TPEX Class 68 & Mk5 Nova 3 fleet to be withdrawnDec 2023

[MJI]

14 hours ago, frobisher said:

 

A single Class 99 might though...

 

A ship?

[simon b]

1 hour ago, MJI said:

 

A ship?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_99_(locomotive)

[MyRule1]

26 minutes ago, MJI said:

 

A ship?

A perfectly good question. Those of use who knew TOP's in the early days will recall that the 9x series was reserved for special items: Steam, Departmental, training and ships - I guess the reason for the comment. The training items were imaginary loco's that you could send around the country in an early version of a virtual world.

[Hesperus]

I can see battery wagons becoming a solution to problems like Marylebone.  Either looking like a converted DVT or a bit like a diesel brake tender. 

 

Another place they could be really useful is in container terminals.  Electric hauled freight arrives, couples up to the portable battery (in the siding where it's charger lives) and then travels around the sidings as if it's a diesel.

[adb968008]

On 19/10/2023 at 16:58, newbryford said:

 

What about the 87s? (flickrpic)

 

What do 87’s have to do with mk5’?

 

threadrift ?

[black and decker boy]

6 hours ago, adb968008 said:

What do 87’s have to do with mk5’?

 

threadrift ?

Both could be running in Bulgaria?

[rogerzilla]

From a purely selfish modeller's point of view, the loss of the Nova 3 is sad because they were among the most interesting modern trains.  Obviously you can still model them, but only for a short defined period of history.  It also means Accurascale can't re-use the tooling for different liveries over the coming years.

[Wheatley]

On 19/10/2023 at 10:15, lmsforever said:

Reading above it seems as people are becoming more and more pathetic as the months go by.

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 defined 'nuisance' so loosely that the pathetic and their bandwagon jumping lawyers had a brief field day - horns, overnight freight trains etc were all fair game despite the fact that they invariably predated the complainant moving there. Readers with long memories may have noticed a jump in tabloid stories about church bells and cockerels around the same time, usually interspersed with the (also largely cobblers) "Elf 'n' Safety gone mad" stories about local authorities cutting down horse chestnuts to avoid conker shrapnel mass casualty events*.     

 

The Railways Act 1993 largely restored the status quo which recognised that railways were inherently quite annoying but necessary for the greater good (there's some case law from the 1890s allowing one of the southern constituent companies to frighten horses). That recognition is caveated though - it only applies to the operation of railways as railways. So your large fixed engineering facility (which just happens to service trains) can't test horns all night just for the hell of it whereas the first train of the day can blow it's horn at the public footpath crossing next to it. Likewise you can't leave your 68 on fast idle down the back of Falsgrave Rd all night just to keep the lights on for the carriage cleaners  (put a shore supply in) but you can throttle it up at 4am to move the stock into Scarborough station for the first Up service.    

 

*(The one I'm thinking of was one where some poor council somewhere copped hell for cutting down a tree on H&S grounds, the tabloid coverage ignoring the fact that this particular tree was in the middle of a dual carriageway and the issue wasn't the conkers at all - it was the half bricks and branches being thrown over the dual carriageway to dislodge them, and the hoards of small boys playing Frogger in the traffic retrieving them. Rotherham rings a bell). 

[Mike_Walker]

11 hours ago, Hesperus said:

I can see battery wagons becoming a solution to problems like Marylebone.  Either looking like a converted DVT or a bit like a diesel brake tender. 

 

Another place they could be really useful is in container terminals.  Electric hauled freight arrives, couples up to the portable battery (in the siding where it's charger lives) and then travels around the sidings as if it's a diesel.

It should be remembered that for the past month battery equipped EMUs have been operating successfully in passenger service in the UK.

 

The recently opened 1 mile extension to Merseyrail from Kirkby to Headbolt Lane is not electrified.  The 777/1 sub-class are used which have batteries which are kept charged up when running on in this case the 3rd rail (but it could be OLE) and provide more than enough power to make the round trip.  If successful, as so far it's looking good, then Merseyrail are looking at other possible extensions to its network using the same system.

 

There's no reason why such technology can't be used elsewhere such as accessing Marylebone and no doubt it will be although the prospect of an IET running from Newbury to Penzance on batteries isn't likely to come off even if a set is converted as an experiment as is currently being developed.

[Ian Hargrave]

52 minutes ago, Mike_Walker said:

It should be remembered that for the past month battery equipped EMUs have been operating successfully in passenger service in the UK.

 

The recently opened 1 mile extension to Merseyrail from Kirkby to Headbolt Lane is not electrified.  The 777/1 sub-class are used which have batteries which are kept charged up when running on in this case the 3rd rail (but it could be OLE) and provide more than enough power to make the round trip.  If successful, as so far it's looking good, then Merseyrail are looking at other possible extensions to its network using the same system.

