Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i The Railway Magazine

EX-LNER‘A3’No. 60103 Flying Scotsman hauled the first passenger service across the Severn Valley Railway’s repaired Mor Brook bridge on July 25, marking the reunification of the heritage railway line for the first time this season. The SVR’s northern terminus at Bridgnorth has been cut off from the rest of the line since the landslip and embankment collapse at the end of January. The special service left Kidderminster at 09.00 carrying 350 passengers along the 16.5 to Bridgnorth, where it arrived shortly after 10.00. Ceremony of thanks A short ceremony then took place in which managing director Jonathan‘Gus’Dunster paid tribute to the many people who had worked hard to complete the embankment repair and to those who had donated to help pay for costs not covered by insurance. “Securing the iconic…

WORK to excavate Northolt Tunnel, the second longest on the HS2 route, was completed on June 26 when tunnel boring machine (TBM) Anne reached the ventilation shaft at Green Park Way, Greenford. Thirty-five metres (115 feet) below ground at its deepest point, Northolt Tunnel was created in two parts, Anne being the last of four TBMs deployed there to break through. TBMs Sushila and Caroline were launched in October 2022 to create the five-mile western section from West Ruislip to Greenford. Sushila completed its drive of the first of the twin bores in December and Caroline broke through with the second in April this year. Named after the educational reformer and philanthropist Lady Anne Byron, Anne began its work, excavating the second of the bores of the 3.4 mile eastern…

FILM and television production companies are always on the lookout for authentic locations to make their period dramas, and avoid having to use computer generated imagery (CGI) or construct lavish and very expensive sets. When a scene involves a train, especially steam, then where better to look than an authentic heritage line – one notable example being the Bluebell Railway in Sussex, which has been used in more than 500 productions for film, TV, adverts, videos and photoshoots. The Bluebell has been operating as a heritage line since 1960, today running for 11 miles from Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes, Kingscote and East Grinstead, where there is a connection to the national network. The scenic route through the countryside, along with its collection of historic locomotives, carriages and wagons, ticks…

THE Severn Valley Railway has revealed the first guest locomotive for its Autumn Steam Gala, which takes place from September 18-21. Making its debut appearance on the line will be‘Merchant Navy’No. 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co, which is set to be one of the event’s headline attractions. However, in celebration of the line’s 60th anniversary, the gala will also see the return of overnight running on the Friday and Saturday nights, a feature last seen several years ago. The SVR’s managing director Jonathan‘Gus’Dunster said: “It’s especially exciting for us to welcome No. 35006 for the very first time. We’re very grateful to the 35006 Locomotive Company Ltd and the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway for making this possible. “It’s also a real pleasure to bring back overnight running for…

JUNE’S‘Legends of Industry’gala at the Tanfield Railway proved to be a great success, with the home fleet being joined by guest Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 54 (works No. 2320, built in 1954) from Scunthorpe. On the first day of the event (June 20), the four home fleet locos in use were Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST Stanley (works No. 1659, built in 1920), Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST No. 2 (works No. 2859, built in 1911), Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-4-0ST Sir Cecil A Cochrane, works No. 7409 built in 1948, and Robert Stephenson 0-6-0T Twizell (works No. 2730, built 1891). The locomotives took turns on both freight and passenger work and a welcome feature of the freights was that passengers could also be carried in the brake van. Repairs Despite developing a leaking…

FOLLOWING its effective closure on August 1, 1946, the Ffestiniog Railway (FR) fell into dereliction. Preservation proposals dating from 1951 led to The Ffestiniog Railway Preservation Society being incorporated as the Ffestiniog Railway Society Ltd on December 24, 1954. Meanwhile, a group led by Alan Peglar gained a majority shareholding in the FR company on June 24, 1954, this controlling interest being passed to the Ffestiniog Railway Trust. Public services across the Cob, the mile-long embankment that was built across the River Glaslyn estuary in 1811, recommenced on July 23, 1955. These were initially worked by a Simplex diesel (now known as Mary Ann), with steam following on August 2, 1955 in the form of George England 0-4-0ST Prince. It is this landmark moment that was celebrated on June 20-22…

