The Railway Magazine news digest

The lack of electrification is becoming an embarrassment

Electrification work at Stratford, London. NETWORK RAIL ANOTHER

RailAdventure launches British operation with modified HST power cars

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£50 million R&D innovation hub for Goole

SIEMENS Mobility and the University of Birmingham have

Taiwan suffers worst rail accident in modern times

A DERAILMENT on April 2 in a tunnel

Wabtec to close Brush Traction

THE Brush Traction works at Loughborough has been

Delayed review becomes the Williams-Shapps Plan For Rail

WITH the rail review by former British Airways

Signalling fault caused Dalwhinnie HST derailment

THE derailment of a Scotrail HST set at

Summer ‘Staycation Express’ timings released

TIMINGS for the 2021 ‘Staycation Express’, which is

DfT drops calls for driverless trains in London

A DEMAND by the Government thatTransport for London

SIDELINES

Roving teams on board ScotRail to stop fraud

Busy year for the RAIB

IN its annual report, the Rail Accident Investigation

New-build CAF units hit by yaw damper mounting bracket failures

A SIGNIFICANT number of CAF multiple units working

Carmont interim report raises questions over drainage and maintenenace database

AN interim report into the derailment of a

Cracks now appearing on GWR Hitachi Class 800 units

As The RM closed for press, news was

Pressure mounts on Government over future electrification

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Visitor experience at iconic Forth Bridge is ‘put on hold’

By Tony Miles THE £10 million Network Rail-led

GBRf Class 66 naming marks PSB closure

NEW FREIGHTTRIAL FOR FAR NORTH LINE: A commercial

SIDELINES

Alan Moore CBE THE RM has been informed

Severn Valley involved in Class 08 hydrogen conversion

A COLLABORATION between the Severn Valley Railway, the

New service proposal plus a connection for West Somerset

ASPIRANT train operator GO-OP has tabled a proposal

MD appointed for TfW Rail

NEW BRIDGE FOR DIRFT: A single-span bridge over

NYMR hosts Tom Cruise for Mission: Impossible 7 filming

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Rail vouchers redemption is extended, but not railcards

THE Department for Transport has given a six-month

SIDELINES

Eurostar hope over extended funding WITH a flat

SCOTS GUARDSMAN AT TACKS SHAP

In this instalment of Practice & Performance, John Heaton FCILT analyses preserved steam on the main line, looking at ex-LMS locos on the ascent of Shap and Ais Gill summits

A Master Remembered HERBERT NIGEL GRESLEY

April 5 marked the 80th anniversary of the death of revered engineer Sir Nigel Gresley. Tim Hillier-Graves reviews his career

TRAINS, TURMOIL & IRISH PARTITION

A century ago this month, Ireland was partitioned. With it came new rules requiring passenger luggage and goods traffic to be inspected at 21 stations along the border between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. Robin Morton takes up the story

THE ORANGE & BLACK YEARS

Gary Boyd-Hope takes a pictorial look back at the Irish Rail network between 1987 and 2009, when the railway still carried a wide range of freight and most trains were hauled by locomotives carrying the distinctive orange and black ‘White Stripe’ livery

THE FIFTY FUND / CLASS 50 ALLIANCE AT 30 A PRESERVATION ODYSSEY

Active preservation of Class 50 locomotives reaches a significant milestone in 2021, which sees the 30th year of their ownership in private hands. The Fifty Fund purchased the first machine to enter preservation – No. 50035 Ark Royal – in April 1991 and one of the founding members of the group, Jonathan Dunster, outlines what, by any measure, is a remarkable story

Preserving Britain’s Railway Heritage

Lord Faulkner of Worcester, co-chairman of the Railway Heritage Designation Advisory Board, provides an update about new items of interest which have been designated for preservation

TALYLLYN THE ROOT OF RAIL PRESERVATION

It is 70 years ago this month that the first ever preserved railway service operated, and led to a global heritage movement. Nicola Fox provides a whistle-stop review some of the achievements of the Talyllyn Railway since that first train… and outlines some of its celebratory plans

Readers’ Platform

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

Panorama

A chance conversation with the ‘bobby’at Grayrigg resulted

FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

100 YEARS AGO MAY 1921 Line transferred THE

The RCTS: Then and Now

No. 600 Gordon is perhaps the most well-known

Prize crossword

£100 worth of Nostalgia Collection books to be won

SAINTS ALIVE!

