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  • FREIGHT FROM CHINA ARRIVES

    FREIGHT FROM CHINA ARRIVES

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    The first containers to travel by rail from China to London reached the terminal at Barking on January 18. In a staged event, DB Cargo’s No. 92015 broke through a banner, the train being pushed from the rear by No. 66136 – with both locos wearing a specially branded livery. The train originated in Yiwu,…

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  • Government begins HS2 train procurement process

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    Construction of the line has yet to begin, but the search is on for the HS2 fleet By Murray Brown Even before the first physical work starts on building HS2 – the high speed London to Birmingham route – the Government has begun the procurement process for the trainsets needed for the new route. It…

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  • Bi-mode finally fulfills potential

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    With the imminent introduction of Class 800 units and Class 88 locomotives, which are able to bridge the gaps in the electrified network by running on diesel power, the age of the bi-mode is upon us. THE restricted reach of the electrified network has always been a headache for freight and passenger operators where traffic…

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  • DRS GETS FIRST CLASS 88

    DRS GETS FIRST CLASS 88

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    The long-awaited arrival of the first Class 88 in the UK finally occurred on January 22, with No. 88002 Prometheus being unloaded at Southampton. Transported from Spain aboard the Autostar, a roll on/roll off ship, the loco departed the docks by road that afternoon as far as Allelys’ haulage yard at Studley, Warwickshire. It is…

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  • Overseas operators step in as British TOCs deem profit margins too low

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    Trenitalia and Mitsui are the latest two companies to enter the UK franchise market, as British firms back away due to the high risk of low profit margins. THE expense and expertise involved in franchise bidding has generally deterred foreign railway companies from participating and, until recently, they have preferred to form partnerships with British-based…

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  • A question about West Midlands coke

    A question about West Midlands coke

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    I FOUND the latest two issues of Rail Express (RE248 and 249) an enjoyable read, and found the modeller sections in both issues of particular interest. The Albion Metals scrapyard layout (RE248), loosely based on the now defunct operations of a scrap metal merchant based at Bilston in the Black Country, was a superb piece…

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  • Last days of the Westerns

    Last days of the Westerns

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    February 1977 saw the withdrawal of the last Class 52 ‘Westerns’ in BR service. To mark the 40th anniversary of their demise, David Russell looks back at the run down of these popular diesel-hydraulics. THE ‘Westerns’ were, without doubt, the first diesel locos to attract a large following. While the other diesel-hydraulics based on the…

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  • 250 not out

    250 not out

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    There were those that said we wouldn’t last more than a few issues, but over 20 years after our launch in 1996, Rail Express is still going strong and this month we pass the 250 issue milepost. Here’s a look back over some of the key moments in our history so far. THE story of…

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  • RPSI heritage coaches moved under cover

    RPSI heritage coaches moved under cover

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    EIGHT wooden framed carriages owned by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) were transferred from their long-term storage location in the open at Inchicore to the former valeting shed at Heuston station on December 3. The vehicles, which had suffered graffiti and weather damage, were hauled empty in two batches to their new accommodation…

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  • Santa Specials deliver seasonal diesel haulage

    Santa Specials deliver seasonal diesel haulage

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    Besides their booked duties, Irish Rail diesels step in to cover RPSI Christmas railtours after two steam failures. Every year in the period before Christmas, the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI), in association with Northern Ireland Railways and Irish Rail, organises a series of ‘Santa Specials’ in the Belfast and Dublin areas, with both…

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