IN a surprise announcement, the Type One Locomotive Company (T1LC) has announced it is to relinquish its custodianship of Class 31, No. 31210. In a statement, T1LC Director James Whincup said the company “regrets to announce that it has terminated its agreement with the owner of No. 31210 to complete the restoration of said locomotive.” The statement continued: “An unexpected decline in the number of volunteers available to undertake the restoration is solely to blame for this decision. The company thanks the owner for his understanding, and also thanks our hosts at Ruddington for their kind assistance throughout. We wish the owner all the best in finding a new home for No. 31210 with a team that can complete the necessary works.” Shock The news is likely to come as…

TRANSPORT for London has announced that the first of its 94 new nine-car trains for the Piccadilly line will not enter service until the second half of 2026. Fifteen of the units are being supplied by Siemens in Vienna, with the remaining 79 being constructed at the company’s Goole plant, which opened last year. When the first train was delivered to London from Austria in October 2024, it was anticipated that sets would be in revenue-earning use by late 2025, but issues have been discovered during depot testing which require the manufacturer to do some redesign work before trials on the Piccadilly line take place. The rest of the fleet will incorporate these revisions. TfL Commissioner Andy Lord told a meeting of the London Assembly in July that he expected…

RECENT traffic losses for rail freight have included the petroleum flow from the Ineos refinery at Grangemouth to Dalston, Cumbria and bitumen to the Lanfina facility at Preston Docks. This latter flow, running coast to coast across the breadth of northern England, initially ran from the Total refinery at Lindsey, near Immingham, before switching to Haverton Hill on Teesside. From 2008-2010, Marcroft Engineering in Stoke built a fleet of bespoke bogie tanks for this traffic, ICA-G (Zaefns) Nos. 35 70 7790 000-3 to 029-2, to design code ICE 949. Axiom Rail TF25 bogies were fitted, allowing a top speed of 60mph. Much of the design was done by Lloyds Register Rail, the tank barrels having enhanced levels of insulation. This was needed because bitumen has a high viscosity, with some…

THE DART+ West project, which will extend electrified rail services from Dublin city centre to Maynooth and M3 Parkway, has received the go-ahead following the withdrawal of two judicial review challenges against the Railway Order granted by An Bord Pleanála. Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) confirmed on July 23 that the order was active, allowing the project to proceed towards delivery. DART+ West becomes the second DART+ scheme (after DART+ South West) to have a live Railway Order. Enabling works are expected to commence in 2026, subject to funding, with the end of that year set as a target for awarding contracts for the project. Procurement processes have already begun for a series of design and build contracts, including electrification, civil works, and new infrastructure including Spencer Dock station and upgrades at…

GB Railfreight held a ceremony at its Peterborough headquarters on July 17, to officially launch its new Class 99 Co-Co locomotives. Nos. 99001 and 99002 were present, the first of a planned fleet of 30 locos in a deal worth £150 million with manufacturer Stadler. The company claimed the bi-mode locos will revolutionise Britain’s rail freight network, offering 8270hp in overhead AC electric mode and 2400hp on diesel using a Cummins QSK50 engine running on HVO biofuel. These figures compare against the 6200/1200hp rating of a Stadler Class 93 and the 5400/940hp of a Stadler (Vossloh) Class 88. In diesel mode, the‘99s’are said to have more tractive effort than the 3200hp diesel-only Class 66s, which is enough to haul trains between electrified sections of track and into non-electrified terminals. The…

