Rail Express - May 2017
Issue No. 252 May 2017
8 HEADLINE NEWS
Brexit and the effect on railways; First look at
new Anglia fleet; First-MTR consortium wins
South West Trains; Shunters escape scrapyard
closure; New Penzance depot takes shape; DRS
Class 88s commence trials; New South Eastern
franchise to start in December 2018; New look
for Class 230 DMU as Vivarail develops a battery-
powered version; Hoppers damaged in East
Somerset derailment; Freight paths freed up
for passenger use.
17 WHEN SATURDAY CAME: SKEGNESS
Looking back to the golden days of summer-
dated holiday trains to coastal resorts, kicking
offwith this look at the Lincolnshire outpost.
24 LU WORLD SPECIAL
London Underground is bidding farewell to its
District Line workhorse – the ‘D’ Stock. We detail
its career history, with insight from a LU driver.
28 A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
Example main line duties from when the Class
08/09 fleet did more than just shunting.
31 0-60: CLASS 144
Putting a Northern ‘Pacer’ (and our columnist!) to
the test in the Aire Valley.
32 REVIEWS
New books on Class 08/09s, Class 50s, and life
as a railwayman in the early 1970s.
33 EXPRESS MAILBAG
‘Westerns’ on freight; Pilot scheme diesels;
Foreign-owned trains and operators.
34 TIME TRAVELLER
May news from decades gone.
76 RAILTOURS
Royal Scotsman itineraries announced; Celebrity
‘37’ to return to Highland haunts; Charity tour
raises £50,000; Full diary for May.
78 PRESERVATION
Early ‘37’ to be overhauled by UKRL; Ark Royal
misses Bluebell gala; ‘Skinhead 31’ moves to
Weardale; Heritage line freight photo special.
84 POWER BY THE HOUR
Colas ‘67s’ start NR test train work; GBRf
‘73/9s’ resume solo sleeper working.
86 POWERSCENE
Our class-by-class round-up of notable workings.
97 UNITARY AUTHORITY
GWR Class 387/1s head west; More ex-
Thameslink Class 319s go in to store.
100 SHUNTER SPOT
RSS continues to expand.
101 WAGONS ROLL
‘Seacows’ acquired by SVR; DIrect Rail Services
puts DVTs into store at Longtown.
102 COACH COMPARTMENT
Vintage Pullmans head south.
104 IRISH ANGLE
Another DEMU car is scrapped.