Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i The Railway Magazine

DRS open day change DIRECT Rail Services’ depot open days, which alternate between its sites in Carlisle and Crewe, has switched from annual to every two years to allow more time for planning. This means the next open day will be at Carlisle Kingmoor in 2024. Sleeper switch OPERATION of the Caledonian Sleeper services will be taken over by the Scottish Government after the Sercorun franchise ends on June 25. An arm’s length company will be created in line with the statutory Operator of Last Resort duty. ‘Q’ withdrawn EIGHT years into its 10-year boiler certificate, Maunsell ‘Q’ 0-6-0 No. 30541 has been withdrawn from traffic at the Bluebell Railway due to firebox problems. Having had its cylinders rebored and steam pipes and piston rods replaced early in 2022, it…

RAIL Partners, an organisation that represents the private passenger and freight operators, commissioned the University of Hull to study the impact of a significant transfer of freight traffic to rail as part of its input to legislation that will help form Great British Railways. The Freight Expectations report outlines the benefit of Government action to support a target of 4% annual growth in rail freight, which would result in three times the amount of traffic being carried by 2050. It suggests that the 2021/22 volume of 18,710 million tonne kilometres (tkms) could reach 54,897 million tkms if that rate of growth took place. The statistics reflect a growing domestic intermodal market, with an uplift from 720 to 5286 million tkms and maritime intermodal growing from 5780 to 18,605 million tkms.…

HS2News PLANS for the 425 metre (465 yard) Balsall Common Viaduct in Warwickshire have been submitted by HS2 Ltd to Solihull Council, following a year of engagement with local people over its construction. The structure will span Station Road, Bayleys Brook and Heart of England Way Walk as well as the local floodplain on 16 piers, 10 metres (33 feet) above ground level. Refinements to its design have reduced the size of the piers giving it a lighter appearance, and a section at Station Road will be finished with a pattern reflecting the area’s history. HS2 Ltd says understanding the bridge’s place in the landscape was of real importance to the design. The revised proposals also include wet woodland planting, including local species midland hawthorn and black poplar, as well…

Beeching’s report The Reshaping of British Railways was published on March 25, 1963 and yet – 60 years later – it continues to resonate as one of the most influential documents that has shaped transport policy over subsequent decades. After the railways were nationalised in 1948, the country’s economic landscape changed beyond measure, as Britain recovered from the hardship of the Second World War. But the railway industry carried on much as before – continuing with steam traction, uncompetitive journey times, low-capacity wagons, and vacuum rather than air brakes. Despite an ambitious modernisation plan being revealed in 1955, financial performance continued to deteriorate. By 1961, receipts of £474 million were a long way short of the £562 million working expenses and, with the cost of capital added, the deficit reached…

THE Golden Jubilee of Class 87s presents an opportunity to celebrate the standards achieved by these West Coast Main Line stalwarts prior to the employment of Class 90s and then ‘Pendolinos’. One ‘87’ remains operational in Britain, LSL’s No. 87002 Royal Sovereign, which sees regular use on railtours and thus endorses the view that these 1973 Bo-Bos are still – just – ‘in service’ after those 50 years rather than ‘in preservation’. At the end of the 1960s, the WCML AL6 (Class 86) electrics represented the pinnacle of British motive power. The East Coast ‘Deltics’ were their only rivals, but these diesels had the power and grace of a male Olympic shot-putter compared to their sleek and elegant electric sisters, which were more ‘Jessica Ennis-Hill’ to a Deltic’s ‘Geoff Capes’.…

MEETINGS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5 Bradford Railway Circle. Bradford Mechanics’ Institute Library, 76 Kirkgate, Bradford BD1 1SZ. 14.00. ‘A History of Low Moor MPD’: Granville Dobson. Pennine Railway Society. Doncaster Town Fields Sports Club, Bennethorpe, Doncaster DN2 6AA. 19.30. ‘Northern Rail West of the Pennines’: Steve Armitage. Further details on www.penninerailwaysociety.com. Railway Correspondence & Travel Society (RCTS) (Furness, Lakes & Lune branch). Station Hotel, Carnforth. 19.30. ‘Railways of Warwickshire’: Anthony Hicks. RCTS (Merseyside, Chester and North Wales branch). Haig House Social Club, Woolton Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 5NQ. 13.30. ‘The Superb Years – the 1950s and 60s’: John Sloane. Contact: Alan Turton 01606 854227 or Merseyside@rcts.org.uk THURSDAY, APRIL 6 Great Central Railway Society (Sheffield branch). Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Farm Road, Sheffield S2 2TP. 19.30. ‘The Railways of Mansfield’:…