CHILTERN Railways has agreed a 12-year, £300 million contract to lease all of Beacon Rail’s ex-TransPennine Express Mk.5A coaches, ending months of speculation that it would replace its ageing Mk.3 fleet. Published on July 21, the contract award notice stated that it would enable Chiltern to use Mk.5A sets in passenger service from April 1, 2026. The company is expected to deploy them in 13 five-car sets (one First Class and three Standard Class vehicles plus a driving trailer with Standard Class accommodation). It is anticipated that they will initially displace its existing six-car Mk.3 sets on the Chiltern Main Line between London Marylebone and Birmingham/Stourbridge Junction, and ultimately facilitate the release of Class 168 DMUs also used on these diagrams for other services. The RM understands Chiltern will also…

HAVING concluded that the sale of the business as a whole was not a credible option, the Official Receiver is understood to be exploring various proposals for assets at the Prax Lindsey Oil Refinery in Lincolnshire. Prax went into administration in June, putting the jobs of 420 people directly employed by the firm at risk, and creating uncertainty for hundreds more within its supply chain. As The RM went to press, it was unclear if the proposals could sustain any kind of output and rail traffic from the site. Energy Minister Michael Shanks told the House of Commons that the OR would continue to sell refined products “for a number of weeks”as customers put alternative arrangements in place. But with crude oil processing due to have ceased by the time…

WEIGHING 1300-tonnes, the 220-metre-long (240 feet) steel and concrete double composite deck of Lower Thorpe Viaduct in Northamptonshire was moved into position during a three-day operation from June 18-20. Assembled on-site, near the village of Thorpe Mandeville, the deck was gradually pushed out from the southern abutment. Pads coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a polymer known for its non-stick properties, were used to reduce friction as it was moved over the temporary steel bearings on top of each of the viaduct’s five piers. The next task, upon the deck reaching the northern abutment, was for it to be lowered 60 centimetres (1.9ft) onto its permanent bearings, prior to the completion of the deck surface and parapets. Instead of solid, pre-stressed concrete to form the spans, the double composite structure is hollow,…

Guinness World Record: Longest-running railway series, established in 1901 PLATFORM 3 at London Euston: 12.30, May 19, 2025. A seven-car Hitachi Class 807 awaits its advertised departure time with Avanti West Coast’s 12.41 for Liverpool Lime Street, and your Practice & Performance writer is about to accept his invitation to take a cab ride. Against the background of all the sniping at Avanti during the railway strikes of 2024, the huge improvement promised to users of the Liverpool route passed almost unnoticed. The rivalry of Liverpool and Manchester stretches way back, beyond the modern manifestation of opposing football teams, into the Industrial Revolution and the later construction of the Manchester Ship Canal to meet the inland city’s aspirations to rival its neighbour as a port. In terms of current railway…

COUNCIL planners have granted the final permission required for the Great Central Railway’s ambitious reunification project. After 11 months of surveys, paperwork and meetings, Charnwood Borough Council has given the go-ahead for rebuilding the 0.3-mile (500-metre) gap in Loughborough between the northern end of the Great Central Railway and the southern end of the Great Central Railway (Nottingham). The GCR’s general manager Malcolm Holmes spoke gratefully of Charnwood Borough Council for its cooperation, adding:“I’d also like to say thank you to our volunteer project manager Larry Greenwell, and planning consultant Bob Woollard, for diligently preparing our application and the dozens of reports which went with it. It has been a major piece of work, which in itself has cost a six-figure sum. Now we are masters of our own destiny…

THE Nene Valley Railway is seeking financial and volunteer support for a long-term project to cosmetically restore its Southern Railway Travelling Post Office sorting van, and use it as an interactive exhibit for visitors. Currently sheeted over at platform 4 of Wansford station, No. 4920 is now owned by the NVR. It originally arrived on loan from the National Railway Museum 46 years ago. The railway estimates that the completion of the restoration project to a high standard will cost around £25,000. The work will be financially supported by the Nene Valley Railway Charity Shop at Wansford, which has named it as its‘Big Project’ for 2025, but the railway’s fundraising team also intends to apply for grants, as well as appealing additionally for donations. Layout Built at Eastleigh Works in…

