8th NATIONAL DMU CONVENTION
July 11th - 13th 2003 Chasewater Railway
Words by Tony Fox, pictures by Paul Moxon
Introduction
The Railcar Association's Eighth National DMU Convention,
organised by Frank Nicholas, was held at the Chasewater Railway during
11-13 July 2003. Just over forty delegates attended, representing most
UK diesel railcar preservation groups. The event was very successful
and our thanks go to Frank and to Steve Organ, General Manager at
Chasewater, and his team for their warm welcome.
More details about the railway can be found at www.chasewaterrailway.co.uk.
Driving Experience (Fri/Sat) |
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Formal meeting (Sat)
The formal meeting was held in the restaurant area at Brownhills
West Station.
Review of 2002-3 (Tony Fox)
Over 250 first generation diesel multiple-unit vehicles, including DEMUs, are now preserved. The first Metro-Cammell Class 101 vehicles to enter preservation ex-Angel Trains are about to leave MoD Shoeburyness, with the North Norfolk Railway likely to be the first recipients, of a power-trailer set. Class 117 vehicles have already begun to leave Shoeburyness and Serco expect the shipping out of both classes to ramp up in 2003.
Serco Operations have steadily increased their sales of railcar spares, and have just reported that un-refurbished 680 engines and gearboxes are available ex-Railpart holding stock. The two Class 101 centre cars at Blackpool are now to be sold so all enquiries to Bruce Knights in the usual way. Bruce also now has non-vehicle 'railwayana' available. His website will be updated with this and other information very soon.
A surprise event was the recent purchase of four ex-Railtrack Sandite Class 101 vehicles from store at Derby by Renaissance Railcars for service on the Great Central Railway.
More very recent news is the opening of the Wensleydale Railway between Leeming Bar and Leyburn, over forty years since withdrawal of passenger services. Michael Owens' Class 107 three-car set 52006/52025/59701 is handling all services initially, with another railcar set and two Class 31 locos expected later this year.
Chiltern Railways now have 55020 in regular main-line service on Aylesbury-Princes Risborough shuttles, more details of which later.
South Wales seems to be the hot-bed of railcar preservation as several vehicles have migrated westward during the year.
Porterbroook have announced their intention to release DEMU 'Thumper' units at low cost to preservation groups when the replacement Class 170 trains are delivered.
Apologies from Tony for any significant omissions!
Chasewater Railway (Steve Organ, General Manager)
Steve described the history of the Railway and acknowledged the valuable contribution of railcars (some of the first in preservation) to its operation. The line has five vehicles in regular use – three Class 117 power cars 51370/51372/51412 and two centre cars 59444 (Class 116) and 59603 (Class 127, one of only two in preservation). Being a relatively short line, the ability of these high-density vehicles to load and unload passengers very quickly is much appreciated.
The general impression of a vibrant expanding set-up at Chasewater was explained by Steve's description of the problems caused by planning for the nearby M6 Toll motorway. The lengthy delay in starting work on this road has meant that the Railway's expansion plans have been stymied for many years. However, every cloud has a silver lining; the M6 Toll contractors have paid for the complete rebuilding of Brownhills West Station and, with matching grant funding, a new vehicle shed and workshop is in course of construction. Relatively new trackwork adds an impressive air to the scene at Brownhills.
The Railway is a key part of growing leisure complex at Chasewater and will go from strength to strength over the next few years.
Wickham Project (Evan Green-Hughes)
Evan concentrated on the work performed on the Wickham set top-side, the bodywork and interior being the most unique aspect of these railcars. 50416 and 56171 operated at Chasewater for several years before being purchased by Evan and his team and moved to the Midland Railway Centre for a total rebuild. This has been partially funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant and completion is expected later this summer. The set will then run on the Llangollen Railway alongside the current fleet of six railcars.
The Wickham construction method was unique, the all-steel frame being of mono-coque design with frame members fabricated from light components wherever possible. Unfortunately, this design was extremely non-standard and costly to maintain, leading to early withdrawal of the five 1957-built sets. Two were sold to Trinidad Railways in 1961, two were scrapped in 1971, the other set having become the Eastern Region General Manager's saloon in 1967.
Although its departmental role saved it for preservation, the set suffered from substantial bodywork modifications. Several window and door openings were plated over and others reduced in size. Subsequent asbestos decontamination work then reduced the body and floor literally to bare frames.
So, the rebuilding has been absolutely from scratch. Original drawings are long gone, so much of the detailed design of, for example, new partitions has been worked out from old photographs. Luckily, a collection of these was found stored under the bed of an ex-employee of Wickham in Ware! Restoration has generally been faithful to the original as much as possible, e.g. seat moquette is to authentic design.
Evan promises that one of the inaugural runs at Llangollen, hopefully in September, will be for TRA members so watch this space!