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

FOLLOWING completion of the reconstruction of the 10¼in gauge Poole Park Railway, Dorset, it was learnt the new loco on order was no longer going to be supplied for the reopening in September 2022 (RM October p70). Track Systems (UK) was in liquidation and Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council (BCP) was left to make alternative arrangements. Nationwide enquires were made without success, leaving no alternative but to use Howard, the steam-outline 0-6-0DH hired from the Lappa Valley Railway for construction trains. It proved suitable and has now been purchased for permanent use on all the railway’s trains. The former Wells Harbour Railway loco (Keef 74 of 2005) left Poole on February 28, going to Alan Keef’s works in Herefordshire for overhaul, wheelset change and a repaint in green. It is…

PASSENGER operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), whose Great Northern services on the Northern City Line between Moorgate and Finsbury Park will start to use European Train Control System (ETCS) digital in-cab signalling later this year, is sharing its experience in preparing for the changes with DB Cargo. As part of the ECDP (East Coast Digital Programme), which will progressively introduce the system on the East Coast Main Line between London King’s Cross and Stoke Tunnel, near Grantham, DB Cargo will be the first freight operator to install ETCS on its locomotives and multiple units. ‘First-in-class’ ‘First-in-class’ fitment to Class 66 No. 66039 began in November last year at Electro-Motive Diesel’s works in Doncaster and the company will subsequently also have the first examples of Classes 60, 67 and 325 to…

AN investigation has concluded “blatant disregard for the Iarnród Éireann rule book” led to a near derailment of a train on the Dublin-Cork line near Curragh on August 27, 2021. The report by the Railway Accident Investigation Unit (RAIU) detailed how an empty Mk.IV set led by Generator Car No. 4003 avoided being derailed after striking a clamp being used to replace a section of defective rail, that had been placed by a work crew who had not received clearance to start work. The report also revealed staff attempted to conceal the severity of what happened, while the RAIU said the level of supervision at the time of the accident was “not appropriate.” The empty unscheduled train from Limerick Junction to Heuston struck a clamp being used to replace a…

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 4 Doctor who gave his surname to a Bristol junction (3) 8 Monorail system used by the Listowel & Ballybunion Railway (8) 9 First name of the creator of 1 down and 30 across (6) 10 ‘Britannia’ No. 70015 (6) 11 Penultimate station on the Tattenham Corner branch (8) 13 ___ Junction, for the Liverpool and Manchester lines south of Runcorn (6) 14 ‘A1’ No. 60139 (3,5) 15 Initials of the heritage railway based at Pickering (1,1,1,1) 16 Station on the Tees Valley line to Saltburn (6) 18 The Red ____, Class 91 No. 91004 (6) 21 Red ___, former BR parcels service, 1963-99 (4) 22…

£2m for HNRC HARRY Needle Railway Company has secured £2m funding to support ambitious growth plans to increase its capacity and develop greener locomotives, creating 50 jobs over the next five years. The investment was provided by Frontier Development Capital and will go towards adding an engineering shed, a paint shop, and additional sidings across its sites at Worksop and Barrow Hill. An R&D program will look at modifying existing locomotives to become more eco-friendly. ‘99’ fleet for GBRf BEACON, Stadler and GB Railfreight have signed an agreement to finance, build and operate 30 Class 99 bi-mode locomotives. The Co-Co locos will be powered by 25kV AC overhead or on board 2150hp low emission diesel engine. They are expected to enter service in 2025. ROG Class 93 TESTING of the…

HeadlineNews Scrutinising GBR RACHAEL Maskell, the York Central MP, questioned the responsibilities that Great British Railways will have for ensuring train reliability and the Department for Transport oversight of this responsibility. Transport Minister Huw Merriman replied: “The Secretary of State set out his vision for rail last month, including the creation of Great British Railways as the guiding mind to coordinate the railways and end fragmentation. New Passenger Service Contracts, including strong performance and revenue incentives, will ensure operators compete to deliver high-quality, punctual services. “Ministers will have strong levers to hold GBR to account, including the ability to issue directions and to licence GBR. As the independent economic and safety regulator for Britain’s railways, the Office of Rail and Road will monitor and enforce compliance with GBR’s licence.” 2050…

