Home//The Railway Magazine/May 2024/In This Issue
The Railway Magazine|May 2024‘Jacobite’ jostlingTHERE have been some fun and games on the railways around Fort William this month as, in answer to the question we posed last month about who would blink first in the ‘Jacobite’ saga, it appears the answer was West Coast Railway (WCR). Readers will recall that back on March 20, just days before the ‘Jacobite’ season was due to begin, WCR announced it was pulling the hugely popular steam workings to Mallaig in a row over fitting central door locking (CDL) to its Mk.1 carriages. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) had said it was time for WCR to fall in line with other operators and fit CDL, but WCR said this would take time to enact, and in the meantime wanted to carry on running the trains…2 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024New train order reprieves Derby factory at the eleventh hourTHE immediate threat of closure facing train builders at Derby Litchurch Lane has been reprieved with an order from Transport for London. A further 90 Class 345‘Aventra’vehicles will be built to expand Elizabeth Line services after receiving financial support from the Government. There is also said to be a requirement for rectification work, and it can be assumed this refers to the fleet of Class 701‘Arterio’EMUs, of which 750 vehicles have been built but most are in store more than two years after they were first planned to enter service. The crisis at Derby first emerged as planned construction of HS2 trainsets, to be built by a consortium made up of Alstom and Hitachi, was put on hold given uncertainties about the future of the high speed line. The specification…3 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024First daylight electric run to PontypriddTRANSPORT for Wales Class 756 No. 756108 made the first daylight electric-powered test trip to Pontypridd on April 3, running from Cardiff Canton depot via the City Line and Radyr. Previous testing, including the very first electric run over that stretch of route (in the early hours of September 23 last year) took place under cover of darkness. Electrification of the‘Core Valley Lines’(CVL) from Cardiff to Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Coryton and Rhymney is being completed as part of the £1 billion South Wales Metro project. It has also included modernisation of stations to cope with longer trains and the installation of new signalling equipment. Passing loops and sections of double track have been created in preparation for the increased frequency of trains from this summer. ‘Fantastic moment’ The inaugural…2 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Signalling a digital future with £4 billion investment in control systemsNETWORK Rail says its 10-year signalling plan will change the face of Britain’s railway, with modern equipment bringing greater reliability through a mixture of traditional signalling and digital control. In terms of the budget, £3bn will be allocated for digital signalling, while £1bn will go on conventional signalling. Six companies have been awarded contracts for the provision of conventional and digital signalling services under its Train Control Systems Framework. The framework is expected to cover over 100 projects across Control Periods 7 and 8, running until 2034 and includes resignalling, relocking, renewals, recontrols and conversions to European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 digital signalling. The contracts have been awarded over two lots – the first of which covers conventional signalling. It will be supplied by Alstom, AtkinsRealis, Hitachi and…1 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Memorial Day celebrates the life of RM writer Peter NicholsonWESTONZOYLAND Pumping Station Museum hosted a Memorial Day for the family and friends of the late Peter Nicholson on March 24. Peter, who made a significant contribution to railway preservation (standard and narrow gauge) as owner of a collection of historic narrow gauge internal combustion locomotives and rolling stock, and also contributed to The Railway Magazine for almost a quarter of a century, died on October 30, 2023. The funeral had been a private affair, this memorial day being organised by his family as an occasion for many of his friends from the preservation world to pay their respects to Peter’s memory and his lifelong passion for railways. Following readings and eulogies by friends and family, those present watched the unveiling of a bench dedicated to Peter’s memory, and rode…2 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024SIDELINESInterest