Picture of the week 27th May 2015

On a beautiful spring day, 18th April 2015 SWT class 159019 is seen approaching an engineering train headed by Colas rail's 70807 to the east of the beautiful city of Bath. With the coming of the Great Western electrification scenes like this will be difficult to repeat in just a short time.

Where to find Freight in Tokyo?

A JNR EF64-1000 heads north through Omiya with an intermodal train. The weather was far from ideal but the interesting narrow-gauge Bo-Bo-Bo locomotive more than made up for it.

Japan is famous for its railways. As soon as one thinks of railways in Japan attention almost immediately turns to the famous Shinkansen or 'Bullet Trains'- maybe that explains why after my trip to the country in 2013 I wrote an article about these quite soon after my return (you can read it here if you missed it). But there is so much more to Japan's railways than this ultra-modern high speed system. The country boasts almost 14,000 miles of railway, much of it built to 1067mm narrow gauge (or 'cape gauge'). As well as seven national JR operators there are many totally private railways running across the country- together they carry well in excess of 20 billion people each year.

With the exception of the last half-handful of 'Blue [sleeper] trains' and some excursions there is a dearth of locomotives on passenger trains. If you want to see some of the fascinating locomotives in Japan you really need to focus your attention on it's freight services. These however are not always easy to find among the busy and frequent commuter train services. While planning my trip I also discovered precious little information on the internet. I hope therefore that if you are planning a trip to Japan and want to spend a little time indulging in its railways (as plenty of Japanese do) you might find this guide useful.

Urawa-

Kawasaki built EF64 1016 heads north through Urawa. Many stations are full
of so much clutter that good photographs are almost impossible! Many
commuter lines also pass through providing entertainment between freights.

Six tracks pass through this station which is in the North of Tokyo on the Tohoku line out of Ueno station. I had high hopes of seeing some freight here in the pleasant evening light- in reality in the space of 90 minutes I only saw two trains- and only one of them while I was in position. Freight appears to use the outer lines for which the sun is on the 'wrong' side for northbound trains. The situation is further complicated by Japan's tendency for very untidy overhead wires with a huge number of poles and obstructions to get in the way! Either I achieved a photograph I am pleased with of a container train with a Bo-Bo-Bo class EF64 on a container train. Of course between the freights there are commuter EMU's ever few minutes as well as a good selection of somewhat more interesting 'Limited Express' units to be seen at this location.

Nishi-Kokubunji-

There is a clear view looking north from Nishi-Kokubunji.
This train with a pair of EF65's and the first production class
 EH200 received plenty of local attention.

Tokyo's main freight artery is the looping Musashino Line- unfortunately for the photographer much of it's route is underground and other large sections do not have a passenger service making it difficult to access. To the West of Tokyo the line crosses the Chuo Main Line at the station of Nishi-Kokubunji, usefully this is a section of the Musashino line with both a passenger service and an above ground station with reasonable views in both directions. I initially started on the lower level platforms of the Chuo Main Line (which I also believe to see freight at this location) but after nothing but units quickly moved up to the high level platforms of the Musashino line. This was much more successful with three freights (all heading northbound) photographed in the next hour. Clearly something was significant about the first (which was triple headed) as many photographers were on the platform only to disappear after its passage. There was variety in the locomotives here and also a lot less clutter in the form of poles than other stations. Definitely worth a try.

Looking the other way from Nishi-Kokobunji with Kawasaki built EF66-120 hauling a short tank train. There is a good clear view without too many poles!

Omiya-

Twin unit Toshiba built EH500-15 heads north through Omiya.

The final location I visited was back on the Tohoku line further north than Urawa, where it is fair to say I was a little disappointed with freight volumes. Omiya however is a large bustling junction station- and perhaps importantly, north of the point where the Musashino, and several other lines join. Initially I had my doubts about the location- very busy with commuters and with the main building over the railway tracks. However at each end of the station there are reasonable areas of good daylight. The next question of course in such a large sprawling station was where best to stand- it was obvious that there were at least several lines where freight could run but it soon became apparent that the most used (at least on my visit) was the 'through' line between platforms 9 and 11. I positioned myself here and a variety of freights rolled past- finally I had found somewhere that really was 'busy'- unfortunately the weather had other ideas and after seven freight trains in the space of just 35 minutes I had to accept defeat to the weather.

