Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i The Railway Magazine

A NORTHERN service was derailed on the approach to Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, on March 22, with the wheels of at least four of the six carriages resting on the ballast, although all of the carriages remained upright. The train was 2C37, the 05.18 Preston to Barrow-in-Furness formed of CAF Class 195 DMUs Nos. 195104+195133. There were four crew and four passengers on board, no one was injured and the crew led the passengers to safety. The derailment was around a half-mile from Grange station as the train would have been slowing for the stop. Network Rail has confirmed the presence of a large sink hole or void in the track formation around 150 metres to the rear of the train, which they say is unusual in its nature. The line was…

DEPENDING on your point of view, the Great Central Railway’s London Extension was either too late to the party or ahead of its time – neither of which was particularly good for business. When it opened fully in April 1899 (the official opening and the first passenger trains were the month before), the 92-mile line from Annesley (north of Nottingham) to Quainton Road (near Aylesbury) and then on to the new London terminus at Marylebone was destined to become the last new main line to be built in Britain until the first section of HS1 opened over a century later in September 2003. The route was conceived by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (which changed its name to the GCR in August 1897) as a strategic connection to London.…

Not fit for purpose I FOUND Chris Milner’s excellent rolling stock article very interesting (February issue). Prior to Covid-19, I enjoyed rail travel for leisure and pleasure. Age and potential risk put an end to that, and I am only now tentatively starting to travel again. His article encapsulated some of the pitfalls of rail travel. I want to avoid overcrowded trains for obvious reasons. It is shameful that almost new rolling stock, like Mk.5 coaches, are now seemingly redundant. There seems to be a lack of planning coupled with over-interference from the Government’s Department for Transport, which frankly makes a nonsense of what Privatisation is about. It strikes me that the difference between the former nationalised system and the incoherent system we have now is merely a play on…

PIONEER Coalfish wagon No. MHA 394001 has been saved by the National Wagon Preservation Group (NWPG) and will be based at the Telford Steam Railway. It proved to be an 11th-hour escape from the cutter’s torch for the open wagon, being spotted in a scrap consist – it’s salvation was negotiated within an hour. Will Snook, co-chair of the NWPG, said:“We are so pleased to be able to preserve such an important example of railfreight history. “It will help us portray the HAA story to the final chapter and this Coalfish, which is a low-height open wagon, is highly desirable for heritage railway use. “The underframe, a former HAA wagon, has survived for 43 years and only withdrawn due to modern equivalents.” In due course, it is intended that the…

THIRTEEN steam locos are set to be on the Moors Valley Railway (MVR) roster this year – and another engine is set to return to action for the summer peak. The line, which is located near Ringwood, Hampshire, is home to one of the largest collections of 7¼in gauge steam locomotives in the country, with a 19-strong fleet owned by the MVR or by private individuals. Workshop resources are currently focused on the 10-year overhauls of two locos: 2-6-2 No.12 Zeus and 2-8-0 No.19 Athelstan. One of the mainstays of the railway in the peak summer season, work on Zeus is being fast tracked to ensure the loco is back in service as soon as possible. The work includes a boiler retube, new wheels and work on the cylinders. Zeus,…

TESTING of the new ETCS (European Train Control System) in-cab signalling that has been fitted to‘A1’Pacific No. 60163 Tornado will take place on the Cambrian Main Line. With the loco entering the final stages of a major overhaul which has included ETCS fitment to enable operation on sections of the East Coast Main Line, the original plan was for Tornado to undergo its testing at the Rail Innovation & Development Centre (RIDC) test track at Old Dalby, Melton Mowbray. Unfortunately, a serious landslip on the test track has curtailed this plan and indeed other RIDC operations. Instead, Tornado is scheduled to undergo dynamic ETCS testing during an as-yet unspecified number of night-time possessions on the Cambrian Line between Shrewsbury, Welshpool and Newtown during April. The tests will not affect the…

