DRS Crewe On A Mission

Just out of interest what time did you see 66542 attached to the container train in Millbrook?

802 has a number on one end but not the other by the looks of it. faves-105624717@N03 70802 number.htm

Just found a photo with a number on what must be the other end of 802. So it looks like it's just missing the number on one cab end.

Thanks again Mick. Do you know if any other Colas 70s are missing the number off the cab end alike 802? Or is it just this one? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for confirming that Mick! I thought I saw this a couple of weeks ago when comparing photos of 70802 to another 70 and I thought I was missing something or going crazy haha! The factory must have just forgot to apply the number although I'm surprised Colas haven't got the Eastleigh Arlington fitters to add them on.

Yes hopefully there will be more coal trains running into Fiddlers Ferry soon. I have noticed that the one coal train you mention has been running with the Freightliner 66s and not the 70s. I think that the 70s are needed on the intermodal trains more at the moment especially with several 66s been dispatched to Brush Traction at Loughborough and Midland Road for heavy exams, overhauls, cab repaints and the fitting of new LED lighting. Whereas the 70s have already had modifications done so that they don't catch fire and fail regularly and the problems seem to be near enough ironed out now.

Your more than welcome. I was thinking it would be route learning because it's very rare you get a light engine movement from Midland Road to Fiddlers Ferry and return. I think that has only happened on a small handful of occasions when possibly no other locos were available at Basford Hall to dispatch to Fiddlers Ferry. Even then there wouldn't be a path to Fiddlers Ferry and a return both been light loco movements, it would be just a light engine move there and then onto the coal trains. Yes it's common that Freightliner do loco swops in Latchford Sidings. Although I haven't seen this myself I have seen several photos with two locos and several drivers in them changing the loco on the coal trains. Then normally the loco that has been detached from the coal train will run light engine to Basford Hall for maintenance.

The headcode for todays workings were as follows: 0Z46 Leeds Midland Road to Fiddlers Ferry returning as 0Z47 Fiddlers Ferry to Leeds Midland Road. 0Z46 was an STP while 0Z47 was an VSTP. That indicates that the return light engine movement (0Z47) might not have been planned too far in advance and looks like it was just inputted into the system very last minute. Maybe 66623 was to remain at Fiddlers Ferry until a very last minute change? The loco could possibly be used for road learning meaning that when complete it is returned to Midland Road so it is available for other duties until the following day? However it's very rare that the working too and from a location alike the above 0Z46 and 0Z47 movements are two different types of trains paths (STP and VSTP). I have just checked the same two paths for tomorrow and it's the exact same arrangement as above (alike today) which again is very rare. It's also rare that any loco from Midland Road is dispatched to Fiddlers Ferry although recently there has been occasional light engine movements to Stoke Grifford from Midland Road when normally light engine moves to Stoke Grifford originate from Basford Hall.

70010 6M02 Portbury Coal Terminal to Rugeley

I would like to think that the Chiltern livery will appear too. I'm not that fussed about buying one in Chiltern livery but I maybe tempted as I think all of them have now worked engineers trains off Crewe to replace DRS liveried 68s which have been unavailable or they have been on test with a DRS liveried 68 so it might be worth buying one to add some interest and variety

All sounds good Jim! That would look very good above the station and lines

More fantastic work as always Jim! I really like the track plan! The dead end line where the Colas 66 and oil tankers are looks really good and adds a lot of interesting shunts and manoeuvres to the layout. Then the idea of the 66 running back to and from the depot which is at the other side of the main running lines is also great! The depot area you have is it just going to be for Colas traction or other FOCs too? Are you thinking to put a car park on the raised board in the corner just after where the Colas 66 is parked or is this going to be next to where the 66 is parked?

Thank you for letting me know. I am really looking forward to this model now! Dapol have a really good opportunity here to produce a brand new loco in not one scale but two (00 & N Gauge). They also have an opportunity to produce at least two liveries (DRS & ScotRail) and if they have permission from Chiltern a third livery been Chiltern grey and silver. This could really give them an opportunity to impress and I hope they seize on it. I for one will be buying a few of these Class 68s in 00 Gauge. If the Chiltern livery is released I think I am going to give this a miss just because I don't have anything to run with Chiltern 68s. Any DRS & ScotRail liveried 68s though I will definitely be buying

Just out of interest has anyone heard anything more about the release of the first batch of the Dapol Class 68s in 00 & N Gauge? I have just checked the Dapol website and it was the 9th of June when it was posted onto the news page about the ScotRail liveried Class 68. From a quick check this appears to have been eight weeks ago today. The Class 68 page has remained the same for a few months now and says "In tooling now. Awaiting permissions before confirming models". A few weeks ago I bought three 00 Gauge ScotRail liveried MK2 coaches to run with a ScotRail Class 68 when it is released. I did say I was just going to use my Compass coaches with the ScotRail 68 to save money but I just couldn't resist buying the coaches in such a fantastic striking livery to match 68006 and 68007. I'm hoping to buy another batch of three soon to create a prototypical rake of six ScotRail MK2s to be hauled by 68006/68007 or both Really looking forward to the Class 68 in 00 Gauge now!