Another freight through Omiya- this time hauled by a modern
Kawasaki built EF210-150

These three locations are by no means the only places where freight is visible in Tokyo- nor do I claim that they are necessarily the best locations to visit- however they are at worst reasonable and do all definitely see some freight action. On a network which is so busy, and to a foreigner often confusing they certainly offer somewhere to start. If you are of to Japan- I hope you find this useful!

Picture of the week 13th May 2015

Colas Rail's 56105 and 56078 pass Slough with 6V62 the thrice weekly Tilbury to Llanwern empty steel train on 13th May 2015. The shot was especially pleasing as this was far from my first attempt to photograph the train in the sunshine at this locations- usually thwarted by all manor things from traffic to the one cloud that appears in the sky at the last minute. Even on this occasion a London bound HST tried its best to ruin the view! Seeing pairs of 56's still hard at work in 2015 is a fine sight, though recently Colas rail's refurbished class 60's have also been sharing the work on this train. The scene here will change significantly in the near future as electrification work on the Great Western Mainline continues rendering locations such as this unusable for photography. Already a good proportion of overhead masts have been erected between Reading and Didcot.

The 'Portrush Thumper' Railtour

Power car 83 is on the rear of the 'Portrush Thumper' tour as it waits at Drogheda to be passed by an 'Enterprise' to Belfast

Power car 89 awaits the departure from Dublin Connolly

With the final run of the much-loved class 205 and 207 'Thumper' DEMU's on British tracks in 2004 it was the end of mainline running on the UK mainland. However it was not the end of Thumpers' running in the UK- Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) was still using two classes of 'Thumper', the Mk2 based '80 class' dating from 1974 and the much more modern '450 class' of 'Castles' as they were commonly known, based on the BR Mk3 bodyshell and dating from 1985.
Those lamenting the sound of the 4-SRKT in southern England still could experience their sound, and for many an '80 class' railtour organised by the Irish Traction Group (ITG) and promoted on the mainland UK by Pathfinder tours was the perfect opportunity to head across the Irish Sea to meet these strange Mk2 based 'Thumpers'.

The date was 8th April 2006 and following an overnight ferry crossing from Holyhead to Dublin I made my way to Connolly station to be greeted by the welcoming sound of a 'Thumper'. The sight however certainly took some adjusting to. The Mk2 based '80 class' are very different in aesthetics to the SR DEMU's I was used to both inside and out.

A four car '80 class' set is passed at Coleraine with sets 82 and
98. This train was the day's regular power on the branch line to
Portrush- one of the final booked '80 class' duties.

The railtour itself had originated with the stock from Belfast, but now the majority of tour participants were on board the train with sets 089 and 083 was ready to depart from the Irish capital to take us back to the UK city of Belfast. This full journey is usually only possible on the 'Intercity Enterprise' service offered as a joint venture between Irish Railways (IE) and NIR. Indeed a lengthy passing stop was necessary at Drogheda to allow one of these loco hauled trains to overtake us.

This was my first trip 'abroad' to see trains and they were certainly different to what I was used to. The IE locos by General Motors were certainly 'foreign' compared to anything I had seen back home, and of course the idea of a Mk2 or Mk3 DEMU was something I had never seen before- however there were still many similarities (and the difference in gauge so negligible that one could easily forget it entirely!). Here, despite the garish black and orange livery of IE were trains formed of Mk2 and Mk3 rolling stock- something I would definitely like to see more of.

This trip was supposed to be something of a farewell for the '80 class', their use by this time having diminished greatly following the delivery of new '3000 class' DMU's from CAF in Spain. The class did retain some limited workings, including the short branch from Coleraine to Portrush. The 'Castle' class were still in full squadron service.

Power car 89 stands in a patch of sun at Portrush the days
weather had been somewhat changeable since leaving Dublin.

With such a small network in Northern Ireland the train covered it almost in its entirety, even including the technically closed Lisburn route. The only omission from the schedule was the route from Coleraine to Londonderry.

Amazingly this 'farewell' railtour proved to be somewhat premature for the '80 class' continued in passenger service with NIR until 2011, several units being overhauled and refurbished in the UK to extend their working lives. For me personally this railtour was something of a new adventure, and my first foray into railways overseas (further than the Isle of Wight at least). It was certainly not to be my last- I would return to Ireland the following year for my first full 'rail holiday' abroad.

The sound of the 4-SRKT engines isn't hard to imagine from this view thundering along the Dublin to Belfast main line!

