What did it for you?

WELCOME to our final issue of the year,

The RAILWAY Magazine

MONGOLIAN MORNING: With the early morning mist

STEAM PORTFOLIO

1 CLIMBING ON THE CURVE: In lovely

Electric trains start in Cardiff Valleys

History made as wires energised and Stadler tri-modes enter service for South Wales Metro.

ORR gives approval for Go-op open access services between Taunton and Swindon

The cooperative plans direct trains between Taunton and Swindon, but first must prove it can finance the operations.

First IÉ BEMU unveiled at Dublin’s Inchicore Works

IARNRÓD Éireann (IÉ) unveiled the first five-car Alstom

Station help points must improve says Office of Rail and Road

THE Office of Rail and Road has reminded

Inquiry launched into operators’ revenue protection practices

Operators have been using a law not intended for use in fare evasion cases.

Active Travel unit trials

LEFT: ‘Active Travel’ No. 153531 tails No.

Darlington’s new Eastern Concourse takes shape

Fit-out will be finished over the next year, in time for opening in late 2025.

TRACK LAID AT NEWQUAY:

The Newquay branch closed from November 18 to

New prizes announced in Young Photographer competition

FUJIFILM UK has been announced as co-sponsors of

SIDELINES

Pathfinder cancels Christmas tours PATHFINDER Railtours has cancelled

Harz Mountain steam railway set to be ‘decarbonised’ by 2030

Funding deal demands ‘major change’ to existing coal-fired operations.

Railways in Parliament

Delivery Group fees GRAHAME Morris, the Easington MP,

SIDELINES

Lichfield road bridge foundation work begins A TOTAL

Halfway point reached with Warwickshire ‘green tunnel’

150 people will work to complete its excavation, roof, base and internal structure over the next two years.

EDGCOTE ASSEMBLY:

In October, the first of 20 pairs

West Midlands concrete milestone

BY early November, more than one million cubic

Coal trains, first and last?

The final delivery to Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in June ended a 400-year history of coal by rail that began just a few miles away on the edge of Nottingham, as Bob Gwynne describes.

STEAM AT RATCLIFFE

Complementing the 400-year story of coal by rail

Open for business

Siemens’ new factory in Goole is ramping up production of its first order of trains for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line, as Paul Bickerdyke reports.

Pennine ‘Peak’

Class 45s were common on trans-Pennine services in the 1980s, so surely a railtour run in 2024 couldn’t set a new record time? Or maybe it could, as John Heaton FCILT finds out

THE 1984 ECCLES RAIL CRASH

ON December 4, 1984 (and not December 7,

Mongolian diesel odyssey

Steve Morris recounts a two-week trip around Mongolia, the landlocked East Asian country sandwiched between northern China and Russia.

The Misery Train

Richard Simmons tells the chilling tale of a wartime naval officer’s return from Scapa Flow.

From the archive

Subscribe and you can read our previous issues at www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/archive

The RCTS: Then and now

Britain’s leading Railway Society

What no ‘Saint’?

Send your letters to: The Railway Magazine, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. Email: railway@mortons.co.uk

Paths by railways

THINKING of Gordon Dow’s letter in the November

Scotland’s forgotten corner

JOHN Heaton’s Stranraer P&P article (November issue) was

Where is it?

Our pictorial quiz, for fun only

MEETINGS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5 Bath Railway Society. Museum of

PANORAMA

A showcase for the best in railway photography

2025 Calendars

Diesel and Electric Preservation Group THIS A3-sized calendar

The Railway Magazine binders and bound volumes

Binders High-quality binders to store your copies

SIDELINES

Hotel Pannier update THE restoration of GWR 0-6-0PT

Main line partners confirmed

Preparations underway for Bulleid Pacific to return to the national network.

