Action needed, not just words

Government urged to commit to hydrogen train fleets

Outline strategy is welcomed by RIA, but gives little detail on the way forward for rail

GWSR seeks trackbed assurances

Heritage line wants to secure possible future northbound extension to Honeybourne

Floods cause further setback to Island Line revamp progress

IoW system expected to remain closed into the autumn

Ticket machines back online after suspected cyber attack

‘SWIFT’ ON TEST: Prototype freight/parcels unit No. 321334

150th anniversary for Sutherland’s railway

HRH Prince Charles visited Dunrobin Castle station on

Llangollen Railway ser vices steam back to Carrog

Privately-owned No. 3802 is pictured arriving at Carrog

Another call for Midlands Hub investment

THERE have been further calls for investment of

SIDELINES

New plans for Forth Bridge visitors NETWORK Rail

Higher inflation threatens a large increase in fares...

But no increase could be as bad with revenues still below pre-Covid levels

...but final decision on 2022 rail fares deferred

THE usual August announcement on rail fares for

Competition seeks best young photographers

ENTRIES are still being accepted for the Rail

SIDELINES

Castle Line anniversary EAST Midlands Railway (EMR) has

Tunnel segment contract awarded

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

3D concrete printing

IN what’s being described by HS2 as a

Carboncutting trial gets certification

ENERGY Saving Trust certification has been achieved for

Second Calvert railhead opens for HS2 materials

An additional 150 aggregate trains expected to run over two-month period

Chiltern tunnel vent shaft excavation gets underway

The shaft at Chalfont St Peter pictured in

Coroner to adjudicate on Iron Age hoard

A CORONER will determine whether a hoard of

Railways in Parliament

Crossrail’s 2022 opening LORD West of Spithead asked

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Ex-LT Pannier preservation

STAR LETTER

Early DC EMU carriage restored

LAST LLANELLI: Thank you for the Llanelli and

Cambrian and Woodhead memories

MANY thanks for your excellent feature ‘Woodhead Remembered’

Metric confusion

REGARDING the Sandilands tram derailment, why is it

From Doncaster’s shop floor

BACK in 1966/7, I spent some time at

End of BR steam

AS A signalman at Pyewipe Junction, Lincoln on

Up the junction

THE location south of Durham (page 101, August)

‘Keep it simple stupid’

Send yo ur letters to: The Railway Magazine,

On Great British Railways…

IT seems that the Government’s plans for the

MEETINGS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 Pennine Railway Society. Doncaster Town

Panorama

Panorama is brought to you in association with

FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

100 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 1921 Carriage becomes mobile

The RCTS: then and now

Britain’s leading Railway Society

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Aviemore shed on the up!

‘Black Five’ relaunched, while ‘2MTs’ both step closer to returning to action

LSWR ‘T3’ boiler overhaul on course at the Flour Mill

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S&D theme for Watercress Line gala

THE Mid-Hants Railway’s October 1-3 Somerset & Dorset

South Devon stock shuffle

THE South Devon Railway (SDR) has rejigged its

SIDELINES

ELR open-top tours EAST Lancs Railway (ELR) passengers

West Somerset plc generates a profit

Numbers helped by running fewer trains than pre-pandemic levels, while generating increased revenue

Ropley’s Ivatt tank tries to attack Bodmin’s banks!

THE Bodmin & Wenford Railway (BWR) received a

‘Green Dragon’ and ‘MacRats’ to feature in Worth Valley mixed traffic gala line-up

A STEAM locomotive which has not run for

Trailing truck and crank axle progress for Bulleid ‘GSN’

BACK IN ACTION: The Swindon & Cricklade Railway

New wheels for ‘Patriot’

TRUSTEES of the LMS-Patriot Company accepted evidence at

Western and London galas

THE Epping Ongar Railway (EOR) is set to

SIDELINES

Cheltenham to Bluebell THE Bluebell Railway has confirmed

Chassis focus for ‘heavy freight’ restoration

Restoration progresses on Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway-based GWR

Exhibition is Worth a look!

