Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i The Railway Magazine

Cairngorm Mountain funicular reopens THE Cairngorm Mountain Railway, which claims to be Scotland’s only funicular railway, reopened on January 26, following significant engineering works and testing. The 1¼-mile (2km), 6ft 6¾in-gauge line takes snowsports enthusiasts and other mountain visitors to the top of the slopes at 3500ft (1065 metres) in around five minutes. The railway opened in 2001 but has been closed since October 2018 due to structural issues. Reinstatement work has included strengthening the viaduct and installing a new control system. SWR extension THE Department for Transport has given South Western Railway a two-year extension to its National Rail Contract first awarded in May 2021. The new contract will run until May 2025. SWR is currently taking delivery of 60 ten-car and 30 five-car Class 701 trains built on…

HeadlineNews Improving connections RACHAEL Maskell, the York Central MP, wanted to know what steps the Government is taking to support multimodal interchanges at stations. Transport Minister Huw Merriman replied: “The Government is committed to improving integration between rail and other modes of transport to improve journeys for passengers. “The long-term cycling and walking plan of July 2020 set out 33 actions to increase cycling and walking, including improving cycle rail integration and improving bike access on trains. “Between 2012 and 2022, the Government provided more than £40 million to create new secure bike spaces at stations. The Government’s National Bus Strategy, ‘Bus Back Better’, sets out our goal for improving integration between buses and other modes of transport. Our ambitions include seeing more bus routes serving stations and better integration…

IN retrospect, the summer of 1962 was pivotal in the annals of British locomotive history. The balance between steam and diesel power started to weigh more heavily in favour of modern traction, as ‘Deltics’ held sway on the East Coast Main Line, swathes of the United Kingdom saw steam only infrequently, and the locomotive doyens of the ‘Big Four’ railway companies began their inevitable trudge to the scrapyards. It was to be the last summer of the ‘Kings’ and, while steam was to hang on another six years, each year to 1968 would see fewer strongholds in which refuge could be sought. One might think this turning point would have been the subject of Practice and Performance articles at the time. Delving into The Railway Magazine archive, O S Nock…

MEETINGS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1 Gravesend Railway Enthusiasts’ Society. Emmanuel Baptist Church, Gravesend DA121BB. 19.30. Modelling evening. Lutterworth Railway Society. LutterworthBowls Club, Lutterworth LE15 4RB. 19.30.‘Cross Country and Secondary Routes aroundYorkshire’: Chris Pratt. Pennine Railway Society. Doncaster TownFields Sports Club, Bennethorpe, DoncasterDN2 6AA. 19.30. ‘A Tenth Colour Rail Journey’:Paul Chancellor. Railway Correspondence & Travel Society(RCTS) (Furness, Lakes & Lune branch). StationHotel, Carnforth. 19.30. ‘DRS and Railfreight’:Eddie Pollock. THURSDAY, MARCH 2 Bath Railway Society. The Museum of Bath atWork, Julian Road, Bath BA1 2RH. 19.30. ‘TheBritish Military Train to Berlin – the Berliner’ and‘The Bridport Railway’: Douglas Beazer. Great Central Railway Society (Sheffieldbranch). The Farm Road Sports & Social Club,Sheffield S2 2TP. 19.30. ‘An A to Z Guide to GCRLocomotives’: Bob GellatlyLutterworth Railway Society. LutterworthBowls Club, Lutterworth LE15 4RB. 19.30.‘Cross Country and…

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

VINTAGE Trains GWR ‘Castle’ No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe is poised to return to the main line in March, having completed a 10-yearly boiler overhaul. Once the loco has undertaken depot trials, followed by light and loaded test runs that were planned for late February, it is due to be back on the main line on March 4 ,when it will double-head a special train for community benefit shareholders from Birmingham Moor Street to Didcot with WR 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle. At Didcot, Tyseley’s two ‘Castle’ class locos will participate in a public line-up in front of the loco shed with Didcot’s two ‘Castles’, No. 4079 Pendennis Castle and No. 5051 Drysllwyn Castle, before the Tyseley pair return to Birmingham. Vintage Trains had planned to return Edgcumbe to…

SUB-national transport body Midlands Connect (MC) has unveiled its blueprint which, it says, will improve rail services along the Welsh Marches route, as well as into mid and west Wales. The proposal is a suite of upgrades for rail improvements in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, as well as parts of Wales, and has been created in conjunction with the Welsh Government. Between Chester and Shrewsbury, MC is proposing faster and a higher frequency of trains, with greater direct connectivity between Telford and Chester. It also wants to review accessibility to train stations, and in doing so identify any barriers people may have in using them for the “first and last mile” of their journey. For the Welsh Marches route comes a plan to cut journey times between Cardiff…

