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51 Articles

AS both predicted and feared last issue, the Government did go on to announce at the Conservative Party Conference in early October that it had cancelled HS2 north of Birmingham due to rising costs. Without an apparent sense of irony, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made the announcement in Manchester, the city where the north-western arm of HS2 was due to end. And to deepen the sense of irony even further, the conference was held in the Manchester Central Convention Complex – which, until 1969, had been Central station at the end of the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras. The facts have changed, said Mr Sunak, citing rising costs and a change in travel patterns since the pandemic. But what we are left with now is the worst possible…

Axe falls on HS2 beyond Birmingham

AFTER months of speculation, the Government confirmed at the Conservative Party Conference in October that the high-speed line will no longer be extended to Manchester or East Midlands Parkway. The estimated saving of £36 billion will instead be spent on alternative transport projects, but much of this will not be rail related, with many new road projects being taken forward as well as a substantial increase in the budget for road repairs to reduce the widespread presence of potholes that are causing increasing levels of damage to road vehicles. The Government says it does want HS2 to terminate at Euston rather than Old Oak Common, but this will depend on attracting investment from the private sector. A development company will be established to build the station and rail link, with…

Axe falls on HS2 beyond Birmingham

Ticket office closures ‘too far, too fast’ THE chairman of the Transport Select Committee Iain Stewart has criticised the proposals to close ticket offices as going “too far, too fast” in a letter to Transport Secretary Huw Merriman on October 20. Mr Stewart said that there is no overall data on customer interactions with staff other than for ticket purchases, and that there is a risk that some passengers will be excluded from the railway. “At a minimum, changes so radical should be carefully piloted in limited areas and evaluated for their effect on all passengers before being rolled out,” he said. “This would allow for the alternative proposals, which at present are too vague, to be properly understood.” Firsts for Bahamas ‘JUBILEE’ No. 45596 Bahamas made its first ever…

Eastriggs ambitions outlined

HAVING signed terms for the lease of 17 acres of land on the disused Ministry of Defence complex at Eastriggs in Dumfries & Galloway, facilities provider Rail Sidings Ltd is looking to receive its first rail vehicles for storage before Christmas. Secure warm and cold rolling stock storage will be available at the site, which incorporates around 4500 metres (4920 yards) of track to connected sidings and a 270-metre (295-yard) external siding, linked to the Glasgow & South Western route around 2.5 miles east of Annan and eight miles from the West Coast Main Line. Despite being out of use for over a decade, the track proved to be in very good condition with less work than expected being required to get it ready for use again. The company is…

Eastriggs ambitions outlined

NEW-BUILD STEAM LOCO LAUNCHED:

HEADLINE NEWS The Ffestiniog Railway’s new-build Double Fairlie No. 8 James Spooner was officially launched in a ceremony at Blaenau Ffestiniog on October 20. It is the seventh loco built by the Festiniog Railway Company at Boston Lodge, and the seventh FR Double Fairlie. Construction was announced in 2016 as a replacement for No. 11 Earl of Merioneth, which is now in long-term store. Ahead of the official unveiling, and prior to being named, No. 8 is pictured in steam at Porthmadog Harbour station on October 8, the final day of the FR’s three-day Bygones Weekend. See next month for more on this magnificent new-build loco.…

NEW-BUILD STEAM LOCO LAUNCHED:

New rival for London to Paris?

A COMPANY called ‘Evolyn’headed by Spanish industrialist Jorge Cosmen announced in early October that it plans to run trains through the Channel Tunnel to London, and that it had agreed to buy the ‘Avelia’high-speed trains it needed from Alstom. A press release said 12 trains were to be ordered with an option for four more, with services between Paris and London planned for 2025 or 2026, using the new trains. It is unclear who is backing Evolyn – Jorge Cosmen is also deputy chairman of Mobico (the new name for the National Express Group), although Mobico says it is not involved. Evolyn says a variety of investors in the UK and Europe will put more than £1 billion into the new service. However, Alstom quickly told the media that no…

Crossed wires caused near miss

IN a worrying echo of the 1988 Clapham Junction disaster, a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found an incorrectly wired signal led to two trains being in the same signal section at South Wingfield, Derbyshire, on October 26, 2022. At about 07.02, a train travelling at 100mph between Derby and Chesterfield unexpectedly encountered a red signal after the previous one was a green. It was unable to stop in time and passed the signal by about 760 metres, the driver immediately calling the signaller. About 17 minutes later, the following train approached the signal which was now displaying a yellow aspect. After passing at about 20mph, the driver of the second train saw the tail-lights of the first train ahead and braked to a controlled stop with 75…

Viaduct parapet fails

OPERATION of a section of the East Coast Main Line between Newcastleupon-Tyne and Morpeth was reduced to a single line in October, following the discovery of an unstable parapet on Plessey Viaduct, writes Chris Milner. The affected parapet is on the northeast end of the viaduct adjacent to the up line. The viaduct is situated just north of Cramlington station, and was designed and built in the late 1840s by George Stephenson. Its twin tracks span the River Blyth. The discovery was made over the weekend of October 7/8 during track renewals, and Network Rail stress the structural integrity of the viaduct is unaffected. Single line working at reduced speed was introduced on the down line between Morpeth and the Plessey crossover, just south of the damaged viaduct, and was…