ONE of the most amazing transformations of a run-down station building into an asset which can be shared by its local community was unveiled formally on February 22. It was back in 1994 that British Rail – having failed in attempts to close line between Birmingham Moor Street and Stratford-upon-Avon – closed the booking office and station facilities at Henley-in-Arden as part of cutbacks on the route. Boarded up and unoccupied, the 1908-built GWR station soon became a magnet for local youths. In time, and with no maintenance, the building fabric began to deteriorate. The re-signalling of the line in 2010 meant the end of any official presence in the station’s signalbox which was demolished and consequently led to an increase in anti-social activities. In 2020, the Shakespeare Line Rail…

Avanti West Coast Services in and out of London Euston on February 11 were severely disrupted with cancellations in place as train crew and rolling stock were out of position due to a land slip between Rugby and Coventry – plus a broken rail. The 18.31 with No. 390124 departed Euston at 19.05 and by the time Crewe was reached the service was some 50 minutes behind schedule. A signal failure between Lockerbie and Carlisle on Tuesday, February 13, meant that the Glasgow Central (1M20/20.06) to Birmingham, worked by Class 390 No. 390044, was held at Lockerbie and then Gretna Junction to arrive in Carlisle 176 minutes late at 00.20 in the early hours of the following morning; later the service was terminated at Preston. Northbound, the 9S67/17.46 from London…

Three Hitachi sets were captured together at Euston on March 19, with (from left) Avanti Class 805 bi-modes Nos. 805006+805007 (5Q73, the 14.19 test run to Stafford), Avanti No. 805002 (5Q92, the 14.03 test run to Edge Hill, Liverpool), and GWR bi-mode No. 802101 (5Q85, the 14.06 empty stock move to North Pole depot, West London). The Avanti sets are due to replace the operator’s diesel ‘Voyagers’ later this year, while the GWR set was making a series of trial runs ahead of future engineering work around Old Oak Common that will see Paddington temporarily closed and services diverted. For the same reason, No. 802101 had also visited Waterloo the day before.…

FREIGHT WORKINGS FISHBONE Solutions’ Rail Logistics Team may not be a name familiar to many RM readers, perhaps because it has only been in business for five years. But the firm has recently won the Rail Freight Group’s 2023 ‘Project of the Year’ award after finding a way to deliver millions of tons of stone aggregate to HS2 worksites by rail instead of by road. The team is headed up by Ed Johnson, Mick Tinsley and Paul Clews, who between them have around a century of rail experience at all levels. Mr Johnson, an aircraft engineer, brought his engineering and innovation skills to rail at the turn of the century and was head of production for the EWS fleet. Mr Clews started as a 16-year-old TOPS boy at Liverpool Lime…

There are hundreds of organisations, ‘friends of ’ groups, heritage lines, museums and more all linked to this fabulous pastime of ours, and none of them have been able to escape cost of living pressures. Some railways have cut costs in the past year to ensure they can carry on running, but all the while the sector is crying out for volunteers… from drivers, firemen, ticket inspectors and guards to accountants, cooks, cleaners, IT experts and marketing gurus. The pandemic saw many vulnerable volunteers leave and quite a few have not been able to return... so is now the time when you could step forward and help a great group make ends meet with the gift of time? As well as helping to ensure the railway’s future, volunteering has many…

THE Vintage Carriages Trust has announced that its historic Manning Wardle L class 0-6-0ST Sir Berkeley, Works number 1210 built in 1890, is to spend a month at Beamish Museum. The locomotive will be operating on the Colliery Line on 10 days between April 6 and the May Day Bank Holiday. In mid-March, the locomotive was being prepared at the Middleton Railway’s Moor Road workshops for the visit. The loco has recently undergone winter maintenance and a boiler inspection. In addition to work on Sir Berkeley, the Middleton Railway Trust has been attending to Swanscombe No. 6 over the winter period. This Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST, works number 3860 built in 1935 has also had its annual boiler inspection alongside work on valves and pistons. ‘Honorary industrial’No. 68163, Sentinel 0-4-0VBT works…

