Trackside

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  • Vossloh delivers new ‘DE18’ locos across Europe

    Vossloh delivers new ‘DE18’ locos across Europe

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    LOCOMOTIVE builder Vossloh, which opened a new factory in Kiel-Suchsdorf in northern Germany last year, is building up to 50 new diesel locos a year. Currently, all those being built are its new four-axle ‘DE18’ design. Unlike previous Vossloh designs these are diesel-electric locos and incorporate an MTU 12V 4000 R43L engine. Many have been bought…

  • Boston’s historic high-speed line cars to be replaced?

    Boston’s historic high-speed line cars to be replaced?

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    THE long-term future of Boston’s Mattapan to Ashmont high-speed line Presidents’ Conference Committee (PCC) tramcars is in doubt. They were built in 1945/46 and are the oldest passenger vehicles in continuous regular public transport service in the USA. Boston area transport authority MBTA is now consulting on possible replacements for the vehicles, which are almost…

  • American freight locos rebuilt in Estonia

    American freight locos rebuilt in Estonia

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    AMERICAN manufactured diesel locos, once used in the USA, are being completely rebuilt in Estonia for use there and also in Ukraine.  Estonian state-owned rail freight company Operail inherited the former US Class 1-operated diesel locos which were imported during 2002/03 when the business was run by private company Baltic Rail Services – trading as…

  • Italian Caimano to lose passenger work

    Italian Caimano to lose passenger work

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    ITALIAN Railways (Trenitalia) has been slowly withdrawing its Class 656 Bo-Bo-Bo locos for several years. The 4,200kW 3kV DC locos were officially nicknamed ‘Caimano’ (after caiman or alligators), and 461 were built between 1975 and 1989. Around half were later converted to freight-only Class 655. These are also now being replaced by more modern locos.…

  • Ethiopia’s metre-gauge survivors

    Ethiopia’s metre-gauge survivors

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    DESPITE opening a new electrified main line in 2016, parts of the old metre-gauge Chemin de Fer Djibouto-Éthiopien still appear to have some operational trains, although passenger services on the full route ceased in 2008.  The metre-gauge line was opened between Addis Ababa and Djibouti in stages from 1902, and completed in 1917. It was…

  • ‘Wonderful memories of a world famous railway’ – The Settle and Carlisle line

    ‘Wonderful memories of a world famous railway’ – The Settle and Carlisle line

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    The Settle and Carlisle line remains one of the great railway journeys in England and anyone who has been there will have their own memories.

  • Bahamas booked for Tyseley Open Weekend in June

    Bahamas booked for Tyseley Open Weekend in June

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    In conjunction with its Tyseley Open Days, Vintage Trains is running four return trains per day between Birmingham Moor Street and Dorridge.

  • RTC Brush Type 2 stars at Chinnor & Princes gala

    RTC Brush Type 2 stars at Chinnor & Princes gala

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    CLASS 31 No. 31163 was well received by visitors at its home railway gala at Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway on April 5-7.

  • ‘Crompton’ performs well to ease Bodmin problems

    ‘Crompton’ performs well to ease Bodmin problems

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    The week of April 1-5 was an operations manager’s nightmare at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway as the only serviceable steam loco failed with a hot axle box on March 31.

  • Flex: The go-anywhere train

    Flex: The go-anywhere train

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    When you’ve invested millions of pounds in updating trains to bring them up to modern standards, what do you do when those trains become surplus to requirements soon afterwards?

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