sought for people mover deal BUSINESSES interested in tendering for the infrastructure contract for the automated people mover (APM), which will link HS2’s Interchange station (northeast of Solihull) with the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham International station and Birmingham Airport, were invited to find out more in April. Formal procurement is expected to begin in 2026. The winner will be responsible for the detailed design and delivery of the piers, viaducts, stops and the APM maintenance facility. The route will consist of stretches of single and double track. Interchange (the only one of the stops at ground level) and Birmingham Airport will each have a single platform face. The intermediate stops will have two platform faces. TBM Anne launched TUNNEL boring machine Anne has begun excavation of the second bore…1 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024West Coast wiresMAY 6 marks 50 years since electrified services were introduced to the full 401-mile West Coast Main Line from London Euston to Glasgow Central, but its fortunes as a key Anglo-Scottish artery since then have not always been rosy. Electrification of main line routes had been the ambition of British Railways since the 1955 Modernisation Plan, but the goals were later scaled back – in part because of declining freight traffic, which had been a key factor in the justification for investment. WCML electrification did get the go-ahead, but only on the southern half from Euston to Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, which was completed in 1966. Electrification of the northern half, from just south of Warrington at Weaver Junction (approximately 174 miles from Euston) to Glasgow would have to wait…10 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Neville Hill 125 years old and still evolvingDEPOT VISIT AS the 19th century drew to a close, the North Eastern Railway concluded that it needed another depot in Leeds to augment capacity. Accommodation at the former Leeds and Thirsk Railway’s Holbeck depot (about half-a-mile north of the ex-North Midland Railway’s shed of the same name, which remains in rail use today) was considered inadequate, so in 1899 facilities were opened on the other side of the city at Neville Hill. Costing £132,971 and occupying an 11-acre site on the northern side of the route used by trains to and from York and Selby, the engine shed, coal stage, washing shed and sidings were among the initial steps in developing what has been a key piece in the jigsaw of Yorkshire’s railway operations ever since. But things have…17 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024PANORAMADelivering a safe, efficient and sustainable railway…1 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Pannier pair are now resident at Minehead locomotive shedTHE West Somerset Railway (WSR) is once again home to a GWR‘64XX’0-6-0PT following the relocation of No. 6435 from Bodmin to Minehead on Thursday, April 11. As reported in RM March, auto-fitted 1937-built No. 6435 and 1951-built WR auto-trailer No. 232 have been bought from the Bodmin Railway by WSR plc chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt’s JJP Holdings company for use on the WSR. The loco and carriage were among several items of rolling stock offered for sale by the Cornish line early in the New Year. Following its arrival at Minehead, No. 6435 was placed on display in the shed yard for the benefit of WSR passengers. It has received cosmetic attention – cleaning and polishing, plus the application of black paint to the tyres in place of the hitherto polished…17 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Steam loco fleet strengthenedTHE Aln Valley Railway’s (AVR) steam locomotive fleet has been boosted by the news that the Northumberland line will be the new home for Hudswell Clark 0-6-0ST, Renishaw Ironworks No.6, works number 1366 built in 1919. The locomotive, along with fellow 0-6-0ST No. 65, works number 1631, built in 1929, was originally purchased by the late Terry Robinson and stored for some time at Doncaster diesel depot, making an interesting comparison with the BR motive power usually present there. Renishaw has just completed a full overhaul at the Tanfield Railway and was then sold by the previous owner to Adam and Diana Stone, both working volunteers on the AVR. The loco’s new owners secured the sale and transport to AVR within just a week.This was a very quick decision to…4 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Electrical issues delay start of new seasonPROBLEMS with the supply to overhead power lines affected the start of the