Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i The Railway Magazine

A FEW readers felt my comments last month about problems on the Borders Railway were unfair. The £300million project has been well-covered and supported by The RM, and while it is a superb achievement in so much as passengers have flocked to the line in far greater numbers than envisaged, the performance of trains and infrastructure has been woeful at times, which has tarnished the overall success. I’ve seen weekly analysis of right-time arrivals in Edinburgh and Tweedbank since day one and it does not make good reading. At best, on-time arrivals recorded in a single week at Tweedbank are 66.2%, at worst 23.9%. Right-time arrivals in Edinburgh are even lower, which gives passengers a poor view of rail. Poor performance You could argue that the poor performance is not…

THE long-running and bitter dispute between the RMT and train operator Southern is set to be stepped up with a series of five separate strikes, totalling 14 days. For more than six months the company and union have been at loggerheads over wider introduction of driver only operation (DOO) trains, with the guard’s duties for closing doors passing to the driver. Southern want to replace guards with on-board supervisors, a move which the RMT says undermines safety. However, because Southern is running the franchise as a management contract for the Department for Transport, opinion is increasing that the DfT is driving the change towards DOO operation as part of modernisation of the industry and cost reduction. With talks between the two parties having broken down, the RMT said it had…

THE lack of toilet facilities at Tweedbank station on the Borders Railway is to be addressed, with construction beginning early in 2017. The station will also get a refreshment kiosk that will serve passengers hot and cold drinks and snacks. The omission of these facilities has frustrated passengers, who were also unhappy that staff had toilets and a mess room, while they had nothing. Funding will come from ScotRail and the Borders Railway Blueprint Group. The announcement came on the first anniversary of the line.…

SOUTHERN has begun a 12-week consultation of proposed changes to the timetable, which will be operated by GTR in 2018, following completion of the Thameslink Programme. The consultation runs until December 8. It is the biggest timetable change for years; links from Southern’s website provide a summary of changes by route, along with a response form. A station-by-station comparison of services before and after is available, as some stations will have fewer services and several will have more. Public events are being held at key Southern and Thameslink stations until early December.…

Paddington derailment driver had been fasting THE RAIB report into a derailment of a Class 166 DMU at London Paddington on June 16 said a driver had been fasting and hadn’t eaten for the previous 16 hours. RAIB said it was “unable to determine” whether fasting and interruption to sleep was a factor in the crash. Network Rail fined £4million over crossing death NETWORK Rail has been fined £4million over the death of a former film actress at a level crossing in Suffolk. Brenda McFarland was killed in August 2011 when she was hit by a train at the Gipsy Lane crossing in Needham Market. NR pleaded guilty totwo charges. Brown steps in at Govia as Crowther moves to HS1 GOVIA Thameslink Railway has appointed former managing director of London…

AN INDUSTRY-WIDE approach to tackling alcohol misuse on the railway is essential to help reduce deaths at the platform edge, the Rail Safety & Standards Board (RSSB) says in a new report. The RSSB says that intoxication was partly to blame for causing two in every three (66%) of the 32 deaths that have occurred at the platform edge in the past 10 years. The report adds that 40% of passengers assaulted or abused on Britain’s railways believe their assailant was intoxicated, and staff believe that around 60% of assaults that they had personally experienced were alcohol-related. The RSSB has now issued updated guidance for rail companies to help them manage the risks.…

A NEW rail skills and employment academy has opened in Derby. It has been developed jointly by Derby College and the Rail Forum East Midlands. The academy will draw upon the expertise of more than 150 local rail businesses, covering a range of disciplines, including construction, engineering and finance. One of the first tasks of the academy will be to develop specific full-time and apprenticeship programmes that address the rail industry’s current and future skills requirements.…

Split ticketing DREW Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey) asked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government is taking to simplify rail fares for journeys between London and Scotland and reduce the fare anomalies that lead to split ticketing. Transport Minister Paul Maynard replied: “Rail passengers should always be able to get the best deal and the industry must work harder to make this a reality. “We are aware that there are a number of routes for which it can be cheaper to purchase two ormore tickets for individual parts of the route than a through ticket for the entire journey. “Anyone is entitled to purchase two or more separate tickets for their journey so long as the train stops at the stations indicated at the end…

