Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2022 i The Railway Magazine

THE Conservative Party’s leadership election was due to close just after this issue went to press and, whether bookies’ favourite Liz Truss or underdog Rishi Sunak ultimately wins out, the incoming prime minister will be faced with a long list of tough decisions to make that have built up since Boris Johnson announced he would be stepping down. Chief among these is the rising cost of energy, which is pushing up prices and costs for businesses and households alike, with everything from manufacturing and transport to heating and lighting affected, taking inflation to a 40-year high at more than 10% and rising. High inflation has led to a wave of strike action, driven by demands for pay rises to match rising prices. This includes the railway industry, where services over…

AN APPEAL for volunteers and specialist assistance has been issued by the Bowes Railway as it looks to reinstate demonstration trains for the first time in several years ahead of its bicentenary in 2026. The plea was made in a written response addressing concerns expressed to The RM regarding the future of the railway, the preserved part of what was once a 15-mile route conveying coal from County Durham collieries to the River Tyne. Straddling the boundary between Gateshead and Sunderland, the Bowes Railway is listed by Historic England as a scheduled monument and features what is believed to be the world’s only preserved standard gauge rope haulage system. It suffered a severe loss of income when it was unable to stage large-scale annual events as a result of Covid-19…

First train on the Levenmouth line A MILESTONE in the reconstruction of the Levenmouth line from Thornton North Junction to Leven occurred on August 15, when Freightliner’s No. 66952 ran on to the line delivering ballast to lay the second mile of the five-mile route. Below-inflation fare increase is promised WITH inflation running at 11.8% in June, word from the Department for Transport is that regulated fares will not be increased in line with the July RPI figure. The formula for rail fare increases is usually RPI + 1%, which would produce a fare rise of just under 13%. However, a rise of that magnitude would turn many people away from rail, just as passenger numbers have been recovering after the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, rail fares increased by…

THE first of eight request-stop kiosks at stations on ScotRail’s Far North Line went live on August 15. The kiosk is at Scotscalder, and others will be installed over the coming months at the lesser-used stations of Altnabreac, Kinbrace, Kildonan, Dunrobin Castle, Rogart, Invershin and Culrain. The kiosk is linked to the RETB signalling system and a request by a passenger for the next train will alert the driver of the approaching train. It removes the need to hand-signal the driver to stop the train. As well as the installation of the request-stop kiosks, Network Rail has upgraded existing radio communication masts and antennas and installed new equipment at Muir of Ord, Invergordon, Kildonan and Wick stations to enhance radio coverage, which will improve the reliability and resilience of the…

KWVR’s hub plan THE Keighley & Worth Valley Railway could become a major transport hub and commuter route as part of a £5 million scheme. Upgraded signalling would enable more services to be run on the five-mile railway, with the railway’s fleet of DMUs overhauled and a dedicated storage and maintenance facility built. The ambitious project is within a £19 million package of bids for Levelling Up funding submitted to the Government by Bradford Council. The result of the bids will be known in the autumn. EL cross-London from November ELIZABETH Line trains will start run from Reading/Heathrow to Abbey Wood and from Shenfield to Paddington from November 6. The line’s Bond Street station will open ahead of this date, which also marks the first day of regular Sunday services.…

TO CELEBRATE our 125th anniversary, we are launching a competition to find the best photos of No. 66503 since its rededication. With the loco now back in traffic with Freightliner, we can expect to see it out and about in many parts of the country on a variety of duties. All you need to do is send us your best shot of it at work or on shed, taken between now and the end of the year. The Railway Magazine team will then choose the best shots based on factors such as technical quality, composition, rarity and visual appeal. Three cash prizes are up for grabs, with £250 for the winning shot, £100 for second place and £50 for third. How to enter Taking part couldn’t be easier! Simply upload…

