Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2022 i The Railway Magazine

PLANS to mark the centenary of the National Collection’s ‘A3’ Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman are well advanced, a spokesman for the National Railway Museum has told The RM. As this issue went to press, an announcement was expected imminently regarding detail of the loco’s 2022 trips, the 4-6-2’s forthcoming overhaul and initial details of activities planned for 2023. “The National Railway Museum and Locomotion are planning to mark Flying Scotsman’s centenary with an exciting programme of activities and events throughout 2023. We are working hard behind the scenes to ensure that we deliver a fitting celebration for a much-loved locomotive. “Flying Scotsman is scheduled for overhaul this year (2022). At this stage, any speculation about what we are planning, including liveries, is just that – speculation.” Meanwhile, main line…

A FORMER Great Northern Class 365 electric multiple unit is to be preserved on static display at the East Kent Railway (EKR). Three cars have been donated by Eversholt Rail after negotiations involving railway consultant and rolling stock owner Howard Johnston, who said he was “determined to save one from the scrapyard”. Set No. 365524 was earmarked for the move as it was considered to be in the best condition, although on January 21 driving car No. 65974 from set No. 365540 had arrived at the EKR. However, a driving car and trailer from No. 365524 was due to follow in late January after this issue went to press. Kent link The fleet of 41 four-car units entered service in 1996 after construction at ABB in York, the last few…

DfT to cap on-train announcements THE Department for Transport is to review and remove announcements that add unnecessary noise and disruption to train journeys, but retain important safety messages and work with accessibility groups so that passengers receive the necessary information. The aim is to identify and remove repetitive and unnecessary on-board announcements on trains in England so that passengers will no longer be bombarded with ‘tannoy spam’ that distracts from safety-critical messaging. There will also be new curbs on the maximum frequency at which remaining announcements will be heard. Society objects to canopy removal BEVERLEY Civic Society is objecting to the removal of a Victorian timber canopy over a railway footbridge at Beverley station. The society says that the Grade II listed bridge has suffered from a lack of…

DETAILS have been released of two further significant Roman finds by archaeologists working on the HS2 project. A rare carved wooden figure was discovered during an investigation by a team from Infra Archaeology, who were working for contractor Fusion JV, at Three Bridge Mill near Twyford in Buckinghamshire. As work continued to uncover what was first of all thought to be a degraded piece of wood in a waterlogged Roman ditch, it was revealed as a humanlike figure standing 67cm tall and 18cm wide. Early Roman The style of carving and tunic-like clothing worn by the figure suggests it was from the early Roman period. Archaeologists say they cannot be certain about what it was used for, although there have been examples of wooden carvings being offered as gifts to…

Fares rises curbed RAIL fares will rise by 3.8% in March and Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh wanted to know whether the Department for Transport (DfT) had estimated the average passenger fare per journey. “Rail fares increases will be capped and tied to the Retail Price Index (RPI) figure for July 2021 (3.8%),” said new Transport Minister Wendy Morton, who moved to the DfT on December 19 in a ministerial shuffle that switched Chris Heaton-Harris to the Foreign Office. “The Government has deliberately continued to use the July figure as it was lower than the months since, as an August or September RPI figure would have led to a 4.8 or 4.9% change, with October being even higher at 6%. In addition, as with 2021, we have temporarily frozen fares…

Rack railways began in Leeds THANKS for yet another good read this month. However, an error crept into Mr Fender’s piece on the Rigi railway (page 91, January issue). Mr Fender writes ‘the first rack railway anywhere up Mount Washington in New Hampshire, USA’. In fact, the world’s first rack railway was actually the Middleton Railway in Leeds in 1812, some years before Mount Washington. The Middleton system was also the home of the first commercially successful steam locomotives in the world, commencing with Salamanca, built by Matthew Murray to John Blenkinsop’s specification. The Middleton system, however, was not designed to climb hills. It was designed to overcome the problems experienced with heavy locomotives breaking the brittle cast iron rails used at that time. Once wrought iron and steel rails…

100 YEARS AGO FEBRUARY 1922 LRO for Fawley line THE Minister of Transport has confirmed the Order made by the Light Railway Commissioners – Totton, Hythe and Fawley Light Railway Order, 1921 – authorising the construction of a light railway from Totton to Fawley. Waterloo reconstruction ANOTHER stage towards completion of the reconstruction of Waterloo station has been reached by the opening of the handsome new buffet, opposite No. 15 platform. Decorated in marble and plaster, with mahogany counter, the walls are panelled in marble to the height of 9ft with Greek Cipollino, the centre piers are in fluted Sienna with columns in Greek Cipollino, these having bronze caps and bases. 50 YEARS AGO FEBRUARY 1972 Fire bridge reopens THE Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait, severely damaged…

THE Churchward County Trust’s (CCT) project to construct GWR ‘County’ class 4-4-0 No. 3840 County of Montgomery has reached another significant milestone following the formal transfer of ownership of a boiler and other components from the Great Western Society (GWS) at Didcot. The majority of the items will be provided by unrestored ‘Barry 10’ 2-8-0T No. 5227 and had originally been earmarked for use in the GWS’ own, but ultimately aborted, plan to re-create a Churchward ‘County’ at Didcot Railway Centre in line with the 2005 ‘Three Counties Agreement’ with Vale of Glamorgan Council. Following the GWS’ decision not to proceed with its ‘County’ 4-4-0 scheme, when the County of Montgomery project was launched at the start of 2018 the society offered to donate the components to the CCT, but…

