Rail review: The emperor’s new clothes?

So there we have it. The Williams-Shapps has

Time is right for a change

IT MAY come as a surprise to some

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Editor ’s Comment

Irish Rail announces preferred supplier for DART new trains order

IRISH Rail has selected Alstom as the preferred

Shapps announces ‘rail revolution’

DESCRIBED as“the biggest change to the railways in

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

Great British Railways GREAT British Railways will be

SIDELINES

Scotrail conductor retires after 42 years OBAN-BASED conductor

Gareth and Graeme join The RM team

JOINING The Railway Magazine team are Gareth Evans

Cracks in Hitachi IET sets lead to mass cancellations

TWO major long distance operators, GWR and LNER,

Data guides Northern Class 195/331 solution

AN interim solution has been agreed to deal

Cracks discovered in Class 68 ETS module at Chiltern

ROUTINE inspection has revealed a crack in the

Station roof collapses suddenly at Northwich

THE collapse, without warning, of a wall and

TfL secures funding extension

TRANSPORT for London’s funding deal with the Government,

Okehampton route on track

TRACK laying has been completed on the Dartmoor

After 100-year gap... Avanti brings back three classes

THREE-class trains were reintroduced to the British rail

PRESERVATION MOURNS ALAN MOORE CBE

ALAN Moore CBE died peacefully following a long

FirstGroup signs National Rail Contracts for TPE and SWR

FIRSTGROUP is the first operator to sign new

Nova 1 visits CLC Line

THE CLC (Cheshire Lines Committee) route between Liverpool

Darlington station images revealed

An artist’s impression showing the new station building

Crossrail trial running gets underway in central London with four trains per hour

FOUR trains per hour have been operating through

Eurostar agrees new financing deal

EUROSTAR announced in mid-May that after months of

Island Line Class 483 arrives at Havenstreet

FORMER Island Line Class 483 unit No. 483007

GBRf wants proposed ‘freight evangelist’ to push for growth

GB Railfreight (GBRf) has called for the new

Northern Class 769 bimode finally in service

THE first Class 769 bi-mode units, modified from

Derailment blocks key line

THE derailment of an engineering train just before

Viaduct collapse kills 26 and injures 70 others on Mexico City Metro

A VIADUCT collapsed on Mexico City’s Metro Line

BRITISH DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES AND THE CUBAN REVOLUTION

With news of the impending closure of the famous Brush Works at Loughborough, Chris West provides a timely and fascinating reminder of the British locomotives involving Brush, which were built for Cuban railways

CLASS 58s: NOT JUST FREIGHT LOCOS

The fleet of 50 Class 58s had a short life, spent mostly working freight trains, but they also worked a fair few passenger trains over their 18 years in service.  Pip Dunn looks back at their Class 1 history

FIRST CITY FLYERS

In this month’s Practice and Performance, John Heaton FCILT analyses some of the fastest commuter services from London termini to stations accessible using Oyster cards

HS2 DIVIDING LINE OR UNIFICATION POINT?

Most readers will have a view on the controversial HS2 project, be it one that can visualise the benefit of moving trains to a dedicated line, or that it’s an utter waste of money and a blight on the environment. Phil Marsh makes an exclusive visit to an HS2 protest camp and talks to a protestor in what is a revealing insight

FROM ENTHUSIAST TO MANAGING DIRECTOR

PART  1

FAREWELL TO HSTs ON THE MIDL AND MAIN LINE

For almost 39 years, InterCity 125 trains have been a staple of services on the Midland Main Line between Leeds, Sheffield, the East Midlands and London. Editor Chris Milner looks at the range of liveries carried by the power cars between 1982 and 2021

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Readers’ Platform

Send your letters to: The Railway Magazine, Media

FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

classicmagazines.co.uk/rmarchive 100 YEARS AGO JUNE 1921 The New

The RCTS: Then and now

THE pandemic has seen a vast drop in

Prize crossword

£100 worth of Nostalgia Collection books to be won

SIDELINES

Bitton break-in A NUMBER of specialists parts were

Summer reopening for Llangollen?

