Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2025 i The Railway Magazine

GREAT Western Railway has confirmed it is to lease 26 former Transport for Wales Class 175 DMUs from Angel Trains to “help improve punctuality and reliability”. The introduction of the first sets later this year is expected to lead to the withdrawal of its four remaining‘Castle Class’HSTs, and the operator envisages all of the Class 175s (10 two-car and 16 three-car units) will be in use by the end of 2026, working services on routes from Exeter St David’s to Penzance, Barnstaple and Okehampton. GWR anticipates that the HSTs will be retired by the end of this year. A spokesman told The RM that the Class 175s would also allow a cascade of rolling stock, complementing work to improve the resilience of Thames Valley and Cardiff-Portsmouth services, as well as…

100 YEARS AGO APRIL 1925 Piccadilly Circus rebuilt WORK has commenced on the entire reconstruction of Piccadilly Circus, London Electric Railway. The new station will be oval in shape with a large circulation area. Five escalators will connect the booking hall with a landing, from which four more escalators will run, two feeding the Piccadilly Line and two the Bakerloo. Fifteen passimeters will be installed. Chepstow station plans IN connection with proposals for a racecourse at Chepstow, it is understood that the Great Western Railway Company has promised to construct a station and to provide train services to serve the course when required. LNER buys 48 2-8-0s THE London and North Eastern Railway has completed the purchase of 48 locomotive engines of the 2-8-0 type from the Government. These engines…

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway launched an appeal on March 4, to raise £200,000 to kick-start the overhaul of resident 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75029 The Green Knight. Built at Swindon Works in 1956, and spending just 11 years in service for British Railways, the loco was bought by artist David Shepherd (along with BR‘9F’2-10-0 No. 92203). The locomotive worked at various lines after initially being based at the former Longmoor Military Railway, and then at Cranmore (East Somerset Railway), entering service at the NYMR in 2000, and being sold to the railway and a private benefactor in 2005. It last steamed in 2015 when cracks in the firebox were discovered. “It’s one of our engines that has been up and down to Whitby, it’ll pull as many carriages as we…

THE Wensleydale Railway’s engineering and operations manager Rob Cooper-Williamson has told The RM that Mk.2 Corridor Brake First coach (BFK) No. W14073 should return to traffic next year, following an extensive overhaul. No. W14073 was among a batch of 22 Mk.2A BFKs constructed to diagram No. AB103 as Lot No. 30775 at Derby Litchurch Lane Works in 1967/8. Later, as No. 17073, it was part of the Old Oak Common-based rolling stock pool allocated to Network SouthEast West of England and North Downs services, and carried NSE livery. It was one of a number of vehicles bought by the Harry Needle Railroad Company and moved to Wensleydale for further use before being purchased by the railway. Bodywork Taken out of traffic for attention to its deteriorating bodywork, over the past…

PAIRING a Class 20 with a Class 40 is not the most obvious combination, but it is what tour operator Inter-City has planned for June 6. The English Electric duo of Type 4 No. D213 and one of Locomotive Services Ltd’s Type 1s will head the ‘Double Gloucester’railtour from Crewe to Gloucester via the Welsh Marches route. From Crewe, the tour will call at Chester, Wrexham and Shrewsbury, continuing over the Marches route, before taking the east curve at Maindee Junction, and running alongside the River Severn to Gloucester for a break of at least two hours. The return route will be via the Lickey Incline, Camp Hill avoiding line, through Sutton Park to Wolverhampton, on to Shrewsbury and then direct back to Crewe. There will be both First Class…

PROPOSALS for Rotherham Gateway, a new main line station for the town, are at a final business case stage, and will be submitted by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to the Department for Transport for funding in May. The proposed station will be located in the Parkgate area, near Forge Way, north of the former Masborough station which was also on the main line and closed in 1987. Expected to be open by 2031, it will offer improved connections to Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham. Location The development, incorporating station facilities and a business centre, as well as a new tram stop, linked to bus and active travel routes is close to a potential housing development. Improved access for pedestrians and cyclists would be created along Effingham Street to connect…

HOPE cement works owner and operator Breedon Group has contracted VTG Rail UK to supply 54 new JPA hoppers. Feldbinder, Germany will build the wagons, with delivery due to start in January next year.They will replace the existing PCA fleet, dating from the 1980s, carrying bulk cement from Earles sidings (Derbyshire) to terminals at Dewsbury and Walsall. Notably these wagons are amongst the last to operate on the mainline employing GWR-era‘Instanter’three-link loose couplings. Two existing fleets are being retrofitted with VTG’s novel iWagon railcar telematics: 20 JPA-F wagons previously operated by Colas from Oxwellmains; and 30 JGA-M Tarmac CRH cement hoppers The JPA-Fs (Nos. 39 70 9316 001-8 to 020-8, design code JP 008A) date from 2016 and are also being refurbished, after which they will begin carrying alumina powder…