Calais Day Tripper (and beyond!)

It is early on an August morning as a I awake for quite an unusual day out. Today I would be heading abroad- just for the day- to travel the 'traditional way' from London to France.
Once a very common route with regular scheduled boat trains and stations next to the ferry terminals at both ends, since the commencement of Eurostar services the journey from London to Paris via Dover and Calais is now a little more difficult.







The journey starts in London, with a South Eastern train to Dover Priory- Dover Western Docks station closed in 1994 once Eurostar trains started, negating the requirement for an easy connection from train to boat. These days the connection is by taxi, or on foot (approximately 30 minute walk) as soon after my trip in August 2014 ferry operator P&O withdrew the shuttle bus which connects the station and the port.



Not everything for the 'traditional' journey has disappeared however- bargain priced through rail ticketing is amazingly still available! London to Calais 'Day Tripper' tickets are still available starting from just £39.50 (as of April 2015)- These tickets carry no peak restrictions and allow travel on any train to Dover Priory, and any P&O ferry across to Calais, and back on the same day. A small extra supplement is payable to use high speed services in the UK. You can even get a 1/3 discount on these tickets with a railcard and buy from many other stations in the former Network SouthEast area! An absolute Bargain!


Of course to make France and back in a day it is an early start- but allowing for the 45 minute foot passenger check in at Dover we make the 10:15 crossing to France on board the 'Pride of  Burgundy' and were heading across the straight of Dover. What a beautiful day it was too!

On a sunny summer's day there really is nothing I would prefer to do that sit up on the outside deck at sea- so this is exactly what I did for the duration of the roughly 90 minute crossing- watching Calais draw slowly closer, as the famous white cliffs of Dover slowly receded from view.

There is a good catering service available on the P&O ferries as well as plentiful indoor seating should you not be blessed with the sunshine we experienced.

Interestingly we had followed the former rail ferry 'Nord pas de Calais' most of the way across the channel- until the opening of the Channel Tunnel this was the way that rail vehicles made the journey across the straights of Dover. Built in 1987 she had a very short life as a rail ferry and now continues to see use with My Ferry Link on freight only services due to her limited passenger carrying capacity. Like the stations at Dover Western Docks and Calais Maritime the rail ferry traffic ceased soon after Eurostar operations began in 1994- most freight was now able to pass through the tunnel while passenger traffic between London and Paris by boat almost vanished. Many predicted the end of the cross channel ferries as well- but this has certainly not proved to be the case!

 The transfer from the ferry to the town of Calais is easier than at the British end as this time there is a bus, though the cost of this is not included in the ticket price. The bus drives a rather circuitous route around the town to reach Calais Ville Station. Across the road is Calais' landmark Hotel de Ville with it's stunning clock tower which can be seen from many miles away on the ferry.





One could quite happily while away the day in Calais before taking the boat back across the channel to the UK- but there are also options to continue the rail adventure to other towns in the area, or of course to abandon the day trip and continue on the full traditional journey right through to Paris.

Crossing the viaduct at Wimmereaux viewed from the train. 

Local TER trains depart from Calais Ville heading to towns along the coast such as Dunkirk, Boulogne and Etaples (for Le Torquet). One of my favorites is the smaller town of Wimmereaux between Calais and Boulogne which boasts a traditional shopping street and pleasant beach- once the home to rich Britons wishing to escape to their summer homes in France. For long distance travel TGV trains also call at Calais Ville heading to Lille and Paris.

BB67533 in the traditional blue livery waits to leave Boulogne with the traditional Intercities service to Paris gare du Nord.

TER train at Calais Ville.

 By taking a TER train to Boulogne it is still possible to connect onto traditional loco-hauled 'Corail Intercity' trains to Paris several times a day. While somewhat slower than the TGV service there is still something nice about traveling in a traditional train and arriving in Paris without having covered the high speed network.

Sadly I would have to wait for another day to make it all the way to Paris for I would be using the return portion of my 'Calais Day Trip' ticket. It feels like it has been quite an adventure- and certainly helped by some stunning weather. Watching the sun set over the straights of Dover from the Spirit of France is the perfect end to a long but very enjoyable day. I've just got the delights of night trim travel back to London left to look forward to now- but at least I have a rucksack full of French goodies! Next time you fancy a day out with a difference - without breaking the bank - how about setting sail for the France day trip?