Lady of Legend steals the show at the  Severn Valley’s Spring Steam Up

SIDELINES

Royal Deeside Railway break-in and theft SCOTLAND’S Royal

Didcot’s pioneer ‘14XX’ re-wheeled ahead of a return in 2021…

A MAJOR milestone in the overhaul of the

…AS HAWKSWORTH ‘COUNTY’ FUNDRAISING PASSESTHE £1MILLION MARK

FUNDRAISING for the Great Western Society’s project to

New-look Calbourne back in IoWSR service

THE Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s flagship locomotive

Further Culture Recovery Fund grants help English lines and loco operators in coronavirus pandemic recovery

MORE heritage railways, railway museums and locomotive operators

No more photo charters as Severn Valley ends the use of lineside passes

THE Severn Valley Railway has joined the growing

New dates are set for East Lancs’ Scotsman celebrity visit

A PLANNED visit to the East Lancashire Railway

Llangollen Railway plc assets go under the hammer

ROLLING stock, machine tools, plant and other equipment

SIDELINES

‘64XX’ to reopen Maidenhead canopy THE Cholsey &

Wheel flat curtails ‘Black Five’ Welsh foray

No. 45231 The Sherwood Forester and Class 20

NYMR and NRM announce reopenings from mid-May

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) and National

Didcot’s little Trojan returns

AVONSIDE 0-4-0ST No. 1340 Trojan was expected to

Bluebell’s Fenchurch makes a move to Statfold

Fenchurch is seen loaded ready for its road

New Severn Valley webcams go live

THE Severn Valley Railway has launched a network

Aln Valley Railway launches appeal for Cawledge Viaduct £100k refurbishment

NORTHUMBERLAND’S Aln Valley Railway (AVR) hopes that a

Avon Valley line to provide home for parts of Somerset & Dorset Trust’s collection

AN Agreement in Principle has been reached between

‘P2’ pony truck is delivered as cylinder manufacturers are sought

THE pony truck for underconstruction Gresley‘P2’No. 2007 Prince

SIDELINES

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First trains for Tanfield’s Horden after half a century

Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST Horden climbs away from East

More reopening dates for industrial steam loco operators

BY THE time this issue of The RM

Steam Portfolio

‘94XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 9466 and BR ‘4MT’2-6-4T No.

SIDELINES

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All-Ireland Strategic Rail Review launched

IMPROVED sustainable intercity connectivity and enhanced regional accessibility

‘Life-saving’ lottery boost for RPSI aids Covid recovery

THE Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) has

New research tells the story of RPSI’s ex-Midland Railway Blitz coach

THE fascinating history of a 99-year-old former Midland

SINGLE LINES

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More narrow gauge lines announce reopening plans

THE Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways were expected

Prince set to visit Statfold

FFESTINIOG Railway’s (FR) 1863-built George England 0-4-0STT Prince

More locos for Steeple Grange Light Railway

TWO additional Clayton batteryelectric locomotives have arrived at

Casserley negative collection bought by ‘La’al Ratty’ museum

RAVENGLASS Railway Museum has acquired a collection of

Further Covid recovery awards made for English narrow gauge lines

The completed body of the Leighton Buzzard Railway’s

Bure Valley boiler order expanded to three

No. 6 Blickling Hall emerges from North Bay

SINGLE LINES

■ THE landslip which deposited some 100 tons

SIDELINES

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Welsh Government presses ahead with Onllwyn test facility

THE Welsh Government has submitted detailed proposals for

New look is unveiled for Bristol Temple Meads

LATE March saw the inside of Bristol Temple

Siemens set to complete Victoria resignalling treble

THE third phase of the Victoria resignalling programme

Southend wash plant is open

GREATER Anglia’s latest new train washing plant is

Great North of Scotland revival campaign gathers momentum

A CAMPAIGN to bring more rail services back

Weymouth Quay track vanishes into history

THE last of the harbour tramway rails that

Clacton-on-Sea resignalling completed in 23 days

AN INTENSIVE 23-day period of engineering works in

Heathrow’s £90m Western Rail Link scheme ‘paused’ by pandemic

A £900 MILLION project to provide rail access

Government scales back of Blyth & Tyne scheme

PLANS to reinstate passenger services over the Blyth

SIDELINES

Community Rail flourishing DESPITE the pandemic, the Community

Easter engineering focuses on WCML repairs

MORE than a third of the £80 million

New Leicester-Rugby route?

A PROPOSAL to reconnect Leicester with Rugby by

Brent Cross blockade prepares for new MML station

OVER the Easter weekend, Network Rail engineers closed

CrossCountry moves medical supplies

TRAIN operator CrossCountry and InterCity Railfreight have teamed

Cornish bridge repairs complete

Train services resumed on the Cornish main line

Acton Main Line now step-free

CROSSRAIL upgrade work has been completed at Acton

First contract is signed for Phase 2a

HUGE new woodlands and wetland areas will created

Scrap turbine blades use a world first?

