GNER

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Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) was owned by Sea Containers Group.

GNER operated the InterCity East Coast franchise from 1996 to 8th December 2007, running trains from London King's Cross to Yorkshire and Scotland.

91120 Royal Armouries races towards Edinburgh with a service from London Kings Cross whilst sporting GNER livery. Photo by Ewan Tait


  • Trains running north beyond Edinburgh served Glasgow Central (via Carstairs, 8 trains a day), Aberdeen (4 trains a day) and Inverness (1 train a day).

  • GNER's first term franchise started on 28 April 1996 for seven years, later extended another 2 years to April 2005. GNER won a second term, starting 1st May 2005 for seven years with a further three years if specified performance targets are met. However, GNER found that terms of new franchise it had agreed were unsustainable, and combined with the financial difficulties of its parent group, led to the franchise being terminated early.
  • The East Coast franchise was transferred to National Express East Coast on 9th December 2007.

  • The GNER livery of navy blue with red waist stripe first appeared on a train in October 1996 with an official launch of the Great North Eastern Railway brand in January 1997.
  • The GNER livery was tweaked a few times. The initial repaints had gold GNER logos, but in 1997 this changed to silver-white logos. By 1998 gold was back in favour. Towards the end of 2003, passenger doors began to painted red to comply with accessibility regulations.

  • GNER operated Craigentinny depot in Edinburgh, and Aberdeen Clayhills.
  • GNER was the station operator for a number of stations in the East Coast Main Line, including Dunbar (it's only one in Scotland).
  • GNER also refurbished the travel centre and opened a new first class lounge at Edinburgh Waverley.
  • During the later years of its first term, GNER extended its HSTs from 8 to 9 coaches (from December 2003) including a wheelchair accessible toilet , improved the buffet cars on the HSTs, started the "Mallard" refurbishment of the IC225 Mk.4 trains and introduced Wireless Internet - (WiFi) on its trains.

  • The first Mk.4 refurbished Mallard train entered service on 28th October 2003, and the last of the 30 trains in November 2005. Internally these had completely new Primarius seating (with dark blue or grey seat covers), one of two toilets per coach was removed to extend the saloon. The Kitchen-Buffet coach was reconfigured from first class seating to have a bar area and standard class seating. All sets now had three whole first class carriages. Externally the passenger doors were painted all red.

  • An HST refurbishment scheme was started by GNER, bringing the interiors up to the same standard as the "Mallard" trains. The first refurbished HST (set EC61) entered service in March 2007. Four had been completed before the end of the GNER.
  • Class 43 HST Power-car refurbishment including replacement of the original Paxman Valenta engines with new MTU engines, plus cab improvements and other upgrades. The refurbished power-cars had 200 added to the number. The first, 43300, entered service in December 2006.

  • The Class 91 fleet was given a mid-life refurbishment and renumbered from Class 91/0 to Class 91/1. The first to appear was 91127 (newly named 'Edinburgh Castle') in January 2001. The final loco completed was 91124 'Reverend W Awdry' handed over in April 2003.

GNER rolling Stock




GNER HST with power-car 43109 Leeds International Film Festival Photo by KeithSanders

GNER Class 43 fleet (December 2007)


Original no.
New no.
Engine
Name
Admitted
Released
In service
43006
(43206)
MTU
Kingdom of Fife
24th October 2007
43008
43208
MTU
City of Aberdeen
17th July 2007
1st October 2007
20th October 2007
43038
43238
MTU
City of Dundee
28th June 2007
29th August 2007
1st October 2007
43039
Valenta
The Royal Dragoon Guards
43051
Valenta
43053
Valenta
43056
Valenta
43057
Valenta
43077
Valenta
(43090)
43290
MTU
MTU fascination of power
23rd March 2006
15th December 2006
27th December 2006
43095
Valenta
Perth
43096
43296
MTU
Stirling Castle
15th May 2007
17th July 2007
21st July 2007
43099
Valenta
(43100)
43300
MTU
Craigentinny
23rd March 2006
1st December 2006
7th December 2006
43102
Valenta
Diocese of Newcastle
43105
Valenta
City of Inverness
43106
43306
MTU
Fountains Abbey
9th January 2007
12th March 2007
3rd May 2007
43107
Valenta
Tayside
43108
Valenta
Old Course St. Andrews
43109
43309
MTU
Leeds International Film Festival
24th April 2007
28th June 2007
3rd July 2007
43110
Valenta
Stirlingshire
43111
Valenta
Scone Palace
43112
Valenta
Doncaster
43113
43313
MTU
The Highlands
1st October 2007
30th November 2007
XX? December 2007
43114
43314
MTU
East Riding of Yorkshire
30th November 2006
16th February 2007
21st February 2007
43115
43315
MTU
Aberdeenshire
30th November 2007
43116
43316
MTU
The Black Dyke Band
29th August 2007
30th October 2007
31st October 2007
43117
Valenta
Bonnie Prince Charlie
43118
43318
MTU
City of Kingston upon Hull
12th March 2007
15th May 2007
30th May 2007
43119
Valenta
Harrogate Spa
43120
43320
MTU
National Galleries of Scotland
23rd October 2006
9th January 2007
11th January 2007
43167
43367
MTU
Deltic 50 1955 - 2005
15th February 2007
24th April 2007
2nd May 2007


Bodyside adverts:

  • 43051: Tutankhamun.
  • 43099: WiFi is here.
  • 43290: Leeds/London.
  • 43039, 43367: Online booking.
  • 43116, 43120: London 2012

  • Names were gold lettering on the blue bodyside.
  • 43290, 43300 & 43167/43367 had cast metal name plates towards the non-cab end.
  • 43096 also carried the name "The Great Racer" (with red lettering) from May 1997 to December 2000, at the time the only one in the HST fleet with a name.