FAIRBOURNE Railway (FR) diesel locomotive Tony is to be returned to working order in a joint project also involving the Littlehampton Miniature Railway (LMR) and the Ruislip Lido Railway (RLR). Out of traffic for around a decade, life-expired components in its transmission halted previous efforts to bring it back into use. Replacement was not possible at the time, but the twin disc powershift system, used in RLR loco Graham Alexander before its conversion from diesel to battery electric power, will now be fitted. The RLR says detailed work took place in order to reach an agreement for its installation. The railway added that the availability of a“proven, high quality”system is expected to be a“once and for all”cure for the issues experienced with Tony. Originally built in 1961 by G&S Light…

UK RAILTOURS has conjured up a novel itinerary for its ‘By Invitation Only’tour on September 13, which will feature a High Speed Train set, a visit to the former MoD depot at Eastriggs, and the highlight of the HST being‘dragged’by a Class 37. The day out is a two-in-one tour, part catering for day-trippers and sightseers with the other part aimed at enthusiasts and‘track bashers’, on one shared train. For enthusiasts, the plan is to use RailAdventure’s faded blue power cars Nos. 43423 and 43487, with the train running from London Euston, picking up at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Crewe, Preston, Penrith North Lakes and Carlisle. From Carlisle, taking the Glasgow & South Western (GSW) route, the first stop is the former munitions depot at Eastriggs which, after…

A LANDMARK public-private project aims to make the days of mobile phone black spots when travelling by train a thing of the past. Project Reach is an agreement between Network Rail and telecoms companies Neos Networks and Freshwave with the aim of resolving on-train black spots through the installation of miles of fibre optic cables. The project brings together public and private sector investment and will initially see Neos Networks deploy 1,000 kilometres (over 620 miles) of ultra-fast fibre optic cable along the East Coast Main Line, parts of the West Coast Main Line and the Great Western Main Line, with ambition to expand beyond 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) in the near future. Tunnels and stations In addition, Freshwave will tackle signal blackspots in 57 tunnels, covering over 30 miles.…

LOCOMOTIVES Pool codes WBAI DBC Class 66 Mod Project WQNC DBC Locomotives Strategic Store Allocations 20007 MOLO-MBDL20205 MOLO-MBDL59003 COLO-GBYH66006WQAA-WQNC66009TO/WBAT-WQ/WQAAWQNC66014TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66024TO/WBAT-WQ/WQAAWQNC66027TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66028WBAT-WBAI66040WQAA-WQNC66047TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66069TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66070WBAT-WBET66075WQAA-WQNC66076WQAA-WQNC66078WBAT-WBVT66080WQAA-WQNC66083WQ/WQAA-WQNC-TO/ WBAI-WBAT66085WQAA-WQNC66086TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66089WQAA-WQNC66095WQAA-WQNC66087WQAA-WQNC66096WBAT-WBAI66110TO/WBBT-WQ/WQNC66111TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66115TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66116WBAT-WBAI66119WQAA-WQNC-TO/WBAI66121WQAA-WQNC-TO/WBAI66127WBAT-WBAI66133WBVT-WBAT66135TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66140WQAA-WQNC-TO/WBAT66148TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66151WBAT-WBAI66158WBAT-WBAI66165TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66169WBAT-WBAI66170WQ/WQAA-TO/WBAT66172TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66176WBAT-WBAI66179WBAT-WBAI66197TO/WBAT-WQ/WQNC66198WBAT-WBAI66506 DFLS-DFIM66538 DFLS-DFIM66544 DFIM-DHLT66549 DFIM-DHLT66551 DFIM-DHLT66553 DFIM-DHLT66572 DFLS-DFIM66589 DFLS-DFIN66596 DFIN-DFLS-DFIN66613 DFLS-DFHH66791 COLO-GBBT67014 CE/WAWC-WQ/WQAA67020WQ/WQAA-CE/WAWC67022 CE/WAWC-WQ/WQAACE/WAWC67026WQDA-MBDL90021 CE/WQDA-FE/DFLC90039 CE/WQDA-FE/DFLC92011 CE/WFBC-WQ/WQAA92015WQ/WQAA-CE/WFBC93009 Newly deliveredWS/GROG Change of ownership DB Cargo to Freightliner: 90021/39 Renumbered 91105 – 91150 Liveries Britannic Explorer blue: 66744/48 Colas decal removed: 59003 HNS blue/orange: 37419 Original HST: 43023 NRM 50th: 91150 Rail 200: 66200 West Coast Railway: 57008 Named 47715 Royal Engineering Solutions Quality Assured66091 accurascale66744 Heart of Wales66748 St. Michael’s Mount69016 British Transport Police91150 National Railway Museum 50 Years 1975-2025 Names removed 37611 Denise66710 Phil Packer BRIT66719 Metro-Land66728 Institution of Railway Operators92011 Handel Renumbered 56009 – 69015 Returned to traffic 66083, 66119/21/40/70 67020/22 92015 Stored/stopped locations Crewe ETD: 66086, 67014 Hoo Junction:…