Viaduct parapet fails

HEADLINE NEWS Storm Babet battered many parts of the country in mid-October, but worryingly trains travelling along the newly-reinforced sea wall at Dawlish on October 17/18 were affected by waves crashing over the top. Several GWR-operated IET sets failed after encountering waves – including No. 802114, which lost power at Teignmouth on the evening of October 17 while working the 1C92/18.03 Paddington-Penzance. It limped to Newton Abbot on one engine where the service terminated. The set was rescued on October 19 by No. 800007, the 14-car formation seen climbing to Whiteball Tunnel as the 5Z74/15.16 Newton Abbot to Stoke Gifford (Bristol).…

Clear-out of CrossCountry HSTs

HEADLINE NEWS FOLLOWING the farewell tour from Leeds to Swanage on September 26, CrossCountry’s fleet of withdrawn HSTs left the depots at Plymouth Laira and Leeds Neville Hill in a series of moves in mid-October. Power car No. 43285 left Laira on October 10, travelling solo to Derby RTC for use with Colas. The following day saw Mk.3s Nos. 41195 and 42375 taken by road from Wabtec Doncaster to Sims Metals, Hull; while Nos. 43239/43366 took coaches Nos. 41026+42051+42 379+41035+42037+42342 from Laira to Ely Papworth (continuing on to Great Yarmouth on October 16). On October 13, Nos. 43007/43378 took Nos. 42038+42053 +42097+44012+42052+42380 +43378 from Laira to Ely; power car No. 43008 was taken by road from Laira to Allelys Yard in Studley (then on to Great Yarmouth on October 16);…

Clear-out of CrossCountry HSTs

Judges announced for RCTS railway photography competition

SEPTEMBER saw the launch of the prestigious railway photographic competition organised jointly by the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society (RCTS) and Mortons Media, publisher of The Railway Magazine, Heritage Railway, Rail Express and Railways Illustrated. Open to all, there are four categories in which you can enter two images each, these being ‘People and the Railways’,‘Environment and Railways’,‘Modern Traction’, and‘Heritage Railways and mainline steam’. The judging panel, to be chaired by RCTS publications officer David Bird, has now been announced and from the RCTS it will comprise published photographers Graham Roose, Stuart Warr, David Cross and Paul Chancellor, whilst Mortons’ judges will be selected from the rail titles’editors. The easy to enter competition is open until March 31, 2024 and for more information, or to submit images, please visit the…

Freightliner opens ETCS academy

FREIGHTLINER has opened a new operational training academy in Doncaster, its chief role being to support the introduction of in-cab ETCS digital signalling to the East Coast Main Line. The academy, funded by Network Rail, is located in the Frenchgate Centre overlooking the station and Wabtec’s rail engineering works. It is Freightliner’s second dedicated training academy after the first opened in Ipswich in May. In-cab signalling will eventually replace traditional lineside signalling, and the ECML is a flagship project that will pave the way for others to follow. The benefits include reduced costs and delays due to signal failures or vandalism, and improved safety and capacity. ETCS Level 2 has already been installed on the line from Moorgate to Finsbury Park at the start of this year, but NR plans…

Freightliner opens ETCS academy

Railways in Parliament

HS2 natural impact LIFE peer Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle asked the Government what assessment has been made of the natural capital destroyed so far by the construction of HS2, either by the Treasury Green Book guide or any other method. Transport Minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton replied: “Environmental sustainability is integral to HS2’s design, with huge efforts being made to minimise the impact of construction on biodiversity, coupled with a commitment to deliver no net loss of biodiversity. “During the consultation stage, the environmental impacts of the railway are assessed and published in detailed Environmental Statements (ES), which are prepared in line with Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations. “As construction progresses, HS2 Ltd works to ensure that the significant effects reported in the ES are not exceeded through compliance with…

Home stretch for ‘Pendolino’ mid-life upgrade programme

ALSTOM’S purpose-built rolling stock modernisation facility in Widnes has entered the final third of the‘Pendolino’upgrade programme as it moves from the 11-car to the nine-car sets. With each being turned around within two weeks, work on the entire fleet should be finished by summer 2024. The project represents a £117 million investment in the Class 390s, which sees the interiors transformed into‘as new’trains. Each‘Pendolino’ has run around 5.5 million miles in service since they were introduced in 2002 (apart from the four additional‘Olympic’sets built in 2010/12, Nos. 390154-157, which have clocked up around 3.5 million miles so far) – but the record is held by set No. 390122 Penny the Pendolino, which had clocked 5.8 million miles by early October. The team at Alstom has honed the work into a…

