 751 171. The only downside was that it was silenced. It soon became clear that it was not going to depart at the time we had down of 09:10, but the helpful staff in the yard were able to tell us that it would instead depart at 10:30. We waited around in the yard and got some good photos before the four wagon timber train departed with minimum noise. We were able to catch up with it twice along the branch- the linespeed being low and also with the train stopping to pick up further wagons at Betliar.

With this success in the bag we then drove to a location on the branch to Muran which should also have a daily freight with a pair of Grumpies- less success here though as the train failed to produce when we were expecting it. Given our experience on the Dobsina branch we waited around for a bit, but were rapidly coming round to the idea that the freight timetables needed to be treated very much as a guide.

752 045 is stabled at Plesivec in the late afternoon sun. The class 751
behind is stored despite appearing to be in good condition externally.

Back to Plesivec to see what was going on and if there were any trains around. There was at least some activity with 736 001 shunting the yard and plenty of Grumpy diesels stabled on the depot- both active and stored. 751 125 departed with a westbound freight while I was photographing the depot- the shunter having said it was ok, but just as I was photographing the last locos a fairly polite office worker telling me that it really wasn't.
We waited for the lunchtime 'Goggles' to pass the station with 757 018 and 757 008 (the eastbound being about an hour late). 746 013 was also formed up with another westbound train and we decided to hit the road in search of somewhere a bit more scenic for the afternoon trains. A bit of a sat-nav failure and not entirely remembering the location we had planned to end up at we found ourselves near Ciz Kupele for the next train in a less than ideal location when 751 123 and 751 076 passed with a westbound freight.

761 006 climbs uphill at Ciz Kupele in the afternoon light.

We had moved to Ciz Kupele station for the next passenger with 757 018 and found a pleasing bank to wait for the afternoon Grumpy action. Sadly the only trains we saw for the rest of the day were 746 013 followed shortly by Metrans 'Hercules' 761 006.
The day had not been nearly as productive as we had hoped, but we had a few good shots... and at least ALL of the trains we had seen had been going the right way- it could have been far worse had we been waiting for westbounds!





Tuesday 12 July

Determined to see more trains today we opted for the tactic of finding a spot and staying in it. That spot was at Hrhov- now all we had to do was wait... and wait... and wait. The morning westbound failed to produce and the first trains we saw were the morning passengers some two hours later. At least the weather was good. Possibly too good- I had to shade under my umbrella to escape some of the heat! By 12:30, 4 hours into our stint we had not seen a freight (unless you count a light loco or track machine?). Then things kicked off... a rumble around the corner heralded the arrival of 752 041 and 752 047 with a tank train. It also prompted one of the very few clouds in the sky to come along and somewhat ruin the shot! Not amused!

752 041 and 752 047 with our first freight of the day at Hrhov.

Fortunately 10 minutes behind one of the daily stone trains appeared with 751 057 and 751 073- our quiet friend 751 171 was on the rear banking. It was by now lunch time, we had resolved to leave at 13:00 come what may, and having just seen our only two trains in 4 hours we were fairly happy we weren't about to miss another. Wrong. Half way down the hill and another rumble. Fortunately I was able to sprint up the hill, despite the heat to catch 751 199 and 752 045 with a short mixed freight. To my amazement the signal had also gone clear in the other direction and moments later 751 076 and 751 123 passed downhill with a mixed westbound freight. Now it really was lunch time, from the local petrol station (which did actually have reasonable sandwiches). Back to Hrhov for the afternoon and the total number of freights seen was precisely zero. We tried one more location on the way back to base, again seeing nothing. The final bet was to pop in to Plesivec to see if there was any activity there- nope. Pizza time then. 4 freights in almost 12 hours wasn't quite what we had been hoping for but at least they had all been Grumpy hauled.

Wednesday 13 July

754 is stabled at Filakovo with a train which will work towards Zvolen.

It was up even earlier to have another go at the morning shot at Hrhov. We were confident that the stone empties would run having seen the loaded train run the previous day. They did run... but around 30 minutes early as we were parking the car... cheers then! It was cloudy anyway. We waited until the booked time of the mixed train that hadn't showed up for the last two days- we weren't surprised when it didn't again!

Back at Dobsina 751 126 waits with the log train for Plesivec.

Ah well... back for another go at the pretty Dobsina branch.
Train present and correct and looking almost ready to go... but no loco! Oh dear this wasn't looking good. The staff didn't seem to know why the loco wasn't there but advised it would turn up. Sure enough 751 126 did appear, and it wasn't a silenced one this time. We had this nice idea that with the train ready to go it would be a quick case of coupling up and heading off- but it was not to be. A very complicated shunting operation was required to get the new empty wagons into position and then shunt all of the loaded ones around. This would have been fun to watch were it not for the fact that every wagon seemed to need some adjustment to the timber load- this took forever and we needed to be back on the main line for the lunchtime 'rush'. Eventually the train got to the point where the loco could shunt from the front end and some sunny shots were finally acquired.