A DECISION by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) to sell part of the former Radlett Aerodrome site to property investment firm SEGRO for the development of a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) will be challenged in the High Court. The company purchased 1000 acres of land last summer, close to the Midland Main Line, M1, M25 and A1 (M) near St Albans, from HCC and Gorhambury Estates Company in a £120 million deal. Campaign group Save St Albans: Fight the Freight, which is opposed to the scheme, applied to challenge the sale of the 300 acres of land which belonged to the council. It argues that the space was bought by the authority in 1984 for a nominal fee of £1.00, specifically so it could remain as open space, and believes…

REMOVAL of the controversial in-filling of a bridge on a disused line at Great Musgrave bridge near Kirkby Stephen has cost the taxpayer £352,000. Work to fill the cutting under the bridge with 1600 tonnes of aggregate and concrete occurred in June 2021, cost £124,000 and was undertaken by National Highways using emergency permitted development rights due to concerns over the bridge’s weight limit and risk of collapse. The in-filling would also prevent the possibility of a future connection with heritage railway operations by the Stainmore Railway Company at Kirkby Stephen East and the Eden Valley Railway at Warcop. It was only after a vigorous public campaign by the Historical Railways Estate (HRE) group that Eden District Council refused retrospective planning permission and served National Highways with an enforcement notice…

■ STOCK CHANGES CORRECT AS OF MARCH 21. LOCOMOTIVES Allocations 20901, 20905 HNRL-BBXX60001 WQBA-WQDA60007 WQBA-WQDA60010 WQBA-WQDA60015 WQBA-WQDA60019 WQBA-WQDA60020 WQBA-WQDA60039 WQBA-WQDA60040 WQBA-WQDA60044 WQBA-WQDA60059 WQBA-WQDA60063 WQBA-WQDA60065 WQBA-WQDA60066 WQBA-WQDA60079 WQBA-WQDA60092 WQBA-WQDA60100 WQBA-WQDA66105 WBBT-WBAT66164 WBAT-WBHT66174 WBHT-WBAT LiveriesDB Cargo red: 66174 GBRf: 66311Railfreight: 20132 Renumbered 37608 – 3750866221 – 66651 Named60095 Whernside69008 Richard Howe Renamed66526 Driver Steve Dunn(George)/Maszynista SteveDunn (George) Names removed37407 Blackpool Tower37419 Driver Tony Kay 1974-201937422 Victorious37425 Sir Robert McAlpine/Concrete Bob SoldLand Recovery: 60012/32/36/37/48/52/68/77/78/84/89/93 For Sale 60001/07/10/15/19/20/39/40/44/59/63/65/66/79/92, 60100 Preserved One:One Collection, Margate: 60081 Stored/stopped locationsBrodies, Kilmarnock: 43129/50Great Yarmouth: 43029Falcon Works, Loughborough: 43128/69, 43305/67 Operational 66306/07/08 MULTIPLE UNITS Allocations 175004/05/09 CH/HLHQ-HQ/SCEC175104 CH/HLHQ-HQ/SCEC180110 HT/ECGC-HQ/SCEC197050 HQ-CH197116/18/22 HQ-CH197125 newly delivered HQ/HLHQ321214 sent for disposal321337 sent for disposal321429 HQ/SAXU-GW/VRMU507002/30 sent for disposal701036 HQ-WD710270 HQ-WN720139/40/41 newly delivered HQ/EBHQ730001/03/30/31/32/47 HQ-BY730220 newly delivered HQ/EJHQ777027/32/33 HQ-KD777038/51/53 newly delivered HQ/HEHQ LiveriesSWR: 444040, 450116,…