Peering from the window of my local train as it approached Paddington station early one spring Saturday, I found ‘Western’ C-C Class 52 No. D1058 Western Nobleman picture-perfectly framed, protruding from underneath the canopy of platform 1, resplendent in maroon livery that sparkled against the strengthening morning sunshine. But this was not 1976, the last full year before its withdrawal; it was 2016. Even die-hard enthusiasts could be forgiven for having to take a reality check. Walking down platform 1, the left-hand side of the locomotive carried the identity of D1010 Western Campaigner, but it was actually a disguised D1015 Western Champion. It was standing at the head of the ‘Western Challenger’ railtour (D1019?!) organised by Pathfinder (a coincidental name-share with ‘Western’ D1001!). I must admit to being ambivalent towards…

MEETINGS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 Stephenson Locomotive Society Meetings (SLS) . Friends’ Meeting House, Mount Street Manchester M2 5NS. 14.00. ‘Railway Chat: A Debate’: Nigel Harris and Christian Wolmar. MONDAY, OCTOBER 3 Mirfield Railway Enthusiasts’Society . Navigation Tavern, Mirfield. 19.30. ‘Route of The Thames-Clyde Express’: Ben Taylor. North Yorkshire Moors Railway (Northallerton area group) . Northallerton Town Cricket Club, Farndale Avenue, Northallerton DL7 8SN. 19.30. ‘Railways in the Yorkshire Landscape’: Stephen Gay. Peak Rail Association (Sheffield branch) . The Harlequin, 108 Nursery Street, Sheffield S3 8GG. 19.30. ‘The Route of The South Yorkshireman’: Martin Bromley. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society (RCTS) . Elwick Club, Church Road, Ashford. 19.30. ‘London Bridge Update’: James Elford. RCTS . Christ Church Community Hall, Burney Lane, Ward End, Birmingham. 14.00. ‘The Three Musketeers Symposium’: Derek Morris,…

ONE of the aspects of heritage lines which appeals to me is that their operation is invariably the result of team effort. Even if the railway is owned by one individual, he or she will depend on others to drive, fire or guard the train, sell tickets or change the points. Most of us operate our railways, tramways, cliff lifts or museums through a board of directors, panel of trustees or committees. Rules of governance may be laid down by statute, as in the Companies Acts, or overseen by bodies such as the Charities Commission, the ORR or, should you be applying for a grant, the Heritage Lottery Fund. Ensure accountability This is largely to ensure accountability. For many years, the Heritage Railway Association (HRA) and its antecedent bodies have…

Scrap HS2 in favour of second Brighton line, says industry chief THE chief executive of one of Britain’s largest funders of infrastructure projects is urging Prime Minister Theresa May to abandon plans to build High Speed 2 in favour of reinstating a second main line to Brighton. Nigel Wilson, the head of Legal & General, believes that upgrading and rebuilding the former London, Brighton & South Coast Railway route through East Croydon, Oxted, Uckfield and Lewes as ‘Brighton Main Line 2’ (BML2) is the only answer to solving a capacity crisis in Sussex. He said: “You can have big projects, but they have got to be the right big projects.” Overcrowding The leader of the Conservative group on Brighton & Hove City Council, Cllr Geoffrey Theobald, echoes the sentiments, suggesting…

GBRf pulls off stunning anglo-Scottish charity tour NINETEEN locomotives and 2,220 miles covered over four days made it GBRf Charity Railtours best-ever fundraiser. The five-legged charter, ostensibly celebrating 15 years of the TOC, raised more than £125,000 for charity. The company’s new celebrity BR green-liveried ‘66’ No. 66779 Evening Star (with matching chocolate & cream ‘support’ coach!) was the appropriate motive power to bring the curtain down on the September 8-11 marathon at Paddington station’s platform 1 bufferstops, amid jubilation from dedicated volunteers and passengers. All train crews donated their time to the event without pay. ‘GBRf 15’ set off from London Victoria behind a pair of Class 20s (Nos. 20118 Saltburn-bythe Sea and 20132 Barrow Hill Depot) to Fratton via Wimbledon and Horsham, backed up by a duo of…

