The Railway Magazine – July 2019

8•The Railway Magazine• July 2019

Investigation begins after emergency

stop wheel damage on sleeper train

CALEDONIANSleeper and
carriage manufacturer CAF are
investigating an incident on the
evening of June 11 when the
wheel sets on 23.50 London-
Euston to Glasgow/Edinburgh
‘Lowlander’sleeper service
were damaged following an
emergency brake application.
It is understood the brake
application was involuntary,
resulting in a number of the
wheelsets on the train acquiring
‘flats’.
The brake application
was made in the Nuneaton/
Atherstone area, and after
inspection the train proceeded
to Stafford at 15mph, where the

service was terminated at 05.46.

Passengers were offered

a combination of road and

other rail services to get to

destinations. Caledonian Sleeper

said passengers would get a full

refund through the delay repay

scheme.The stock was taken

to Crewe for a more detailed

inspection along with plans to

re-profile the wheels, which was

later carried out in Manchester.

Cancelled

Because of the incident and

only one set of Mk5 carriages

operational, the Up Lowlander

on June 12 and following nights’

Down working were both

cancelled as was one alternative

workings each night until

June 21 when normal service

resumed.

The 75 carriages have been

built to replace the Mk3s, at

a cost of £150million, and

should have entered traffic last

year, but suffered a number of

delays and problems during an

extensive testing phase.

It meant the‘Lowlander’was

launched six months late on

April 28, but in the intervening

period, there have been a

plethora of other problems,

including depot and overhead

electrification problems,

coupling issues, shower leaks

and other niggling snags, on

top of operational delays.

Anger

Then adding to passengers’

woe, on June 22, the Up

sleeper (1M11) was cancelled at

Acton Bridge at 06.47 after an

unspecified train fault.

It was another train fault that

forced the cancellation at five

hours notice of the Glasgow

portion of the‘Lowlander’on

June 23, with passengers being

offered a road coach to Glasgow

or a Virgin train next morning.

The only service was the

Edinburgh portion.

Passengers have taken to

social media to vent their anger

at the latest series of delays, also

criticising Caldeonian Sleeper for

the lack of response to requests

for information when boarding is

late or trains are cancelled.

Scotland’s transport minister

Michael Matheson claimed the

wheelset incident was caused by

“incorrect setting up of the train

control management system”.

The introduction of the Mk

stock on to the‘Highlander’

service to Fort William, Aberdeen

and Inverness planned for

June 2 had already been put

back to July 7.

■See Overnight Sensation

feature on p43.

By Ben Jones

THE UK’s first hydrogen-powered

main line train moved under its

own power for the first time at

the‘Rail Live’event in June.

Porterbrook‘HydroFLEX’

demonstrator No. 799001,

extensively modified from

dual-voltage EMU No. 319001,

has been fitted with a hydrogen

power pack, allowing it to run as

normal on electrified routes, or

independently using fuel cells

to generate electrical current to

power traction equipment.

Zero-carbon

No. 799001 has been

developed by Porterbrook and

the University of Birmingham’s

Centre for Railway Research and

Education (BCRRE), and will be

tested on the main line following

the successful low-speed trials.

One car of the unit has been

fitted with four storage tanks,

fuel cells and two lithium-ion

batteries to create the

self-powered train, which it is

hoped will provide a zero-carbon

emission alternative to diesel

passenger trains.

Main line testing will be the

next step towards proving the

concept so Porterbrook can offer

‘HydroFLEX’trains to customers

in the near future.

The project has benefited from

technology and equipment

developed for the Class 769‘FLEX’

project, which is adding diesel

power packs to Class 319s to

create electro-diesel regional

trains.

Helen Simpson, head of

innovation and technical services

at Porterbrook, said:“The

Porterbrook team is delighted

to support the testing of

‘HydroFLEX’on the main line.

Huge step

“We have been very pleased

with how the train has

performed on the test track and

are looking forward to getting

on the national rail network.

Delivering the UK’s first hydrogen

train is a huge step for the rail

industry and marks a milestone

for green transport everywhere.”

Alex Burrows, director at

Birmingham Centre for Railway

Research and Education, called

the partnership between

University and Porterbrook

“a trailblazer”for academia and

industry, accelerating ideas into

Porterbrookwinshydrogenraceas

converted‘319’makespublicdebut

‘HydroFLEX’train No. 799001 during a demonstration at Rail Live.

DARREN FORD

practical application on the

railway.

The‘HydroFLEX’project has

recently been awarded funding

by Innovate UK through its First

Of A Kind (FOAK) competition

to take the prototype forward to

main line testing.

■Porterbrook has also

launched its Innovation Hub,

using an off-lease Class 319

to create a facility for small

and medium enterprises to

promote their products. Rail

Live saw 25 suppliers exhibit

30 new technology, products

and services on the train, and

Porterbrook is now calling for

suppliers to participate in its

2020 scheme.

DB CARGO is selling all six of its

Class 59/2 locos.

The company has set a

deadline of July 10 for offers

for the locos – Nos. 59201-206 –

which is says will be atWestbury

for collection.

The locos were built by EMD in

Canada in 1994/95 for National

Power to run its own coal and

limestone trains, and were based

at Ferrybridge.

Initially, NP took delivery of

one loco at the end of 1994, and

following trials, ordered five

more, which were delivered in

August 1995.

EWS took over NP operations

in 1998, which saw the loco’s

sphere of operation widen.

The locos have recently been

maintained by Mendip Rail at

Merehead.

The fleet is technically similar

to the other Class 59s, but has

an advanced slow speed control,

a different fire extinguishing

system, and a 75mph top speed

compared to the 60mph of the

other sub-classes.

DBCargotosellitssix-strongClass59fleet Coal trains cease to Cottam

GB RAILFREIGHT ran its final coal

train to Cottam power station on

June 19.

No. 66735 handled the last train,

which was a trip working from

Doncaster.

At its peak, coal to Cottam

came fromThoresby, Port of Blyth,

Greenburn (Scotland), as well as

imported coal via Immingham.

The power station is due to close

on September 30.

GBRf will continue to deliver coal

to the nearbyWest Burton A power

station.

Unless any more gypsum trains

leave the power station, the next

train on the branch will be the

UK Railtours‘Cottam Farewell’on

September 28.CHRIS BOOTH

GWRIETmakesrecord-breakingrun

By Keith Fender

GWR broke the record for the

Oxford to London route on

June 12 when it ran a special

high-speed non-stop train

for invited guests as part of

celebrations for the 175th

anniversary of the line opening.

The train was formed of IET

No. 802005 and made the

journey between Paddington

and Oxford in 37 minutes and

35 seconds.

GWR had achieved 38min

30sec in a non-passenger trial a

week before, on June 7.

The previous record is

believed to be 40min 45sec,

set in 1972 by the Class 252

prototype HST set.

The original GWR broad-

gauge line between London

and Oxford opened to traffic

on June 12, 1844 with a

terminus station at Grandpont,

south-east of the current

station and south of the River

Thames.

It remained in use until 1852

when the station at the current

site opened to trains from

London.

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