Return to service this year for Blackpool No. 279

RAIL PHOTOGRAPHY IS ALIVE AND WELL

The overall winning shot is featured on our

Trio of storms cause rail chaos

Three back-to-back storms in February brought major disruption to the rail network, including a total shutdown in Wales at one point, affecting the travel plans of millions of passengers

Passenger train derailment narrowly avoided after track washed out

A POTENTIALLY serious derailment of a Class 755

NR chief: IRP is a huge opportunity

The announcement of investment in the railways is welcome, but there is still a lot of work to do to make the most of it, says head of Network Rail Andrew Haines

SIDELINES

Rail Usage Stats THE Office of Rail and

Mid-spring start for TPE Class 68s to Cleethorpes

First TPE diagrams will follow the May timetable change, with more from December

GWR signs deal for Vivarail battery unit trial

The Greenford branch in West London will see the first test of a new fast charging battery system in a ‘real world’ operational setting

SIDELINES

‘Peak’ first for Swanage gala THE Swanage Railway

Chiltern ‘HybridFLEX’ unit goes into passenger service

Diesel/battery hybrid will help lower emissions in station areas

Light rail subsidies ‘vital’

DISCUSSIONS between Transport for London and the Government

‘Green’ steam coal on the standard gauge

ISLAND LINE FLEET COMPLETE: The fifth and final

Scottish Government takes control of ScotRail franchise

After 25 years of private sector operations, rail services in Scotland are due to come under the control of a public company owned by the Scottish Government on April 1

SIDELINES

Return of women-only carriages? SCOTLAND’S new Transport Minister

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Crewe-Manchester Bill introduced to Parliament

Transport Secretary says start of legislative process marks ‘landmark moment’

Production begins at bridge segment factory

An aerial shot of the temporary factory set

Revised plans submitted for Automated People Mover

PLANS for an Automated People Mover (APM) that

Railways in Parliament

East Yorkshire delight CREWE and Nantwich MP Dr

THE RAIL OMBUDSMAN

Paul Bickerdyke visits the headquarters of the Rail Ombudsman in Stevenage to find out more about its role in dispute resolution

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE

Enjoy 12 months for just £44

Readers’ Platform

STAR LETTER More on Southern Drags YOUR article

MEETINGS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 Huddersfield Railway Circle. Town Hall,

FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

100 YEARS AGO MARCH 1922 First LNWR push-pull

The RCTS: then and now

Britain’s leading Railway Society

Panorama

Panorama is brought to you in association with porterbrook

LONDON’S GREAT RAILWAY STATIONS & LONDON’S RAILWAY TERMINI

■ London’s Great Railway Stations By Oliver Green,

The Vale of Rheidol Railway in Detail

Compiled from the railway’s official archives

The life and times of D212 Aureol

THE author is chairman of the Class 40

All aboard! Remembering Britain’s Railways

THE author is well known for his coffee-table

Reader Services

How to order a subscription Have your RM

Prize crossword

£100 worth of Nostalgia Collection books to be

Where is it? Our pictorial quiz, for fun only

LAST month’s photo by Chris Milner (right) shows

East Coast snapshots

John Heaton FCILT chooses three notable East Coast Main Line runs to illustrate how performance has changed from the Edwardian age (and the early days of The Railway Magazine) to more recent ‘New Elizabethan’ times

HOW A ‘ROYAL’ EMU WAS SAVED

Howard Johnston explains his last-minute rescue of a Class 365 from the scrapyard, meaning the East Kent Railway is now home to one of The Queen’s favourite trains

YOUNG RAILWAY PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2022

Entries in this major new competition organised by the Railway Photographic Society (Rail Camera Club) identified a fantastic wealth of talented young railway photographers

Could you find time to help a railway?

The Covid-19 pandemic has perhaps been the biggest

BEHIND THE SCENES AT CHILTERN

Phil Marsh speaks to former Chiltern Railways boss Adrian Shooter about his new book, covering his time in charge of what’s widely regarded as one of the best franchised operators

TENDER FIRST ‘A4s’

Before the end of steam in 1968, it was rare to see any of the top locomotive classes running tender first with a train in tow. These two shots of ‘A4s’ have recently surfaced in our archive, but does any reader know of similar workings?