Home stretch for ‘Pendolino’ mid-life upgrade programme

‘The worst of all possible decisions’

ANNOUNCED by Rishi Sunak at the Conservative Party Conference on October 4 following weeks of intense speculation, the Government’s decision to entirely cancel Phase 2 of HS2 between Lichfield and Manchester was met with widespread condemnation from regional leaders and rail industry organisations. Citing delays, rising costs and post-pandemic travel patterns, the prime minister claimed that the“facts around HS2”had changed. The Euston to Birmingham section (Phase 1) of the high-speed route, currently under construction, will be completed, but HS2 trains going beyond Birmingham will rejoin the West Coast Main Line at Handsacre in Staffordshire (north-west of Lichfield), a decision which Mr Sunak said would allow the Government to “reinvest”£36 billion in transport projects nationwide. The revised plans for HS2 (which also include reducing its Euston terminus to six platforms) emerged…

‘The worst of all possible decisions’

‘08’ goes electric

FLEET FOCUS ITS basic design may date back to the 1930s, but the Class 08 shunter continues to evolve and its latest incarnation has been launched by Positive Traction (PT). The ‘08e’ is a re-engineered version of the classic standard, with the 350hp English Electric diesel engine replaced by a bank of batteries said to offer up to 450hp and 45,000lbf of tractive effort – which is the same as a Class 33. Prototype No. 08308 could be the first of many to give the fleet a new lease of life as the rail industry looks to lower overall carbon emissions. The shunter was acquired from RMS Locotec in 2021 after being in store on the Weardale Railway at Wolsingham. Its diesel engine and generator were removed before it was…

‘08’ goes
electric

The unstoppable ‘Gronks’

FLEET FOCUS BY any measure, the Class 08 0-6-0 shunter is a contender for the most successful locomotive ever to run in Britain. Taking into account Classes 09, 10, and other variants, a total of 1193 locos were built over a decade from 1952, and some of those are still at work today – more than 70 years after the first, No. 13000, left Derby Works. The design was essentially an updated version of one developed by the LMS in the 1930s (a later batch of which survived to become British Rail Class 11, while a similar Southern design became Class 12 – but both of these classes are excluded here). The main run of 996 Class 08s (earlier designated D3/2) featured a 350hp English Electric 6KT engine and two…

The unstoppable
‘Gronks’

The need for flexibility

IT is mid-summer when I talk to Steve Clews, chairman of the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) in the line’s tearoom at its Llanfair Caereinion headquarters. The station is an attractive stop for travellers to and from the mid-Wales coast, in fact the whole W&LLR can be described as a hidden gem – off the beaten track for those heading to the coastal resorts and mountain tourist honeypots, yet within a two-hour drive for day trips from the West Midlands and North West England. Welshpool is also reachable by train via the Cambrian Main Line. The rolling hills are sheep and cattle farming country, where turning each corner presents a different view. As a Welsh-speaking child of Montgomeryshire, I admit I am biased (see panel ‘Growing up on the…

The need for
flexibility

HISTORY OF THE W&LLR

CONSTRUCTION began in 1901 and the first train was worked by the Cambrian Railways on April 4, 1903. At the 1923 Grouping, the W&LLR became part of the GWR, which invested in rolling stock, including rebuilding the two Beyer Peacock 0-6-0Ts. A competing bus service introduced by the GWR reduced passenger numbers to a trickle, so the railway service was withdrawn in 1931 and the three bogie balcony carriages were scrapped. The last train of all was run by British Railways on November 3, 1956, a Stephenson Locomotive Society special with passengers conveyed in open wagons fitted with benches ‘borrowed’ from the main line station. By 1959, negotiations with BR were at the stage where volunteers were able to begin undergrowth clearance. The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway Preservation Company…

HISTORY OF THE W&LLR

GROWING UP ON THE RAILWAY

I STARTED volunteering at the W&LLR in 1990 at the age of seven until I was 18, and I remember my time there with fondness. Under the watchful eyes of my parents, I cut saplings and brambles on the lineside and helped them in the shop and tearoom. My volunteering almost came to an abrupt end aged 10 owing to tightened health and safety rules, which meant my late brother Alun and I would be forbidden from getting our hands dirty until the age of 16. Fortunately, my parents met the late Eileen Clayton, who had successfully engaged a team of young volunteers and their families on the Ffestiniog Railway, and she shared the FR’s system with us. With the support of the board and then general manager Andy Carey,…

A Yorkshire MIXTURE

PRACTICE AND PERFORMANCE Guinness World Record: Longest-running railway series, established in 1901 THIS month’s Practice and Performance features two separate subjects linked by the train recording records of Noel Proudlock, who has been a regular correspondent and frequent contributor, as well as a friend and source of advice over many years. The first part takes up the story of the Leeds Northern route from Leeds to Newcastle via Harrogate and the closed line through Ripon to Northallerton, where the route met the East Coast Main Line. Following our steam article charting the performance of the ‘Queen of Scots’ over this route (The RM December 2022), interest has been expressed in the achievements of diesel haulage in the few years that Type 4s hauled Newcastle-Liverpool expresses via Ripon. Many readers will…

