Sam Hewitt

A second chance to see…‘MacRat’ 26038

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Sam Hewitt

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31st October 2016

Neville Hill visits the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to see how the performance of BRCW Type 2 No. 26038 compares to its former British Railways days in Scotland. EVEN in the busiest days of British Railways, it would have been unusual to see a ‘60A’ Inverness shed-plate anywhere near Pickering, North Yorkshire, and considerable imagination…
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Rugby Cement on rail

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Sam Hewitt

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31st October 2016

For many years until the start of the 1990s, Rugby Cement wagons were a common sight around the country in mostly wagonload trains, as David Ratcliffe describes. THE Rugby Portland Cement Company was established in 1872 and was an important railfreight customer until 1990, contributing about 15% of British Rail’s total cement tonnage. Railbourne cement…
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Will the swallow be a swansong?

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Sam Hewitt

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27th October 2016

THIS year has been a big one for the HST, one which has seen the iconic design notch up 40 years in front line service. It is a remarkable achievement unmatched in the modern traction era. There are older diesels around, but none still doing the job they were first intended to do, day in…
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VTG Rail and W H Davis sign deal for ‘shorty’ HYA aggregates wagon fleet

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Sam Hewitt

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19th August 2016

Following the reduction in length of coal hopper No. 371051 earlier this year for aggregates traffic, VTG has ordered a further 24 conversions for GB Railfreight. The fallout from the huge downturn in coal traffic on Britain’s railways continues, but this has coincided with a major upturn in demand for aggregates wagons. Network Rail is…
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Restaurant cars in decline

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Sam Hewitt

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19th August 2016

The final Mk.3a RFMs are about to be eliminated from Greater Anglia use. THE removal of Mk.3a RFM (Restaurant Buffet First Modular) No. 10200 from service in July, for rebuilding as a standard class vehicle with a smaller buffet area, left just two coaches of this type in service with Greater Anglia, both of which…
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Large logo ’37’ comebacks

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Sam Hewitt

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19th August 2016

WITH fitting of its replacement power unit completed, No. 37403 Isle of Mull was collected from Barrow Hill on July 5, Nos. 57303 and 57310 sandwiching it on the journey to Crewe, which included dropping off No. 57312 at Derby. The 19th brought a morning test run to Chester and back with No. 37716 for…
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Class 67s face uncertain future

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Sam Hewitt

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19th August 2016

Exactly half of the class is now in store as work dries up following the end of the Caledonian Sleeper haulage contract. The end of the contract to hire Class 67s for use on the Highland portions of the Caledonian Sleeper services had a detrimental effect on the fortunes of the General Motors design during…
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Unique Metrovick restoration proceeds

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Sam Hewitt

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19th August 2016

AFTER being reunited with its overhauled bogies in May (see last issue), the unique Class 28 No. D5705 was displayed at Bury Bolton Street during the East Lancashire Railway’s diesel gala on July 8-10. The privately-owned loco is being restored by the Class 15 Preservation Society, with the current work focused on the loco’s reverser,…
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EDs go west… eventually

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Sam Hewitt

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19th August 2016

A series of technical issues hit UK Railtours’ trip to Paignton, but the Class 73s made it there in the end. Problems with the braking equipment of GBRf electro-diesels Nos. 73962 and 73963 resulted in UK Railtours’ ‘Herd of Wildebeeste’ getting off to a false start on July 16. The fault resulted in the inbound…
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Special services for Amersham Heritage Day

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Sam Hewitt

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19th August 2016

AS part of the annual Amersham Heritage Day event, former BR Class 438 4-TC set No. 428 will be in action between Amersham and Harrow-on-the-Hill on Saturday and Sunday September 10-11. Four journeys are planned to be run by LU and the London Transport Museum. The 4-TC will be used alongside the LT Museum’s restored…
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Sam Hewitt

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