Royal Mail Midlands hub opens

‘Castle’ Centenary

After being withdrawn in May 1960, first-built ‘Castle’

‘Jacobite’ service suspended after concerns over door locking safety

The twice daily‘Jacobite’ steam train between Fort William and Mallaig was suspended from July 15 after safety concerns were uncovered by an inspector from the Office of Rail and Road.

€300million already spent on Metro North despite no actual construction yet

ALMOST €300 million has been spent on the

£30million awarded for two new railway ‘centres of excellence’

Funding will help establish‘world-leading’ research facilities in East Yorkshire and South Wales.

Last call to book on The Railway Magazine charity ‘Deltic’ railtour

THERE is still time to book on The

SIDELINES

Class 58s down to 10 WITH the recent

IDRS reports a year of progress

Much has happened on the project to re-create LMS diesel No. 10000 since its donor Class 58 frame was lifted and turned one year ago.

Backlash against Government’s mass ticket office closure plan

13 operators plan to close up to 1,000 ticket offices across England and cut 2,000 jobs.

Argument for more open access operators moves forward

Hull Trains has been running open access services

Battery future for ex-LNR Class 230s?

GWR takes delivery of former Marston Vale Vivarail units after purchasing them at scrap value.

10 MINUTES 10 QUESTIONS

Steven Knight puts flamboyant transport designer Ray Stenning

Railways in Parliament

Closure consultations WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols is

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PUTTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT (RM JUN-JUL)

■THE article on the preservation of a Class

Felixstowe freight

CONGRATULATIONS to John Heaton and GBRf for the

Final‘King’

The RM arrives here in Perth, Western Australia,

MEETINGS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2 Enfield Transport Circle. Enfield Drill

FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

100 YEARS AGO AUGUST 1923 Britain’s fastest train

The RCTS: then and now

Britain’s leading Railway Society

Panorama

TEBAY RESTART: A heavy downpour greets ‘Jubilee’ No.

QUIET BETWEEN TRAINS

Books, videos and other items for possible review

DISCOVERING AMAZING WOMEN BY RAIL – 2 LIVERPOOL LIME STREET TO WATFORD JUNCTION

BOOK 1 was launched in 2018 covering the

Reader Services

How to order a subscription Have your RM

Prize crossword

Where is it?

Our pictorial quiz, for fun only

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Competition to build and run HS2 link begins

The search is underway for a firm that can design, supply and operate the 1.4 mile automated people mover link in the West Midlands.

Piecing viaduct together

WORK is underway to assemble HS2’s Thame Valley

WATERLOO MARKS ITS 175TH ANNIVERSARY

Britain’s busiest station is celebrating a milestone year, as Chris Milner reports.

THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO

Still climbing ‘halfway to the stars’, San Francisco’s cable cars have survived natural disaster and political animosity to reach their 150th year, as Tom Ingall reports.

A CLASS ABOVE

Celebrating the GWR’s ‘Castle’ Class, which entered service 100 years ago this month.

On named trains

‘Castles’ are strongly associated with the famous ‘Cheltenham Flyer’ but, being among the most powerful GWR locomotives, they also handled many other prestigious named trains, as this selection shows.

‘CASTLE’ CENTENARY

FCILT analyses some ‘Castle’ Class performances from the

Off the beaten track

A series of railtours towards the end of the British Railways steam era in the 1960s took No. 7029 Clun Castle away from its usual GWR/Western Region stamping grounds.

‘Castles’ footplate tales

Gareth Evans talks to three individuals about their experiences of operating ‘Castles’ on main line and heritage sectors – and looks at the current status of the seven surviving members of the class.

Through the decades

We delve into the archives to illustrate ‘Castles’ at work over their first 100 years.

TRACKRECORD

The Railway Magazine news digest

‘T3’ moves under its own power!