APPLICATIONS by Lumo, Virgin and a reconstituted WSMR to run new open access services on the West Coast Main Line have been turned down by the Office for Rail and Road. The proposals were all contested by Network Rail on the grounds that there is insufficient capacity to accommodate the services without damaging operational performance on the route. The Lumo application by First Group was for Euston to Rochdale, with six daily return trains on weekdays and five on Sundays over a 10-year period from December 2027. The length of the contract would support the acquisition of Class 803 rolling stock similar to that already used on Lumo services between King’s Cross and Edinburgh, but with added battery capability for use on non-electrified sections of the route. Virgin proposed three…

100 YEARS AGO AUGUST 1925 Euston is milk hub RATHER more than 100,000,000 gallons of milk were carried from stations on the London Midland & Scottish Railway during the year ended March 31, 1925. In addition, great quantities were conveyed that originated on other lines. The LMS, which it is claimed carries nearly half of the country’s milk, has distribution depots all over London, and about 25,000,000 are brought to the metropolis in the year. The busiest milk hours at Euston are between midnight and 2.30am. During this time there is a constant service of milk specials into the milk dock. Traffic is worked on ordinary or special trains classed as passenger. Centenary congratulations FAVOURED by good weather conditions throughout, the proceedings on July 1-3, arranged to celebrate the centenary…

THE Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway achieved a major ambition on June 27, when, for the first time in nearly 68 years, its trains could reach the bay platform at Princes Risborough without having to use Network Rail metals. Established in 1990 after obtaining what remained of the freight-only branch to the Cement Works at Chinnor, the C&PRR reopened in stages until eventually reaching a run-round loop at Thame Junction, just before Network Rail territory, in 1996. Access to Risborough station was then possible from 2016, but only by using an NR-owned siding and with permission from a main line signaller. After years of negotiations with Network Rail, permission was granted to build an independent line alongside the NR line for 0.5-mile (800m) into the station. The launch event was…

A HEATWAVE over the weekend of July 12/13 saw steam bans introduced at heritage railways across Britain. On the morning of July 12, the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway announced its decision to replace all services with diesel traction, although steam resumed running on the 13th, worked by visiting locos LNER‘J27’No. 2392 from the NYMR and industrial Hunslet King George from Didcot. While Embsay made its announcement, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway also chose to run a diesel-only service, with Class 47s Nos. 47105 and 47376 plus Class 45 No. 45149. Meanwhile, the Severn Valley Railway witnessed extensive fire damage south of Bewdley on July 12, resulting in all services being replaced by diesel haulage, with the exception of GWR 14XX No. 1450 offering brakevan rides at Kidderminster. Just two days…