RM Archive 100 YEARS AGO APRIL 1923 Day trips to France BEGINNING March 15, the London-Boulogne excursions were established by the Southern Railway for the 1923 season. The trips operate daily, including Sundays, and the Third Class fare (return) is 23s 6d as compared with 29s 6d last year. The passenger leaves Victoria (SE & C) at 9.15am and arrives back at 10.40pm, having had over six hours in France. No passports are required. LMS train acceleration THE first issue of timetables covering the Western Division of the London Midland and Scottish Railway will become effective on April 2. Principal interest attaches to the improved and accelerated train services to be introduced, particularly those providing for trains between London and Manchester in 3hr 30min, London and Liverpool in 3hr…

THE Swanage Railway is to operate a trial heritage diesel train service from the main line at Wareham into the heart of the Isle of Purbeck this season. The trial service will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from April 4 to September 10, with the first train departing Wareham at 11.19am and the last train leaving Swanage for Wareham at 4.20pm – giving visitors the opportunity to spend four hours in Swanage or Corfe Castle. The timetable is subject to change on special event days. Fares for the service will also be available from main line train operating company South Western Railway (SWR), enabling passengers to add tickets for Corfe Castle and Swanage to their main line tickets. The trains will be operated and staffed by West Coast…

ANDREW Barclay 0-4-0ST David (2333/1953) hauled all trains on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway in February. This large (16in cylinder) loco is more than powerful enough in the early and late seasons for the traffic on offer, but is also very economical on coal, helping to keep costs down. The railway has reported that its February school half-term trains were well supported with passenger numbers up roughly 10% compared to 2022. In addition to David, the railway has two other operational industrials, with a further two under overhaul. Carron Ironworks No. 14 is a powerful Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T (1245/1911). Rescued from the famous Thomas Muir Scrapyard in Fife, the locomotive is a regular performer alongside former Preston Docks Bagnall 0-6-0ST Princess (2682/1942). Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST Repulse (3698/1950) is under overhaul…

A FOUR-PHASE vision for the future of the Rigby Road base of Blackpool’s Heritage Trams has been formally unveiled. Tours of the 1935-built depot building, branded as Blackpool Tramtown, have proved consistently successful since they were introduced in September 2021 and, with the support of Blackpool Council and Blackpool Transport, £800,000 of funding has been secured for the first stages of an ambitious plan. It will see the building gradually transformed into what is described as a “nationally significant, family-oriented heritage visitor attraction”, centred around the collection of historic trams. In addition to continuing to be home to the heritage fleet, the revamped building will feature the heritage trams workshop, viewing galleries, an exhibition area, a 1930s-themed cafe, a historical archive, conference and educational facilities and themed retail areas. Blackpool…

THE return of ‘A1’ Pacific No. 60163 Tornado has suffered another setback and it is likely to be the summer before the loco is back on the main line after overhaul. Following news of the return of the loco’s boiler back from the DB Meiningen works in Germany, there was anticipation of reasonable progress, however this has been dampened following a boiler inspection by British Engineering Services (BES) before it was due to be placed back in the frames. The A1 Steam Trust (A1SLT) said BES raised concerns around the quality and installation of the small tubes in Tornado’s boiler. At the time, it was not possible to confirm if the cause was a material or welding issue, so all parties (A1SLT, DB Meiningen and BES) have agreed that the…

WORK has begun on a massive £164 million improvements project to remodel Carstairs Junction and get rid of the bottleneck it creates, along with the removal of a 50mph speed restriction. The location is a key one on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) in Scotland but operationally, is life expired. The Scottish Government is funding the upgrade. With more than 200+ services passing through the junction on a weekday the layout is no longer suited to higher traffic levels, and enabling works for the junction upgrade first began in 2020. Engineers are installing a new power supply with the ability to switch off the overhead lines remotely in order to carry out maintenance. This will reduce the amount of time the railway is closed in future. Removing the speed…

A GROUP that has cared for the late Adrian Shooter’s Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) loco for 20 years, is now hoping to secure it from Mr Shooter’s estate, writes Gareth Evans. DHR ‘B’ Class 2ft gauge tank loco No. 19 was built by Sharp Stewart in Glasgow in 1889, one of the original batch of four that survives today thanks to Mr Shooter, who rescued it from the USA and had it overhauled at Tyseley Locomotive Works in 2003. The Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust has been set up by 19B’s support crew. The loco is due to be sold by auction in June, and the trust urgently seeks support to purchase the engine to fulfil its aims of keeping it in the public benefit. Visit darjeelingtank.org.uk for more details.…