Call: 01507 529589 email: railway@mortons.co.uk A correspondent travelled from Manchester to Euston on January 24 and encountered delays due to signalling issues between Milton Keynes and Watford, arrival in London being 15 minutes late. Euston itself was reported very quiet. The return journey was 16 minutes late on arrival at Piccadilly on a lightly loaded train. Making its first WCML run, AWC’s unbranded white Class 805 No. 805001 ran on a 5Q30/08.34 ECS on Monday, February 6 from Oxley Depot in Wolverhampton to Glasgow. On arrival at Glasgow Central at 13.47 this five-car unit departed from platform 2 at 13.58 (5Q31) returning south to Oxley Depot. On the following day the same five-car unit ran to the identical Glasgow-bound schedule. Although most AWC Anglo-Scottish services in January and early February…

GBRF’S re-engineered Class 69 fleet has been withdrawn from traffic pending a solution to technical issues with the six locos that have entered traffic so far. Unconfirmed reports say that extreme vibrations can occur at higher power notches. The locos have been converted from redundant Class 56s fitted with a General Motors 12N-710G3B-T2 two-stroke power unit, GM alternator and new electrical cubicle by Progress Rail at Longport, Staffordshire. At the time of going to press, Nos. 69001-69004 had been taken to Longport, No. 69005 was at Doncaster Roberts Road depot and No. 69006 at Tuebrook Sidings, Liverpool. Despite being completed in January (see last issue), the seventh member of the fleet, No. 69007 has not been officially accepted into traffic, while No. 69008 (the former No. 56038) appears complete but…

NO punches have been pulled by the rail regulator in a blunt letter to Avanti West Coast on February 10 in response to the submission of a recovery plan for timetable production. This is the result of a continued failure to allow passengers to book in advance within the 12-week industry timeframe. In noting the submission, the Office of Rail and Road advised Avanti that it will be held to account for delivery of the improved plan, which will be monitored for effectiveness on a weekly basis given that previously promised recovery has not been sustained. The earlier plan was compiled in October last year after many trains were taken out of the timetable as a result of an overtime ban by traincrew, which resulted in short-notice cancellations reaching 16%.…

PETER Hendy was knighted in the 2013 New Year Honours, having been awarded a CBE in 2006. He became a peer in 2022 as The Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, of Imber in the County of Wiltshire. He was educated at Latymer Upper and the University of Leeds, where he graduated in economics and geography in 1975. He then joined London Transport as a graduate trainee and had various senior bus operating roles, becoming deputy director of First Group’s bus operations in London and Southern England. In January 2001 he became Transport for London’s managing director of surface operations, leading what has been described as the largest long-term investment programme in London’s transport network in generations. He has a ‘can-do’ approach and was appointed chairman of Network Rail in July…

RM Archive 100 YEARS AGO MARCH 1923 Vincent Raven on electrification A PAPER read before the Great Western Railway (London) Lecture and Debating Society by Sir Vincent Raven, Technical Adviser to the London and North Eastern Railway, brought out a number of interesting points. It is generally admitted that many of the claims advanced in favour of main line electrification are now beyond question, particularly in regard to such matters as the saving in engine preparation and shed time as compared with steam practice, the fact that tractive capacity is not limited by the boiler capacity of individual steam locomotives, ease with which double-heading can be adopted, superiority in starting heavy loads, more rapid acceleration, regenerative braking and, in particular, the possibility of approximating the speed of freight trains more…

THE Llangollen Railway’s (LR) new Corwen station project reached a key milestone on January 24, when a large 51-metre crane arrived on site to erect the 26 1-ton canopy roof frames. Malpas-based contractors Plant & Robinson Construction Limited undertook this major exercise, supported by the Corwen volunteer team, along with other LR staff and volunteers. Before being lifted into position, each of the frames was assembled from 11 sub-components by the contractors’ team. Six frames were successfully assembled, lifted and welded into place by the end of the 24th, with all 26 in place by January 31. Roof purlins and wiring conduit for lighting were installed in early February – and the installation of roof cladding was well underway by mid-February The canopy has been funded by a £191,000 UK…

