Essential reading for today's rail enthusiast

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Sam Hewitt

  • REVIEW: Allocation History of BR Diesel Multiple Units Part 3

    REVIEW: Allocation History of BR Diesel Multiple Units Part 3

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    By Roger Harris Self-published 63 Carol Avenue, Cherry Orchard, Bromsgrove B61 8RW 150 pages, all text, 297x210mm, softback. £21.50 THERE’S not a lot to say about this series of books by Roger Harris, except they contain all the information you are ever likely to need about vehicle allocations, disposals, liveries, renumberings, export dates, preservation and…

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  • BR’s BIG SHAKE-UP

    BR’s BIG SHAKE-UP

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    I ENJOYED the freight sectorisation article in RE251 (April issue) and found it an interesting read. The splendid main opening image shows what is most likely the long-distance Lackenby to Corby ‘Tubeliner’ at York. I think there were two such workings between Teesside and Corby back then. However, due to changes within the steel industry,…

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  • 0 to 60!

    0 to 60!

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    Just how nimble are today’s locos and units, and what’s the quickest off the mark? Neville Hill returns to the Cambridge line in search of the now venerable BR-built Class 317s. THE Class 317s are a product of British Rail in the early 1980s, so younger readers might be forgiven for writing them off as falling…

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  • On a firm (four) footing

    On a firm (four) footing

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    Now that the Colne Valley Railway has purchased its own trackbed and land, plans are pushing ahead on more visitor attractions and a longer running line. IT has been a tense few years. In 2015, the landowner informed the Colne Valley Railway – based near Castle Hedingham on the picturesque Essex/Suffolk border – that he had…

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  • FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Tanks for the memories

    FROM OUR ARCHIVES: Tanks for the memories

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    The once extensive network of fuel oil deliveries is now reduced to a few as required workings. David Ratcliffe looks back at the history of these services, which peaked in the early 1970s. FUEL oil, one of the heavier and less volatile of the petroleum fractions obtained during the cracking of crude oil, was primarily…

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  • Four trains: one unique event!

    Four trains: one unique event!

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    A ONE-off event on April 23 saw four generations of East Coast traction run side by side along the four-track main line north of York. It was staged as part of a publicity campaign for Virgin Trains. The event – jointly organised by Virgin Trains, Network Rail, the National Railway Museum, Hitachi and Welcome to…

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  • Final ‘Bubble Cars’ bow out

    Final ‘Bubble Cars’ bow out

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    The oldest DMUs still in regular use have finally been withdrawn by Chiltern Railways after nearly 60 years in traffic. CHILTERN Railways has withdrawn its last two Class 121 ‘Bubble Cars’, which were the oldest diesel units still in regular main line passenger service and the final ones to operate with vacuum brakes. The final…

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  • FINAL ‘D’ STOCK WITHDRAWN

    FINAL ‘D’ STOCK WITHDRAWN

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    April 21 was the last day that London Underground operated ‘D’ Stock in normal service, although two railtours were planned for subsequent weeks. ‘D’ Stock has operated on the District Line since 1980, but has now been fully replaced by new Bombardier-built ‘S7’ Stock. Many of the driving cars have been acquired by Vivarail, however,…

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  • DAMAGED ‘OLIVe’ MOVES TO INGROW

    DAMAGED ‘OLIVe’ MOVES TO INGROW

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    Volunteers from the EM2 Locomotive Society spent the Easter weekend stripping Overhead Line Inspection Vehicle (OLIVe) No. DB998900 of charred interior parts following the arson attack last year at the Middleton Railway, Leeds. The vehicle was then moved to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway on May 2 to be repaired at Ingrow by the…

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  • Layout: The Sidings

    Layout: The Sidings

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    Seeking to construct a new but easily manageable ‘OO’ gauge exhibition layout, Nick Gurney describes how he was inspired to create a modern day stabling point that draws heavily on the sidings found alongside York station. Photography by John Humphries. THE Sidings is my third exhibition layout after Dyserth Road and Holland Park, both of which…

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