A Yorkshire
MIXTURE

FLEET FOCUS INSPECTION saloon No. 975025 Caroline is a familiar sight around the country, from the tip of Cornwall to the north of Scotland, as it performs a range of duties on behalf of Network Rail – almost always these days accompanied by a Class 37 as traction. Besides its routine duties, the saloon has been host to some famous guests over the years – most notably Prince Charles and Princess Diana as they set off on the first leg of their honeymoon from Waterloo to Romsey on July 29, 1981, while on May 28, 1982 it carried Pope John Paul II from Gatwick to Victoria at the start of his visit to the UK. It also formed the first official passenger train into the Channel Tunnel on October 22,…

And it’s goodbye from him…

THE RM INTERVIEW I WAS first introduced to Sam Mullins at the Buckinghamshire Railway during an event celebrating London Underground’s 150th anniversary a decade ago. Since then, whenever we have met, I have come to recognise Sam’s quiet, friendly, gentle and authoritative demeanour. This summer, we sat down inside ‘Q23’ car No. 4248, located on the raised ‘Train Table’ that is a key feature of the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. Similarly, since joining as the museum’s director in November 1994, Sam Mullins has played a key role in the development of the LTM. Sam had previously been a director of local authority museums in St Albans and was looking for a new challenge in London, but never expected to remain for quite so long. “When I arrived, I…

And it’s
goodbye
from him…

High-speed lines then and now

Send your letters to: The Railway Magazine, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. Email: railway@mortons.co.uk NB. Publication of a letter does not imply that the Editor or staff of The Railway Magazine necessarily agree with its contents. SO now we know, HS2 will only ever reach Staffordshire and the route beyond is not to be safeguarded. All this cost and disruption for so little benefit. How did it come to this? In my view there were two major errors from its inception: wrong route and wrong speed. Going via the Chilterns was designed to save money by being principally a surface railway, totally undone by later decisions to increase tunnelling to overcome environmental objections. The decision to build a 225mph railway was also fatal, as engineering requirements for…

High-speed lines then and now

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2 GCR Society. Farm Road Sports & Social Club, Sheffield S2 2TP. 19.30. ‘From Pit to Power Station’: Chris Booth. Norfolk Railway Society. United Reformed Church Hall, Norwich NR4 6QR. 19.30.‘East Croydon to Kimberley Park – Half a Century of Railway Reflections’: Martin Care. Nuneaton Railway Circle. Chilvers Coton Conservative Club, Nuneaton CV11 5UD. 19.45. ‘Heritage Steam: A Day in the Life’: Graham Walker. RCTS. The Quadrant, Milton Keynes MK9 1EN. 19.30. ‘The Railway OverThe Stainmore Pass: Post War Boom & Bust on the North Trans-Pennine’: Chris Rowley. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3 GWS. Village Hall, Stoke St Mary, SomersetTA3 5BY. 19.30. ‘Bridgwater to Blue Anchor’: Peter Triggs. Kettering & District Locomotive Society. Cornmarket Hall, Kettering NN15 7QA. 19.45. 'Pictures from the Harold Clements Collection': Bryan Cross. RCTS. St Teresa’s…

THE ‘MUST ATTEND’ MODEL EVENT

THIS year’s Warley National Model Railway Exhibition will be held over the weekend of November 25-26 at the NEC. It’s the 29th at the Birmingham venue, and the club’s 54th annual show. The event is open to the public between 09.45am and 6pm on the Saturday and between 09.45am and 5pm on the Sunday. Advance ticket holders will be allowed entry from 09.15am on both days. A huge show, it’s once again held in Hall 5 of the NEC, enabling 17,000 square metres of space which will be home to more than 80 model railway layouts, full trade and society support as well as demonstrations from experts. Two layouts are travelling from Belgium and one from the Netherlands, offering visitors their only chance to view these layouts in this country.…

From the archive

100 YEARS AGO NOVEMBER 1923 Another through service A NEW development is the inauguration of a through service between Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Brighton by the Great Western route, Reading and Redhill. It is associated with the popular service already in operation between Birkenhead, Chester, Wolverhampton and Birmingham and South Eastern & Chatham destinations. This further development being easily practicable now that the whole of the route south and south-east of Reading belongs to the Southern Railway. The value of through services of this kind goes much beyond their direct importance, in that at both ends there are connecting trains for various destinations, but which involve easy and convenient changes, so that in practice, this service connects the whole of the Great Western system north of Wolverhampton and the…

From the archive

The RCTS: then and now

IN early September I travelled by train from Horsham to Swanage, changing at Southampton and Wareham. That does not appear to be a particularly momentous journey, but for 45 years it was not possible to travel from Wareham to Swanage by train. The Swanage branch was well used by both freight and passenger traffic, especially in summer with regard to the latter, so the line was not included in the infamous Beeching Report of 1963. However, after a later review of unprofitable branch lines, it was announced in May 1967 that the Swanage branch would be closed to passenger traffic by September 1968. This did not go to plan though, as there was opposition revolving around perceived problems regarding the introduction of a replacement bus service, but the line eventually…

