Readers’ Platform

Rail should be at the forefront of Prime Minister’s decarbonisation plans

MANY of you will have heard about Prime Minister Boris

RAIB highlights Network Rail safety concerns over Margam fatalities

A REPORT from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch

More support for digital signalling

THE DfT has allocated an extra £1.2million to accelerate

Railways remember the fallen

POIGNANT tributes were paid to railway employees who

First Vivarail Class 484 arrives on Isle of Wight

THE first train of an order for five two-car Viviarail

‘Future at risk’: Stark message from Eurostar and HS1 CEOs

THE future of the Eurostar operation along with the

Northern Powerhouse Rail ‘transformation’ plans handed to Government

WORK on the planned Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR)

PM Johnson’s ‘Ten Point Plan’ disappointing

PRIME Minister Boris Johnson’s ‘10-point’ decarbonisation

RMT leader Mick Cash steps down

MICK Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime

Leicestershire bridge ‘most hit’ in Britain

A 15ft-HIGH railway bridge across one of Britain’s

Stonehaven reopens - fund tops £142,000

THE line between Stonehaven and Arbroath was reopened

Will ‘Amtrak Joe’ be good for US rail?

THE election victory of Joe Biden as the 46th President

Harsh criticism for DfT over ERMA delays

A TRANSPORT Select Committee (TSC) hearing led to stern

No service or staff cuts planned - for the moment

FEARS of service or staff cuts on the back of the pandemic

Retailers hampered by port congestion

RETAILERS that have already had a bleak time in 2020

Pure fluke - metro train saved by whale tail

RARELY do minor accidents on metro systems make global

Transport for London gets a further Government subsidy

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) will receive around £1.7billion

SIDELINES

Ivanhoe Line campaigner dies

East-West rolling stock procurement gets underway

THE East West Railway Company (EWRC) has entered a

DfT prepares for Direct Awards

THE DfT has begun to prepare for 10 direct awards

OBITURARIES

A RETIRED Army major who enjoyed a second career as

Highland Chieftain nameplate bought for record amount

THE sale of seven nameplates once carried by LNER HSTs

Hull and Grand Central suspend services

THE two East Coast open access operators - Hull Trains

Paxman’s diesel engine factory closes

PAXMAN diesel engines have been assigned to Britain’s

TOCs reduce some services in November

FEWER than expected passenger numbers led to most train

Bank Holiday engineering to disrupt WCML in 2021

NETWORK Rail has announced engineering projects will

SIDELINES

FIRE involving scrap tyres at a go-kart track next

IT’S AS EASY AS… 1 3 2

Train operator TransPennine Express has completed the introduction of three new types of train, a pledge made when it retained its franchise.

THE MIDDLETON RAILWAY ALWAYS A LEADER

In 2020, the Middleton Railway commemorated its pioneering role in the establishment of railway preservation back in the 1960s. Oliver Edwards looks at the history of the railway, its rolling stock and its future.

Driving through the changes on the ECML

In this final instalment, covering more than 40 years as a train driver on the East Coast Main Line, Newcastle-based Mick Ingledew tells Fraser Pithie about the period from National Express to LNER and the introduction of the ‘Azuma’ trains.

Destination Bala!

The narrow gauge Bala Lake Railway in Mid-Wales has long held an ambition to extend its services from its current terminus into the heart of Bala town itself. This goal is now within touching distance as Gary Boyd-Hope discovered.

A BRIEF GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER…

The RM’s annual spooky story comes from the pen of Russell P Carrof

CENTENARY OF UNKNOWN WARRIOR’S LAST JOURNEY

Last month marked the centenary of the return of the body of the Unknown Warrior, who is buried in Westminster Abbey. Keith Fender tells this poignant story.

The CHRISTMAS GIFT THAT ARRIVES EVERY MONTH

Treat a friend (or yourself!) to their favourite magazine subscription this Christmas. Check out our fantastic range below, there’s something for everyone!

FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

Pullman cars on display

The RCTS: then and now

RARELY a volume of the Railway Observer passes without

Railways in Parliament

BARONESS Kennedy of Cradley asked Her Majesty’s Government

Panorama

Panorama is brought to you in association with Porterbrook

CHRISTMASGIFTGUIDE

ByMGBall

Reader Services

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Steam & Heritage

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Industrial Steam

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Steam Portfolio

Single-chimney ‘King’ No. 6023 King Edward II is seen

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Stock Update

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Traction Portfolio

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TRAINS of thought

This issue of Steam Days sees us enter a new and exciting

Hest Bank Where the West Coast main line meets the sea

Situated on Morecambe Bay just three miles north of Lancaster,Barry C Lanerecalls happy visits to this station, firstly in 1954 and then regularly throughout the remaining steam years, the location becoming increasingly popular with trainspotters towards the latter days of steam.

Lostwithiel to St Blazey and back A branch and main line ‘circular’

Stanley C Jenkins MAprovides a travelogue style account of the no longer possible round-trip from Lostwithiel that traversed the branch lines of Fowey and the southernmost section of the Newquay line, and then returned from St Blazey station via Par and the main line.

STEAM DATS In Colour

191: Inter-regional trains to Kent and Sussex

The 1948 Locomotive Exchanges The express classes

A process of evaluation through ten weeks of operation across four regions and involving five classes and ten individual locomotives,Andrew Wilsonexamines the tests and outcome of the passenger designs used in the 1948 exchanges.

The Peterhead Harbour of Refuge Railway

A safe haven from the worst North Sea conditions,Keith Jonesreveals the railway story behind the construction for a Harbour of Refuge, a 70-year project that included the use of hard labour at a prison yard and quarry, and a passenger service to take convicts between these two sites

Tail Lamp

Sir: It may be wondered by some why the relatively