Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i The Railway Magazine

“THE immense train of carriages covered with people, forming a load of eighty to ninety tons, gliding, as it were, smoothly and majestically along the railway through files of spectators, at such an astonishing rate of speed, left an impression on those who witnessed it that never will be forgot,” wrote The Scots Magazine in 1825 on the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. But as spectacular as the S&DR’s opening day must have been, it pales in importance compared with how profoundly the world would be transformed by the railway idea – an idea that, in many respects, remains aligned today with what was witnessed in 1825. In other words, the opening of the S&DR was a watershed moment in history. The S&DR’s first rail was laid by…

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DB CARGO has told The RM that it may look at restoring arrangements with Varamis Rail for the use of its facilities at Mossend if the company can confirm improved safety practices and settle all outstanding bills. In June, Varamis halted its Monday-Friday parcels service, which had run in both directions between Mossend and Birmingham International for two-and-a-half years. It has reportedly been preparing to resume operations this month, but as The RM went to press, according to DBC, there were still outstanding issues. DBC claims that it suspended and terminated“various arrangements”with Varamis that were in place at Mossend due to“concerns over safety”. It added that there had also been “an issue with outstanding sums of money”owed to it by Varamis. The RM contacted Varamis managing director Phil Read for…

A VOTE at Kidderminster Railway Museum on August 9, saw shareholders opt to amalgamate the Severn Valley Railway’s membership and operating organisations. As part of the line’s ‘One Railway’restructuring plans, shareholders of the Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) plc – which is the owning and operating company of the line – voted overwhelmingly to support its conversion to a Charitable Community Benefit Society (CCBS). But a legal requirement for such a move is for at least 50% of votes cast to be in support of amalgamation with the line’s membership organisation, the Severn Valley Railway Company Limited. Enactment of that conversion began soon after the decision was made. Together with the board of directors, Severn Valley Railway Company Ltd chairman Diane Malyon thanked everyone who took their time to vote on…

THE NorthYorkshire Moors Railway has unveiled its programme for the remainder of 2025, featuring a trio of high-profile steam events. The programme began in August when new-build Pacific No. 60163 Tornado arrived, being scheduled to haul regular passenger services on the weekends of August 15-17, 22-24, and 29-31 – although some of these were disrupted by a steam ban due to the risk of lineside fires. The‘A1’is then scheduled to take part in a series of special-ticketed trains over the weekends of September 4/5 and 11/12. From September 25-28, attention turns to the NYMR’s annual Autumn Steam Gala. The four-day festival will feature an intensive timetable of heritage services, with guest appearances from two notable locomotives: BR Standard Class 2MT No. 78019 and Bulleid Light Pacific No. 34072 257 Squadron.…

AS this issue of the The RM went to press, ex-Chattenden & Upnor Railway (and subsequently Bowaters Paper Railway then Great Whipsnade Railway) Manning Wardle 0-6-2T 1877/1915 was set to be the star visiting attraction at the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway’s (W&LLR) August 29-31 Steam & Diesel Gala. The loco, formerly named Chevallier, has previously run at W&LLR. It resided there between 2010 and 2020, although it only made occasional appearances. Its last public steaming was during W&LLR’s 2016 gala. Recent history The loco left the W&LLR after going out of ticket in April 2020, returning to Bill Parker’s Flour Mill works in the Forest of Dean. Following overhaul, it reappeared in Romania in 2023, no longer carrying Chevallier nameplates, where it featured in steaming days on the Sibiu…

THE Mid-Hants‘Watercress Line’ has become the first heritage railway to accept a Class 150 DMU into its fleet, following the donation of No. 150231 by Transport for Wales. The 1987-built two-car unit was repainted into stylish 1987 blue and grey livery, complete with‘Sprinter’logo and branding, before appearing at the Greatest Gathering in early August. The unit has had a varied history, being delivered new to Newton Heath depot, Manchester, in February 1987 before passing to Regional Railways Central in 1992 under BR’s Sectorisation. 1994 saw No. 150231 transferred to BR Anglia (Norwich) for regional services, and in September 1994 the unit was named King Edmund at Bury St. Edmunds station. Apart from a spell with Silverlink Trains in April 2004, the DMU remained at Norwich until May 2005, when it…

SOUTH Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority has signed a 15-year framework agreement with Hitachi Rail which establishes the firm as its strategic technology partner for the Supertram system. Hitachi, which last year took over Thales Ground Transportation Systems, a business specialising in technology ranging from railway signalling, train control and communications, to fare collection, said it will support the“renewal of core Supertram systems”as part of the deal. The company added that digital solutions would improve both performance and passenger experience on the system. “This strategic partnership with Hitachi will ensure we can work collaboratively to harness the latest technology from an internationally experienced supplier in the light rail sector, delivering real benefits for our passengers over the lifetime of the framework,”explained SYMCA director of transport development Tom Howard.“The first couple of…