We didn't have time to watch it leave as we wanted to be in position at Jovice for the lunchtime trains. We needn't have rushed as they were late (and it had clouded over). 736 012 and 736 023 disappointed on the tank train and were followed by 751 123 and 751 076 on the stone train, 751 077 was the banker, but not doing much as it was downhill at this point. So at least this train seemed to be reliable. It was chased slightly until James dropped me off at Roznava station to have a spin on the Goggles.

757 008 was my loco heading west towards Zvolen- fortunately with a couple of 'fresh air' coaches in the consist, some sets we had seen had been all air-cons. I had an enjoyable, if quiet ride to Filakovo where I would intercept the train back to Kosice and meet up again with James. Filakovo proved to be a good place to stop as loco hauled local trains from Zvolen turn around here meaning that there were a couple of the slightly more attractive 754's to watch while I waited. The station was also home to a plethora of 812 railbuses and trailers.

Slightly concerning was that my return train to Kocice had not turned up by it's booked departure time. Eventually it did, around 20 minutes late and I had to do a double take... 757 008! But that was the train I had just got off which still had an hour or so to reach Zvolen?! Clearly the train had only gone to the next stop at Lucenec and turned around. That would explain why we had only seen two 'Goggles' all wee, and also why the eastbound trains had mostly been late. Would it also explain why the volumes of freight had been so low? Was the line blocked between Lucenec and Zvolen? But then what were the local 754's doing? If anyone does know I'd be really interested to know what was going on please!

757 008 was taken through to Kocice. The arrival through the tower blocks and industrial areas not giving a great first impression of the city. After photographing a couple of trains at the main station it was time to dodge an approaching storm and check into our hotel here the rather odd 'Pension Grand'. This building had clearly been something else fairly recently, with a large central covered courtyard and a reception desk converted from a bar. Quite what it had been we never did work out- but again the room was hot!

It turns out that the old town of Kocice is much nicer than the suburbs had indicated and we had a nice traditional meal in one of the side street restaurant.

Thursday 14 July


Our last full day in Solvakia and time to head further east. The weather had not dawned clear like we had been used to and we drove through torrential rain to reach our first spot at Ruskov. The staple here were passenger trains in the hands of the Skoda 163/363 electrics and also Goggles while freight was handled by 131 double locos banked by a 183 which detached in the station and ran back light engine. We did have a few clear spells and got some reasonable pictures before moving on to Trebisov.






We had been tipped off that there was some Grumpy hauled trip work here, and no sooner had we arrived than 752 023 appeared light engine. Unfortunately it was to shut down and park up for the day, but it was still nice to see it. Passenger traffic was a bit more varied here, with most of the trains from Ruskov supplemented by some 812 railcars and old 460 EMU's. Freight traffic was very sparse but a little more varied with a couple of 183's. Also parked up in the station were 770 602 and 742 540- the former departed light engine and made a good racket in the process!

What had been missing from both of these locations was any sign of activity on the broad gauge line which runs from the Ukranian border to Kocice and passes along side the standard gauge system for much of its length. We had had it in sight for around 8 hours but there had been no sign of a train. Our final chance was our last stop at Slanec. Not long after we arrived a broad gauge freight finally appeared with a pair of double electrics- 121 814 and 121 824. It was great to see- but the light was appalling! Fortunately it was made up for by a cracking final shot of a Goggle passing on a passenger.

This photographed it was back to the airport to drop off the hire car and then a quick cheap and simple transfer back to the city on the airport bus. We think the 60cent tickets were the right ones!

Friday 15 July


All we had to do to day was get home, but via the airport at Poprad-Tatry (it had better flight times than Kocice and I had a non-negotiable date with 50027 on the Mid Hants Real Ale Train!).

350 013 took us to Poprad-Tatry in great comfort where we then had just over an hour to see what turned up. A couple of freights were seen in the hands of 131's and 183's and a few snaps were also taken of the passenger trains including the rather uninspiring EMU's which now work the Tatra Electric railway which starts from here.
We definitely got overcharged by the taxi who took us to the airport- 15 euros for what was not much more than a 10 minute transfer. I'd really love to know how to avoid being overcharged in taxis...

The Wizz flight home was slightly late but Poprad-Tatry airport was modern and well equipped. Luton was actually fine... none of the expected queuing at the passport control and the e-gates even worked! The bus was a farce though taking again over 20 minutes due to roadworks. Just to annoy everyone even more the bus took a diversionary route right past the rear entrance to the station- but didn't stop there- we just sat in traffic for another 10 minutes watching the trains pass! Not withstanding this I made my planned train and the 50 was most enjoyable as well!!!





Conclusions
We really like the 'Grumpy' diesels and it is such a shame they no longer work any booked passenger turns. Clearly the 751 fleet is still being maintained and well looked after in the Plesivec area and doesn't seem to be under any immediate threat. The line is quite scenic with many photo spots- I'm not sure though whether the low volume of traffic warrants a return trip to the diesel lines. Slovakia however is definitely a country I will be returning to.
Thanks to James Hawkes for the company and planning of this trip.

