OUR WRITING TEAM

GRAEME PICKERING Senior correspondent JACK BOSKETT News writer

The RAILWAY Magazine

WOLDS WONDER: The growing Yorkshire Wolds Railway in

TRACK REECORD

The portable There & Back Light Railway was

Firsts among equals

Did you go to a ‘Whistle-Up’ event near you on New Year’s Day

Royal Assent allows DfT to take over trainoperating companies

Government-owned operator will gradually take over all former franchised passenger rail contracts.

Northumberland Line opens to passengers

Passenger services to Ashington and Seaton Delaval have been restored after 60 years,with four further stations to follow this year.

Shortlistfor biggest-ever HRA Awards

NEW-build steam locomotive BeachyHead,amajor Worth Valley bridge reconstruction,

Tyne & Wear‘555s’enter service

Nexus hails‘historic moment’as twoyear Metro fleet introduction begins, 12 months later than planned.

Brecon Mountain Railway suffers Storm Bert landslip

THE Brecon Mountain Railway (BMR) was dealt a

FirstGroup orders new trains for expanded open access services

£500m deal covers construction and maintenance of 14 five-car Hitachi‘Class 800 series’sets to be leased from Angel Trains,with an option for 13 more.

Last chance to enter Young Photographer competition

THERE is still time to enterthe prestigiousYoung Railway

Blackpool’s heritage trams suspended indefinitely

BLACKPOOL Transport’s managing director says it aims to

EASTRIGGS PLOUGHSTORE:

West Coast Railway’s No.37676 Loch Rannoch and 37516

Railways in Parliament Compiled

Kings Norton grant BIRMINGHAM Northfield MP LaurenceTurner asked about

Steelspans for RiverCole viaducts lifted into place

Self-propelled modular transporters and crawler crane used as part of the operation at HS2’s Delta Junction.

Pair of Euston tunnelling machines prepared for action

ASSEMBLY of the pair of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) which

SIDELINES

HS2 wins design and sustainability awards THE

Firsts among equals

As the year of celebrations begins to mark 200 years since the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825, Dr Joseph Brennan details the pre-S&DR railway ‘firsts’.

Still ‘Sprinting’

The first Class 150 ‘Sprinters’ recently notched up an incredible 40 years of service. David Russell looks back at the lives of these versatile units, which have seen widespread use in many parts of the country.

Brighton Line steam

1930s expansion of third-rail electrification to South Coast destinations did not spell the complete end of steam workings, which were to continue for a further three decades, as John Heaton FCILT discovers.

My mentor

John Hillier previews his new book about Eric Oldham, the master photographer, artist and baker!

THE LONG VIEW: JANUARY CLOSURES

1 RICCARTON JUNCTION: Amongst the many high profile

CROSSWORD & NEXT MON TH PUZZLE

Across 9 Class 50 No. 50013 (9)

Coming up next month...

OUR Railway 200 story continues with a look

MEETINGS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8 Bradford Rly Circ. Bradford

Readers’ Platform

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

From the archive

Subscribe and read previous issues at www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/archive 100

PANORAMA

A showcase for the best in railway photography

Wirral Railways

USING colour photographs taken over the course of

The Ivo Peters Collection Volume Fifteen – steam in 1965

BY the year 1965, British Railways’ mainline steam

Railways Remembered Images from the Derek Cross collection

DEREK Cross was a photographer with a formidable

The Railway Magazine binders and bound volumes

Binders High-quality binders to store your copies of

Modelling map of Britain... locate your friendly expert

1 JACKSONS MODELS Opening times: Monday, Tuesday, Friday

K&ESR welcomes its new chairman

THE Kent & East Sussex Railway officially welcomed

92 Squadron moves from Nene Valley to East Lancs

New home for ‘Spam Can’ alongside classmate No. 34092.

Three visitors for Great Central’s winter gala

With the sun about to set on October

Cosmetic restoration for 1877 Sharpthorn

Important Bluebell industrial locomotive to be readied for museum display.

CORNISH STEAM PREVAILS

While Storm Darragh was battering the UK in

Kent trip marksmainline farewell to ‘Royal Scot’

Former Butlins loco awaits its place in LSL’s overhaul schedule.

