Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i The Railway Magazine

Welcome to the 120th anniversary issue of The Railway Magazine For a small team that is passionate about railways, who produce the magazine month in, month out, it’s a great milestone – one we are all very proud of. Little did I realise that when my first photograph was published in the December 1982 issue that one day I’d end up in the editor’s chair. In fact it seems no time at all since our centenary issue 20 years ago – such is the pace of railways. In the 50 years since the end of steam on the Southern Region, a lot has been said and written, so rather than re-hash it we have a special Practice & Performance feature looking at some of the epic runs of Southern steam…

ALLIANCE Rail Holdings has, despite the best efforts of many parties, dropped its plans to procure Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ trains for use on Blackpool to Euston services. Although the Office of Rail and Road approved the proposal in 2015, Alliance and the ORR have agreed that the approval will lapse. Instead of ‘Pendolinos’, Alliance is in discussions with Eversholt Rail to lease a number of Class 91 and Mk4 carriage sets for the Blackpool service. Alliance plans to run six trains daily calling at Poulton-le-Fylde, Kirkham & Wesham, Preston, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes, with seven carriages. This calling pattern has been changed to accommodate journey times of three hours, at a maximum speed of 110mph. Alliance has made an application for services to begin in the first half of 2019…

POWERS to build Phase 2a of High Speed 2 (HS2) between Birmingham and Crewe were the most important transportrelated aspect of the new Government’s programme, announced by the Queen on June 21. However, as feared by many in London, there was no mention of the £31billion Crossrail 2 project, which is seen as vital to keep pace with the capital’s growing population and assist regeneration to the east and north-east of the city. The announcement paves the way for work to proceed on the extension of the £55.7bn high-speed railway from the Birmingham area to a junction with the West Coast Main Line, near Crewe, by 2027. Phase 2a, costing more than £3.5bn, will benefit passengers in the north-west of England and Scotland by reducing journey times and increasing capacity…

TYSELEY’S flagship locomotive – No. 7029 Clun Castle – made its post-overhaul debut at the Tyseley Locomotive Works open weekend on July 24-25, albeit incomplete and on static display only. The event, which was supported by The Railway Magazine, provided Tyseley with an ideal opportunity to showcase the work that has been carried out on the ‘Castle’ over the past seven years. Looking every inch a Collett thoroughbred, No. 7029 was presented in as complete condition as possible; Alistair Meanley and the workshop staff had clearly pulled out all the stops to get the loco ready for the weekend. The double-chimney 4-6-0 still requires its green paintwork to be finished and needs some smaller assembly work to be completed, such as the fitting of the spark arrester. As yet it…

BODMIN?BASED Drummond ‘T9’ 4-4-0 No. 30120 has been drafted in to cover the late-summer season at the South Devon Railway (SDR), owing to a shortage of available locomotives. Following the withdrawal of Collett ‘2251’ 0-6-0 No. 3205 with a recurring boiler problem, and ongoing boiler repairs to ‘57XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 5786 (L92), the SDR has suddenly found itself short of motive power to cover the busy two-train season. ‘64XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 6412 is out on hire and it is left to the two ‘4575’ Small Prairies – No. 5526 and 5542 – to handle the peak passenger service. However, No. 5542 is due to leave the railway in July to return to the Gloucestershire- Warwickshire Railway, which will hopefully coincide with the return to service of No. 5786. However, in…

Railway Ombudsman BARONESS Randerson asked whether plans to improve compensation for rail travellers include the establishment of a rail ombudsman with powers similar to those of the energy ombudsman. Transport Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon replied: “Under existing arrangements, if a rail passenger is not happy with a train operator’s response to a complaint they can contact either Transport Focus (TF) or London TravelWatch (LTW) who work to resolve the issue with the train operator on their behalf. “We are considering how to strengthen these arrangements, taking account of arrangements in other sectors. This has included discussions led by the rail minister with TF, LTW, the Office of Rail and Road and the Rail Delivery Group.” Windermere delay TIM Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) asked when the plans for electrification of…

FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES YEARS AGO JULY 1917 SINCE the beginning of the year, the BoardofManagement of the London & SouthWestern Orphanage atWoking have taken into their care15ormore children. It is hoped what they aredoing on behalf of the widows andorphans of the railway’s deceased employees will induce those of the staff who arenot contributors to the fund to consent to the deduction of a small,weekly sum for the paybills. Regular passengers are likewise invited to subscribe and help keep the good work goingduring the present extremely trying and difficult times. IT IS stated that the ChannelTunnel Company’s report for 1916 that the construction of the tunnel will, it is anticipated, receive the serious consideration of the Government after the termination of hostilities. AMOST remarkable effort isbeing made at…