THERE has been significant progress in the long-term overhaul of Bagnall 0-4-0ST Hawarden (2623/1940) at the Foxfield Railway. The boiler successfully underwent hydraulic and steam tests in the late autumn before being reunited with the frames just before Christmas. The loco is now structurally complete, but with several piping jobs to do before steam testing can begin. However, it is expected to be available for service during 2023. Locomotive owner Dave Scragg has had major repairs done to the boiler, including new front tubeplate, outer firebox throatplate and firebox sides all round, alongside an inner firebox throatplate, all of which involve new firebox stays and boiler tubes. In addition, the loco has had a new smokebox. There has also been major progress with the 10-year overhaul of Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST…

BEAMISH Museum in County Durham says it has invested “tens of thousands of pounds” in new grooved and flat-bottomed rail for its tramway, along with plastic sleepers and new equipment. A programme to tackle some of the most urgent infrastructure repairs began before the New Year and will continue into the spring. Rail and sleeper replacement work has been taking place in the Town East and Pockerley areas and attention will turn to ‘Bog Bend’, between Foulbridge and the Town. While curved sections running through the tarmac in the town can be lifted and replaced, on the cobbled section of the inner circle, welding was undertaken to restore the profile of worn rails. The museum says this is less costly and disruptive than removing them and also overcomes the difficulty…

DESIGNS are being prepared by DCRail for the configuration of the yard at Plumstead in South East London for use by aggregates trains. The freight operator announced in January that it had acquired a long-term lease from Network Rail for the strategic freight site on the North Kent line. Used until the late 1990s for coal traffic, it has also been utilised in the past for movements of military vehicles, but was more recently a base for construction of the Elizabeth Line. Track has been cleared in preparation for returning it to freight use. Three sidings are planned, two of around 250 metres, along with one for wagon repairs, which is shorter in length. Growth Plumstead will be DCRail’s fifth rail-connected site and it is expected to be used by…

WELSH Government Minister for North Wales Lesley Griffiths joined schoolchildren at Llandudno station on January 26 for the official launch of the new CAF-built Class 197 DMUs. Assembled at CAF’s Newport factory, a total of 51 two-car and 26 three-car units will play what Transport for Wales says is a “key role” in its plans to improve customer experience and will be used on long-distance services across the Wales and Borders network. Featuring leather seats, charging points for electronic devices, passenger information screens and more modern air conditioning and wider doors than the trains in the existing fleet, the first members of the class entered service on the Conwy Valley line in November last year. ‘Proud and excited’ “This made-in-Wales fleet signals an important improvement to rail services and I…

LOCOMOTIVES Allocations 37165 sent for disposal43180 sent for disposal43195 sent for disposal47194 sent for disposal47368 sent for disposal47492 sent for disposal66011 WBRT-WBAE66067 WBRT-WBAE66069 WBRT-WBAE66084 WBRT-WBAE66090 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAE66100 WBRT-WBBE66105 WBRT-WBBE66106 WBRT-WBBE66111 WBRT-WBBE66117 WBRT-WBAE66121 WBRT-WBAE66129 WBRT-WBAE66130 WBRT-WBAE66139 WBRT-WBAE66154 WBRT-WBAE66174 WBRT-WBAE66179 WBRT-WBAE66186 WBRT-WBAE66187 WBRT-WBAE66306 newly registered RR/GBLT91112 sent for disposal91115 sent for disposal91116 sent for disposal91118 sent for disposal91121 sent for disposal91125 sent for disposal LiveriesColas: 43277DB Cargo red: 66025HNRC: 08799LNER: 91107 Named08799 Ian Goddard Stored/stopped locationsBarrow Hill: 20066, 20901 Crewe Basford Hall: 90045 Doncaster West Yard: 91131 Laira: 43022, 43160 Longport: 69001/02/03/04 NRM York: 84001 Peterborough: 69007 Toton: 66098, 66149/51 Worksop: 25904 Operational 66090/98, 66149 DisposalsC.F.Booth, Rotherham: Cutdate: January 24: 86251 Ron Hull at Carnforth: Cutdates: January: 37165 (theremains of ), 47194, 47368;February: 47492 Sims Metals, Newport: Arrivaldates: February 1: 43195;February 2: 43180;…

INDIAN Railways has been undergoing unprecedented investment in the last few years. The country’s government has set targets to convert narrower gauge lines to the Indian standard of 1676mm (5ft 6in) and to electrify most of the network. Huge progress has been made and narrower gauge lines are now rare – 5507km of tracks were converted to 1676mm gauge in 2014 to 2019, while another 2907km of entirely new 1676mm gauge line was built in that same period. Furthermore, electrification has replaced diesel locos all over the country, much to the chagrin of local and international enthusiasts looking for narrow gauge or older Alco design diesel locos on any gauge. Electrification at 25kV AC was mandated for the entire 1676mm gauge network in 2019 and this is set to be…

