Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i The Railway Magazine

The totally unacceptable act of trespass FLYING Scotsman was back in the news last month for all the wrong reasons – outbreaks of mass trespass, primarily between Burton-on-Trent and Tamworth (see story on p7). Since its return to main line duties, the ‘Scotsman effect’ has followed, with members of the public taking leave of their senses and trespassing on railway lines (some rated at 125mph) just to get a closer look at the legendary ‘A3’. What is wrong with these people? What makes them think they have the right to wander on railway lines? Would they walk across a motorway? The evaporation of all common sense simply beggars belief, oblivious to the fact they are risking their lives as well as causing unacceptable stress to train drivers. What if there…

GERMAN Railways (DB) has announced it will no longer be able to sell its popular ‘London Special’ through fares from London to German destinations from November 9, following a change of computer booking system by Eurostar. Tickets using Eurostar services from London to Brussels and DB’s ICE services onward via Cologne, with fares starting from €49, have been sold since 2008. DB and Eurostar both say they hope to re-instate the tickets in the future. For the interim, both Eurostar and DB tickets can be bought together on the DB website – although the fares will be separate, and in most cases higher in total than the former through fare.…

THE Churchward County Trust (CCT) has been awarded full charitable status by the Charity Commission. The group is aiming to build the 41st GWR‘County’4-4-0 No. 3840 County of Montgomery, As Registered Charity No. 1183514, the CCT will now be able to claim Gift Aid on donations from HM Revenue & Customs, equating to an extra 25p for every £1 donated towards the construction of No. 3840. Obtaining charitable status was a key element of the CCT’s agreement with the Great Western Society to have ownership of the various components pledged to the‘County’(such as the boiler from No. 5227) eventually transferred to the CCT. Like us facebook.com/TheRailwayMagazine…

THE West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) and West Somerset Steam Railway Trust (WSSRT) have launched an ambitious joint fundraising campaign to raise £250,000 to help finance the West Somerset Railway plc’s planned track relays this winter. All 22 miles of the WSR’s track is currently in the process of being upgraded or replaced, some of which is coming towards the end of its serviceable 50-year life. Much of the rail is of the ‘bullhead’variety, sat in chairs on wooden sleepers, which while traditional, is much more costly to buy and maintain compared to flat-bottom rail. As a consequence the WSR intends to replace much of the ‘bullhead’rail with flat-bottom along the whole line. The exception will be in station areas and places where the traditional aesthetic will be retained. WSRA…

Enter the ‘Azuma’! THE transition to new trains for passengers who use LNER services along the East Coast Main Line got underway on May 15 when the first Hitachi Class 800 ‘Azuma’ – No. 800113 – worked the 11.03 King’s Cross-Leeds. The following day set No. 800102 was used on a Hull diagram. It’s an exciting step forward for the state-backed operator, but one which will also lead to the start of withdrawal of the immensely popular Class 91 and Mk4 trains, and also HST sets. Three Class 91s are due to be handed back to the leasing company by the end of June, rising to seven by August 31 as the 'Azuma' rollout progresses. A lot has happened since the East Coast franchise was under the tenure of Stagecoach…

Michael Bunch’s Donegal Railway Diary – Part Two 1956-2018 Edited by Neil Tee THIS fascinating book is packed with black and white pictures of the County Donegal Railways (CDR), the vast majority previously unpublished. They were taken by Englishman, RAF National Serviceman, and railway enthusiast Michael Bunch, who appears in a cameo shot on page 55 at Raphoe station. Part One was published in 2017, and this book brings the CDR story up to date both with text and by including some colour pictures by other photographers. Michael was posted to Derry in 1954, and spent his Saturday afternoons and Sundays exploring the County Donegal Railways, which, at that time, still ran into Derry. He kept a diary of his travels and photography as the railcars and steam trains took…

THIS is the latest DVD from the Ivo Peters Railway Archive Collection. Volume 4 features North Wales Narrow Gauge Steam, recorded on high quality 16mm colour film, from nearly 60 years ago. Though the programme was originally released on VHS in 1988 the material has been totally re-mastered for DVD. And what a fascinating feast of rare material! There is substantial coverage of the well-known‘preserved’narrow gauge steam lines – Talyllyn as far as Abergynolyn, the Vale of Rheidol in BR days, the Snowdon Mountain Railway, and the Ffestiniog Railway as far as Tan-y-Bwlch. It is certainly a very different yet intriguing world of preservation to that which we know today. The programme is further enhanced by an excellent commentary. The main treat is the substantial coverage devoted to‘real’working narrow gauge…

Tunstead Quarry features the largest cutting face in the UK, and is believed to be the largest in Europe Development was started by Buxton Lime Industries (BLI) in 1929, shortly after BLI had been acquired by the Brunner Mond chemical group to form Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) Three cuttings in the valley side were excavated first, between 1929 and 1932, and the first lime kilns were added in 1935 As Tunstead grew in size, it gradually replaced many other smaller and less efficient BLI quarries around Buxton The current operational area of the site, encompassing Tunstead and Old Moor quarries, includes a cement plant capable of producing one million tonnes per year; a roadstone processing plant; several lime kilns, some of which date back to 1935; and a crushing plant,…

