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That's certainly fortuitous timing. :)

That must have put four class 37s at Arisaig at noon when the LSL and WCRC workings crossed over, assuming the LSL service is running top and tail. Can't imagine that's happened often, or at all, over the decades, and especially not with a majority of 37/5s.

So far as I'm aware (and certainly according to the GC website), they're still operating as 5-car sets: 221142: 60392 60992 60986 60792 60492 221143: 60393 60993 60994 60793 60493

Indeed, quite a lot of them do already, usually an older class 47 (or comparable class 57) as it can provide train supply to the coaching stock. Even the rakes with a generator car included to perform that function will sometimes/often have a diesel on the rear for operational convenience and...

Gosh, I know a push-pull set made it as far as Oban in '81, but that was before the introduction of the Scotrail livery and I never thought I'd see one at Fort William. And of course the recently reliveried 37 is an intriguing eighties "what-if". Thanks for sharing these photos.

WCRC only offer half a carriage of compartments on the Jacobite, to be fair.

Unfortunately it's difficult to find anything that doesn't require a subscription to view. In case anybody does have a subscription to either Modern Railways or International Rail Journal, though, there are the links and relevant quotes below: The closest admonition from Grand Union that new...

Ooh lovely, great to see some new additions to this wonderfully nostalgic thread. Ah, back when Cross-country services had "bi-mode" capability: Presumably an electric loco south down the WCML to New Street, for a 'Hoover' forward to the South West. :) That's an interesting one, I haven't seen...

Always used to aim for the 153 on the one Snow Hill diagram that was booked for 170+153, as it was always the quietest carriage of the train in the evening peak. I know a colleague of mine used to do the same.

Appearance doesn't necessarily indicate reliability - For example, the Crosscountry Voyager fleet is one of the most reliable diesel fleets of their era, and consistently achieve higher reliability figures than the Avanti ones, particularly in the past couple of years. Presumably the active tilt...

There was a period of a month between 20th July and 24th August 2022 when the loco operated in its new livery before being named - it spent some time during this period hauling stone trains out of Tunstead. Like you I suspect the name will be tampo printed on the model, though I don't know for...

Yeah it's vehicle 74424, removed from set 458522. Currently adjacent to mark 3 sleeper 10591, which was recently removed from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for scrap.

They very much are renowned for reliability, and I'm unsure how you'd arrive at the opposite conclusion: The 22x fleets in general have consistently been amongst the most reliable diesel fleets in the country. The 222s in particular have been achieving miles between failures above 50,000 over a...

Yep, still in daily use. Ordered and owned by Royal Mail and built by ABB.

Yeah, that's a good point.

Certainly, it had crossed my mind that there were some Victorian-era prangs, or worse, that'd qualify for this thread. The 1889 Armagh disaster would count in that regard. I suppose it depends whether the definition of "railtour" is predicated on a train that is run primarily for enthusiasts...

It bears consideration, but it was a one-off out and back outing, outside of the public timetable, solely for passengers (in this case rail staff) holding tickets specifically for that train: Seems to fit all the criteria required to be defined as a railtour, even if the term wasn't in as...

That was going to be my first suggestion as well: A direct train ride from University, about as scenic as you can get in the West Mids, and Great Malvern itself is lovely.

Everything I've read, outside of Grand Union's website, suggests that service isn't due to commence until 2027 now, to accommodate the delivery of new bi-mode stock.

The rusted hulk of what appears to be an S160 has recently appeared at Cockshute storage yard, north of Stoke-on-Trent. That could be one of them, though I couldn't tell you which unfortunately.