NEW driving wheels will be acquired for LMS ‘Patriot’ No. 5551 The Unknown Warrior, the LMS-Patriot Project has confirmed. The group, which is behind the new-build 4-6-0 said the decision follows an investigation with the active cooperation of manufacturer Boro Foundry, which jointly concluded that the driving wheels cannot be repaired to the standard required. Discussions are now in progress with William Cook Cast Products on the procurement of new wheels – and the original wheel pattern has been secured for collection from Tyesley Locomotive Works for this purpose. Meanwhile, the safety valves have been completed by Locomotive Maintenance Services in Loughborough and transferred to the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust’s (PRCLT) West Shed. Shotblasting of the frames is due to begin imminently.…

THE Great Western Society (GWS) has launched an urgent appeal to restore and repair one of the most important pieces of infrastructure at its Didcot Railway Centre site – the water tower and coal stage. It has been advised that without immediate attention, there is a possibility that the water tank could fail at any time, which would make running steam locomotives almost impossible in the short term. It is estimated that the overall cost of the works will be about £300,000. The project has been boosted after the Railway Heritage Trust offered a grant of up to £100,000 – but the GWS now needs to find the remainder to enable it to complete the project. The Grade II listed coal stage was new in July 1932, so is now…

THE Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway (EABSR) has begun the restoration of two 100-year-old Midland Railway corridor third bogie carriages – their survival being down to having crossed the Irish sea during the Second World War. Bomb damage on the Northern Counties Committee network, operated by the LMS, the Midland’s successor railway company, meant an urgent need for carriages in Northern Ireland in 1942. This was solved through the deployment of a number of second-hand carriages from the British mainland, which received new 5ft 3ins bogies. Nos. 238 and 241 are the only two survivors of the six sent to Northern Ireland at the time. They were saved by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland in 1975, returning ‘home’ to MR territory in Yorkshire in 2004. The EABSR has…

February February 12-20 North Norfolk Railway: Half-term Steam and Diesel Running February 15-17 Great Central Railway: Paw Patrol February 19-27 Keighley & Worth Valley Railway: Half Term Happiness February 19-27 South Devon Railway: Half-term steam February 20 Epping Ongar Railway: LT to LRT Bus Event February 20, 27 & March 6 Tanfield Railway: Winter Running March March 11-13 Keighley & Worth Valley Railway: Steam Gala March 12 Great Central Railway: Real Ale Train Like us facebook.com/TheRailwayMagazine Follow us @railwaymagazine…

■ REPLICA 3ft gauge Southwold Railway Sharp, Stewart 2-4-0T No. 3 Blyth, being constructed by North Bay Railway Engineering Services for Southwold Railway Trust, was run on compressed air (the wheels being on rollers) for the first time on December 3. ■ Work to stabilise Steeple Grange Light Railway’s Steeplehouse cutting, where a rock fall occurred a year ago, was completed during December. This work, along with repairs to the abutments of Porter Lane bridge reported last month, was funded by a £32,636 grant from the Tarmac Landfill Community Fund administered by the Derbyshire Environmental Trust. ■ HAVING completed its December 11/12 Santa train operations, the Corris Railway’s track at Corris station was lifted prior to significant remodelling which will include a run-round loop facilitated by a traverser and a…

TALYLLYN Railway (TR) has acquired an ex-LMS five-plank wagon to stand on a short length of track where there was once a standard gauge siding alongside the wharf edge at Tywyn Wharf station. This will display how slate was transferred from the 2ft 3in gauge TR to standard gauge wagons for onward transportation. The wagon came from the Bristol Harbour Railway and is numbered 66045, an LMS or possibly Port of Bristol, number. It has been sent to Stanegate Restorations in Haltwhistle for renovation preparatory to display. Also now at Stanegate Restorations is the wooden chassis of TR’s ex-Corris van No. 6. A trial assembly at the end of December showed that as much original material as possible has been retained although new wood has been used where necessary. The…

WHR carriage derails in Aberglaslyn Pass WELSH Highland Railway services on December 18 were disrupted when a carriage derailed in the Aberglaslyn Pass. The train was a morning service returning from Beddgelert to Porthmadog, the incident occurring just after crossing Bryn y Felin bridge. The derailed carriage was the third from the Beddgelert end. The train was split, leaving four carriages in the Pass, the passengers being taken on to Porthmadog in the front section of the train. The rest of the afternoon’s services were cancelled with Hibberd 4wDM Upnor Castle recovering the four carriages from Aberglaslyn Pass the following day. Much travelled diesel arrives at Kempton RUSTON & Hornsby diesel works number 200748 of 1940, owned by a consortium of members, arrived at Hampton & Kempton Waterworks Railway late…

Tramway repairs required at Birkenhead BIRKENHEAD Heritage Tramway was temporarily closed from mid-December because of engineering problems. A joint statement from Wirral Borough Council and the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society said that MTPS had called in independent rail consultants following issues with pointwork at Woodside Ferry. They also identified other work, which was needed on the line and, consequently, the decision was taken to stop services until the completion of necessary repairs. Wirral Transport Museum remains open from 13.00-16.00 on Saturdays and Sundays. Further ‘Bluebird’ progress PAINTING of London County Council No. 1 ‘Bluebird’ has been continuing at Crich Tramway Village in order to achieve a deep gloss finish for its blue and ivory livery. A final trial fitting of the lifeguard assembly took place in December, by which time…

