Rail Express

HIGHLAND DERAILMENT

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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14th February 2018

DMU No. 156458 was derailed by a landslide near the eastern end of Loch Eilt on January 22 as it formed the 06.03 Mallaig to Fort William and Glasgow. Five passengers and two crew were aboard at the time, but none was said to be injured. The remote location hampered the recovery and repair in…
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Stored Class 92s planned for reinstatement

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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21st December 2017

GB RAILFREIGHT has announced that two of the long-stored Class 92s formerly owned by Eurostar and SNCF are to be reinstated to service during 2018. The selected locos are Nos. 92006 and 92020, both of which are already at Brush Traction and have not worked since 2006 and 2001 respectively. No. 92020 is already undergoing…
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The first ’08s’

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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21st December 2017

EXPERIMENTS with shunters powered by internal combustion engines date back to the Victorian era, but it was not until the early part of the 1930s that serious consideration was given to replacing steam for yard and trip work. The LMS led the way by ordering seven prototypes in 1933/34 from four manufacturers and with six…
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Full Thameslink timetable postponed for 12 months

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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21st December 2017

THE full 24-train-per-hour Thameslink timetable has been postponed until December 2019, despite the necessary infrastructure improvements and fleet of new Class 700 EMUs being ready for December 2018. An interim service will be implemented from May 2018 featuring 18 trains per hour, which will provide 70% of the capacity benefits. As a preliminary to that,…
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West Midlands franchise launches with two new brands

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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21st December 2017

THE start of the new eight-year West Midlands franchise, which took over from London Midland on December 10, saw the launch of new West Midlands Railway (WMR) and London Northwestern Railway (LNR) brands by West Midlands Trains – a joint venture between Abellio, JR East and Mitsui. The LNR brand was unveiled on Class 350…
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NEW MANCHESTER LINE OPENS

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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21st December 2017

Passenger services started using Manchester’s Ordsall Chord on December 10, which provides a direct connection between the city’s two main Victoria and Piccadilly stations for the first time. The inaugural service was the 08.40 Victoria to Oxford Road formed of DMUs Nos. 150142+158909, which then formed the 08.57 to Leeds via Bradford. The chord opens…
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RIDE WITH RAIL EXPRESS!

by

Sam Hewitt

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18th December 2017

Join us for a double-headed Class 50 tour over the Settle & Carlisle and Cumbrian Coast Lines. CONTINUING the celebrations to mark 50 years of the Class 50s, Rail Express has teamed up with Pathfinder Tours, Riviera Trains, GB Railfreight and the Class 50 Alliance to run a charter from Birmingham to Carlisle on April…
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Sub-sector customisation

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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20th November 2017

THE first half of the 1980s had been characterised by a rapid expansion of depots sprucing up their locomotive fleets, be it by means of an emblem or, more obviously, paintwork adornments. While some of these were more successful and memorable than others, the often colourful additions were at odds with the new Railfreight brand…
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Warming up the ‘Bones’

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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20th November 2017

THE Class 58s have always represented something of an unsung workhorse, quietly getting on with their day-to-day job of hauling merry-go-round coal trains from collieries to power stations, a role for which the Type 5s were designed from the outset. Often overlooked by enthusiasts at the time in favour of older or more vocal classes,…
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LOST IN THE POST

by

Sarah Wilkinson

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20th November 2017

WHILE nosing around at the Nene Valley Railway recently, I was amused to find this Class 325 mail unit tucked away in the back of a shed at Ferry Meadows station. All is not quite what it seems, however, as this is just a demonstration cab (number No. 325000) that I believe used to be…
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