The RCTS: then and now

‘Archie’ is back – and hopes rise for Bluebell in 2024

THE Bluebell Railway’s flagship locomotive is to be returned to steam – and a Bulleid Pacific is on course to rejoin the roster, fresh from overhaul. Following discussions and an agreement by the Boards of the Bluebell Railway PLC and the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society, it has been decided that SECR Wainwright‘P’0-6-0T No. 323 Bluebell is to return to working order. No. 323 is planned to go into the workshop at Sheffield Park in early 2024, with a view to the 1910-built locomotive to be available in the summer of 2024. Ending its main line career as No. 31323, the loco was withdrawn from BR in 1960 and was one of the first locomotives to be saved by the Bluebell Railway in that year. The loco was then named Bluebell…

‘Archie’ is back – and hopes rise for Bluebell in 2024

Stanier Mogul steams at Severn Valley Railway

A POPULAR member of the Severn Valley Railway’s steam fleet is edging closer to returning to traffic following an extensive overhaul. On October 16, the first fire was lit in Stanier Mogul No. 2968 at Bridgnorth since January 2013. Three days later, the 2-6-0 operated a series of light engine test runs to Hampton Loade as the process of snagging got into full swing. Owned by the Stanier Mogul Fund, the loco’s previous boiler certificate expired in January 2013 – when it ran in BR guise as No. 42968. The latest overhaul began in 2014. Another Bridgnorth resident taking shape is new-build BR ‘3MT’2-6-2T No. 82045. Having reached the funding target, the order has been placed for all the details for both the large and the small tubes in the…

Stanier Mogul steams at Severn Valley Railway

Worth Valley gets ‘game-changer’ funding for bridge rebuilding

THE Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR) has been awarded £1 million towards the costs of the bridge 27 renewal, from the Government’s Community Ownership Fund. Sourced from the central government’s levelling up funding, the grant will be used to help ensure a vital piece of the West Yorkshire heritage line’s infrastructure is fit for the future. The rebuild will be the KWVR’s largest ever – and most expensive – civil engineering project in the preservation era. The original bridge was built in 1867, before the current structure was built as part of a reconstruction in 1889. The existing bridge is two separate structures carrying the railway over Bridgehouse Beck, but the two structures share the same abutments and pier. Development work has been ongoing for around a decade, with…

Worth Valley gets ‘game-changer’ funding for bridge rebuilding

KRM preserving sole survivors

VOLUNTEERS from Kidderminster Railway Museum (KRM) have been transforming the appearance of goods wagons which are displayed outside. Based in the 1878-built two-storey former GWR grain and wool warehouse adjoining the Severn Valley Railway’s (SVR) Kidderminster Town station, the museum is run by an independent charitable trust – although it works closely with the SVR. Four historic vehicles have been the subject of attention, complementing the restored GWR Wrangton signalbox, all of which can be viewed from the pedestrian access route from the SVR car park to the station. Looking particularly smart is a four-wheeled seven-plank open which has been restored as a private owner wagon in the livery of Chalford-based coal merchant James H. Smart & Sons. Signwriting has been applied by former Gloucestershire and England cricketer Jack Russell…

KRM preserving sole survivors

Locomotive projects progress at Tunbridge Wells West shed

HUNSLET 16in 0-6-0ST Newstead (1589/1929) is progressing well towards its first steaming in many years, since being rediscovered in 2016. The locomotive is the oldest survivor of the Hunslet 16in class, one of the standard range of 0-6-0STs built by Hunslet Engine Company, which were the precursors of the WD ‘Austerity’0-6-0ST. The engine is having a very thorough overhaul to make it as reliable as possible. Since 2017 the frames have been painted in a shade of purple brown, lined in vermillion, the livery it is believed to have carried when bought new by the South Kirkby, Featherstone and Hemsworth colliery. The bodywork will be turned out in NCB maroon livery, lined in yellow. The tyres and journals have been turned and the crankpin quartering checked at South Devon Railway.…

Locomotive projects progress at Tunbridge Wells West shed

Significant steps for Welsh steam and diesel loco projects

STEAM was raised in Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway’s ex-South African Railways Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (works No. 2684) NG15‘Kalahari’2-8-2 No. 134 in early September. Although the boiler had been steamed and tested at Locomotive Maintenance Services in Loughborough, this was the first time it was steamed in the locomotive’s frames in Wales. The test followed the fitting of the two main steam pipes from the superheater header down to the steam chests, including expansion joints, which had been manufactured by staff at Dinas, and installation of a new fire grate and smokebox fittings by Cymdeithas Rheilffordd Eryri/ Welsh Highland Railway Society volunteers. At operating pressure, steam joints were checked as the boiler expanded its length by just over half an inch, then the fire was dropped without any attempt to move…