THE Battlefield Line has welcomed Class 40 No. 40118 (D318), which moved from Tyseley Locomotive Works – where it has resided since November 1988 – to Shackerstone on January 5. GWR tool & riding van No. 174 and Fruit D No. 92076, which are also owned by the 16SVT Society, relocated to the Leicestershire heritage line in mid-January. Volunteers from the Class 40’s owning group have enjoyed long-standing ties with the Battlefield Line. The loco is undergoing a thorough restoration, with ‘every nut and bolt’ being attended to. Priority is being given to getting the engine to start, then the bodywork will be progressed in due course. A structure is set to be erected over the loco, mirroring the arrangement when the loco was at Tyseley. A major step forward…

THE Rail Accident Investigation Branch’s report into the collision between Class 20 No. 20189 and a passenger train at Grosmont, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, found the accident occurred because the loco was travelling too fast to be able to stop in the distance available when the stationary coaches ahead first came into the driver’s view. Five minor injuries were reported amongst the 175 passengers on the Whitby-bound passenger train, and all were treated by first aiders at the scene. There was some damage to the coaches, which were removed from service for several weeks to allow inspection and repair, but there was no damage to the locomotive, track, or other infrastructure. The ‘20’ was switching platforms at Grosmont to move into the space behind the Whitby train as part of…

SCOTRAIL has begun preparations to install eight ‘request to stop kiosks’ on the Far North Line, eliminating the need for a hand signal to the driver. The move is part of a £5m package of improvements to the line’s radio signalling system. The kiosks – basically a timetable display showing the next service – have a request button, which when pressed, will alert the driver via the radio signalling system of the need to stop. Kiosks will be installed at Scotscalder, Altnabreac, Kinbrace, Kildonan, Dunrobin Castle, Rogart, Invershin and Culrain. All of these are lesser used stations and classed request stops. This new equipment is planned to go live across all eight stations from summer 2022. Scotscalder will be used as a trial location where a period of dual running…

Landport viaduct strengthened LAST month Network Rail engineers finished strengthening Landport Viaduct, Portsmouth, one of the city’s most prominent Victorian railway structures. The 1876-built metal viaduct, which supports two platforms at Portsmouth & Southsea station, had 10 of its 17 spans strengthened in January 2021. The project is due for final completion in May. The work meant no services to Portsmouth Harbour for eight days during January. Delay for Beam Park A DECISION that the Department for Transport would not support a new station at Beam Park, Dagenham (on the site of a Ford plant), has suspended plans for thousands of new homes and led to Havering Council dropping compulsory purchase order plans it was proposing to use. Promoters are now deciding how best to proceed. TPE now run five…

SOUTH Western Railway has agreed an extension of the lease until August this year, on 12 Class 707 electric multiple units, in order to maintain capacity. The entire fleet of 30 units is due to move to Southeastern for ‘City Beam’ metro services, but it has agreed the temporary retention with SWR, which says the move will “alleviate future pressure”. Although the situation has been temporarily eased due to fewer people travelling since the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, SWR says delays to the introduction of its new 30 five-car and 60 ten-car Class 701 ‘Arterio’ trains, the first of which was unveiled 18 months ago, has already had an impact on capacity. Investment SWR’s £895 million order for the 90 new units was placed in June 2017…

BRITISH RAILWAYS ‘7MT’ No. 70000 Britannia has returned to steam following a major overhaul, and efforts to get the Pacific back in main line service are now underway. The 4-6-2 rolled out of LSL’s Crewe depot on January 17. A week later, it moved by road to the Severn Valley Railway for a month of testing and shakedown running. The loco is then expected to return home to Crewe Diesel Depot under its own steam. Following a main line loaded test run, Britannia is due to receive a new coat of Brunswick Green paint and be ready to join the roster for use with Saphos tours from March. ■ Public trains resume at the SVR on April 2. The line’s spring steam gala is due to be held on April…

A STRATEGIC Outline Business Case (SOBC) will be developed for plans to create a ‘South of Tyne and Wearside Loop’ for the Tyne & Wear Metro after approval was given by councillors on the North East Joint Transport Committee (NEJTC). With an estimated high-level cost of around £700 million, the double-track expansion would utilise the northern end of the disused Leamside line to extend the Metro from Pelaw through Follingsby and Washington, crossing the River Wear on the Victoria Viaduct before joining the former railway alignment to the east to connect end-on with the current system at South Hylton. To complete the ‘Loop’, the Metro’s South Shields line would be linked (using part of the Tyne Dock branch) with the existing Sunderland route at Boldon Junction and directly (via a…

HS2 has published its plan for achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2035, which includes a commitment to procure electricity to power the trains from 100% zero carbon sources. The project intends to stop using diesel power on all of its construction sites within the next seven years, with the first due to go ‘diesel free’ this year. Redesigning work has already taken place to reduce the project’s carbon footprint in the use of steel and concrete. The south portal of the Chilterns tunnel, the roof at Old Oak Common station, Wendover Dean Viaduct, and paving at Curzon Street station are among the locations where specification changes have resulted in significant reductions to the quantities required of both materials. HS2 aims to make the reduction of carbon as important to…