PASSENGERS looking forward to the reopening of the 42 kilometre Limerick to Foynes line will have to wait until late next year, 25 years after the last revenue-earning train ran on the line Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) has confirmed that the rebuilding is on budget at €151.5 million. A milestone was achieved on March 20 when IÉ contractors completed track laying to the former check cabin at Limerick, where the line joins the national network. This means the plain line track is laid and ballasted and largely complete to Foynes. With the completion of the main track laying, work is now focusing on completing the track and point work for the 1.2km loop in Foynes, as well as the loop in Adare, which is expected to be finished by the end…

MANSFIELD-BASED wagon manufacture W H Davis is expected to win a contract worth up to £100 million from Iarnród Éireann (IÉ), to supply up to 400 railway wagons, writes Hassard Stacpoole. The deal will see the replacement of IÉ’s current wagon fleet with a modern air-braked alternative. It was revealed in an official communiqué at the Anglo-Irish Summit held in Liverpool on March 5, which was attended by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Micheál Martin. The RM understands the communiqué surprised both IÉ and W H Davies, as the contracts have yet to be formally signed. An IÉ spokesperson said:“On wagons, we are in the process of engaging with a preferred supplier on contractual details.” The tender was issued in November 2022 for a new fleet of“type-approved” wagons through…

A NUMBER of new signs, in the same style as those installed on the East Coast Main Line in the 1930s, are to be installed along sections of the Stockton & Darlington Railway route to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the first passenger railway journey. The signs are the idea of Maurice Burns, vice-president of the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group, who has taken the project forward in conjunction with Network Rail and his friends Richard Barber, Gordon Best and Nick Carter. The proposal was for five signs on the basis that Network Rail would install them if Maurice could coordinate the design, supply of materials and oversee their fabrication. Working with the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, grants were secured from The Railway Heritage Trust, Durham…

POLICE have issued an appeal for help to locate a former Avon Valley Railway employee in connection with an investigation into fraud. Humberside Police has issued a statement saying that 41-year-old Nathan Hudson is sought in connection with allegations of scam holiday homes and holidays, and not paying wages between 2015 and 2018. Case officer PC Adrian Wallace said: ‘’The victims of these fraud cases are from across the country, but Nathan Hudson has previously lived in Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, and may have since travelled to the area of Wiltshire. It is also believed he uses the alias Matthew Smith. ‘’Officers continue extensive enquiries and country-wide searches, which have so far been unsuccessful, and so we are reappealing for help to locate him.’’ The volunteer-run Avon Valley Railway…

THE Ffestiniog Railway (FR) has announced the planned presentation of the‘200 Wheels on the Cob’cavalcade, the centrepiece of its June 20-22 Platinum Jubilee gala. On the morning of Sunday, June 22, FR locomotives will be assembled at Minffordd, and Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) locos at Boston Lodge. The cavalcade will commence at 12.15 with each loco proceeding in turn across the Cob in the order they entered preservation era service, possibly including NG15‘Kalahari’2-8-2 No. 134 towing the Chinese C2 class 0-8-0 tender locomotive which is undergoing rebuilding. When all of them have arrived at Porthmadog, England 0-4-0STT Prince will then steam back towards Boston Lodge, stop at Pen Cob and be followed by each loco in turn until all are lined up, thus producing over 200 loco wheels on the…

BEAMISH Museum in County Durham has an Easter target for the completion of track replacement work and repairs to its tramway, which began during the winter closure period. The museum’s season entered full swing with 09.00-17.00 daily opening from March 31 (until October 24), but there has been plenty to keep in-house engineering teams and contractors busy. At the eastern end of the 1900s Town, the road surface was removed to expose the rails and their concrete beams, allowing the track to be removed. The beams were cleaned and anchor points repaired before new sections of rail (shaped for the curve using a hydraulic bender) were put into place. Around the corner, repairs were made to wear on the check rail side of a section of grooved track by applying…