PORTERBROOK Leasing has financed the building of a new fleet of 35 JNA-Z box opens for onward hire to Freightliner, Nos. 81 70 5932 837-4 to 871-3. The wagons are nearly identical to a batch of 25 delivered last year to Direct Rail Services, Nos. 81 70 5932 812-7 to 836-6. Construction of all 60 wagons was carried out by WH Davis of Mansfield. WH Davis was also responsible for the modification of VTG Rail UK KEA opens Nos. VTG 3173/180/182/184/192/ 194/196/198/200/207-211/ 216/221/224-226/236/237/ 240/243/244 to carry imported steel slabs to Port Talbot steelworks. After a troubled start, which required remedial work to be undertaken in Exeter Riverside Yard, the wagons are back in traffic. Wascosa’s latest batch of Greenbrier Europe built FEA-G container flats Nos. 81 70 4663 401-7 to…

THE two photos on this page could quite possibly be the ultimate ‘Then & Now’ railway pairing… except that all is not quite as it seems.…

SO what happened after that triumphant day in September 1825, when the longest public railway yet built opened with enthusiastic celebrations by those living in that part of County Durham? Railways had been gestating in the North East from the 17th century, and powered railways had been around since before Puffing Billy (built in 1813/14 for Wylam Colliery, and now the world’s oldest surviving steam locomotive) took to the rails. But the Stockton and Darlington was something different: a long railway built by shareholders to encourage development in an area where the coal seams were far from the towns, and the nearest port was tricky. What happened was, with a few bumps in the road, a rip-roaring success. Henry Booth, treasurer of the later Liverpool and Manchester Railway, was to…

A PROJECT to create almost 820 yards (749 metres) of new alignment for the River Cole near Coleshill in Warwickshire, has been completed, allowing work to progress on parts of HS2’s Delta Junction. The course of the river and that of the railway were in conflict, posing problems for the construction of the M42 Coleshill South Viaduct, the River Cole East and West Viaducts, an overbridge for the existing road at Manor Drive and three embankments. The solution was a plan to divert the Cole, drawn-up by HS2 contractor Mott MacDonald SYSTRA Design Joint Venture and delivered by engineers and ecologists working for Balfour Beatty VINCI, in consultation with the Environment Agency, Warwickshire County Council and North Warwickshire Borough Council. Test channel The process of creating a longer, more meandering…

THE owners of a bungalow in Cannington, Somerset, have donated a carriage body, which was in their back garden when they bought the property, to the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust for restoration. A 100-tonne crane was used to lift it from the garden and over the building, onto a trailer on July 23. The carriage, which the S&DRT is hoping to positively identify with expert help, was taken to the North Dorset Railway at Shillingstone, where it has joined two other unrestored Third Class Somerset & Dorset Railway carriages which date from 1890 and 1894 respectively. Also built as a Third Class vehicle for the S&DR, the new addition is thought to have been built in the 1880s, and withdrawn from service in the 1930s. It later saw use…

QUEUES formed at Wat Tyler Country Park in Pitsea, as visitors waited to travel on the first services to operate on Basildon Miniature Railway since 2019. Following months of work which included renewal of sleepers and ballast, restoration of the main station and the complete replacement of a crossing over a road – as well as work to free seized-up points and restore the turntable to usable condition, the 10¼ inch gauge railway carried its first passengers for almost six years in late July. Its formal reopening took place on August 10. Supported by a band of volunteers and Hastings Miniature Railway (HMR), the project has been led by Dan Harrison who agreed a lease last year with Basildon Borough Council. The reopening was later in the year than originally…

A UK Railtours offering for October 25 will see a Class 37 and Class 50s traverse the Barton-on-Humber branch, normally the preserve of DMUs. The‘Brick and Tile’tour will start at Finsbury Park with Class 50 No. 50008 Thunderer, along with classmate Class 50 Alliance. Picking up at Potters Bar, Stevenage, St Neots, Peterborough and Newark Northgate, the tour takes the route via Pyewipe Junction, Lincoln, and Saxilby to reach Doncaster, the final pickup point. Just prior to Doncaster, a stop will be made at the former Royal Mail Terminal to attach a Europhoenix Class 37 to the rear of the train. From Doncaster, the destination is Cleethorpes via Scunthorpe. Options Passengers have the option to sample the delights of this seaside resort, with its pier, parks and light railway, or…

SPEED restrictions were put in place and timetables changed as parts of the railway network began to feel the impact of the continued dry weather on ground conditions during late July and August. The UK’s driest spring in over 50 years, followed by prolonged dry spells this summer, caused soil to shrink due to the lack of moisture. South Western Railway reduced train frequency on its London Waterloo-Exeter St David’s route from hourly to two-hourly with effect from August 11, after track levels were affected in the Crewkerne area. When the problem (over four miles of route) first surfaced on July 28, trains stopped calling at Crewkerne. The commencement of the two-hourly schedule gave scope for the station to be served again, although with the area affected extending to 12…