SVR Class 50 Hood rededicated CLASS 50 No. 50031 Hood worked its first passenger train on the Severn Valley Railway following overhaul and repaint into InterCity livery on August 20. It is seen arriving at Kidderminster with the 15.40 from Bridgnorth, and now carrying its number and InterCity titling and swallow logo. It was still lacking nameplates at this time as they were to be unveiled at a rededication ceremony at Kidderminster station on September 17. This was performed with the HMS Hood Association marking 100 years since the ship’s keel was laid down, and the 75th anniversary of her sinking during the Second World War (RM August, p87). LMS 10000 ‘Project Icon’ launched DERBYSHIRE Dales MP Sir Patrick McLoughlin has officially unveiled ground-breaking plans to bring the country’s long-lost…

All Freightliner locomotives are being transferred into the pools below. However, initial problems have meant a temporary reallocation to the former pools while these are resolved. DDHH Freightliner Class 70 Heavy Haul DDHJ Freightliner Class 66 Restricted Use DDHM Freightliner Class 66 Heavy Haul DDHN Freightliner Class 66 Heavy Haul low emission DDHS Freightliner Class 66/6 Heavy Haul DDII Freightliner Class 70 Intermodal DDIM Freightliner Class 66 Intermodal DDIN Freightliner Class 66 Intermodal low emission DEIC Freightliner Class 86 Intermodal DEIS Freightliner Class 90 Intermodal DFGH-DDHH-DFGH 70002-06 DFHJ-DDHJ-DFHJ 66413/15/1966507/08/10/11/13-15/18/24-26/31/36/44/51/63/64/85/95-97 66953 DFHH-DDHM-DFHH 66506/09/12/19/20/22/23/28/29/39/45-49/50/52-55/59-62 DFHG-DDHN-DFHG 66598/9966951/52/56/57 DFHH-DDHS-DFHH 66601-07/10/13-22 DFHG-DDHS-DFHG 66623 DFGI-DDII-DFGI 70001/07-11/13-20 DFIM-DDIM-DFIM 66501-05/16/17/32-34/37/38/40-43/56-58/65-72 DFIN-DDIN-DFIN 66414/16/18/20 66587-94 66954/55 DFNC-DEIC-DFNC 86604/05/07-09/10/12-14/22/27/28/32/37-39 DFLC-DEIS-DFLC 90016/41-49…

IT IS nearly 22 years since the first Eurostar trains ran to Paris and Brussels, and yet the first set is about to be sent for scrapping. Just eight sets will survive sfter the cull. At just over half the age of many HST sets, these sleek 186mph trains have revolutionised cross-channel travel, winning the hearts and minds of passengers with their city centre to city centre services, avoiding all that’s unpleasant about flying. From conversations inside and outside of the industry, some believe there is far more life in them, subject to a modest refurbishment. Others say their complex technical nature – quad voltage, multiple signal and safety systems, plus their power-hungry nature and parts obsolescence – are key factors against another life for the trains. Yet, in Germany,…

TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling has announced a £20million fund to improve running of the Southern network. In addition, he has appointed Network Rail non-executive director and former Virgin Trains chief operating officer Chris Gibb to head a new project board. He will work with Southern, the DfT and Network Rail to explore how to achieve a rapid improvement to services. This board will oversee the £20m fund, which will be spent as follows: • £4.9m in depot flow improvement at Selhurst and Epsom • £3.5m for vegetation management, doubling the number of teams clearing trees and bushes. • £2.5m for accelerated track maintenance • £2m for new train-crew accommodation at Victoria station • £2m for new track in nominated tunnels • £2m for additional rapid response teams to fix faults,…

ROMNEY, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway Davey Paxman 4-6-2 No. 1Green Goddess ended up on its side after colliding with a farm tractor at about 14.30 on September 10, reports Cliff Thomas. The incident took pace at occupation crossing No. 10, between Dymchurch and Burmarsh. The 12-coach train was carrying around 50 passengers. There were no serious injuries, but five people, including the loco driver, suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene by paramedics. The driver of Green Goddess made a full brake application and started whistling on seeing the tractor, which was hauling a trailer loaded with straw. The driver jumped from the locomotive (said to have been doing less than 8mph) prior to the impact, and has been praised for immediately helping passengers in the leading carriage.…