planned running season for two heritage tramways. At Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire, home to the National Tramway Museum (where a decision was taken in early March to postpone opening by a week, from March 9 to March 16, due to surrounding road closures and installation works), visitors were warned that there would be no trams in operation for the first week of the season due to an “unforeseen technical issue” with the overhead line equipment. To make up for the lack of a tram service, admission was free for children and at a reduced rate of £5.00 for adults. Meeting Following a meeting of the board of directors, it was decided to further postpone services. The…3 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Void filled after derailmentFOLLOWING the derailment of a Northern Rail Class 195 on March 22 near Grangeover-Sands, Network Rail has undertaken extensive repairs to the permanent way which took a month, the line reopening on April 22. Two Class 195s – Nos. 195104/133 – were working from the 05.18 Preston to Barrow-in-Furness when the train hit a void in the track at speed and the leading unit was derailed, with the carriages hitting the embankment sea wall. No injuries were sustained by the four staff and four passengers on the train. With the RAIB (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) inquiry completed and the site released, recovery of the leading unit – No. 195104, which was derailed on all wheels – was achieved using a specialist recovery team and Kirow multi-tasker crane. The units were…9 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Further five ‘Super Voyagers’ are set to boost CrossCountry fleetCROSSCOUNTRY has announced that a further five Class 221‘Super Voyagers’, leased from Beacon Rail, will be added to its fleet. The units are in addition to seven secured last October, making a total of 12 units transferring to the operator following release by Avanti West Coast. Gradual introduction of the units from June this year will begin to address the shortfall in train capacity which CrossCountry and its passengers have had to contend with since the withdrawal of its five High Speed Train sets last year. Over the summer holiday period, it expects the cascade to result in a weekly increase of ahout 12000 seats. However, there will also be temporary changes to the timetable between June and September in an attempt to relieve overcrowding on some of its busiest…7 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024The network’s notable movesAvanti West Coast Driver training and fault free running of the new Class 805 units on the WCML continues to bring in reports. On March 6, No. 805002 was working Oxley-Euston-Crewe-Euston; No. 805004 was working between Euston and Lancaster, while No. 805008 was on a Holyhead-Crewe circuit. On March 11, new No. 805010 moved from Merchant Park to Oxley. During a visit to Euston on Monday, March 18, Nos. 805007 and 805006, both in plain white livery, were seen arriving at platform 16 ECS (Empty Coaching Stock) 5Q72/10.44 from Crewe. The train was being worked by a GBRf crew. Newly liveried in AWC colours, Class 805 No. 805009 ran empty on Tuesday, March 19, and again on the next day, from London Euston (5Q11/08.03) to Lancaster and back (5Q13/11.46). Class…28 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024REVIEWSRailways of Cornwall A decade of change By Keith Barrow THERE is something so appealing about the railways west of Plymouth, with the main line cutting through some stunning scenery, and four of the five branch lines heading off to coastal towns and resorts. Even though the manual signalling has now largely been replaced (see the March 2024 issue for more on the latest round of signalling upgrades in Mid-Cornwall), and the‘Night Riviera’ is the last remaining loco-hauled service, there is still much to enjoy in the far South West. In this book the author, himself a railway journalist and photographer, records the changes over the decade from 2013 on the main line between Saltash and Penzance (the branch lines will be covered in a subsequent Part 2 book). The…4 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024‘Jacobite’ resumes – but steam loco stalls on first trip of the yearJUST three weeks after the West Coast Railway Company (WCR) announced it was indefinitely suspending operation of the annual‘Jacobite’steam train came an announcement that the popular service would resume on April 15. No trains ran from March 28 to April 14. However, the first train of the reconvened programme got off to an inauspicious start when‘Black Five’No. 45212 – which was