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Once again we had our big company charity open day organised. This year it was a our Carlisle Kingmoor depot as it alternates with our Crewe Gresty bridge facility and was to be the first event to feature the new 25Kv Ac/Diesel hybrid class 88 Bo-Bos. Friday was spent shunting the yard and marking out the car park for all the visiting trade stands and Railway societies. The wind was a bit wicked and one marquee nearly went over the fence before we screwed it down! A pair of EMD Built class 66s stand waiting with 66 301 positioned ready for its naming ceremony the following day. 37 259 had brought two of our venerable Class 20s from Barrow Hill depot. These are planned to be used on the RHTT (Rail head treatment train) this autumn as they can get up some of the trickier branch lines barred to heavier locos. Our Class 68s are now becoming well established and we lined three different liveried ones up in front of the shed The shortest lived colour scheme will be this plain blue. These locos are due to be allocated to the new TPE and will be wrapped in their livery nearer the time The Chiltern rail class 68s, leased from us, work out of London Marylebone station to the West Midlands and are not named apart from one example

In the next few days there will be the announcement of the winners of the biggest train bid in Italy a €4.5 Billion contract for 500 trains that will finally replace some museum trains we still have around the contract was divided in 3 sections 300 trains with at least 600 seats 150 trains with at least 450 seats 50 diesel trains Alstom seems to have won the 150 trains with 450 seats Stadler won the 50 diesel trains (it was the only bidder) Alstom and Hitachi (ex Ansaldo Breda) are close for the 300 trains with 600 seats in the next 3-5 years there will be more modern and comfortable train for commuters

Official video from NS: *bonus: short video of the new Sprinter units from Stadler:

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/traction-rolling-stock/single-view/view/four-shortlisted-for-new-south-wales-train-contract.html

more, with pictures: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/traction-rolling-stock/single-view/view/mock-up-verifies-stadlers-gotthard-train-design.html