Week Review ~ 30th August 2015

Hi folks, Harry here to cover the admins who're on vacation. For my fourth and final post this week, I bring you all the Weekly Review. I haven't done one of these in a while, so apologies in advance if it's slightly different to the usual style. There isn't too much to report, so we shouldn't be here too long!

NEWS: Anyway, without making you wait any longer, we firstly turn our attention to the main Railway News of this week. BONG! 

Ian Sharman
In East Anglia, the Short Set is still going strong and 37422/37425 currently power it. 3 MK2s (including 5991 ans 6118) for it. A reminder that the short set (loaned from DRS) is used on a specific Weekday diagram between Norwich and Great Yarmouth or Norwich and Lowestoft, dependant on whether it needs maintenance or is actually serviceable. On Saturdays the set operates the additional Summer services to/from Great Yarmouth. The other DRS Class 37 based at Norwich, 37059 is used on stock movements to/from Wolverton.

Also within the region, a temporary ticket office is open at Cambridge, whilst the main office receives a refurbishment. This is apart of a major investment by Abellio Greater Anglia, which we reported on a few weeks ago.
On Friday, at 06:40, a West Coast Rail Tour departed Bishop Auckland in the North West (near Newcastle) bound for Great Yarmouth. Formed of 47851, 47786 and approximately 10 MK2 carriages (also in WCR livery), this unusual sight for customers arrived at Great Yarmouth (Platform 4) at 14:57 before returning back on the 16:30 from Great Yarmouth.

The Short Hauled Set earlier this year. (C) KL47576
We look Further Afield for the last few pieces of news this week. FirstGreatWestern locomotive 43188 is at Derby for repaint into the green GWR livery, Class 323s are scheduled to transfer to the Midlands from Northern when the lease expires in 2018 and Admin Andy tells me that GBRf locomotives 73107 and 73136 have been named Mhari, who's one of the GBRf managers, and Tracey (the latter unit) who's a Team Organiser. Both staff are based at Peterborough).

Finally: the RailTour we mentioned last week has reportedly raised £30,000 (at least) for charity, states Richard Clinnick; the night tube's delayed and tube strikes planned for September; the Bolton to Blackburn line reopened; a  number of new services are planned for SouthWestTrains; in Scotland, £1.5 million has been put aside for Station regeneration; and also the development of the VivaRail D-Train continues.

POSTS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED THIS WEEK:
We've had a variety of posts this week on the blog. Some of which you may have missed, especially if you've been enjoying this hot weather (we can't resent you though - make the most of this rare spectacle). On Monday - I provided you with the latest Model Rail update; on Tuesday I made the London Waterloo Focus post; Wednesday saw a visit Further Afield, to Bognor Regis; Thursday, a Class 444/450 focus by Liam; on Friday the blog turned its attention to Horsham station in Kent; and then Yesterday Lucas created a Cardiff Central station focus. That's your low down of the weeks posts, condensed into a paragraph.

DRS - (C) Liam
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH:
As we reach the end of the month, I also announce some of our most popular posts. These posts, one from each admin, include: General Updates, the Class 321 Investment programme, AGA and DRS Updates, the Clapham Junction Station Focus and the Arriva Trains Wales TOC Focus. Finally, thank you to our readers this month as we reached over 8,000 pageviews this month - a colossal record.

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:
These posts include: an Engineering Summary for September 2015, Andy's Week Review and another of Lucas's TOC Focus posts. 

Phew! What a week! That's all from me this week, I'm back again tomorrow. That's all folks for now. 
Regards:

Our Popular Posts....