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 Gravesend Railway Enthusiasts’ Society. Emmanuel Baptist Church, Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1BB. 19.30. ‘The Post Office Railway’: Chris Taft. Pennine Railway Society. Doncaster Town Fields Sports Club, Bennethorpe, Doncaster DN2 6AA. 19.30. ‘Pre-1968 Steam Miscellany. Part 2’. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 Continental Railway Society. St Paul’s Church Centre, Rossmore Road, Marylebone, London NW1 6NJ. 19.15. ‘Digitised cine film of East Germany’: Vic Allen. Railway Club of the New Forest. Village Hall, Highwood Road, Brockenhurst, Hants. 19.30. Outing to Burseldon Brickworks. Contact: www. railwayclubofthenewforest.org Shropshire Railway Society. Gateway Education and Arts Centre, Chester Street, Shrewsbury SY1 1NB. 19.00. ‘Salute to Steam: A personal tribute to the late John Massey and Alistair Grieve’: Rob Smout. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Slough & Windsor Railway Society (SWRS). The Manor, Slough station. 19.30. ‘History…

Porterbrook – delivering a safe, reliable and sustainable railway Panorama is brought to you in association with Porterbrook – delivering a safe, reliable and sustainable railway www.porterbrook.co.uk…

WITH all operational HST Class 43 power cars having had their original Paxman Valenta RP200L power units and Marston Excelsior cooler groups replaced by Paxman VP185 or MTU and Brush cooler units, the long-time aim of the 125 Group has been to restore at least one power car to its original configuration. No. 43044 was acquired for this purpose in 2021 (RM April, 2021 p71). It had been stored at Leeds Neville Hill with a defective VP185 engine so was not of interest to main line operators. It was basically complete and parts removed for use on other vehicles were replaceable, while the engine was of no concern. Power The Paxman Valenta was the engine that transformed the performance of the 125 InterCity High Speed Train into the success it…

A GAP in funding needed to reopen the Bristol to Portishead line has been plugged after the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) confirmed it would invest £10m into the project. The line will be part of the MetroWest Phase 1 project. At an emergency meeting of the WECA, Metro Mayor Dan Norris and Coun Steve Bridger, leader of North Somerset Council, told members they had secured £15.5m of Government cash. The costs to rebuild and reopen the 11½ mile line have risen to £152m, leaving a shortfall of £35.5m, the final £10m being provided by North Somerset Council. With funding in place, design work can begin. However, the project still needs a Development Consent Order (DCO) and approval for this is due by February 19, 2023. The DCO was…

THE spotlight fell on a true veteran of the railway in early August, as RMS Locotec announced the launch of what it described an “innovative low emissions shunting solution”. Unveiled at the Derby site of Loram (which has been working with RMS on the project), Class 08 shunter No. 08756 is understood to be the first HVO-fuelled locomotive in its class to be leased to the rail industry. It has also been turned-out in branding backing the city’s bid to become the headquarters of Great British Railways. Internal trials Built as No. D3924 in 1961 at the Horwich Works of British Railways, No. 08756 arrived at Loram in late July, where it will take charge of movements around the site. Its release for use there followed internal trials of HVO…

LOCOMOTIVES Allocations 18001-15 HQ/MBDL newlyregistered31454 HTLX-NRLS37069 XWSS-XHSO37259 CD/LSLO-BH/HNRS37407 XWSS-XHSO57303 XWSS-XHSO57310 XHSO-XWSS-XHSO66589 DFIM-DFIN LiveriesDB Cargo red: 66007/14/39,66143 Large logo blue: 56098 LNER InterCity: 91101/05 Named43022 Nether Stowey Castle43044 Edward Paxman43093 Berkeley Castle60062 Sonia66425 Nigel J Kirchstein 1957-202166503 + Celebrating 125 Years1897-202269003 The Railway Observer Names removed37409 Lord Hinton43014 The Railway Observer43093 Old Oak Common HSTDepot 1976-201857007 John Scott 12.5.45-22.5.1260062 Stainless Pioneer Stored/stopped locations Toton: 66168 Worksop: 37038, 37259, 37409, 47843/47 DisposalsC.F.Booth, Rotherham:Cut date: August 24: 91103 MULTIPLE UNITS Allocations 231011 newly delivered HQ/HKHQ319216/18 sent for disposal321405/45 sent for disposal321901/02 sent for disposal322481/82 sent for disposal360204/05 sent for disposal387301/02/06 RG/EFHQ-HE/ETHQ387303/04/05 EM/HTHQ-HE/ETHQ455801/04/07/12/17/19/20/33/34/36 sent for disposal455907 sent for disposal456002-04/06-08/11-16/19-21/23/24 sent for disposal701049 newly delivered HQ/HYHQ720606 newly delivered HQ/HTHQ LiveriesEMR: 360118 Pride: 158773 SWR: 450008/40/44/47/76/95 West Midlands Trains: 172101/02/03/04 Named 345024 Heidi Alexander Renumbered 314209-614209…

