West Midlands Trains - A Modern Era Query!

[Millsy1707819711]

Hi all,

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As some of you may know from my previous posts, I am a modern Era Collector looking to replicate a layout and collection based on Trains seen in and around Birmingham and the West Midlands area during 2020 and onwards. 

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Currently My Collection Stands as below:

Hornby Class 66 - EWS Livery (Commonly seen)

Hornby Class 08 - EWS Livery (Almost Never Seen)

Hornby Class 67 - Colas Rail Livery - Charlotte (Haven't seen personally in the West Mids but I wanted a tester train that wasn't a HST)

Bachmann Class 70 - Freightliner Livery (Old)(Seen first hand coming into Bescot Yard in 2020)

Bachmann Intermodal Wagons x10

Bachmann Coal Fish/Other in EWS x4

Hornby Super GUV Network Rail x1

Hornby 3 New Network Rail Test Train Coaches On Pre-order.

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I am looking to keep the fleet as up to date as possible but would like some further ideas on what other locos/Rolling stock can be seen in and around the Birmingham/West Midlands area today. 

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If anyone could give me a few examples please let me know. I am currently looking at some modern era Passenger locos such as the 170 Turbostar in Cross Country livery however it is proving hard to find.

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I am also aware the class 08 is not "in Era" for my layout especially in the livery it is in however its used mainly for shunting and does the job I need it to do in small sidings lol. If Anyone can let me know what is currently used for shunting in yards like Bescot that would be great.

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Finally, I do also have some Virgin Trains Mk3 coaches in the classic Red/Black/White striped livery which I am Not sure what to do with as they don't particularly fit Time/Era. If anyone can show me somewhere they're in preservation or still used in that livery during 2020 that Would be amazing. Bonus points if it is in the West Midlands.

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Before I am slewed for it I have tried to do my research however I keep seeming To hit dead ends So I thank you in advance for all your support and help,

Millsy

[DBfan]

 If possible go to Water Orton a large number of freight trains pass through here with all manor of different TOC locos

[Millsy1707819711]

 If possible go to Water Orton a large number of freight trains pass through here with all manor of different TOC locos

Where in Particular at Water Orton?

[STG]

I can think of a few:

- Class 170 (modelled)

- Class 323 (not a model)

- Class 350

- Class 390 Pendolino

- Class 220 Voyager

(I'm a fan of multiple units, so I only know these)

I've never seen the Mk3s in Virgin Trains livery

[5Dublo2]

As DBFan has not yet answered the question about Water Orton. I'll have a go -  if you go to the station there is the central platform, a road overbridge and a footbridge that is separate from the station on the Eastern side of the road bridge and sits right on top of the junction. All trains are visible to all 3 of these locations so plenty of choice.  (There is/was also a footcrossing on the line towards Nuneaton, but you would not see all trains from there)

 

I have not been there this year but I have seen Class 66s pass there in 3 liveries (Freightliner, EWS and GBRf)

 

Have also seen: Class 43 (Cross Country, not sure if these still run) , Class 170 (Cross Country), Class 221 (Cross Country)

[DBfan]

 Sorry I have been tied up. the most obvious place is the station which should be an open station

[Millsy1707819711]

Thank you all for your support, I will be sure to check Water Orton out when I get the opportunity and appreciate The instructions @5Dublo2.

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@STG I am desperate for a class 170 3 car DMU in cross country livery However they are as rare as it gets so it seems. I have been on Bachmanns behind about it, calling and emailing as they were meant to release a new updated tooling 35-625 which disappeared magically.

[Millsy1707819711]

I have been taking a look for cross country trains class 170 and 220 however there just seems to be nothing second hand on the market what so ever. I think it must be one of Those highly sort after liveries like Colas Rail as anything that isn't rolling stock or a class 37 is hard to find (class 70 for example).

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Very unpopular opinion but I really don't like HST's when it comes to models. I don't know if it is the modern era in me or what but I really don't like them what so ever. they're always nice to see IRL mind.

[STG]

Ah yes,

I can't guess when the 170 will come out. People criticised Bachmann for how long it took them to produce the 158, and that was announced after the 170.

I think its been 8 years now since they first announced it, although a shorter time frame after they announced the new tooling.

The new model will probably be quite expensive, but for me the older Voyager, 158 and 170 (which all follow the same mechanism) are easy to add interior lights to on DCC. You can repaint 170s with ease, although the cross-country livery is one of the harder ones to model.

The Cross-country voyagers generally are a lot rarer than the Virgin Voyagers as models, so reasonable prices are hard to find. Haven't seen one in ages.

Oddly, the 170 seemed to have disappeared from Bachmann's website when they redid it.