Steam gala to start Severn Valley 2025 operations

A Winter Steam Gala will kick off the

Joint galas celebrate Western Region steam

No. 1450 is seen in steam at Avon

1638 appeal hits milestone

FUNDRAISING for the overhaul of the Kent &

New-build loco round-up

■ GCR 567 Locomotive’s four 6ft 9ins diameter

SIDELINES

Online research WIRELESS internet is to be trialled

STEAM & HERITAGE

WINTERING IN THE WORTH VALLEY: LMS ‘Black

Maintaining ‘Manors’ on the rosters

Agreements in place for ‘namer’ GWR 4-6-0s to run at two key heritage lines for the foreseeable future.

Solar panels to boost Nene Valley Railway with lower electricity costs

THE Nene Valley Railway (NVR) has joined the

STEAM & HERITAGE

THE ALL BLACKS: The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam

Bury Standards on the up

Dedicated team members take care of owning group’s locomotives.

Steam ready to take centre stage on the Battlefield Line

THE Battlefield Line is gearing up for operating

DIARY

DECEMBER 4-9, 11-15, 17-23, 27-31 Bluebell: Santa’s SteamLIghts

Celebrating heritage wagons

Restorers and members of the public come together at Nene Valley Railway event.

Middleton milestones

Steam locomotive repairs pass key points at Leeds line.

Ajax returns to ironstone mining country

ANDREW Barclay 0-6-0T Ajax (1605/1918) has been acquired

BACK IN ACTION:

Bagnall 0-6-0ST Brookfield (2613/1940) has re-entered service at

DIARY

DECEMBER 1, 6-8, 13-15, 17-23 Statfold: Magical Santa

Premier Welsh lines unveil major infrastructure projects

One completed, another in the pipeline.

LOADS OF INTEREST

A standard gauge wagon was lifted onto a

PACIFIC POWER:

Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway’s (RH&DR) YEC 4-6-2s,

SINGLE LINES

■ THE Bure Valley Railway’s 1992-built G&S/Winson 2-6-4T

Newly restored ‘Kalahari’ explores Welsh Highland main line as far as Rhyd Ddu

FORMER South African Railways Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (works No.

More Bord na Móna locos leave Ireland

FOLLOWING the end of peat harvesting in Ireland

Progress on returning Prince and Welsh Pony to Ff WHR roster

THE tubes were being expanded into the boiler

SINGLE LINES

■ THE Rural Life Living Museum near Tilford

Lynton seeks authority to grow as Bala extension is approved

Lynton & Barnstaple Railway and Bala Lake railways

Woto now based at Apedale following sale

BAGNALL 0-4-0ST Woto (2133/1924) has become part of

Diesel Day at Brecon Mountain

In the platform at the BMR’s Pant station

New boiler delivered for Garratt Norfolk Hero

Wells & Walsingham Light Railway locomotive should be back in service next year, but funds are still needed to complete its overhaul.

Celebrations for Lappa Valley’s The Duke

LAPPA Valley Railway (LVR) based 10.25 inch gauge

Revised proposals submitted for Rigby Road site redevelopment

Latest planning submission shows that part of the current Blackpool heritage tram workshop building would be retained.

Beamish Museum outlines its winter workload

CONTINUING the restoration of Gateshead No. 10 and

SIDELINES

Tram 53 Society appeals for volunteers FURTHER volunteers

Financial help being sought for cosmetic restoration of 4-SUB car

The Heritage Electric Trains Trust hopes it can gain support to complete No. 12796 – and then to work on the rest of the unit.

PRIMED FOR DUTY:

On the Spa Valley Railway, South East Locomotive

SIDELINES

DECEMBER 4-23, 27-31 London Transport Museum: Christmas at

TYPE 2 HAULAGE:

Mangapps Railway Museum held an End of Season

CFPS declines offers for locomotive sales

THE Class Forty Preservation Society (CFPS) has turned

EVENING TRIP:

The annual Diesel Multiple Unit Weekend was

SIDELINES

Overhaul for Haversham RAILWAY Support Services (RSS)

Back in the game!

SRPS outlines first half of 2025 tour programme.