AGREEMENT was reached on February 28, for Transport UK Group to acquire Abellio UK operations from Dutch National Railway Nederlandse Spoorwegen, writes ‘Industry Update’. This is a significant management buyout led by Dominic Booth, who has been Abellio UK’s managing director since 2007. As well as approval from industry regulator the Office for Rail and Road, a go-ahead has also been given by the Department for Transport, Transport for London, and Merseytravel. The agreement covers all of Abellio UK’s existing rail and bus services. Abellio has been operating in the UK since July 2003 and currently runs three train operating companies under interim National Rail Contracts negotiated with the DfT, plus the Merseyrail concession operated in partnership with Serco, as well as 60 London bus routes. Fleet investments The management…

A PLAN to build a new rail freight terminal at Elmesthorpe, near Hinckley in Leicestershire, has been withdrawn by developers Tritax Symmetry. The Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange is proposed for construction on 440 acres of land north-east of Hinckley, where the aspirations are for 850,000sq metres of warehouse space. The Planning Inspectorate has told Tritax it failed to provide a required technical report in its submission documents, which will take several weeks to prepare. A statement by Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council said: “The scheme’s consultation falls short of what should have been undertaken, highlighting deficiencies in the time and details available during consultations. There were limitations and gaps in the baseline details provided.” Tritax will now need to resubmit its application to restart the process from the acceptance…

HeadlineNews SAM Dixon started his railway career in 1997, working for Connex South Central in station management in the Brighton area. In 2002, he moved to Cheshire to join Virgin Trains as station manager at Crewe. During his time with Virgin, Sam worked as group station manager for the North West Region before becoming customer experience manager for the Manchester-London route, where he led a team of over 300 on-board and station staff. In 2015, he joined Direct Rail Services as its control manager based in Carlisle, and since 2020 has been its senior operations planning manager. Sam has been an active volunteer driver and guard on the narrow gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria for more than 30 years. He is also an ambassador for the Railway Children…

STAR LETTER The 50 loco challenge I READ your loco challenge article (March issue) with fond memories of the time I lived in Nuneaton in the early 1970s. Things were much more difficult trying to see all of the traffic through the station then. Firstly, loco-spotters were banned from the platforms and, despite our attempts to sneak onto the platforms via the long-closed Weddington Terrace subway, we were always caught by a porter and escorted off the station. So, most people congregated on the Leicester Road bridge in all weathers, where most traffic, with the exception of movements in the Down Sidings, could be viewed. To get the numbers of locos on the Nuneaton Avoider, however, avid eyes were needed to spot the semaphore signals being off, and then a…

FOUNDED in 1928, the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society harboured ambitions from the start to produce and create permanent records of the country’s railways. A publications team was quickly assembled and books like Locomotives of the GWR (1933) and The Locomotives of the LNER, 1923-1937 (1937) were produced and well received. Titles such as this touched on an enormous topic of interest to enthusiasts, historians and modellers alike, and by 1954 it became clear that the LNER volume, good as it was, barely scratched the surface of the full history of a fleet from a range of constituent companies, and the post-grouping giant itself. The decision was taken to develop a series comprising 10 volumes to give as full a history as the society’s resources could muster. The opening of…

WITH the main operating season about to get into full swing, the theme of change is very much in vogue in terms of the ownership of locomotives, carriages and even an entire railway. Firstly, the 15in gauge Evesham Vale Light Railway (EVR) has been put up for sale by Adrian and Sandra Corke. The railway was originally set up by Jim and Helen Shackell who commenced construction in August 2001 and opened to the public on August 1, 2002. Adrian and Sandra Corke became the new operators of the mile-and-a-quarter line from January 3, 2012. The railway is within the privately owned Evesham Country Park near Evesham, Worcestershire. It currently runs on around 170 days a year and carries some 48,000 passengers a year, generating a reported turnover of £175,000.…