IT is June 1, 1949 at Euston station as the clock hands click slowly towards 10.00am. At the country end of a long train stand two strangely shaped locomotives in the form of black and silver diesels Nos. 10000 and 10001 – the joint progeny of English Electric Ltd and H G Ivatt, chief mechanical engineer of the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS). The normal gestation period taken to deliver a new locomotive design was reduced in order to give birth to the first of these before Nationalisation in 1948 and so claim their LMS heritage. But British Railways, the adoptive proud parents of the resultant English Electric twins, had now decided to have a party to introduce the new traction to Scotland. A crowd of the great and…

I VERY much agree with Graeme Pickering that Bradford has the worst rail connections in Britain relative to its size (January issue). On the other hand, the HS3 type proposal, with a completely new line from Leeds to Manchester via Bradford, nearly all in tunnel, never seemed a realistic proposition to me – particularly if the Leeds to Manchester route via Huddersfield is to be substantially improved. There is a relatively simple and much less expensive option which can plug Bradford into the intercity network. This is to build a new line, around five-six miles long, mostly in tunnel, between Low Moor and Bradley (on the Leeds to Huddersfield line). Given that the proposed investment in the Manchester to Leeds line via Huddersfield is claimed to give a 33-minute journey…

IN THE pages of The Railway Observer, society members reported a significant development for UK traction in February 1986 when, for the first time, American-built locomotives started operating in this country. These were the four Class 59s, built by General Motors-Electro Motive Diesels (GMEMD) in La Grange, Illinois, for Foster Yeoman. Numbered Nos. 59001-4, these 3000hp machines were immediately put to work on that company’s heavy and intensively-timetabled stone trains from Merehead quarry in Somerset. Before long, with the annual tonnage going by rail exceeding five million, a fifth loco was ordered, and No. 59005 entered service in June 1989. Its sisters carried names prefixed Yeoman, but this one was named Kenneth J Painter after the firm’s rail director. A fine reputation for reliable performance soon attracted attention, and another…

Weighbridge progress THE project to reconstruct a wagon weighbridge from Ipswich at the North Norfolk Railway’s Holt station has been boosted following the acquisition of dial and three decking plates. In due course, it is hoped to display the weighbridge in the goods yard, complementing the road weighbridge and goods shed, providing an added attraction for visitors. New bogie frame plates for ‘Clan’ AN examination of documentation and systems to support the new-build project constructing BR Standard Class 6 Pacific No. 72010 Hengist has failed to find paperwork relating to the original set of bogie frame plates, which date from around 20 years ago. The Standard Steam Locomotive Company, which is building the Pacific at CTL Seal in Sheffield, said that as the components form part of a critical wheelset…

BR Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester is expected to return to action by the end of the year, according to the BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust. The news follows a meeting with Tyseley Locomotive Works where the 4-6-2 is being overhauled, in which it was jointly agreed that No. 71000 will be ready to resume main line duties by the end of 2022. The rear set of driving wheels is now being profiled at Tyseley and the centre set will follow. The crank axle wheelset has been delayed in being returned to Tyseley due to an issue identified during the final quality control procedure and is now expected to reach Tyseley by mid-March. This is due to a paperwork hold up as a result of Covid-19 involving the…

GWR ‘42XX’ No. 4247 has departed the Bodmin & Wenford Railway (BWR) for overhaul at the East Somerset Railway (ESR) – and when it returns to action, the 2-8-0 will operate at the Dartmouth Steam Railway (DSR). BWR chairman David Nelson-Brown told The RM: “No. 4247 arrived at Bodmin in 2005 and has been a popular mainstay of the operating fleet. Unfortunately, a recent review of our structures highlighted that it could no longer operate over one of our bridges. This led to the difficult decision, made with its owners 4247 Limited, that a move away from Bodmin was in our mutual best interests. We wish No. 4247 well in the next stage of its long life of service on the West Country’s railways.” No. 4247 has been contracted to…

THE North Norfolk Railway-based M&GN Society has commenced work on the overhaul of ‘maid of all work’ Hunslet 0-6-0ST Ring Haw (1982/1940); the first the group has undertaken on the locomotive since it purchased it from the railway in 2020. Dismantling of the ex-Nassington Ironstone Quarry loco got underway at Weybourne in December when fitters removed boiler fittings, pipework, chimney and cab roof prior to lifting the tank from the boiler. The left- and right-hand connecting rods and crossheads were also removed at the same time. Capacity Ring Haw’s last overhaul was completed in 2014, and although it’s boiler ticket still has time to run before it expires, the society took the decision to bring the contract overhaul forward to help ensure the Weybourne workshops were kept busy. Funds are…

THE Mid-Hants Railway’s (MHR) contract overhaul of the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust’s Peckett ‘R3’ 0-4-0ST Kilmersdon (1788/1929) continues to make headway at the railway’s Ropley works. Since the former Kilmersdon Colliery loco arrived at the MHR last March, the Ropley engineering team has wasted no time in getting the Peckett stripped down, and various components overhauled or repaired. In the boiler shop some wasted sections of the outer firebox wrapper, just above the foundation ring, have been cut out and replacement pieces cut and formed ready for welding in. The boiler has also been detubed, and a new set ordered, the cab fittings have been overhauled, and work on repairing the safety valves is underway. Meanwhile, the wheelsets have been removed from the frames and sent away for retyring.…

