News

THEY came, they saw, but they did not conquer. Sixty years ago in 1958, 22 four-wheeled railbuses from five different manufacturers were trialled on rural lines in England and Scotland with the aim of reducing costs and thus saving the lines from closure. The idea was noble, a brave attempt by British Railways to hang…

Continue reading »

THE Severn Valley Railway will stage a major diesel gala on October 4-6 that will celebrate 50 years of the ‘Hoovers’. The ‘Class 50 Golden Jubilee’ should feature at least ten ‘50s’ in action over the three days on an intensive timetable. It promises to be the greatest gathering ever of any one class of…

Continue reading »

In a surprise development, a Class 08 has been hired to assist with shunting at the company’s north east factory. THE beginning of April brought another new contract for Railway Support Services with the unexpected arrival of No. 08484 Captain Nathaniel Darell at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe plant in County Durham on the 4th. The shunter…

Continue reading »

THE return to the UK of a Class 04 from Italy (first highlighted in our August 2003 issue) is back on the agenda again. No. D2289 has been secured from steel processing firm Lonato S.p.A. in Brescia, Northern Italy, by Mark Jones, and it is set to join the Heritage Shunters Trust collection at Rowsley.…

Continue reading »

Our ‘Cumbrian Hoovers’ railtour on April 14 saw crowds turn out to witness the rare sight of Class 50s on the Carlisle to Barrow line. John Heaton FCILT reports on a fantastic day, which saw all profits go to The Railway Children charity. A RAILTOUR sponsored by Rail Express should be a prime candidate for…

Continue reading »

Electrification has reached Blackpool North after a five-month line closure and upgrade programme allowing, among other things, an enhanced London service formed of Virgin ‘Pendolinos’. THE line to Blackpool North reopened on April 16 after a five-month closure for electrification and resignalling. Blackpool North was one of the last remaining large terminuses to retain semaphores,…

Continue reading »

Former dual-mode Class 319 EMUs fitted with diesel engines to enter service in 2019. By David Russell GREAT Western Railway has become the third train operating company to take on a fleet of Class 769 units, the former Class 319 EMUs fitted with diesel engines to enable them to operate over non-electrified lines. Unlike the…

Continue reading »

Unit No. 141108 has been repaired following a number of years out of action and it returned to passenger service at the Colne Valley Railway on March 24, where it is seen entering Castle Hedingham station. Once a contender to be sold, the unit is now expected to remain at the CVR, which operates diesel…

Continue reading »

The manufacturer has made its spring announcements, these including a DMU in 7mm and a new ‘OO’ wagon. LATE March saw Dapol make two major announcements of new D&E era models. For 7mm modellers, this was the unveiling of the Gloucester-built Class 122 single-car DMU, this employing the same research as used for the ‘OO’…

Continue reading »