  • The original HST fleet at the start of the franchise in 1996 was 21 power-cars (43038/39/95/96, 105-120/167) and nine 8-coach trailer sets (later known as EC51-EC59) leased from owner Angel Trains.
  • 43006 & 43008 plus a trailer set (EC60, Angel Trains owned) transferred from Virgin West Coast in January 2003.
  • Porterbrook owned HST sets were added to the fleet from 2004.
  • Buffer fitted 43067 & 43080 were part of the GNER fleet from July 2004 until April/May 2005.
  • 43099 & 43102 moved permanently to GNER in July 2004
  • 43078 & 43197 were with GNER from September 2004 to November 2005 & April 2006 respectively.
  • 43090 & 43100 went straight to Brush for MTU engines in 2006.

  • 43051/053/056/057/077 formerly with Midland Mainline moved to GNER in the first quarter of 2007. (43053 & 43056 would later leave the fleet when MTU programme was complete.)

HST Trailer sets in 2007.

Set Owner B (TGS) C (TS) D (TS) E (TS) F (TS-D) G (TS) J (TRFB) L (TF) M (TF)
EC51 A 44094 42154 42150 42146 42091 42215 40748 41150 41120
EC52 M A 44019 42059 42058 42057 42189 42323 40735 41040 41039
EC53 A 44045 42065 42064 42063 42127 42340 40737 41044 41159
EC54 A 44056 42219 42172 42171 42161 42104 40706 41088 41087
EC55 M A 44058 42106 42181 42180 42188 42179 40704 41092 41091
EC56 A 44098 42244 42243 42242 42363 42241 40720 41118 41170
EC57 A 44080 42190 42186 42182 42128 42226 40740 41152 41151
EC58 M A 44061 42193 42192 42191 42238 42158 40750 41098 41097
EC59 A 44063 42199 42198 42240 42239 42235 40711 41100 41099
EC60 A 44031 42355 42134 42357 42116 42122 40742 41164 41066
EC61 M P 44057 42110 42109 42160 42159 42117 40805 41165 41115
EC62 P 44075 42307 42237 42330 42326 42306 40811 41095 41185
EC63 P 44050 42286 42228 42165 42164 42163 40708 41083 41080
EC64 P 44083 42352 42294 42147 42102 42101 40701 41153 41058
Spares A 44077 42354 40705 41090
Spares P 40804
.
EC61 $ P 44055 42117 42169 42168 42167 42103 40811 41167 41085

  • M after set number indicates 'Mallard' refurbishment by December 2007.
  • EC61 $: Former Virgin XC set in service from August 2004, most vehicles off-lease by end of 2005 (after completion of Mk.4 refurbishment).
  • EC61 M: The first HST 'Mallard' refurbished set in service March 2007, (ex VXC).
  • EC62 consisted of 'refreshed' ex-Midland Mainline 'Operation RIO' stock. In service from 2005.
  • EC63 & EC64 were ex-Midland Mainline sets transferred in for May 2007. (EC64 went off-lease in December 2008).
  • TF 41043 was written off in a shunting accident at Neville Hill 10/09/2005.
  • TF 41153 joined the GNER fleet late in 2005, initially ran in MML white & blue livery. In GNER livery by July 2007.


GNER Class 91 fleet


91101 City of London
91102 Durham Cathedral
91103 County of Lincolnshire
91104 Grantham
91105 County Durham
91106 East Lothian
91107 Newark on Trent
91108 City of Leeds
91109 Samaritans
91110 David LivingstoneNamed for the famous explorer
91111 Terence CuneoNamed for the railway artist
91112 County of Cambridgeshire
91113 County of North Yorkshire
91114 St Mungo CathedralNamed for the cathedral in Glasgow
91115 Holyrood
91116 Strathclyde
91117 Cancer Research UK
91118 Bradford Film Festival
91119 County of Tyne and Wear
91120 Royal Armouries
91121 Archbishop Thomas Cranmer
91122 Tam the GunNamed for the gunner of the One o'clock gun
91124 Reverend W AudryNamed for the author of Thomas the Tank Engine
91125 Berwick upon Tweed
91126 York Minster
91127 Edinburgh Castle
91128 Peterborough Cathedral
91129 Queen Elizabeth II
91130 City of Newcastle
91131 County of Northumberland
91132 City of DurhamOriginally numbered 91023


DVT - Driving Van Trailer

A few had vinyl names and advertising applied in the later years of the franchise

  • 82219 named Duke of Edinburgh (from October 2003,the 1st Mallard set)
  • 82217 Off to the Races
  • 82218 International Indian Film Academy Awards (from June 2007)
  • 82224 Passionate People Passionate Places



Named Trains


  • The Flying Scotsman: 1S11 1000 London KX - Edinburgh, 1E15 1200 Glasgow C. - London KX
  • The Northern Lights: 1S12 1030 London KX - Aberdeen, 1E10 0955 Aberdeen - London KX
  • The Highland Chieftain: 1S15 1200 London KX - Inverness, 1E12 0755 Inverness - London KX

See Also

External Links