The Railway Magazine – July 2019

July 2019 •The Railway Magazine•105

Stadler 755/4 approved for use by ORR

THE Office of Rail and Road

(ORR) has approved the use by

Greater Anglia (GA) of the Stadler

‘Flirt’Class 755 four-car bi-mode

multiple units.

These are the first Swiss trains

to be built for the privatised

railway, with testing only

starting in January.

GA has ordered 24 four-car

sets (and also 14 three-car, which

had not been approved when

The RMclosed for press), which

have been undergoing extensive

testing over the past few months.

The three-car sets will replace

the Class 153, 156 and 170 fleets

used on many local and rural

services in Norfolk and Suffolk, as

well as replacing the Class 37

loco-hauled train used on

Norwich toYarmouth/Lowestoft

workings.This loco-hauled

working is expected to be one

of the first to switch to Class 755

operation

GA is expected to introduce

the units into service some

time over the summer, and

temporary storage sidings are

being used for the new rolling

stock at Kimberley Park on the

Mid-Norfolk Railway.

GA’s head of corporate affairs

Jonathan Denby said driver

training was underway, but the

units also needed to complete a

period of fault-free running, plus

there were a few outstanding

clearance issues to resolve.

He added that barring a

problem, introduction was

“weeks rather than months away”.

Stadler is also building 20 12-

car all-electric units for GA.

Ten Class 745/0s will be used

on Norwich to London express

services, while the technically

similar Class 745/1 units have

a slightly different internal

configuration, with increased

luggage space, and will be more

suited to its planned Stansted

Express duties.

The Class 745s are also

expected into traffic later this

year, replacing Class 90 and Mk3s

on InterCity duties and Class 379

EMUs on Stansted services.

The first Stadler Class 745 No. 745002 EMU to have arrived in

the UK sits with three Stadler Class 755 bi-mode sets –

Nos. 755413/415/416 – at Kimberley sidings on the

Mid-Norfolk Railway on May 30. There are subtle colour

scheme differences between the all-electric Class 745 and

bi-mode Class 755, the former having more white on the side

of the leading vehicle.AUBREY EVANS

GBRf has 91 Class 66s

after Swedish purchase

FORMER Cargonet Class 66

No. T66.403 – already with

its GBRf number of 66790 – is

hauled from Immingham to

Longport EMD past North

Stafford Junction on June 3 by

No. 66741Swanage Railway.

At Longport the loco will get

the necessary modifications and

safety equipment to work on

Network Rail lines.

GB has bought two other

locos, which will become

66791/2.STEVE DONALD

New look for Stourbridge shuttle

BOTH of West Midlands Trains’Class 139‘people movers’have been

vinyled in purple & gold. Here, No. 139002 approaches Stourbridge

Junction on June 1.JOHN WHITEHOUSE

Disruption after Strawberry Hill depot derailment

SOUTHWestern Railway
Class 456 No. 456021 was
derailed entering the sidings
at Strawberry Hill depot on

the evening of May 29-30. It

blocked access, leading to

several services on May 30 being

cancelled or delayed. Recovery

teams worked to re-rail the set.

The other sets attached to the

‘456’are Nos. 455917 and 455741.

JAMIE SQUIBBS

Northern Class 331 set Nos. 331102 and 331105 at Doncaster on

May 31 during a break in driver training.ANDY STOPPARD

NORTHERN Rail’sClass 195 DMU

and Class 331 EMU were due

to be launched on June 26 and

June 28, at Preston and Doncaster,

respectively.

CAF is building 58 Class 195

(25 two- and 33 three-car) and

43 Class 331s (31 three- and

12 four-car) units for Northern.

Their introduction, on a rolling

basis, will allow the start of Class

142/144‘Pacer’units’withdrawal,

the first of which should have

been removed nine months ago.

All have‘Pacers’have to be out

of traffic by December 31 this year

because of legislative changes

relating to mobility.

Reports and pictures of the

interior of the new CAF-built

trains will appear in the August

issue ofThe RM(on sale August 7).

Northern choose Doncaster and

Prestonfor‘195’and‘331’launches

Stadler Class 755/4 No. 755409 crosses Reedham Swing Bridge on June 6

during a test run from Lowestoft to Norwich.KEITH FENDER

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