News

THE new operator of the West Midlands franchise is to revive the London and Northwestern name for services operating on longer distance routes between Euston, the Midlands and the North West. Trains operating elsewhere will use the West Midlands Railway brand, which reflects those services that could come under the control of Transport for the…

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  Following its appearance at the Knottingley open day on October 28, the next day saw the Deltic Preservation Society’s main line-certified No. 55009 Alycidon make an extremely rare appearance at the head of a freight train. Special arrangements were made for the loco to run light engine from Knottingley to nearby Milford West Sidings…

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THERE was a rare opportunity to peek behind the scenes at Knottingley depot, West Yorkshire, on October 28, as staff there took the initiative to arrange for 100 members of the public to have a guided tour of the facilities. Knottingley is a purpose-built diesel depot that opened in July 1967, meaning this year marks…

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GREATER Anglia ran a second charity railtour on September 16, the ‘EACH Express 2’, which this time featured two Class 68s and a Mk.3 rake rather than the ‘37s’ and ‘short set’ used for the original tour in 2016. The route was an exact repeat of last year’s, first running from Norwich to Ely and…

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THE first passenger trains reached Newquay in the 1870s, but it was in the early 1900s that the town began to take off as a seaside resort, resulting in the first through trains from London in 1906. There were two routes to Newquay from the Cornish main line – the direct line from Par via…

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Virgin Trains has begun a rolling programme to repaint its fleet of 56 Class 390 sets – their first major new look, apart from promotional specials, since they were first introduced to the West Coast Main Line in 2002. No. 390010 was the first to be given the new look, with the work being done…

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THE railways of the Isle of Wight have always been a little different. Isolated from the mainland, and with a restrictive loading gauge due mainly to the tunnels under Ryde Esplanade, they have always been worked by dedicated locos and stock throughout their 150 year history. This is why the remaining rump of the once…

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The Electric Railway Museum held its last ever open day on October 8, as the landowners Coventry City Council has not renewed the lease. The ERM’s trustees announced in July that this would be the tenth and final year of open days, and that the collection would be split up and distributed across a number…

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