IN THE last three financial years Network Rail (NR) has paid more than £1billion to train operators in delay compensation – and its likely to get worse. Performance has fallen for seven consecutive years, with infrastructure failures causing more delays than train operator errors of failures, which is something to be expected. How has the UK rail industry arrived at this situation and how is it managed? We all have tales about horrendous rail journeys where trains have been delayed, cancelled or missing out intermediate stops to make up time, or because of being diverted. In its own words: “The Delay Attribution Board (DAB) is the Industry body remitted to provide guidance and assurance to the Industry on delay attribution issues.” It presides over delay attribution responsibility, but it is…

“The first thing I had to get used to here was the sheer length of the working day. I now realise how easy we had it at school! But the earlier start and later finish soon became second nature, and I got a great deal of help from everyone here to help me settle in. “I started in the locomotive works at Bridgnorth, and although I’d say I’m definitely at the bottom of the pyramid experience-wise, I soon felt that other team members were trusting me to do what was required. They’ve treated me like an adult, right from the start. Of course there’s plenty of guidance, but people have high expectations, and they expect you to use your initiative and get on with the job. “My first ‘proper’ project…

Wolvercot or Wolvercote – mystery solved? IN THE March Practice & Performance the name ‘Wolvercot Junction’ was spelt Wolvercote Junction. I now find that, following the layout improvements north of Oxford, the junction has been renamed ‘Wolvercote North Junction’, with an ‘e’. The village of Wolvercote does have an ‘e’ and the railway junction did not until this recent change. Keith Farr Oxfordshire Station Road name returns I VERY much enjoyed Gary Boyd-Hope’s feature describing the renaissance of Broadway station in your May issue. My wife and I visited the station on a gloriously sunny day last autumn, arriving behind No. 7820 Dinmore Manor. After enjoying an excellent lunch in Broadway we started our walk back to the station. En route I noticed that we were walking along Station Road,…

WHEN the latest Railway Observer dropped through the letterbox it was immediately scanned to see what was happening locally, and in particular the status of the Airedale Class 333 electric multiple units. The 2019 issues have been most interesting because of the refurbishment of the 16-strong class commissioned by Northern Trains by Chrysalis Rail. Apart from losing their red West Yorkshire Metro livery for Northern Trains steel blue & white, the interiors of each unit have been upgraded, with the seats now covered in a two-colour moquette, LED lighting installed, new flooring and resurfaced grab handles. The electrification of the Airedale and Wharfedale lines was completed in 1995, and looking back through the Railway Observers for the 1990s, and often reading between the lines, makes fascinating studying. The 42 route…

Locos damaged in NYMR runaway ROBERT Stephenson & Hawthorns 0-4-0ST No. 15 (7063/1942) and‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No. 5428 suffered minor damage in a low-speed collision within shed limits at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s Grosmont works on April 12. The incident was internally investigated and reports handed to RAIB and the ORR. The damage has been repaired by Grosmont staff in full consultation with the owner of on-hire No. 15. The‘Black Five’ has since returned to traffic. Boiler extension for‘Caley’828 THE CR828Trust’s ex-Caledonian Railway‘812’class 0-6-0 No. 828 has had its boiler certificate extended until April 2020 at the Strathspey Railway. Trustees have agreed the loco should be made available for hire to heritage railways at times when it is not required by the Aviemore line, but ruled out a repaint…

Albert steams at Marsh Mills PLYM Valley Railway stalwart Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST Albert (2248/1948) steamed at the line’s Marsh Mills headquarters on May 2 as its 10-yearly overhaul nears completion. The ex-British Sugar Corporation loco last ran on January 3, 2016, but is expected to re-enter traffic later this year, giving the Plymouth railway two operational steam locos, the other being Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 705 (2047/1937). Foxfield ‘Peacock’ heads to Poland BEYER, Peacock 0-4-0ST No. 1827 paid a pre-Brexit visit to Poland in early May to appear at the May Day steam parade at Wolzstyn shed. The loco left its Foxfield Railway home on May 1 after the launch of the Knotty Heritage Trust’s carriage No. 23, and was in steam in Poland for the duration of…

ANDREW Barclay 0-4-0ST Fambridge (2157/1943) was expected to become the first steam locomotive to operate over the Long Shop Museum’s restored section of the old Leiston Works Railway on June 1-2. The Barclay (formerly NCB Scottish Area No. 47, and based at Kinneil Colliery) was set to visit courtesy of the Mangapps Railway Museum, and replaces Aveling & Porter 2-2-0WT The Blue Circle, which had originally been planned to work the inaugural services, but was rendered unavailable owing to low-loader access issues. At the time of writing in early May, track laying on the route of the former Richard Garrett & Sons works branch was at an advanced stage, with 80% of the planned track for the reopening in place, albeit not ballasted. The work is being undertaken by volunteers…

■ ADRIAN Shooter’s Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) Sharp, Stewart‘B’class 0-4-0STT No. 19 (3518/1888) was set to arrive at Launceston Steam Railway around the time this edition of The RM is published. A special DHR event will be held at Launceston, in conjunction with the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society, on August 15-16. ■ PERRYGROVE Railway-based, Keef-built 2-6-2T Lydia ran with a smokebox wreath following news on April 18 that Alan Richardson had died, the man who had commissioned construction of Lydia and a set of Keef-built coaches at Perrygrove. Alan was also closely involved with the Bure Valley Railway, where his 2-6-4T Mark Timothy operates. ■ THE Hendy and Pendle Charitable Trust has donated £5,000 to aid the training of two apprentices who joined Talyllyn Railway last year. The donation will…