[GWR LNER fan 4472]

Not forgetting Transport for Wales (ex Arriva Trains Wales) also operate in Birmingham. I don't think anyone's doing the new TfW livery yet, as they only took over from Arriva in October 2018. Mind you Hornby have got the ScotRail HST livery and that's a recent thing too.

 

Anyway, class 150s and 158s are available in ATW livery, which is accurate up to the TfW takeover, but if you want even more present than 2018, then removing the Arriva logos, but keeping the turquoise colours makes it a TfW unit.

[STG]

The TfW livery I can see being one of the easier liveries to recreate with resprays, given it consists of few colours and not circles

[5Dublo2]

Rather fortuitously, a member of the Facebook Group "UK Rail Scene" posted some images from Water Orton and 2 other locations  today - he caught a mixed bag of top-n-tailed movements as follows:

 

50007 tnt 50049 on 5Z50 0800 Eastleigh East Yard to Leicester LIP at Water Orton (both in GBRf livery)

20189 tnt 20205 on 5V16 1118 Derby RTC to Plymouth at Stenson Junction (both in BR Blue, but with unfamilar logos, not the BR ones)

37069 tnt 37059 on 5Z16 0900 Derby RTC to Derby RTC via Crewe at Marston on Dove   (both in DRS Livery)

The carriages being moved were light blue in one set and the two other sets both having some kind of mostly white carriages with red, black and grey flashesMaybe this info wil give you some other options to consider

 

[Millsy1707819711]

Oh wow thats good to hear, how lucky! 

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I will need to do some more research into it but definately something to consider.

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In regards to Transport for Wales and Ex Arriva trains, are the transport for Wales usually a 153 painted white with a red T in a black circle or something like that? If that's the case I just sold my 153 in London Midlands Livery so big RIP there. That could have been my first attempt at a repaint.

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Just to update everyone on the Bachmann 170 Cross Country Situation, I have spoken to them over the phone where they said it was put on the back burners as there was more interest shown in other models and there didn't seem to be a market.

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To translate the above: We don't have plans to produce soon unless more people start asking. So for anyone that wants to be a darling, drop bachmann a email asking for a Cross Country 170 please and thank you

[Millsy1707819711]

To update on my original query, I have decided to keep the MK3 Virgin Coaches and have decided to buy  "Sir Winston Churchill" Class 87 in Virgin Livery, soon to be followed by the matching DVT.

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Despite being a modern era fan and moddler, that Virgin livery in particular has always caught my eye as I distinctly remember it running a service through Birmingham New Street when I was a kid to Wolverhampton. This will most likely be one if not the only exception in my modern era collection.

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I currently have 5 Virgin MK3 Coaches and need to re-letter one of them. I was hoping for everyone's help with this as I am not sure how I would best go about doing this. Including Removing, re-applying and purchasing the transfers. I will try and post some photos below so you can all tell me what would be best where. 

[Millsy1707819711]

I can think of a few:

- Class 170 (modelled)

- Class 323 (not a model)

- Class 350

- Class 390 Pendolino

- Class 220 Voyager

(I'm a fan of multiple units, so I only know these)

I've never seen the Mk3s in Virgin Trains livery

Like Never seen Mk3's in Virgin Livery or like never seen them ever. If the prior, they ran in the 90's until 2004. specially on a line somewhere South of bham (not sure exactly where) through Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street and Terminating in Wolverhampton. Often in a Push Pull Setup with a DVT and a Class 87.

[STG]

 

To translate the above: We don't have plans to produce soon unless more people start asking. So for anyone that wants to be a darling, drop bachmann a email asking for a Cross Country 170 please and thank you

There are quite a few Class 170s out there, so I can see why Bachmann are a bit hesitent. Cross-country surprisinly aren't that expensive compared to the liveries sold limited edition, such as the Class 171 Southern units which can go for over £300 2nd hand, and they only have 2 coaches! Hence, I repainted my central trains 170 into a southern one.

Maybe they should use the tooling for another Class. Subclasses of the 172 are practically the same, with most electrostars having similar tooling, but shortened in the middle by 1 window, and a different cab.

[GWR LNER fan 4472]

Yes, the TfW 153s are seen in the white and red livery with a T in a circle. Just a quick image search for 'TfW class 153' should do the trick.

 

However, and this may be useful to you, TfW are currently borrowing a whole load of 153s from other Train Operating Companies as well as having bought some from GWR, so the liveries they currently carry are: TfW white and red, Arriva turquoise, First Great Western purple and pink (with TfW branding), East Midlands Trains purpley-blue, yellow and red. At least, those are the ones I've seen, I've lost track of how many units they have now!

[5Dublo2]

Looks like the Coaches with White with Red, Black and Grey Flashes that I mentioned in an earlier post about Water Orton were Loram Liveried Mk IIs - I suspect that livery is way too new to have been modelled I also now suspect the logo on th  BR blue livered Class 20s was also a Loram logo