Happy New Year!

AS this is the first issue of 2023,

Driver banned after bridge collision

A LORRY driver who wedged his vehicle under

Innovators win a share of £5m

A TOTAL of 24 innovators and inventors have

GBRf donates Class 56 engines to diesel projects

Preservation groups benefit from the Class 69 conversion programme.

Trains halted after rolling stock owner Vivarail goes into administration

TfW and GWR Class 230 programmes on hold and Marston Vale services suspended amid uncertainty over future maintenance and technical support.

SIDELINES

Class 58 available for heritage railways THE Class

SIDELINES

Parliamentary service replaced by bus THE Parliamentary train

Obituary: Adrian Shooter

The former boss of Chiltern Railways and founder of Vivarail, Adrian Shooter CBE, died on December 13 aged 74 after a battle with motor neurone disease.

Rail gets CP7 funding boost

Funding for the five years from 2024-2029 has been announced and, while the Government continues to support rail, there is no commitment to further electrification.

Open access award for GWML

Grand Union Trains has won track access rights on the Great Western route from Carmarthen to Paddington from the end of 2024.

Railways in Parliament

GBR in transition LORD Berkeley, the life peer

One down, one to go

As work gets underway on the second of the twin bores at Long Itchington Tunnel, the transport secretary makes a historic journey through the one already completed.

Ten sites now ‘diesel-free’

DIESEL plant operation has been completely eliminated from

COMMUNITY VIEWS:

COMMUNITY VIEWS: HS2 Ltd says it will give

Spoil conveyor network starts rolling to Willesden

IT IS estimated that five million tonnes of

10 MINUTES 10 QUESTIONS

For the latest quick-fire interview, Steven Knight puts North Yorkshire Moors Railway CEO Chris Price into the hot seat.

Readers ’ Platform

Flying Scotsman, the alternative view YOU asked for

MEETINGS

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 4 – WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 Railway

Panorama

Panorama is brought to you in association with porterbrook

Prize crossword

■ Puzzle compiled by WILL ADAMS £100 worth

PIER REVIEW

Work is underway to upgrade Ryde Pier to make the Victorian structure good for another 60 years.

THE ‘BIG FOUR’ BEGINS

It is now 100 years since Britain’s railways were drawn together into the ‘Big Four’ and, in this extract from a new book entitled Remembering The Big Four, authors Paul Hurley and Jeremy Suter set the scene for this key moment in railway history.

THE RM’s ‘BIG FOUR’

The Railway Magazine had been in existence for more than a quarter of a century by the time of the 1923 Grouping, and, as Britain’s leading railway journal, it fell to us to coin the term ‘The Big Four’. The following extracts show some of our coverage surrounding the launch day on January 1, 1923.

Pre-Grouping survivors

The ‘Big Four’ were responsible for some of our most iconic steam locomotives – think ‘King’, ‘Coronation’, ‘A4’ or ‘Merchant Navy’ classes – but we are also fortunate that a rich collection of pre-Grouping locos also made it into the preservation era. Chris Milner surveys the surviving standard gauge engines.

TUNNEL VISION

Following on from his account of Switzerland’s record-breaking 100-car passenger train last issue, this month John Heaton FCILT samples some of the country’s classic Alpine runs.

TRYING SOMETHING DIFFERENT

As part of his prize for the R ailway Photographic Society Special Award in the 2022 Young R ailway Photographer of the Year competition, Gwion Clark enjoyed a day’s tuition from one of the country’s leading professional photographers, Jack Boskett, at Didcot R ailway Centre.

A snapshot of DIDCOT

Gwion Clark, winner of the Railway Photographic Society Special Award at the 2022 Young Railway Photographer of the Year competition showcases a selection of images he captured at Didcot Railway Centre on October 29, while receiving tuition from award-winning professional photographer Jack Boskett.

IN THE FRAME

The winner of the RPS photographic competition in the under-19s category was Sean Mattocks, whose prize included the opportunity to have a selection of shots published in The RM this month.

FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

100 YEARS AGO JANUARY 1923 King’s Cross upgrades

The RCTS: Then and now

Britain’s leading Railway Society IT WAS AN important

DIARY

COMPILED BY GARETH EVANS Your reports and pictures

Caley to remain ‘down south’

CALEDONIAN Railway No. 828 is to continue to

Record-breaking Santa special trains

East Lancashire Railway festive services prove popular – and loco line-up features two members of the fleet in the final weeks of their boiler tickets.

Railway volunteers help make Christmas special

Pictured with steam locos Judy and No. L92

Beamish progresses Dunrobin and new-build ‘K’

The front tubeplate for NER ‘K’ No. 559

Another Great Central reunification stage complete

The boiler for BR ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No.

SIDELINES

‘Greyhound’ to remain at Swanage LSWR 4-4-0 No.

SIDELINES

Carriage shed land THE Dean Forest Railway can

Erlestoke Manor returns to Severn Valley metals

Running-in gets underway for popular ‘Manor’ Class locomotive.

Cab returns to the Duke

THE overhaul for main line operation of No.

Overhaul progress on ‘Standard’ at Tyseley

AN additional £20,000 of expenditure is required on

Tornado boiler back

TOWARDS THE TUNNEL: In a perhaps unusual but

Recreating Preston’s past

Demonstration freight train becomes the latest attraction at the Ribble Steam Railway.

TTA TANK WAGON APPEAL

The National Wagon Preservation Group (NWPG) has launched

Boiler lifted

COMPILED BY IAN SMITH Your reports and pictures

Sir Berkeley steams again!

Manning Wardle contractors locomotive set for action on Leeds heritage line.

Albert handles Marsh Mills festive trains

BACK IN ACTION: Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 22

Overhaul progress at Preston docks

WORK to return several locomotives to traffic is

Steam Portfolio

PEAK DISTRICT STEAM: GWR ‘4575’ No. 5553 is

Big diesels – new loco and new look for Welsh lines

Taiwanese diesel on its way to Welshpool & Llanfair, while Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Funkey returns to action.

Unrestored Hibberd locos leave Steeple Grange collection

TWO privately owned F CHibberd locomotives have left the Steeple Grange Light Railway (SGLR) collection.

Talyllyn Railway enhances its heritage credentials

HAVING reconstructed the Talyllyn Railway’s (TR) original watering

Duplicate loco from Rheidol museum collection sold

THE Braxted Bakery has bought 600mm (1ft 11

Whippit Quick returns to Fairbourne

PETROL-engined 15in gauge 0-4-4 Whippit Quick has returned

SINGLE LINES

■ THE boiler of ex-South African Railways Société

DIARY

April 29-30 Bala Lake Railway (BLR) Holy War

Cefn Mably – the all-year miniature railway

Unusually for a miniature railway, the Cefn Mably Railway in South Wales runs daily when the farm park is open.

School railway becomes more accessible

‘Patriot’ No. 45517 Roland George heads a lengthy

SIDELINES

COMPILED BY GRAEME PICKERING Your reports and pictures

Base sought for Brighton 53

Operational home needed for south coast city’s last passenger tram.

Celebrity tram to stay in Blackpool

ADIOS, BUT NOT GOODBYE: November 19 saw a

DIARY

COMPILED BY PETER NICHOLSON Your reports and

10000 project launches its own beer

THE Ivatt Diesel Recreation Society (IDRS) has commissioned

A Class 315 EMU is saved

London electric multiple unit to be preserved in South Wales.

Tarka Valley Railway secures the last ‘Pacer’ from a TOC

THE Tarka Valley Railway (TVR) at Torrington, North

Llangollen to hire a ‘Gronk’

THE Llangollen Railway has made an assessment of

The 125 Group looks to the main line

POWERING FESTIVE SERVICES: Having received attention, followed by

Rail Trolley Trust takes on more track machines

BACK IN ACTION: National Collection Class 33 No.

