mjkerr

This is actually correct, just a shame the details appear to imply the Sealink livery was applied by Provincial, but that is incorrect On 04 January 1982 Bob Reid implemented the BR Business Sectors (Sectorisation) London & South East (which eventually became Network SouthEast) InterCity Provincial Freight & Parcels The InterCity livery was launched at the end of 1982, with one Class 86, one Class 87, the Lakeland Pullman set and one entire HST completed This initial livery was slightly modified and applied to one Class 47 before the end of the year but it wasn't until the beginning of 1983 that this livery was fully introduced By this time two HSTs had been completed, but they were hastily corrected The Freight livery was also launched the same day, by using a brand new Class 58 The Parcels services used mainly locos hired for passenger duties and so a livery for this was deferred until the Royal Mail contract was renewed, and on completion the livery was applied from 1988 As a result locos that were likely to be transferred in the near future had Large Logo Blue applied The LSE livery was also launched but was not well received by the travelling public Just prior to this Sealink wanted their own livery (as the then Director knew sectorisation was coming) and the livery was applied just BEFORE sectorisation The coaches were then allocated to Provincial, which a few days later was split into two with the subsidiary becoming ScotRail Sadly an assessment of the rolling stock was already underway at ScotRail (and Provincial) in preparation for Sprinterisation As a result it was decided not to immediately launch a livery, which in turn created its own issue ScotRail was about to launch and so a modified version of the InterCity livery was used, which was intended to ease transfer of rolling stock once the Sprinters had been introduced (as the remaining stock would be withdrawn) Sadly this didn't match any of the planned Sprinter liveries As a consequence of the late delivery of Sprinters and impending maintenance the TransPennine coaches received this livery

This is an early Mark 2 or Mark 2A coach Basically it is just an updated Mark 1 coach, hence why it retained the centre door Later versions of the Mark 2 coach saw an end to the centre door in order to increase seating and storage space and improve air conditioning suitability It would have been possible to see Mark 1 coaches mixed with Mark 2 coaches, but it would depend on the braking systems fitted to each coach and to a small degree the heating system In order to simplify this issue many Mark 1 coaches were converted from Vacuum braking to Dual Braking, whilst others from Vacuum to Air Braking

Excellent list, and shows how the pairs swapped between the routes However, could you pass on the message that the header is slightly incorrect : 1M16 2010 Inverness - Euston Between Edinburgh - Aberdeen Should read : 1M16 2010 Inverness - Euston Between Inverness - Edinburgh

Glasgow Queen Street will be closed for a minimum of 4 months in 2018 So initially 5 coach HSTs can be used Once Glasgow Queen Street reopens 6 coach HSTs can be used

This goes against DfT policy, as these services are provided by other franchises (anti-competitive, but that's another discussion) Overall the amount of intercity services departing Kings Cross will increase, thus the capacity increases, plus the frequency too However, with no major infrastructure changes or improvements the route will be operating at capacity and any failure of the route will pretty much impact it for the remainder of the day, and most likely the next day (hmm, does that sound familiar)

It depends on your view of the Pendolino The IEP is almost identical, except for the tilting feature Once the Virgin Trains East Coast livery is applied the general travelling public won't be able to tell the difference (almost similar to those that couldn't tell the difference between a Voyager and Pendolino)

If you read the eMail, does it not actually state that Virgin East Coast will be the first train company on which you can both collent and SPEND Nectar Points (at the moment you can only collect) The East Coast Rewards Points page certainly says this

The DfT have already advised that it is up to the franchisee what level of on-train service to provide DfT provide a rolling stock template, but the franchisee does not have to follow it (only provide it as a minumum service level) FGW have already advised they will not be changing the template, and this is where the confusion is occuring Virgin Rail have already advised they will be installing a buffet towards the middle of the train, at the sacrafice of 32 standard seats and one luggage bay, with NO at-seat trolley service on some services

I am of the opposite opinion, but have yet to see details The changes are being made due to the changes with external franchises, and is to ensure that primary connections are retained There are always pros and cons with such changes What really gets me is that once the final Inter City East Coast timetable commences in December 2018, the external franchise timetables will NOT be reviewed

