Network
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Practice & Performance: Thames-Valley transformation
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In the third and final instalment, Keith Farr concludes his analysis of the steam-to-electric transformation the Great Western Main Line has undergone in the Thames Valley. Part two of this series ended with a brief eulogy of Class 387s, the electric trains that have transformed stopping services between Paddington and Didcot. The new EMUs are…
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IMechE: Hydrogen trains ‘no replacement for electrification’
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The move to develop hydrogen-powered trains is a vital part of the process to improve air quality.
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Rail Delivery Group outlines ticket reform plans
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OUTLINE plans which could change how rail fares are calculated will form part of a rail industry contribution to the Williams Review. The proposals have been submitted by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents all train operators. Following the biggest fares consultation in rail history, eight passengers out of 10 want the system overhauled;…
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Mansfield marks 200 years of England’s longest-running commercial line
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An EXHIBITION celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway – claimed to be England’s oldest continuously running commercial railway – is being staged in Mansfield until March 2, with the help of a £90,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant. More than 200 years ago, plans were mooted to link Mansfield to the expanding…
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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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Product Review: KPF Zeller rolling road for O gauge
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How do we test large-scale locomotives submitted for review such as the Heljan 43XX Class locomotive? With a workbench rolling road, of course! Large-scale models are collected by a lot of modellers who don’t have a layout on which to operate them, and that sometimes applies to the compilation of reviews here in the studio.…
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What’s in the Shops: A wonderful Holmes J36 from Hornby
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Nigel Burkin is suitably impressed by a superbly well-detailed OO-scale model of a much-loved North British Railway locomotive design. There is something very attractive about small tender engines to modellers, and Hornby’s new LNER J36 0-6-0 is already proving popular. Designed under the auspices of North British Railway locomotive superintendent Matthew Holmes, the J36s were…