IARNRÓD Éireann issued a tender to rebuild the mothballed Limerick to Foynes railway line on July 31, taking political stakeholders by surprise. The mothballed 42km line which connects the port of Foynes on the River Shannon with the existing rail network at Limerick, also serves the village of Adare which will host the 2027 Golf Ryder Cup. The line which carried grain, coal, oil, molasses and fertiliser before revenue earning freight services ceased in early 2000 was last visited by the annual weed spray train on May 7, 2002 before seeing its last movement on January 9, 2003, when an inspection car traversed the line. It has since been mothballed and disconnected from the network at Limerick. Since 2014, the Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC) has worked towards the reinstatement…

THE GREAT WESTERN STEAM RETREAT Chasing the final steam trains in BR’s Western Region, Wales and the Welsh Marches By Keith Widdowson THIS is an evocative account of the author’s extensive travels behind steam locomotives during the final years of steam operations from 1964 onwards. The main focus is on GWR/WR steam, though by no means exclusively! He vividly recaptures the complex world of steam railway working through this account of his Herculean efforts to achieve haulage behind as many different locomotives as possible – covering huge mileages and investing much time in the process. Real dedication and commitment was essential. Though GWR/WR steam ended notionally at the end of 1965, Keith’s efforts continued and in 1966 he managed 35,575 miles of steam haulage – an amazing figure! Here is…

‘Crompton’ tour cancelled PATHFINDER’S railtour ‘The Canterbury Venturer’, which was to have taken two Class 33s to Margate on September 24, has been cancelled due to poor bookings. ‘PLA’ to run at Blaenavon HUDSWELL, Clarke ‘PLA’ 0-6-0T No. 1857 (built 1952) is set to haul its inaugural passenger train in preservation at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway’s September 9-11 annual steam gala. It will operate alongside Severn Valley Railway-based GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7714 and Foxfield Railway ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST Wimblebury – plus residents Hunslet 0-6-0ST Jessie and Barclay 0-4-0STs Rosyth and No. 1219 ‘Caledonia Works’. Following restoration at West Somerset Restoration, Williton, No. 1857 moved to Blaenavon on August 9 where it is to remain for the foreseeable future. Green light for NRM expansion PLANS have been approved for the National…

HS2 News Resilient railways IN the wake of record UK temperatures, House of Lords crossbench peer Lord Birt, who was director-general of the BBC from 1992 to 2000, quizzed the Department of Transport (DfT) about the options available to ensure the resilience of the national rail network at temperatures in excess of 40°C. Transport Minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton replied: “The DfT has plans in place and underway to adapt to and mitigate the risks of our changing climate. The Williams-Shapps Rail Plan includes a priority for long-term investment in climate resilience supported by smarter forecasting, planning and technology. “Network Rail (NR) announced on July 20 the launch of a new taskforce led by independent experts to investigate and make recommendations on how the railway can develop its approach to…