In the summer of 2015 the HSTs will undergo (yet another) refurbishment, which will see them in use until 2018 This is really ironic as every new franchisee has had to perform this as soon as they have taken over the franchise The current lease ends on 31 March 2015 and has been extended to December 2018 There will be a major timetable change in December 2016 (external franchises), December 2018 (route changes) and December 2020 (Full IEP) IEP is due to be introduced throughout 2018 in a rolling program, on a like-for-like replacement basis, and will allow the HSTs to be returned to RoSCo (which suggests priority is being given to completing and introducing the Bi-Mode version) Once the HSTs have been replaced the remaining IEP will be allocated to known under capacity services, which will release some IC225 sets From December 2018 additional services will be introduced Although full IEP availability should be completed late in 2020 the first full timetable won't be applied until December 2020 The biggest initial change will be in 2019 when several non-stop long distance services will be introduced, due to the increase in fleet size It is expected these services will be operated by the retained short formation IC225 sets Kings Cross - Leeds (two in each direction on weekdays) Kings Cross - Edinburgh (two) Kings Cross - Newcastle (three) Ironically, InterCity used to operate similar services which GNER continued, and these were then passed over to HSTs There isn't much journey time saving, but in the same way as the 16:30 Euston - Glasgow can be used to promote a specific route journey time

The nectar fulfillment team are still awaiting details of how to import the third party (East Coast DOR) points into nectar However, spending nectar points will be available from 02 March at a rate of 200 points per £1 and will only apply to online ticket purchases Collecting nectar points will not change, apart from the change of routes (in the same way as Cross Country was integrated into Virgin Trains) The East Coast website (and Domain Name) will transfer straight to Virgin Trains There is already duplicate content, but this page is (as yet) not directly linked http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/virgintrainseastcoast/

Are you sure it was 47674, and not 47604? As an Inverness based engine in modified BR Blue it was very reliable (the same could pretty much be said for any Inverness based loco at the time) Towards the end of its Inverness allocation it had this livery updated with correct Large Logo, but smaller Class 37 sized numbers, but certainly better than the previous attempt It's transfer to Eastfield was inevitable, and as with all their other locos at the time heavily neglected It is possible on evaluation by Eastfield there were a number of faults and so was restricted in use, and programmed for overhaul There were other locos that were restricted in their use, and most were overhauled It was overhauled roughly June 1988, and finally painted properly into Large Logo Blue (along with curly 7) It was selected for conversion as it was the best of the remaining Inverness based locos

A little bit of history about this specific loco,47604, to see if it ties in with your use The loco was originally BR Blue but had the yellow ends filled in making easy to recognise allocated Inverness between July 1985 and May 1988 It was Eastfield based, repainted fully in Large Logo Blue and named on 03 August 1998 Note that on repainting the curly 7 were used It made many appearances on the sleepers prior to March 1991 It then returned to Inverness It was modified to a Class 47/6 in July 1991, primarily for use on sleepers, which resulted on both types of 7 being used! With the introduction of Class 37 on sleepers it was allocated to Crewe from September 1992 As you can see from the above, as 47674 it would most definitely be seen on the sleepers between July 1991 and May 1992 I can certainly remember it appearing in Aberdeen a few times

Full list : http://www.c37lg.co.uk/fleettext.aspx?strText=1M12 (Aberdeen - Edinburgh) http://www.c37lg.co.uk/fleettext.aspx?strText=1M16 (Inverness - Edinburgh) http://www.c37lg.co.uk/fleettext.aspx?strText=1S79 (Edinburgh - Aberdeen) http://www.c37lg.co.uk/fleettext.aspx?strText=1S25 (Edinburgh - Inverness) Oddly, I can't remember either of the Large Logo Blue locos making an appearance 37116 only made six appearances 37209 however made many more but only in the first half of 1992 Sadly it seems its use on the sleeper was the demise of this loco, and this same fate met other Class 37/0 over this four year period

I worked for InterCity East Coast, living in Aberdeen, based at Edinburgh The sleeper train was operated by InterCity West Coast (Sleepers) ICWC The on-board crew were employed by InterCity On Board Services (West Coast) ICOBS Each region would then bid to ICWC to supply the drivers and Senior Conductors, although the process was a formality for the sleepers Inverness sleeper : ScotRail driver Inverness - Edinburgh ScotRail conductor Inverness - Edinburgh ICWC (Edinburgh) driver Edinburgh - Preston ICWC (Edinburgh) conductor Edinburgh - Carlisle Aberdeen sleeper : ScotRail driver Aberdeen - Edinburgh ICEC (Edinburgh) Aberdeen - Edinburgh ICWC (Edinburgh) driver Edinburgh - Preston ICWC (Edinburgh) Edinburgh - Carlisle Due to the restriction of traction knowledge the ScotRail driver from Aberdeen - Edinburgh would arrive on the (Plymouth -) Edinburgh - Aberdeen, as would the conductor However, if this service was running late the conductor could travel on an alternative service, but an additional driver would then be required