running tender-first – stalled leaving Glenfinnan and was unable to restart, despite the crew hand-sanding the rails. The train was later rescued by Class 37 diesel No. 37676, sent from Fort William, and passengers were refunded. The incident also led to the cancellation of two ScotRail trains between Fort William and Mallaig, with replacement buses ordered. With WCR having prepared four Mk.2 carriages fitted with central door locking (CDL)…6 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Funding confirmed to build new cross-border ‘Enterprise’ fleetPLANS to replace the cross-border‘Enterprise’fleet and deliver a sub two-hour journey between Dublin and Belfast have moved a step closer, with confirmation on April 9 of the €165 million funding. The‘Enterprise’programme has been funded as part of the wider €1.14bn (£980m) Special EU Programme Body (SEUPB) PeacePlus initiative, which is a cross-border funding scheme between the European Union, the UK Government, the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive. PeacePlus said in a statement that the new trains would support the electrification of the railway on both sides of the border, and would offer “improved accessibility and passenger experience, with an hourly service and journey times reduced to at least 1 hour 55 minutes between Dublin and Belfast”. The procurement process is expected to finish within “the coming year”,…1 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024LNER removals container unearthed – in Antwerp!MYSTERY surrounds how a pre-Nationalisation LNER Conflat container ended up buried beneath a recreation ground in Antwerp, leaving archaeologists, historians and members of the public intrigued. Archaeologists working on the Oosterweel Link road project uncovered a structure in the Noordkasteelwal (North Castle wall) and found some old ammunition – before discovering a metal structure dug into the embankment. This turned out to be a Conflat type – with the surviving signwriting including“…NITURE REMOVAL TO HOUSE”,“Enquire at any station”,“BK 1820”and“LNER”. The BK container was designed to carry furniture – it could be transported by rail and by road, a precursor to the modern shipping containers. It remains a mystery how a container from a British railway company ended up in Belgium and why it was buried. It may have been used…2 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Landslip watchNETWORK Rail is to spend £22 million improving drainage across its East Coast route, to help prevent major disruption brought to passengers by landslips and heavy rain. There have been multiple incidents of landslips and flooding over the past year across the East Coast route, including at Aycliffe (near Darlington) and between Newark and Grantham. Elsewhere in Yorkshire and the North East, where there have been 35 landslips in the past year, a further £60 million will be spent on major drainage schemes at Rotherham, Goole, Immingham, and Horsforth. The money will also allow investment in remote condition monitoring technology and CCTV. Similar schemes will benefit the East Midlands network, where £27 million has been allocated to improve drainage. There have been multiple incidents over the past year, including at…2 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Railways in ParliamentCombatting strikes LORD Taylor of Warwick asked what steps the Government has been taking to implement contingency plans to manage the impact of the ASLEF strikes in April across many rail companies. Transport Minister Lord Davies of Gower said:“On March 20, ASLEF announced a further rolling programme of one-day strikes and [other] action short of strike action on the national network. The rail industry is working on contingency planning and will do all it can to minimise the impacts for passengers. “During periods of strike action, rail operators deploy measures such as implementing amended timetables to ensure services can be delivered reliably and safely. To minimise impacts and keep passengers informed during periods of strike action, the rail industry uses widespread passenger messaging to publicise disruption and the latest travel…3 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Back in the ringTHE Champion is back. After being sidelined by a technical knockout at the end of 2016, April 14 saw Class 52 C-C No. D1015 Western Champion make its main line passenger train return on its native Western Region main line out of Paddington, punching its full 111 tonne weight. In an audacious move, as risky as it was inspired, Pathfinder Railtours, UK Railtours and the Diesel Traction Group (DTG) decided to box