 

There's no reason why such technology can't be used elsewhere such as accessing Marylebone and no doubt it will be although the prospect of an IET running from Newbury to Penzance on batteries isn't likely to come off even if a set is converted as an experiment as is currently being developed.

Indeed this is the system currently being installed in the South Wales Valleys upgrade.

[The Stationmaster]

On 23/10/2023 at 00:13, BernardTPM said:

What about linear induction as a modern equivalent to cable haulage?

...  or to teh atmospheric system?

[Artless Bodger]

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

...  or to teh atmospheric system?

At one of the Wembley exhibitions there was a continuously moving train / tram driven by an Archimedean screw between the rails,

https://blog.railwaymuseum.org.uk/the-never-stop-railway/

[simon b]

7 hours ago, rogerzilla said:

From a purely selfish modeller's point of view, the loss of the Nova 3 is sad because they were among the most interesting modern trains.  Obviously you can still model them, but only for a short defined period of history.  It also means Accurascale can't re-use the tooling for different liveries over the coming years.

They can, next release will be chiltern livery.

[Mike_Walker]

Sorry to disappoint, but my usually reliable sources say there is no truth in the rumours that the Mk5s are coming to Chiltern. 

[The Meerkat]

9 minutes ago, Mike_Walker said:

Sorry to disappoint, but my usually reliable sources say there is no truth in the rumours that the Mk5s are coming to Chiltern. 

 

i cant see them going to TfW tho id love that but cant see it

[Ian Hargrave]

53 minutes ago, The Meerkat said:

 

i cant see them going to TfW tho id love that but cant see it

Especially so when you consider the new stock being delivered from CAF & Stadler &that they’re passing on 27x175 units 

[The Meerkat]

5 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

Especially so when you consider the new stock being delivered from CAF & Stadler &that they’re passing on 27x175 units 

 

yes plus the mk4 sets,

[Ian Hargrave]

1 minute ago, The Meerkat said:

 

yes plus the mk4 sets,

Really ? Didn’t realise that .Things really are in a state of flux.

[Hesperus]

It's certainly been interesting to watch recently.  What used to be a never ending stream of 175s is now a random unit generator of 150/1, 158, 175 and 197 with regular 67+MK4.  Shortly after the Pacers left South Wales there were multi coloured trains of 153s too but they seem to have gone now.  As has most of the livery variety, they've been very quick to repaint the old units that are due to leave soon.

 

 

[black and decker boy]

1 hour ago, Ian Hargrave said:

Really ? Didn’t realise that .Things really are in a state of flux.

No, the mk4s are part of the long term fleet and IIRC are now owned outright by TfW.

 

the WAG train is going nowhere.

 

175s have now finished in terms of booked diagrams with TfW. The odd standby unit remains for now.

 

150/2, 153 & 158 continue waiting oblivion from the full 197 roll out & ultimately the 231/398/756 fleet once accepted and useable 

Edited October 24, 2023 by black and decker boy

[4630]

Comment in the November issue of Modern Railways on page 12 that CrossCountry "is considering taking on the fleet...".

 

Remains to be seen, of course, if "considering" actually amounts to anything specific in terms of a contract to lease.

 

[The Meerkat]

21 hours ago, Ian Hargrave said:

Really ? Didn’t realise that .Things really are in a state of flux.

 

you dont have deal with that part comrade in cardiff

[The Meerkat]

21 hours ago, Hesperus said:

It's certainly been interesting to watch recently.  What used to be a never ending stream of 175s is now a random unit generator of 150/1, 158, 175 and 197 with regular 67+MK4.  Shortly after the Pacers left South Wales there were multi coloured trains of 153s too but they seem to have gone now.  As has most of the livery variety, they've been very quick to repaint the old units that are due to leave soon.

 

 

 

so have all the 153s gone from TfW?

[Ian Hargrave]

29 minutes ago, The Meerkat said:

 

you dont have deal with that part comrade in cardiff

With what  ?

 

Not a party member

 

Not there.🤨

[Ian Hargrave]

47 minutes ago, 4630 said:

Comment in the November issue of Modern Railways on page 12 that CrossCountry "is considering taking on the fleet...".

 

Remains to be seen, of course, if "considering" actually amounts to anything specific in terms of a contract to lease.

 

The fleet. ?   All 27…..to replace and for which services ?   XC operate 170 and 220/221 which in terms of age are surely newer. And it ( so a member has recently posted ) is to receive 7X Avanti’s 221 as replacement for its recently withdrawn 125 ‘s.