LOCOMOTIVES Allocations 08925 GBWM-GBSD08934 GBWM-GBSD09002 GBWM-GBSD43174 sent for disposal43191 sent for disposal43311 sent for disposal43315 sent for disposal66028 WBAI-WBAT66087 WQ/WQAA-TO/WQNC66150 WBAT-WBAI66179 WBAI-WBAT66244 WBAT-WBAI66309 GBSD-GBEB66310 GBSD-GBEB66311 GBSD-GBEB66312 GBSD-GBEB66313 GBSD-GBEB66314 GBSD-GBEB66315 GBSD-GBEB66570 DFIM-DFLS-DFIM66592 DFIN-DFLS66597 DFIN-DFLS66617 DFHH-DFLS-DFHH67014 WQ/WQAA-CE/WAWC67015 CE/WAWC-WQ/WQAA73101 GBZZ-GBSD73138 QADD-GBSD73139 GBZZ-GBSD92011 WQ/WQAA-CE/WFBC92041 CE/WFBC-WQ/WQAA Renumbered 56301 – 5604566777 – 66687 Liveries DB Cargo red: 66155 Europhoenix Rail: 37423 FL Grey 60th Anniversary: 90018 Heidelberg Industries: 66791 Virgin Trains red and black: 47715 + FL decals: 90039 + Greatest Gathering vinyls: 50035/44 Named 66155 Jackie Cleave66200 The Jeremy Vine Show66710 Karen Harrison66719 Michael Portillo66791 Settle & Carlisle 15090018 The Greatest Gathering Names removed 90021 Donald Malcolm Stored/stopped locations Carnforth: 43154/55 Crewe ETD: 92041 Henstridge: 43091 Toton: 67015 Operational 92011 Disposals EMR Kingsbury: Arrival dates: August 5: 43315; August 7: 43311; August 13: 43191; August 14: 43174 MULTIPLE…

AMERICAN Class 1 railroad Union Pacific (UP) has announced an agreement to create America’s“first transcontinental railroad”by buying another Class 1 operator, Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). UP says the combined company, which would be the biggest railroad operator in North America, will operate over 50,000 route miles across 43 states from the East Coast to the West Coast of the USA. It adds that the deal, estimated to be worth around $85 billion, will result in a company“linking approximately 100 ports and nearly every corner of North America.” The Union Pacific name and base in Omaha, Nebraska, where it has been since the 19th century, would be retained. History Founded in 1862, as a result of a law signed by President Abraham Lincoln, the original Union Pacific company built the first…

100 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 1925 Ambergate alterations THREE important engineering tasks are about to be undertaken by the LMSR. Between Ambergate station and Broadholme viaduct, near Belper, Derbyshire, the line is to be widened for a length of one-and-a-half miles. In the course of this work, the high ground over Longlands tunnel is to be dug away and the tunnel converted into a cutting. The River Derwent will be crossed twice, at Dunge viaduct and Ambergate, and the high road from Derby to Matlock, which passes under Ambergate viaduct, will be diverted and widened. Stephenson shield THE bronze shield which was presented at the Railway Centenary Exhibition at Darlington by the Italian delegation, as a tribute to the railway men of Italy to British genius and in honour of George…

WALKING THE ROUTE There are many more surviving details to be seen today, and the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway has produced an excellent series of detailed booklets that break the original line down into eight sections. These booklets can be purchased in printed form or downloaded for free as PDFs, both versions being available through the website at www.sdr1825.org.uk.…

AN enhanced East Coast Main Line timetable will be introduced in December this year, that includes additional services provided by Hull Trains, Grand Central, and Lumo. This follows a request in April last year by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for train operators using the route to submit proposals for changes in the pattern of their existing services, for the timetables beginning in December 2024, May 2025 and December 2025. Five submissions were made from the three open access operators, none of which were supported by Network Rail as in total they exceeded the capacity available, so it was left to the ORR to evaluate what was proposed. A decision letter was published on July 29 advising applicants of the outcome following industry and stakeholder consultations. Hull Trains…

ST BLAZEY depot at Par in Cornwall is expected to be put on the market in the“very near future”according to DB Cargo, leaving its future as a rail facility uncertain. DBC relocated its maintenance and train crew base to Goonbarrow in July. A company spokesman told The RM that the cost of retaining St Blazey did not make“good economic sense”for a volume of work which currently consists of three loaded trains per week for china clay producer Imerys (two from Goonbarrow and one from Exeter, all to Stoke-on-Trent). He added that it will be advertised for sale“either for rail or non-rail use”with its future purpose depending on the buyer. An engine shed was first established on the site in the 1870s and the location has been synonymous with motive power…