clever with a test run open to public scrutiny over a 140 mile journey from London to Bescot via Reading, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington Spa and Coventry. This was to be no featherweight sparring session, but a tasty 13-coach bout with every seat sold to the enthusiastic following that this class commands. Call them ‘Westerns’, ‘Thousands’ or, yes, even…5 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Bodmin bouncing backPRESERVATION THERE’S a very friendly feel to the Bodmin Railway – from the ticket office to the cafe and on-train staff, you are sure to receive a warm welcome and a great day out. The BR is not alone in this amongst heritage railways, but what does add up to make it a unique offering is the combination of a main line connection, ‘Y’-shaped layout, testing 1-in-40 gradients in both directions, a quintessential GWR branch line terminus, the collection of authentic Cornish locomotives and wagons, and – last but not least – the stunning scenery it passes through. Or, as the line’s publicity officer Jimmy James succinctly puts it: “We’re not like other railways.” There is a rich railway history in this part of Cornwall. First to open in 1834…9 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Readers’ PlatformLightbulb moment PANORAMA in the April issue (pages 46/47) offered an irresistible question, intended rhetorically but provoking the idle detective in me:“Is there anything in this shot that gives it away as being taken this year and not towards the end of steam in the 1960s?”So here goes… The engine driver is wearing some rather smart spectacles, rather unlike what was available in the 1960s. It is hard to be precise, but they look like Hugo Boss or Tommy Hilfiger, or maybe Specsavers. The bulb in the lamp on the far left of the photograph seems to be a modern LED light, possibly a Philips CorePro E27 LED GLS bulb or similar. The edge of the platform seems to have been recently renovated. Earlier photographs show the platform edge formed…6 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024£500k redevelopment appealTHE Talyllyn Railway (TR) officially launched its £500,000 ‘The 75 Appeal’on March 22. It aims to raise the amount over the next five to six years towards financing its‘Preserving Our Past, Building Our Future’ redevelopment programme. In late 2022, the TR secured a £110,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) development grant award towards this project (RM, Headline News, November 2022). This enabled the employment of a project manager who has been developing various aspects of the TR’s proposals. The appeal has been launched now to prove to the NLHF, other grant-giving bodies and sponsors that the TR is capable of raising appropriate match-funding. The intention is to submit the full bid for more than £1million to NHLF later this year, with the outcome hopefully known in early 2025. Approach Acknowledging…14 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Successful test runs for DEPG’s preservation pioneer ‘Hymek’THE Diesel and Electric Preservation Group’s‘Hymek’No. D7017 is preparing for a return to traffic after a successful series of loaded test runs on April 9-11 at the West Somerset Railway. The diesel-hydraulic has been out of action since failing at the WSR’s diesel gala in June 2023 – although it has not been used regularly since 2019, when it was found to require a bogie overhaul. The test runs began with Class 33 No. D6566 (33048) hauling a rake of six empty Mk.1s from Minehead to Williton, where No. D7017 took the‘33’and stock forward to Bishops Lydeard. After running round, the ‘Hymek’,‘33’and stock departed for Minehead, but No. D70107 was detached at Williton following issues with a gasket on a radiator element. This was repaired in the yard in time…9 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Partners ‘proud’ of successful nuclear material movements by railNUCLEAR Transport Solutions (NTS), the parent company of Direct Rail Services, has announced that a project involving the movement of 1068 drums of low level radioactive waste from Winfrith in Dorset to Cumbria for final disposal, was concluded significantly earlier than expected. Careful planning and collaboration between the businesses, Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) and NTS, all of which are companies of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, led to the last of the 11 trains carrying the containers being received at the Low Level Waste Repository at Drigg on January 25, seven months ahead of schedule. The first working took place on March 24, 2022. Coordination