RM Archive 100 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 1922 Far North Dining DINING cars are being introduced this summer for the first time to the inhabitants of the Far North Line. From the beginning of June, a Pullman Dining Car has been run through on the 10.10am from Glasgow (Buchanan Street) to Aviemore on the Highland Railway, returning on the 3.30pm from Inverness. Since July 10, the Great North of Scotland Railway has followed suit with a restaurant car between Aberdeen and Inverness, running north on the 8.5am train (in connection with the Penzance-Aberdeen service), and returning as a luncheon and tea car on the 12.50pm from Inverness. 50 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 1972 First run for APT-E THE experimental gas-turbine version of British Railways 150mph Advanced Passenger Train, ‘APT-E’, made a slow-speed…

FIVE major heritage railways are due to operate steam galas in the coming weeks, all of which are set to feature visiting locomotives, along with a host of other attractions. The Severn Valley Railway’s flagship steam loco, GWR ‘Hall’ No. 4930 Hagley Hall is to return to the roster at its September 15-18 Autumn Steam Gala after a 36 year absence following the 4-6-0’s £1.3m overhaul. LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 45231 The Sherwood Forester will be making its debut hauling non-main line charter trains at the SVR courtesy of Locomotive Services Group. Two other visiting locos include West Somerset Railway-based GWR inspired Mogul No. 9351 and Hunslet 0-6-0ST Jessie (1873/1937), owned by Mike Pearce and based at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway. Motive power Home fleet locos will include GWR…

Industrial Steam FORMER Sproxton ironstone quarry Hunslet 0-6-0ST Hastings (469/1888) is set to return to the Kent & East Sussex Railway (KESR) in the coming weeks, for final commissioning once repairs are complete at the premises of a Buckinghamshire contractor. After moving from the Chasewater Railway to the KESR on May 20, Hastings completed a number of light engine test trips, followed by hauling five vintage carriages. “The loads we pulled were based around mimicking the equivalent of just over two Mk.1 carriages, being the sort of size train commonly hauled by the ‘Terrier’ locomotives,” said Mike Hart, the loco’s owner. Following successful running on the KESR, the loco’s piston rod joint to the crosshead coupling rod connection unfortunately failed on May 31, just short of Tenterden Town, resulting in…

Like us facebook.com/ TheRailwayMagazine Follow us @railwaymagazine THERE have been many portable passenger-carrying miniature railways in the past, usually of 7¼in and 10¼in gauges. Some have been very fine, professionally operated systems which have made brief appearances at public events. A number of new operators have come on the scene over the past couple of years, with many proficient and well-equipped systems now available for events right across the UK. One factor possibly contributing to this rapidly rising number of such railways has been the ever-increasing amount of legislation in constructing and operating a permanent railway in a public place. Some operators have previously run permanent lines but have gone over to a touring set-up, a prime example is the 7¼in gauge TFMR (The Friendly Miniature Railway). Like…

The crossword winner and two runners-up can choose books worth £50 and £25 respectively from the extensive Nostalgia Collection. Visit us at www.mortonsbooks.co.uk Across 1 and 4 Birmingham HS2 terminus (6,6)9 ___ Cross, tunnel and junctions between Derby and Sheffield (4)10 St ___, former Glasgow terminus (5)11 Preserved Class 50 No. 50027 (4)12 Lady of ___, new-build ‘Saint’ No. 2999 (6)13 Welshpool & ___ Light Railway (8)14 ‘A2/3’ No. 60512 (6,3)16 Word common to the names of GWR Nos 6000-29 (4)17 Animals associated with the paintings of Terence Cuneo (4)18 Nickname for GER 2-4-2WTs, from their Glasgow origin (9)22 Last but one station on the line to Whitby (8)23 ‘West Country’ Class No. 34001 (6) 25 ___ Lake Railway, Welsh narrow-gauge line (4)26Pretty ___, ‘A3’ No. 60061 (5)27 See 17…

