ISSUE 52 - JUNE 2000

INTRODUCTION

An incident has prompted Angel Trains Limited to ask that we remind you that removal of parts from stored vehicles without permission is theft, and prosecution will ensue if proof is available. We are coming to a time when there will be numerous cars stored across the country, but component recovery has changed from what we are used to. Angel will accommodate us with any spares we require, but it must be done through the proper channels. More news on this soon!

This month has our biggest running dates section ever. If it expands any further then we may have to cut down on the detail that it contains. It is also a very time- consuming section to produce. Is it actually much use in this Bulletin — with its distribution limited to our fairly closed community? Would anyone object if it was dropped? It would still continue on the web site where it has a much wider audience.

Saturday 15th July is the deadline for Issue 53 of The Railcar.

THE RAILCAR ASSOCIATION

The time has come...?
Reports suggest that ScotRail's Class 101 fleet could come off lease in August. Groups and individuals who wish to acquire an ex-Corkerhill power-twin set or single vehicle this summer should contact Tony Fox (01473 890511) as soon as possible to confirm interest; in specific vehicles if possible. This will help TRA meet Angel's request that demand is co-ordinated in the initial stages of disposal.

Less certain is just how long the Longsight sets will soldier on. Examination due dates and Class 175 availability will be the key factors. It may be that sets become available in ones and twos over a period of months, starting soon. So anyone with a yearning for a particular Longsight unit should also register an interest.

Details of specific Corkerhill and Longsight vehicles were listed in the April issue and are also available on the web site.

NEWS

IRIS BOUGHT The departmental Derby Lightweight single car 975010 (formerly 79900) has now been bought for preservation by a SERCO staff member. It has been moved to the Midland Railway Centre (also home of the Derby Lightweight 2-car set) and restoration has begun.

103 FOR SALE The owners of one of the two remaining Park Royal DMUs have stated that it is their intention to dispose of it (free) if someone can offer it a good home. The unit comprises power car 50397 and trailer 56160.

The power car is minus all mechanical bits and must be considered to be in need of very serious restoration. The trailer is still asbestos-contaminated.

The two vehicles were part of the ill-fated National Diesel Railcar Museum project and ended up in store at Snetterton where a court battle ensued before they were released. They have since been stored at the Coventry Railway.

The owning group say they have neither the time nor the resources to deal with the two cars and want to hear from anyone who might be interested in taking them on. The contact is Mick Northfield and his telephone number is 01702 545034.

101 CASUALTIES In the evening of Sat. 17th June three sets were coupled together at Manchester Piccadilly (682/3/5) to run ECS to Longsight (5H39 departing at 21:16). An incident occurred at some point, en-route or on arrival, with damage sustained to two vehicles. 53256 (682) has had its air, vacuum and electrics "ripped" out, and 53269 (683) has had drawgear and electrics "ripped" out.

101 677 failed in Totley Tunnel on the previous day while working the 12:14 Sheffield to Manchester. 681 was sent to drag it out, and it is now in LO. The failure is thought to be bad vibrations on the no.2 final drive, and is noted as having the dog and fork removed, after a possible diesel engine incident.

Paul Moxon reports that on Saturday 3rd June, 681 failed between Romiley and Hyde, with total lack of power on the leading car. Attempts to restart the unit's engines proved fruitless, and the driver tried tightening fuses to try to restore electrical power to the starter motor. After about 40 minutes, the air/axle lights came back on, and the poor guard had to retrace his steps (it was a typical Manchester rainy day) to retrieve the detonators he had laid behind the unit. 101 681's engines were stopped, and the unit was then failed at Piccadilly, as the one engine then failed to restart. The fitters were then called out to try to rectify the lack of power to one engine, and were still working on it an hour later.

MANCHESTER DIAGRAMS The Class 101 summer workings remain much the same as the winter ones printed with a previous issue, with a few exceptions. They are now rarely seen on Sheffield workings, and even less in Holyhead. There is a new Saturdays only Blackpool working. This is the 11:03 from Manchester Piccadilly (1N65), with the two 2-car sets arriving at 12:17. The return 2H90 leaves Blackpool North at 18:09, arriving at Manchester at 19:25.

What were 101 diagrams are now timed for 142s or 150s (due to the anticipated cascade resulting from the introduction of the 175s), and D1 sets do not have the power to keep up. There are not enough D3s to go round so an attempt has been made to give D1s more power by splitting up some sets and using the power cars to form 3-car sets. The extra car is normally locked out of passenger use. The units carry the 'correct' set number on all cab ends.