EXMOOR Associates completed the purchase of a further length of Lynton & Barnstaple Railway trackbed on December 27. The roughly 620 metre section is located south of Wistlandpound. A future revived Lynton & Barnstaple Railway will require a new formation to the north of the original alignment at this location to gain sufficient height to circumnavigate Wistlandpound Reservoir, which was built following the old line’s closure. At the southern end of this section the original trackbed was converted into a road by the local authority.…

LONG-TERM Watford resident, Chiltern Shuttle, (RH Morse 1946) returned to the line on December 19 following an extensive overhaul. Tests were conducted before entering service on New Year’s Day, double heading with 2-6-0 Marri. This was the railway’s busiest January 1 for many years. American 0-6-0 ‘Switcher’-style loco Chiltern Shuttle was 9½in gauge when acquired by Watford MR in the early 1980s. Rebuilt to the railway’s 10¼in gauge, its small size belies the fact it packs quite a punch and can pull a full set of 10 coaches. An extensive restoration to ‘as new’ condition was completed in November and it is seen (below right) in operation on January 1. In an unexpected turn of events, a loco entirely new to the Watford Miniature Railway arrived in early December. This…

North Star arrives at North Yorks THE Diesel & Electric Preservation Group’s Class 47 No. 47077 North Star has arrived at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for the start of a two-year stay. The Type 4 left the West Somerset Railway for Pickering on Thursday, January 17, arriving on January 20 after a weekend stopover in Redditch. The loco entered preservation on the WSR at the end of May 2007. However, it has been out of action since 2008 undergoing restoration. Five work Bo’ness gala THE Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway’s Winter Diesel Running Day on December 29 featured five locos in action, although attendance was limited to 200 due to the Scottish Government’s Covid regulations at the time. Trains ran hourly from Bo’ness between 09.30 and 16.30 using…

PATHFINDER Tours, having had plans thwarted to run a second special along the Cambrian Main Line to Pwllheli following a bridge strike at Machynlleth on September 1 last year and the imposition of weight restrictions, has confirmed it will promote four tours along the scenic Welsh coastal route this year. All of the tours will be hauled by a pair of Network Rail Class 97/3s which are fitted with ERTMS. Two tours are planned for May, one in August and the final one in September. Each of the tours will arrive at Shrewsbury where the 97s will take over, using a variety of routes and calling points, providing a wide passenger base. All tours will be Class 67 hauled to Shrewsbury. The first tour is on May 13, starting at…

WHAT is believed to be only the second occasion of a Class 87 working on the Great Eastern Main Line with a passenger service has been planned by LSL’s InterCity railtour arm on Wednesday, March 16. Using LSL’s Mk.3 first class only set, the ‘East Anglian’ will start at Crewe and call at Stafford, Tamworth Low Level, Nuneaton, Rugby, Milton Keynes Central and Watford Junction before taking the North London Line to Stratford and the Great Eastern route to Norwich, where there will be a three-hour break. Return is the same route as outward. LSL expects the formation to have a DVT at the southern end. LSL’s Class 87 No. 87002 Royal Sovereign has been allocated to haul the train, and in preparation for a number of railtours this year,…

AS IS customary over Christmas and New Year, when many businesses close for the festive period, the lower number of passengers provides a window for Network Rail to undertake and complete major projects. One of the biggest schemes to be undertaken has been a major track and signalling upgrade on the eastern approach to Manchester Victoria, involving new track and overhead wiring. This has been part of upgrade work for the TransPennine route between Manchester and York, and further work will continue on Sundays until February 6. Projects Across the Pennines at Leeds, 200 staff worked over Christmas to remodel the track layout between platforms 4 and 6, which will improve reliability. New signalling and overhead wires were part of the works which ran from December 25 to January 3.…

A PETITION to reopen the Edinburgh South Suburban line as a way to increase mobility and city centre links for Edinburgh residents has attracted more than 5000 signatures in its first six weeks. Petition organiser ‘Ed SouthSub’ says reopening would provide a route which would avoid the city centre for some journeys, as the route encompasses several shopping, education, healthcare and residential destinations. Its stations were closed to passengers in 1962, however, the double-track line is used for empty stock moves and occasional freight trains. The ‘sub’ also passes through six parliamentary constituencies. Ed SouthSub believes the route would be ideal for the use of tram-trains as used in Sheffield, and Karlsruhe in Germany, and avoid the need to travel through the busiest part of the city on cross-city journeys.…

CAPPAGH Group has established a railhead at the former household coal yard adjacent to Chessington South station to serve aggregates customers in South West London and Surrey. During a 12-month programme of preparation work, trees were cleared and around a kilometre (0.6 miles) of new track laid at the site, which saw coal movements by rail until the late 1980s. Cappagh has secured a long lease on the yard and it will receive aggregates for the construction and utilities industry from a variety of locations including the Mendips and the Midlands. Frequency Plans are in place for regular services following the operation of a test train by Cappagh subsidiary DCRail on December 10 last year, formed of a short rake of JBA-T wagons carrying used Network Rail ballast, hauled by…

