Sam Hewitt
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Aln Valley a third of the way to buying Richboro
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THE Aln Valley Railway has raised a third of the £75,000 needed to complete the purchase of the locomotive which forms the mainstay of its steam services. Last year, the line launched the Friends of Richboro appeal to buy 1917-built Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0T Richboro from owner and AVR engineer Mick Fairnington. The appeal scheme sees…
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Slip-up sends former BTC Maid back into the loch
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A MUCH-PUBLICISED exercise to take PS Maid of the Loch out of Loch Lomond using Balloch’s steam-powered slipway cradle on Thursday, January 10, came to an abrupt halt at 1.35pm when a cable snapped and the 555-ton railway paddle steamer ran back into the loch out of control. Workers, who were fitting blocks under the…
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Island Line Tube stock stored at Ryde pending future disposal?
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THE modernisation of the 8½-mile Island Line between Ryde Pierhead and Shanklin should have commenced at the start of 2019 but the Department for Transport extended its own deadline until the end of March to determine what shape the modernisation will take. When South Western Railway was awarded the franchise it was mandated to propose…
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Unboxing of Hornby’s King George VI and Duchess of Hamilton
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Here’s the latest unboxing of Hornby’s LMS Princess Class Locomotives, the Duchess of Hamilton and King George VI.
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Class 88s visit Great Eastern Main Line
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DRS Class 88 Nos. 88007 Electra and 88008 Ariadne made a rare visit to the Great Eastern Main Line on January 18. The pair worked from Willesden Brent Sidings to Ipswich (East Suffolk Jct) having come south from Crewe Gresty Bridge the previous day. The visit was in connection with filming as part of the…
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Bombardier to fit ETCS kit on Heathrow Express ‘387s’
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PORTERBROOK has signed a contract with Bombardier Transportation to fit ETCS digital signalling equipment to Great Western Railway Class 387 EMUs, which are being converted for Heathrow Express services. The investment by Porterbrook is valued at £11million. GWR is having 12 Class 387s converted for the airport express work, with No. 387140 having already been…
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Late start for new trains puts ‘Pacer’ withdrawal months behind schedule
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PLANS to withdraw the first Northern Rail ‘Pacers’ at the end of September 2018 have missed their scheduled date by four months. The plan, published by the DfT, was for five two-car Class 144s to start the ball rolling on the withdrawal programme back in September, with all two-car sets out of traffic by January…
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Christmas disruptions caused by pantograph collapse
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Services across the city were maintained by the diversion of many services over the Second City Crossing via Exchange Square.
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New owners’ expansion plan for Alaska’s White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad
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ALASKAN three-foot gauge operator White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad (WP&YR) is planning to expand its tourist train services during 2019 and is even considering reopening the closed section of its historic route. The development follows its sale for $290million in mid-2018 to a consortium that includes Carnival Cruise Lines. Three of the iconic GE…
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Kiwi Rail’s ‘Coastal Pacific’ back after 2016 earthquake
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KIWI Rail’s ‘Coastal Pacific’ passenger train between Christchurch and Picton (for connection with ferries to Wellington) restarted operations on December 1. This development follows a two-year suspension after the Kaikoura earthquake on November 14, 2016, which destroyed sections of the line. The RM has previously reported the line’s reopening for freight services after large-scale reconstruction…