653 has 53228 (ex 662)
657 has 51463 (ex 661)
660 has 51213 (ex-659)
663 has 51442 (ex-664)

The four trailers are all stored at Longsight. 101 657 is the only unit formed with the 'extra' power car adjacent to the existing power car — all the others have the added DMBS next to the DTS.

PRESERVATION

PRESSED STEEL HERITAGE At the Colne Valley Railway, last winter's work concentrated on the restoration of Class 116 DMBS W51151. Rust patches on the exterior have been treated, and new panel sections have been welded in at the cab end. The vehicle has been painted in lined Brunswick Green livery with yellow warning panel to match the rest of the fleet at the CVR. The passenger accommodation has been completely refurbished with new seat moquette, painted ceiling plus painted window and seat frames. Refurbishment of the cab has been started. This vehicle, together with its pair W51138, has original grey formica internally. The restoration gang included Neil Bunt, Bernie Mason, Tony Fox, Martin Smith and John Joyce.

The rest of the fleet at Castle Hedingham are all restored and painted in lined Brunswick Green. W51138 has been reupholstered and the cab restored. W55033 has restored cabs and brake van. Work will now concentrate on the internal refurbishment of W59501 and an engine oil seal change on W51151.

On the Nene Valley Railway work has recently focused on Class 117 TC W59508 which arrived last autumn from Shackerstone in faded NSE livery. Extended footboards have been fitted (a requirement on the NVR because on the continental loading gauge) and the vehicle has been cleaned internally. It is currently in service to make up a Class 117 3-car set. The other vehicles are Class 117 DMBS W51347 and DMS W51401. Both vehicles have been externally restored and repainted into blue-grey livery by the NVR and are in service. W51347 has restored cab and brake van. The NVR are planning to externally restore and repaint W59508 into blue/grey livery this autumn.

TELFORD 104 Frank Nicholas has had some help from lads from the Chasewater Railway. On one very wet day they attended to some problems with engine fuel lines and throttle motors, and he wishes to thank them for their help in getting so much achieved in a day.

M56182 by Paul Moxon. 

On Sunday 4th June, Buxton's last link with Class 104 units was severed as Sandite car DB977554 (former DTC M56182) was craned onto a road vehicle for preservation at the Churnet Valley Railway. As a Railtrack manager commented, Buxton had had an association with 104s since February 1958, with the Sandite unit holding the fort for the last few years.

M56182 was built in April 1958 and initially entered service in the Birmingham area paired with M50539. During late 1987 it was converted to a Sandite vehicle at Gorton C & W, renumbered ADB 977554, and allocated to Buxton where it replaced a Cravens 105.

The work involved cutting down two of the internal bulkheads, removing the corridor connection and sealing with a plate with a perspex window. Class 108 seats were installed in the former first- class saloon, and a fixed seat was fitted in front of the sealed corridor connection. Sandite hoppers and air tank were fitted in the middle and rear saloons, and the toilet was retained.

The unit performed Sandite duties until 1994, until presumably replaced by Longsight's power twin sandite 101s.

With the privatisation of British Rail, the unit passed to Railfreight Coal sector, where an unsuccessful attempt to purchase it was made by Kevin Dowd and Rob Simpson. The unit then passed to Transrail, who again refused to sell it, until in May 1997 a sale was eventually agreed with Railtrack.

The unit was, by now, stored at the side of Buxton TMD, and in May 1998 some painting & weather sealing of the unit was done for a proposed move to Barrow Hill roundhouse. This fell through, and the unit remained stored along with
several internal user vehicles.

Following complaints from local residents about the unit being used as a static discotheque by the local youngsters, the saloon doors were chained up and the one with the broken droplight that was being used for entry, was boarded up.

Late May 1999 saw Rob and Kevin apply some blue paint to disguise the graffiti, and the week before the move saw various people rushing about to try to get some 104/110 lifting lugs (loaned by Graham Thornton) test fitted and certified.

On a typical Buxton (rainy) day, the unit's interior was cleared of rubbish. Three bin bags were filled with lager cans, bottles, audio tapes, a sleeping bag, and a pair of ladies (?) tights.

We took care with the clearing out, as we suspected there might be used needles present, but in the event none were found. On the outside, the lifting lug holes were cleaned out ready for the brackets and pins, and the windows were protected with plastic to prevent any more breakages. The unit had been shunted in front of the shed doors and in less than a week two of the large saloon windows had been smashed.

Sunday June 4th was the day of the move, with a total possession of the station area, the Crewe breakdown train hauled by 66073, and 08599 provided from Peak Forest.

The two internal user tanks went first and by mid-morning the two ex-LMS coaches (ADM 395480 and ADM395919) had been craned onto low loaders for the journey to Booth's scrapyard at Rotherham.