The trains carried cabriolet containers, each carrying 10 drums. NWS told The RM that organisation, in particular a well-coordinated process of returning…4 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Wagon ReportVTG Rail UK is carrying out a programme of modifications to its fleet of FWA/B‘Ecofret’triple-unit intermodal sets following a series of derailments. Changes include extended inter-wagon drawbars, strengthened Wabtec TF20 low track-force bogies and brakegear. Problems can arise if the centre wagon of a triple set is unladen and subject to heavy braking. Essentially, the middle vehicle can be squeezed by the outer flats, especially if they are loaded, leading to the possibility of the bogies lifting and the wheelsets derailing. GBRf is the main user of triple sets. The use of permanently connected drawbars between wagons is not new. In 1965/66, RY Pickering built 96 close-coupled 45-ton Class A tanks for Standard Oil, Nos. 6104-199 (later ESSO 56104-199). Sixteen sets of six wagons were assembled, with plate link couplings…2 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Betton Grange steams into actionHEADLINE NEWS BRITAIN’S latest new-build standard gauge steam locomotive moved under its own power on April 11 at Tyseley Locomotive Works. GWR 4-6-0 No. 6880 Betton Grange ran for the first time in the yard in the afternoon, watched by a small group of invited guests comprising officials and volunteers of the 6880 Betton Grange Society. Sporting its lined Brunswick green livery, No. 6880 was coupled to a tender hired from WR‘Manor’No. 7822 Foxcote Manor, which is under overhaul at Tyseley. Following the completion of final adjustments, Betton Grange was due to move by low loader to the Severn Valley Railway. Subject to a gauging run and other tests, No. 6880 is expected to operate on the Severn Valley line this month. As reported last month, Betton Grange is booked…2 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024More Class 153s readied for Heart of Wales lineTHE first of six Transport for Wales Class 153 single-car diesel units converted for ‘Active Travel’use is expected to be released for testing from Chrysalis Rail’s Landore depot in Swansea within weeks, and could enter service during July. To be given the Class 153/5 designation, the units will be paired with conventional Class 153/3s, increasing capacity on the Heart of Wales route between Shrewsbury and Swansea, with the aim of making the train more appealing to people planning to walk or cycle in the area. TfW says the majority (83%) of visitors currently travel to the area by car. Design work for the refit, based loosely on the five ScotRail‘Highland Explorer’ Class 153s (refitted for use with Class 156s on the West Highland Line) has been undertaken by Derby-based DG8…3 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024SIDELINESClass 18 to Freightliner CLASS 18 No. 18006 was delivered to Freightliner at Crewe Basford Hall on April 9. It was dispatched from Wolverton by Beacon Rail, which owns all 15 members of the class of battery-diesel hybrid shunting locos, built for it by Clayton Equipment Ltd. No. 18003 arrived at Sc*nthorpe steel works in February for evaluation on internal rail movements. British Steel, which is seeking a fleet of new shunters, is assessing the loco’s battery power capabilities. It is understood that further Class 18s could be sent out to Beacon Rail clients between now and June. DRS open day DIRECT Rail Services is holding a charity open day at its Carlisle depot on July 6. Tickets, which must be booked in advance, cost £7.13 (including booking fee) for…1 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Heritage line landslipHEADLINE NEWS THE Ecclesbourne Valley Railway has reached its £30,000 fundraising target to restore services to Duffield after a landslip. The target was reached with hundreds of donations from the public and one anonymous gift of £10,000. The railway has only been able to run south from Wirksworth as far as Shottle since October 2023, following a landslip at the southern end of the line. The landslip began about a year ago, but Storm Babet worsened the situation, and the slip was encroaching on the line. Track will be now slewed by three metres to avoid the landslip and make it safe for trains to run again. Work has begun and the line should reopen by June.