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Wickham trolley

Hundreds of these motorised trolleys were produced for British Railways (where it was known as the No. 27 Gang & Inspection Trolley) and the MOD/Ministry of Supply for use as personnel carriers transporting workers along the track and for lineside inspections.
D Wickham 9688/1965 at Rowsley South, Peak Rail


Information
Number built: Over 600
Built: 1948-90
Builder: D Wickham
Motor: Various petrol engines
Wheel arrangement: 4wPMR

Early trolleys were powered by a vee-twin JAP engine with a friction drive, later trolleys were powered by motor car engines from Ford such as the 4-cylinder E93A which was used in the Ford Anglia, and were fitted with a gearbox. The trolleys could also haul trailers containing equipment. 

Although no longer used by Network Rail, many have been preserved and are used by preserved railways for the same role intended on the mainline.
Wickham trolley at Highley, SVR

Another view of 9688


Class 222 Meridian

The Class 222 Meridian is similar to the Class 220 and 221 in being new generation high speed diesel units, though the Meridians have a different interior to the other units with more space available due to more components being fitted under the floor. They were originally built for Midland Main Line and Hull Trains [1].
EMR 222 012 at Derby

Information
Number built: 143 cars (23 4, 5 and 7-car sets)
Built: 2003-05
Builder: Bombardier Brugge
Motor: Cummins QSK9R diesel per car
Power: (222/0 7-car) 5, 250 hp (3, 920 kW)
(222/0 5-car) 3, 750 hp (2, 800 kW)
(222/1) 3, 000 hp (2, 240 kW)
Formation: 7-car : Driving Motor First (DMF)+Motor First (MF)+MF+Motor
Standard Shop Buffet (MSRMB)+Motor Standard (MS)+MS+
Driving Motor Standard (DMS)
5-car : DMF+Motor Composite (MC)+MSRMB+MS+DMS
4-car : DMF+MC+MSRMB+DMS

After the franchise change on the Midland main line they were transferred to East Midland Trains. The Hull Trains units (which were known as "Pioneers") were later transferred to EMT. Now they are operated by EMT's successor East Midlands Railway.

They work the majority of East Midlands Railway expresses out of London St Pancras. The Meridians come in a number of different formations (see above).
EMR 222 008 passes Syston


EMR 222 010 at East Midlands Parkway

A Meridian passes through Duffield

222 005 at Leicester in EMT livery

222 104 in EMR livery at Derby


[1] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 177

Class 53 Falcon

Falcon was a prototype locomotive which, like the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company's Lion, ultimately led to the Class 47. The prototypes were produced for British Railways who had wanted a second generation Type 4 diesel locomotive which was lighter than the first generation locomotives like the Class 45. Falcon was powered by a pair of high-speed Maybach MD655 diesel engines, which were used in the Class 52, though with electric rather than hydraulic transmission in Falcon's case.
Falcon [4]



Information
Number built: 1
Built: 1961
Builder: Brush Traction
Motor: 2 Maybach MD655 diesels
Power: 2, 880 hp (2, 150 kW)
Wheel arrangement: Co-Co

Falcon began testing in late 1961, and continued being used for testing and development during the early 1960s. Falcon's external appearance was supervised by the external agency Wilkes & Ashmore [1] as was Lion, hence the external similarities though Falcon was painted in a much more sensible two-tone green livery than Lion's bizarre all-over white! 

Although Falcon worked well in tests, advances in engine technology overtook it. BR was able to get the required power from a single unit in the following Class 47 with resulting cost and maintenance savings, BR having a preference for slow-speed diesel engines [2]. Falcon remained with BR however, usually working alongside the Class 52 fleet in BR's Western Region [3]. 

BR bought Falcon off of Brush in 1970, it was given the TOPS classification of Class 53 though did not carry TOPS numbers. Falcon continued in service until 1975 when it's non-standard nature resulted in it being considered uneconomic and it was withdrawn. Falcon was scrapped in 1976.