Dinmore Manor bows out ahead of overhaul

BRITISH Railways-built‘Manor‘ No.7820 DinmoreManor has retired from serivce

Six in steam for Severn Valley Railway’s Winter Gala

A COLLECTION of steam locos operating a busy

SIDELINES

Opportunity to drive Beachy Head THE Bluebell

Overhaul of 1874-built Bellerophon progresses

The boiler,tubes,cladding,tyres and a full repaint are all being looked at.

South Devon Winter Gala

THE South Devon Railway (SDR) wasdue to host

NEW GROUND FORSTEAM:

What’s thought to be the firstuse by steam

DIARY

JANUARY 1 Battlefield Line: Mince Pie Specials 1

Six-month ‘Catfish’ restoration programme completed at GCR

With work finished,the Quorn-based team prepares for a busy year ahead with a variety of other refurbishments.

Appeal for help with Northampton & Lamport Railway Mk.1 restorations

Mk.1 BSK No.S34627 is seen at Pitsford & Brampton station

GRESLEY PROGRESS

E arly November saw yellow lining applied to

SINGLE LINES

■ PRIVATELY owned Perrygrove Railway-based ‘Baldwin’0-4-0 tender loco

Major step forward for new build Lynton & Barnstaple Manning Ward lelocomotives

Boilers are ordered for 2-6-2Ts Yeo and Exe.

Site work reveals more Southwold Railway remains

HALESWORTH to Southwold Narrow Gauge Railway (HSNGR) members started clearing overgrown vegetation

Steam locos requiring further restoration are up for sale

TWO 2ft gauge steam locomotives recently advertised for

YoungTalyllynmembers accompany 0-6-0T Douglas to Midlands exhibition

1918-built locomotive moved to Birmingham for major railway modelling event.

Zillertal returns to Austria after five-year Welsh stay

AS anticipated following its failure in July after

Winter track works on Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog

THE Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway’s (Ff&WHR) winter infrastructure works programme commenced

Radical frame repair for Tully Sugar Mill No.5

AFTER a pause in the restoration of Simon Hudson’s 2ft gauge ‘Yepla’class Fowler

DIARY

JANUARY 11-12, 18-19, 25-26 Lappa Valley Steam Railway:Winter

More tracks laid at Apedale Valley Railway

MOSELEY RailwayTrust (MRT) is laying further track at

Staffordshire lines remember wartime disaster

TWO Staffordshire lines, the Amerton Railway and the

Lancashire mines loco back in county

THE latest addition to the collection of narrow

Livery upgrade for IoM diesel Ailsa

THE Isle of Man Steam Railway’s ex-Jubilee Line

Corris looks forward to first class return

THE Corris Railway’s newbuild carriage No. 24, being

15 inch gauge lines invest in their respective futures

Bure Valley takes delivery of battery-electric loco and RH&DR outlines ambition to raise £10 million over the next decade.

Simplex celebrates 70 years of service on same railway

THEL eight on Buzzard Railway’s (LBR) Motor Rail

Wheelsets for replica H&KWR Kerr,Stuart loco completed

THE wheelsets (axles,wheels, tyres and cranks machined and

Replica armoured wagon to be builtfor RH&DR

THE Romney,Hythe & Dymchurch Railway Supporters’ Association is

Steam Portfolio

1 K&ESR STANDARD: BR Standard Class 4

April comeback planned for long-established Essex railway

The 10.25 inch gauge line at Wat Tyler Country Park is due to welcome its first passengers since 2019.

Crich is the new home for former Wirral-based heritage tram trio

Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society says relocating the three electric cars from Birkenhead will ‘guarantee a safe future’ for them.

Tramway ‘key part’ of Summerlee’s future

NORTH Lanarkshire Council says the tramway at Summerlee

Class 47 goes on the market as Stratford 47 group calls time

Two locos have already found a new home but the third awaits offers.

Mid-Hants ‘Thumper’ appeal

A JUSTGIVING fundraising appeal is to begin for

SIMPLEX CENTENARY RUN:

Simplex Rachel was given a run out at

Caledonian Class 20 to receive new piston liner

THE Caledonian Railway’s No. 20166 is to receive

Wensleydale fleet expands as ’47/7’ arrives from Doncaster

THE Wensleydale Railway (WR) has expanded its fleet

Bodmin ‘37’ suffers overhaul setback

Hired-in Class 10 shunter No. D3489 was at

Work on ‘Western Courier’ sees pre-heater faults addressed

THE Western Locomotive Association’s (WLA) No. D1062 Western

PLYM VALLEY POWER CAR:

Former GWR power car No. 43063 (plus No.