OVERHEATING engines on Class 158 units that work the Borders Railway service from Edinburgh to Tweedbank are being fitted with modified radiators. The 25-year-old units have suffered overheating on the climb to the 880ft-high Falahill summit (between Heriot and Tynehead). Trains face a climb of around eight miles at 1-in-70 from Gorebridge and a longer 1-in-100 climb from Tweedbank. The overheating can cause an engine to cut out, leading to the unit struggling, which causes delays that can have a profound knock-on effect. ScotRail say that a specialist manufacturer will provide a modified radiator design, which will improve air flow and reduce coolant temperatures. This modification was due to be trialled on two units before the end of September, and if it resolves the problem, will be rolled out to…

A REPORT looking at the vision for future rail services between the East Midlands and London says that the best solution for the region is a new fleet of bi-mode trains that can travel at 125mph. East Midlands: A Railway for Growth was launched at the annual conference of Rail Forum East Midlands (RFEM) on September 16. The current HST125 sets used by East Midlands Trains (EMT) are almost 40-years old, and will be at the end of their life by the end of 2019 because of future disability changes and the electrification of the Midland Main Line. More carriages The report projects a one-hour journey time with new trains from London to Leicester, 90min from Nottingham and 110min from Sheffield. However, the report also highlights the need for more…

BRITAIN Runs on Rail campaign has been launched by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) to raise awareness of the industry’s £50billion upgrade plan and why the investment is needed. RDG chief executive Paul Plummer has called for an “open and honest conversation” about the future challenges facing Britain’s railway. Mr Plummer wants the campaign to stimulate public debate about a number of key challenges, specifically: • How to balance taxpayer and passenger funding of the railway • How to reform fares regulation and buy the cheapest fares • How to modernise the railway in the digital age, including introducing new forms of ‘ticket’ • Where to focus investment to increase rail capacity • How to improve the structures of the industry to enable train companies and Network Rail to excel.…

GERMAN rolling stock manufacturer Siemens is going to the High Court to challenge Abellio Greater Anglia’s decision to award a contract for new trains to Bombardier. The Derby-based company will be building 645 vehicles for Abellio. Siemens has previously challenged an award to Alstom for new trains for the Netherlands, and back in January 2015 a court blocked an appeal against Wiener Linien’s decision to award Bombardier an order for new tram cars. However, back in 2010, Alstom challenged the award by Eurostar for the new ‘Velaro’- based e320 trains. A Siemens statement said it had ‘‘serious concerns about the procurement process” and has been left with no option “but to commence legal proceedings to obtain transparency of how the evaluation of bids has been conducted”. Abellio has said it…

THE DfT’s invitation to tender for the West Midlands franchise includes a requirement for trains on Boxing Day as well as enhanced service frequencies between Birmingham and Worcester and Worcester and Gloucester. In addition, the DfT wants to see initiatives to increase the rail modal share to and from Birmingham International, with more later and earlier services. At present, there is a lack of services to connect with the first and last flights that many budget airlines operate. The Invitation to Tender (ITT) also, unusually, contains a requirement for proposals for use of heritage traction and stock to augment capacity for special events to provide a specific customer experience. Currently, Birmingham has the fastest-growing level of tourism in the country. However, the ITT does contain a requirement that any new…

WORK on extending the line from the new Oxford Parkway to the main station in the city has been completed. A new chord at Bicester connecting Chiltern Railway services from Oxford Parkway to London Marylebone opened on October 26 last year, and Network Rail has now laid the final five miles of double track to Oxford’s main station. Chiltern will begin driver training ahead of the start of services from Oxford to Marylebone from December 12, providing an alternative route for the busy commuter city. The route will also be used for East-West services from Oxford to Bletchley and Bedford. Chiltern will run two trains every hour to and from Marylebone. FREE DVD Next Month Next month’s issue will contain a free DVD looking at the NRM’s locos in action.…