More information – www.llangollenrailcars.com
COH Baines (Stuart Buchan) CONTACT: 01892 543311, sales @ coh-baines.co.uk
COH Baines specialise in the production of rubber extrusions and mouldings, for example window channels, door seals and weatherstrips. Their business has expanded rapidly in recent years and the recent demise of Leyland Rubber Company provides an opportunity for greater growth. This growth enables Baines to supply many products from stock once demand justifies it. So, they recommend that railcar (and other) preservation groups put effort into identifying those products which are common across different usages. Baines will then be able to make such items available quickly and at reasonable cost.
Unfortunately, windows in the same vehicle may be of different thicknesses or be mounted in non-standard frames so require different rubbers! The trick will be to identify the correct section from the Baines catalogue, in which incidentally stock items are clearly marked. Chris Bull has started logging information for Class 108 builds, and John Down expressed an interest in doing the same for Class 117s (now more numerous in preservation than 108s). Chris will review the issues for 40-year old railcars in a forthcoming Railcar Bulletin article.
Resource Supply, Chorley (Ian Bennet e-mail resourcesupply@tiscali.co.uk)
Following a BR career in the Wigan area, Ian specialised in providing a sourcing service for TOCs who experience problems in component supply, particularly for older vehicles. He is keen to expand into the preservation market, where such problems are of course more acute.
Ian stressed that he acts as prime supplier rather than as an agent. So, he will see a procurement right through to a satisfactory conclusion, buying in material himself then selling it on as part of a turnkey package. Not necessarily the cheapest but arguably the most reliable way to acquire the correct "new material for old things", very important for safety-critical items. He has built up a unique contact list of component suppliers and engineering job-shops.
BTL (Fenner) Belts (Tony Wilson, General Manager, Sales) CONTACT: 0870 7577007 tonywilson @ fenner.com
BTL is a division of Fenner Drives, part of the Fenner Group. Their 'T-Link' range of detachable V-belts is gaining increasing acceptance for permanent use in demanding applications. Detachable belts were introduced many years ago for emergency use but improvements in design and material technology make them suitable for all purposes. They consist of multiple link/stud assemblies and can easily be split, re-assembled, re-sized, etc. Benefits include faster fitting, especially on captive drives, typically without the need for drive dismantling or pit access, and greater durability. The Wickham Project selected T-belts and can provide background information on their use. Cost is very competitive and BTL are prepared to supply preservation groups directly rather than via the normal retail network. For example, a 5-belt generator set can be shipped for £140 + VAT and carriage.
2005 Convention location and 2004 Convention (Severn Valley)(Stuart Mackay)
Evan Green-Hughes' invitation to Llangollen was accepted for the 2005 Convention. Ritchie Marcus will look into organising an event at the Battlefield Line.
Severn Valley Railway is the venue for our 2004 Convention, Thursday 14th to Sunday 17 September. 2004 is the fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of first generation railcars (Derby lightweights to the West Riding and West Cumberland) so the Convention will be more adventurous than ever before! The emphasis will be on promoting our preservation activities to the general public and other enthusiasts, to try and get more people involved. Not all details have been confirmed yet so watch this space over the next few months.
Chiltern Railways 55020 (121 020) (Roger Keys, Technical Manager, Aylesbury Depot)
Roger reviewed the business case for the return of 55020 to mainline passenger operation, then described the technical changes in some detail.
The key driver for the project was to release a Class 165 set during the 165 refurbishment programme whilst maintaining capacity on the Aylesbury – Marylebone service. No suitable rolling stock was available off-lease and the low loadings on the Aylesbury-Princes Risborough service meant that a 65 seater vehicle was sufficient. Surplus Class 121 vehicles were available to Chiltern, and artisan and footplate staff sign Class 121 because of their use on Sandite duties. Importantly Class 121 vehicles (and also Class 117) have relatively strong body structures compared with Mark I vehicles and so are not affected by Mark I regulations.
The project began in October 2002 and the vehicle entered service on time in April 2003. Initial teething troubles were quickly ironed out and 121 020 is running at a high availability.
Refurbishment work was contracted to LH Group Services, of Barton-under-Needwood – right next door to Virgin XC's Central Rivers depot! Chiltern provided lead technical input into the project and prepared the vehicle mechanically before transfer to LH, including removal of white asbestos in the floor.
In summary, three types work were carried out, overhaul (the vehicle had been stored following use as a Sandite unit), mandatory (new regulations and safety-related) and desirable (improvements to customer service and maintainability).
Overhaul tasks included engine and transmission checks, bogie and brake refurbishment, complete re-wiring, re-seta and re-upholster, full external repaint.
Mandatory tasks were comprehensive: fitting of TPWS and DRA, some form of central door locking (actually a retention system using electro-magnets developed by HSBC Rail), new AFFF fire extinguishing system to replace the halon-based original, and provision for on-board monitoring recorder by 2005.