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 5 ‘Britannia’ No. 70033 (7,7)9 Welsh town with a EwennyRoad station (7)10 ___ Railway, former mid-Wales branch from Caersws (3)11Our ___, name given toClass 31 No. 31455 in 1993 (3)12 22 down No. 5914, found inNorth Yorkshire? (5,4)14 Name carried by preservedClass 47 No. D1566/47449 (5)15 and 23 down ‘A1’‘Pacific’No. 60147 (5,7)17Clan ___, BR No. 72005 (9)19 ‘King Arthur’ No. 30753 andBR No. 73085 (9)21 Class 50 No. 50043 (5)24 Strait crossed by the formerBritannia Tubular Bridge (5)25 The ___, Birminghamstation sharing its name with anearby football ground (9)27 ___ Road station,Gainsborough (3)28 and 25 down ___ le FiseLake, ‘King Arthur’ No. 30803 (3,5)29…

GREAT Western Railway has agreed a deal to purchase Vivarail assets that will allow it to proceed with in-service trials of the collapsed company’s pioneering battery-electric Class 230 unit, originally due to begin last year. The project – the first of its kind, utilising Vivarail’s patented ‘Fast Charge’ system (which will use a conductor rail installed in the bay platform at West Ealing, activated by the presence of the train, to recharge the batteries), was initially delayed by challenges posed by the train and infrastructure. Hopes of a January 2023 launch were then dashed when Vivarail entered administration. The United States-based Railroad Development Corporation, Vivarail’s main financial backer, confirmed it did not intend to offer the company any further funding. Neither searches for alternative sources of finance nor a buyer…

‘Prairie’ visit WATERMAN Railway Heritage Trust’s GWR ‘Small Prairie’ No. 5553 arrived at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway in mid-February, where it is to remain on hire for the 2023 season. Now based at Peak Rail, the 2-6-2T’s last BR shed allocation was 83E St Blazey. The ‘4575’ was tested on the Cornish heritage line on February 16 when it double-headed with GWR 0-6-0PT No. L92 (5786). Nene Valley visitors THE Nene Valley Railway is to host two visiting steam locos in the coming weeks. LNWR ‘Coal Tank’ No. 1054 is to star in the March 25/26 Victorian Weekend – and Aveling & Porter Works 2-2-0WT Blue Circle (9449/1926) is also due to be in steam at Wansford. LNER ‘A4’ No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley is to haul public trains…

HS2News TUNNEL boring machines Florence and Cecilia have passed the halfway point in their excavation of the 10-mile, twin bore tunnel that will take HS2 under the Chiltern hills between West Hyde and South Heath in Buckinghamshire. Since being launched in May and June 2021 respectively, the 2000 tonne, 170-metre (558 feet) long TBMs have removed more than 1.3 million cubic metres of chalk and flint during the course of their underground journeys. This quantity of material would be sufficient to fill more than 500 Olympic swimming pools, and it will be used to create chalk grassland at the tunnel’s southern portal as part of 127 hectares (314 acres) of new landscaping and wildlife habitats. In addition to the boring and lining work, engineers have completed the excavation of the…

YOUR case is packed and you are Florida bound. For many, particularly families, ‘The Sunshine State’ is the ultimate holiday aspiration. They are doubtless lured by the sprawling campus of four Walt Disney theme parks, created from swampland just south of Orlando, where in 2019 just shy of 60 million people visited them. While the visionary creator died before he saw the project open in 1972, his legacy is an unprecedented global tourism machine. But I would argue that Disney is not the father of Florida as a destination. If anyone deserves that title, industrialist and entrepreneur Henry Flagler must be in contention. Without him, the great East Coast resorts of Daytona Beach, Palm Beach and even Miami would not exist as they do today. The latter city would even…

■ LAST month’s front cover featured an image of ’Scotsman’ from 1928, colourised by Ian MacCabe of The Gresley Society, but the original black & white image should have been credited to Brian Stephenson and the excellent Rail Archive Stephenson collection. We apologise for this omission- Ed Leicester shed days I LIVED just half a mile from Guide Bridge from 1943 to 1966, and no mention was made in the February issue of No. 60103’s period on the former Great Central route, when allocated to Leicester 38C from June 1950 to November 1953. During this time it was almost a daily sight through Guide Bridge on Marylebone to Manchester (London Road) services, when nobody took a great deal of notice of it. David Slack By email My early train spotting…