[1] David Lawrence, British Rail Designed 1948-97 (Ian Allan, 2016) p. 130
[2] Bruce Peter, The Changing Face of British Railways (Lily Publications, 2018) p. 95
[3] Colin J Marsden, Diesel & Locomotive Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2011) p. 38
[4] "A study in diesels", Meccano Magazine (February 1964) p. 585

Lisbon Standard Tram 730

Lisbon 730 is a former Lisbon Standard tram which operated on the city's 900mm gauge electric network. The tram was imported into the UK in 2004, initially intended for the preserved Seaton Tramway.
730 waits for some passengers


Information
Number built: 35
Built: 1930
(#730 Converted) 2004
Builder: Carris
Motor: 2 Metropolitan-Vickers electric motors (DC OHLE)
Power: 90 hp (67 kW) 

Lisbon 730 instead ended up at the Wirral Transport Museum and runs on their line near Hamilton Square as the only single decker in their operational fleet. It entered service in 2007. The tram's four wheel Maley truck was converted to standard gauge. A sister tram, #715, has also been preserved in the UK, it is currently in Southampton.
Another view of 730


Class 70 (SR/English Electric 1,470hp Co-Co DC Electric Type CC)

These locomotives were built for Southern Railways / BR Southern Region originally intended for mixed traffic work [1]. The first, originally known as CC1, was built at SR's Ashford Works in 1941, various delays meant the second CC2 was not completed until 1945. The third locomotive was built at BR's Brighton Works in 1948 and had a number of differences over the two earlier locomotives, being slightly longer and with flatter front ends. It also had some equipment changes including a larger boiler for heating trains.
The third locomotive [2]



Information
Number built: 3
Built: 1941, 1945, 1948
Builder: SR Ashford / BR Brighton Works
Motor: 6 EE245 electric motors (660-750v DC third rail)
Power: 1, 470 hp (1, 100 kW) 
Wheel arrangement: Co-Co

The locomotives included a flywheel driven generator, known as the "booster unit", to help prevent the locomotives being stranded by short gaps in the third rail electrification. The locomotives also had a pantograph for operating in goods yards where third rail could be dangerous to railway workers.

The locomotives spent most of their time working passenger trains and were reliable locomotives. They were withdrawn in 1968 due to the small size of the fleet. None were preserved. They were later classified as Class 70 under TOPS though did not carry TOPS numbers, Class 70 was later reused for a Type 5 diesel locomotive.

[1] Brian Haresnape, Electric Locomotives (Ian Allan, 1983) p. 36
[2] Railway Notes (Meccano Magazine January 1949) p. 13

Class 155 Super Sprinter (Leyland Provincial Sector 2-car)

The Class 155 was a development of the Class 150 Sprinter DMU with longer bodies (twenty three metres) for longer distance Provincial Sector routes [1]. The Class 155 had a low-density seating interior and used a riveted bus like construction style. The original batch of thirty five sets were originally allocated to Cardiff with a follow-on batch of seven ordered for the West Yorkshire PTE, these still remain in service with Northern.
155 341 at Harrogate

Information
Number built: 84 (42 2-car sets)
Built: 1987-88
Builder: British Leyland
Engine: Cummins NT855R5 diesel per car
Power: 570 hp (430 kW)
Formation: Driving Motor Standard Lavatory (DMSL)+Driving Motor Standard (DMS)

The original thirty five Class 155s are no more however, they were converted to create seventy Class 153 single-car DMUs [2] to replace the ageing fleet of first generation railcars. 

The Class 155s have not been without their problems, the length of the cars plus the production methods used means that some warping and sagging has occurred in some coaches (a problem some 153s also have have). The doors also caused some problems early on, the fleet having to be withdrawn from service at one stage until the problems were rectified.
Another view of 155 341

[1] Brian Haresnape, Diesel-Multiple Units (The Second Generation & DEMUs) (Ian Allan, 1986) p. 79
[2] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 137

Hunslet Engine Company 9409-9429 (Channel Tunnel)

Many locomotives were required for the construction of the Channel Tunnel, one of the largest engineering projects in history. The Hunslet Engine Company built these narrow gauge (900mm) electric locomotives for hauling spoil trains during the construction.
RA36 (9423/1990) now preserved at NRM York



Information
Number built: 20
Built: 1989-90
Builder: Hunslet Electric Company
Motor: Electric motors (battery or OHLE)
Wheel arrangemnt: 4wBE/WE

Twenty locomotives were built. They could operate by getting their electricity from overhead lines or using their own batteries.
Another view of RA36