CHESTER-BOUND ‘STREAK’:

’A4’ No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley works hard

Bahamas to tackle Shap and the S&C in a day

Ex-LMS locomotive will be put to the test with an unassisted climb.

More outings for LSL’s classic diesel traction

LOCOMOTIVE Services Group ‘Peak’No. 45118 The Royal Artilleryman

Spring trip to Snowdonia from London

UK Railtours has released details of a springtime

Seats still available on East West special

SEATS are still available on Pathfinder’s‘Verney Venturer’ railtour

Scope for growth of North East rail freight by 2050 highlighted

RFG report illustrates importance of inter-regional links and retaining the right facilities to attract new traffic.

DRS announces three-and-a-half year Tesco deal

Direct Rail Services Class 66, No. 66426 is

GB Railfreight ‘confident’ about service relaunch

AN intermodal service between Port of Felixstowe and

SIDELINES

New uses for ex-Glasgow Subway cars FORMER

Independent review to be held into TfL cyber attack

It will look into last summer’s incident and how London’s transport body handled it.

Roofing work continues at Whitley Bay

ATTENTION has turned to the atrium as the

MOSAICS UNVEILED:

A series of six mosaic panels created by

Two-week closure of the Lymington branch

Engineers return to Hampshire route to complete structural strengthening work.

KEIGHLEY NEARS COMPLETION

The multi-million-pound project to upgrade Keighley station in

Sizewell branch upgrade for new power station

THE Sizewell branch, between Saxmundham and Leiston in

ScotRail recruits more staff for ticket fraud clampdown

SCOTRAIL is taking further steps to tackle ticket

SIDELINES

Extra platform at Cleethorpes NETWORK Rail has

Sporting theme for named South Western Railway ‘Arterios’

Former England cricketer Stuart Broad pictured at Waterloo

Digital programme brings variety to test movements

Grand Central Class 180 DMUs, NMT Class 43 power cars, and Great Northern Class 717 EMUs involved in East Coast Main Line signalling trials.

ANNIVERSARY COLOUR SCHEME:

Class 70, No. 70008 has been unveiled in

ELECTRIC TO STALYBRIDGE:

On December 1, Class 802 ‘Nova 1’ No.

Staff transfer as Southeastern takes ‘Javelin’ maintenance in-house

HITACHI Rail staff will transfer to Southeastern in

GTR releases Class 377s for Kent ser vices

THIRTEEN Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) Class 377s ‘Electrostars’,

SIDELINES

Tri-mode Class 769 discussions continue DESPITE last

Harry Needle Railroad Company Class 08 used in Engine Carbon Clean technology trial

System could be used more widely on diesel locomotives to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Wagon Report

AN early version of‘fracking’ took the form of

STOCK UPDATE

LOCOMOTIVES Allocations 56104 LR/UKRL-RR/GBRG 66003WBAT-WBVT 66019WBRT-WBAT 66032WBVT-WBAT 66044WBAT-WBRT-WBAT

The network’s notable moves

LNER’s always impressive No. 91111 For the

DART network extension is granted planning approval

Rail order gives go-ahead to 20 kilometres of electrification and resignalling, as well as a new four-track stretch of route.

Consultants are appointed for Navan rail link plans

IARNRÓD Éireann, which aims to return passenger services

SUCCESSFUL SANTA SEASON:

STEPHEN WHITE. The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland

SIDELINES

Galway study highlights east-west demand THE National

Ex-Caltrain Silicon Valley sets for Peru

Locomotives and coaches to be refurbished at FCCA’s Chosica workshops, with initial services envisaged later in the year.

All change on Benelux route

INTERNATIONAL services on the ‘Benelux’ route between Brussels

Rare steaming for ex-Santa Fe 4-8-4

DESPITE being restored to operating condition over three

Preserved NZ diesel back on the main line

DC 4818 and preserved DBR 1254 (EMD G8

MAIN LINE STEAM IN BULGARIA

Bulgarian State Railway (BDZ) ran several steam specials

Amtrak links Chicago and Florida

AMERICAN national passenger operator Amtrak introduced a new