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

City of Wells is now bought and paid for!

Project to return LMS ‘Crab’ locomotive to steam at the East Lancashire Railway is “very much alive,” chairman tells The RM.

‘A4’ celebrates preservation milestone

LNER ‘A4’ Pacific No. 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley

Britannia tested ahead of main line return

Proving to railway modellers that there is a

Minehead here we come!

WEST Somerset Railway trains will operate between Bishops

Lakeside Ivatt takes shape

THE overhaul of the Beet family’s BR ‘2MT’

Blue Peter boiler progress

WORK to return ‘A2’ Pacific No. 60532 Blue

First wheels cast for ‘B17’

THE casting of the 6ft 8ins driving wheels

Dartmouth SR purchases Buckfastleigh’s 2-8-0s

Popular coastal heritage line reveals current steam fleet plans to The RM.

Good news for Sir Lamiel paves way for 2025 centenary celebrations

THE project to return National Railway Museum-owned SR

Pendennis Castle to be relaunched at Didcot

BACK BEFORE LONG: SECR ‘H’ No. 263 hauled

A royal colourful combination for SVR

THE Severn Valley Railway (SVR) is to temporarily

SIDELINES

Cambrian extension CAMBRIAN Heritage Railways (CHR) is due

DIARY

March 11-13 Keighley & Worth Valley Railway: Steam

Mixed traction set for Llangollen

Corwen extension opening and pannier return hopes for this year

Embsay is your Oyster!

Versatile LMS brake van restored to its former glory

MGR donation boosts Chasewater fleet

No. HAA 351207 has a local Staffordshire connection.

Two visiting locos set for Quainton Road event

COMPILED BY GARY BOYD-HOPE Your reports and pictures

Lord Phil overhaul underway at Butterley

WORK on the overhaul of Grinsty Holdings’ Hunslet

One in, one out, at Whitwell & Reepham celebratory gala

Agecroft No. 3 makes its debut as Victory bows out… for now

March return for Yeovil’s Pectin

YEOVIL Railway Centre’s Peckett ‘M5’ 0-4-0ST Pectin (1579/1921)

Steam Portfolio

FROSTY FREIGHT: BR ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 No. 78018 passes

SINGLE LINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

A new home sought for historic Fire Queen

National Trust review finds loco lacks Penrhyn quarry or castle connection

LCLR restoring ex-Nocton Estate ‘Queen Mary’ coach

LINCOLNSHIRE Coast Light Railway (LCLR) volunteers hope to

Ogwen debut at Statfold’s ‘Last Days of Penrhyn Steam’ weekend

STATFOLD Barn Railway’s March 19/20 Enthusiast Weekend will

SINGLE LINES

Winter sun shines on Exmoor Steam Railway-built 0-4-0TT

Volunteers assume control of Hayling Light Railway

HAYLING Light Railway is now managed and operated

Douglas Horse Trams to run over truncated route – no plans for full reinstatement

CONCERNS over whether Douglas Bay Horse Tramway will

Sutton Collection returns to Birmingham

STANDARD gauge train operator Vintage Trains has acquired

Civic opening for Leighton Buzzard’s deviation

THE first public Leighton Buzzard Railway (LBR) train

Sybil’s new boiler in the frames

THE new boiler made for Sybil Locomotive Trust’s

New owners for Ferry Meadows Railway

Former Drayton Manor Rio Grande 2-8-0PH returns to action in time for season

Upgrade work progress at Heaton Park depot

Resurfacing nears completion as tramway prepares for next projects and events

Great Orme tram and track refurbishment

GREAT Orme tramcars St Trillo and St Tudno

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

DIARY

Note: all subject to Covid-19 restrictions in force

Pioneer ‘Syphon’ heads for working life at GCR

Five-year loan deal will see No. 6700 return to passenger action

Ride the pier tram this season

The restored Drewry diesel tram is now available

Types 2 and 4 ready for action!

MAIN line diesel haulage is expected to be

‘Teddy Bear’ moves to new home

HST TOUCH DOWN: HST power car No. 43056

Clan Line to mark 50th anniversary of final ‘Golden Arrow’

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

SIDELINES

Railtour date changes PATHFINDER’S ‘Pennine Wayfarer’ tour, which

A ‘Peak’ to Paignton!

