News from HDL

Unit 1001 is currently...

…at St. Leonards Depot.

We are now taking bookings for the HDL Thames Tidal railtour on Saturday 31 March 2012.

On Saturday 17 December 2011, our train operated the Olympia Express Charter.

On Saturday 3 December 2011 it operated our pre-Christmas Old Curiosity Mystery railtour. An illustrated report has been published.

The DEMU Diary contains details of all workings on the main line since March 2003. See also the HDL Railtour archive.

Our train has six vehicles re-certified for main-line use, including the CEP coach and Buffet car. See the Current fleet status of CDL for further details.

The unit’s formation at the depot is:
[Ashford end] 60116 Mountfield - 60529 - 70262 - 69337 - 60501 - 60118 Tunbridge Wells [Bexhill end]

This “rolling news” article is correct to 15:10 GMT on Tuesday 31 January 2012

News articles

News articles which are fresh, still being updated, or still current and relevant, are linked below. Older news articles, all closed, have been placed in the News Archive.

Archive

Older news articles, all closed, have been placed in the News Archive.

 

Visits to St. Leonards Depot

Since 18 May 2003, St. Leonards Depot (leased and operated by HDL’s sister company St. Leonards Railway Engineering Limited) has been playing an increasingly active role as an operational railway depot, dealing as it does with the day-to-day fuelling, cleaning and examination of Southern’s fleet of DMUs, among other tasks. As it has thus become in effect a “main line” depot, with trains arriving and departing from/to the Network Rail network at all hours, we regret that casual visits are not possible. We thank you in advance for your understanding.

[PHOTO: motor coach in foreground, depot yard in background: 67kB]

This striking study by Andy Armitage was taken on 1 March 2007 just before Motor Coach Hastings led two cars of 1001 out of the depot on “The Soap Run”, delivering supplies to South Eastern’s carriage-washer near Bopeep Junction. That little outing was also a test-run for Motor Coach Mountfield following completion of modifications in preparation for the fitting of CDL/OTMR. In the background can be seen Motor Coach Tunbridge Wells, Ex-4TC Driving Trailer 76215, and GBRF’s Electro-Diesel loco no. 73 205.