HS2 News TWO people have been jailed and two others received suspended custodial sentences after breaching an injunction and spending 47 days in tunnels they had dug at Swynnerton in Staffordshire. The occupation, which ended in June, was in protest at plans to clear woodland to make way for the HS2 route. A judge at the High Court in Birmingham said that the breaches were serious, life-threatening, dangerous and deliberate, adding that the intention and outcome was to cause real harm to HS2 and the taxpayer. Two others are subject to undertakings agreed by HS2, which prohibit them from interfering with the project, and another is due to be sentenced in September.…

‘OUR’ loco No. 66503 The Railway Magazine was rededicated at Freightliner’s Midland Road depot in Leeds on August 9, with new plates unveiled reading Celebrating 125 years 1897-2022. We are extremely honoured and grateful that the event was able to take place. It was only possible thanks to the management and staff at Freightliner, with the opportunity taken while the loco was on shed for a C-exam. The new plates were made by Procast Foundry in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire – one of the leading companies making nameplates for the industry and replica castings for heritage lines and individuals. No. 66503 was originally named The Railway Magazine on February 17, 2004 by then editor Nick Pigott in a ceremony at Birmingham Lawley Street. The plates had previously been carried by Virgin…

IT could not happen now. Take a famous loco from a railway museum, transfer it to a workshop, fettle it up for East Coast Main Line passenger work and move it to London without everyone having heard about it. At the same time, restore seven 50-year-old coaches and reunite loco and stock in London for a surprise appearance. Only a chosen few were entrusted the knowledge of the clandestine moves being choreographed by the London & North Eastern Railway’s public relations department for execution on June 30, 1938. The audacious plan to place Stirling ‘8ft’ 4-2-2 ‘Single’ in King’s Cross station alongside the luxurious new ‘Flying Scotsman’ coaches headed by ‘A4’ Pacific No. 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley had eventually gained the approval of great designer Gresley himself. Even railway enthusiasts…

PUTTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ■ IN the August crossword, you have fallen into the familiar trap of spelling Ashtead as Ashstead.Steve Boulding, Baschurch, Shropshire. Thanks also to Graham Thompson, Colin Campbell, Cameron J Henry and Dick Franklin ■ The inner wagons on the ore trains between Immingham and Scunthorpe do not have rotary couplers at each end. Instead, all inners have a rotary coupling at one end (painted orange) and a fixed coupling at the other (painted grey). Half of the outer wagons are fitted with rotary couplings, the other half have fixed ones and that end is coloured to suit. Steve Thompson, Scunthorpe ■ THE reader’s memory of seeing the full ’Coronation Scot’ train passing along the West Coast Main Line near Warrington in 1942 (August issue) must be…

PAGE 159 of the March 2012 issue of the Railway Observer features a photograph of unit No. 144007 at Huddersfield waiting to leave with the 14.13 to Sheffield via Penistone on January 8, 2011. It is no surprise that the caption describes the class as “unloved”, and wonders whether they are “likely to stagger into their fourth decade”. As we now know, the answer to this question was a resounding “yes!” Classes 140, 141, 142, 143 and 144, collectively known as ‘Pacers’, are arguably the most unpopular trains to have operated on the national network in recent decades. However, now that they have disappeared from the network, the time has come for a look back at their career. The ‘Pacers’ were conceived as replacements for the ageing fleet of first…

Narrow Gauge THE 100th anniversary of the reopening of what had been the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway between Dinas and Rhyd Ddu (then called South Snowdon), which was in the process of being rebuilt as the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR), was suitably marked over July 30/31. Star of the show was Welsh Highland Heritage Railway’s (WHHR) Hunslet 2-6-2T Russell, the only surviving original Welsh Highland steam locomotive. It worked on the WHR between Waunfawr and Rhyd Ddu for the first time since 1937 – it ran between Dinas and Waunfawr during a 2000 visit when this section was officially reopened. Russell hauled WHHR heritage carriages including the original WHR Buffet Car No. 10 and Gladstone Car No. 8 with services, based around a re-creation of the 1922 timetable, between…