Yes, the 37/4 and 37/5 were pretty much identical, with the Class 37/7 being much heavier However we referred to the Class 37/5 as "Ballasts" due to the higher power at lower speed and the issues when working with non-refurbished Class 37/0, not the actual ballast weights (as at the time there were only two Class 37/7 locos in Scotland)

Snatching was worst when a Class 37/0 was leading a Class 37/5 Class 37/0 Tractive Effort 156kN at 13.6 mph Class 37/5 Tractive Effort 184KN at 10.1 mph As a result when moving off the Class 37/5 has more power at low speed and pushes the Class 37/0 The Class 37/0 then pushes back on the Class 37/5, in effect the Class 37/5 becomes a large heavy weight in between two springs, and in turn the coaches behind are pushed back The longer the train the worse it is, and for a sleeper of 16 coaches the effects are felt worse from about coach 9 back Once the train is above about 30mph the effect has been overcome I remember having a discussion with a senior InterCity manager early in 1993 whilst travelling passenger from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, in order to work the southbound sleeper He was acting on reports of the issues with this Class 37/5 loco and wanted to experience it for himself On leaving Edinburgh we confirmed there was indeed a Class 37/0 and Class 37/5 combination (which would have been 37510) On arrival we met up with the station shunter and with the Class 37/5 sandwiched between the Class 37/0 and coaches The station shunter wasn't too happy at having to split the two Class 37 locos, run one round, and then reattach them Equally, he wasn't aware there was a difference, other than the Class 37/5 having its flush nose On our southbound journey there was some snatching, and even that he thought was too much However, on our northbound journey there was the normal amount, and he agreed it was excessive Sadly I didn't keep any photos of my Class 48 model

The initial plan, as at 1992, was for five Class 37 locos in INTERCITY livery 37510 was trialled at the end of 1992, as this was a more suitable loco in the long term (refurbishment and ballast) However, for the reasons explained above, snatching had been overlooked As a result it was joined by 37505 and 37683 (although I thought it was 37685), and later by 37685 By 1995 the Class 60 fleet had pretty much taken over the freight duties of Class 37 locos, so the above plan would have been implemented, and was working reasonably well In the event of a pair of these remaining Class 37 locos not being available then a Class 60 could have been used As it was Class 37 locos were still in use, and this even saw some Class 37/7 locos used towards the end of their use Sadly the sleepers never saw intended Class 60 use, the Generator Vans were just too unreliable I myself had a Lima Class 60 repainted into INTERCITY livery, and numbered 48001 It was present at Model Rail Scotland on the Aberdeen Model Railway layout one year, and certainly gathered a lot of interest

There were three Class 37/0 and four Class 37/5 in INTERCITY livery, used by InterCity : 37152 10 May 1992 37221 19 April 1992 37251 19 April 1992 37505 21 March 1993 37510 15 November 1992 37683 14 March 1993 37685 27 June 1993 You are quite right, I missed 37683 I've been trying to work out why! So I put the dates the locos were allocated to the IISA pool As you can see 37221 and 37251 were allocated to the IISA pool even before services commenced in May, so they could be repainted, and hauled the first southbound sleeper on 11 May 1992 (having worked Inverness - Aberdeen earlier) 37510 was initially a sole Class 37/5, but due to snatching was joined by two others four months later With the numbers of 37683 and 37685 so close I had overlooked the later arrival of 37685, but this is the only one I have photos of

ScotRail will be receiving 27 HSTs, plus a few spares (enough for one more set) Initially they will operate as 5 coaches, but this will be increased to 6 coaches once the refurbishment of Glasgow Queen Street is completed Equally, once Glasgow Queen Street closes the sets can be increased, but it has now been realised some of the sets could be dedicated to serve Edinburgh only and commence as 6 coaches Along with EGIP this will release all the Class 170 units to be returned to RoSCo The remaining services will be operated by Class 158, and most services will swap over to 4 car sets with a refurbishment to give them all the same internal layout as those based at Inverness (a hint as where they will all be based from 2018) Some Class 156 units will also be returned to RoSCo, the remainder will be overhauled and placed into semi-permanent 4 car sets The AT200 EMU will take over all the EGIP routes and Ayrline (hence the increase from 56 to 70 units when Abellio were confirmed as the new franchise holder) In turn this will release the Class 380 units and see their full use on the remaining infill Glasgow electrification projects The Class 314 units will then returned to RoSCo

37152 was complete, apart from the INTERCITY logos, it even had the swallows It was only planned for their to be five Class 37 in INTERCITY livery, but they had to be split into two sets of three Hence why 37152 did not have the INTERCITY logos (as only five sets had been supplied) Sadly someone didn't realise they were the same logos as used on Class 86 locos, but approval was not given for their use! There were only three Class 37/0 and three Class 37/5 in INTERCITY livery, used by InterCity : 37152 37221 37251 37505 37510 37685 Others were painted, but that was long after their use on the sleepers had ended (preservation)

