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TRAIN OF THOUGHT Editor ’s Comment As a

By Royal appointment

Railways and train travel were an integral part of Queen Elizabeth II’s life throughout her 70-year reign – from trips on the Royal Train to official visits, namings and openings. Karen Richardson and Paul Bickerdyke look back over the highlights as recorded in the pages of The Railway Magazine.

Portraits of Her Majesty

The Queen attended many rail-related events during her long reign – including namings, openings and even cab rides – and the following is just a small selection.

A Baker’s Dozen

John Baker delves into The RM archive and picks out a selection of Royal Train workings covering the Queen’s reign.

WORTHY OF HER NAME

John Heaton FCILT looks at performance on this year’s newly-opened Elizabeth Line, finding a slick operation with much to be admired.

That Friday feeling

With Avanti running a reduced timetable, Locomotive Services has introduced an additional ‘Friday Charter’ from Crewe to Euston and back to Manchester that includes a nonstop run up to London, as John Heaton FCILT describes.

Railway steps up to support mourners for the Queen

Additional trains scheduled and hired, and main termini remained open overnight for passengers travelling to pay respects to the late monarch.

‘Jubilee’ renamed to mark Falklands war anniversary

RSG MAKES STUNNING RETURN: Out of action since

NR power cars complete ETCS tests

Type testing successful for East Coast Main Line digital signalling project.

Closures planned to help East Anglian bridge upgrades

Both: An organised visit to Somerleyton on September

Ryde pier to close for repairs

RYDE Pier is to close to rail traffic

SIDELINES

GWS: No ‘Star’ plans FOLLOWING a board meeting

SIDELINES

Labour pledge to renationalise railways LABOUR’S Shadow Transport

New trains for Britain on show at Berlin’s Innotrans

Biennial ev ent gives chance to see new stock bound for Wales and Merseyside.

University and new rail test centre join forces

THE University of Birmingham’s Centre for Railway Research

Union Pacific stages rare line-up ahead of moves

AMERICA’S Union Pacific Railroad Company has decided to

No easy fix to rail’s challenges

Union disputes continue, the gap between revenues and costs looks set to widen, and anger builds at proposed ticket office closures.

10 MINUTES 10 QUESTIONS

In the first of a new series of ‘quick-fire’ interviews, Steven Knight puts Rail Operations Group’s Neil Bennett under the spotlight.

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Interchange project expected to support 1000 jobs

HS2 station at Solihull heralded as ‘transformational for the Midlands’.

Tunnel’s first crosspassages completed

LATE summer saw HS2 engineers begin the task

CHALKING-UP PROGRESS

THE millionth cubic metre of chalk was laid

Railways in Parliament

GTR revenue hit IN the context of the

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Readers ’ Platform

Send your letters to: The Railway Magazine, Media Centre,

Stirling No. 1 in colour

FURTHER to John Heaton’s article in the September

‘Crompton’ crash mystery

I AM interested if any of my fellow

MEETINGS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5 Pennine Railway Society. Doncaster Town

FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

100 YEARS AGO OCTOBER 1922 August traffic at

The RCTS: then and now

Britain’s leading Railway Society

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BY its own admission, this book aims to

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TRACK RECORD

The Railway Magazine news digest

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Increased energy costs are any thing but electrifying

Heritage lines look at how to mitigate electricity costs – including solar panels.

Bridgnorth Works fit for the future

THE Severn Valley Railway’s locomotive shed at Bridgnorth

Forest ‘Pannier’ on course for 2023 season

STEAMING CLOSER: LBSCR ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No. 72 Fenchurch

SIDELINES

Ardingly on the cards IN advance of a

‘9F’ for Midsomer Norton

Long-term project to restore iconic loco type for Somerset & Dorset line.

L&Y locomotives to be ‘rounded up’ at Bury!

