Marcus' Model Railway Journey

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27th November, 2025

First refreshed Southeastern Class 376 train enters service​

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Inside the Class 376 post refurbishment


Southeastern has announced that the first refreshed Class 376 is now back in service.

All 36 Class 376 trains will get a mid-life refresh, which will see refurbished seating, power points, accessibility improvements, as well as a new blue livery.

Work is being carried out at the Grove Park Centre of Excellence in South East London, with refurbished trains arriving regularly in 2026 and 2027.

The upgrades to the trains, which came into service in 2004, are thanks to a partnership between Alstom, Eversholt Rail and South Eastern Railway.


Once complete, 11,000 seats will have been refurbished along with 4,000 power sockets installed and 29,000 panels, grab poles, trims and cappings.
 
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“It’s great to be celebrating this milestone and we will be welcoming refreshed trains regularly throughout 2026 and into 2027. It’s just one part of our plan to deliver better journeys and it sits alongside our wider programme to improve our fleet, which includes the procurement of a newer, more accessible replacement Metro fleet that will be better for customers and taxpayers.”

Dan Paris, Fleet Maintenance Director at South Eastern Railway
“The first Class 376 refurbishment marks a major achievement in working with Southeastern and Eversholt Rail in delivering a more modern fleet for passengers across south east London and Kent. At-seat power, amongst the other interior improvements, should make a real difference to the customers and it’s great to see the first upgraded unit back in service.”

Alstom Services Director, Steve Harvey
“It is fantastic to see the first of our Class 376 trains in service following the second phase of the refurbishment programme. We are committed to upgrading our fleets to provide a much-improved passenger experience and encourage more people to travel by rail. We look forward to continuing to work with Southeastern and Alstom to support the ongoing work for the remainder of the fleet.”

Paul Sutherland, Client Services Director at Eversholt Rail
 
27th November, 2025

Update released in Derbyshire based Class 47 locomotive​

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Working on 47401


Midland Railway in Butterley, Derbyshire, has issued an update on its work on 47401 “North Eastern”.

47401 is a British Rail Pioneer Class 47 diesel-electric locomotive.

Brush Traction developed the Class 47s for British Rail in the 1960s, as a result of which the class is also known as Brush Type 4.

The Project is carrying out work on locomotive no. 47401 in the diesel shed at Swanwick Junction, a few miles from Butterley.

It has spent several weeks refurbishing both of the loco’s original radiator headers, and this work is now complete.

The team of volunteers has also replaced badly corroded steel with newly fabricated repair sections, which has allowed it to keep most of the original structure.
 
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Working on 47401


The next step for the volunteers will be to reassemble the cooler group.

They will then renew the air tanks, which have been removed to allow the work to take place.

In the 1980s, the National Railway Museum at York had intended to claim 47401 for preservation.

However, towards the end of the decade, it changed its mind and announced that it would no longer do so.

Following this announcement, the 47401 Project was set up, and by 1993 had raised enough money to buy the locomotive.

The Project arranged for some initial repairs to be carried out in Immingham, and then relocated 47401 to the Midland Railway in Butterley, in the Amber Valley in Derbyshire, where it arrived on 7 July 1993.
 
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Working on 47401


Midland Railway’s Butterley site is now an accredited museum.

It is raising funds to repair the roof of its Main Exhibition Hall.

47401 hauled its first passenger train in preservation on Saturday, 17 July 1993.

The following year, the Project returned it to its large-logo blue livery with a grey roof.

It was then renamed the loco ‘North Eastern’.

Since then, loco 47401 has regularly hauled trains at the Midland Railway, and has also visited several other railways and works for open days.


In 1994, the Project also bought another Class 47 locomotive, No. 47417, intending to use it as a supply of spares for 47401.

The Project painted 47417 in two-tone green livery as D1516, and in 2002, began restoring it to full working order.

The Project is now stripping and painting 47417’s bogies.
 
Thursday 27 Nov 2025

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Travelling by train this Christmas and New Year? Book ahead and plan your journey as improvement work means some changes to trains travelling through Cardiff​

Region & Route: Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

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Cardiff Central station


Network Rail will be carrying out vital upgrades west of Cardiff Central station between 24-31 December to keep the railway safe and reliable for passengers.

This work includes upgrades to the track - the rails, sleepers, switches and crossings, and points - that help guide trains safely from one line to another.

To carry out these improvements, our teams will be using handheld and mechanical tools, along with task lighting to ensure they can work safely overnight.

The work will run continuously from Wednesday 24 December - Wednesday 31 December, requiring the closure of some tracks through Cardiff Central station.

Some services may have timetable changes and this might also affect journeys elsewhere on the wider rail network.

Passengers are strongly advised to check the latest travel information before setting off at nationalrail.co.uk.

Planned work dates:
  • Wednesday 24 December - Wednesday 31 December: Continuous work from 23:30 (24 Dec) to 04:00 (31 Dec)
  • Saturday 3 January - Sunday 4 January: 11:30pm – 9:00am
Great Western Railway services affected
  • Saturday and Sunday: Trains between London Paddington and Cardiff Central / Swansea / Carmarthen will run up to 2 minutes earlier or later than usual.
  • Trains will be diverted between Cardiff Central and Bridgend via Ninian Park (not stopping at Ninian Park), adding a few minutes to journey times.
  • Calling times between Cardiff Central and Swansea / Carmarthen will be slightly earlier or later than normal.
Transport for Wales update services affected
  • Maesteg services will shuttle between Bridgend and Maesteg.
  • All services to / from west of Cardiff Central will call at all stations where possible, divert via Ninian Park (non-stop) and run through Cardiff platform 4. Trains using the Ninian Park diversion will be retimed by a few minutes.
  • Please check before you travel between Cardiff, Hereford & Shrewsbury, and between Bridgend, Swansea & Carmarthen because these trains may now be timetabled to operate at different times than previously advertised.
  • Most services previously running between Ebbw Vale Town and Maesteg will now operate between Ebbw Vale Town and Newport only. A significantly reduced service will run between Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central, journeys may require a change at Newport.
Network Rail carries out much of its major engineering work over the festive period, when fewer passengers are travelling, and fewer train services are running.

This helps us safely close sections of the network and complete essential upgrades with less disruption to those who rely on rail services for work or critical appointments.

While our teams will do everything possible to minimise noise, some disturbance is unavoidable, and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
 
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