Rail Express - February 2019
CONTENTS
FEATURES
15 A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE
Using virtual reality to train rail engineers
The station celebrates a major milestone
22 WESTERN DIESELS
60 years of change on the Western Region
28 0-60: CLASS 444
Third rail but second rate?
30 THEN & NOW: MILTON KEYNES
Spot the difference over 10 years
REGULARS
26 SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS
The best ways to get Rail express every month
31 TIME TRAVELLER
News headlines from decades past
32 REVIEWS & EXPRESS MAILBAG
More on First Generation DMUs; plus a selection of new books
NEWS
8 HEADLINE NEWS
Could there be a return to the ‘Big Four’?; class 50s commemorate Waverley Route closure; DB’s share of freight continues to fall; Freightliner to take over Mendip Rail stone trains; Colas sells locos to Beacon Rail; Cumbrian ‘Tractors’ bow out; Damaged tram trains laid up; South East drives rail growth; bi-modes for ROG postal trains; Barking Riverside contract awarded.
71 LU WORLD
Finances affect Piccadilly line upgrade
72 RAILTOURS
‘Deltic’ to visit Harrogate and Cleethorpes
74 PRESERVATION
No. 47712 will return to the main line; ‘Whistler’ suffers boiler problems; IDRS acquires EM2 bogies; East lancs Railway Sulzer even kicks off 2019 gala season.
79 POWER BY HOUR
Preparations for TPE ‘68s’ continue
80 POWERSCENE
Notable workings, Name Game and Spectrum
90 UNITS
Northern receives more units from ScotRail.
93 SHUNTERS
NS ‘08s’ still proving useful.
94 COACHES
GWR hands back more HSTs.
95 WAGONS
New livery for Freightliner MWAs
96 IRISH ANGLE
‘Santa Specials’ provide traction variety