COMPILED BY GARY BOYD-HOPE Call: 01507 529589 email: gboyd-hope@mortons.co.uk SIDELINES Foyle Valley museum to reopen soon? THE Foyle Valley Railway Museum in Derry/Londonderry is set to reopen this summer. The disability charity Destined, which has taken over the building as its headquarters, is currently training people with learning disabilities to act as museum guides, and plans are being developed to re-establish a preservation society with a view to reopening the Foyle Valley Railway. The plans also include a cosmetic makeover for County Donegal Railway 2-6-4T No. 4 Meenglas, which may be carried out at Whitehead. No Portrush for steam ‘Explorer’ STEAM Dreams’ ‘Emerald Isle Explorer’ was unable to travel to Portrush as planned on June 21, owing to the unavailability of the Antrim to Lisburn branch line. Translink/ Northern Ireland…

THE recent closureof theT J Thomson scrapyard at Stocktonon- Tees was partly because of the dearth of wagons being offered for sale by the freight operators and wagon leasing companies. Only DB CargoUK routinely offers wagons for disposal, and only in limited numbers. This provides a stark contrast with the situation 50 years ago. In 1967 British Rail withdrew 86,389 wagons from traffic stock, and a further 3,995 from service stock.Many steam locos survived into preservation from Barrybecause it was simpler and moreprofitable to cut up freight vehicles. Companies currently processing wagons are European Metals Recycling at Atttercliffe, Sheffield; Raxstar at Eastleigh works; andCFBooth at Rotherham. Recent disposals, all ex-DB CargoUK, have been: OBA‘Bass’ opens Nos. 110014/263/393, RRA runners Nos. 110559/571, No. 200874, ZCA‘SeaUrchin’ opens Nos. DC200713/716/737/ 760/975, Nos. DC210149/254/…

COMPILED BY BEN JONES Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk GBRf reveals second charity tour GB RAILFREIGHT has announced its second and final charity railtour for 2017 – following on from July 15’s ‘Charitable Chibble’. The as-yet-unnamed tour on August 13 will start from Newcastle at 09.10, hauled by a Class 47, and run via Durham, Darlington, York, Castleford, Wakefield Kirkgate, Huddersfield, Stalybridge and Stockport to Crewe, where the ‘47’ will hand over to an electric locomotive for a fast run up the West Coast Main Line to London Euston. A Class 66 will take over for the final part of the journey via Acton and Reading to Basingstoke (arrive 18.45). Pay-on-the-day fares will be £25 for Newcastle to Crewe on any part thereof, £20 for the Crewe to Euston and…

COMPILED BY KEITH FENDER Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@ mortons.co.uk Granada Metro should open in late-summer AFTER 10 years of construction the new Granada Metro Light Rail system in Spain is due to open this summer. The 9.5km line will cross the city from north to south, joining the regional capital with the nearby villages of Armilla, Albolote and Maracena; the line will have 26 stops, three of which are underground. Construction began in 2007, with opening originally planned for 2010, but the effects of a financial crisis, plus disputes over construction and the discovery of archaeological sites on the route, delayed construction with the line being completed in mid-2016. In 2010 the Andalucian regional government awarded CAF a contract for 13 ‘Urbos III’ LRVs, numbered 301-313. The five-section 70km/h…

A REPORT commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) and produced by Network Rail non-executive director Chris Gibb on how to deliver improvements across the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise makes for uncomfortable reading for both Government and rail unions. Gibb, a highly respected career railwayman, has produced a hard-hitting report that highlights many shortcomings on GTR, including his belief the franchise was awarded because it was the cheapest bid. The report further states the infrastructure is poor and unreliable for the number of trains it carries; out of more than 20 stakeholder organisations with an interest in the franchise, not one shared the same incentives or objectives; there was a lack of drivers on Southern when GTR won the franchise, later exacerbated by unusually high levels of short-term sickness…

