Train heating is essential on preserved railways during the cold winter months, but few preserved diesels have a working boiler capable of steam heating coaches. David Russell surveys the current situation.
THERE are well over 100 operational diesels in preservation, but the number capable of providing steam heat – the primary source of on-train heating at most preserved railways – can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and one of those is currently on hire to a main line freight company.
This means that, at most heritage railways, the opportunity to use diesel traction on winter passenger trains is somewhat limited.
Steam heat was eliminated from the main line in 1987, having gradually disappeared over the previous few years, largely as a result of the upgrade programme to fit electric train heating (ETH) to members of the Class 31, 37 and 47 fleets.
Since then, West Coast Railways (WCR), Vintage Trains and other charter train promoters have reintroduced steam heat on some steam-hauled specials, negating the need for an ETH-fitted diesel or generator van to be included in the formation.
MAIN LINE MARVEL
From a diesel perspective, the appearance of the Scottish Thirty Seven Group’s No. 37025 Inverness TMD at the head of a SRPS charter with working steam heat on July 16, 2016, was most welcome and evocative, even if it was not actually needed at that time of the year. To date, the STG’s ‘37’ is the only preserved diesel to operate on the main line with a working boiler.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2018-Ausgabe von Rail Express.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2018-Ausgabe von Rail Express.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
LNER puts remaining ‘91s' into warm store
The ongoing pandemic restrictions and major engineering works have resulted in the complete withdrawal of the last remaining ‘Electras’ from passenger service, although the plan is to resurrect them in the summer.
Mk.1 Restaurant-Buffet (RBR) cars
A SURPRISING number of Mk.1catering cars have survived to see service on the privatised railway, in private operator and charter trains. They may turn up on anything from an enthusiast special to higher-end dining trains and have been formed in trains as prestigious as the locomotive-hauledBlue Pullman’ set, the ‘Great Britain’ tours operated by West Coast Railways and the ‘Northern Belle’ tour train.
Powerscene
Our authoritative class-by-class review of newsworthy locomotive workings.
End for Freightliner Class 86/6s
The company’s Class 86/6 fleet down to just two examples as seven locos are stored.
Service reductions as Covid cases increase
An increase in Covid-19 cases in early January saw the governments in Ireland and Northern Ireland impose stricter lockdown measures that impacted on public transport.
East West Rail funding go-ahead
Although it was expected, £760 million of funding has now been confirmed to build the Western Section of the East West Railway scheme.
Travellers-Fare with Hornby's Mk.1 Restaurant-Buffet car
Hornby expands its range of retooled ‘OO’ gauge Mk.1 coaches with a brand new tooling for the Diagram 24 Restaurant-Buffet car (RB) and the Diagram 33 refurbished version (RBR). It models the vehicles in both original form, finished in BR maroon and Southern Region green, together with the RBR refurbished coaches. They remained in frontline service well into the 1990s, including Cross-Country workings.
Class 92 revolution
Despite its complex shape and high detail ratio compared to other modern six-axle locomotives, Revolution Trains chose the Class 92 to be its first 'N' gauge locomotive model.
Bottling it!
A dig into the Rail Express archive has revealed some rarely-seen photographs of the former rail-connected Express Dairy bottling plant in South West London, which today is the site of a large mosque.
1990s ‘N' gauge Class 950
Work on the ‘N’ gauge Class 950 Track Recording Unit project, a conversion based on a standard Graham Farish Class 150/1 model, is concluded by finishing the model in 1990s condition.