THE team behind the Penrhyn Quarry Railway (PQR) has announced it is constructing a replica of Bagnall 0-4-0ST Skinner (1766/1906). The group says components from Skinner (built for Maenofferen Quarry, bought by Penrhyn in 1929, and eventually scrapped) have been donated in recent years, including a builder’s plate. A set of Bagnall frames have been acquired, which enable construction of the loco as time and funds allow. The PQR has also revealed it hopes to release details in the “very near future” of plans to build a new running line. The railway ceased operations at Felin Fawr in July 2017.…

THE Ffestiniog Railway (FR) is advocating the construction of a narrow gauge line from Blaenau Ffestiniog station to the Llechwedd slate quarry attraction. The successful bid for the national network franchise for Wales, submitted by KeolisAmey, included a commitment to invest £1million in Blaenau Ffestiniog station, which forms a joint terminus for the national network Conwy Valley line and Ffestiniog Railway (FR). A line to Llechwedd is included in proposals for future development at Blaenau Ffestiniog, submitted by FR. Other FR ideas include rearranging loops and platforms to provide a cross-platform interchange (replacing the current separate platforms serving each gauge with a foot crossing at one end), enhanced buildings for passenger facilities, and resolving limited car parking provision. No designs have yet been prepared for developments notionally timetabled for 2021-24.…

■ AMERTON Railway’s June 29-30 Staffordshire Engines Summer Steam Gala will feature visits by Leighton Buzzard Railway’s (LBR) Baguley 0-4-0T Rishra (its first visit to Amerton) and Graham Morris’newly overhauled LBR-based Kerr, Stuart 0-4-0ST‘Wren’Peter Pan. They are joining home-based Kerr, Stuart 0-4-0T Diana, Bagnall 0-4-0ST Isabel and Kerr, Stuart 0-4-0ST‘Wren’Lorna Doone, meaning there will be five Staffordshire-built steam locos plus Baguley diesels. ■ LONGLEAT Railway’s Severn Lamb/J Hayton steam outline 0-8-2DH Ceawlin (built 1975, rebuilt 1989) is visiting Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway for afew months to support its loco fleet, and further develop relationships between the two 15in-gauge lines. ■ THE Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway’s Andrew Barclay 0-4-0T No. 8 Dougal (2207/1946) returned to home metals on April 18 after aseven-month, 8,000-mile round trip to Taiwan. It is now…

Clifton Rocks Railway to reopen as museum? THE new owner of the top section of the funicular Clifton Rocks Railway in Bristol has announced plans to turn the site into a museum. Ian Johnson wants to create a major new attraction, including the restoration of the Portway façade, near the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The site has been steadily restored by the Clifton Rocks Railway Trust since 2005. The railway tunnels through the Avon Gorge to Sion Hill, Clifton. It closed in 1934. Cottesmore home for Newcastle No. 117 ROCKS by Rail at Cottesmore has taken delivery of the remains of ex-Newcastle Corporation Tramways Hurst Nelson open-top double-decker No. 117. The saloon will be restored by the Industrial Diesel & Railway Preservation Group, which salvaged the car from a site near…

STRATHCLYDE Partnership for Transport (SPT) took delivery of the first new train for the Glasgow Subway line on May 4. It is one of 17 being built by Stadler/Ansaldo for the Subway, which are due to enter service in 2020. The trains are capable of driverless operation and are the same length as the current ones, but made up of four vehicles rather than three, and have walk-though car ends. The new delivery will be used for extensive off-line testing and training, with the next deliveries not due until the end of the year. The new fleet is part of a £288million Subway modernisation programme, which also includes upgrades to the 15 stations plus new communication and control systems. Eleven stations have been refurbished so far, with another two (St…

Second Dunbar platform underway PRELIMINARY site clearance started for the installation of a second platform at Dunbar on May 13, writes Michael Denholm. The new platform will be located on the Down fast line, and requires the lifting of redundant sidings, relocation of overhead line equipment and construction of a footbridge with two lifts – requiring the demolition of the Category ‘B’-listed former North British Railway goods shed – as well as waiting facilities and the platform itself. Work is expected to take up to 12 months to complete. Harrow &Wealdstone footbridge overhaul THE footbridge at Harrow & Wealdstone on the West Coast Main Line north of London is being overhauled at a cost of £3.8million. Steelwork will be repaired and new flooring and glazing installed before the bridge is…

MASSIVE cost increases and lengthy delays to the Crossrail project were caused by the chosen contractual model, a compressed schedule and the absence of a realistic plan for completion, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The NAO’s Completing Crossrail report, published on May 3, found that Crossrail Ltd was not in possession of a sufficiently detailed delivery plan until late 2018, by which time it was already clear the project would be severely delayed and well over budget. Design changes and delays, requiring contractors to be on sites longer than expected, added around £2.5billion to costs between 2013 and 2018. Between March and December 2018,  the forecast final cost of the contract to install track and key electrical systems in the core tunnels between Stratford and Paddington rose by…