This then left the snowplough (ADB965222) which was dumped at the back of the station staff car park, and then the 104 was ready to be lifted. Round about this time, the nose of one of the lifting lugs was found to be slightly bent and would not fit the unit properly, so a decision to sling the coach with its bogies was taken.

At this point a loud bang was heard as a piece of protective packing fell out from the bodyside, as the crane took the strain. The unit was then lifted about ten feet into the air, swung round, and there it stayed for almost two hours, gently swinging in the breeze until the low loader from Engineering Services arrived, just before Railtrack jokingly (?) threatened to "drop it in the dirt" !

The coach was craned onto the low loader, one wheelset having to be jacked into place, as it wouldn't drop straight onto the rails, and then the rest of it chained down, at about 16:30.

Railtrack staff then frantically started to pack up their crane and attach the associated support coaches, as the possession was due to end at 17:00.

The 104 was then taken to Kingsley & Froghall to be off loaded with instructions as to which way round it should face, and later tripped to Oakamoor (via Consall, with some other stock) for storage.

The intention is for M56182 to be restored to run with M50455, vestibule walls and seats etc. having been salvaged from 53470 for this eventuality, and when finished, will be the only BRCW 2-car power/trailer set in preservation. I wonder if we could get a Lottery grant to help restore them...?

• If you can help any of the following groups with their needs or information, please e-mail us at editor@railcar.co.uk

WANTED

Rubber grips - Does anyone know where to obtain the rubber grips from the underside of seat swabs. Ours are on their way out having done their bit. We would be looking for approximately 100, so if we have to manufacture, maybe other groups would be interested? Dean Forest DMU Group.

Batteries - has anyone a good set of batteries that they could sell? Railcar Enterprises

Luggage racks - suitable for a Class 117, several of each different size required, to complete the restoration of DMS W51402. Northampton & Lamport Railway DMU Group.

Manuals - we have recently acquired a John Fowler 0-4-0 diesel-hydraulic loco which is fitted with a Leyland Albion Series 900 engine which drives through a torque converter a single-speed modified Fowler gearbox/final drive unit. Has anyone got any service, maintenance and spares manuals for this type of engine for sale or to loan to assist in the restoration of the loco to full working order? Northampton & Lamport Railway DMU Group.

URGENT - Free-wheel bearings - Free-wheel bearings - K&WVR DMU Group.

FOR SALE

Buffet Car - Met-Camm-built 59575. Blue asbestos removed. Call for further details. Railcar Enterprises.

EMU Parts - (taken from Sidelines, thanks to Chris Bull) following the restoration of their four-car unit of 1938 tube stock, the London Transport Museum is reviewing surplus spare parts that had been held until the project was completed. In addition there are some parts believed to be from BR Southern Region EMUs that are also not required. Further details from: Head of Collections, London Transport Museum, 39 Wellington Street, LONDON WC2E 7BB.

LMS 57-foot full brake - built 1944. Very useful storage vehicle. Good sound floor, needs some exterior cladding replaced. Runs OK. Space needed to house DMU. Reasonable price to good home. South Devon Diesel Traction.

Seats - We have a quantity of DMU seats for sale for a nominal price from a vehicle in the 595xx series (thought to be 59518). Enough for one white van! South Devon Diesel Traction.

"DMU Disposal" book - by Ashley Butlin. The book is A4, 72 pages, and has a soft cover. It costs £7.95 including P&P from the publishers: Coorlea Publishing, Beech House, London Road, Washington, Pulborough, WEST SUSSEX RH20 4BA.

Final drives - Wabco (ex-RFS Engineering Ltd) at Doncaster have three overhauled RF28 final drives left in their stores. Please contact Paul Grayson on 01302 790050. They are anxious to dispose of them soon to make space. (Thanks to Class 107 Ltd for this).

BR flashing red LED tail lamps - we have a number of these and if there is sufficient interest we will fit new batteries and supply complete for £30 each. This is considerably cheaper than paraffin lamps and the batteries will last a very long time indeed. Contact us to arrange collection or delivery. Class 107 Ltd.

Seats - free to a good home, otherwise they will be skipped. 2+3 seating, blue moquette, thought to be from a 101. Eric Maxfield, Tanfield Railway, 0191 274 2002

Brake Feed Valves - we have overhaul kits available, costing £15 per set, which includes two diaphragms and one seal. P&P is approx. £1. We had only 70, 30 are now sold, and when they are gone... Dean Forest DMU Group.

