Vintage Trains

Vintage Trains is an operator of heritage railtours in the United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of Birmingham Railway Museum Trust, and is based at Tyseley Locomotive Works, the trust's other subsidiary.

Vintage Trains
4965 Rood Ashton Hall hauling a Shakespeare Express service through Lapworth in July 2016
Overview
Reporting markTY
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Websitewww.vintagetrains.co.uk

Mainline Locomotives

Vintage Trains operates many steam and diesel locomotives on its mainline railtours.

Steam locomotives

Locomotives listed here are not all owned by Tyseley Locomotive Works as some are owned by private societies, but are made available to operate on the mainline by their respective owners (assuming they have the appropriate mainline certification).

All engines used on VT's tours will be operated under vacuum braking, engines which do have dual/air braking fitted can be used on VT tours but only operated under vacuum braking (71000 being an example as it's fitted with air brakes).

Number Name Class Livery Owner TOPS No Max Speed Location Photograph Present Status Mainline Certified Notes
4936 Kinlet Hall GWR "Hall" 4-6-0 BR Green, Late Crest (on completion) Jon Jones Pratt 98536 60 mph Tyseley Under Overhaul No, to be certified
4965 Rood Ashton Hall GWR "Hall" 4-6-0 GWR Green Tyseley Locomotive Works 98565 60 mph Tyseley Stored No, to be certified Withdrawn from service in September 2019
5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe GWR "Castle" 4-6-0 BR Green, Early Emblem (on completion) Tyseley Locomotive Works 98743 75 mph Tyseley Under Overhaul No, to be certified Fitted with double chimney.
5080 Defiant GWR "Castle" 4-6-0 GWR Green Tyseley Locomotive Works 98780 75 mph Tyseley Stored No Funding for overhaul underway by "The Defiant Club".[1]
6880 Betton Grange GWR "Grange" 4-6-0 BR Green, Late Crest (on completion) The Betton Grange Society 98580 60 mph Tyseley Under Construction No, to be certified New build of next member of class being completed at Tyseley.

Will use loaned tender on completion, will be mainline certified at later date.

7029 Clun Castle GWR "Castle" 4-6-0 BR Green, Late Crest Tyseley Locomotive Works 98729 75 mph Tyseley Operational Yes Fitted with double chimney.
7752 - GWR "5700 Pannier Tank" 0-6-0 GWR Unlined Green, Great Western lettering Tyseley Locomotive Works 98452 45 mph Tyseley Operational Yes (fitment of new tyres required)
7760 - GWR "5700 Pannier Tank" 0-6-0 GWR Unlined Green, Great Western lettering Tyseley Locomotive Works 98460 45 mph Tyseley Stored No
9600 - GWR "8750 Pannier Tank" 0-6-0 BR Black, Early Emblem Tyseley Locomotive Works 98457 45 mph Tyseley Stored No
45305 Alderman A.E. Draper LMS "Black 5" 4-6-0 BR Black, Late Crest 5305 Locomotive Association 98505 60 mph Loughborough Operational Yes
5593 Kolhapur LMS "Jubilee" 4-6-0 LMS Crimson Lake Tyseley Locomotive Works 98693 75 mph Tyseley Stored No
45596 Bahamas LMS "Jubilee" 4-6-0 BR Green, Late Crest Bahamas Locomotive Society 98696 75 mph Haworth Operational Yes Only surviving jubilee with double chimney.

Returned to mainline on 15 Jan 2019.[2]

71000 Duke of Gloucester BR Standard Class 8 4-6-2 BR Green, Early Emblem (on completion) Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust 98802 75 mph Tyseley Under Overhaul No, to be certified To be based at Tyseley following overhaul.[3]

Will temporarily wear the name Robert Riddles for one month on completion in 2020.

Diesel locomotives
TOPS Number Class Name Livery Owner Status Location Photograph Notes
47773 47 - BR Two-Tone Green Tyseley Locomotive Works Operational Tyseley
50033 50 Glorious BR Blue Large Logo Tyseley Locomotive Works Operational Kidderminster On three year loan to the Fifty Fund.[4]
20142 20 Sir John Betjeman London Transport Michael Owen Railtours Operational Tyseley On hire to Vintage Trains from July 2019 onwards.[5][6]
20189 20 - Blue Michael Owen Railtours Operational Tyseley On hire to Vintage Trains from September 2019 onwards.[7]

Also in previous years Vintage Trains has operated charters using electric and diesel traction that hasn't already been mentioned above now back at other locations, including Class 86 86259 Les Ross, Class 47 47580 County of Essex, Class 50 50049 Defiance, Class 50 50007 Hercules,[8] Class 20 20007. The company has also used various other diesels, such as West Coast Railways' own Class 33 and Class 47 diesels.

Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society

Until late 2017, Vintage Trains operated its railtours with West Coast Railways providing the crews, WCRC being the only charter operator available who would operate vacuum braked trains as none of the engines based at Tyseley are fitted with air brakes. But from 2018, it was announced that due to a falling number of crews being available, WCR said they were unable to provide footplate crews to operate VT's trains and as a result of this, the early 2018 railtour programme which had been planned including the planned debut run of 7029 Clun Castle had to be cancelled.[9]

In late 2016, Vintage Trains lodged an application with the Office of Rail & Road to operate trains in its own right.[10] To come up with the £800,000 required for the licence, a share float was launched with Adrian Shooter named as chairman.[11][12][13] Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society was set up in late 2017 as a publicly owned company and in order to fund the company began recruiting members of the public to become shareholders in the company by purchasing shares (minimum available for purchase being £500 per share).[14] The licence was granted with its first train being a test of a Class 230 between Bedford and Bletchley on 27 September 2018 for Vivarail.[15][16]

References
  1. "5080: Defiant Club".
  2. http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t19/t0115q.htm light test run
  3. https://www.theduke.uk.com/2018/03/30/agreement-vintage-trains-br-class-8-steam-locomotive-trust/
  4. http://www.fiftyfund.org.uk/index.php/2-uncategorised/93-class-50-alliance-acquires-50033-glorious-on-three-year-loan 50033 on three year loan
  5. https://twitter.com/Vintage_Trains/status/1152568566677463042
  6. "Class 20 'Birmingham Balti Bash' - 22 September".
  7. https://twitter.com/SceneByRail/status/1178034407296421889
  8. "Autumn Diesel Gala - the Ticket Office - Severn Valley Railway".
  9. "Railtour Update from Vintage Trains". 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  10. Vintage Trains seeks operator's licence Rail Express issue 248 January 2017 page 10
  11. "Vintage Trains Share Offer". 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  12. Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society Share Offer Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society
  13. Vintage Trains outlines its future as a Train Operator Railways Illustrated issue 189 November 2018 page 13
  14. "Vintage Trains Share Offer". 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  15. Vintage Trains awarded TOC status by ORR The Railway Magazine issue 1411 October 2018 page 12
  16. Vintage Trains Ltd runs its first official train Rail issue 863 10 October 2018 page 10
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