THE public response to a crowd-funding appeal after four vandals wrecked the Market Deeping Model Railway Society’s exhibition at Queen Eleanor School in Stamford hours before it opened has been simply staggering. The club issued an appeal for £500 after news on May 18 that layouts had been wrecked. The story quickly went global and the money poured in from well wishers from many countries aghast over wanton damage to a lifetime’s work. Even model railway enthusiast Sir Rod Stewart contributed £10,000 (see also Comment and Multiple Aspects). Club secretary Brian Norris said: “We are so immensely grateful to everyone who has donated, with Sir Rod Stewart having been especially generous. “All your donations will help us and others, so hurt and damaged by the destruction, to start to rebuild.…

THE Gospel Oak to Barking line got the first of its new trains in May 23 when two Class 710 four-car EMUs were launched into service late morning. The two sets worked two full diagrams the following day. The announcement from Transport for London came with less than 24 hours notice. The move will be a welcome step for users of the route, who have had to endure a 30-minute rather than 15-minute frequency since mid-March, as well as chronic overcrowding. The software problems which have plagued the entry into traffic of the‘710s’seem to be resolved with version‘33’, and over the coming weeks extra sets will enter service and restore the 15-minute frequency as more drivers are passed out on the sets. To compensate for the 14-month late introduction, customers…

DORSET’S Swanage Railway is following in the steps of the West Somerset Railway by undertaking a complete governance review of both the Swanage Railway Trust (SRT) and Swanage Railway Company (SRC). A letter signed by SRT chairman Gavin Jones and his SRC counterpart Liz Sellen was sent to members during May. It outlined the need for the review, stating the governance structures, which date back to the early 2000s, are not necessarily fit for today’s “larger and complex operation”. The letter goes on to highlight the risks associated with the levels of income (circa £3million per year) and trading margins, which “mean that even marginal adverse fluctuations in income can impact financial viability”. It would seem the lesson of the West Somerset Railway, which came within a whisker of insolvency…

NEW timetables came into force across the UK network on May 19, adding around 1,000 additional services. However, many of the promised new trains have still not materialised. Highlights of the new timetable include the introduction of an hourly Transport for Wales (TfW) service linking Liverpool and Chester/Wrexham via the revived Halton Curve, which is now open in both directions. Greater Anglia introduced ‘Norwich in 90’trains on May 20. Two additional train pairs leave Norwich at 09.00 and 17.00 and Liverpool Street at 11.00 and 19.00, reaching Ipswich in 55 minutes. The trains are timed for the new Class 745‘FLIRT’EMUs, but will initially be worked by Class 90+Mk3 sets, with pairs of bi-mode Class 755s taking over once they are authorised. Reservations GA will suspend seat reservations on London to…

WITH this issue, the title of the column reverts to the name it began with a quarter of a century ago. At that time, I described it as appropriate as it enabled Britain’s senior rail journal to signal up matters relating to all facets of the world of railways. That’s as relevant now as it was 25 years ago, so feel free to contact me at npigott@ mortons.co.uk if there’s anything infuriating, inconveniencing or merely bewildering you about life on the lines. Is the land that gave trains to the world forgetting how to design them? SOMETHING engineers and designers are supposed to do is learn the lessons of history. Back in the 1950s, hundreds of unproven diesel and electric locomotives were ordered for BR in a‘headless chicken’dash to rid the…

THIS useful guide to rolling stock, unit and carriage numbers has been fully updated, and covers all of the new designs of train under construction or having recently entered service. Unlike other listing books, the ABC guide is complied in train operator order, and includes owner, livery and brief details about aspects such as the unit formation, length and seating. Stock operated by freight, infrastructure and engineering companies are listed, as is off-lease stock (which will of course fluctuate), exported locos, and a useful inclusion is the rolling stock owned by private operators and approved for mainline use. Irish railway rolling stock is also included, and readers are given information on coupling codes. At the back is a cross reference by chronological order to the operator of each loco, unit…

Closures by stealth FRASER Pithie’s extremely interesting article about the North Warwickshire line reminds us that closures still take place – even where there is an element of stealth. I refer to Norton Bridge, on the WMCL, which has not had a rail service since 2004 when the footbridge was deemed unsafe and there was allegedly an issue with freight train clearances. The station was closed‘temporarily’and a rail-replacement subsidised bus service took place. Not surprisingly, few passengers used the service because of longer journey times, and 12 years later in 2016 the DfT began statutory proceedings to close the station permanently. There was no effort by the DfT, Network Rail, and London Midland – the operator at the time – to have the bridge reinstated. They had no intention of…

VINTAGE Trains will be running shuttle trains during both of the open days, linking Tyseley with Birmingham city centre and Dorridge. Subject to official confirmation, four return trains will run between Birmingham Moor Street and Dorridge, calling at Solihull and Tyseley. Motive power will be provided be either Clun Castle or Rood Ashton Hall, top-and-tailed with Type 4 No. 47773. Standard class tickets are priced at £5 each way for a journey from Dorridge or Moor Street to Tyseley. The full round trip is priced at £20. Pullman class is available at £7.50, or £30 for the round trip. Further information and tickets are available at… www. vintagetrains.co.uk…