THE Ffestiniog Railway’s two ‘Quarry’ Hunslets Blanche and Linda have appeared in the pages of the Railway Observer on multiple occasions over the last five decades or so. The two 2-4-0STTs (originally 0-4-0STs) were built by the Hunslet Engine Company in Leeds in 1893. They were built for service on the main line of the Penrhyn Quarry Railway. Blanche was named after Blanche Georgina Fitzroy, who was married to Edward Sholto Douglas-Pennant (the third Baron of Penrhyn). Linda was named after Linda Blanche Douglas-Pennant, the daughter of the aforementioned Baron and his wife Blanche. There was also a third locomotive, Charles, which is now preserved in Penrhyn Castle Museum. Both locomotives worked until 1962. Linda was stored at Port Shed from August 24, 1940 until May 18, 1950. It had…

RESTORATION of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway’s ex-South African Railways Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (works No. 2684) NG15 ‘Kalahari’ 2-8-2 No. 134 advanced significantly in January. The boiler, which has been undergoing overhaul at Locomotive Maintenance Services in Loughborough, was delivered to Dinas on January 13. No. 134’s rolling chassis was hauled out of the shed and the boiler transferred from the delivery lorry to the loco’s frames, with a pause while the ashpan was bolted into position under the foundation ring. As darkness fell, No. 134, now with a boiler and looking much more like a steam locomotive, was moved into the goods shed. A week later, it was transferred to the loco shed for completion of the restoration, which is being led by Cymdeithas Rheilffordd Eryri/Welsh Highland Railway Society.…

CLASS 91 ac electric loco No. 91131 (91031) has been loaned to the Museum of Scottish Railways for static display at Bo’ness. This is a fitting location for this celebrity loco, it having been a notable performer on the East Coast Main Line (ECML). It holds the UK rail-speed record of 154mph, achieved on a special passenger train on Stoke Bank on June 2, 1995. The Bo-Bo loco was one of 31 built by GEC/BREL at Crewe and introduced to traffic exclusively on the ECML in February 1991. It was renumbered 91131 when refurbished at Doncaster in 2002 and carried two names over the years, Sir Henry Royce and County of Northumberland. No. 91131 will be displayed initially at Bo’ness in its final LNER red and white colours with branding…

WORK has started on a £43 million expansion of the West Midlands Metro (WMM) depot site at Wednesbury. Local councillors with responsibility for transport joined West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and WMM interim managing director Sophie Allison to mark the start of the project in late January. The Potter’s Lane site is being extended in order to accommodate WMM’s increasing fleet of CAF-built Urbos trams. In 2019, WMM, which then had 21 of the Spanish-built vehicles, signed a deal for 21 more. Eleven of these have been delivered so far, with the remainder due to arrive in the coming months, ahead of next year’s expected completion of the Wednesbury-Dudley network extension. Junction Nearby, progress is being made on construction of a junction which will link the existing Wolverhampton-Birmingham route to…

TRANSPORT Minister Eamon Ryan, speaking in the Dail on January 23, all but confirmed that several mothballed lines are likely to reopen, initially for freight, as a result of the All Island Rail Review. He said that reconnecting Letterkenny, in County Donegal to the rail network at Derry was likely to be one of the projects to be taken forward. The review, undertaken by Arup, for the Irish Government and Northern Ireland Executive was due to be published in the autumn of 2022, but delayed because of the collapse of the Executive. Answering questions on the review, Mr Ryan said returning rail connectivity to Donegal and improving it to the North West will not be cheap and he had discussions with Arup and consultants from The UK Union Connectivity Review.…

THE MIDLAND & SOUTH WESTERN JUNCTION RAILWAY Images from the Transport Treasury Collection Compiled by Jeffery Grayer THE Midland and South Western Junction Railway (M&SWJR) was a 61-mile-long cross country railway route which closed to passengers on September 9, 1961. It ran from Andoversford Junction (with the GWR) in the north down through Cirencester, Cricklade, Swindon, Marlborough, Savernake and Ludgershall to Andover on the LSWR main line. The M&SWJR linked the Midlands via Cheltenham with the South Coast and Southampton. After Nationalisation the route was divided between Southern and Western Regions. Though very little remains of this useful alternative route today other than a single track stretch from Andover for traffic to MOD Ludgershall – the Swindon & Cricklade Railway Society now has a 2.5 mile section of the M&SWJR…