Have you got a story for us? Email: railway@mortons.co.uk A REPORT into the poor performance of Southern in 2016 has finally been published. The company is part of Thameslink Southern Great Northern (TSGN), the UK’s biggest rail contract The report was prepared by Network Rail non-executive director and career railwayman Chris Gibb for the Department for Transport (DfT) between September and December last year. It identifies high levels of staff sickness and industrial action by trades unions over the controversial issue of Driver Controlled Operation (DCO) as key factors in the collapse of the timetable. Mr Gibb backs DfT and Govia Thameslink Rail (GTR) criticism of the strikes, calling trades union motives for the action ‘debatable’ and ‘difficult to comprehend’. However, the report also criticises Network Rail, DfT and GTR…

TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling has retained his post following a post-election Cabinet reshuffle, as has Parliamentary Under-Secretary and rail minister Paul Maynard. John Hayes is appointed Minister of State with freight and logistics as part of his remit. Parliamentary Under-Secretary is Jesse Norman, responsible for HS2, sustainable travel, smart ticketing and devolution, including the Northern Powerhouse. Lord Callanan joins the DfT but his role has yet to be announced. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! FROM ONLY £20 SEE P32 FOR DETAILS…

COMPLETION of electrification work on the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High route has been pushed back again by Network Rail, this time to October. ScotRail electric services on the route are now expected to start in December 2017, one year later than planned. The delay reduces the time available for testing, approval and crew training on the new Hitachi Class 385 EMUs, although ScotRail is hopeful that this can still be achieved by December. Earlier delays were caused by the discovery of less-thanstandard clearances between overhead line equipment (OHLE) and numerous structures on the route, whereas the latest delay is the result of the need to replace a safety critical component which is susceptible to failure. In response, NR has made a number of personnel changes and increased resources…

THE Department for Transport (DfT) has announced the shortlisted bidders for the new West Coast Partnership and Southeastern franchises. West Coast Partnership (WCP) replaces the InterCity West Coast franchise, currently held by Virgin/Stagecoach, and will include the design, development, testing and early operational phases of High Speed 2 (HS2). Three groups, all with experience of international high-speed operation, have been shortlisted – First Group/ Trenitalia; Virgin/Stagecoach/ SNCF; and a Hong Kong/Chinese joint venture led by MTR Group UK/Guangshen Railway Co, supported by sub-contractors Deloitte MCS, Panasonic Systems Europe, Swedish travel software company Snowfall, WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, and Trainline.com. Rapid growth WCP will replace Virgin/ Stagecoach in April 2019 and operate West Coast Main Line services plus, for three to five years from 2026, high-speed services on Phase 1 of HS2…

THE Borders Railway between Edinburgh and Tweedbank is attracting new workers, homeowners and tourists to communities served by the line. An independent study by Peter Brett Associates reports the £300million railway has become a major factor in decisions to relocate to the area, with 50% of users who had moved house and more than 80% of those who changed jobs stating that the railway had been a factor in their decision. More than 65% of tourist users stated the rail line was a factor in their decision to make their trip. Commuting is the most common journey purpose, but the line also sees a large volume of leisure traffic and a considerable number of trips for education. In December 2016, Borders College in Galashiels reported a 74% increase in applications.…

THE Class 40 Preservation Society’s No. 40145 will haul the diesel legs of West Coast Railway Co’s ‘Scarborough Spa Express’ on August 17. The BR blue ‘40’ will replace the usual WCRC Class 47/57 between Carnforth and York, running via Preston, Blackburn and the Copy Pit route to Hebden Bridge, Wakefield Kirkgate and York, where one of the company’s steam locos takes over for the run to Scarborough. See www.westcoastrailways. co.uk for timetables and booking information.…

A £200MILLION people-mover link between Luton Airport Parkway and the airport terminal looks set to go ahead after the project received planning permission from local councillors. The 1.4-mile fully automated and driverless Mass Passenger Transit (MPT) line will open in 2021, replacing the current bus shuttle. It is expected to reduce journey times from the airport to St Pancras International to less than 30 minutes. Journey times between the airport and Thameslink/EMTserved Parkway station will be cut from 15 minutes to just five and trains will run 24 hours a day.…

WITH postwar shortages now over, the world was changing and Britain with it; increasing competition from roads, the growth of consumerism and the general standard of living was increasing. The railway’s response was its modernisation programme. By the mid-1960s the modernisation of motive power was almost complete across British Rail and the sight of a steam locomotive was fast becoming an exception rather than the norm it had been up until only a few years before. As more diesel and electric locomotives came off the production line and came on shed, more crews undertook training for the new motive power, with the consequence that increasing numbers of steam engines were made redundant. The scale of the transition through the 1960s modernisation era is easy to underestimate these days. Railway operational…

