Trackside
Trackside – Your specialist feed of everything railway!
-
Llangollen Railway works last train to temporary Corwen East terminus
Posted
by
SERVICES into the Llangollen Railway’s temporary western terminus at Corwen East came to an end on November 4 as the railway prepares for the opening of the new station at Corwen Central next year. The final train to depart Corwen East was the 15.50 to Llangollen hauled by ‘2884’ 2-8-0 No. 3802, which carried a special…
-
Overhaul beckons for GWS pioneer No. 1466
Posted
by
DIDCOT Railway Centre’s Black Saint Weekend provided a final opportunity to see the Great Western Society’s (GWS) pioneer locomotive – ‘14XX’ 0-4-2T No. 1466 – on site before its departure for a £300,000 overhaul. The former Newton Abbot ‘auto tank’ provided the foundation stone for all future GWS activities when, in April 1964, it became the…
-
FLYING SCOTSMAN Print
Posted
by
There are many superb images of Flying Scotsman, be they watercolours, photographs or models, but this one is special. Painted in 1975 by renowned artist David Weston, it was presented as a gift to Bruce Lounds, a friend of David’s, and has been kept out of public view for years until now. A stunning painting,…
-
Grouping Britain’s Railways: Creating the ‘Big Four’ in 1923
Posted
by
By A J Mullay DESPITE being one of the most significant events in the history of Britain’s railways, surprisingly little has been written about the circumstances that led to the Grouping of 1923, creating the ‘Big Four’ regional giants. In this fascinating new book, A J Mullay draws together a wide range of contemporary sources,…
-
Siemens to build fleet of Underground trains
Posted
by
Siemens was awarded the contract in June, but it was put on hold following a legal challenge by Bombardier, Hitachi and Alstom.
-
Converted Class 769s set for Northern debut in New Year
Posted
by
TESTING of Class 769 ‘Flex’ bi-mode trains converted from former Thameslink Class 319s has now reached an advanced stage, with production of sets for Northern, Transport for Wales and GWR set to ramp up over the coming months. The two pre-production sets – Nos. 769434 and 769456 – have been undergoing dynamic testing at the Great Central…
-
Railways mark the Armistice centenary
Posted
by
TRAIN operators, Network Rail and many others held events in the lead-up to the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War and Remembrance Day on November 11. Some trains were specially named, notably GWR, with its unveiling of IET No. 800306 giving the names of all 2,545 men who worked for the GWR…
-
Northern denies ‘crisis talks’ rumour as timetable changes are reduced
Posted
by
By Tony Miles SUGGESTIONS in the Sunday Telegraph on November 4 that Arriva is “locked in crisis talks with the Government” over the future of the Northern rail franchise and that it is trying to “renegotiate terms” have been strongly denied by the company. The story, which was repeated in other news outlets, said the…
-
New record as Flying Scotsman nameplate sells for £64,500
Posted
by
ONE of the original nameplates from ‘A3’ Flying Scotsman was sold for a record £64,500 plus buyer’s premium at the GW Railwayana auction in Pershore on November 17. The buyer was an unnamed online bidder. The hammer price beat the previous record of £60,000 for ‘A4’ nameplate Golden Fleece. This plate is from the right…
-
First Stadler UK ‘Flirt’ unit arrives
Posted
by
THE first of a fleet of 34 ‘Flirt’ bi-mode multiple units for Greater Anglia arrived in the UK on November 14. Class 755 No. 755405 was hauled from Ripple Lane to Norwich Crown Point by DB Cargo’s No. 66002 the next day. Rail Operations Group has been appointed as the test operator for the various safety, performance…