07/02/17: Recent Goings On

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Harry Here, Summarising Some Of The Interesting Fleet News Between Oct 2016 and Spring 2017...... 10/2016: 142073 heads to  Doncaster for overhaul , as all ArrivaTrainsWales are going into the new livery gradually. 27/01/2017: 37423 and an extra DRS MK2 arrive at Norwich from  Derby, for Short Set usage.  Meanwhile, 68021 and 68016 arrive to take over duty's on the 68 Hauled Anglia Short Set, because 68025 and 68005 both need exams.  01/17: Virgin East coast finish the overhaul of all 45 trains! 
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Abellio Greater Anglia to Abellio East Anglia

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As Many Of You Are Aware, The AGA Franchise Renews This October For Services In East Anglia, Including To Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. Abellio Continue The Franchise, But Renamed East Anglia Ltd.  Greater Anglia, as it was at first, began in February 2012 - operating the short term tender which was due to expire in July 2014. However, the Government later extended this franchise, and it then became the rebranded Abellio Greater Anglia.
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Reminder: Stock + Service Changes, Abellio East Anglia.

IN SUMMARY: - Free Wi-Fi on Many Trains and also an  improved WiFi service at stations .  - Additional seats on trains across the network, by increasing train lengths and capacity.  - CET toilets, so waste isn't flushed onto tracks. This is already on MK3s.  - Increasing train punctuality and performance. - Entire fleet replacement (stated below), so other units are displaced or withdrawn. - Norwich to Cambridge trains extended to Stansted, and Sudbury branch lines running to Colchester. - Lowestoft connections to London Liverpool Street reinstated, using the electro-diesel units, four times per day. - Trains half hourly to Great Yarmouth, plus later connections to Sheringham and Lowestoft.
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Exclusive ~ VirginTrains ~ Penguilino & Claus 91

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To get into the Xmas spirit, Virgin Trains have unveiled East Coast  82209 & 91128  and Virgin West Coast revealed Pendolino 390013 in their Winter-style livery, as designed by Madeleine Deakin (aged 11) and Amber Maxfield (age 9) whom won a competition earlier this season.  The units were unveiled at London Kings Cross this morning and will remain in the livery until January. Claus 91, as it's been named, operates on the East Coast mainline between Kings Cross and Scotland via Penguinborough, whilst the Penguilino can be found on Virgin Trains West Coast services between London Euston and The North (North Pole) via Ho Ho Crewe.
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SOUTH - Last Day of Class 458/0 Operations

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©Liam Jenkins Good Evening, Liam here, offering you a post regarding the last day of South West Trains Class 458/0 service. Enjoy! On Sunday 8th November 2015, South West Trains operated the last day of Class 458/0s on the units' final day of operations. These units are to be sent to Doncaster Works, where they will be refurbished with the Gatwick Express Class 460s into a new Class 458/5 class.
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Special - Rebuilding the 1960's Class 73's.

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It's Friday, and today's post is a special! Not as I'm here (Andy)... Class 73's were built in the 1960's and generally used in the Southern region. In 2013, it was announced that GB Railfreight would initially be re-building 5 Class 73's to make them Class 73/9's. The complete re stripping and rebuilding has taken place at Brush Traction in Loughborough.  The Class 73/9's first started testing in late 2014 (73 961 - 965) as there had been some issues, however they were all resolved pretty soon. The 73/9's are intended to work infrastructure trains (test trains under Network Rail) and also to be used on Rail Head Treatment Trains. As a result of the rebuild, it has given the Class 73/9's up to 25 years more in service, and more 73/9's are to be released over the coming months which should see them introduced on to the Serco Sleeper eventually!
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Peter Skuce Reports (6A)

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Chiltern 168. (C) P Skuce. Peter. Part A is for the Chiltern Line Modernisation. Part B will lead from this. During the 1960s British Railways built forty one, 4 carriage Class 115 DMU trains for the London Marylebone – Aylesbury Chiltern Line. One trailer carriage had entirely Standard Class accommodation with 106 seats, whilst the other trailer carriage was a composite, featuring First Class cabins with seating to the 2+2 layout and Standard Class with two toilets. They were powered by Leyland Albion engines, with mechanical transmission and their maximum speed was 70 mph. A new maintenance depot was built at Aylesbury to accommodate the trains.
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