News

  • August sees a spate of derailments

    August sees a spate of derailments

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    THREE serious derailments occurred in mid-August, bringing disruption to busy parts of the network. The first was at Ely on August 14, followed the day after by one at Waterloo, and then the third at Paddington on August 20. The Ely incident saw eleven container wagons of GBRf’s 33-wagon 4Z33/11.18 Felixstowe South-Doncaster derailed at Ely…

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  • Class 88s stopped for modifications

    Class 88s stopped for modifications

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    IN an unexpected development, September 1 saw the entire Class 88 fleet removed from traffic for modifications. By the afternoon of this date, TOPS was showing all ten locos as ‘awaiting maintenance’, with indications that an upgrade to the OTMR data recording equipment was the cause of the blanket stoppage. That morning had seen No.…

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  • Back from the brink

    Back from the brink

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    The Bury to Manchester Victoria line, now part of the city’s Metrolink tram network, is just under 10 miles in length and was opened by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in September 1879 to provide an important link to the growing residential communities of North Manchester. The L&YR was an early advocate of electrification and…

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  • 40 years of pain and pleasure

    40 years of pain and pleasure

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    IN 1977 the much loved Class 52 ‘Westerns’ bowed out; the first North Sea gas was pumped ashore at Easington; HM The Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee; Labour’s James Callaghan was the Prime Minister; the Ford Fiesta made its debut . . . and two blokes walked across a field in Northamptonshire with their dog.…

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  • New ‘loco’ takes shape

    New ‘loco’ takes shape

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    WORK is progressing on DVT No. 82113 at the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway to convert it into a test bed for a new form of traction. The project, funded by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and Artemis Intelligent Power, will see the DVT fitted with a JCB engine, backed up by hydraulic accumulators…

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  • ScotRail gets first mini-HST as IEPs reach Waverley

    ScotRail gets first mini-HST as IEPs reach Waverley

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    THE first HST set to be taken off lease for transfer to ScotRail departed Plymouth Laira for Bristol St Philip’s Marsh on August 31, power cars Nos. 43021 and 43132 having lost their nameplates and branding. The early hours of September 1 saw the set continue north as the 5E23/01.00 working to Doncaster West Yard,…

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  • Old Oak hosts ‘Legends’ open day

    Old Oak hosts ‘Legends’ open day

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    MORE than 7000 visitors took the opportunity to have a last look round Great Western Railway’s Old Oak Common depot on September 2, which featured no less than 39 locos and units, representing more than a century of development of Western Region traction. The depot is due to close next year to make way for…

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  • Barrow Hill Roundhouse gearing up for spectacular celebrations

    Barrow Hill Roundhouse gearing up for spectacular celebrations

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    WORLD famous steam locomotives Flying Scotsman and Tornado (pictured) have arrived at Barrow Hill Roundhouse ahead of this weekend’s celebrations to mark the reopening of the iconic visitor attraction following its £1.2million refurbishment. Sir Peter Luff, chairman to the board of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund, will visit Barrow Hill Roundhouse…

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  • Hertford hardship

    Hertford hardship

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    YOU may be aware that Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is currently consulting on the detail of their revised timetable for the addition of Peterborough and Cambridge services to the Thameslink network next year. Stevenage, in Hertfordshire, will be one of the principal beneficiaries of these changes, with direct links to central London, Farringdon, Gatwick, Brighton…

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  • SVR chases final million as Bridgnorth share offer campaign enters final weeks

    SVR chases final million as Bridgnorth share offer campaign enters final weeks

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    The team behind the Severn Valley Railway’s ambitious £2.5 million share offer plan to fund the restoration and development of Bridgnorth Station has this month published a set of questions and answers in a bid to help raise the final million. Developed in response to a wide range of queries received by the railway in…

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