News
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North Korean rail network set for major investment?
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IN LATE-November a special inspection train operated by South Korean national operator Korail entered North Korea and carried out infrastructure inspections in co-operation with North Korean Railways on two main north-south routes. The train was run under special dispensation from the United Nations as importing diesel fuel to North Korea is currently prohibited by sanctions.…
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Freight tonnage slumps to lowest point since 1996/97
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BRITISH rail freight operators recorded the lowest total volume of freight lifted since 1996/97 for the period between July and September 2018. Figures compiled by the Office of Rail and Road show that although the amount of freight moved increased by 2% to 4.4billion tonne-kilometres over the same period in 2017, the actual volumes continue…
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Port operator criticises ‘short-sighted’ trans-Pennine route upgrade plans
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PD Ports, which operates Teesport in Middlesbrough, has criticised the lack of provision for freight growth in Network Rail’s £3 billion trans-Pennine route upgrade. It called the decision to upgrade the 76-mile route between Leeds and Manchester without any provision for freight traffic “unwelcome” and “deeply troubling for the economy and businesses in the North…
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Last Fowler diesel loco in UK industry still operational
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PLASMOR Ltd continues to use a smart and well-maintained Fowler Class 422 0-4-0DH (4220038 of 1966) at its Heck Works, Great Heck, North Yorkshire. This is believed to be the last remaining Fowler-built diesel loco in industrial service in the UK. Fowlers were once very numerous in industry, right across the UK, and could be…
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Mangapps expands its collectionwith former Network Rail Class 31s
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THE Mangapps Railway, Essex has acquired two former Network Rail Class 31s – Nos. 31105 (D5523) and 31233 (D5660). The privately owned railway has lost all of its big diesels of Classes 31, 33 and 47 in recent times, after being transferred to new homes with longer operating lines. The Class 31s are in good condition,…
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North Yorks Moors’Drewry shunter restored
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CLASS 04 No. D2207 (originally No. 11108) has received an extensive overhaul at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, including the fitting of a replacement engine. It was built by Vulcan Foundry (D208 of 1953/Drewry No. 2482), and withdrawn by BR in December 1967, passing to Hemel Hempstead Lightweight Concrete, Hertfordshire. It entered preservation in September 1973 when acquired…
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Chinnor’s Brush Type 2 receives ‘rare’ livery
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CHINNOR & Princes Risborough Railway (C&PRR) Class 31 No. D5581/31163 has been finished in Railway Technical Centre livery. This was carried by only two other members of the class in the 1970s/80s – now-scrapped Nos. D5831/31298 and D5861/31326, renumbered in departmental stock as 97203 and 97204, respectively. No. 31163 has been given the next number in the series,…
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Footbridge of the future?
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A JOINT entry by Danish and Czech designers beat more than 120 designs from 19 countries to triumph in a competition to create a new generation of passenger footbridges for British stations. Gottlieb Paludan Architects, of Denmark, and Strasky, Husty and Partners, of the Czech Republic, presented a bridge which was judged to have “convincingly…
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Light at the end of the tunnel in Sevenoaks
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A TWO-YEAR, £21million programme of repairs and improvements to Sevenoaks Tunnel in Kent is almost complete. The 150-year-old tunnel is one of the longest in southern England and has long been a source of delays because of its poor condition and flooding, caused by inadequate drainage. However, Network Rail has installed new drainage systems since…
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He was the greatest!
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THE rail industry and the heritage sector joined forces to pay tribute to Sir William McAlpine, who many regard as one of the greatest figures – if not the greatest – of the preservation movement. A special memorial trip, the ‘Scotsman’s Salute’ ran from King’s Cross to York on Friday, January 11, headed by none…