WELL known for starring in the 1970 film

Didcot’s Diamond Jubilee gala

‘Saint’ 4-6-0 No. 2999 Lady of Legend works

HERITAGE WAGONS TRACK RECORD

Reflecting the growing interest in wagons at heritage railways, the RM is launching a regular new column dedicated to reporting their developments

Reader Services

How to order a subscription Have your RM

Prize crossword

£100 worth of Nostalgia Collection books to be won

Where is it? Our pictorial quiz, for fun only

Last month’s photo of a Class 120 DMU

INSIDE THE BEATING HEART

The ‘Voyager’ fleet has clocked up almost 400 million miles in 20 years of service, supported in that time by the team at Central Rivers depot – which, as Paul Bickerdyke discovers, can see up to half the fleet pass through in a typical day

Didcot Railway Centre – HOW IT ALL BEGAN

A letter in the August 1961 issue of The Railway Magazine appealing to save an ex-GWR ‘14XX’ loco proved to be the catalyst to creating Didcot Railway Centre. Chris Milner shares some of the early founders’ memories and looks at some of their achievements

Travelling more in hope

John Heaton FCILT uncovers the fascinating tale of a notorious Leeds to York stopper in the late 1950s that had a particularly poor reputation for punctuality... unless the locomotive inspector was aboard

Getting a bird’s eye view

Phil Marsh meets Network Rail’s Air Operations team, which provides a unique view of the network from above using helicopters and drones

Minehead revisited

John Heaton FCILT experiences the literary ‘twitch upon the thread’ and returns to the West Somerset Railway to see how it is recovering from the Covid-19 lockdowns and other challenges to running a successful heritage railway operation

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Triumphant return for Moorbarrow at Gwili

Backworth loco is back after twoyear overhaul

Blaenavon line bounces back with industrial gala

FOUR industrial steam locos will take centre stage

Middleton debut for Swanscombe No. 6

MIDDLETON RAILWAY THE Middleton Railway’s Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST

Steam Portfolio Track Record

WARTIME SILHOUETTE: Re-creating a scene which could have

New TR carriages to be built at Boston Lodge

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

The Earl returns to W&LLR

Vale of Rheidol Railway complete overhaul

Anniversary announcements for new 15in gauge locomotives for Perrygrove and Cleethorpes

A NEW 0-6-0ST is to be built for

New ‘Quarry Hunslet’ will be named Juliette

THE new ‘Quarry Hunslet’ 0-4-0ST being constructed by

Two new-build steam locos almost ready for service

REPLICA 3ft gauge Southwold Railway Sharp, Stewart 2-4-0T

North Bay Railway’s Georgina and Steamplex for sale

FOLLOWING the change of ownership of the 20in

World Heritage Site status for Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales – including Talyllyn and Ffestiniog

THE Slate Landscape of North West Wales has

La’al Ratty celebrates 60 years of preservation

RAVENGLASS & Eskdale Railway’s July 10/11 gala celebrated

Ramsey pier tram visits section of restored pier

AS reported last month, ex-Renishaw Sugar Estates Avonside

SINGLE LINES

■ HAYLING Light Railway was operated by new

DIARY

Note: all subject to Covid-19 restrictions in force

Narrow Gauge Portfolio

CHARMING LINE-UP: Kerr Stuart 0-4-0ST Roger pulls a

A new railway opens in Cornwall

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Bressingham celebrates 60th anniversary

Norfolk museum’s Garden Railway was first to open

SIDELINES

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Autumn return set for Beamish Museum trams

Museum working to overcome knock-on effects of lockdown

Blackpool tram to perform new role for the community it once served

Following the short journey across Fleetwood from Wyre

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

A triumphant return for Western Courier

WLA Class 52 back at the Severn Valley Railway after a two-year overhaul

£100,000 restoration appeal for ‘Thousand’ No. D1010

WEST SOMERSET Railway-based Diesel & Electric Preservation Group

North Norfolk Brush Type 2 relaunched into traffic

Class 31 No. D5631 in ex-works condition at

‘03’ shunt-release at Dunster

THE termination of West Somerset Railway trains from

A school’s dream is a ‘Pacer’ train

THE Dales School in Cowpen Road, Blyth, Northumberland,

Classic Traction Track Record

DIARY Note: all subject to Covid restrictions in

Last Darlington-built Type 3 returns home

Class 37 goes green for display in home town museum

‘Crompton’ stands in for failed NLR main line residents

Northampton & Lamport Railway’s visiting Class 33 No.