Significant steps for Welsh steam and diesel loco projects

Ex-Tongaat Bagnall duo unveiled to the public

BAGNALL 4-4-0T 2627/1940 A. Boulle is a new addition to the displays in Statfold Barn Railway’s Roundhouse Museum. The loco, which arrived on August 19, is on loan from Suzanne Ball and her father Graeme Walton-Binns. Restoration of A. Boulle was completed in about 2017 to the stage that the boiler was hydraulically tested, but it is not thought to have a boiler ticket. It was advertised for sale in 2020 but apparently not sold. A. Boulle is one of three similar, but not identical, Bagnall 4-4-0Ts employed at the Tongaat sugar estates imported from Natal, South Africa, by Graeme Walton-Binns in the 1990s. The others are Sinembe (2287/1926), which arrived at the Teifi Valley Railway in April on loan (RM, June) without a boiler certificate and thus non-operational and…

Ex-Tongaat Bagnall duo unveiled to the public

Staffordshire line on the market

A RARE opportunity to purchase an established 10¼in gauge working railway has emerged following the decision of the owner to retire. The Leek and Rudyard Railway lies in the North Staffordshire Peak District and runs for 1½ miles along the former North Staffs line between Leek and North Rode Junction. The asking price for the railway is £495,000 and this includes the track, three stations, an engine shed, cafe, two steam engines, two diesel engines and 10 passenger coaches. The railway also hosts some privately owned locos. The railway was originally built by Peter Hanton of Congleton between 1985 to 1993, working largely on his own. Suffering ill health, Mr Hanton sold the railway in December 2015 to current owner Simon Clarke. Mr Clarke is retiring from the business but…

Staffordshire line on the market

Portuguese tram will provide events space

CROWLE Peatland Railway (CPR) intends to make its former Lisbon tramcar available as a hireable space for events. At the end of October, No. 711 featured as a storytelling venue during the railway’s Halloween weekend and will also be used for the second year running as its Santa’s grotto. Built by Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa in 1936 and operated by it in the Portuguese capital, the 900 millimetre (3ft) gauge single-deck vehicle became one of four Lisbon trams to be stored at Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex. Condition After becoming aware of the collection, CPR’s head of carriage and wagon Will Coleman secured an invitation to view the vehicles. A group from the railway inspected the trams in January 2020, but declined an offer to purchase one of them due…

Portuguese tram will provide events space

Western Lady joins WLA fleet at Kidderminster

A THIRD Class 52 has joined the Western Locomotive Association (WLA) fleet at the Severn Valley Railway. It comes as the Midland Railway – Butterley-based owners of diesel hydraulic No. D1048 Western Lady have decided to gift their locomotive to the WLA, where it rubs shoulders with Nos. D1013 Western Ranger and D1062 Western Courier. Prior to its relocation on September 18, Western Lady had been resident at Butterley since 1997. Westerns have historically only been moved by road on a small number of occasions, but the WLA said haulage by rail was not an option, so special road transport to Kidderminster was arranged. The loading and unloading process was carefully observed by WLA volunteers as there are some critical parts which needed to be monitored. The SVR has a‘one…

Western Lady joins WLA fleet at Kidderminster

More loco-hauled Cambrian Coast excursions set for 2024

FIVE further excursions along the scenic Dovey estuary, around the Cambrian Coast and into Eryri (Snowdonia) have been added to Pathfinder Tours’ 2024 schedule. Hauled by a pair of Class 37s, with at least one being a yellow Network Rail ERTMS-fitted type, the first of these excursions to Pwllheli is planned to run on Thursday, April 4. This‘Cambrian Coast Express’ will start at Reading (06.15) behind a DB Cargo Class 67, and will pick up at Didcot Parkway, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Dorridge, Birmingham New St, Wolverhampton, Telford Central and finally Shrewsbury, where the Class 67 will be replaced by the pair of Class 37s. Rolling stock will be Riviera Trains Mk. 2 blue and grey set. There are options for passengers to alight at either Barmouth, Minffordd, Porthmadog or…

More loco-hauled Cambrian Coast excursions set for 2024

Major disruption after Ayr hotel fire

A SERIOUS fire at the former Station Hotel at Ayr on September 25 has left the town without train services for several weeks. The station and hotel are linked, with an entrance to the platforms via the hotel buildings. The fire is the second at the disused Grade B-listed property in four months. At its height, 13 fire appliances were in attendance. As a result of the work tackling the fire and subsequent safety concerns over the structure, Glasgow Central to Ayr services are starting and terminating at Prestwick Town, while Ayr to Stranraer services start and terminate at Girvan, with rail replacement buses operating between the intermediate points until further notice. Fire crews spent three days tackling the blaze, however, a week later, firefighters were recalled to the site…