THE Enterprise Service between Dublin and Belfast, operated jointly by Iarnród Éireann and Translink has moved a step closer to going hourly. The Irish Government has announced €12.5m funding to double the existing frequency. Announcing funding following the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive on February 20, Irish Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said:“New funding for an hourly-frequency rail service between the two largest cities on the island will significantly improve public transport connectivity along the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor, and is in keeping with the vision of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.” It is anticipated that the funding will allow both railway companies to modify their existing rolling stock allocations to allow an hourly service by the end of the year. The current service is operated by the jointly owned de…

JUST eight days before the start of the 2024‘Jacobite’season was due to begin, the West Coast Railway Company (WCR) announced it was suspending the start of the seasonal operation over the West Highland extension. The shock announcement came on March 20 and the suspension is until further notice. WCR’s decision came just two weeks after it had submitted a new application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for an exemption from Regulation 5 of the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 (RSR). It relates to the operation of hinged door rolling stock without Central Door Locking (CDL). The new application, submitted on March 8, was in response to the outcome of a judicial review handed down on December 22 last year in which Mrs Justice Thornton dismissed WCR’s challenge that…

AFTER two years in warm storage following withdrawal by Greater Anglia, Class 379 units are expected to return to revenue-earning use this summer on Govia Thameslink Railway’s Great Northern services, writes Graeme Pickering. All 30 of the‘Electrostars’ have been purchased from Akiem by Porterbrook for leasing to GTR.“Subject to acceptance, these additional trains will start the development of a design for the future growing demand across our network,”said GTR engineering director, Steve Lammin. Built at Derby by Bombardier for GA, the Class 379s were first introduced in 2011, being phased into use on‘Stansted Express’and Cambridge services. However, as part of its 2016 franchise award, Abellio committed to the complete replacement of the Greater Anglia fleet. The Class 379s were at the time more costly to lease than new vehicles and,…

HS2 NEWS THE third tunnel boring machine (TBM) to be launched to work on HS2’s London tunnels began excavation of the western section of the Northolt Tunnel in late February. Emily – and Anne, which will follow, tunnelling the adjacent bore – will each cover a distance of 3.4 miles from the Victoria Road Crossover Box at Ealing in West London to Greenpark Way at Greenford. Already halfway to completing their journeys, TBMs Sushila and Caroline are working in the opposite direction on the eastern section of the tunnel from West Ruislip to Greenford. The four machines are creating 8.4 miles of twin bore tunnel between them. Emily and Anne were lowered section by section into an 82ft deep ancillary shaft at Victoria Road last October, prior to their assembly.…

CHILTERN Railways named DMU No. 168215 Marylebone Station 125 Years with a vinyl plaque at the London terminus on March 15, to mark the station’s milestone anniversary. Although the station is thriving today under Chiltern, it has had mixed fortunes over the years, even surviving a close shave with closure. Marylebone was officially opened by the Great Central Railway on March 15, 1899 (although coal traffic had begun the previous July) and was the last main line terminus to be built in London. Unlike its nearby neighbours Paddington, Euston, St Pancras and King’s Cross, Marylebone has always been a modest affair – opening with just four platforms, although there were plans to double the size as traffic demanded and finances allowed. The main station building and concourse were built to…

100 YEARS AGO APRIL 1924 First ever film shown on a British train service A CINEMA film was shown for the first time on a British passenger train on March 12. The‘cinema train’was the down ‘Scotsman’, leaving King’s Cross at 10 am. The saloon in which the film was shown had been specially arranged with seats all facing one way. A small screen was fitted at one end of the carriage, and a projector at the other end threw its beam over the heads of the audience in the usual manner. On the journey to York, the film Ashes of Vengeance was shown. At York, the saloon was taken off and returned to London on another train. Preparing for the Kennington loop THE new Kennington Loop, which is to connect…