Hopes for first ‘Peak’ railtour in more than 20 years – dates also earmarked for ‘Deltic’ main line excursions

Steam Dreams plans Brooklands steam re-creation

STEAM Dreams and the Brooklands Museum have joined

Class 37 SRPS tour to Strathspey gala

‘TUG’ IN THE VALLEYS: DB Cargo Class 60

Vintage Trains launches new programme

RAILTOUR offerings from Vintage Trains up until June

Tickets on sale for charity Platinum Jubilee special

A STRIKING COMBINATION: LMS ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0 No. 5690

BOOKING CONTACTS

IC – InterCity 0800 038 5364 MP –

COVID-19

■ NOTE: This list was current at the

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

New plans submitted for Forth Bridge tours

Revised planning application takes account of public consultation for new visitor attraction at world-famous iconic structure

Levenmouth branch worksites fenced off

AS WORK to reinstate the Levenmouth Rail Link

OLE masts appear at Market Harborough

IN PREPARATION for the electrification of the Midland

Tilt meter trial for landslips

NETWORK Rail is trialling a monitoring system which

Royal Border Bridge to get repairs

Class 91 No. 91119 heads north across the

Work begins on new station in Bristol

CONSTRUCTION of a new railway station to connect

SIDELINES

TfW pilot scheme for convenience store ticket sales

Services recommence on Covid-19 hit lines

WEST Midlands Railway (WMR), which suspended services on

ScotRail adds more services

AS PART of the recovery of the railway

DRS signs threeyear Tesco deal

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

PM visits raillinked quarry

THE Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Secretary of

Beacon Rail buys FFA-G fleet

LEASING company Beacon Rail has announced it is

Trial Devon to Wales working moves 400 tonnes of timber

Euroforest considers rail options for more regular movements

Additional service between Felixstowe and BIFT

MARITIME Transport says the introduction of a third

TOYOTA TEST RUN

HITESH PARMAR Ahead of an official launch which

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Birmingham city centre tram services resume

West Midlands Metro is now operational along the full route from Bull St to Library following a six-month absence

Storm Malik causes Tyne & Wear Metro disruption

A MAJOR operation was launched following damage caused

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

First Class 18 begins three-month GBRf trial

Clayton-built locos replacing conventional diesels on freight yard duties

Sheffield factory to supply ‘Aurora’ parts

ENGLISH ELECTRIC CONVOY: An unusual sight at Kiveton

Southeastern ‘CityBeam’ unit named

Rail minister Wendy Morton, Mr Brokenshire’s wife Cathy

Angel acquires Readypower Group

ROLLING stock leasing firm Angel Trains has acquired

Class 175 refurbishment programme completed

Work on all 27 ‘Coradia’ units was part of £40 million of improvements to existing TfW trains

WAGON REPORT

■ LORAM UK in Derby has completed conversion

Stock Update

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Operations

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Business case for Derry phase 3 to look at more stations

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Study to look at returning rail to Armagh commissioned

AECOM has been appointed by Armagh City, Banbridge

Track upgrade backed

Minister supports completing the relaying of Limerick-Ballybrophy line with continuously welded rail

141 Class roars back to life at Whitehead depot

AFTER a serious engine failure in late 2019,

RPSI steam and diesel tours to resume this spring

THE Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s Dublin Area

New Zealand passenger trains face axe

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Talgos move from Wisconsin to Nigeria!

TWO sets of unused Talgo 8 trains built

Major investment for Argentinian commuters

Russian and Chinese suppliers to upgrade Buenos Aires commuter network

Ex-DB Class 120s in private use with new colours

SEVERAL former DB Class 120 locos are now

River Rhine rewilding scheme threatens future of popular Rhein-Schauen cross-border narrow gauge railway

A unique part-electrified 750mm gauge international railway may close

Closure of California’s ‘Beach Train’ park and ride operation proposed

TRAINS to the seaside resort of Santa Cruz

Qube takes over hauling Victorian steel trains

FOR many years the movement of steel products