 A showcase for the best in railway photography…

‘4MT’ evokes spirit of the Bath to Binegar local IT IS arguably the most convincing Somerset & Dorset revival yet… The sight of a BR Standard ‘4MT’ tank and a solitary coach was a most faithful re-creation of the much-loved inter-county main line at the restored Midsomer Norton South station and its associated short-section of double track. Llangollen Railway-based 2-6-4T No. 80072 took on the identities of Nos. 80041 and 80043 for two weekends in September as the S&D Heritage Railway Trust concluded its 50th anniversary of closure commemorations in fitting fashion. Volunteers at the station site went one better than the actual anniversary weekend in March, which was punctuated by the visit of a ‘Jinty’, coupled to a Mk1 and ‘Queen Mary’ brakevan. This time, No. 80072 and its…

Internal combustion and guest steam at Leighton tribute event LEIGHTON Buzzard Railway’s major 2016 event over August 28-31 and September 3-4 marked the centenary of War Department Light Railways (WDLR) beginning First World War operations on the Western Front. Star visiting loco was Moseley Railway Trust’s Hudswell, Clarke ‘Ganges’0-6-0WT 1238/1916 No. 104, very similar to the pair of long-scrapped locomotives employed when the original Leighton Buzzard Light Railway opened in 1919. No. 104 was running over the longest railway it has worked on since restoration in August 2014. It performed excellently, working one passenger set double-headed with LBR’s O&K 0-4-0WT P C Allen. The other set was handled by Greensand Railway Museum Trust’s Baldwin 4-6-0T WDLR No. 778. Re-enacting the broad principle of WDLR operation, steam-worked trains (with Bedfordshire Regiment…

LU ticket office closures to be reviewed THE Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has ordered a review of London Underground ticket office closures, which were authorised by the previous mayor Boris Johnson. The review will be undertaken by independent watchdog London TravelWatch, and will look at the impact of the closures on passengers. The closures, which began in February 2015, were authorised to help save costs and pay for the new Night Tube service, which began running in mid-August. Trade unions, however, have said the closures had done nothing to improve passenger services. Mr Khan said: “Millions of Londoners use stations across our transport network every day and it’s vital that everyone feels safe and gets the right support and information they need when they travel around our city. “With…

Slow down for Middle Eastern rail projects THE fall in the oil price during 2015 and consequently the national income of several Gulf and Arab states has led to some of their ambitious plans for new railway construction being delayed or suspended. In Oman plans to build a railway to connect to the new Etihad Rail network in neighbouring United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been suspended. Work on the planned 628km Etihad Rail line, connecting the initial 264km Shah to Ruwais line in the UAE to both Oman and Saudi Arabia, has also been put on hold. In neighbouring Saudi Arabia plans to open the new 300km/h Haramain high-speed line, connecting Mecca with both Medina and Jeddah in 2017, have been postponed to 2018 because of delays in commissioning the…

A NETWORK Rail (NR) construction manager who died following a road traffic accident on June 11 has been honoured by the naming of a High Output Plant system (HOPs) MPV train in his memory. The suggestion was made by his work colleagues. Australian Gavin Roberts, 28, moved to Swindon and had been working on the GW electrification project for five months. The poignant event was held at the Swindon NR High Output Operations Base (HOOB) in Swindon, headed by NR chief executive Mark Carne and attended by Mr Roberts’ closest work colleagues . Emotional Gavin’s girlfriend Meg Williamson created a hugely emotional moment when she ran her fingers along the nameplate. A smaller replica has been sent to Australia for the bereaved family. Infrastructure company Keltbray raffled tickets for rides…

ON FRIDAY, August 5 the 1D09 10.03 King’s Cross-Leeds activated the Hot Box detection equipment at Great Wymondley. The train went forward at reduced speed to Peterborough, arriving there at 11.21, where it was terminated. After examination by technical staff the train departed, running as 5D09, heading to Neville Hill depot for further attention to the problematic wheel set. HST power car No. 43295 was observed on August 6, heading the diverted 07.03 King’s Cross-Leeds service off the Selby line at Micklefield Junction, due to engineering work between Wakefield and Leeds. No. 43061, in East Midland Trains livery, was also noted on August 6, heading the diverted 08.03 King’s Cross-Leeds service past Norden Farm crossing, between South Milford and Micklefield Junction. A BUS reportedly broke down on August 16 while…