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Management changes

TAKING SHAPE AT SHEFFIELD PARK: The project to

The 10 to 10 to Tenterden

ON selected dates this summer, the Kent &

Lakes traffic

AS the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway was about

Drive for £10

EAST Somerset Railway is offering ‘Driver for a

Pannier milestone

THE overhaul of GWR 0-6-0PT No. 7754 at

SIDELINES

Sir Nigel Gresley trips LNER ‘A4’ Pacific A4

NG DIARY

Aug 5-6 West Lancashire Light Railway summer gala

Gearing up for autumn steam gala season

Visiting locos set to provide variety at a host of heritage line enthusiast events.

Pendennis helps pull in crowds for steam gala

THE Epping Ongar Railway is celebrating its most

Tender decision made for Toddington BR Standard

TODDINGTON Standard Locomotive Limited (TSLL), owner of BR

‘Priority’ overhaul for ‘Q’

MAUNSELL ‘Q’ 0-6-0 No. 30541 left the Bluebell

DIARY

Aug 2, 9, 16,23, 30 Ribble Steam Railway:

Crewe commemorated

Exhibition at Crewe Heritage Centre celebrates anniversary of

Erlestoke Manor’s return is celebrated

No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor is at Bishops Lydeard

New Peterborough heritage gateway station plans progress

THE project to reconstruct a historic station building

New homes for ‘really useful’ wagons

HERITAGE WAGONS TRACK RECORD

Thomas takes shape

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

No. 5 to return to action

Lambton Locomotive Trust to restore 0-6-2T at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

SINGLE LINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Russell returns to WHR metals for centenary

Celebrations dampened by rain and failure of newly restored Baldwin ‘590’

Gowrie funding support enables production of cylinder patterns

THE Gowrie Locomotive Trust, which is constructing new-build

Corris new-build Falcon enters final phase of construction

CORRIS Railway’s new-build Falcon 0-4-2ST No. 10 which

Further sales news from Beeches LR auction

IN addition to securing Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR)

Dundee Gasworks No. 2 chassis assembled for tests at Beamish museum

THE chassis of Kerr, Stuart 0-4-0WT 721/1901 Dundee

Major Lister gathering planned for 2024

COMING UP WITH THE GOODS: Talyllyn Railway’s Fletcher,

Sir Drefaldwyn hauls first passenger train in nearly a quarter of a century

S F Belge 0-8-0T (ex-No. 699.01) No. 10

SINGLE LINES

■ BRESSINGHAM Steam Museum is holding a minigala

Railways to be reviewed

Manx 150 celebrations commence – as does public consultation.

Groudle Glen Railway appeal to overhaul Walrus

GROUDLE Glen Railway (GGR) has launched an appeal

‘Levelling Up’ grant to finance new LCLR station

CONSTRUCTION of a station at Lincolnshire Coast Light

Dual gauge gala

‘Audience participation’ in Eastleigh Lakeside special event.

12¼in gauge loco exchanges

A post-event ‘seminar’ of the Littlehampton gala’s three

Treasure Hunt

We all love a summer read, and we’ve

Steam Portfolio

STEAM ON THE MOORS North Eastern Locomotive Preservation

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

‘Coronation’ tram preparations continue

Cracked brake block slows progress with getting Blackpool No. 304 in traffic.

Is a Kent farm the ‘new Coventry’ for EMUs?

With few heritage railways prepared to accept vintage electric multiple units, finding homes for such historic and technically interesting vehicles has always been a challenge.

DIARY

AUGUST 4-6 Caledonian Railway diesel gala 4-6 Spa

KWVR’s diesel gala was well worth attending

Two main line locos appeared at the KWVR’s

SIDELINES

Two Brush Type 2s on the move CLASS

‘Hymek’ back in action

East Lancashire Railway-based diesel-hydraulic makes welcome return to

Isle of Wight’s essential personnel carriers refurbished

KNOWN by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Hydraulics in focus as SVR announces the ‘Autumn Diesel Bash – The Magnificent Seven’

THE Severn Valley Railway’s September 28-October 1 diesel

Thursday DMU trips on Great Central’s Mountsorrel branch

EVERY Thursday throughout August the Great Central Railway

Isle of Wight Class 483 project is back on track

The scene at Holliers Park, Isle of Wight

Classic Traction Portfolio

OLD OAK RE-CREATED: Doing a very passable impression

Pathfinder plans S&C steam special

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

‘Rare track’ in the East

‘Anglian Angel’ tour to visit Potters at Ely and Middleton Towers branch.