THE various steel plates that together make up the main frames of new-build‘County’4-4-0 No. 3840 County of Montgomery have been delivered to Tyseley Locomotive Works (TLW) in readiness for construction to begin. Drilling and machining of the two main frame plates was completed by Goodman Metal Works of Netherfield, Nottingham, in early May. The work entailed drilling the 200 various holes in each plate, and the milling of ¼in from the axlebox cut-outs. Goodman Metals is no stranger to working on steam locomotives, having recently manufactured the smokebox saddle and smokebox for the Great Western Society’s Hawksworth‘County’4-6-0 No. 1014 County of Glamorgan (RM March). In tandem with the work taking place in Nottingham, TATA Steel at Wednesfield completed the cutting, shot-blasting and painting of the smaller frame plates that make…

THE Great Western Society will be just days away from revealing the completed paintwork of its new ‘Saint’ No. 2999 Lady of Legend by the time this issue of The RM hits the newsstands. The re-created Churchward 4-6-0 will show off its new livery during a special ‘Hall & Saint’ weekend at Didcot Railway Centre on June 7-9, when it shares the spotlight with visiting ‘Modified Hall’ No. 7903 Foremarke Hall from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. The pairing of Nos. 2999 and 7903 perfectly illustrates the the GWR’s full development of  its 4-6-0 locomotive types that carried Churchward’s ‘Swindon No. 1’ boiler. The boiler was first employed on the ‘Saints’ and ‘28XX’ 2-8-0s, and later on the ‘Stars’, Collett’s ‘Halls’ and ‘Granges’, and finally Hawksworth’s ‘Modified Halls’. One was even…

THE WEST Somerset Railway (WSR) and Great Central Railway-Nottingham (GCRN) became the latest preserved lines to become the target of wanton vandalism at the end of April. An estimated £1,000-worth of damage was inflicted upon BR Mk1 No. W4449, stabled overnight at the WSR’s Bishops Lydeard station, late in the evening of April 29. The damage caused to the coach was mainly broken glass, with three large carriage windows and two droplight windows smashed. The coach was subsequently moved to Minehead for repairs. An online repair appeal launched by the West Somerset Railway Association contributed more than £1,200 in just 24 hours. “This attack was horrible for the railway’s dedicated staff and volunteers who put in many hours maintaining our vintage vehicles,”said WRD plc chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt. “Local people have…

BAGNALL 0-6-0ST No. 401 Thomas Burt MP, better known by its former Austin Motor Company name of Vulcan (2994/1951), is back in revenue-earning service at the North Tyneside Steam Railway after more than a decade on the sidelines. The ‘high-tech’ locomotive, which is part of the Stephenson Railway Museum collection, worked its first official trains on April 11 following a six-year overhaul at the museum’s Middle Engine Lane site. The work has been largely completed by North Tyneside Steam Railway Association (NTSRA) volunteers, and financed by Arts Council England capital funding, with additional money raised by the NTSRA. The extent of the overhaul has included boiler repairs and the fitting of a new inner firebox, which was completed by the North Norfolk Railway, as well as the complete re-tyring of…

THE Railway Preservation Society of Ireland will pioneer the use of Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail Class 071s and Class 201s working in multiple on a passenger train, when two of the General Motors locos pair up to work the ‘Cobh Rambler’ on October 5. The tour follows April 13’s successful ‘West Awake’, which took a pair of ‘071s’ in multiple from Dublin to Claremorris and Westport. Like this and previous diesel-hauled railtours, the ‘Cobh Rambler’ will be a fund-raiser for the overhaul of the society’s General Motors locomotives Nos. 141 and 134, the latter making rapid strides towards completion at Inchicore. The tour will originate at Dublin Heuston, from where the ‘201’+’071’ pairing will head the train of the RPSI’s Cravens stock down to Cork. From here the ‘201’ will take…

June  8 Statfold Barn Railway, enthusiast day 9 RHDR, Green Goddess returns 15 Ff&WHR, ‘The Snowdonian’ 15 Talyllyn Railway, anything goes 21-23 Ff&WHR/WHHR, past, present, future 29-30 Apedale Valley Light Railway, military railway event July  6-7 Evesham Vale Light Railway, summer gala 7 Bredgar &Wormshill Light Railway, enthusiasts’ gala 13 Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway, 10th anniversary 13-14 Amberley Museum, rail gala 20 RHDR, engineering day 24-28 Manx Heritage Transport Festival…

THE National Tramway Museum has entered the final stages of a major restoration of ex-London County Council car No. 1 (LCC1), which is expected to be rolled out of the workshop at Crich later this year. The five-year project is generally regarded as the most comprehensive restoration undertaken by the museum’s experienced conservation workshop team. It has seen LCC1 restored back to its London County Council ‘Bluebird’ guise, with many milestones reached so far, including the restoration of the steel frame and the renewal of the whole of the top rail of the car, the replacement of the lower deck side panels, recanvassing of the roof, the air supply system for the doors, brakes and folding steps rebuilt, a full controller overhaul, and major works on the wheelsets and traction…

STAGECOACH has issued a second writ against the DfT in respect of its disqualification from running the West Coast Partnership franchise from 2020. The company was also disqualified from the East Midlands and Southeastern franchise bids over an apparent non-compliant bid, and at the beginning of May the operator announced legal action over the East Midlands failure. This latest legal step has not only made demands for a judicial review, but also alleges the DfT was in breach of its statutory duties and did not carry out a “fair” tendering process. This latest action is in conjunction with Virgin and SNCF, all partners in the bid process. With Arriva also suing the DfT, it is now facing three legal actions. The DfT paid £33million to Eurotunnel in an out-of-court settlement…