COMPILED BY GARY BOYD-HOPE Call: 01507 529589 email: gboyd-hope@mortons.co.uk Railmotor to miss Chinnor visit due to gauging issues THE planned visit of the Great Western Society’s steam Railmotor No. 93 and trailer to the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway (CPRR) was cancelled just weeks before transfer after Network Rail declared the unit out of gauge. The Railmotor had been intended to work CPRR services on June 29 and dates throughout July, and everything was in place for the visit to take place – crew training had been completed at Didcot and the transit contracts signed with West Coast Railways for the movement of the unit over Network Rail metals. Tickets for the Railmotor specials sold well and a photo charter with the unit had sold out, but on June 14…

COMPILED BY GARY BOYD-HOPE Call: 01507 529589 email: gboyd-hope@mortons.co.uk Now it’s two Hunslets for Spa Valley gala AS THIS issue of The RM hit the press, the Spa Valley Railway was just days away from one of its biggest steam events held to date, with four industrial locos taking the limelight. The news was announced on June 7 that John Beesley’s former Ackton Hall Colliery Hunslet 0-6-0ST Beatrice (2705/1945) would be making the journey from Embsay to take part in the July 1-2 Summer Steam Festival, joining earlier-built classmate Ring Haw (1982/1940). The latter loco, which spent its pre-preservation career on the Nassington system, near Peterborough, is on hire from the North Norfolk Railway for the 2017 season. Resident Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns ‘56’ class 0-6-0ST No. 62 Ugly (7673/1950)…

COMPILED BY PETER NICHOLSON Call: 01507 529589 email: classic.traction@btopenworld.com SIDELINES Wensleydale ‘Chopper’ event is chopped THEWensleydale Railway has reluctantly cancelled the Class 20 anniversary event, long-planned for September 14-17, because the costs involved with bringing locos to the line would have resulted in excessively high ticket prices. Dartmoor’s diesel services begin THE Dartmoor Railway started a service between Okehampton and Meldon Viaduct on May 27with DEMU No. 1132. Trains run every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday until September 10. There are six return workings each day, starting at 10.15. Somerset&Dorset Type 1s on the move SOMERSET &Dorset Locomotive’s Class 20 pair – Nos. D8059 and D8188 – are currently on tour and will not be returning to their former base on the Severn Valley Railway. Their newhome is yet to…

Train named after former England manager Graham Taylor OBE FORMER England football team manager Graham Taylor had a London Midland Class 350 ‘Desiro’ No. 350377 named after him on June 2 – the unit number chosen to match 1977, the year he joined Watford. Mr Taylor, who also managed Lincoln City, Watford, Aston Villa, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, died in January and still lived in the Watford area, the club with which he is perhaps most associated. London Midland said the ceremony was “in recognition of a man who made such a lasting mark on the sport across the country”. The naming was carried out at Watford Junction station with Mr Taylor’s wife Rita attending with club officials and LM managers. It is only the fourth Class 350 London Midland has…

COMPILED BY BEN JONES Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk Digital route learning for DB Cargo UK DB CARGO’S UK division is now using digital route learning to train its drivers. The country’s largest railfreight operator has filmed rail routes across the country to create an online route programme that drivers can access via tablet or computer. The system is a collaboration with Track Access Services Ltd (TAS) and runs high-quality footage of the route alongside a moving map, plus important information such as speed limits and signal positions. Drivers are traditionally provided with a route that they learn over an allotted period of time by physically travelling over it. Using streamed media offers several advantages as it enables drivers to review the route as often as they like. Digital learning…

COMPILED BY PETER NICHOLSON Call: 01507 529589 email: classic.traction@btopenworld.com Newoperator for Poole Park Railway A30-year lease to run the 10¼in Poole Park Railway, Dorset (RM Marchp80) wasgranted in April to the Friends of Poole Park (FPP), acommunitycharity, following much controversy. On May 28, the FPP successfully negotiatedwith former operator Chris Bullen to buy the track, which had been left in situ. It is understood it was the council’s opinion of the condition of the track that largely went against Mr Bullen’s application to renew his lease. However, FPP chairman Michael Collins is quoted as having nowsaid repairwork will only take a few days, and they plan to reopen the railway in mid-July. A locoand rolling stock have yet tobeacquired. Futureplans includea300-metreextension, construction ofavisitor centre, and anew station. Eastleigh Lakeside silver…