QUESTIONS

From John Joyce (Llangollen Railcar Group):

Why is it standard DMU driving practice to "throttle" back and wait for the engine RPM to drop before changing gear? The usual quoted answers are gearbox brake bands and fan / alternator / exhauster belts. However if you've ever driven an 03 or derivative, these have the same style gearbox (OK, it's an SE5 not R14 or SE4; five- speed instead of four, but same principle, I'm told) but no freewheel; so you can throttle back before changing, but there's no point waiting for the RPM to drop as they won't. Do 03s wear out gearbox brake bands or throw dynamo / fan belts particularly often? Anybody in the bus world know what standard practice there is for similar setups?

COMMENTS

From Anon:

Re. 1st class seating on Railtrack vehicles (Gavin Booth):

Some of the Railtrack vehicles stored at Longsight do indeed retain the first-class seating — unfortunately I don't know how many or which ones. Many/most/all of them also have what I presume to be the original moquette ("the most abrasive seat covering known to man!").

From Matthew Smith:

Re. wire 38. (John Joyce):

On DMU vehicles which were refurbished during the late '80s (certainly NSE vehicles) wiring modifications were made as follows:

• Wire 38: Earth wire (replacing wire 49)
• Wires 46, 47 & 49: spare

Coupling modified cars/sets to unmodified cars/sets created no faults if everything worked correctly — 51434 and 51503 (modified) are sometimes coupled to 52005 & 52025 (unmodified) on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway with no problems (you can come back to them weeks later and the batteries would not be flat).

I think wire 38 was originally something to do with the telephone (possibly the negative return) for telephone wires 46 and 47. Also, earlier power cars numbered 50xxx were not wired for through heater control from the guard's van, whereas power cars 51xxx & 52xxx were; using 43, 44 and 45. This applies to a DMBS controlling respective partner cars: i.e. 101 683 has 51117 DMBS with through guard's heater control but cannot control 53269's (its partner) heaters.

Re. water-pump. (Mark Cornell):

I had to replace one on 52025 and got one for about £120 from my local Leyland dealer (Barnes of Reading). If you would like me to get one please say.

Re. 101 moquette (Gavin Booth):

When Reading had its 3-car 800 sets (L830-L842) refurbished for Reading – Gatwick services, which required first-class, the sets were dealt with varying degrees of attention (all receiving additional luggage racks). This is the order that the remaining 800s were treated in:

L835 (51432, 59530, 51498): the first 800 set to be painted NSE and all three cars received 'donkey stripe' seats as no NSE seats were available. It was also the only set to receive a second coat of NSE (the cabs however did not receive attention. This was also the case when it was painted in Regional Railways livery and explains why the cabs are a mess now. 59530 was removed from the set and scrapped before transfer to Longsight.

L832 (51226, 59570, 51499) pseudo number 695: all three received NSE moquette. This 3-car was withdrawn after service at Haymarket but the power cars were later reinstated and live on.

L838 (53308, 59125, 53331) pseudo departmental 960991: no attention given to the inside — retains blue/green BR check moquette from the early '80s. 59125 scrapped after transfer and service at Haymarket and power cars then transferred to Longsight as departmentals.

L842 (53341, 59110, 53327) departmental: 53341 NSE moquette. 59110 & 53327 no attention — retains blue/green check. 59110 scrapped after service at Penzance and power cars transferred to Derby Serco.

L840 (53311, 59117, 53322): no attention — retains blue/green check. 59117 removed and preserved before power cars transferred from Reading to Norwich and subsequently to Longsight.

Regarding the internal panelling on 51226: when 101s were stripped for asbestos removal, in the early 1980s, the original panels were sometimes reused and many became bald (roofs lost their vents). Reading received power-trailer sets from Cambridge in 1986/7 such as L201 (51212, 54070) and these had not been stripped of asbestos. Fitters at Reading said that future 101 transfers, including the 800 sets in 1987/88, would have to have been stripped or they would refuse to work on them on safety grounds. NSE Thames had records of which vehicles operating on Thames & Chiltern had been stripped (but not certification) which was deemed good enough by fitters. I still have a list of these vehicles and any with asbestos were early withdrawals and were scrapped some time ago.

51226 was built with green patterned panels, 51499 with cream pattern and both still retain their original panels & vents. If replacement panels were fitted these were a plain 'off-white'. The above vehicles are as follows:

L835: both vehicles original cream and retain vents.
L838 (960991): both vehicles original cream and bald.
L842: 53341 new off-white & bald, 53327 original cream & bald.
L840: 53311 original cream & bald, 53322 new off-white and bald.

The reason L842's power cars have different panels is due to it being formed after its power cars had their 1982 refurbishment.

The reason L840's power cars are different is because it was temporarily reformed in 1984, the year it was refurbished (53311 with 54355. 53322 and 59117 with 51180).

NEXT ISSUE : 19th July 2000

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