News

Derailments bring chaos to Watford and Welwyn

by

Sam Hewitt

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31st October 2016

Trains leaving the tracks caused major delays on the East Coast and West Coast main lines, while the one at Watford only narrowly avoided being a major disaster. By Gary Boyd-Hope Two separate derailments just three days apart caused major delays at both Watford and Welwyn Garden City in mid-September. The first occurrence took place…
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Outline details released for Thameslink 2018 timetable

by

Sam Hewitt

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31st October 2016

Govia Thameslink Railway is seeking views on the proposed intensive timetable that will connect more destinations to the north and south of London. GOVIA Thameslink Railway has commenced consultations on the future timetable that will be introduced progressively between January and December 2018, when the re-modelling of the track layout at London Bridge has been…
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Severn Tunnel closed for electrification works

by

Sam Hewitt

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31st October 2016

THE main rail link between England and Wales was closed on September 12 until October 21 as part of the Great Western electrification scheme. During the closure, freight and some passenger servies were diverted via Gloucester, while replacement buses also ran between Newport and Bristol Parkway. Intercity services ran hourly between Paddington and South Wales,…
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Government freight strategy fails to curtail use of lorries

by

Sam Hewitt

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31st October 2016

With coal in rapid decline, the future looks like intermodal – but more incentives are needed to switch from road to rail. ALTHOUGH the closure of coal-fired power stations has brought about a significant reduction in freight activity, the Government has been keen to emphasise the value of rail haulage in restricting the number of…
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Early North East HST

by

Sam Hewitt

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31st October 2016

JUST a small correction to one of the photographs that accompany my article on the introduction of HSTs in the October issue. The shot of W43008 by Peter Swift was taken at Alnmouth not Morpeth. The test runs were booked to Morpeth, but ran to Alnmouth to gain the loop and reverse. Kevin Daniel By…
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A second chance to see…‘MacRat’ 26038

by

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

by

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?

by

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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Derby Trainman: A fistful of dust

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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19th September 2016

THE majority of my turns on the Washwood Heath job were spent as guard, and I regularly coughed and spluttered my way through 23 wagons in that dusty hopper house (as limestone comes in different sizes, some wagons did just contain simply dust!) Over time, I became quite adept at setting them, which was just…
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The ‘Journey Shrinker’

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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19th September 2016

AUGUST 2016 marked the 40th anniversary of HSTs starting in regular passenger service. Initially operated at 100mph until the timetable change on October 4, 1976, they were quickly taken to by the travelling public. However, HSTs were less readily accepted amongst the rail enthusiast community. They were seen as being responsible for the withdrawal of…
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