IN WHAT is believed to be a world

HS2 traffic boosts rail freight operators

RECENT statistics from the Office of Rail and

High voltage systems suppliers are put on contract shortlist

FOUR bidders have been shortlisted for a £523

Appeal is lodged against lorry application rejection

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Council has cited“a lack of relevant information”and

Updated plan will reduce river diversion

DESIGN changes to a section of HS2 near

Oxford Canal viaduct design revealed

HS2 Ltd has revealed its proposed design for

No Night Tube until 2022

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Further backing given for tram operators

THE Government is providing a further £33 million

Milestone for Birmingham extension

THE final piece of track on the West

South Downs Light Railway secures new five-year lease

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Hastings Railway reopens with a historic 4-4-2 visitor

THE 10¼in gauge Hastings Miniature Railway reopened on

Exmouth Express back in town

The restored Exmouth Express. The 4wDM was built

Timber revival for the West Highland Line?

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Ilkeston distribution terminal gathers pace

PLANNING permission is being sought for a railconnected

GBRf extends contracts with Celsa and Hanson

GB RAILFREIGHT has recently extended two important contracts

Construction traffic boosts recovering freight figures

LATEST statistics from the Office of Rail and

Multi-million Grangemouth rail expansion complete

A £3 MILLION expansion of rail facilities at

Vintage Trains to return for summer season with ‘Edgcumbe’ and ‘Clun’

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‘A1’ and ‘A3’ meetings now set for October

THE coming together of‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado and‘A3’

Whistle while you work!

CREWE-BASED Locomotive Services Ltd continued to run a

Railways in Parliament

Okehampton acceleration WIMBLEDON MP Stephen Hammond asked

SIDELINES

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Brush Type 2 moves to Plym Valley from Durham

CLASS 31 No. 31190 arrived at the Plym

New homes are found for Wensleydale Railway locos

One of the very few Class 60s in

Wickham trolley rides on the S&D

THE Somerset & Dorset at Midsomer Norton is

KWVR prepares for reopening

ASTHE Keighley &Worth Valley Railway worked towards reopening

A new life for ex-Cadbury static display diesel beckons in Wales

THE Gloucestershire Carriage & Wagon Museum (GC&WM) has

Chasewater a temporary home for VoBR ‘Pacer’

Vale of Berkeley Railway project’s Class 143 No.

Derwent Valley’s ‘Gronk’ stands out in the cold

THE Derwent Valley Light Railway’s Class 08 No.

HSTs secure UK preserved rail speed record?

THE 125 Group’s HST power cars, Nos. 43048

Swansea’s celebrity ‘Gronk’ returns to former home

THE L&MMR’s Class 08 No. 08795, still carrying

Diesel galas return with SVR’s Spring Diesel Bash

THE first main diesel event following the pandemic

MHR’s burned-out Class 08 is transformed back to life

THE Mid-Hants Railway completed the restoration and repaint

DIARY

Note: All are subject to Covid-19 restrictions in

‘Pacer’ turned into science lab for primary schoolchildren

FAGLEY primary school, Bradford, has been donated Class

Hitachi wins Washington Metro order

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UP locomotive for Presidential memorial

UNION Pacific has donated commemorative EMD-built ‘SD70ACe’loco No.

American passenger rail revival?

Passenger trains to return? One of the routes

SWR abandons £45m Class 442 refurb and favours Class 458s

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EMR purple livery for HST power car’s final month on the MML

Leading the 15.34 St Pancras to Nottingham train

West Coast Railway Co expands its Class 47 fleet

CARNFORTH-BASED train operator West Coast Railway Company has

Chasewater hosts Clayton hybrid testing

The first of the CBD80 hybrid shunters on

Damaged Azuma running again

LNER Class 800 Azuma No. 800109, which ran

ROG offers Class 360/2s for hire

HAVING bought all five former Class 360/2 Heathrow

TfW’s final Vivarail unit on test

THE final Vivarail Class 230 diesel-battery hybrid unit

WAGON REPORT

Schweerbak Rail Milling Unit No DR796 04 at

Stock Update

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Traction Portfolio

GBRf's retro liveried Class 66 No. 66793 passes

Operations

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LOCOMOTIVES OF THE GREAT SOUTHERN & WESTERN RAILWAY

Books, videos and other items for possible review