S&D Wickham Wednesdays went well at Midsomer Norton

THE Somerset & Dorset Railway at Midsomer Norton

Stratford 47 Group locos reunited

Stratford 47 Group’s Class 47 No. 47580 County

Didcot gives heritage diesels an airing

DIDCOT Railway Centre is staging a steam and

Lavender Line stock for sale

FOLLOWING a reappraisal of the rolling stock it

Ex-GWR Pannier No. 9466 to act as Lickey Banker

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Pathfinder announces ‘Northern Star’ Christmas trip

A PATHFINDER excursion to York and Harrogate will

Vintage Trains’ season off to a troubled start

Locomotive failures – including on flagship – and paperwork issues hit first tours

Two Kentish freight lines for ‘Doctor Syn’ excursion

KENT has very few freightonly lines, but the

‘Staycation Express’ drops Sunday services

LOWER than expected passenger numbers on Sundays have

InterCity tours with ‘20s’ and ‘40s’ sell out

THREE-IN-ONE ‘JUBILEE’: No. 45699 Galatea, which carries the

Railtours Portfolio

Having worked July 31’s ‘Thanet Thunderer’ from East

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Network Rail acquires Okehampton line

Regular two-hourly Exeter service set to restart by end of year

Local vote on Strathbungo footbridge design

RESIDENTS in the Strathbungo area of Glasgow have

Troon station reopens

AFTER the devastating fire which destroyed the buildings

Old Levenmouth track on offer to heritage lines

WITH work underway to remove the old, rusted

Use of human lookouts ends in Wales & Borders

NETWORK Rail has ceased the use of human

Eridge restoration harks at former glory

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West Drayton becomes another step-free station

TRANSPORT for London's West Drayton station has been

Bessie’s painted ballast raises £5800 to aid Samaritans

RAIL worker Bessie Matthews has managed to raise

Milestone for sea wall protection

Work on the sea wall panels taking place

SIDELINES

Track upgrades at Dinting station DURING August, Network

Maritime leases Mossend

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

DB Cargo to make £2.6m investment in Toton

Up to three trains a week to carry British-built cars for export

Calculator could benefit operators and customers

TECHNOLOGY developed by the University of Hull’s Logistics

Butterfly conservation

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Staff absences lead to reduced Metrolink ser vice

Temporary changes should allow greater reliability during ‘pingdemic’

Croydon tram crash families examine options for further legal action

A SOLICITOR representing families of five of the

SUPPLIER SOUGHT FORVIGILANCE DEVICE

SUPPLIER SOUGHT FOR VIGILANCE DEVICE TRANSPORT for Greater

Tram-train plans consultation

An artist’s impression of how the revamped Castleton

Plans for Magna tram stop

ROTHERHAM’S Magna Science & Adventure Centre could be

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Tf W ‘FLIRT’ testing begins

First set expected in the UK in November after European mainland trials

TFW AGREES PULLMAN RAIL PURCHASE

TRANSPORT for Wales has signed a deal to

Welsh Class 387 first for GWR

GREAT Western Railway ran its first electriconly train

Fourteen surplus Class 60s for sale at DB Cargo’s Toton depot

AS IT progresses plans for a £2.6m upgrade

‘HybridFLEX’ of ficially launched at Mar ylebone

First Chiltern Railways battery-diesel train journey coincides with company’s 25th anniversary celebrations

CrossCountry names Class 170 DMU

Ceremony marks increased threecar capacity and train servicing improvements

WAGON REPORT

YORK-BASED Jarvis Fastline was a major supplier of

Stock Update

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Operations

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

SIDELINES

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Firm appointed to head Strategic Review

ARUP to lead study into all-Ireland rail connectivity

New firebox for Dromod’s Dromad

THE long-awaited overhaul of the Cavan & Leitrim

RPSI eyes September return to main line excursion operation

THE Railway Preservation Society of Ireland is eagerly

Alstom wins Italian order

Your reports and pictures are most welcome. Highly

Tasmania’s final home for last built EE diesel

Future of final diesel locomotive secured in Hobart after museum donation

Could passenger trains between Calgary and Banff aid modal shift?

THE Canadian province of Alberta, along with the

Classic European EMU designs withdrawn

The RhB Be4/4 powercars were mainly used for

New link from Bucharest Airport to rail network

TRAVELLERS to Romania will discover a new rail

Czech metre gauge interurban tramway to be rebuilt

Services to Jablonec were operated by modernised Tatra

Tampere tram network open

THE new tram system being built in the

BRITISH RAILWAYS MODERNISATION-ERA DMUs

Books, videos and other items for possible review