The RCTS: then and now

FREIGHT FIGHTS BACK

TRAIN OF THOUGHT Editor ’s Comment DCR’s Cappagh-liveried

Let us know your rail memories

AS I mentioned last month, this is the

‘Exciting programme’ promised for Scotsman

PLANS to mark the centenary of the National

Britannia is back!

BRITISH RAILWAYS ‘7MT’ No. 70000 Britannia has returned

FirstGroup seeks new locos for TPE and GWR

Order could range from 15 to 30 bi-mode locomotives for TransPennine Express, and up to five for GWR ‘Night Riviera’ services

Class 197s authorised for use by Transport for Wales

THE Office of Rail & Road has granted

East Kent to be home for Class 365

EMU will be used as restaurant, exhibition and events venue

Dorset Heritage line marks 50th anniversary since closure by BR

The commemorative train formed of Class 117 DMU

‘Tractor’ added to DRS sale list

DIRECT Rail Services has included Class 37 No.

SIDELINES

DfT to cap on-train announcements THE Department for

Business case for Metro ‘loop’ will be developed

South Tyneside-Wearside link could be part of Leamside route renaissance

‘Tractor’ takes EMU for a trip into the Forest!

ROG Class 37 No. 37510 Orion and Class

Luxury carriages begin Irish exit for life elsewhere

THE first of Belmond’s premium Grand Hibernian Mk.3

SIDELINES

KWVR gala update THE Keighley & Worth Valley

Freight recovers to pre-pandemic levels

Intermodal and aggregates traffic are driving growth, with bright futures for all freight operators

Net zero carbon plan published

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

HS2’s ‘net zero’ timeline

■ 2022: First diesel-free construction site, adoption of

Archaeologists make further Roman finds

Wooden figure uncovered in Buckinghamshire and ‘vast trading settlement’ found in Northamptonshire

Railways in Parliament

Fares rises curbed RAIL fares will rise by

Readers’ Platform

Send yo ur letters to: The Railway Magazine,

FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

100 YEARS AGO FEBRUARY 1922 LRO for Fawley

Panorama

Panorama is brought to you in association with porterbrook

EDWARDIAN STEAM

Books, videos and other items for possible review

Model event’s the flower of Scotland

It’s nearly time for one of the show

Prize crossword

£100 worth of Nostalgia Collection books to be won

Where is it?

Our pictorial quiz, for fun only

THE ‘TERRIBLE TWINS’ REVISITED

John Heaton FCILT looks at how Britain’s first main line diesels, the LMSdesigned Co-Co ‘Twins’ Nos. 10000 and 10001, performed on passenger and freight duties on the West Coast Main Line

Viaducts of the S&C

Many readers will have enjoyed travelling over, or photographing, the many viaducts of the Settle & Carlisle, but Dr Joseph Brennan delves a little deeper into the fascinating history of these historic structures

WEST COUNTRY ‘WHISTLERS’

Although Class 40s could reach as far west as Exeter on freights, there have been little more than a handful of known passenger workings to Devon and Cornwall – and these were almost exclusively on railtours, writes Paul Bickerdyke.

BLAENAU ‘CHOPPERS’

Continuing the ‘Then & Now’ railtour theme, 42 years separate the first and most recent visits of Class 20 ‘Choppers’ on charters along the Conwy Valley Line to the former ‘Slate Capital of the World’ at Blaenau Ffestiniog

Southern EMU drags

Andy Flowers looks at the history of loco-powered EMU drags across Southern England, including timetabled services away from the third-rail network and the more impromptu workings during times of bad weather and disruption

SIDELINES

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Didcot donation boosts ‘County’ 4-4-0 project

Handover of parts by Great Western Society effectively means all the major items required to complete new-build Churchward loco are now in place

L&Y saddle tank debuts ‘down south’

ASPINALL ‘23’ class 0-6-0ST No. 752 has ventured

Barry pioneer bows out at Worth Valley

After 10 years of sterling service on the

Bufferbeam ready for fitting to Bury ‘2MT’