COMPILED BY ASHLEY BUTLIN Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk DBC Class 90 No. 90029 was on hire toVTEC on May 2, working through Doncaster at 09.15 on a King’s Cross-Leeds service. THE allocated set for the 07.30 Edinburgh-King’s Cross service on May 15 suffered brake problems at Craigentinny, and left Waverley late, being dragged by ‘Thunderbird’Class 67 No. 67021 with Class 91 No. 91112 dead in the rear. Itwas more than 20 minutes late at Berwick, and on departure the Class 67 seemed to struggle to pick up speed. This was obviously the case since it was still on the platform at York (due there at 09.58) when the 10.03 TransPennine Express Newcastle-Liverpool arrived at 11.15, so unless it had been terminated there, was then running more than 1¼ hours…

TUESDAY, JULY4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ChippingNortonRailway Club. TownHall,Market Place, ChippingNorton, OX75NA. 19.30. ‘TheMan in Seat 61’:MarkSmith EnfieldTransport Circle. First FloorMeeting Room, TheDrill Hall SportsClub,1Old Park Avenue, Enfield, Middx. EN26PJ. 20.00. ‘USA Railroads 4thJulyVideoSpecial – including:N&W ClassJNo. 611&UP ‘Big Boy’ No. 4014’: Kenneth Crane. Railway CorrespondenceandTravel Society (RCTS). Beechen Grove Baptist Church, Clarendon Road,Watford. 19.00. ‘ThatWAS theYear thatWas’: Geoff Plumb. WEDNESDAY, JULY5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bradford RailwayCircle. Sedbergh Community Centre, Huddersfield Road,Odsal, Bradford,West Yorkshire. BD61DJ. 19:30. ‘1986BR&Preserved Railways’: JohnBloomfield. RCTS. St Peter’sChurchHall, Church Road, Filton,…

RAIB’s investigation into the bufferstop collision at Preston on April 1 has identified driver error as the cause of the incident. A trainee driver, under instruction from a driver mentor, applied power rather than the brake as the three-car Northern Class 158 approached the buffers of platform 3c at low speed. The resulting collision, at around 6mph, caused injuries to two crew and 13 passengers, one of whom required hospital attention. The train's data recorder confirmed that the trainee realised the mistake, applied the brake, but was unable to avoid the collision.…

NETWORK Rail has started a 12-week public consultation over the closure of Breich station, on the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Shotts line. Just 138 passengers used the station in 2015/16, an average of 2.6 every week on the single train in each direction per day. It is estimated that £1.4million is required to bring the station up to modern standards as part of the electrification of the route. Nearby stations at Addiewell and Fauldhouse will remain open to serve the village. The previous station to close in Scotland was Balloch Pier in 1986.…

THE Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) 2016 report confirms that level crossings remain the key threat to railway safety. Of the 143 accidents/incidents investigated by RAIB from 2012-16, 25 were related to level crossings with 20 of those serious enough to warrant full investigations. Staff hit by trains was the second biggest reason for investigations/ safety bulletins (16 reports), with freight train derailments next with 14 incidents – of those, 13 required full investigations. Train movement accidents and passenger train derailments occupy fourth and fifth place with 13 and eight full investigations, respectively. Just four Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) incidents required full investigations over the four-year period to the end of 2016. The most serious incident investigated by RAIB in 2016 was the Sandilands Junction tram derailment in which…

Bishop’s Castle Railway museum to close in late-2017 THE Bishop’s Castle Railway Society which has maintained a museum in Bishop’s Castle says it will close at the end of year. Provision of the museum in its current form is no longer possible and the premises will be vacated. Steps are being taken to provide alternative arrangements to view the collection. The museum will remain open at weekends and bank holidays between 14.00 and 17.00 until the end of September, Visitors should call 01588 638998 to confirm the museum is open. Runaway trailer in Hope Valley RAIB is investigating an incident on the Hope Valley line in Derbyshire early on May 28, where a track maintenance trailer became detached and ran away for around 1½ miles between Edale and Hope. The…

Left luggage locker dilemma I RECENTLY visited Fort William and Mallaig, enjoying the breathtaking scenery on the route. You can reserve your seat – necessary in the summer as Scotrail clearly needs more capacity on that line. Another need is that, on a journey of more than five hours from Glasgow, one needs some power points to keep electronic devices alive. However, more interestingly, at Fort William, there was a wonderful range of self-service luggage lockers for the use of passengers. The lockers were of varying sizes and prices, but how useful to be able to leave luggage there in order to spend a few hours or even a full day enjoying the delights of, for us, a wet Sunday there. So why do luggage lockers exist there and not…

