Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i The Railway Magazine

IF you had the chance to select the locomotive and train for a final steam-hauled trip from King’s Cross before the arrival of the ‘dreaded diesels’ (as many would have said at the time), what would you have chosen? Might it have been the combination that randomly befell Newcastle-based train timer Alan Middlemiss one afternoon in July 1959? As he walked down the platform alongside the crack ‘Talisman’ express, Alan was unaware this would be his last Gresley Pacific run from the capital, but he had quickly come to relish his journeys home on this new service. Introduced in 1956, and named after one of Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley novels, the London to Edinburgh ‘Talisman’ was booked to run nonstop from King’s Cross to Newcastle; 268 miles in 268min. It…

HS2 News HAVING been constructed alongside the motorway over the previous six months, HS2’s Marston Box bridge was moved 165m (180 yds) into position over the M42 during the Christmas holidays – a feat that HS2 Ltd believes to be the “world’s longest box slide”. A team of around 450 people from construction contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) were involved in the operation, which took 40 hours to complete, at a speed of four metres (13ft) per hour. Consisting of a base, three walls and a top slab, and developed by Mott MacDonald and Systra for BBV, the 86m (282ft) bridge, north of junction 9 on the motorway at Lea Marston in Warwickshire, will become part of a structure over double that length, carrying trains between Crewe and Birmingham Curzon…

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Pennine Railway Society. Doncaster Town Fields Sports Club, Bennethorpe, Doncaster DN2 6AA. 19.30. ’20 Years of Digital Photography’: Geoff Griffiths. Further details on website penninerailwaysociety.com Railway Correspondence & Travel Society (RCTS) (Furness, Lakes & Lune branch). Station Hotel, Carnforth. 19.30. ‘35mm Gricing at Home and Abroad’: Mike Robinson. RCTS (Merseyside, Chester and North Wales branch). 10.00. ‘Railway Depots around Liverpool’: Paul Wright. Contact: Alan Turton 01606 854227 or Merseyside@rcts.org.uk THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 Bath Railway Society. The Museum of Bath at Work, Julian Road, Bath BA1 2RH. 19.30. ‘842 Useful Engines: A sample of ‘Black Fives’ at work on BR and LMS Jubilee 4-6-0s’: Dave Peel. Great Central Railway Society (Sheffield branch). Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Farm Road, Sheffield S2 2TP. 19.30. ‘China’s Railways Then &…

Britain’s leading Railway Society THE ‘Kenny Belle’ (previously covered in the Railway Observer in a named trains article) was not a Pullman Train! Richard Beeching in his plans for a lean, mean, profitable railway (also previously reported in the RO) meant chopping non-profitable lines. The report of modernising the railway highlighted that the closure should go ahead for the Clapham Junction to Kensington Olympia service, which was on the West London Extension Railway before being absorbed by the LSWR, Southern and later British Railways. It was pointed out that this unusual service was deemed ripe for closure as it was almost certainly unprofitable. The Clapham Junction-Kensington Olympia service (the ‘Kenny Belle’ to its friends) was by no means an officially secret service, but it was by any definition a ‘Ghost…

WELL known for its huge narrow gauge loco collection and various running lines, Statfold Barn near Tamworth, has constructed a 12¼in gauge line, which is being developed as a major feature. The Mease Valley Light Railway (MVLR) is to be formally opened at Statfold Barn’s Steam Spectacular’ event on March 18. This is a return to the original format enthusiast day where it is claimed more locos can be seen in steam in one hour than anywhere else in the UK, possibly the world. Construction started in 2021 with the loco shed and turntable. To date, track has been laid up to the field boundary. Initially, it is a 1km long line with a passing loop approximately halfway, with run-round facilities at the far end. Eventually, this will help bring…

SEVERAL new railtours have been released by Pathfinder covering the period over the remainder of winter and to the end of April. The first of these is on March 18 and will take Class 40 No. D345 (40145) from the North West and Midlands to East Anglia, where the class first worked express services under BR. ‘The Great Eastern’ will start at Crewe (06.30) and call at Stafford, Wolverhamoton, Tame Bridge Parkway, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton and Leicester before taking the familiar cross country route via Peterborough and the Ely avoiding line, prior to calling at Wymondham (for the Mid-Norfolk Railway), Norwich (three hour break) and then running to the coastal resort of Great Yarmouth for a short break and photo stop. The return will be as the outward journey, taking…