Call: 01507 529589 email: gevans@ mortons.co.uk Your reports

Eddystone makes Swanage return after £350k overhaul

‘West Country’class Bulleid Pacific No. 35028 Eddystone is

‘Black Five’ duo among North Yorkshire Moors 2021 steam line-up

Ian Riley’s LMS ‘Black Five’No. 44871 passes Moorgate

Volunteers sought to help progress Fairburn overhaul

The overhaul of No. 42085, one of the

SIDELINES

Bridgnorth upgrade THE Severn Valley Railway has launched

West Somerset plc board rejects charity restructure

THE West Somerset Railway plc board has dismissed

‘Heavy freight’ reaches frame milestone

THE major overhaul of GWR ‘2884’ 2-8-0 No.

New South Devon general manager

Ernie will take up his new role in

Wheel progress is made on County of Montgomery

Living up to its name: With colourful flora

Strathspey ‘Black Five’ back in action!

After repainting in its original LMS livery, No.

SIDELINES

Workshop open days THE G5 Locomotive Company is

Best practice celebrated in HRA industry awards

THE preservation movement showcased its plethora of achievements

ORR launches risk management tool tailored for heritage railways

DOUBLE-HEADED DELIGHT AT CRANMORE: A week after it

Volunteers back on Duke of Gloucester

WITH the resumption of working parties in a

Midsomer Norton wagon fleet strengthened

THE Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust (SDRT) at

SIDELINES

Kerr, Stuart well tank moves to Barry BILL

Unique four-coupled Manning, Wardle goes on the market

COMPILED BY GARY BOYD-HOPE Call: 01507 529589 email: peckett2012 @

Beamish celebrates 150 years of resident Coffee Pot

INDUSTRIAL steam on two gauges was the centrepiece

1953-built 0-6-0STs return in Staffordshire

THE Chasewater and Foxfield railways were both preparing

EX-MARSTONS BREWERY LOCO ON THE CUSP OF LONG-AWAITED FOXFIELD COMEBACK

THE long-awaited return to steam of Hawthorn Leslie

Empress leads Blaenavon line’s reopening weekend

THE Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway ran its first

First moves for Hastings following half a century

MIKE Hart’s Hunslet 0-6-0ST Hastings (469/1888) made its

Steam Portfolio

Carrying an appropriate headboard, BR Standard ‘4MT’2-6-4T No.

SIDELINES

COMPILED BY GARY BOYD-HOPE Call: 01507 529589 email: peckett2012 @

RPSI Mogul recreation continues despite pandemic disruption

THE Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s (RPSI) activities

Full timetable is reintroduced on Irish Rail network

IARNRÓD Eireann-Irish Rail reintroduced its full timetable on

Lottery grant supports Foyle Valley museum development and upgrade plans

DETAILS of the first phase of a two-year

Narrow Gauge

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TR secures £300k grant contribution to carriage construction

THE Talyllyn Railway (TR) has secured a £300,000 Coastal

Narrow Gauge making a return to ‘normal’?

NOTABLE examples of further lines reopening following coronavirus

Bonnie Dundee makes a return to steam at Cleethorpes

BONNIE DUNDEE returned to Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway

New look set for South Tynedale’s Barber due to safety requirements

SOUTH Tynedale Railway Preservation Society (STRPS) has confirmed

WLLR launches appeal to fund premium dining train

THE Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (WLLR) has

Action returns to Bredgar & Wormshill LR

Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway’s O&K 0-4-0WT Eigiau

SINGLE LINES

■THE East Suffolk Light Railway’s completed extension –

DIARY

NOTE: All subject to Covid-19 restrictions in force

Metro

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T&W depot project enters next phase

WORK on laying new track foundations for the

First new WMM tram is delivered

THE first of eight new‘Urbos’trams for West Midlands

Mayor wants extended Metrolink routes

THE re-elected Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham,

Fatal Croydon crash inquest is underway

A CORONER’S inquest has begun into the fatal

Railways in Parliament

SWR’s 442 upgrades halted EASINGTON MP Grahame Morris

Network

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Miles of damaged sleepers replaced on the WCML