Desirable tasks were: new aluminium side and ceiling panels, powder-coated to match Class 165 interiors, passenger information screens again from Class 165, PA system, LED marker lights, Webasto air-to-air heaters as per 165, low top-side vacuum warning lights and re-routing of exhaust stacks through the guard's brake to tidy up the cab front.
A key lesson learned was that only cab re-wiring was actually necessary, the vehicle electrics elsewhere being in very good condition. Body structure was generally good, but door and frame repairs took a lot longer than expected.
Overall the project was a success and Chiltern expect to keep 121 020 in service for several years. Roger would not be drawn on whether further Class 121 vehicles will receive the same treatment!
Fire Extinguisher Review (Mike Hancocks)
Mike ran through a circuit schematic of the automatic fire detection and extinguishing systems on first generation railcars as a preliminary to a group discussion on the options available to remove or replace halon-based extinguishers by end-2003. He also reviewed briefly the difficulties encountered so far in gaining guidance from HMRI on these options. An acceptable option (from a cost-performance standpoint) is to remove the extinguishing part of the system altogether from a heritage railcar, leaving intact the fire detection and warning components. In the event of fire, warning bells ring throughout the train, the shut-down solenoid operates and a red warning light would be illuminated on the engine concerned. Train staff would then stop the train safely and tackle the fire using portable extinguishers. Given that heritage trains usually operate at a maximum speed of 25 mph then this process is proposed as acceptable.
Kidde-Graviner Fire Systems (Ronnie Drugan, Project Manager)
CONTACT: ronnie.drugan @ kiddegraviner.co.uk
Ronnie started by reviewing the regulatory requirements for discontinuance of halon-based extinguishing systems by the end of 2003. If first generation railcars still have such systems they must stop running on New Years Day 2004! EC Regulation 2037/2000 required that new halon-based products would not be sold after 31/12/02 and that ALL halon installations must be de-commissioned by 31/12/03. The only exceptions to the regulation are aerospace and MoD implementations, and rail vehicles operating in the Channel Tunnel. The latter have large-scale extinguishing systems which could not realistically be replaced by the physically larger alternatives currently available.
Replacement options are – AFFF, powder and inert blend gases. Because heritage railcars' engines are underslung in free air, only the first two options are relevant. The AFFF solution was adopted by Chiltern Railways for 55020, although the AFFF bottles are too big to hang underneath the vehicle and are positioned in the guard's brake. As yet there are powder-based installations exist only in P-Way vehicles. Budget costs are £950 per engine for AFFF and £600 per engine for powder. With a spare bottle and other costs this brings the AFFF option to app. £2,000 – 2,500 per vehicle.
A further problem for owners of heritage vehicles is that some detection system components are now obsolete. Pyrochord is no longer considered safe to manufacture and has been superseded by newer technologies. LHD cable (twisted pair with low-melt insulation) is one such option. In addition, the existing flame switches are replaced by an interface junction box which is more effective in operation and for testing than a use-once and replace device. Longsight's Class 101 vehicles have been converted to this arrangement.
Kidde-Graviner provide a safe disposal service for removed halon bottles when a replacement system is purchased. They will also help with any VAB process which may be necessary during modification.
Comments made during Open Discussion
We need to do a proper risk assessment, comparing operation at 70 mph, say, with 25 mph.
Given that the heritage vehicles are priceless and irreplaceable we need to be sure that hand-held devices really are as effective as built-in automatic systems.
How often does a fire happen? No-one can remember one in preservation.
We don't need to comply with Group Standards as we don't run on the main line (and so will be able to remove halon bottles without having to replace them with an approved equivalent).
We must use HRA in an appropriate manner to help co-ordinate communication with HMRI and to spread the word among ALL affected parties – not just TRA 'members'.
Could one extinguisher bottle be 'shared' by two engines to reduce cost?
Is any form of grant aid available to cover conversion costs? (RD stated NO).
EC Regulations generally state that member states have a duty to support small companies and organisations if their implementation of new regulations is relatively more expensive than for bigger companies. What about 2037/2000?
French railways have only ever had detection equipment, not automatic extinguishing systems. Nobody knew why (!) but perhaps there is a precedent case to be made.
Mike Hancocks and Brian Smith (who has already designed a detection-only modification for railcars) agreed to work together on everyone's behalf to establish communication with HMRI and HRA and pursue the issue urgently.
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The two-car green 117 operating the services was 51412 / 51370. In the foreground in 116 TC 59444 painted maroon. Steve Hodgson |
51372 sits at the platform end with 59444 behind. Steve Hodgson |
51372 & 59444. Steve Hodgson |
Class 127 TCL 59603. Steve Hodgson |
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51372 with 59444 behind. Steve Hodgson |
Three views of the operating set, 51412 / 51370. Steve Hodgson |
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To view details of the 2002 gala click here.