BIRMINGHAM New Street’s iconic signalbox, with its Brutalist external appearance, signalled its last train on December 24. Opening in 1966 and replacing 64 manual signalboxes, situated at the west end of the station’s throat, the Grade II Listed structure controlled between Hampdenin-Arden, through Birmingham and towards Stourbridge and was one of four power signalboxes in the region. Controlling up to 1200 trains per day, the signalbox houses a huge telephone exchange linked to mechanical relays controlling signals and points, staff manually setting safe routes for trains through the busiest station outside of London. Grade II status was conferred on the signalbox in 1995, the citation referencing its ‘dramatic and exceptional architectural quality’ and ‘strongly sculptural form’. It is the only surviving signalbox to use the Westpac Mk.1 signalling system. However,…

On Tuesday, December 13, LSL’s Inter-City swallow-liveried duo of Class 87 No. 87002 + Class 90 No. 90002 (pantograph down) ran from Crewe (0Z90/13.26) to Carlisle on ice-breaking duties. The following day, this duo returned to Crewe from Carlisle (0Z70/06.45). Further, on the morning of December 14, also as a light engine combination, LSL’s Class 90 No. 90001 pulled Class 86 No. 86101 (pantograph down) from Crewe (0Z69/07.30) to Carlisle. After a night of sub-zero temperatures on the northern England section of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) and no overnight services, the first southbound train on Thursday, December 15 from Carlisle was 0Z70/06.11 worked by LSL Class 86 No. 86101+Class 90 No. 90001. That day’s first northbound service from Crewe, 0Z69/07.14, was worked by LSL Class 87 No. 87002+Class…

Unintended consequences ONE Saturday morning around 1961, I returned from the paper round with my week’s earnings and sat down with the Eastern Region timetable. Soon I was on the bus to Sheffield Victoria, climbing those dingy blackened steps up to the station by the Wicker Arches. My target was a three-coach portion of a King’s Cross express hauled by a Darnall ‘B1’ to Retford. As well as the ‘Master Cutler’, in those days there were two or three other King’s Cross departures from Sheffield – if you didn’t mind squealing round that ferocious curve into Retford and being shunted around awhile. My second target was a surviving steam-hauled express to Doncaster. I was delighted when it arrived on time behind an ‘A3’ with German smoke deflectors – adding an…

SINCE the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail was published in 2021, there has been pushback from previous rail ministers combined with a stronger voice from Rail Partners, the new organisation that represents private companies operating National Rail Contracts (which replaced franchises during the pandemic). The principal objection to the plan is the lack of an incentive for train operating companies to promote revenue enhancing ideas, as future contracts will simply reimburse the costs of running a specified timetable and the resources needed to do that. This lack of revenue responsibility also means there is less incentive to enforce revenue protection. To combat fare evasion, late January saw penalty fares rise from £20 to £100, reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days, plus the price of a full single fare for…

Headline News Coast to coast revival DAME Diana Johnson, the Kingston upon Hull North MP, wanted to know what steps the Department for Transport plans to take to further improve train services from the city. Her question followed the TransPennine Express (TPE) decision to reintroduce direct services from Hull to Liverpool via Manchester in the new timetable that was launched in December. Transport Minister Huw Merriman said: “We will take an adaptive approach to investment when considering any future projects as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme, looking at how well current projects are going, and at how demand and economic growth recover. “In the meantime, we are investing in the station and associated facilities. The Hull gateline project is ongoing, aimed at specific areas of concern around ticketless…

THE yodel alarm at Paignton South level crossing begins to sound and the ‘train crew operated’ barriers lower against road traffic. The signature grumble of an English Electric engine heralds the appearance of Class 37 No. 37275, edging round the foliage and sidling into Paignton Queen’s Park Dartmouth Steam Railway station. This is Class 37 Day at Paignton, with a Locomotive Services special from York stabling for nearly three hours in Goodrington Yard and a programme of round trips from Paignton to Kingswear by No. 37275 supplementing the normal timetable for the benefit of enthusiasts. The last journey coincided with the timings of the York railtour, allowing its passengers further Class 37 haulage, this time behind a preserved example. But some observers remembered the day No. 37275 itself had been…