PLACING British Steel Ltd into compulsory liquidation, which includes the rail-making plant at Scunthorpe, could have an impact on the rail industry. The Government's Official Receiver has taken control of the company, as part of the liquidation process, after the company was wound up in the High Court. The receiver said the immediate priority was the safe operation of the site, and to try and save jobs by finding a buyer. British Steel supplies 95% of the rail used on Britain’s network – 100,000 tonnes per year – and although NR has a contingency stockpile, and is talking to European suppliers, this could lead to higher costs. If a buyer cannot be found and the plant closes, it is uncertain if European plants could provide the required manufacturing capacity. Scunthorpe…

East Midlands bi-mode testing by 2021? TESTING of bi-mode trains should begin in 2021, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has said. However, no order for new trains had been announced when The RM closed for press on May 28. Bombardier, Stadler and Hitachi are expected to have pitched offers to franchise winner Abellio. Porterbrook backs Dying to Work campaigners RAIL leasing company Porterbrook has signed the TUC’s Dying to Work Charter, a commitment to treating employees with fairness and dignity if they are diagnosed with a terminal illness. The Dying to Work campaign was started by Jacci Woodcock, who felt mistreated by her employer after she disclosed her terminal cancer diagnosis. HS2 and TSSA sign recognition agreement HS2 Ltd formally recognised the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) right to represent more…

FORMER Fleet Street journalist and football writer Adrian Curtis has marked four decades researching the Class 52‘Western’by publishing the Western Chronicles, which will encompass a book on each individual member of the 74-strong class. The series is thought to be a first of its kind for a diesel class, with the author also launching a free website database for enthusiasts who are still fascinated by arguably the most successful diesel locomotive class built by BR. Mr Curtis has forecast it will take around five years to publish all 74 books in numerical order; the first two covering D1000 and D1001 are ready. All will be A5 hardback and will contain many previously unpublished colour and black and white photographs and unknown facts about the fleet. Book details at: www.western locomotiveresearchsociety.com…

STAGECOACH Group UK Rail managing director (MD) Tim Shoveller is moving to Network Rail as one of five new regional managing directors unveiled on May 16. Mr Shoveller joined Stagecoach from Virgin Trains in 2007. He was previously MD of East Midlands Trains and, until February 2016, also MD at South West Trains, where he was involved in a pioneering alliance with Network Rail. After Stagecoach lost the SWT franchise in early 2016, he moved to a more wide-ranging role, overseeing the group’s UK rail business. A railwayman with more than 25 years’ experience, Mr Shoveller previously held senior roles at Midland Mainline and Eurostar. Mr Shoveller’s new role will see him taking responsibility for Network Rail’s North West and Central region, tasked with making the infrastructure operator ‘more nimble’,…

LONG-DISTANCE trains should be operated on an airline-style model, with compulsory seat reservations and train paths auctioned in‘bundles’to the highest bidders to encourage greater competition, according to Virgin Trains. The controversial changes are central to Virgin’s submission to the Williams Rail Review, which is currently assessing the structure and ownership of the UK’s railway system. Virgin says the changes would encourage competition on long-distance routes, eliminate overcrowding and end the current complex system of ticketing by removing peak and off-peak restrictions. It also claims competition would lower fares and drive up standards. Virgin identifies the East Coast Partnership and HS2 as ideal candidates for the introduction of the new model, but believes it could be more widely applied. Currently, the only operators in the UK with compulsory reservations are Eurostar…

Railways get greener NORTH Norfolk MP Norman Lamb asked what assessment has been made of the effect on the level of greenhouse gas emissions of the Government’s decision to cancel the electrification of the Cardiff to Swansea, Kettering to Sheffield and Windermere to Oxenholme lines in June 2017. Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “We are committed to a greener, cleaner transport system. That’s why we are modernising the UK rail fleet to introduce more electric, bi-mode (electric and diesel hybrid) and alternative-fuel trains. “Better trains and upgraded infrastructure will take polluting cars and lorries off our roads – reducing the overall carbon footprint of UK transport – making our air cleaner. “On the Midland Main Line, new intercity trains will be introduced, which will have less environmental impact than the…

One fine June evening in 1967, a friend and I were enjoying dinner in the restaurant car of the 17.05 Euston-Carlisle. During the soup course we were discussing our plans for recording steam over Shap when the brakes came on and, like Edward Thomas’s express train at Adlestrop, we came to a stand unwontedly, but somewhere in Cheshire. Apparently, our Brush Type 4 diesel did not want to go any further; so, after a commendably short interval, we were rescued by an ‘8F’ 2-8-0, which trundled on to Warrington to be replaced there by another Class 47. What has this to do with railtours? Twice have I experienced main line haulage behind an ‘8F’, on the occasion mentioned and on the ‘Eight Counties Railtour’ in March, 1966. Organised by the…