Steam Dreams announces Christmas tour programme

WHILE many are enjoying summer, thoughts for tour

Scottish push-pull set returning to Inverness

THE award-winning former Locomotive Services Group ScotRail Class

‘Hoover’ pair head to Edinburgh to help celebrate 100 Class 50 railtours

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: ‘Merchant Navy’ 4-6-2 No. 35018 British

BOOKING CONTACTS

MP – Midland Pullman 0800 038 5360 NENTA

NOTES

■ Please note that advertised traction, routes, times

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Improvements for Ebbw Vale

WORK on a £70m project to upgrade the

Transport Minister signs off Dawlish sea wall project

£80m scheme to protect main line from sea officially opened.

Ryde Pier line reopens

TRAIN services between Ryde Esplanade and Pier Head

Trent Valley upgraded

A NINE-day closure of the West Coast Main

Contractor appointed for Troon rebuild

NETWORK Rail has appointed AmcoGiffen as the main

£34m Thanet Parkway opens

A NEW station in Kent, Thanet Parkway, opened

Hope Valley loop progress

CONSTRUCTION of a new passing loop in the

Lost Frank Hornby plaque returned to Lime Street

A LONG-lost plaque marking the birthplace of engineer

Cable theft arrests double

WITH the theft of metal, particularly cables, still

Scottish footbridge plans submitted

NETWORK Rail (NR) has applied to Dumfries and

Freight scope for Bow Yard reinvigoration

Network Rail highlights potential to broaden the role of one of London’s largest railheads.

DB Cargo on track with British rail order for Belgium

TRACK manufactured by British Steel in Scunthorpe, for

Rail financial incentive available for deep sea container customers

LOGISTICS provider DP World, which operates rail-linked deep

Investigation into Bulwell derailment

RAIB looks into circumstances after Nottingham tram leaves tracks and collides with overhead line support pole.

Eleven more DLR trains ordered

No. 201, one of 54 new trains being

NEW DEPOT CONTROL GOES

LIVE: Control of movements at the Tyne &

Another dip in Metro reliability

STADLER has apologised to Tyne & Wear Metro

Class 730/0 ‘Aventra’ put on display at MK Central

West Midlands Railway gives preview of new three-car electric multiple unit.

SIDELINES

Hitachi TPE Nova 1 contract extended HITACHI Rail’s

Time called on Nova 3s to Cleethorpes – and cracks found on coaches

ROYAL HIGHNESS: Crossing the 65ft high, 43-arch Grade

CELEBRATING RAILWAY HISTORY

MAJOR ANNIVERSARIES: On June 23 (left) TransPennine Express

Carlisle Power Signal Box half-century marked

Direct Rail Services Class 66 named as part of 50th anniversary celebrations.

SWR ‘confident’ about Class 701 performance

SOUTH Western Railway says it is “increasingly confident”

WAGON REPORT

ROBEL Bahnbaumaschinen in Germany has supplied eight type

Stock Update

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Operations

Call: 01507 529589 email: railway @ mortons.co.uk Your

Operations

Trains on the North Wales Coast were affected

IÉ’s recovery continues

Annual report for state-owned operator shows a small financial surplus and year-on-year increase in passengers numbers.

Foynes reconstruction sees more track removed

WORK on rebuilding the Foynes line continues, and

Steam railroad reopens line after 38 years

Completion of civil engineering repairs to flood damage allows services to resume over full length of West Virginian route.

‘Flirts’ planned for Lithuania

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Honolulu Metro section opens

THE first 17.7km section of the Honolulu Metro

Lines re-open in Argentina

TWO railways have re-opened to passengers in the

Rovos Rail expands fleet

Rovos Rail Class 5E1 locos E1105 and E1115

‘Vectron’ Dual Mode works Czech passenger test trains

A Siemens ‘Vectron’ Dual Mode (DM) loco was

Second successful BLS tour in Poland

Veteran PKP electric loco No. EP05-23 with the