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

OPERATIONS at the Gwili Railway are set to be transformed this coming season, with services starting at Abergwili Junction (AJ) rather than Bronwydd Arms, which has served as the line’s headquarters since the section of the former Carmarthen to Aberstwyth route reopened as a heritage line in 1978. AJ lies on the edge of Carmarthen. While the site of the junction itself is now under the roundabout on Carmarthen bypass, trains could once take the LNWR line to Llandeilo or the GWR route to Lampeter and Aberystwyth. Gwili passenger trains have operated to AJ since summer 2017, although the station has been merely a bare platform. In the intervening period a vast amount of work has been underway on developing plans to create a southern terminus. Physical work began on…

THE Nene Valley Railway has two industrial steam locomotives that are currently under overhaul – both of which are important to the line in their own right. One of the first steam locomotives on site at Wansford, Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST Derek Crouch (1539/1924) is now undergoing a major rebuild under the auspices of the line’s Small Loco Group. The rebuild reached a major milestone in December with the receipt of a newly machined cylinder block, which was fitted a few days later. The wheelsets have had all tyres, along with journals and thrust faces machined. The wheels themselves painted ready for fitting to the frames. The boiler has also received major attention. A new firebox side has been fully drilled and temporarily bolted to the boiler. It now just needs…

NEW woodworking equipment at Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire should allow more projects to be completed in-house and give potential to undertake outside contracts. The Tramcar Sponsorship Organisation and London County Council Tramways Trust have helped to fund £31,600 worth of tools, including a planer thicknesser, spindle moulder and a band saw. A commercial dust extraction unit has also been purchased. Benefits “The benefits of the new tools are that we can work quicker and more efficiently in-house, using the correct tools without having to outsource work,” explained Graeme Wigglesworth, engineering manager at Crich. “The addition of the dust extraction unit means that the dust from the woodwork will not be floating about the workshop, making it better for health and safety and enabling us to paint and carry out…

STATISTICS released by the Office of Rail & Road (ORR) show that punctuality of rail freight services between July and September last year reached its lowest level since the current series of records began in 2013. The ORR says strike action had an impact on all the metrics used in its summary of data. Using the Freight Delivery Metric, which estimated the number of trains which would have run on strike days using averages based on the previous four weeks, the proportion of trains arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled times was 84.9%, 9.2 percentage points lower than for the same period in 2021. There were 11.24 minutes of delay per 100 train kilometres, making it the highest July-September quarter for freight delays since 2014. Freight moved Total freight…

ROLLING stock owner Porterbrook has confirmed to The RM it is “exploring options” for the future of the 19 four-car Class 769/9 tri-mode multiple units leased to Great Western Railway, which are being handed back by the operator without turning a wheel in revenue-earning service. GWR ended months of speculation by announcing in December that it had cancelled the introduction of the Class 769/9s (which can operate on diesel power, as well taking traction current from 750V DC third rail and 25kV AC overhead electric supplies) “in the face of revised customer growth figures”. It added: “The 769 programme was developed in anticipation of expected passenger numbers to have grown by around 12% across the network by this year. However, changes in customer behaviour and demand since the pandemic means…

LOCOMOTIVES Allocations 37069 XHSO-XWSS37423 XHSO-XWSS43056 EFPC-SBXL57306 XHSO-XWSS57312 XHSO-XHAC66070 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAE90009 FE/DHLT-CG/DFLC90045 CG/DFLC-FE/DHLT Liveries BR blue: 69007 DB Cargo red: 66054, 66244 GBRf: 67027 Grey: 37606 (37508) Trainload Metals: 37109 + Progress Rail branding: 08523 Newly arrived – to be renumbered 77502-6630777503-66308 Returned from France 66026 Named 69007 Richard Trevithick Names removed 66050 EWS Energy For Sale 5005060012/32/36/37/48/52/68/77/78/84/89/93 Preserved 125 Preservation Society: 43045/60 Stored/stopped locations Basford Hall: 90045 Gresty Bridge: 37069, 37423, 57306 Laira: 43022 Nene Valley Railway: 43045/60 Roberts Road: 66306-08 (CB1001, 77502/03) Toton: 66026 Operational 66070/90, 90009 Disposals Sims Metals, Newport: Arrival dates corrected: December 7: 43196; December 8: 43087 MULTIPLE UNITS Allocations 170453-61/72-78NL-BG170512/13/35 TS/EJHQ-DY/EMHQ197111/12 newly delivered HQ/HLHQ315837/57 sent for disposal701051 newly delivered HQ/HYHQ710375 newly delivered HQ/EKHQ720117/20 newly delivered HQ/EBHQ730019-22 newly delivered HQ/EJHQ777140 newly delivered HQ/HEHQ Liveries SWR: 450070,450114 +…