AS A companion to the annual and popular Rail Guide from Crecy (see above), which lists rolling stock on the national network by train operator, comes the first edition of a similar book covering light rail and tram systems and also heritage railways. The book lists stock numbers, starting with London Underground and covering each of the 11 lines, after which is Croydon Tramlink, Docklands Light Railway, and even the Emirates cable car system. Provincial tram system vehicles are covered, including Blackpool’s heritage trams, and even the new Glasgow Subway vehicles, which are starting to be delivered. Dublin’s LUAS system gets an inclusion as do heritage tram and pier railways. Because so many diesel and electric locos are preserved, these are listed by class, with details of the heritage railway…

Steam loco ■ Tjepper (ex-Ceper Baru No 5) 0-4-4-0T ‘Mallet’-built Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik, Kirchen, Germany 2279/1914 Rebuilt as 0-4-4-0 tender loco – Statfold Engineering, Tamworth, England as No 651/2018 Diesel locos ■ No 6 Badger Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0DM (D1418/1971) ex-British Steel, Shotton Works ■ No 50 Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0DM (D1419/1971) ex-British Steel, Shotton Works ■ Simplex Motor Rail 4wDM (40SD503/1975) ex-Minworth sewage treatment works, used for track maintenance in Barbados…

THERE appears to be slight confusion over dates in the wonderfully absorbing article about the campaign to prevent closure in 1969 of the North Warwickshire line (May issue). The Court of Appeal sat on Friday, May 2 , not on May 3 as stated. The last day of operation of the line would have been Saturday, May 3, as there was no Sunday service. I well remember my ‘farewell’ trip to Danzey on Friday’s 17.05 from Moor Street, illustrated by my photograph on page 37. On the journey out, passengers and railway staff were taking their sad farewells. When I returned to Birmingham an hour or so later there were handwritten blackboards on the platforms en route with the good news, at least one adding: “See you all on Monday…

100 YEARS AGO JUNE 1919 THE Great Western Railway has recently completed 2-8-0 No. 4700, the first eight-coupled engine designed expressly for mixed-traffic duties, certainly in the United Kingdom and probably in world practice. The design is developed from the highly successful 2-6-0 mixed-traffic engines with 5ft 8in coupled wheels, but has a large boiler as associated with ten-wheeled  classes in service. COMMENCING June 2 several important alterations will come into force affecting the East Coast route between London and Scotland. A new midday express will leave King’s Cross at 1.20pm, due at Waverley at 10.20pm, while the return train leaves Edinburgh at 12.30pm, reaching London at 9.30pm. Both include luncheon and dining cars. THE‘Cornish Riviera Express’, Great Western Railway, again leaves at 10.30am, replacing its war-time substitute, the…

LOUGHBOROUGH Central will boast an all-new locomotive works, with education and visitor centre, if plans by the Great Central Railway come to fruition. The new workshop will offer enhanced facilities for the restoration and maintenance of the railway’s locomotive fleet, and will incorporate a new visitor centre, allowing extensive public access to the works, along with new education and learning facilities. Impediment The facility will replace the 1970s-built shed, which needs to be removed as it sits on the trackbed leading to the Midland Main Line crossing and is therefore an impediment to the eventual reunification with the northern section of the GCR. The steel-framed workshop will sit further over to the west, leaving room for the railway on the opposite side. To help finance the project the GCR has…

BIRMINGHAM-based Vintage Trains has reaffirmed its intentions to overhaul all three of its Collett pannier tanks – Nos. 7752, 7760 and 9600 – maintaining and operating them from its Tyseley base. The train operator said: “Vintage Trains intends that all three panniers will be returned to steam to operate from Tyseley depot and on the main line, also to support the development of the Shakespeare Line as Britain’s premier heritage main line railway,”but adding the caveat that“progress to achieve that aim will depend largely on workshop capacity”. ‘8750’No. 9600 and‘57XXs’ Nos. 7752 and 7760 have all been active on the main line in the past two decades, and while No. 9600 was withdrawn for a fast-track overhaul in 2018, No. 7752 still has two years to run on its current…

THE Stanier Mogul Fund (SMF) is hopeful its sole-surviving LMS 2-6-0 No. 13268 will be the next locomotive to emerge from overhaul at the Severn Valley Railway’s Bridgnorth works. Much of the recent focus has been concentrated on the frames, with extensive steel renewal taking place towards the rear on the fireman’s side. The dragbox and much of the platework around the cab have also been remade. The cylinders have already been overhauled and pistons refurbished, leaving only the fitting of new valve liners to complete these. The pony truck overhaul has been completed, along with the brake gear, and the SMF plans to have the loco back on its re-profiled wheels during the summer. The boiler is also receiving major steel renewal in the Bridgnorth boilershop. The lower two-thirds…

THE Lincolnshire Wolds Railway (LWR) will be celebrating a decade of operation between Ludborough and North Thoresby on August 26, exactly 10 years to the day since the extension opened. To mark the occasion the LWR is offering free travel that day to anyone whose birthday is on August 26. The railway is hoping to use the anniversary to promote its current five-mile extension scheme, which covers the former Great Northern Railway line southwards from Ludborough to Louth. A fundraising appeal has been launched to buy rail, sleepers and ballast for the new extension. “Our first target is the three-quarters of a mile to Pear Tree Lane crossing, which will cost around £180,000”, said LWR spokesman Phil Eldridge. “The appeal has started to build up a real momentum and has…