TEMPORARY withdrawal of Blackpool No. 31 from service following a resistance failure during the busiest part of the summer season has put further pressure on heritage transport resources at Beamish Museum. The failure occurred in July, as the County Durham site was receiving its first influxes of school summer holiday visitors. After removal and examination, it was decided that the tram’s resistance grid should be sent away to a contractor for repair. Work got underway during August amid hopes of an early return to service, although reinstatement before the end of the school holidays was ruled-out. As reported in August’s The RM, Sheffield No. 264 has been out of action since failing at the end of May. The cast iron cooling fan from one of its two motors disintegrated and…

TWO new railtours announced for the autumn by Pathfinder Tours will both feature popular types of English Electric locomotives. The first tour is planned for October 29, called the ‘Cotswold Caper’ and will feature a pair of West Coast Railways Class 37s and Riviera Trains Mk.2 carriages. Starting at Burton-on-Trent, the tour is due to pick up at Tamworth, Coleshill Parkway, Birmingham New Street, Barnt Green, Worcestershire Parkway and Cheltenham Spa. There will be a break at Banbury and during the day, the tour is expected to include the South Marston branch at Swindon, Moreton-in-Marsh down refuge siding and Henwick turnback, Worcester, along with several other goods loops. Fares are £125 (adult standard), £63 junior or £480 for a party of four. First class fares are £185 adult, £145 junior…

THE soaring cost of the project to extend the West Midlands Metro system from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill via Dudley has prompted members of West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to vote to split the scheme into two phases. The decision was made in July after a report to the authority stated that the cost of completing the 6.8 mile extension was now anticipated to be £550 million. When approved in 2019, the estimate was £449 million. Factors Rising costs of materials and delays in acquiring land are said to have been contributing factors, along with the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and the war in Ukraine. While the Wednesbury to Dudley stretch will be completed as planned, at a predicted cost of £385 million, the shortfall for completing the project in full…

STONEBLOWERS are permanently coupled twin units that derive from development work undertaken over many years by British Rail Research. They provide an alternative to tamping, allowing the restoration of vertical and lateral alignment of relaid track. Small stones are injected to fill any voids in existing compacted ballast. Accuracy of up to 0.5mm is achieved, with operating speeds of up to 10mph. On board computers analyse data collected during site measurement with the ability to return the track to 125mph line speeds without the need for temporary speed restrictions. Initial production of YZA-A machines Nos. DR 80200-212 was by Pandrol Jackson between 1995-2000 for Railtrack. Subsequent deliveries of plain line units Nos. DR 80213-217 and switch & crossing machines Nos. DR 80301-303 for Network Rail between 2004 and 2007 was…

Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk Due to problems with the overhead power line north of Carlisle on the afternoon of July 14, many West Coast Main Line (WCML) services were cancelled. One Avanti service which did operate was 1S72/14.30 worked by Class 390 No. 390123 to Preston where passengers transferred to a replacement northbound service with Class 221s Nos. 221101+221103 which left Preston 51 minutes behind schedule at 17.33. Following a problem with the overhead power supply north of Carnforth on the morning of July 20, the first Avanti WCML northbound service from Lancaster was at 11.50, this being the 9S44/06.51 from London Euston worked by Class 390 No. 390117. Southbound from Lancaster that day’s first Avanti service was the 9M52/08.53 from Edinburgh operated by Class 221s Nos. 221106+221117 which…

GERMANY’S €9 monthly tickets will no longer be on sale after the end of August, but the widescale use of them has already started a debate about possibly extending the offer in some form in the future. By mid-August, over 40 million of the tickets had been issued, giving the holder unlimited use, for a whole month, of regional and suburban trains – plus almost every tram, bus and U-Bahn in the country. The offer was only possible in the first place thanks to around €2.5 billion of additional funding from the Federal government paid to the country’s 16 states to cover the cost of additional trains and staff, plus some of the revenue lost compared to normal fares. The large numbers of additional travellers, especially on routes to certain…