£100 worth of Nostalgia Collection books to be won 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 12 across Preserved ‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34053 (3,5,4) 5 Of a steam loco, suffered from water carried into the cylinders (6) 9 Berks & Hants Line station (8) 10 ___ & Hibaldstow, former GCR station south-west of Barnetby (6) 12 See 1 across 13 Type of mechanism that drove Stanier’s ‘Pacific’ No. 6202 (7) 17 Heritage railway with stations at Carrog and Corwen (10) 19 ‘B1’‘Antelope’ No. 61018 (3) 21 See 7 down 22 Company whose Edinburgh terminus was Princes Street (10) 24 Station between Hull and Selby (7) 25 James ___, Class 60…

PETER was larger than life in more ways than one, an imposing figure with a jovial personality and a monumental passion for trains, traction engines, tractors, bicycles, motorbikes and virtually every form of heritage transport. Taking over the regulator of The RM at a time of dwindling copy sales in early-1989, he used his experience as a newspaper journalist to completely overhaul the product, increasing the number of news pages, shortening deadlines and enhancing the colour content. He broadened its appeal to younger readers by beefing up the modern traction content and insisted on payments being made to photographers; until then, all they had received was a free copy of the magazine. Although winning readers back from rival publications took longer than anticipated, Pete (he preferred the shorter version of…

Boden ‘50’ for sale BODEN Rail has decided to sell pioneer ‘Hoover’ No. 50050 (D400) Fearless to help fund growing the depot at Nottingham Eastcroft. It is being sold for main line use only and has all necessary safety systems fitted for this. According to an advert on the wnxx.com website, the loco is described as very reliable, with 16 new liners fitted during an engine overhaul and the radiator banks overhauled. It is dual-braked, fitted with a pre-heater, has electronic AVR (automatic voltage regulator) and the thinnest tyre is 50mm. Scotsman minted THE Royal Mint has announced Flying Scotsman is to grace a commemorative coin. The £2 Flying Scotsman coin is available to buy as part of The Royal Mint’s annual set – the first annual sets release to…

Headline News HELEN is a graduate of the University College of Ripon and York St John, where she studied music. Following that she completed a post graduate diploma in management whilst working at Eureka! The Museum for Children in Halifax. Since then, she’s worked across the country in some of the UK’s leading attractions and museums, including The Tank Museum, Dorset as deputy director, and Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham as operations director. Helen joined the SVR in 2019, taking over from Nick Ralls, and since then has also been made a director of the holdings company. She’s passionate about keeping the heritage of the railway alive for future generations to enjoy. Q. What was your first-ever job? I had loads of Saturday jobs when I was at school, including…

STAR LETTER More railway bears MY name is DMUTed and I have been working with the Dean Forest Railway DMU Group since September 1997. I originally started working on the DMU Buffet, helping to sell their cakes and supervising the volunteer staff. I also used to wave to members of the public as we went over each of our many level crossings, I was so pleased when they smiled and waved back, as most of them did. In July 2000, I organised the first of two Teddy Bear Days at the DFR and it was great to see all the bears bringing their children along. However, I have now mostly retired – although I do still go out on some of our DMU social days out and also help out…

RM Archive 100 YEARS AGO FEBRUARY 1923 Armed raiders on Irish railways DURING the past few months, much havoc has been wrought on the railways in Ireland by armed raiders, but the destruction of the railway station at Sligo has appealed most strongly to popular imagination in Great Britain. Before saturating the buildings with petrol and mining the walls, the wreckers coupled up seven powerful engines and sent them headlong under full steam. The locomotives crashed through the massive concrete sea wall and one plunged into the sea. 50 YEARS AGO FEBRUARY 1973 More steam routes for 1973/74 A FURTHER 460 miles of line has been allocated by British Railways Board to the operation of steam trains in 1973 and 1974, in addition to the 300 miles of…