VOLUNTEERS from Bury Standard 4 Group continue to

Boiler and chassis work on course for Swanage ‘T3’

WORK to return the Swanage Railway Trust’s LSWR

New wheels for ‘Patriot’

NEW driving wheels will be acquired for LMS

Swede next in line for overhaul

Nene Valley Railway outlines 10-year plan for steam fleet

Pannier boosts SDR fleet

HUGH Shipton’s GWR 0-6-0PT No. 6430 has formally

£200,000 SOS for Didcot ’s historic coal stage

THE Great Western Society (GWS) has launched an

End of the year return for Duke?

BR Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester is

Embsay kick-starts Midland carriages restoration

Built at Derby in 1922, restoration of MR

Appeal signals start of Wymondham upgrade

THE Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) has launched a £12,000

Bridge weight limit leads to ‘42XX’ leaving Bodmin

GWR ‘42XX’ No. 4247 has departed the Bodmin

SIDELINES

Kinlet hopeful of September return GWR ‘Hall’

Bluebell secures SECR ‘O1’

Family sells 0-6-0 after owning it since withdrawal by British Railways in 1963

Wooden coal wagon restored

East Lancashire Railway volunteers bring Edwardian truck back to life in time for anniversary gala weekend

All guns blazing on Minehead fleet!

The latest vehicle to be outshopped is GWR

SIDELINES

Caliban rewheeled in Preston THE Furness Railway

Overhaul of Ring Haw gets underway at Weybourne

M&GN Society to return Nassington Hunslet to steam

January blues as locos bow out in style in the north

THE Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway gave its former

Overhaul progress and new livery for Kilmersdon at the Watercress Line

THE Mid-Hants Railway’s (MHR) contract overhaul of the

Steam Portfolio

KICKING OFF IN STYLE: To celebrate the 100th

Tornado storms before overhaul!

It was full steam ahead at the Great Central Railway in January as the line played host to several photo charters as well as its January 15/16 East Coast Mainline Weekend – the latter being the last opportunity to travel behind No. 60163 Tornado prior to the commencement of its overhaul at the end of the month. The popular ‘A1’ starred alongside members of the home fleet, recreating scenes from the past on a variety of passenger workings, as well as the line’s fleet of finely restored wagons

SINGLE LINES

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Welsh lines combat the Covid-19 effect

Narrow gauge lines approach 2022 with optimism

Talyllyn developments to proceed despite £1.3m lottery funding setback

THE plates for the main frame of near-replica

Planning application for Bala Lake Railway extension submitted

THE planning application to extend Bala Lake Railway

£250,000 ‘All Change At Chirk’ appeal launched

This view of the old Glyn Valley Tramway

More L&BR trackbed acquired by Exmoor Associates

EXMOOR Associates completed the purchase of a further

New Ratty carriage delivered for Christmas

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway’s new carriage following delivery

Rarely seen Rustons

Ruston & Hornsby LBT diesels works No. 496039

Wagon for Wharf narrow to standard gauge display

TALYLLYN Railway (TR) has acquired an ex-LMS five-plank

American 4wBE arrives at Steeple Grange

Garratt K1 worked the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland

SIDELINES

WHR carriage derails in Aberglaslyn Pass WELSH Highland

Hastings now has three steam locos

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Two locomotives join Watford frontline fleet

Steam and diesel traction variety boosts Hertfordshire line

SIDELINES

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Return to service for No. 1858

Early preservation example back in action at the East Anglia Transport Museum

Nexus volunteers work on Beamish Tramway

A Nexus Elevated Work Platform vehicle provides a

Southampton No. 57 saved from scrap threat

A NEW home has been found for Southampton tram No. 57, which would otherwise have faced being scrapped

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Tyseley ‘Whistler ’ moves to Battlefield

After spending more than 30 years at Tyseley, the Leicestershire line is the new home for the only surviving Class 40 never to have run in preservation