THE East Lancashire Railway’s October 14-16 autumn steam

Hagley Hall relaunched

THE Severn Valley Railway relaunched its flagship steam

Mogul whets appetites

STEAM IN THE SUN: Among the visiting locos

DIARY

October 7-9 Watercress Line: Autumn Steam Gala October

Churchward County forges ahead

New-build No. 3840 County of Montgomery continues to progress on multiple fronts.

Re-creating steam age scenes

East Lancashire Railway volunteers restore tankers to liveries seen at Bury in the days of steam.

NEW CORRESPONDENT

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

SINGLE LINES

■ HUDSWELL 0-6-0ST Slough Estates No. 3 (1544/1919)

Milestone reached

Fundraising for overhaul of Embsay ‘Austerity’ reaches 80% of estimated cost.

Reinshaw reassembly underway

THE Tanfield Railway is coming to the end

Steam Portfolio

STANDARD ON TOUR: Mid-Hants Railway-based BR ‘2MT’ 2-6-2T

Premier stars at Welshpool & Llanfair gala weekend

First ever appearance away from Sittingbourne home.

SINGLE LINES

■ THE Talyllyn Railway ran a special train

DIARY

October 7-9 Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland bygones weekend

Design for planned new WLLR first class carriage unveiled

THE Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (WLLR) has

Alford Valley revival gathers pace after lease is secured

ALFORD Valley Community Railway (AVCR) has confirmed its

Replica FR brine wagon

THE Festiniog Railway Heritage Group is progressing the

New Single-Fairlie Gowrie loco construction gathers momentum

PLATEWORK for the cab, tanks and bunker of

Third NG/G16 passes test and set for WHR service

FFESTINIOG & Welsh Highland Railway’s (Ff&WHR) Garratt NG/

Faith returns to Somerset

John Uphill’s 0-4-2T Faith pulls a Gartell Light

Steam-hauled passenger trains at Westonzoyland

Kerr Stuart 0-4-0ST ‘Wren’ Peter Pan with owner

One-time David Shepherd loco moves from Locomotion to York

EX-CAPE Government Railway No. 390, later South African

Hutchinson boiler returned to SVR for modification

THE new boiler built by Severn Valley Railway

WDLR Baldwin set to return

GRAHAM Fairhurst’s Baldwin 10-12-D 4-6-0T WDLR No. 608

Alan Keef to progress Talyllyn electric loco project

THE two ex-Heathrow Terminal 5 construction project Wingrove

SINGLE LINES

■ TALYLLYN Railway (TR) has vacated the unit

Appeal to restore Quarryman to operation

RAVENGLASS Railway Museum has launched a Just Giving

Electric and muscle power across The Cob

ALCO Mountaineer helps to pull in the funds,

Seven steam at Richmond Light Railway charity event

SEVEN locomotives were steamed for Richmond Light Railway’s

Lincs Coast LR marks 60th anniversary – two years late!

STATFOLD Barn Railway’s Peckett 0-6-0ST Liassic (1632/1923) visited

Poole Park Railway reopens

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Farm line overcomes hurdles

New railway with restored historic locos and stock set to receive the go-ahead from local authority after initial concerns.

Tram repairs progress at Beamish

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

‘Well-earned’ rest beckons for No. 715

Farewell tour for Blackpool heritage fleet stalwart before withdrawal for major overhaul.

Crich needs a road-rail mobile elevating work platform

Glasgow Corporation No. 22 and Liverpool Corporation No.

Class 50 Lion requires a generator repair

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Class 58 Loco Group enters a new phase

With a committee now up to full strength, restoration of Class 58 No. 58016 is back on track with plans to mark the Type 5’s 40th birthday.