A HERITAGE Lottery Fund-supported project to restore the Springwell incline brakesman’s cabin has been completed at the Bowes Railway. The self-acting incline lies at the north-east end of the site, where during its peak six sets of six wagons could traverse the 1-in-24 gradient every hour. The journey between bank top and bank foot took seven minutes, with wagons travelling at speeds of up to 25mph. The operation was controlled from the cabin, with the brakesman regulating the speed by means of a hand wheel that applied brake shoes to the winding drum. Following restoration of the cabin visitors can now view the incline from the operator’s perspective, and see the restored original fittings, including the rope speed indicator.…

THE RPSI has appointed Lisa Adair as its general manager. Ms Adair took up her new position on April 25, based at Whitehead Railway Museum. Having come to the RPSI from Belfast Metropolitan College, where she held the post of planning and performance executive, Ms Adair’s role will be to direct and oversee the development and operation of the RPSI as a whole. She will be responsible for both staffing and volunteer liaison, being answerable to the chairman and the board. Extensive “I am not an expert in railways but I am looking forward to learn, and I must say I was blown away by what the museum has to offer,”she said. “Its galleries are much more extensive than I had expected, and there is so much information to absorb.…

THE Leighton Buzzard Railway’s (LBR) May 4-6 100th Anniversary Spring Gala featured the War Office Locomotive Trust’s visiting Hunslet 4-6-0T No. 303 working alongside the Greensand Railway Museum Trust’s (GRMT) resident Baldwin ‘10-12-D’ 4-6-0T No. 778 and the LBR’s own Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T Doll. The GRMT’s 40hp Armoured Simplex LR2182 was officially launched into service on May 6 following restoration to its original appearance. Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk Your reports and pictures are most welcome Highly competitive rates are paid, especially if exclusive to The RM…

THE Rail Accident Investigation Branch is examining how the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway’s Funkey Bo-Bo diesel hydraulic Vale of Ffestiniog was unable to stop on the 1-in-40 gradient approaching Beddgelert station. The incident took place on April 16 at about 09.15. The light engine travelled at around 10mph for 1¼ miles without the driver being able to reduce its speed. It ran through several open level crossings and Beddgelert station, passed a signal placed at danger, and entered a single-line section without authorisation. It stopped when the gradient levelled out 0.6 miles after the station. No-one was injured during the incident.…

BURE Valley Railway’s (BVR) May 25-27 Everything Goes event featured BVR locos celebrating significant birthdays during 2019. Winson-built ‘ZB’ 2-6-2s No. 6 Blickling Hall and No. 7 Spitfire marked their 25th anniversaries, Blickling Hall having arrived at BVR on March 30, 1994 followed by Spitfire on May 27. This pair have since covered more than 140,000 and 115,000 miles respectively on the 15in-gauge line. They joined 4w-4wDH No. 3, which is 30 years old, having arrived on May 8, 1989 to assist construction of the BVR. The line’s oldest steam loco is 2-6-4T No. 1 Wroxham Broad, completed by Guest Engineering in September 1964 as steam outline diesel Tracy-Jo, and converted into a steam locomotive by Easter 1992.…

THE sole-surviving 3ft-gauge horse tram from Soloman Andrews’ Pwllheli & Llanbedrog Tramway appears to be standing up well to the elements at the Plas Glan y Weddw arts centre. The 1897-built enclosed Brush car has been on outdoor display at the site it once served since 2016, following an agreement between Pwllheli Town Council and Plas Glyn y Weddw. It was refurbished in 2014 with funding from the Llŷn Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The car, which was discovered in a farmer’s field in 1967, is pictured on March 20.…

PREPARATORY work is underway to extend Edinburgh’s tram network from the city centre to Newhaven, and plans are already being drawn up for a possible further extension that would form a loop around the city’s Old Town. The loop idea could be built within the next decade, and would firstly see a new tram line built over North Bridge to the BioQuarter and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, with a branch then running in the shadow of the castle, to the south of Old Town, to rejoin the line at Haymarket. Edinburgh Council says this could reduce city centre traffic by up to 30% combined with other changes such as the pedestrianisation of various roads. Contractors have begun investigation works at various points on the approved extension to Newhaven. Ground and site…

GREATER Anglia (GA) has been awarded almost £500,000 by the Railway Heritage Trust (RHT) to assist restoration work at several stations across its network. The RHT signed off £498,250 in grants on April 23, the most it has confirmed in a single day, all of which went to the Abellio-owned franchise. Among the beneficiaries was the former stationmaster’s house at Bury St Edmunds, which will be restored using an £192,000 grant. The money will be used to reinstate the original style roof, doors and windows of the Grade-II listed building next to the station. GA will also invest £400,000 in the building. Most recently a nightclub, it has been empty for around 20 years, slowly deteriorating because of the effects of the weather, pigeon infestation and vandalism, despite being restored…

GAUGEMASTER, awell-known model railway supplier in Ford, near Arundel, is working with Sussex Community Rail Partnership (SCRP) and Southern to make its local station a more attractive and interesting place for travellers. The work has included installation of retro-style advertising boards on the platform and in the waiting room, as well as a large scenic model railway display in one of the waiting rooms. A USB charging port has been included as part of the model display, allowing passengers to charge electronic devices while they wait. Stuart Jordan, of Gaugemaster, said:“It’s great that we have been able to work with SCRP and Southern to make the station a better place. As well as our staff and customers, a lot of people have to change trains at Ford, so hopefully our…