WATERLOO station in the 1950s was different from other London termini. Substantially rebuilt by 1921, it was more spacious and, thanks to third-rail electrification, cleaner andmore tranquil. But there was still some steam: as you emerged from the Underground, soft music from the loudspeakers would blend with the singing of Drummond safety valves from 'M7s' at the buffer stops, while the refined tones of the station announcer would create visions of Budleigh Salterton, Ilfracombe and far-flung Padstow. Inevitably, Bulleid Pacifics monopolise most accounts of the last days of Southern steam. But in the 1950s they were not the only actors in the Southern theatre: ‘LordNelsons’ and ‘King Arthurs’ backed them up; and, on summer Saturdays, holiday ‘extras’ had to make do with 'S15' and 'H15' 4-6-0s, while Drummond 'D15' 4-4-0s…

TALKING POINTS 21 things you didn’t know about Class 20s PIP Dunn might want tomake his ‘20 things you didn’t know about Class 20s’up to 21. The feature reminded me of a photograph in ‘The Queensbury Lines’book by Alan Whitaker and Bob Cryer showing D8010 and D8011 standing wrong line at Cullingworth on the Queensbury to Keighley line in 1958. They were involved in exhaust fume experiments on the line, which at the time was only used for goods traffic. According to the notes the cold weather froze their radiators and extensive repairs were required. An accompanying photograph shows‘A3’60081 Shotover involved in the same experiments on the same line. Notes say that it was limited to 20mph yet still ran away with a heavy train, only stopping when Ingrowwas reached!…

SteamTrain Tours - Mad for Man Steam Train Tours 2017 holidays started on the Isle of Man. Visits were to the IoM Steam Railway, The Isle of Man Railway Museum in Port Erin, Groudle Glen Railway, Manx Electric and Snaefell Mountain Railways, Douglas horse drawn tram, and the Great Laxey Mine Railway. Our North Wales holiday onThe Great Little Trains of Wales features 10 railways in six days, and our tour of Devon and Cornwall in late June featured 10 railways in six days. Later our Lake District holiday includes the 'Fellsman' over The Settle & Carlisle, Ravenglass, East Lancashire, Haverthwaite, a boat crossing of Lake Windermere and historic Rainhill. We have exciting plans for 2018 tours – see the Steam Train Tours advert. Prices for our five- and six-day…

COMPILED BY CLIFF THOMAS Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@ mortons.co.uk SOUTHWOLD Railway Trust (SRT) has rapidly begun development of its SteamWorks attraction, on land bought at Blyth Road, Southwold (RM, May). After contractors provided a level, compacted base, the first panels of 3ft-gauge track were laid on May 3 – the first section of the ‘new’ Southwold Railway laid 88 years after the original line closed. The centre section of the wooden visitor centre building has also been erected. Further construction depends on successful fundraising. The first steam has also run on the site, a 7¼in-gauge miniature loco owned by an SRT trustee, during a brief visit. In time, a full 7¼in-gauge miniature railway is to be developed as part of the SteamWorks attraction. Previous efforts to revive part of…

COMPILED BY CHRIS MILNER Call: 01507 529589 email: cmilner@mortons.co.uk New Stadler mock-up shown off by Greater Anglia SWISS manufacturer Stadler, together with GreaterAnglia, has shownoffamock-up of howits new trains might look on entering service in2019. Themock-up combines the key features of the 20 electric and 38 bi-mode trains on order, and are part of Stadler’s‘Flirt’train platform (Fast Light InnovativeRegional Train). Reaction to the interiors from stakeholder groupswill be fed back to Stadler. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! FROM ONLY £20 SEE P32 FOR DETAILS THE first Class 88 dual-power locos have begun work on revenue-earning freight traffic. As expected, the locos have taken over the Daventry to GrangemouthTesco train, the first working taking placeon June 12, when No. 88003 worked train 4S43 north while No. 88004 worked the return south, 4M48. A third…