ALL of GB Railfreight’s services supplying biomass pellets to Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire from the Port of Liverpool and Port of Tyne this year will be hauled by locomotives running solely on hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO). The companies have signed a 12-month agreement for the exclusive use of HVO, which is derived from waste vegetable oils and animal fats. It can provide a significant reduction in the emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide compared to conventional diesel. ‘Delighted’ “I’m delighted that, together, we’ve agreed to use HVO to deliver our services,”said GBRf chief executive John Smith. “This is one of many initiatives within GB Railfreight’s carbon reduction plan that will support the UK Government in achieving its ambitions to make the UK a clean energy superpower.” “By…

CLASS 37, No. 37501 has been returned to its 1987 guise and regained its Teesside Steelmaster name. Rail Operations Group agreed for the‘Tractor’, leased from Europhoenix, to be painted again in the British Steel light blue livery first applied at Thornaby when it was part of the depot’s metals traffic pool. The repaint was carried out by UK Rail Leasing (UKRL) at Loughborough, with the finished locomotive emerging on March 5.The livery features ROG’s own branding and the David Gentleman-designed British Steel logo. Inspired by two samples of steel bent double to show its strength, it was used from 1969 until the company merged with Koninklijke Hoogovens to form Corus in 1999. No. 37501 carries this in white, along with the kingfisher logo of Thornaby depot. The new version of…

LOCOMOTIVES Allocations08500 sent for disposal08629 LR/EPUK-HQ/MBDL43029 sent for disposal43206 sent for disposal66091 KM/XHIM-TOWBAT66119 TO/WBAT-WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAT66155 WBHT-WBAT66165 WBHT-WBAT66172 WBHT-WBAT66181 WBHT-WBAT66197 WBHT-WBAT66501 DHLT-DFIM93006 newly delivered WS/GROG LiveriesBSC blue: 37501DB Cargo red: 66011, 66122FL 60th Anniversary: 66501, 66601GBRf: yellow and black with GBRf + EMD logos: 69014 + Swietelsy branding: 20168, 20906 Renumbered37601 – 3750166161 – 66660 Named37501 Teeside Steelmaster Operational66501, 68024 SoldNemesis Rail: 47703Rail Engineering Solutions: 47715West Coast Railway: 47843/47 Stored/stopped locationsCarnforth: 47843/47Colwick: 56078, 56105Knottingley: 47715Mid-Norfolk Railway: 43153/74/91/94, 43315Nemesis Rail: 43017/20, 43160/62, 43238, 43312/19 DisposalsEMR Attercliffe: February: 08500EMR Kingsbury: February: 43029, 43206 MULTIPLE UNITS Allocations150227 sent for disposal197029 HQ-CH321309/17/18/22/23/28/30 sent for disposal398027 newly delivered HQ/HLHQ466007/14/25/37 sent for disposal701034/46 HQ-WD720141/43 HQ-IL720503/10/16 HQ-IL720505 newly delivered HQ/EJHQ756007 HQ-CF756101/09/13 HQ-CF52803 (159102) sent for disposal LiveriesCrossCountry revised: 170101c2c revised: 357323East Midlands purple: 158847London Overground new: 378225Northern: 323206/42 Named390016/390200…

THE New South Wales Government has announced a A$40.3million (£20million) five-year life extension programme for Australia’s XPT (Express Passenger Train) fleet. Withdrawal from service had been due to take place from 2023 onwards, however, they are still in use as the new trains that should have replaced them are not yet ready to enter traffic. XPT refurbishment will be undertaken by train operator Sydney Trains and will include repainting and refurbishing the XP power cars, overhauling mechanical parts to improve service reliability and internal refurbishment of passenger coaches. To allow for trains to be refurbished, one pair of Sydney-Grafton XPT services will be replaced by buses during this year. Current services The XPT fleet is currently used for services from Sydney to Brisbane and Melbourne plus the routes to both…

NEWSHAM station, the first of two serving Blyth to open as part of the £298.5 million Northumberland Line project, which has restored services between Newcastle and Ashington after a gap of 60 years, welcomed its first passengers on March 17. The 06.12 departure for Newcastle was the first train to call at what is the largest of the six new stations on the route and the third to open, Ashington and Seaton Delaval having been brought into use on December 15 last year. Close to the A1061 (for which a new bridge was built over the site, replacing the previous level crossing to its north), the two-platform station, which has a lift-accessible footbridge, ticket machines and car park, is around half-a-mile south of the previous one. Situated on the junction…