Major disruption after Ayr hotel fire

‘Pushing the boundaries’ to switch freight from road

THE chief executive of Freightliner, Tim Shoveller, says service delivery and efficiency were key considerations as it formulated plans for new services, aimed at encouraging modal shift to rail. Felixstowe-Daventry (considered as a competitive path for freight traffic) and Southampton-Cardiff (where customers can take advantage of financial incentives for imports through DP World facilities as part of its Modal Shift Programme) are regarded as particularly important. Freightliner says the first freight service to link Felixstowe and Daventry will offer significant carbon savings. Congested roads “For every intermodal train introduced, up to 52 HGVs are removed from our congested roads and up to 76% of carbon emissions are saved,”said Chris Lawrenson, Freightliner’s intermodal logistics managing director.“This new service to rail freight will not only support the modal shift but help to…

‘Pushing the boundaries’ to switch freight from road

Trams start running to Wolverhampton station

THREE years after its originally predicted opening date, the 720 metre (787 yards) West Midlands Metro (WMM) tram route extension to Wolverhampton railway station welcomed its first fare-paying passengers on September 17. Having increased in cost from £35 million to £50 million since work began, its completion was dependent on work being finished on the second phase of a revamp to the railway station itself (which formed part of the wider plan for a rail, bus and tram interchange). Although that allowed construction activity at the site of the adjacent tram terminus to resume in summer 2021, progress on the extension was hampered by technical complexities and supply chain issues. These included a delay in obtaining equipment to control traffic lights at the junction of Pipers Row and Bilston Street.…

Trams start running to Wolverhampton station

First c2c Class 720/6s phased into service

TRENITALIA-OWNED c2c marked the introduction of the first of its dozen new Class 720/6s at Fenchurch Street station in London on September 27. Staff from the company (which operates services to Tilbury, Southend and Shoeburyness and serves 26 stations in East London and South Essex) and former managing director Julian Drury gathered for the event involving No. 720601, which arrived bearing his name. Mr Drury, who retired in 2020, signed the deal for the trains with manufacturer Bombardier, since bought out by Alstom. Introduction As of the second week in October, four of the five-car electric multiple units were in passenger service. Leased from Porterbrook, a gradual introduction of the rest is expected to be completed by June next year. Unlike the Greater Anglia Class 720s, ordered as part of…

First c2c Class 720/6s phased into service

Northern plans more ‘leaf-busters’

NORTHERN says the five multiple units in its fleet which are fitted with water jets designed to improve rail head conditions after leaf-fall are expected to be joined by 11 more in time for autumn next year. When damp leaves fall onto tracks and are compressed by trains, they create a slippery surface which lowers adhesion between the train wheels and rail head, causing particular problems during braking and acceleration. The principle of the Water-Trak system is that it sprays the rail head to make it wet, rather than damp, increasing adhesion. Following tests involving a Class 117 diesel multiple unit and‘HydroFLEX’No. 799001, the equipment was fitted to Northern Class 319 electric multiple unit No. 319368 in 2020 and subsequently to two further Class 319s (working services between Liverpool, Wigan…

Northern plans more ‘leaf-busters’

CHINA clay shipments from Goonbarrow Junction to Fowey Dock (Carne Point) and Cliffe Vale (Stoke) are now carried in a fleet of 26 JIA covered hoppers (Nos. 33 70 0894 000-5 to 025-2), plus five JGAs previously stored at Long Marston (Nos. NACO 19177/188/192/194/196). Imerys Minerals is hiring the wagons from VTG Rail UK. One future possibility to offset the general decline in china clay traffic is the movement of kaolinized granite waste to Longport. Production of a tonne of china clay results in eight tonnes of waste material. Trial runs using JNA-U box opens have already taken place. ■ Wagony Swidnica, the Polish arm of Greenbrier Europe, has completed delivery of 200 FEA-G (Sgnss) twinset container flats, Nos. 81 70 4663 001-5 to 200-3, to GB Railfreight/Porterbrook Leasing. A…

LOCOMOTIVES Allocations 37240 COFS-MBDL43010 LA/EFPC-HQ/SCEL43025 SCEL-ICHP43170 LA/EFPC-HQ/SCEL43192 LA/EFPC-HQ/SCEL58001 EH/WQDA off registration58005 EH/WQDA off registration58006 EH/WQDA off registration58013 EH/WQDA off registration58026 EH/WQDA off registration58032 EH/WQDA off registration58034 EH/WQDA off registration58038 EH/WQDA off registration60001 TO/WCAT-WQ/WQAA60007 TO/WCBT-WQ/WQBA60010 TO/WCBT-WQ/WQAA60017 TO/WCBT-WQ/WQAA60044 TO/WCAT-WQ/WQAA60059 TO/WCBT-WQ/WQBA60066 TO/WCAT-WQ/WQAA60100 WQ/WQBA-TO/WCATWQ/WQBA66041 WBAR-WBRT66068 WBRT-WBAE66104 WBBT-WBRT66119 WBRT-WBAE66169 WBRT-WBAR67016 CE/WAWC-WQ/WQAA67023 PG/GBKP-HQ/COTS67028 CE/WAAC-WQ/WQAA68019 LG/TPEX-KM/XHTP69020 LG/TPEX-KM/XHTP68021 LG/TPEX-KM/XHTP68031 LG/TPEX-KM/XHTP92029 WFAC-WFBC Liveries DB Cargo red: 66144/54 Midland Pullman blue/white: 43049 Named 57009 G. J. Churchward Names removed43009 Nunney Castle43010 Lydford Castle43016 Powderham Castle43184 Laira Diesel DepotCrossCountry43192 Trematon Castle43366 HST 40 Celebrating 40years of High Speed Train services on the CrossCountry network66526 Driver Steve Dunn (George)73951 Malcolm Brinded73952 Janis Kong Awaiting export to Poland 66526 Renumbered in Mexico 43022-FIT300843170-FIT3007 Stored/stopped locationsCrewe ETD: 67016/28 Crewe Heritage Centre: 90050 Derby RTC: 43285 Ely: 43007, 43378 Great Yarmouth (forexport): 43008/09/10/16/40,43172/84/92, 43239, 43304/66…