A PHASE of intensive testing for the Glasgow Subway fleet of 17 new Stadler-built four-car trains will take place on the system this year, following initial trials with one of the sets last December. The first exercises took place following the end of passenger services on December 4, and ran through the night into December 5, although details were only released by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) almost a fortnight later. They involved the operation of the train from the joint venture testing site at Broomloan Depot to Govan station to test its ability to travel under its own power on the system. A recovery scenario, using one of the depot locomotives, was also tested, to ensure that the trains can be rescued in the event of a failure during…

TRANSPORT for Wales has awarded DSB ESG a contract to design and install a manual Selective Door Operation (SDO) system for its fleet of seven Mk.4 rakes of coaches. The sets will be fitted with equipment which allows train crew to control door release on a door-by-door basis for serving stations with shorter platforms. It is the second recent contract related to the fleet to be won by DSB ESG. The firm is currently working on modifications to enable the stock to be operated by Class 67 locomotives and driving van trailers. Four rakes have so far been modified and completion of all seven is expected before Easter this year. Work to install SDO will begin in July and is scheduled for completion in time for the introduction of the…

KWVR gala update THE Keighley & Worth Valley Railway has confirmed two visiting locos have been booked to star in the line’s March 11-13 steam gala – GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7714 from the Severn Valley Railway and the Royal Scot Locomotive & General Trust and Locomotive Services Group’s LMS 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot. As outlined on p57, the visitors will operate alongside members of the home fleet, including ‘Jubilee’ No. 45596 Bahamas. Rail Alphabet 2 A SIGN using the updated typeface Rail Alphabet 2 has been spotted on a bridge on the East West Rail route in Buckinghamshire – is this a first? Network Rail announced in 2020 that it had commissioned the new typeface from Margaret Calvert, one of the original designers, and Henrik Kubel. The new typeface…

■ 2022: First diesel-free construction site, adoption of science-based targets to tackle carbon emission ‘hotspots’ year-on-year as HS2 is built. ■ 2023: Sign-up to World Green Building Council Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. ■ 2025: Science-based carbon targets for strategic suppliers. ■ 2027: 11% reduction in HGV carbon emissions (compared with 2020). ■ 2028: Source 100% zero carbon electricity ahead of start of services. ■ 2029: Remove diesel on all HS2 construction sites. ■ 2030: 50% reduction in concrete and steel carbon emissions (compared with 2021). ■ 2035: Offset annual residual emissions.…

“THE first single-unit 1600hp main line diesel-electric locomotive to go into service in Great Britain has completed its first trial runs. These took place on January 14 and 15 when the locomotive No. 10000, drawing a 12-coach train of 393tons tare on the St Pancras-Manchester route of the London Midland region, completed its journeys ahead of schedule. In due course, when the second unit No. 10001 has been built, the new 3200hp double-unit will compete with the latest type of steam locomotive on the Euston-Glasgow main line. “To give the widest scope to the experiment, the layout of the diesel was considered with special care, so that it could be tried out on a range of traffic duties, each with a driving cab at both ends. The diesel was designed…

“The MP for Skipton John Watson asked the Under-Secretary of State for Transport Kenneth Clarke how he reconciled his statement that the decision to divert passenger train services between Nottingham and Glasgow away from the S&C to run via Manchester and Preston was taken on commercial grounds by British Railways, with his letter to MP for Leeds North East Sir Keith Joseph stating that BR’s decision to reroute the Nottingham-Glasgow service arises from the deteriorating condition of Ribblehead Viaduct. “Mr Clarke replied that the letter to Sir Keith Joseph had been sent upon advice but without consulting BR, and that BR had subsequently pointed out that the decision to reroute the Nottingham-Glasgow services had nothing to do with the condition of Ribblehead Viaduct, and that a local service between Leeds…

“ELECTRIFICATION of the Southampton and Bournemouth services of the Southern Region of British Railways called for additional rolling stock for inauguration of full electric services from July 10. Three types of train sets have been provided for these services, classified: 4-VEP, 4-REP, and 3-TC/ 4-TC. “123 existing BR carriages have been converted into 63 Driving Trailer Open Seconds, 32 Trailer Second Brakes, and 28 Trailer Firsts – which have been formed into 28 4-TC sets, each with a DTOS at each end and a TSB and TF between them. Three 3-TC trains will be similarly formed without the TF. One DTOS, one TSB are held in reserve for maintenance exchange purposes. “The 4-REP units are used to propel either one or two 4-TC sets out of Waterloo to Bournemouth. These…

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2 Huddersfield Railway Circle. Town Hall, Huddersfield. 19.30. ‘In the Steps of Thomas Cook — Leicester to Loughborough and Return’: Steve Chapman. Pennine Railway Society Doncaster Town Fields Sports Club Bennethorpe Doncaster DN2 6AA. 19.30. ‘The Transition Years’: Peter Barsby. Contact: www.penninerailwaysociety.com Railway Correspondence & Travel Society (RCTS). Station Hotel, Carnforth. 19.30.‘Hest Bank and Beyond’: Mike Ellis. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 Great Central Railway Society (Sheffield branch). The Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Farm Road, Sheffield S2 2TP. 19.30. ‘Coming up with the Goods’: Stewart Donohoe. Lutterworth Railway Society. Lutterworth Bowls Club, Coventry Road, Lutterworth LE17 4RB. 19.30. ‘Railways of the Jungfrau Region’: Paul Russenberger. RCTS. Methodist Church Hall, Silver Street, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes MK11 1BE.19.30. Zoom meeting. ‘Members’ Presentation’: Nigel Lyons and Mark Richards. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY…