AS THE RMT’s dispute with Southern rolls into another month, with 14 days of strikes announced and no immediate resolution in sight, the whole concept of driver-only operation (DOO) needs fully re-examining from operational and safety aspects. On one side, the Department for Transport is trying to force the issue through its management contract with Southern. An Invitation to Tender for the new West Midlands franchise indicates that any new trains ordered must be able to work as driver-controlled only, so you can see where the DfT’s intentions lie. London Underground and Overground are run as DOO operation, as are some, but not all, Abellio, ScotRail, c2c, GWR, Chiltern services, so why have rail unions accepted some DOO operation, but refuse to accept others? What is the difference? Strikes over…

BRUSH Traction, now part of Wabtec, is building two locomotives for the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR). The pair are, in effect, a follow on to 31 previous locos built by Brush in three phases between 1983 and 1996, with the new locos being based on the Phase 3 design. The locos are designed to work off 1,500v DC overhead or battery power, and will be used in Hong Kong for maintenance trains on a short extension of the East Rail line between Sheung West and Kennedy Town. The pair will be numbered L87 and L88, and are likely to be tested at the Great Central Railway during October before setting sail on a four-week voyage to Hong Kong in November. The previous Brush builds were: L51-L55 in 1983;…

TWO vehicles of Class 313 No. 313055 were derailed on trap points in a turn back siding at Welwyn Garden City on September 13. The unit was working with No. 313050 when the incident occurred at around 01.20. An investigation will look at whether a signal was passed at danger. On the morning of the incident, passengers had to use rail replacement buses to start their journey from New Southgate and Arnos Grove Tube stations. The location of the derailment, under the A6129 Great North Way bridge, south of the station, has made recovery difficult. There is also some damage to OLE poles. Attempts were made to re-rail the driving car using a Bruff road-rail vehicle, but the driving car slipped further. As an alternative plan, workmen began to remove…

A COLLABORATION of Amey and VTOL Technologies has unveiled a ‘flying wing’ that it hopes will be used for the remote inspection of bridges, viaducts and other structures. Shaped as a wing, rather than a conventional drone, the device has four motors, with the on-board equipment providing still images and video. It can also carry infrared and thermal-imaging cameras, ground-penetrating radar, and Lidar (Light Detection And Ranging). It will be able to transmit live images or upload them on return to base. Software development is ongoing and will allow new images to be compared to previous ones, which would be beneficial in areas of heave or landslip and give early warnings of problems. The device could also be used to assess overhead line damage and also monitor trespassers. One suggestion…

ANALYSIS of season ticket costs shows that in some cases a commuter can spend 10% of their income on a season ticket. The report is based on frequent journeys studied by the Campaign for Better Transport There are also wide gulfs in the cost per mile of season tickets. A St Albans City to St Pancras International ticket costs £3,383 from next January, which is equivalent to 37p a mile, based on a round trip five days aweek, excluding weekends, bank holidays and 25 days’annual leave. From Harlow Town to Liverpool Street, a commuter would pay £3,432 a year, which works out at 38p a mile, yet aWorcester to Birmingham season costs £1,324 and works out at 11p a mile. Rail campaigners have expressed astonishment at the disparity per mile.…

SEVERAL readers have written following my comments about CrossCountry, the company also contacting me direct about my daughter and family being locked up in a train in Penzance. Richard Bradford sent in a lot of good ideas about how to improve the CrossCountry service, ranging from reducing station dwell times, reducing the number of intermediate stops, and sometimes re-routing to a faster route, leaving other franchise operators to provide services to intermediate stations. However, all this skirts around the nub of the issue – what is CrossCountry there for? Is it a regional service using what once was better rolling stock than the ‘Pacers’, or is it an inter-city service linking those cities with each other rather than London? We also see this in the new structure of Network Rail’s…