The network’s notable moves

Rail Head Treatment Trains Reports are now coming in as the Rail Head Treatment Train (RHTT) season gets underway. Class 57 No. 57306 Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate 175 was noted at Harwich International on 0Z06 on September 11, working an RHTT route-learner diagram, returning to its Stowmarket base as 0Z07 after a short 10-minute break. The first complete 3S60 Stowmarket – Stowmarket RHTT running, working the GEML southern branch lines, occurred on Monday, September 25 with Class 66 No. 66776 Joanne heading into Harwich International at 09.45 with No. 66753 EMD Roberts Road at the rear. The 3S84, from Effingham Junction Carriage Holding Sidings to Effingham Junction Carriage Holding Sidings, was seen passing Wimbledon West Junction on Monday, September 25, formed of Multi Purpose Vehicle Nos. DR98973+DR98923. The diagram ran…

The network’s notable moves

‘Enterprise’ to get new fleet

IARNRÓD Éireann (IÉ) and Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) have launched the tender process for a new fleet to replace the 28 carriages built by De Dietrich in 1997, currently made up into three train sets, which operate the cross-border Enterprise service between Dublin and Belfast. The tender initially is for a fleet of eight train sets, up to a maximum length of 200m long and includes an eight-year framework agreement. The procurement process includes provision for train driving simulators; the supply of an Automatic Vehicle Inspection System (AVIS); capital spares supply and a maintenance support contract for the new trains over 15 years. The estimated total value of the tender is €650m. IÉ and NIR plan to have the entire fleet in service in 2028/29, to operate an hourly service…

‘Enterprise’ to get new fleet

End of the line for classic French locos

INTRODUCTION of new multiple units will lead to the withdrawal of almost all loco-hauled passenger trains in France within the next year or two. The once widespread French Railways (SNCF) diesel Class BB67400 locos (built 1969-1975) are now restricted to two or three peak hour regional trains operating to and from Strasbourg, although this work may not survive into the New Year. The only other passenger work is occasional use working the overnight train from Rodez to Paris between Rodez and Brive-la-Gaillarde.These trains are booked for the more modern Alstom‘Prima’BB75000 diesel locos but BB67400 substitute when these are not available. Small numbers of BB67400 and earlier BB67200 versions remain in service, used for departmental and some freight trains. Classic electrics too Larger number of classic‘Nez Cassé’(or broken nose) Class BB7200/15000…

End of the line for classic French locos

Hoovering around Taunton and Exeter By Joseph Burr WHAT is not to like about a volume of original photographs taken during the time the charismatic Class 50s were being used in Devon and Somerset? The book takes each section of line from Somerton (on the Berks & Hants) and Chard Junction (on the Waterloo line) to Totnes, the branches to the likes of Paignton, Barnstaple and Exmouth, the freight only Meldon, Heathfield and Torrington lines, plus heritage lines. The square format gives scope to vary the page layout and still allows sufficient space for trains in the landscape. The author has garnered the illustrations from a wide variety of sources and a large number of unusual situations, as well as their sea wall favourite shots of course. A sparing, yet…

CROSSWORD & NEXT MONTH

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 1 and 6‘Merchant Navy’No. 35015 (9,5) 9 Word that could follow 7 down to describe each of Nos. D210-35 (5) 10 James ___, early LNWR Locomotive Superintendent and first chairman of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (9) 11 Western ___, No. D1020 (4) 12 ‘Britannia’No. 70023 (5) 13 Station between Wigan Wallgate and Manchester (4) 16 Engineer who oversaw the design of the BR‘Standard’classes (7) 17 Word preceding 9 across in the name of a modern rail logistics company (7) 19 The ___, Class 60 No. 60023 21 ___ Marine,‘Merchant Navy’No. 35017 (7) 22 and 18 down Northern terminus of the Bluebell Railway (4,9) 24 ‘___…

CROSSWORD & NEXT MONTH

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