Porterbrook – delivering a safe, reliable and sustainable railway www.porterbrook.co.uk…

VOLUNTEERS from Bury Standard 4 Group continue to progress the restoration of BR Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 No. 46428 from Barry scrapyard condition at the East Lancashire Railway (ELR). A new bufferbeam has been made and prepared for bolting in place once the support brackets have been renewed. The broken studs which hold the fixing bracket for securing the boiler to the frames are being drilled out ready for replacement. New 1in studs for fixing the piston valve and main cylinder covers in place have been made and fitted. The new pony truck swivel pin has been fitted and a former made to enable the pony truck axle box to be filled with new white metal. Meanwhile, the group’s BR ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No. 80097 has been undergoing winter maintenance. The regulator…

WORK to return the Swanage Railway Trust’s LSWR ‘T3’ No. 563 to steam, continues to progress on multiple fronts. The new copper inner firebox has been removed from the boiler barrel after a trial fit. The bushes which will enable the use of the smallest size stays – therefore extending the life of the firebox to the maximum possible – have now been welded into place in the throat plate and backhead and should enable the boiler to be finished in the coming weeks. The next task will be the permanent installation of the inner firebox followed by the laborious and expensive task of drilling and fitting all of the stays and fitting the tubes. The tender has moved from its undercover accommodation at Imrey’s siding to Norden to enable…

THE Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) has launched a £12,000 appeal to restore and equip the former Spooner Row Signalbox for use at an enhanced Wymondham Abbey station. Gifted by NR nine years ago when it became redundant, it has taken till now for the ’box to be released. Funds are being sought to fund the transport, refurbishment and equipping of the ’box to enable work to commence on the reintroduction of signalling to this end of the line. MNR chairman Charlie Robinson said: “The arrival and then commissioning of the ’box at Wymondham will mark the first stage in a long-held aspiration to create a new station for the railway at Wymondham. This appeal is designed to raise the funds to begin turning that aspiration into a reality.” In addition to…

Kinlet hopeful of September return GWR ‘Hall’ No. 4936 Kinlet Hall, which is under overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works could be back in steam by September. Jonathan Jones-Pratt, owner of the 4-6-0 told The RM: “The boiler is around three months off from steaming. We will then drop the frames back on the wheels. Our target is for it to be finished around September.” Trade body milestone JANUARY 6 saw trade body the Heritage Railway Association (HRA) mark 60 years to the day since its predecessor, the Railway Preservation Association, met for the first time. A wider celebration is set to take place later in the year. Tender progress VOLUNTEERS from the Furness Railway Trust reached a milestone with the restoration of their GWR 4-6-0 ‘Hall’ No. 4979 Wootton…

VOLUNTEERS from the East Lancashire Railway-based Bury Standard 4 Wagon Group and Bury Freight Group have been restoring an historic open wagon in time for the line’s June 18/19 gala weekend, which will celebrate the centenary of the merger of the London & North Western and the Lancashire & Yorkshire (L&Y) railway companies. The 1900-built five plank wooden coal wagon has been fitted with a new main beam down one side and one main cross beam, two buffer beams and four new sides. The project has been paused until undercover space is available to complete the paintwork. “The precise origins of wagon are unknown – it was acquired for preservation from ROF Chorley, where it was numbered ROF200,” volunteer Keith Savory told The RM. “It was once a tippler but…

Caliban rewheeled in Preston THE Furness Railway Trust’s overhaul of its Peckett ‘OY’ 0-4-0ST Caliban (1925/1937) passed another milestone in mid-December with the rewheeling of the frames at the Ribble Steam Railway. The locomotive, which spent its working life just a stone’s throw away at Courtaulds Textiles (Preston), has not run since 1986. Austin No. 1 to stay in Somerset THE Llangollen Railway Trust’s Kitson 0-6-0ST Austin No. 1 (5459/1932) has had its hire to the Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust at Midsomer Norton extended for the entirety of 2022. The ex-Longbridge loco arrived at the railway last July, where it shares duties with ex-Croydon Gas Works Sentinel 4wVBT No. 7 Joyce (7109/1927). Home straight for Spa Valley’s Lady Ingrid THE Spa Valley…

WELSHPOOL & Llanfair Light Railway (WLLR) members have been told the line entered the winter period financially stable with no real issues as to whether it can continue and be able to keep funding ongoing projects. Compared with 12 months ago, the WLLR’s position is much improved thanks to 2021 traffic takings, shop income (both greater than 2020) and other support including the Cultural Recovery Fund grant from the Welsh Government. The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway has also weathered the Covid-19 storm with encouraging figures. Ticket sales passed £2,500,000 by the end of September (the 2019 figure was around £3 million) but achieved with much lower train mileage and thus lower costs than previously. Amid difficult conditions, catering income achieved about 80% of that in 2019 and engineering work…