Planet loco set for Vale of Berkeley

A PLANET 4wDM diesel, which has been out

Restricted view led to Grosmont ‘20’ crash

THE Rail Accident Investigation Branch’s report into the

SIDELINES

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Pathfinder to run four Cambrian Coast specials

Network Rail ‘Tractors’ to haul excursions along scenic Welsh route

‘Hoovers’ head to Devon

A PAIR of Class 50s will be reunited

LSL Class 87 confirmed for Norwich visit in mid-March

WHAT is believed to be only the second

‘Deltic’ farewell anniversary excursion postponed

A RAILTOUR which was to have marked the

‘Black Fives’ to power ‘Jacobite’ in 2022 as ‘K1’ overhaul gets underway

SCOTSMAN ON THE S&C: Climbing past Blea

SIDELINES

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Christmas infrastructure works completed on schedule

Track, signalling, bridges and wiring upgraded over festive period

Barmouth Bridge reopens after latest stage of revamp

Work on the viaduct taking place, this view

Facelift for Crawley station

A CGI of how the reworked ticket office

Flood protection works carried out on WCML

Sitting on the up line just north of

Seldom used Far North stations get ‘request kiosks’

The eight request to stop kiosks seen together

Petition to return regular services to Edinburgh ‘sub’ route gains traction

A PETITION to reopen the Edinburgh South Suburban

Six-hour stand-off costs Network Rail £1m in delays

A STAND-OFF between British Transport Police and a

SIDELINES

Landport viaduct strengthened LAST month Network Rail engineers

SIDELINES

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Freight traffic returns to Chessington South yard after 30 -year absence

Aggregates services for Cappagh Group follow a year of site work

Penmaenmawr traffic resumes after Hanson investment

AGGREGATES traffic from Penmaenmawr Quarry in North Wales

SIDELINES

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Intensive system testing ahead for new Glasgow Subway fleet

Programme moves forward following initial compatibility trials

Closure for Bank station capacity upgrade work

A 17-week closure of the Northern Line’s Bank

Contract awarded for Mk.4 SDO system

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Energy project at Streatham Hill

OVER 500 solar panels have been installed on

SWR agrees temporary retention of 12 Class 707s

Operator says delayed Class 701 roll-out put pressure on existing fleet

Focus shifts forward for ETCS in-cab signalling

SUCCESSFUL dynamic testing of on board European Train

More Class 37s and 57s in second DRS sale

THREE IN A ROW: Three TransPennine Express Class

Class 387s go into Anglo- Welsh service on GWML

CLASS 156s FOR BARTON: Following the withdrawal of

GBRf gains Colas Class 67s

FORMERLY with Colas Rail Freight, Class 67, Nos.

DRS introduces batter y-electric shunter for Motherwell depot

Zwiehoff machine takes the place of a diesel locomotive

Class 97 named Dave Berry in memory of Network Rail manager

One of Network Rail’s fleet of four former

WAGON REPORT

■ TOUAX Rail continues to accept batches of

Stock Update

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Operations

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Go ahead given for expansion of DART

Alstom wins 750 vehicle order for Dublin Area Rapid Transit

Reconstruction of cabin and track at Maam Cross begins

WORK commenced before Christmas on the reconstruction of

Egypt modernises its rail networks

Investment in new high-speed rail and metro infrastructure, plus rolling stock backed by multiple national governments from across the globe, all while ‘Class 66 clones’ are currently not in traffic

Battery train world record

STADLER set a new world record for battery

Electrification of German Südbahn route goes live

ELECTRIC operation of the Südbahn line in southern

Abellio loses most of its German rail contracts

ABELLIO, which was the second biggest operator of

Australian diesel back in pre-Privatisation livery

No. Y 127 in its new livery, seen

Winter steam-hauled excursion to Siena

ITALIAN state railway heritage foundation FS Italiane Foundation

New Czech double-deckers begin to enter service

Driving trailer No. 72 001 (propelled by loco