STAR LETTER Three ways to save money on tickets STEVEN Knight’s article ‘Fare Deal’ (RM September) was fascinating. I give these examples of savings: 1. First class Bodmin Parkway (via Birmingham) to Ilkley on October 15, booked five weeks earlier. All websites show this as £329 – just shy of £1 per mile, a crazy price when I can do it by car for £50. By re-booking at Plymouth and Leeds it falls to £174, and to £160 by re-booking at Exeter instead of Plymouth. Of two split-ticket sites I consulted, one gave a £15 reduction; the other none. Advance tickets are usually substantially cheaper via London and the complementary meal service is far superior on East Coast. CrossCountry fares are appallingly high, and this explains why on my recent…

WHEN you look at every line that has reopened in Scotland, the success has far exceeded the experts’ predictions. The Borders Railway is no exception. Fervent campaigning by those who believed the line should never have closed in 1969 finally led to the Scottish Parliament agreeing to rebuild part of the line. Although I never managed to travel over the line in its heyday, countless photographs of trains working hard in a rolling landscape and a Peter Handford recording of the staccato beat of ‘V2’ No. 60927 on an early morning climb from Steele Road to Whitrope summit paint a wonderfully vivid picture for me. Despite living 300 miles away (yes, I’m a Sassenach) it’s a line I have always felt a great affinity for – a line full of…

100 YEARS AGO OCTOBER 1916 UNDER the Time (Ireland) Act, the clocks in the Emerald Isle will, on Sunday, October 1st, be put forward 35 minutes so that Irish time and Greenwich time from thenceforward will be the same. It is estimated that the change has necessitated 2,000 alterations in the October railway time-tables. NEW 4-4-0 engines designed by Mr. Pickersgill for the Caledonian Railway have been built at St. Rollox works (Nos. 115, 124, etc.), and have double bogie tenders. Others (936, etc.), have been built by North British Locomotive Co., Ltd., at their Atlas Works, Glasgow, and have six-wheel tenders. The pioneer of the class was illustrated in our May number. RESTAURANT cars have been withdrawn by the North British Railway from the trains leaving Glasgow (Queen Street)…

Bon-Accord leaves Scotland for the first time as Beamish beckons ROYAL Deeside Railway-based Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST Bon-Accord (807/1897) left its native Scotland for the first time in its 119-year existence on September 11, transferring by road to Locomotion in Shildon to take part in the museum’s autumn steam gala. The ex-Aberdeen Gas Works locomotive, which returned to traffic in June following extensive repairs, was appearing at the September 17-18 event prior to moving on to Beamish Museum, where it is expected to remain for the rest of the year. Over the course of the two days Bon-Accord ran in its full tramway guise with side plates (skirts) down, only the third and fourth time it has done so in preservation. From the might of Gresley Pacifics at its Shildon Shed…

‘Grand Hibernian’ begins... but Portrush is a ‘no go’ THERE was something new and blue snaking its way around the joint Irish rail network throughout September following the public launch of Belmond’s highly anticipated ‘Grand Hibernian’ luxury train. The maiden voyage began on August 30 when Iarnród Éireann/Irish Rail driver Ray Kenna eased an immaculate InterCity-liveried Class 201 No. 226 River Suir away from Dublin’s Heuston station at 14.20. The destination on this day, and for each ‘Grand Hibernian’ Tuesday departure, was Cork via Thurles, stabling overnight at Charleville. The following day the train returned to Cork, after which it proceeded on to Mallow and Killarney, stabling once again at Charleville. Thursday’s destination was Galway (via Portarlington) and an overnight stop at Athlone, heading on to Westport and Roscommon on…

North must have longer trains and upgrades, say transport group A SUCCESSION of infrastructure upgrades across the north to allow longer and more frequent freight operations is just one of the propositions put forward by Transport for the North (TfN). The proposals follow the publication of TfN’s Northern Freight & Logistics Report on September 7. The report has been compiled for TfN by Mott MacDonald and MDS Transmodal in order to examine how the transport of freight and logistics across the North of England, on rail, road and water, can contribute to the further growth of the nation’s economy. It highlights the potential for freight to bring £35billion-worth of benefits to the North by 2060 through a series of recommendations. Significantly, it cites the need to increase network capacity for…