…1 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Colne Valley Viaduct crosses the Grand Union CanalDECK construction work for HS2’s 2.1-mile long Colne Valley Viaduct has just over half-a-mile to go after it reached the point where the structure crosses the Grand Union Canal at the end of March. By the time of it bridging the waterway near Denham in Buckinghamshire, 1.5 miles of its deck had been completed and 755 of a total of 1000 deck segments had been moved into position, creating 39 spans. Fifty-six piers, all of which have been completed, will support the entire length of the viaduct. Unlike the canal, which was also an extensive civil engineering effort and covers a similar distance on its way between Birmingham and London, the high-speed route has been designed for a journey time of 49 minutes between the cities. Across river and road…3 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Remembering the all-line timetable“FOR the first time since the demise of the Bradshaw’s Guide, Britain once again has a single comprehensive rail timetable – only this time it is the official book issued by the operator,” reported The Railway Magazine 50 years ago. Known internally at British Rail as the “All-System Timetable,” the book in question was the 1974 Passenger Timetable, which marked the first all-line (all in one) national timetable since the Bradshaw’s Guide series ceased publishing in 1961. Though timetables had been published before and after Bradshaw, on a regional or individual company basis, BR’s all-in-one marked something long overdue and ushered in a renaissance of a love for an all-line timetable. This looks at the shifting fortunes of all-line volumes, from the very early days of Bradshaw to the usurping…17 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Yellow SubmarinesIF you want to cross the Mersey from Birkenhead to Liverpool, you can catch one of the famous ferries or drive through the fume-filled road tunnel, but the Merseyrail electric trains will probably be the quickest. If the scenery does not match the river trip, it will be at least warm and dry. Some years had passed since I had last taken a Merseyrail trip from Chester to Southport, partly owing to the wait for squadron service of the new Stadler four-car Class 777 units. Their introduction had been beset by a plethora of setbacks, and not a few excuses. There had been technical problems, labour disputes and training issues. Reports surfaced of bitter exchanges between Liverpool City Region and the Swiss manufacturers questioning the slow introduction of the new…16 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024The RCTS: Then and nowTHE Middleton Railway in Hunslet, Leeds, not only lays claim to being the oldest continuously working railway in the world, but also the first standard gauge railway to be taken over and operated by unpaid volunteers. The line has been in continuous operation since 1758, and has had preserved status since June 1960. Preservation came about because traffic on the then-Middleton Colliery Railway had been severely curtailed by the line’s owners, the National Coal Board. Part of the line was purchased by a neighbouring company, Claytons, which allowed the Middleton Railway Preservation Society (later The Middleton Railway Trust) to operate the line. The founding father of the preserved railway and leader of the volunteers was Dr Fred Youell, a physics lecturer at Leeds University. By all accounts Dr Youell was…3 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Milk train rebornAN easily forgotten aspect of railway goods operations of the past has helped the East Somerset Railway (ESR) to celebrate its half-century as a heritage line. While milk trains are today a memory on the national network, they were once a familiar sight on parts of Britain’s railways. Fortunately, several milk tanker wagons have survived in preservation, but they are located at various heritage sites rather than concentrated in one location, making it hard until now to re-create a milk train. On March 25 however, that changed at the ESR. Martin Creese, owner of 30742 Charters took up the story:“Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of participating in and organising photo charters on various railways with a short milk train of one or two tanks, the most recent having…2 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Battery power boosts fleetDEVON Railway Centre (DRC) kicked off its 2024 operating season on Good Friday, March 29 with a brand-new locomotive entering traffic on the venue’s 7¼in gauge line. The as yet unnamed battery-powered locomotive was built in 2024 by Abbots Model Engineering for the DRC. It joins the three other locos – including Rio Grande constructed by Bimpson in 1982, Millie built in 1993 by Pfeiffarbahn and Arthur which is based on the Class 35‘Hymek’diesel locomotives. Arthur was built by Cromar White in 