POOL CODES LSCO Locomotive Services Operational coaches XHTP DRS Locomotives subleased to TransPennine Express LOCOMOTIVES Allocations 08405 Re-registered WA/MBDL 08411 TTLS-MBDL 08441 TTLS-MBDL 08460 TTLS-MBDL 08480 Re-registered WA/MBDL 08484 TTLS-MBDL 08511 TTLS-MBDL 08568 ZH/RCZH-WA/MBDL 08580 re-registered WA/MBDL 08593 re-registered WA/MBDL 08632 re-registered WA/MBDL 08670 TTLS-MBDL 08683 TTLS-MBDL 08703 re-registered WA/MBDL 08709 re-registered WA/MBDL 08742 CE/WQDA-BH/HNRL 08752 re-registered WA/MBDL 08927 TTLS-MBDL 09015 re-registered WA/MBDL 37604 XHNC-XHSS 37610 KM/XHSS-CD/MBDL 37667 KM/XHSS-CD/MBDL 60020 TO/WCBT-WQ/WQAA-TO/ WCBT 60092 WQ/WQAA-TO/WCAT 66020 TO/WBAE-WQ/WQAA-TO/ WBAE 66043 TO/WBAE-WQ/WQAA 66052 returned to France 66054 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAR 66078 WBAT-WBAE 66084 WBAT-WBAE 66088 WBAT-WBAE 66110 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBBE 66130 WBAT-WBAR 66135 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAE 66140 TO/WBAE-WQ/WQAA-TO/ WBAE 66142 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAR 66161 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAE 66217 returned to France 66241 returned to France 66595 LD/DFHJ-FD/DHLT 66596 LD/DFHG-FD/DHLT 66597 LD/DFHG-FD/DHLT 66956 LD/DFHG-FD/DHLT 67010WAWC-WAAC 67012WAWC-WAAC 67022 WAAC-WAWC 68019 XHVE-XHTP 68020 XHVE-XHTP 68021 XHVE-XHTP…

COMPILED BY BEN JONES Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk SIDELINES ScotRail adds 76 more stations to CCTV network MORE than 300 new closedcircuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed at 76 stations across the ScotRail Alliance network since April 2015. Customers with bicycles will be one of the biggest groups to benefit, as additional cameras have been placed at 200 stations to monitor cycle parks. Cameras and monitors have been placed at the entrances to 30 of the network’s busiest stations, as part of a move to highlight the presence of CCTV on trains and stations. The Alliance remotely monitors CCTV footage from two customer service centres in Paisley and Dunfermline. New community partnership for SPT route SCOTRAIL Alliance and local stakeholders launched Scotland’s newest community rail partnership (CRP) on…

COMPILED BY PAUL BICKERDYKE Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@ mortons.co.uk Tyne&Wear summer closures ASECTION of theTyne &WearMetro inNorth Tyneside will be closed for a month this summer to allow upgradework and repairs. The£20million scheme covers the section between South Gosforthand Four Lane Ends fromJuly 31 to August 11, extended from Four Lane Ends to Shiremoor fromAugust 12 until September 2. Thework is part of the larger £350m system-wide ‘All Change’modernisation programme, and will involve replacing tracks, strengthening embankments, and replacing the Killingworth Road bridge in South Gosforth. Replacementbuses will run during the closure period. Trafford Park extension underway SEVERAL roads were closed in west Manchester from June 19, as work began on the Metrolink extension to the Trafford Park shopping centre. The£350 million scheme will seea3.5-mile line built fromthe Pomona…

ABBEY PUMPING STATION July 18, 25, August 8, 15 Corporation Road, Leicester LE4 5PX (0116 299 51110). www.abbeypumpingstation.org/events.asp Museum open Feb-Oct (13.00-16.30). Events: August 5 Pump Car Railway Gala Day. ALN VALLEY RAILWAY See website for running dates Lionheart Station, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 2EZ. www.alnvalleyrailway.co.uk Information line 0300 030 3311. Events: July 8-9 1940s Weekend, 30 Summer Fair. AMBERLEY MUSEUM & HERITAGE CENTRE July 8-9, 16, 23, August 13, 28 Houghton Bridge, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 9LT (01798 831370). Museum open (10.00-17.30) Wed-Sun. www.amberleynarrowgauge.co.uk Events: July 8-9 Railway Gala Weekend, August 20 Petrol Locos Day. AMERTON RAILWAY July 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 26-September 3 Stowe-by-Chartley, Weston, Staffs ST18 OLA (01785 850965). www.amertonrailway.co.uk APEDALE VALLEY LIGHT RAILWAY Home of the Moseley Railway Trust July 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 29-30, August 5-6, 12-13, 19-20,…