CIVIL engineering work on Long Itchington Wood Tunnel in Warwickshire has been finished, making it the first deep tunnel on HS2 to reach such a stage of readiness. Ahead of the installation of overhead line infrastructure, track and signalling, finishing work has been carried out to base slabs, three cross passages and emergency and maintenance walkways in the mile-long twin-bore structure, which runs 30 metres (98 feet) below ancient woodland. In total, 380 people have been involved in its construction over the last five years, which included the use of tunnel boring machine Dorothy between December 2021 and March 2023, to excavate both of its bores.…

DESPITE a successful day of test runs at the Nene Valley Railway on February 26,‘A1’ Pacific No. 60163 Tornado pulled out of the East Lancashire Railway’s Legends Of Steam II weekend on March 14-16 The new-build 4-6-2 ran under its own steam to Carnforth on March 7, in preparation for mainline testing. However, due to time constraints, this led owners, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, to make the difficult decision to postpone the visit to the ELR. “This is not something we do lightly, especially after such a long time out of operation, but it is important that we ensure Tornado is properly tested and available for the 2025 season, and is operated with confidence,”said a statement on the A1SLT’s website.“We are making arrangements with the ELR to agree dates…

A NEW addition to the Ribble Steam Railway’s roster this year is Peckett Class W6-S 0-4-0ST Hornet (Works No. 1935 of 1937). The loco worked at a number of collieries in the Chirk area before ending up at Bersham Colliery near Wrexham in 1968, and then preserved at the RSR in 1983, initially as a static exhibit. The privately-owned locomotive has now undergone a major overhaul, culminating in a successful steam test on February 19. Once running-in has been completed, the loco will take its place as one of the operating fleet at Ribble. As Hornet enters service, Grant Ritchie 0-4-0ST (Works No. 292 of 1894) will finish this year, as its 10-year boiler ticket expires. Originally withdrawn from NCB service in 1969, the loco spent several years atThomas Muir’s…

GREAT Central Railway-based ‘heavyweight’Class 37, No. 37714 Cardiff Canton has returned to the line following work by Loram to keep the popular engine in operation. The work saw No. 37714 lifted off its bogies to receive new bogie bushes and new traction motor bush boxes, together with a full repaint into BR Trainload Sector Metals colours. The‘37’was returned on March 12 with a return to service anticipated soon. The railway has also said that Class 27, No. 27056, which has been out of traffic for nine years, is expected to return following an overhaul and extensive bodywork repairs, with its first appearance being at the autumn diesel gala. Progress has also been made with the rest of the line’s diesel fleet, with Class 45 D123 Derbyshire and Leicestershire Yeomanry entering…

FIGURES from the Department for Transport show that West Midlands Metro ridership last year returned to the peak seen prior to the Covid pandemic. Light rail and tram statistics, updated in late February by the DfT, recorded 8.3 million journeys on the WMM network in the year ending March 2024, equalling the number in 2018/19, its previous highest year, although West Midlands Combined Authority says the system is now“more popular than ever”. Passenger revenue in the 12 months to March 2024 stood at £13 million, up from £8.9 million in March 2023 and exceeding the previous highest figure (£11.3 million in the year to March 2020). Extensions to Edgbaston (opened in 2022), and to Wolverhampton railway station (operational since 2023), have increased the reach of the system, and work is…

TRANSPORT for Wales expects all six of its Class 153/5‘cycle trains’to be in service by the summer. No. 153552 (formerly No. 153352) was introduced on the Heart of Wales route between Swansea and Shrewsbury on February 25. Each Class 153/5 will be paired with a conventional classmate (Class 153/3). The formations will augment seating and bicycle-carrying capacity on the route and are aimed at making train travel more attractive to people who want to bring their bikes with them on trips to the area. Based loosely on ScotRail’s‘Highland Explorer’ Class 153s, which are attached to Class 156s on the West Highland Line, seats have been removed to create extra cycle spaces. A total of 10 bicycles can be accommodated on TfW’s Class 153/5s. This will allow 12 to be carried…

TO coincide with the London Festival of Railway Modelling, Bachmann Europe has unveiled brand-new models of Isle of Wight coaches as part of its EFE Rail ‘OO’ Scale range. The railways on the Isle of Wight came under Southern Railway control upon Grouping in 1923, inheriting a disparate mix of locomotives and rolling stock that had been amassed by its predecessors. Soon, stock was being transferred from the mainland to replace the ageing vehicles and meet the increasing demand generated by the growing number of visitors to the island. A large number of passenger vehicles arrived on the island between 1936 and 1939, when 60 former LBSCR coaches were transferred. In readiness for their new use, the coaches had been rebuilt onto 54ft chassis and converted to Westinghouse brake operation…