A MAJOR operation was launched over the early

£17m ticket machine installation is now complete

NORTHERN has completed a £17 million scheme to

Work begins on improving ticket gates for summer

WORK got underway at the end of April

Competition winner to formally develop design

EDINBURGH-BASED 7N Architects has won a competition held

£28m rockfall shelter work expected to start in August

An artist’s impression of how the rockfall shelter

Installation at Brading

PICTURE: PHIL MARSH ON THE Isle of Wight,

Major upgrades completed over holiday

THE Bank Holiday weekend at the beginning of

Private sector invited to take a stake in upgrade to telecommunications

NETWORK Rail is inviting the private sector to

Northumberland cuts claim branded ‘scaremongering’

RAIL Minister Chris Heaton- Harris has dismissed reports

Lease agreed for Amlwch line

THE Anglesey Central Railway announced at the end

Public consulted on Ely’s capacity

A SIX-WEEK public consultation began on May 24

Landslip prevention at cutting

BUSES will replace trains between Maidstone East and

Euston access ramp revamp

Architect’s impressions of the planned new-look ramps for

£3.6m bridge lift underway

An image from a surveillance camera showing the

Project will stop erosion

ENGINEERS have begun a six-month project to repair

King’s Cross: Unblocking the Throat

In one of the biggest engineering projects of recent years, Network Rail is remodelling the approaches to London’s King’s Cross station, including reopening the disused third bore of Gasworks Tunnel. With Phase 1 complete and Phase 2 due to end in June, The RM takes an inside look at this impressive scheme with signalling project engineer Joanne Thomas

Archaeologists uncover nine centuries of Bucks history

ARCHAELOGISTS working for HS2 have discovered almost 900

HS2 signs R&D agreement

ON May 14 HS2 Ltd signed an agreement

‘Florence’ launched as Chiltern tunnelling gets underway

THE first of HS2’s giant Tunnel Boring Machines

Curzon Street inspired by past Victorian grand designs

SPANISH joint venture Mace Dragados has been awarded

Freight

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£2.5b benefit to economy, says new rail freight report

A NEW report has concluded that rail freight

Freight chief appointed by Porterbrook

RAIL vehicle management specialist Porterbrook has appointed Mark

Port Talbot coke hauled by DB Cargo

ANEW weekly flow of coke nuts has commenced

Freight revival at Tinsley as new container depot opens

NEWELL & Wright’s container depot on the site

Freightliner hauls record tonnage for Mendip Rail

MARCH 2021 saw Freightliner haul a record volume

Biffa opens Barking waste terminal

In its Biffa livery, No. 66783 The Flying

First ‘Ecofret2’ sets are delivered to GBRf’s new Peterborough HQ

GB Railfreight started to take delivery of its

Bahamas booked for 10 London tours!

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‘Deltic’ haulage on the ECML for Saphos mini break

THE unmistakable sound of a‘Deltic’is set to return

SRPS railtour programme to recommence in style with Tornado in July

THE Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS) has announced

Classic Traction

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SIDELINES

Recreation society catches a ‘Sturgeon’ THE Ivatt Diesel

Public diesel operations are resumed on the SVR

CLASS 40 No. 40106 Atlantic Conveyor is seen

Brake van rides are on offer through the Forest of Dean

THE Dean Forest Railway is running regular brake

More ‘Pacer’s for preservation

‘Pacer’No. 142094 is seen stabled at Embsay station

Can you help 125 Group bring back the Valenta for future generations?