THREE narrow gauge heritage lines have been progressing building projects that will enhance their offering to the public when complete. The Vale of Rheidol Railway’s (VoR) new station building will come into use for the 2023 season with staff relocating from their present temporary accommodation into the new building this spring. The temporary booking office/shop structure on the platform has been relocated and will become a store. Phase 3 of VoR’s Wales to the World reconstruction of its Aberystwyth terminus and transformation of the old loco shed into a new display space, is also advancing. Steelwork has been replaced where required and glass panels reinstated in the roof lantern (the previous panels were removed following storm damage in 2014) to increase the natural light inside the building. Natural light will…

THE Swindon & Cricklade Railway was using the sole surviving Class 119 two-car set, DMBC No. 51074 and DMSL No. 51104, on a shuttle service between Blunsdon and Taw Valley Halt in connection with steam-hauled Santa trains on December 11, when it had to be brought to a standstill as smoke was seen coming from one of the underfloor engines. There were no passengers on board when the crew became aware of the fire and brought the train to a stop in a safe place to investigate. They tackled the fire with the on board fire extinguishers and contacted the fire service who were quickly on the scene and stayed for a while as a precautionary measure. The fire did not break through to the passenger compartment and no train…

AFTER over 13 weeks of work to dual and electrify three sections of line, the Tyne and Wear Metro route to South Shields reopened to traffic on December 14. The engineering occupation, to carry out what operator Nexus described as the Metro’s “biggest ever improvement scheme”, began on September 12. Originally due to reopen to services from December 5, the closure was extended by 10 days for completion of overhead line work, testing and driver familiarisation. Integration Dubbed ‘Metro Flow’, the project aimed to facilitate a more frequent and reliable service. It involved the replacement of 4.6 kilometres (2.9 miles) of track and electrification and resignalling to integrate into the system the section of the heavy rail route parallel to the Metro’s original single track between Pelaw and Jarrow. Freight…

DATING from the 1950s, DB Cargo’s fleet of ‘Salmon’ rail and sleeper carriers are now in the process of being replaced by new Wascosa-financed and GB Railfreight-operated FEA-W intermodal flats. Based on a pre-Nationalisation London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMSR) design, more than 700 wagons were constructed by British Railways workshops at Wolverton and private builders between 1952-62. All variants were either unfitted or through vacuum-piped only. Currently more than 300 flats remain in stock. The eldest are from the batch Nos. DB 996100-151, built in 1952 by Head Wrightson of Teesdale Ironworks (Thornabyon-Tees) to diagram 1/642. Of these, 23 survive: Nos. DB 996102-104/107/ 115-117/121/122/124/ 125/127/131/135/137/ 140-143/145/146/148/151. By contrast, of the most recent lot – Nos. DB 996970-994 outshopped in 1962 by Cambrian Wagon Works of Maindy, Cardiff to diagram…

THE Foynes Line reconstruction took a significant step forward on January 9, with the award by Iarnród Éireann to John Sisk and Sons of a €65 million contract for the first phase of works to reinstate the mothballed 42km-long Limerick to Foynes rail line for freight services. Sisk’s phase one work will focus on clearing vegetation, replacing track, sleepers and installing a new ballast bed, renewal of bridges, lineside fencing and culverts, works to level crossings and public road crossings and the installation of infrastructure necessary to move to phase two of the project. As previously reported, vegetation clearance by local contractors began in September, clearing the line of almost 20 years’ growth back to the boundary fences. Sisk will start mobilisation with major works scheduled to start this month,…

DVD: BRANCH LINES OF OXFORDSHIRE THE latest in a series of branch line DVDs from 1st Take focuses on Oxfordshire, including those lines in the GWR and LNWR networks. It begins with a brief introduction to the development of railways in the county, then takes an in-depth look at each of the current and former branch lines, including Henley to Twyford, Princes Risborough to Chinnor/ Watlington and Thame/Oxford, and Oxford to Bicester. There is also a tribute to Didcot Railway Centre, plus a look at some ‘hidden gem’ stations and a cab ride on the Chinnor & Princes Risborough heritage line. Each section is well researched, featuring live footage where possible, but also archive photos from the heyday of the lines. It is co-presented by Dave Rogers and historian Colin…