THE planning application to extend Bala Lake Railway from its present Pen-y-Bont terminus three-quarters of a mile to a new Bala town centre station building has now been submitted to the Snowdonia National Park Authority. The extension is costed at £4 million, the bulk of which has yet to be raised with the railway seeking grant funding. Supporting documentation for the application says the railway currently carries 29,000 passengers a year and believes this number could double following construction of the extension.…

AFTER extensive works to its axlebox hornways and the controller at its ‘A’ end, London Transport tram No. 1858 has returned to service at the East Anglia Transport Museum (EATM). The vehicle, which was built in 1930 by English Electric for London County Council, received its current number when the capital’s tramways became the responsibility of London Transport in 1933. Fitted with both overhead and conduit current collection equipment, it was one of 50 cars commissioned for use on the steep Dulwich routes, equipped with hand and magnetic brakes, as well as an electric ‘run back’ brake to assist safe operation on gradients. No. 1858 remained in service until July 1952, when it became one of the first trams to be privately purchased by an individual (tram enthusiast Peter Davis)…

Royal 67s requested for ‘Platinum Jubilee’ tour UK Railtours, organising a railtour to run on June 2, during the extended bank holiday which will mark the Platinum Jubilee of the Queen, has requested use of the two Class 67s which haul the Royal Train – Nos. 67005 Queen’s Messenger and 67006 Royal Sovereign. From King’s Cross, the special called ‘Platinum Jubilee’ will call at Potters Bar, Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage, before reversing at Peterborough and taking the line east to Ely, with a cathedral visit as an option. Then the train reverses direction again, arriving at Watlington where the Platinum Jubilee continues its royal theme, with an off-train option of a visit to the Sandringham estate and a tour of the Queen’s country residence. Passengers transfer by coach and…

A RAILTOUR which was to have marked the 40th anniversary of the final Deltic-hauled tour on January 2, 1982 has been postponed due to overhaul work on No. D9009 Alycidon taking longer than expected, mainly as a result of the effects of Covid-19. The tour was to have run on April 30, and although the Deltic Preservation Society (DPS) says it is now on the home straight for completion of the overhaul, Graham Clarke, the DPS head of engineering, felt it was unwise to commit to the tour. The DPS had been expected to confirm availability in January, but with static testing, mileage accumulation and both heritage line and main line high-speed runs to be undertaken, it was felt prudent to delay its return to main line action. The society…

New response vehicle for West Highland AQUARIUS Rail, working in association with Network Rail Scotland, has designed, manufactured and delivered a bespoke rapid response road-rail vehicle which will be used by the Mobile Operations Managers on the West Highland Route in Scotland. The vehicle is based on the Aquarius Rail R2R D-Max. Unlimited wi-fi at Leeds LEEDS station is now offering passengers free and unlimited wi-fi following a technology upgrade over Christmas. Users can seamlessly connect multiple devices with a single sign-on. The new internet service will offer speeds of over 120 megabytes per second. Smethwick gets lifts A multi-million-pound project to improve accessibility at Smethwick Rolfe Street station has begun. The £6.1m Network Rail investment is part of the Government’s ‘Access for All’ scheme, which will see two new…

A STAND-OFF between British Transport Police and a former Leicester man cost Network Rail £1m in compensation delays, Leicester Crown Court was told just before Christmas. Levi Muttock, 32, climbed onto a signal gantry near Knighton Junction, south of Leicester, just before 09.00 on December 29, 2020. His actions halted all East Midlands Railway and CrossCountry services as well as freight traffic. After some 4½ hours a container train was positioned under the gantry and a ladder provided to assist Muttock. While Muttock did climb onto a container, the ladder was thrown aside and he continued to refuse to comply with negotiators to come down. He eventually gave in at 14.20. At court Muttock admitted to committing an unlawful act on the railway with intent to cause damage. Some months…

Further consultation on Hinckley plans PLANS for a national rail freight interchange near Hinckley in Leicestershire are the subject of an eight-week public consultation, which began on January 12. It is over two years since the proposals for the scheme, designated a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), were put forward. The applicant, Tritax Symmetry, says the site, alongside the railway between Leicester and Hinckley, would accommodate 16 container trains per day of up to 775 metres in length. In addition to the intermodal terminal, it would include 850,000 square metres of warehouse floorspace. With Daventry International and Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminals both within 20 miles of the proposed site, questions have been raised about whether the interchange is necessary. There are also local concerns over the road traffic which would…

Phased resumption of WMM services WITH a programme of permanent repairs to underframe cracks on trams said to be progressing well, a phased resumption of West Midlands Metro operations is underway. From December 15, services began to run again at a frequency of up to every 10 minutes between Wolverhampton and Bull Street only. The introduction of new trams, which have been ordered to augment services as the network is extended, was expected to help the situation. Midland Metro Limited said it hoped to extend the service to Library “at the earliest opportunity”. Nottingham trams honour local figures NOTTINGHAM Express Transit Alstom Citadis tram No. 218 was named after University of Nottingham Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff on December 16, his 74th birthday. Sir Martyn is known worldwide, not only for…

OVER 500 solar panels have been installed on the roof of Govia Thameslink Railway’s Streatham Hill depot, to generate electricity. Community benefit society Energy Garden has installed the panels, which are expected to generate over four million kilowatt hours of electricity over the next 20 years. GTR will purchase 42% of the annual output to power the depot during the daytime and the remainder will be used by other businesses which are aiming to improve their environmental sustainability.…