A £36,000 appeal has been launched by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway (IoWSR) to ensure a key member of its locomotive fleet is fit for the future. After more than 60 years of use, the tyres on‘O2’0-4-4T No. W24 Calbourne have worn to the extent that they now need replacing. “The tyres have never been changed in preservation,”Marc Morgan Huws, IoWSR interim general manager told The RM. “We are keen to get it back in action as soon as possible. The tyres cost £36,000 and the work is being carried out by South Devon Railway Engineering (SDRE) at Buckfastleigh.” By mid-March, the appeal had reached £9000. A crane was on site on March 8 to lift No. W24 from its wheels – the bogie was removed on the same…

UNRESTORED Hunslet 0-4-0ST Nesta (HE704/1899) has been acquired by Jeremy Martin’s Richmond Light Railway, and in late February was transferred from its recent display location at Bala Lake Railway to the Ffestiniog Railway. Nesta left Penrhyn slate quarry in July 1965 and was exported to the USA, subsequently ending up in Puerto Rico where it was intended to be used in a project which never reached fruition. Following many years of storage in less than ideal conditions adjacent to a swamp, Rob Gambrill, in conjunction with Martyn Ashworth and Statfold Barn Railway – which wanted to rescue Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT Cegin (1991/1931) which was at the same location, succeeded in bringing the two locos back to Britain in April 2016. This amazing repatriation effort was exclusively described by Rob Gambrill…

THE National Railway Museum is carrying out what it calls its biggest ever shunt at its sites in York and Shildon. A total of 46 rail vehicles are in the process of moving into recently-built New Hall at Locomotion. A key move occurred on February 27 when pioneer Class 40 No. D200 (40122), first-built Class 31 No. 31018 (D5500), and LMS Coronation Brake Corridor Third No. 5987 were taken by rail from York to Shildon, top-tailed by West Coast Railway’s Nos. 37676 Loch Rannoch and Class 47 No. 47746 Chris Fudge. No. D200 will be exhibited with Locomotion’s existing collection in the Main Hall, while the‘31’is destined for the New Hall. The‘Goyle’and‘Whistler’ locos will join the other diesel locomotives and EMUs at Locomotion, including‘Deltic’ prototype No. DP1, the Gas Turbine…

GREATER Manchester Combined Authority’s Bee Network Committee has approved the investment of £21.4 million to improve the Metrolink system over the next 12 months. The money, from the Government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, forms part of £147 million earmarked for maintenance, upgrades and improvements to the tram network up to 2027. A summer scheme of track replacement is among what Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) describes as “immediate priorities”. Piccadilly Gardens, London Road and parts of the Altrincham and Bury lines will be the focus of engineering attention. The trams are to be fitted with sensors for use when two trams are coupled together, and speed warning devices. Additional substations are to be added to the Bury line, boosting the electricity supply so that the route can accommodate more…

A HIGHER than expected rate of wheel wear to South Western Railway’s Class 484 electric multiple unit fleet has prompted the operator to halve its Island Line timetable while the problem is addressed. An hourly service was introduced between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight at the beginning of March, although SWR expected to temporarily reinstate half-hourly trains for the Easter holidays. Unknown cause SWR told The RM that the reduction in services would cut down wheel wear while the problem was investigated. A spokesman added that the company’s engineering team was working with a“range of experts”to understand the cause. It will then assess whether measures are needed to prevent the problem occurring again. In the meantime, more wheel sets have been ordered for the units.…

THE inaugural Chinese-built passenger train to enter service in the European Union made its first trip on February 5. The train, built by Chinese railway engineering conglomerate CRRC and operated by private company Regiojet, is one of the two Chinese built‘Sirius’EMUs which are in the Czech Republic as a result of a now cancelled contract from the other major Czech private operator Leo Express. Initially only one train was used, on a trial basis for three to four months, to operate some semi fast regional trains on the Ústí nad Labem to Kolín route where Regiojet holds a Czech government contract to operate trains. The 160kph (99mph) dual voltage (3kV DC/25kV AC) Class 665 trains were ordered from CRRC Zhuzhou by Leo Express in 2016 with three trains initially planned…