THE Yorkshire Dales Railway Museum Trust has purchased Class 20 No. D8110 (20110) for use on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway (E&BASR). The English Electric Type 1 was delivered to the line on February 20, following purchase from Harry Needle Railroad Co. (HNRC). It is fully operational and is regarded as being the ‘right type of loco’ for the railway since it has become necessary to use diesel power in place of steam in several situations. During the 2022 Santa season, the combined motive power hire charges (three steam and one diesel) and fuel costs were nearly £70,000. As coal prices are not expected to fall back to what they were in the foreseeable future, it is hoped to use fewer steam locos for this year’s festive trains…

SOUTHERN has confirmed that all of its Class 313 electric multiple units will be withdrawn by late May. The oldest class of EMUs still in regular main line service, 19 Class 313/2s are allocated to the operator. Eight are currently required in traffic, but they will be replaced from the start of the summer timetable (which begins on May 21) by Class 377 and 387 ‘Electrostars’. Class 377s took over three diagrams from last December’s timetable change, by which time Nos. 313206/211/214/217 had been removed from service. Introduction The class originally consisted of 64 three-car sets, built by British Rail Engineering Ltd in York. Introduced in 1976, they were the first production version of a family of classes derived from BR’s prototype PEP units. Designed (with both a pantograph for…

LOCOMOTIVES Allocations 66151 WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAE66307 newly registered RR/GBLT66308 newly registered RR/GBLT90019 CE/WEDC-WQ/WQAA90020 CE/WEDC-WQ/WQAA90024 CE/WEAC-WQ/WQAA90029 CE/WEDC-WQ/WQAA90034 CE/WEDC-WQ/WQAA90036 CE/WEDC-WQ/WQAA Named2991 Bruce43277 Safety Task Force Renumbered 07007-299177502-6630777503-66308 Preserved Bo’ness: 91131 Stored/stopped locationsCrewe ETD: 90019/20/24/29/34/36 Laira: 43005/41 Operational 66151 Disposals Alizay, France: Cut date: March: 58033 MULTIPLE UNITS Allocations 197044 newly delivered HQ/HLHQ317337/38/39/40/43 sent for disposal317507/08/10 sent for disposal321444 sent for disposal398006 newly delivered HQ/ HLHQ555003/04 newly delivered GF/ PGXX701002 newly delivered HQ/ HYHQ720124/26 newly delivered HQ/ EBHQ730026/27/28/29 newlydelivered HQ/EJHQ756103 newly delivered HQ/ HLHQ Liveries SWR: 450065/74/94/97, 450126 Named444023 The Alex WardleFoundation Formations 180110: 50910+54910+ 55910+56910+59910 Now in passenger traffic 196004/05197017231003/05720122720583777008/13 Stored/stopped locations Chester: 175007/08/09, 175103/04/08 Crewe: 175101/07 Crewe LNWR: 197044, 197104 Crewe South Yard: 197014 Derby: 710374 Donnington RFT: 196114 Eastleigh Works: 313202/14/17, 701040 Gosforth: 555003/04 Holyhead: 175004/05/10, 175102/05/06/09/10/13/14/15 Hove: 313203/08 Ilford: 379009/10/17/21/26/28 Kirkdale:…

RESTORED 64 years after being withdrawn, former Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) 2-6-6-2 Mallet Number No. 1309 has been in use on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad at Cumberland, Maryland around 200km west of Washington DC since late 2021. The loco was the last steam loco built by Baldwin for use in the USA. With works number 74278, it left the factory in Philadelphia in November 1949. The C&O bought 10 of the 2-6-6-2 locos (numbered 1300-1309) as an effective stop-gap as contemporary diesels were not powerful enough for the heavy coal trains on the company’s Appalachian lines. However, even when new the C&O did not plan to keep the locos too long, assuming correctly that diesel technology would move on quickly and the loco was withdrawn when just seven years…

FLYING SCOTSMAN 100TH ANNIVERSARY DVD/Streaming TV Presenter Sir Tony Robinson narrates this documentary about the first 100 years of celebrity steam loco No. 60103 Flying Scotsman, which is now part of the National Collection. The loco’s up and down history is generally well known, but here in video form are accounts of some of the key moments – from its entry into service with the LNER in 1923 and then acquiring its celebrity status and name, through the highs and lows of its three preservation-era private owners, and the trips abroad to North America and Australia, to finally being saved for the nation by the NRM. There are many great clips of the locomotive in action throughout its career, plus archive interviews with former owners Alan Pegler, Bill McAlpine and…