HAVING carefully considered its options, the Talyllyn Railway (TR) has decided to proceed with submission of a National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF) bid to help finance the next stages of redevelopment at Pendre andWharf. Key factors in opting to proceed are the urgent requirement for additional volunteer accommodation (i.e. the house‘Trefri’adjacent toWharf station), the need to replace the life expired North Carriage Shed at Pendre and the requirement to significantly enhance the engineering facilities and other accommodation at Pendre. The decision is supported by the success of the TR’s‘75 Appeal’ (which aims to raise £750,000 towards the developments) and healthy reserves which have been built up over the years. Plans changed Having concluded that development of the Orchard site adjacent to the Tywyn Pendre site was not feasible (RM, February)…

BRIGHTON Tram 53 Society has launched an online petition to gather further support for its plans to move its namesake to Stanmer Park on the edge of the city. The organisation envisages that 1937-built Brighton Corporation F-Class tram No. 53 could eventually run on battery power in the park. It plans to restore the other vehicle in its collection, Works Car No. 1, as an accessible tram, which would also see regular service. “The first thing is to show that local people have got the interest,”society chairman Guy Hall explained to The RM.“We felt that if we just went to Brighton & Hove City Council with a‘cold call’if you like, they’re going to ask who really wants this. With a petition, we’ve got a groundswell of people proving that the…

THE Office for Nuclear Regulation has served an improvement notice on Direct Rail Services after it was discovered that a contractor working for the company was not registered for certain practices involving radioactive material. It was found that EnerMech Ltd, which is contracted as a lifting/crane maintenance operator responsible for loading and unloading transport flasks at DRS railheads, did not have an appointed radiation protection adviser or radiation risk assessment. The ONR said that DRS, part of Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), notified it of the non-compliance on November 15 last year and suspended movements for five days until it was satisfied this had been rectified. The regulator said that no harm had been caused to the public or the environment as a result of the shortfalls, but it concluded that…

GREAT Western Railway says its year-long trial of Class 230, No. 230001, has proved the concept of using rapid-charging batteries to power trains on the rail network, but has no plans to bring it or any other‘D-Train’-based units into revenue-earning service. The‘D-Train’name was adopted by Vivarail for the multiple units it created by rebuilding redundant London Underground District line stock originally introduced on the Tube in 1980. No. 230001 was equipped with Vivarail’s‘Fast Charge’ system, but the company went into administration before the trials between West Ealing and Greenford began. GWR launched the Greenford branch trial in March last year after equipment was installed within the rails in the bay platform at West Ealing station to automatically charge the train’s batteries via contact shoes between journeys. Findings The trial found…

Avanti West Coast The final Class 807 No. 807010 was delivered to Wembley on July 3, when it ran from Newton Aycliffe via Edinburgh, Carlisle and the West Coast Main Line. LNER Class 91 No. 91105 has been renumbered 91150 and named National Railway Museum 50 Years 1975-2025. In addition, it has received a NRM 50th wrap. Great Western Railway Class 175 No. 175002 was involved in training runs on June 23 between Laira and Newton Abbott. An attempt to move Nos. 175101+175113 by Class 37 Nos. 37501+37510 from Ely to Wolverton on July 10 failed at March and the units returned to Ely. Caledonian Sleeper Outside of its normal WCML nocturnal habitat on June 21, Caledonian Sleeper-liveried Class 90 No. 92010 ran light from Wembley Inter City Depot, north…

CHINA’S railways have been transformed over the last two decades with more than 48,000 kilometres (over 29,800 miles) of new high-speed line opened and large scale electrification of the original network. The RM has previously reported the demise of steam operation at industrial sites and the development of the high-speed network, but has not featured Chinese mainline diesel or electric operations for many years. China Rail electric locos will be featured in The RM’s World News later this year. National rail company China Rail uses a varied fleet of diesel locos, the majority of which were built in China by rail engineering conglomerate CRRC, or its several predecessor companies which were railway-owned workshops. CRRC has also built many locos for export markets, often fitted with‘western’MTU or Cummins engines. One design…