1969 and became the first miniature locomotive on site at the DRC when it arrived from Twycross Zoo in 1999. While all four locos are operational, the new locomotive and Arthur are expected to operate the lion’s share of duties on the line. Work carried out during the…2 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Rail trespassers bewareCONCERNED at the increasing level of trespass on the main line when steam specials are running, Vintage Trains (VT) has said it is considering plans to fit a GoPro camera to the front of a steam locomotive. The first expected use of the technology is due to be on May 10 when VT marks the 60th anniversary of WR ‘Castle’ No. 7029 Clun Castle running from Birmingham Snow Hill to Plymouth. The camera is expected to be used again the following day when the train works from Plymouth to London Paddington via Bristol. It was on May 9, 1964, that Clun Castle ran the fastest nonstop from Plymouth to Bristol in a record 133 minutes and nine seconds – reaching a top speed of 96mph. Back then, this train ran…6 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024Supertram investment case submitted to the GovernmentSOUTH Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has submitted a business case to the Government as it seeks funding for modernisation of the Supertram system. SYMCA plans the refurbishment of all of the existing trams by 2027 and the introduction of a new fleet by 2032. After 27 years in Stagecoach hands, operation of Supertram services returned to the public sector on March 22, with South Yorkshire Future Trams Ltd (a company wholly-owned by SYMCA) taking over. The authority has outlined a vision for“a bigger and better tram network that is fully integrated with other modes of transport, and is cleaner, greener and safer, getting people to where they want to go and connecting communities”. A new mobile phone app has been launched for purchasing tickets and one-day, five, seven and…4 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024STOCK UPDATELOCOMOTIVES Allocations 20901 HNRL-BBXX20905 HNRL-BBXX43305 HQ/SCEL-HA/HAPC60001 WQBA-WQDA60003 WQCA-WQDA60004 WQCA-GBTG60005 WQCA-WQDA60007 WQBA-WQDA60010 WQBA-WQDA60014 WQCA-GBTG60015 WQBA-WQDA60018 WQCA-GBTG60019 WQBA-WQDA60020 WQBA-WQDA60023 WQCA-WQDA60025 WQCA-WQDA60027 WQCA-WQDA60030 WQCA-WQDA60031 WQCA-WQDA60033 WQCA-WQDA60034 WQCA-WQDA60035 WQCA-WQDA60039 WQBA-WQDA60040 WQBA-WQDA60041 WQCA-WQDA60042 WQCA-WQDA60043 WQCA-WQDA60044 WQBA-WQDA60045 WQCA-WQDA60049 WQCA-WQDA60051 WQCA-WQDA60053 WQCA-WQDA60054 WQBA-WQDA60058 WQCA-WQDA60059 WQBA-WQDA60063 WQBA-WQDA60065 WQBA-WQDA60066 WQBA-WQDA60067 WQCA-WQDA60069 WQCA-WQDA60071 WQCA-WQDA60072 WQCA-WQDA60073 WQCA-WQDA60079 WQBA-WQDA60082 WQCA-WQDA60083 WQCA-WQDA60088 WQCA-WQDA60091 WQBA-WQDA60092 WQBA-WQDA60094 WQCA-WQDA60097 WQCA-WQDA60100 WQBA-WQDA60500 WQCA-WQDA66002 WBAE-WBAT66003 WBAE-WBAT66013 WBAE-WBAT66015 WBAE-WBAT66020 WBAE-WBAT66028 WBAE-WBAT66034 WBAE-WBAT66050 WBAE-WBAT66053 WBAE-WBAT66063 WBAE-WBAT66073 WBAE-WBAT66074 WBAE-WBAT66075 WBAE-WBAT66078 WBAE-WBAT66080 WBAE-WBAT66082 WBAE-WBAT66086 WBAE-WBAT66087 WBAE-WBAT66090 WBAE-WBAT66093 WBAE-WBAT66098 WBAE-WBAT66105 WBBT-WBAT66115 WBAE-WBAT66116 WBAE-WBAT66125 WBAE-WBAT66128 WBAE-WBAT66131 WBAE-WBAT66133 WBAE-WBAT66134 WBAE-WBAT66135 WBAE-WBAT66136 WBAE-WBAT66137 WBAE-WBAT66139 WBAE-WBAT66140 WBAE-WBAT66143 WBAE-WBAT66147 WBAE-WBAT66148 WBAE-WBAT66150 WBAE-WBAT66151 WBAE-WBAT66152 WBAE-WBAT66164 WBAE-WBAT66164 WBAT-WBHT66170 WBAE-WBAT66172 WBAE-WBAT66174 WBHT-WBAT66182 WBAE-WBAT66186 WBAE-WBAT66187 WBAE-WBAT66197 WBAE-WBAT66199 WBAE-WBAT Liveries Balfour Beatty white and blue: 20901/05 DB Cargo red: 66002, 66177/81 Freightliner orange: 08531, 59102 GBRf: 69011 HNRC orange: 08877 TPE branding removed:…2 min
The Railway Magazine|May 2024‘Chargers’ are taking overAMERICAN national passenger rail company Amtrak has now replaced most of its 1990s vintage General Electric (GE) built‘Genesis’P42 diesel locos used for the major long-distance trains across the USA with new Siemens-built type ALC-42‘Charger’locos. The GE P42 locos remain in widespread use hauling regional services south of Washington DC, but this will change in the next year or two. Two smaller classes of‘Genesis’ loco will also eventually be replaced by the new locos. Amtrak ordered 75 ALC-42 locomotives in 2018, and subsequently in June 2022 increased the number on order to 125. The ALC-42 loco has a Cummins QSK95 4200HP (3100kW) engine and is capable of 125mph/200km/h operation. An 8300-litre diesel fuel tank is fitted to each loco to give them extended range as refuelling is normally only possible at…7 min