InterCity tour to cover both East and West Coast routes

IN WHAT is normally a quiet month for

Travel award for RTC

THE Railway Touring Company has been named the

York war memorial deep cleaned in time for Armistice Day

THE full-scale cleaning of York’s North Eastern Railway

Milford Haven station all set to become transport interchange

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council (PCC) has earmarked an additional

SIDELINES

Plan seasonal trips as work will affect St

SIDELINES

Halfway point reached with overhauls KILMARNOCK-BASED Brodie Engineering

Cemex renews contract for operation of Dove Holes

Five-year deal struck with Victa Railfreight builds on success to date at the Derbyshire site.

Outline plan for Bow redevelopment receives approval

NETWORK Rail Property’s outline masterplan for a rail

NEARING THE END:

Tank wagon traffic between Grangemouth Refinery and Dalston

New timetable brings further service changes in Blackpool

T2 and T3 services withdrawn for the winter as operator focuses on single ‘fast and frequent’ option.

KeolisAmey retains Docklands franchise

TRANSPORT for London has awarded KeolisAmey a further

SIDELINES

Inquiry into bus and tram collision AN investigation

Network trials of testbed Class 802 unit exceed expectations

Hitachi highlights better than anticipated fuel savings and speeds of over 75mph using just one battery for power.

WORN WITH PRIDE:

Five-car Greater Anglia Class 720 No. 720011

FROM TPE TO RHTT:

Direct Rail Services has confirmed that it

Scrapping of Royal Mail’s Class 325 electric multiple units gets underway in south Wales

LESS than seven weeks after Royal Mail’s Class

Liverpool launch for Avanti’s Class 807s

No. 807001 is seen at Liverpool Lime

Northern Class 170s fitted with RCM technology

A PROGRAMME to fit all 16 of Northern’s

STOCK UPDATE

s Royal Mail Class 325 EMUs Nos. 325006+325013

The network’s notable moves

RHTT This year’s Railhead Treatment services are well

Tara mines freight traffic will not return to rail immediately

Infrastructure work means Zinc trains could be lost for up to two years.

Enhanced hourly Enterprise service boosts connectivity

FOLLOWING the opening of the £340 million Belfast

Coastal protection plan for rail artery

APLAN to help safeguard sections of the Dublin

FOOTBALL SPECIAL:

Rarely seen on the Heuston side of

LUAS extension moves forward

TRANSPORT Infrastructure Ireland submitted a Railway Order (planning)

Latest stock unveiled at InnoTrans

Multiple new passenger trains presented by manufacturers at trade event.

‘Mountain’ locomotive is back on the main line in Switzerland

No. 241 A 65 seen between Oberburg and

North Korea destroys rail links with South

NORTH Korea blew up its rail connections to

Rare mainline passenger work for preserved Austrian diesel shunter

NLB, ex ÖBB, diesels Nos. 2067.100 and 2143.070

International ‘heritage’ trains operate to Nice

Alstom built Prima diesel (originally owned by SNCF

SIDELINES

‘Gronk’haulage TELFORD Steam Railway is planning to host

Railcar fleet strengthened

Ex-GWSR Class 117 will give greater flexibility to B&KR.

CLASSIC TRACTION PORTFOLIO

1 ‘WHISTLER RESCUE’: The East Lancashire Railway’s

SIDELINES

Class 230s to inherit all Borderlands services TRANSPORT

Class 08e completes Somerset aggregate railhead trials

Battery-powered shunter successfully hauled and propelled 1000 tonne trains during a fortnight of testing at Whatley Quarry.

Wagon Report

OUR-WHEELED stock makes sense for automotive traffic, because

Time to drop hints for that ideal gift

We all know the cliches, especially at this

DVD: Island Lines – The Isle of Man

THIS twin disk set, with a total running

The GWR King Class 4-6-0s APhotographic History

THIS is a valuable publication and the first

Steaming through Wolsztyn

THIS book describes multiple visits to the famed

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