DB Cargo puts more Class 60s on the market DB CARGO has placed 20 more Class 60s up for sale, adding to the 10 they sold to Colas two years ago. This latest batch were all withdrawn between November 2004 and May 2011 and have been made available because of changes in deployment of Class 66s and more of the latter being available for traffic. All 20 are located in various parts of DB Cargo’s Toton complex. The deadline for bids was September 14. The locos being sold are: Nos. 60003/4/5/6/8/13/ 14/18/22/23/25/27/ 30/31/32/37/42/50/51. DRS Class 88 on display in Berlin THE first of a fleet of 10 dual-power Class 88 locomotives went on display at Innotrans, the international railway trade show held recently in Berlin. DRS has ordered 10 of…

DEPOT CODES NEW POOL CODES GBHN Class 47 on hire from HNRC WBAR DBC Class 66 RHTT NEW DEPOT CODE SM Sheringham LOCOMOTIVES Allocations 47853 HNRL-GBHN 56078 COLS-COFS 56105 COLS-COFS 60007 WQ/WQAA-TO/WCBT 60019 TO/WCAT-WQ/WQAA-TO/ WCAT 60040 WQ/WQAA-TO/WCBT 60044 WQ/WQAA-TO/WCAT 60059 WQ/WQAA-TO/WCBT 60063 TO/WCAT-WQ/WQAA 66001 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAT 66007 WBAE-WBAR 66012 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAT 66030 WBAT-WBAR 66040 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBATWBAR 66051 WBAE-WBAR 66066 TO/WBAT-WQ/WQAA 66067 WBAE-WBAR 66068 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAT 66070 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAT 66079 WBAT-WBAR 66083 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAE 66084 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAT 66086 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAT 66104 WBBE-WBAR 66106 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBBE 66107 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBATWBAR 66109 WBAT-WBAR 66145 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAE 66165 WBAT-WBAR 66168 WBAT-WBAR 66182 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAT 66206 WBAT-WBAR 67007 CE/WABC-WQ/WQAA-CE/WABC 67008 WAWC-WAAC 67010 WQ/WQAA-CE/WAAC 67013 WQ/WQAA-CE/WAWC 67030 WQ/WQAA-CE/WABC 90020 CE/WEAC-WQ/WQAA 90036 WQ/WQAA-CE/WEAC 90040 CE/WEAC-WQ/WQAA-CE/WEAC 98484 (76084) Reinstated SM/MBSL Liveries Blue: 08617 Celsa black & red (correction): 08630 Colas: 56090 DRS revised: 66425 Maritime blue: 66727 Greater Anglia white: 90003…

ABBEY PUMPING STATION October 18 (Getting Ready for Christmas Children’s Day), 31 (Ghostly Engineer), December 4 (Christmas Toys and Steam Day) Corporation Road, Leicester LE4 5PX (0116 299 51110). www.abbeypumpingstation.org/events.asp Museum open Feb-Oct (13.00-16.30). ALDERNEY RAILWAY December 18 (Santa Specials) Braye Road station, Alderney, Channel Islands GY9 3DA.www.alderneyrailway.com ALFORD VALLEY RAILWAY December 3-4, 10-11 (Santa Specials) Alfordstation,Alford,Aberdeenshire(01975564332). www.alfordvalleyrailway.org.uk/timetable.asp ALN VALLEY RAILWAY October 29 (Halloween Specials), December 10-11, 14, 17-18 (Santa Specials) Lionheart Station, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 2EZ.www.alnvalleyrailway.co.uk Information line 0300 030 3311. AMBERLEY MUSEUM & HERITAGE CENTRE Wednesday-Sunday Houghton Bridge, Arundel,West Sussex BN18 9LT (01798 831370). Open 10.00-17.30.www.amberleynarrowgauge.co.uk Events: October 9 Autumn HistoricTransport Gathering, 29 Halloween GhostTrain. AMERTON RAILWAY October 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 29-30, December 3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 24 Stowe-by-Chartley,Weston, Staffs ST18 OLA (01785 850965). www.amertonrailway.co.uk Events: December 3-4, 10-11,…