WHEN Alstom announced it was to stage the‘Greatest Gathering’ at its Derby factory as part of the nationwide Railway 200 celebrations, it promised to be a highlight of the anniversary year. And so it turned out to be, by a long way. The three-day event on August 1-3 had the feel of a classic railway works open day of years gone by. But it was much more than that, featuring standard gauge steam, diesel and electric locomotives and units; narrow gauge locos and rides; miniature and model railways; cab visits; cab rides; test track rides; the Railway 200 ‘Inspiration’exhibition train; demonstrations on aspects of working for the railways; a night photographic shoot; vintage bus shuttles from the station; and supported by a series of railtours bringing visitors to and from…

THE Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) has confirmed a new addition to its locomotive line-up for the 2026 operating season. Beginning in mid-February, BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80105 will be based on the line for a full year, thanks to the support of the Locomotive Owners’Group (Scotland) Limited and the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway. Fresh from a major overhaul, No. 80105 will arrive in top condition and is set to become a familiar sight at the head of passenger services through the Cotswolds. Built to a versatile design, the Standard 4MT tanks were widely regarded as dependable, go-anywhere locomotives, equally at home on suburban commuter services as they were on rural branch lines. The locomotive’s stay at the GWSR will give visitors the opportunity to experience this popular class…

THE only surviving Peckett E-Class 0-4-0ST has returned to service at the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway, 22 years after it last hauled a passenger train, following a long-running overhaul costing nearly £65,000. Works No. 1351, built in 1914, the locomotive was named Lion and delivered to Woolwich Arsenal where it worked alongside a sister locomotive and was modified with large rear cab windows to aid shunting movements. In 1950, it moved to the Wallsend Slipway and Engineering Company, working on the quayside by the River Tyne. While there, in 1959, it was converted to an oil burning locomotive, acquiring a rear bunker. This was modified when it became coal-fired once again. Lion was preserved in October 1974 on the Chasewater Railway before relocating to Foxfield in January 1975. It moved in…

THE engineering team at Beamish Museum in County Durham is assessing the electrical control equipment on Gateshead No. 10 and Newcastle No. 114, to establish if modern materials could be used to make them easier to overhaul in the future. Beamish is working with other organisations involved in the heritage tram sector so that knowledge can be pooled. The aim is to develop a common approach to some of the challenges of keeping vehicles and components serviceable for the future that works to the advantage of all parties involved. Nos. 10 and 114 are both receiving attention prior to re-entering traffic. Some exterior painting has been carried out in preparation for No. 114 returning to service next year. A meeting was held during July to assess progress with the long-running…

LEASED from VTG Rail UK under a 10-year contract, JPA powder tank wagons entered service in July, delivering alumina shipped into the Port of Blyth in Northumberland to the Alvance British Aluminum smelter at Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. Twenty wagons have been supplied as part of the deal. VTG will provide maintenance and has also been contracted to fit its iWagon remote condition monitoring system to the fleet. Alvance says the JPAs will almost double the potential payload for each journey from the port, reducing the number of trips per year from 107 to 76. The rail loading facility at Blyth has also been improved. The JPAs succeed two-axle PCAs introduced in the 1980s. PCAs left the Fort William site for the final time on July 9, en…

THE arrival of the first of 13 five-car former TransPennine Express Mk.5A sets which are being leased to Chiltern Railways, allowed depot driver training to begin on August 11. Plans were also being made for a rescue and recovery simulation exercise and the first sessions for main line drivers. Class 68, No. 68022 and set TP12 had made their way from Longsight to Banbury depot on August 8, in preparation for the training following July’s confirmation of a 12-year £300 million deal which will see Chiltern lease all of the ex-TPE Mk.5A rakes (each consisting of one First Class and four Standard Class vehicles including a driving trailer) from Beacon Rail, as well as former TPE-allocated Class 68 Nos. 68019-032. This will provide locomotives for each set plus one spare.…

Avanti West Coast On test on July 8, Class 807 No. 807010 ran empty from London Euston (5Q75/11.09) northwards via Stoke-on-Trent (12.53) to arrive at Lancaster at 15.33. Just 12 minutes later it set off south again from Lancaster to Euston. It entered passenger traffic on July 24 on 1F12/07.41 London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street, returning on the 1A28/10.43 Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston. Class 805 and 807s were much in evidence at Milton Keynes Central on July 25, working diagrams to Birmingham New St, Liverpool Lime Street, Chester, and Holyhead. Noted during a six-hour visit that day were Nos. 805001/02/04/0 5/07/08/09/10/12/13 and 807001/02/06/07/08/09/10. A visit to Euston station at around midday on July 30 found a notice warning of disruption between Milton Keynes Central and Watford due…