‘Baby Deltic’ was Barrow Hill anniversary centrepiece

NEW-BUILD Class 23 Bo-BoDE No. D5910 was posed

Britain’s oldest SG diesel loco hauls its first passengers

KERR, STUART 4421, a six-wheel diesel built in

A bright future for Mid-Norfolk’s Class 117 DMU

THE Class 117 Set L432 Preservation Group, based

£10,000 to view Ivatt Diesel Re-creation’s ‘Big Lift’

New-build No. 10000’s donor loco, No. 58022, was

SIDELINES

Chinnor 31 goes for accident repair CLASS 31

DIARY

October 7-9 Spa Valley Railway mixed traffic weekend

Spa Valley marks its silver jubilee

Diesels locos very much to the fore at the Wealden Railway Co Ltd’s events

GCR diesel gala ‘downgraded’ to a running weekend

THE Great Central Railway’s previously announced September 2-4

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Seats still available on BLS Class 50 specials

Hanson Hall ‘Hoover’ booked to operate to Whitby and Stratford-upon-Avon incorporating ‘rare track’ along the way.

Pathfinder unveils Christmas ‘Deltic’ special

THE main offering from Pathfinder Tours for the

RTC to run Armistice Day charter

Lit by glorious summer sunshine, No. 45596 Bahamas

Troon rebuild options are open for comment

Consultation underway for three options for reconstruction after fire damage.

Railway bridge damaged by burst water main

A BURST water main in east Manchester near

Dry weather results in speed being halved on main line

CHESHIRE SIGNALBOX SHUTS: A BR-era lever signalbox at

SIDELINES

Consultation ends for Waterside Line A PUBLIC consultation

Barmouth viaduct’s £30m upgrade enters final phases

THE final phases of the £30m project to

Steam opening for new East Grinstead footbridge

THE formal opening on September 2 of a

Ilford goes step free

A NEW entrance to Ilford station facing onto

Safety concerns force temporary closure of historic Beverley station footbridge

Former ScotRail Class 170 No. 170455 eases past

Community room opens at Sleaford

SLEAFORD station has benefitted from a £204,000 investment

Black ford freight terminal ready to spring into life

Scotland’s First Minister opens railhead for bottled water traffic.

JNA-X box wagon unveiled

Left: One of the completed JNA-X box wagons.

SIDELINES

New DLR timetable CHANGES to the Docklands Light

Peak rate fares for Heathrow journeys

Higher charges applied to airport travel through Zone 1 as Transport for London looks to generate additional income.

RAIB gives advice after Audenshaw collision

THE Rail Accident Investigation Branch has recommended that

DRS to retain Class 37s for ‘the time being’

Ten Type 3s earmarked for sale, and lease back among heritage locos to be retained, but leased Class 66/3s returned to Beacon Rail.

SIDELINES

End of the line for Class 360/2s FORMER

Ex-managing director’s favourite train

DURING an event at Marylebone station at which

Notes of warning tested

SOUND recordings of train warning horn patterns have

Scottish Hydrogen Train test runs

Converted former Class 314 unit moves under its own power on Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway.

WAGON REPORT

■ BEACON Rail has taken delivery of 46

Stock Update

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Operations

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

€230 million programme to protect Dublin Rosslare line from erosion

A major €230 million climate resilience programme to protect sections of the Dublin to Rosslare rail line from the effects of climate change has been launched by Iarnród Éireann.

Vegetation clearance starts on Foynes line

AS PART of the plans to reopen the

First items of broad gauge stock arrives at Maam Cross

THE Connemara Railway at Maam Cross received the

Operations on narrow gauge peat railways continue to wind down

Below: On September 5, No. LM422 departs from

First intermediates are delivered from Korea

IARNRÓD Éireann (IÉ) took delivery of the first

New timetable proposes more commuter services

Nos. 29121 + 29120 arrive at Dundalk Platform

German main line closes for seven year rebuild

Key rail link between Denmark and Germany to be modernised by 2030.

CAF wins Boston light rail order

BOSTON public transport operator Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Diesels from Durango

The 3ft (914mm) gauge Durango & Silverton Narrow

New Zealand bids farewell to ex Australian DMUs

The DMU farewell train formed of Nos. ADC852+ADL802

Battery loco for Thailand

CHINESE rail manufacturer CRRC Dalian has delivered a

EMD locos in the Gulf

ETIHAD Rail, operator of the new national rail