'Thats another fine Mess?

Govia and the Great British rails muck-up!

Britain is suffering not only with rail union strikes, but also with the mess-up of a failed time-table on passenger routes and it not being thought out for freight also! Money will be lost if freight is delayed and one has to wonder about yesterdays incident at Loughborough Junction in SE-London in which three young men were killed by a freight train?

Many locomotive allocations are now in the wrong place and multiple-movements are to be seen across the network, one expects that Govia and Network rail with government help will get it right? The early trains for the cities are to short, causing packing and too much standing, while through the day they are long and empty!

Many other areas have lost their connections and a unwanted bus services have been implemented, while many people are either trying to get different shift hours or are just getting a taxi! It is not clear how this real mix-up is effecting engineering trains and the various works on the rails, which are both needed and essential to keep everything safe and moving?

What is happening to our Railways?

Commonality of Stock?

The British government claims that by 2020 all old stock and the Diesel fleet will be gone forever, but is this the whole truth or just a claim? One does fear that our railway stock will become so similar as our aviation has in recent years, that all will be so boring and there will be a loss of interest to filming the same trains?

Much is promised as each year their continues to be a hike in the fares, Wi-Fi on all trains, new track and signalling, new card reading machines and improvements of various types? One has to wonder will some of these rail companies end up like Carillion and bankrupt the nation of many promised projects?

Electric battery powered trains will be one future, if they work and so we will have to wait and see? The other interesting thing is that some companies are introducing locomotive hauled trains again, they claim for training purposes but perhaps not all the new stock is really working as well as hoped!

British Diesel Class 08.

'A Survivor.'

No matter where you travel across the United Kingdom mainland, Scotland, England, Wales and Kernow/Cornwall you will find this little locomotive in some corner of a yard on the mainline or in industrial use.

The BR/English Electric 0-6-0/Class 08 was built between 1955-62 by BR at Crewe, Darlington, Derby locomotive, Doncaster and Horwich works. 

She was fitted with an English Electric 6KT of 289 KW giving 400hp at 680 rpm. Continues traction was at 8.8 mph, weight between 49.6 to 50.4 tonnes. Her design speed was 20 mph, but she was restricted to 15 mph. Originally numbered D3000 to D 4192, now 080___

Initially three engines were given a reduced cab height at their conversion in Landore 1985-87, 08993, 08994, 08995.

Later on we will look at the Class 09 which was an off shoot version.