I worked on the InterCity sleepers between 1992 and 1994 Pairs of Class 37 locos were used between : Edinburgh - Inverness Edinburgh - Aberdeen Initially there were two Class 37/0 (although the other two were nearing completion) in INTERCITY livery : 37221 and 37251 37221 had miniature snowploughs and round buffers 37251 did not have miniature snowploughs 37251 was named shortly after being painted into this livery Due to these being the only two Class 37/0, a third had to be repainted : 37152 Initially there were two Class 37/5 in INTERCITY livery : 37505 and 37510 Due to these being the only two Class 37/5, a third had to be repainted (to prevent snatching) : 37685 Now some history about how their use came about Prior to this a small fleet of Inverness based modified 47/6 had been in use However, they were to be transferred away and replaced by a general pool of pairs of Motherwell based Class 37 locos, and it was planned to replace these with Class 60 locos This would leave five Class 37 locos (later changed to three Class 37/0 and three Class 37/5) dedicated for InterCity sleepers, but Class 60 locos could also be used The majority of these locos were used on WCML freight On the sleepers Class 37 reliability became an issue Initially a spare Class 37 was held at Edinburgh (Millerhill) to resolve the issue, but even this became a struggle With enough notice a spare Class 37 was supplied from Motherwell, but any issue was usually only noticed as the northbound service was being prepared at Edinburgh and so no spare was supplied In the event one of the four Class 37 locos failed, then the Aberdeen would leave with one Class 37 to ensure the Inverness had two Class 37 Later Class 60 locos were used on WCML freight, but due to poor reliability of both Class 37 locos and Generator Vans (see below), they never saw their planned use on the sleepers There were also issues with the use of Class 37/0 and 37/5 locos together Due to the ballast on the Class 37/5 locos this resulted in snatching and complaints from passengers due to the poor starts from station stops This issue had been overlooked, as it was not an issue on freight trains, and as a result every effort was made to ensure they were not mixed which resulted in a third Class 37/5 loco carrying INTERCITY livery For the sleepers three Generator Vans were modified : 6311, 6312, and 6313 However, they were extremely unreliable and 6311 was dumped at Inverness after catching fire, while a decision was made whether to repair or replace it No sooner had this issue occured than 6313 developed a fault, and as a result it spent a lot of time on the Aberdeen service However, a few weeks later it too failed but was sent for repair Ironically on that service the sole Class 37 also failed (at Dundee) and so a Class 47/4 was summoned, the nearest being in Carlisle (arriving into Edinburgh nearly six hours late) With no ETH, this Class 47/4 was used for two weeks while this Generator Van was repaired At the end of 1994 it was decided to end the use of pairs of Class 37 locos, and Class 47/6 briefly returned from the 1995 timetable

As discussed in another topic, it's not actually that accurate (when compared to reference photos) I was considering it, not strictly correct for my layout, but for these reasons did not purchase one Equally, I have considered the standard version but couldn't find a suitable candidate for renumbering

The must-have modeller, will typically pay the premium price I can't quite remember how long the premium price discount has to be applied, from memory it is 10 weeks, thereafter the retailer can then sell the stock at any price they want This presents an issue for the modeller on what are expected to be high demand items, such as the Mark 2A TSO With respect to the Class 37/4, I don't expect there to be much too demand for 37406 (Triple Grey Distribution), but retailers may run out of 37407 (Large Logo Blue), and so prices may reflect that in 3 months time

All the raspberry ripple livery versions (InterCity, INTERCITY, and ScotRail) have these larger numbers and in what appear to be an incorrect font The same issue exists on their Class 156 in the original Sprinter / SuperSprinter livery The initial batch were delivered with SC prefixes and Inter-City logos They next batch were delivered with M prefixes and Inter-City logos, and later replaced with SC prefixes The final batch were delivered with M prefixes and Inter-City logos, and then transferred away These were the first coaches painted into the new ScotRail livery, so the logos were not changed It was only the Mark 3A sleepers that had their Inter-City logos either removed, painted over or adjusted For some reason they were all amended differently Equally, one of the sleepers 10680 was painted along with the TSO in the trial livery, but was not transferred out of West Coast duties as it was not a SLEP (no Pantry) and was subsequently repainted That just leaves the final phase of Mark 3A use, which was a variety of INTERCITY and those which had their logos painted over (along with some Mark 2F FO and Mark 2E TSO)