Comment- Southern Strikes Continue

Southern's 377701 at Cow Roast (near Tring) on the West Coast Main Line on 18.02.2015 with a Milton Keynes - East Croydon service, one of the routes which Southern will cease to serve in their emergency timetable from 11th July 2016. 

There is continuing woe for Southern rail commuters as the company has announced that from Monday 11th July 341 services will be axed each weekday in an amended timetable which is designed to provide more stability during the ongoing period of 'staff sickness' which is affecting the companies ability to run its full service.

While the company continue to put out the message that the continued period of high staff shortages is due to sickness there is a growing perception that this is actually somewhat more of a 'work to rule' situation which has been imposed by conductors who are angry at Southern's proposals to change the guards role to that of an 'on-train supervisor' a move which has been the subject of several strikes by the RMT union. (You can read some background on this on Southern's website at here). While it may be true that the full level of service cannot be provided due to genuine sickness it is very much apparently that staff are not covering for this in the usual day by refusing to work overtime or rest days, leaving a shortfall.

While Southern describe the current industrial action as 'completely unnecessary' it is perhaps worth looking in a bit more detail about what is involved. The current 'conductor' role is a safety critical position which involves operating the train doors, but also has a level of responsibility for the safety of the train. Should an evacuation be required, or should the driver require assistance in protecting their train the conductor will be able to assist as they hold all necessary safety qualifications to be trackside to provide this assistance. In addition to this the conductor also supports passengers on board the train by making announcements checking and selling tickets and providing a visible presence. Southern claim that the changes will mean that the conductor becomes more visible to customers as an 'on-train supervisor' and that the only difference in their job will be that they no longer operate the doors of the train. No job losses or reduction in salaries are proposed. What is not however clear is whether the 'on-train supervisor' will maintain their safety critical position- I suspect they may not. I also suspect that while existing conductors will transfer to the new role under their existing conditions any new appointments may not receive such generous remuneration.

Operation of the train doors will pass to the driver- known as Driver Only Operation (DOO) which has been used for over 30 years on may train services in the UK and around the world. While Southern state that a second member of staff will still be present on most of their trains a key change is that the train will no longer require that second member of staff. Suddenly one can start to see why the trade unions may be concerned. Not only has the train had it's second safety critical member of staff removed, but if for any reason the on-train supervisor is unavailable the train can continue quite happily without them- this second member of staff becomes unnecessary and hurdles to remove this second member of staff from trains altogether at a later date becomes far easier.

Is it essential then that trains have a conductor or guard to operate the doors- Personally, while there is evidence to say that a large percentage of railway accidents occur around train doors, I believe that in many respects the driver is in a better position to operate them assisted by CCTV and modern safety systems. Do I therefore think that DOO is the right way to run a railway? Absolutely not. Regardless of who is working the doors I believe a second member of safety critical staff should always be available on board a train. If something were to happen to the driver there is then a second member of staff who can assist passengers in the event of an incident. Furthermore while the driver is driving their train they cannot be contacted other than by the signaler, they also can't assist passengers on board the train or provide assistance to any disabled passengers who may need help leaving or joining the train. Having a second member of staff on board who can be contacted can prove essential in times of disruption and can also act as a liaison point between the railway control centre, the driver and passengers.

Govia Thameslink Railway (the franchise which Southern sits within) appear to be between a rock and a hard place. The unions are not backing down, yet I can't believe the government doesn't want this dispute to end in the train operators favor- after all the McNulty report of 2012 [into the the future direction and viability of the railways] suggests that DOO should become the default option for train services in order to reduce costs to the industry. It should be remembered that the Department for Transport specify to a large extent new train orders, which are being specified with DOO equipment fitted as standard, and also that the current Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise is not a franchise in the typical sense- it is in fact a management contract whereby the company is paid a fee to provide the train service subject to performance targets. Yes- these performance targets have not been met and there have penalties, but GTR is shielded from any drop in takings at the farebox because they do not take any revenue directly from fares.

If the case of Southern has been set up to remove the safety critical guards role from trains by stealth, and this is supported by central government, then this is a worrying precedent, and one which could affect the winners of other forthcoming franchise competitions. It it is clear that there is a drive to reduce costs within the industry, and this should not be ignored, however it must be questioned whether removing safety critical staff from trains is the best way to achieve this.

I will be very interested to see how the situation on Southern goes forward. With no end date to the temporary timetable (which, by the way, is far better than ad-hoc cancellations) it is clear that the frustrated journeys of Southern passengers will continue for some time yet. It is clear that the dispute could have been handled better by all parties but what is needed more than anything right now is a way forward for Southerns passengers and staff who have been under strain for too long by the poor performance caused by the 'staff shortages'. I only hope the situation can be resolved without compromising safety and without causing any more disruption to journeys than is necessary.

I must stress that these views are my own and do not represent the views of my employer.