47's still going strong with GBRailfreight work

The hire of class 47's by GBRailfreight has given the class a further lease of life hauling heavy freight trains in the north east. With approximately 100 years service gathered between them recently overhauled and re-painted 47812 and 47847 cross the River Aire north of Ferrybridge with 4D31 from Drax to Doncaster on 17th April 2015. Several additional class 47's are planned to go on hire from Riviera trains to GBRailfreight to provide relief traction for the class 66's which form the mainstay of their fleet. The 47's tend to work trip workings and freight services which do not stray too far from their base at Doncaster- typical destinations include Drax, Goole and Hull.

HST Diverts

A spectacular view of the approach to Waterloo Station as 43015 tails 43031 on 1O42 08:45 Penzance to London Waterloo. More regular traction is passing in the shape of  450074 with a South West Trains service. 6th April 2015.

43183 basks in the sunshine on platform 11 at London Waterloo
 before working 1V73, the 1207 London Waterloo to Penzance.
43025 was on the rear of the train. 6th April 2015.

 Over the 2015 Easter weekend (and also Sunday 13th April) all lines in the Reading area were closed to allow the final stages of the station remodelling to take place. As had happened two years previously FGW services to the west country were diverted between Westbury and London travelling via the SWML through Salisbury, Basingstoke and terminating at London Waterloo. This offered the rare chance to see and travel on the iconic HST's over southern region metals. With the final stage of the Reading upgrade works now complete it is unknown if HST's will traverse this route again- especially with the pending introduction of the Intercity Express class 800's on the Great Western route.

Passing at speed- 43018 leads 1V78 the 1707 London Waterloo to Penzance, seen passing 

43071 & 43032 on a late running 1O44 the 1044 from Penzance. 6th April 2015.

43161 is seen passing the semaphore signals at
Greenford with a diverted FGW service on
Saturday 4th April 2015. 

 As well as diversions via the SWML, HST's were also running out of Paddington and then via the Chiltern main line to Banbury in order to avoid the works at Reading. Trains to both Bristol (via Bath) and to South Wales were using this route. Between Paddington and the Chiltern line HST's travelled via the single line Park Royal branch affording the chance to see HST's alongside traditional semaphore signals in the London area.

Stranger at Waterloo- 43028 shares the station with the more usual crowd of class 450 and class 444 desiros.
6th April 2015.

Picture of the week- 8th April

Each week Network Rail runs a multitude of test trains which use high tech equipment to test the nations track for defects, gauging issues and a multitude of other parameters. The southern region commuter zone sees very heavy passenger traffic levels and hence is inspected regularly. The TRC (Track Recording Train) has a regular schedule to test all the regularly used routes. Usually this operates with class 73 locomotives, either 73138 (operated by Network Rail) or locos hired in from GBRailfreight. Occasionally other traction may also appear. This was the case on 8th April when 37688 'Kingmoor TMD' made a welcome change from the 73 stronghold while reversing with the train at Waterloo. 73201 'Broadlands' had led the inbound working and 37688 would now haul the train from Waterloo to Wimbledon.

Comment- West Coast Railways operations suspended

On 2nd April West Coast Railways, the UK's largest charter train operator had its license to run trains on the national rail network suspended by Network Rail. The notice issued by NR can be read here- It has essentially been deemed that safety is not high enough on the agenda of WCR following several incidents culminating in what NR describes as 'the most serious SPAD [Signal Passed At Danger] that has taken place this year' when a steam charter with 34067 'Tangmere' overshot a signal at danger at Wooton Basset Junction. The incident in question could have had dramatic consequences bringing the train directly into the path of a high speed passenger service- it doesn't bear thinking about.

WCR's 47760 passes through Finsbury Park with a charter to the south coast in December 2014.

Of course there was no collision and nobody was injured in this incident but the fact that there was even the potential for an accident of this magnitude has to be drawn into question.

34067 'Tangmere'- the locomotive involved in the SPAD at
Wooton Bassett is seen on a WCR charter in December 2014.