‘Thumper’ DEMU and ‘ED’ to join Bluebell Railway fleet

THE Bluebell Railway has confirmed acceptance of former

Llangollen Railway’s DMU season operating statistics

‘FORGOTTEN’ TYPE 2S: Birmingham Sulzer Class 26s Nos.

SIDELINES

Two Class 02s for sale HARRY Needle Railroad

‘Badger’ moves towards a main line return

THE sole Class 89 25kV electric loco, built

Push-pull Class 47/7 to be back on home turf

COMPILED BY CHRIS MILNER Your reports and

EE traction destined for London termini

Branch Line Society charity special ‘Wolf Hall Thunderer’ set to bring rare heritage diesel traction to capital city’s St Pancras and Waterloo stations.

Class 315 farewell set saved

Class 315 EMU No. 315847 pauses at Liverpool

SIDELINES

COMPILED BY GRAEME PICKERING Your reports and pictures

New biomass fleet means greater capacity

Latest wagon design should lead to more efficient train operations between the Port of Tyne and North Yorkshire’s Drax power station.

Depot brings jobs and safety enhancements

EARLY FREIGHT ORIGINS: A 200 square metre mural

SIDELINES

COMPILED BY GRAEME PICKERING Your reports and pictures

Revamp reaches ‘vitally important stage’

New Glasgow Subway fleet likely to enter service in second half of 2023 as intensive trials continue.

Report published after fatal collision on Blackpool tram network

A REPORT has recommended that Blackpool Transport and

SIDELINES

COMPILED BY CHRIS MILNER Your reports and pictures

250,000 journeys on Dartmoor in first year

Minister visits to see benefits from rejuvenated facilities in South West.

£120m spent on rail upgrades over Christmas period

OVER the Christmas and New Year period, more

Greater Manchester station closes for £7.3m upgrade

SALFORD Central station is to get a major

New proposal for Brentford branch passenger service

THE Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) has identified

Digital screen trial underway at Doncaster

LNER is trialling new display screens at Doncaster

Rapid repairs for Barnes Bridge

THE discovery by engineers of defects to four

Euston gets new displays

Further banks of the same style of screens

Second platform reconstruction progresses at Castleford station

An aerial view of the new footbridge being

SIDELINES

Rebuilt Morley station on target for summer WORK

SIDELINES

COMPILED BY GRAEME PICKERING Your reports and pictures

Beginning of the end for GWR ‘Castle Class’ HSTs

Phased withdrawal will see all sets removed from service during 2023, just five years after the first were formed.

Colchester depot upgrade nears completion

THE installation of two 40,000 litre storage tanks

Hitachi signs Class 373 contract

THE eight Class 373 trains retained by Eurostar

WAGON REPORT

TANGERINE ‘TRACTORS’: Now owned by Harry Needle Railroad

Operations

COMPILED BY ASHLEY BUTLIN Call: 01507 529589 email:

Stock Update

COMPILED BY ASHLEY BUTLIN Your reports and pictures

Extra new trains on order

Irish Cabinet approves €162m Alstom order for 18 additional BEMUs for DART+.

Expansion of Limerick rail services progress as investment strategy outlined

ON December 1, the National Transport Authority (NTA)

Santa steam services return to Downpatrick after a year’s gap

1935 built, Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-0T, Cómhlucht Siúicre

Barrow Bridge to be pinned open

IARNRÓD Éireann has confirmed to rail lobby group

World

COMPILED BY KEITH FENDER Your reports and pictures

USA stock investment

More new locos and stock for American passenger trains in the coming year.

‘Plandampf ’ sees 2-10-0 work steam-hauled freight train in Bavaria

No. 44 2546 seen on September 22 with

Diesels replace DMUs in Hungary

IN recent years Hungarian national rail operator MÁV

Tour operator PTG returns to Portugal

The tour train top and tailed by No.

Reviews

THE RAILWAYS OF TRINIDAD By Glen Beadon and