Fantastic work Jim! I completely agree I would leave it just like the photos above. I don't think you can do much better than that! Spot on. Like you say even in the photos above just roughly put together it looks really good so by the time you have got the track and points laid, buildings added and the car park, taxi rank etc it will look fantastic! I really like the idea of the additional third line into the station that runs between both platforms. I have always liked this idea as the train/loco is very close to the platforms at both sides and makes for interesting views and photos. I also really like the point work which runs into the station and gives you access to the depot and oil sidings. It would be good for shunting with the Colas oil trains Don't think you could have done any better! Keep up the good work!

I'm just thinking if you bring the lowered board up to the same level as the other board this will open up a massive amount of opportunities such as the subway, a retail park and takeaways like McDonalds and KFC. That way you can avoid having a load of track altogether and it provides a good place for you to detail. Your also doubling the space you have to play with and therefore you will be able to make more beneficial use of it.

Yes I understand what you're saying Jim about the points restricting the length of platforms. Unless you added some of the small Peco straight sections of track to the Y points to bring the lines out further so that the platforms could be made longer at both ends? Yes the Bachmann shed with the station platforms did look really good. Yes so maybe you could consider how many tanks you have so that if you were to create a bay platform you would know the length that it would need to be in order to shunt and accommodate the tanks to back them in. I think the front board been the same level as the one where the station is going to be would be very beneficial. You can add extra track and lines for your station if you require more space and yes you could then use the rest of it for a subway and/or retail park. What were you going to use the board which is lower for? I agree I think it might look a bit odd if there were several levels of road scenes on one layout so I would go with the second option of linking up what you already have.

Current locos on the Cumbrian Coast trains are as follows (according to TOPS). 37401, 37402, 37409, 37423, 37603. 603 has just been released from Kingmoor following repairs since the open day. 402 failed a few days ago and was replaced by 37610. 402 has now been repaired and is back on the diagrams. 610 has been removed at Kingmoor.

Have you considered using two Y points to start off at each end of the board in the photo above? Then you can have two lines running through the station area which then link back into one line after the station area at either end. You could then add platforms at either side of the two lines running through the station. Although you probably wouldn't be able to have a platform in the middle of the two lines unless you brought the track out further and wider after each Y point. You could have the middle area between the two lines in the station as overgrown/vegetation which is something we see a lot of nowadays which would add realism to the layout. Unless you have two main lines running through the station and platforms at either side and then a small line to the rear of the board that could be used as a dead end siding to park 150/153 passenger trains if you have any or something small. You could maybe even park a couple of 66s or 70s there like what you see at Crewe when locos are shunted and manoeuvred over to and from Gresty Bridge. I suppose it gives more of a sense of something extra happening. Hopefully you would have enough room for this option. So that's two main lines running straight through with platforms either side then a small siding to the rear of the board to store passenger trains or 66s/70s or whatever. The board in the photo that's lowered could you bring this up to the level of the one where the station is going to be? This would then give you extra space to use for lines/sidings extra in the station and you could also add some buildings so that it isn't all just track. Maybe like a small retail park if you have the room or just a couple of takeaways like McDonalds and KFC? After all near quite a lot of main stations you see either a retail park or takeaways. Hope this is of some help and use Jim.

I suppose that is a possibility. It just makes you think about the 37/4s when they will probably only need six and that's with two spares. They will probably use the remaining four on flasks alike the 37/6s as I don't think it will be long before some of these will be entering the works for overhauls and extensive repairs. I heard the same about 413. So yes that's potentially another 37/4 for DRS.

Thanks for the info. What I am really interested to know is why when DRS already have seven active 37/4s then 422 when it returns to traffic and 407 and 424 when overhauled and repainted they are increasing the number of 37/4s on there books. I could understand if the Cumbrian Coast trains and the Anglian trains were going to be 37/4 hauled permanently but they aren't because once the DBSOs are repaired and ready for traffic they will only need four 37/4s to cover Cumbria and Anglia trains. So what do they plan to do with the remaining six? I mean even if they had a spare 37 at Barrow or Kingmoor for the Cumbrain trains and a spare at Anglia they would still have four left over. Are we thinking that they will be used on general freight traffic like flasks?

Thank you for letting me know. It probably doesn't cost the operator with the failed loco as much as what I thought then. I was thinking a fine to be paid to Network Rail or something along those lines (no pun intended). It's good that the money paid to the other operator isn't too much as this doesn't have too much of an effect on the operator with the failed loco. So really when it comes to these situations the FOCs have to work together even if they are rivals. It also provides an interesting experience for the drivers involved as it's not every day you have to "shove" a train from behind.

So last night a DBS 90 failed on the cars, a Caledonian electric loco failed on the sleeper and 66710 also failed on the sleeper going the other way? Am I right in thinking that the operator is fined for loco failures?

Thanks for that Jim. I would think the rear 37 would be either 401 or 409 as 402 was already on a set yesterday as that's the one you went on with DBSO 9705. Wonder if the DBSOs have been removed at Barrow?

37401, 37402, 37409, 37423 are all showing Under Genius Control this afternoon. Has there been problems with DBSOs 9705 and 9707? Have they been taken off of the trains?