THE Paxman Valenta was the engine that transformed

Working parties in full swing as 71A Group’s ‘Crompton’ cabs undergo an overhaul

Class 33 No. D6515 (33012) inside Eastleigh Works

Diesel use upped at KWVR thanks to gala successes

THE Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is increasing

Award-winning DMU to make appearances at East Somerset

CLASS 108 DMU Set No. L231 (Nos. M51909

Bluebell’s 4-VEP restoration receives welcome Realtime Trains’ sponsorship

EAST LANCS‘RAT’WORKSTHE BALLAST: East Lancashire Railway’s engineers’trains continue

Lavender Line ‘Thumper’ restoration progresses

CLASS 205 DEMU DMBS No. S60117 is seen

Plenty for diesel fans on summer timetable

DEPG’s Class 33 No. D6575 approaches Williton on

Main line return for unique Class 89 is on hold

PROTOTYPE AC electric loco, Class 89 No. 89001,

Diesel days diary dates at Yeovil centre

THE Yeovil Railway Centre will be running trains

Refurbishments complete... Mid-Norfolk prepares for June reopening

MNR Class 47 No. 47596 Aldeburgh Festival, newly

KiwiRail introduces new North Island service

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RegioJet to replace ČD and new Traxx in use

ČD Class 162/163 locos with short push-pull sets

German Tatra trams set to be replaced

THE cities of Cottbus, Frankfurt an der Oder

Achenseebahn saved

Now scrapped – second-hand Appenzellerbahn EMU vehicles bought

New trains replace DMUs in Scandinavia

LARGE numbers of dieselpowered trains in both Denmark

High speed competition starts in Spain

FRENCH Railways (SNCF) began operating its‘OuiGo’ low cost

CAF begins 15-year deal to take over Jerusalem light rail system

CAF, with local partner Shapir Engineering, started a15

Wirral-built horse trams come home

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Waterman to relaunch Heaton Park services

RAIL enthusiast and record producer Pete Waterman was

Beamish aims for phased reopening

AS Covid-19 restrictions ease, Beamish Museum is planning

Council leader airs personal tramway view

DOUGLAS Borough Council leader David Christian says that

Tram changes as Crich exhibitions reopen

FOLLOWING the Government’s mid-May confirmation that the majority

Repaint for No. 671

Work has started on preparing 671 for its

Award-winning Seaton ‘Tramathon’ to return

DEVON’S Seaton Tramway is planning to live-stream a

East Midlands Railway begins electric services from Corby

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Progress on Avanti liveries

WORK to vinyl the Class 390 Pendolino trains

Work begins on new EMR Aurora fleet

WORK to construct the 33 five-car Class 810 ‘Aurora’

Four more Class 91s dispatched for scrap to Newport

FOLLOWING the dispatch of Class 91 No. 91132

GBRf Class 69 outhopped in BR large logo blue livery

PICTURE: GB RAILFREIGHT THE first GB Railfreight Class

Isle of Wight takes delivery of its second Vivarail train

Vehicle No. 234 from set No. 484004 is

Gatwick Express units sent on secondment

WITH the downturn in passengers flying due to

Another HST and Mk 3 trailers sent for store at Ely sidings

WITH the end of HSTs on the Midland

Stored for 20 years: What does the future hold for two Class 92s?

WITH the closure of Wabtec Brush announced recently,

Third train is fitted with diesel engines

A THIRD Class 319, No. 319009, has left

Spares pool is created from scrapped units

WITH Greater Anglia sending a number of Class

Last day for Class 365s with Great Northern

THE end of the line has come for

WAGON REPORT

VTG RAIL (UK) is the largest domestically-based wagon

Operations

COMPILED BY ASHLEY BUTLIN Call: 01507 529589 email: railway @

Falcons lead to bridge plan change

A PAIR of peregrine falcons found to be

Station gets green light after 15 years

HIGHLAND Council has granted planning permission for a

The Journey – A Railway Odyssey In Monochrome From The 1970s To The Present Day

Books, videos and other items for possible review should be sent to: The Railway Magazine, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, LincsLN9 6JR

Rhapsody in Blue – Western Repaints

THANKS to the efforts of Adrian Curtis, the

BRUSH DIESEL & ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES 1980-2020

BETWEEN the arrival of this new RCTS book

Liverpool & Manchester Railway Atlas

THIS is a magnificent publication. Joe Brown has

How Railwaymen and Dockers Defied an Empire: The Irish Munitions Embargo of 1920

THE year 1920 saw one biggest campaigns of