Safety Systems-
The fact that the UK has one of the safest railways in the wold is no accident. In fact it is of course due to accidents that the railway today is so safe. I would highly recommend anyone who has not read it acquires a copy of 'Red for Danger: The Classic History of British Railway Disasters [L. T. C. Rolt, 1955]' for a fascinating read of how the UK's railways have learnt from the accidents of the past to become the efficient and safe system they are today. The industry can proudly claim that it has not lost a life in an accident since the Greyrigg disaster of 2007 in which one elderly passenger sadly died. In recent years heavy investment has gone into safety- it is no surprise that since the introduction of Train Protection Warning System that the number of SPAD's has dramatically reduced. This system is designed to prevent incidents just like the one WCR was involved in at Wooton Basset. Sensors in the track are able to detect the speed of a passing train and on-board systems will automatically apply the brakes and bring it to a stand if it is exceeding the permitted limit. The TPWS sensors are located adjacent to key signals protecting junctions, at locations where there are speed restrictions and entering terminal stations where trains must stop. How therefore did the WCR train cause a SPAD of such a serious nature?

Manual override-

WCR have operated scheduled passenger trains. 47851 is seen
at Nottingham in 2008 with a train for Skegness.

While the full report is not yet concluded, early indications suggest that appears in the WCR incident an action between the driver and fireman had isolated the TPWS and/or AWS (Automatic Warning System) rendering it useless. The train would no longer receive indications or brake applications from the track about it's speed or any signals it passed at danger. In normal operation critical safety systems such as these cannot be ignored. However there are situations when the TPWS and AWS can be overridden. Usually this would be as an emergency measure to move a train- any such a move would be agreed by the signaller under very strict conditions and the train would be removed from service. All systems can fail and railway systems are designed to 'fail safe'- a TPWS fault could cause a trains brakes to apply and not release. It is situations like this where on a busy railway authorisation could be granted to isolate the TPWS in order to clear the line. As far as it can be ascertained, no such instruction was received by the WCR crew. It appears they took the decision themselves to isolate the safety systems, continuing on their way without the signaller even being made aware of the situation. A grave decision which could, potentially have cost lives. The full report will make interesting reading.

What next-
I have no doubt that in such a serious lapse of safety standards as this, and given NR has had 'concerns about WCR’s performance of its Safety Obligations for some time' the right decision has been made to suspend WCR's operations.
Is this the end for WCR? I suspect, and hope not- after all WCR has a strong and profitable business. NR's suspension letter details the process for reconciliation- a list of seven steps WCR is required to take in order to re-gain it's operating licence. There will need to be some step changes to achieve this but it is clear that if WCR want to change their operations to comply with NR's requests then a solution could be reached.

WCR class 37516 (left) and 37706 (right) pose for the cameras
at the Eastleigh Works 100 open day in 2009.

Consequences-
WCR has a significant business running charter trains with both steam locomotives as well as with it's heritage fleet of diesels. Being such a dominant operator in the charter sector means this suspension notice will certainly have consequence on that market. First and foremost a significant number of trains will be cancelled, and leisure travelers inconvenienced as a direct result of the inability of WCR to run its trains. We can also expect further work to be lost by WCR with it's reputation taking a huge hit. Other operators who contract their trains to WCR will surely think twice now that the company has a significant stain on it's safety record. The travelling public too might think about whether it wants to travel with a company shamed for its lapse safety standards.
Staff will be affected too with work not forthcoming from WCR- many of their staff being on 'zero-hour' contracts such is the nature of charter work. Owners of steam locomotives also will see their hire charges disappear as their booked work is cancelled while trains are not running.
Unfortunately there is likely to be no alternative operator waiting in the wings to take on this charter work. It is often regarded as 'marginal' in the rail industry, and although profitable the larger rail companies will need to put their core businesses first. Even if another operator such as GBRf or DRS were to take on some of this work it would be a long process to get the staff and systems in place to operate such a large schedule of trains- besides neither operators currently have a safety case to operate steam traction. Only DB Schenker is now able to run steam trains on the network and their resources for further charter work are severely limited.

Conclusions-
The suspension of WCR's operating license is a significant event. Never before on the UK's railways has a company had it's nationwide ability to run trains revoked. NR does not take a decision such as this lightly and there are clearly real concerns about how WCR has gone about its business. The UK runs a very busy, and very safe railway, and WCR must fit within this. It is very clear that no company will get away with a policy of 'playing trains' and running by it's own rules.
I hope WCR resolve NR's concerns and quickly. They are a valuable part of the railway tapestry in the UK and the heritage sector contributes to many peoples enjoyment of the railways- it however cannot do so at any cost, without accountability and without due attention to safety.

WCR's core business is excursion trains with both steam and diesel traction often over scenic rail lines such as here on the
Cumbrian coast line. WCR's operations include the 'Jacobite' tourist trains in Scotland, they also ran the 'Hogwarts Express'.

A look back at the First Scotrail Sleeper

On 31st March the first Serco Caledonian sleeper service departed from Fort William bound for London Euston. Serco has been contracted to run the sleeper as a standalone franchise for the next 15 years with promised investment in the service hospitality, menu and the much anticipated new trains that will arrive from 2018. Traction will be provided by GB Railfreight with, in the most part, class 92's and re-built class 73/9's hauling the train.

Here is a look back over the past 10 years while the Caledonian Sleeper has been part of the First Scotrail franchise with EWS (later DB Schenker) providing traction power:

Shortly after departing Castairs 90028 heads north Edinburgh in 2012.

Sleeper accommodation on board the Mk3 coaches.
The trains also provided seated accommodation and a
very popular lounge car in Mk2 coaches.

37427 with the Fort William portion in 2005

Class 67's replaced class 37's and 47's on the diesel portions.
67009 is seen in the early hours at Edinburgh Waverley.

37427 crosses one of the many viaducts of the West Highland line

Class 90's clocked up many thousands of sleeper miles
between London and Scotland. Scotrail liveried 90024
acts as ECS loco at Euston

An unusual visitor late in the DB schenker operation was
Chiltern liveried 67015 seen outside Inverness depot after
working the sleeper during 2015.

Sleeper stock at London Euston ready for the overnight trip.

Locos in Copenhagen

ME 1525 approaches Roskilde with the 10:58 train from Østerport to Nykøbing Falster. 23rd March 2015.

ME 1529 awaits for it's next duty at Copenhagen. 

DSB operates all mainline rail services from Copenhagen. While most train are multiple units, both diesel and electric, there is some respite from the rubber-fronted trains in the form of 36 [37 built- one destroyed by fire] Henschel-built diesel locomotives dating from 1981. These operate in push-pull formation with double-decker coaches out to many cities on Zealand- Denmark's most populated island.

In addition to the diesels there are also a small number of similarly styled electric locos- the EA class. These locos recently have only been employed working the City Night Line sleeper train to Copenhagen- but with the sad withdrawal of this service are now also being pressed into action on the double-deck stock working to some locations which are fully electrified. 

The ME's regular departures from Copenhagen, often several per hour, make the route one of the best remaining places in the world to sample a busy diesel hauled operation on a main line. Days may be numbered for the loco's however as there is a plan to replace them with cascaded IC3 train sets once the IC4's have replaced those on their current InterCity duties. Of course this does all depend on the IC4's actually working- that however, is a story for another day.

Most Danish trains are multiple units. Øresundståg trains such as this one
operate over the impressive Øresund bridge to neighbouring Sweden.

The new order on Chiltern

A line up of 'Mainline' trains at Marylebone with 68011, 168003 and 67004 all in the companies silver livery.

68011 powers away from Marylebone with the 17:15 service to
Kidderminster on Friday 13th March. Six locomotives will
wear the silver Chiltern Railways colours.

The Chiltern main line has become the best place to experience loco-hauled passenger diesel operations in recent years with the introduction of class 67's on many trains from London Marylebone to Banbury, Birmingham and beyond. Now it is time for a change as the class 67's hired from DB Schenker give way to Class 68's supplied by DRS.

While the changeover was due to commence at the December timetable change delays with the new locos saw an extended stay for the 67's. Now however the 68's are starting to appear on services- first the Banbury commuter turn went over to 68 operation and now several through trains to Birmingham are charged with class 68's.

DRS liveried 68008 prepares to work the 17:50 train to
Banbury- this commuter train uses older style Mk3 coaches
which have not had the automatic door modifications.

Chiltern Railways have six class 68's dedicated to their service and delivered in their 'mainline' silver livery. These locos have been modified to allow push/pull working with Mk3 coaches and Driving Van Trailers. Two additional DRS locomotives have also been fitted with the modifications.

First impressions of the locos are good- they are smart, a nice shape (though I'm still not convinced by that dent in the cab front) and, almost surprisingly for a modern diesel- they sound good too! Hopefully they will settle down to provide excellent service for Chiltern Railways and for DRS and will be around for us to enjoy hauling Mk3 coaches to Birmingham for many years to come! Who would have thought just a few years ago that brand new diesels would be hauling trains from Marylebone!