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Sam Hewitt

  • When Kathleen and Blanche met ‘U2‘

    When Kathleen and Blanche met ‘U2‘

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    The Ulster Folk & Transport Museum at Cultra, near Belfast, is home to the largest collection of locomotives, rolling stock and trams not just in Northern Ireland, but in the Emerald Isle as a whole. Gary Boyd-Hope looks at the core collection and its origins, without which preservation in Ireland would be considerably poorer. IT…

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  • Rebirth of a Legend

    Rebirth of a Legend

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    Restoring Union Pacific “Big Boy” No. 4014 is an ambitious project that will take around five years to complete. Chris Milner looks at the class history and visits Cheyenne to meet UP’s senior manager of heritage operations Ed Dickens Jr, who is masterminding the complex and challenging task. TO have seen one of Union Pacific’s…

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  • Even DfT had doubts on Virgin East Coast revenue

    Even DfT had doubts on Virgin East Coast revenue

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    OFFICIALS from the Department for Transport have admitted they thought the Virgin Trains East Coast franchise bid had very ambitious growth predictions. The admission came during the latest round of evidence being given to the Transport Select Committee over the failure of the VTEC franchise. Simon Smith, director of passenger services at the DfT, told…

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  • TPE ‘Nova 2’ test runs at Velim

    TPE ‘Nova 2’ test runs at Velim

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    By Quintus Vosman SPANISH train manufacturer CAF has started testing of the new five-car, high-speed Class 397 EMU TransPennine Express, which will be branded as ‘Nova 2’. The tests are being held at Velim test centre in the Czech Republic, also known as ‘Velim circuit’, and started on July 3 using the small test ring.…

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  • ‘Low-cost’ international rail services mooted…

    ‘Low-cost’ international rail services mooted…

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    by Keith Fender GETLINK (the new corporate name for Eurotunnel ) revealed in July it had undertaken studies looking at ‘low-cost’ ‘international rail routes through the Channel Tunnel. The work was carried out by consulting firm Roland Berger, with some British newspapers reporting such services might begin ‘soon’. The consultants report suggests international operators could use the French…

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  • Office of Rail and Road begins investigation into timetable farce

    Office of Rail and Road begins investigation into timetable farce

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    THE investigation by the Office of Rail and Rod (ORR) into the problems caused to passengers of Govia Thameslink and Northern has begun. The ORR has appointed Dame Deirdre Hutton, Mike Brown, Anne Heal and Michael Beswick as the expert panel of advisers for the inquiry, which will be led by ORR chairman Professor Stephen…

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  • New ‘two-tone’ look for West Midlands trams

    New ‘two-tone’ look for West Midlands trams

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    WEST Midlands CAF-built ‘Urbos3’ tram No. 31 has been give a new look. Carrying West Midlands Metro branding, it is finished in two-tone blue vinyls and is seen at Wednesbury Parkway on July 18, its third day in this livery. The tram is one of four fitted with batteries to work non-energised sections. The remaining 20…

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  • RAIL CAMERAMEN – A Celebration of the Rail Camera Club

    RAIL CAMERAMEN – A Celebration of the Rail Camera Club

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    Rail Cameramen records that the birth of railways pre-dates the practice of taking photographs of railway-related subjects. However, the advent of cameras with better lenses and ones with faster shutters speeds meant enthusiasm for photographing trains increased in the latter half of the 19th century, and railway photographers became a more common sight. According to…

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  • A ‘Starter for Ten’ – the new XC Franchise?

    A ‘Starter for Ten’ – the new XC Franchise?

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    The CrossCountry (XC) passenger franchise is the first of four passenger rail franchises due for renewal in the next couple of years, with East Midlands, South Eastern and Chiltern being the other three. The deadline for responses to the DfT’s XC Franchise Consultation is set for August 30, and Fraser Pithie, a member of Campaign…

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  • Practice & Performance: When The End Seemed Nigh

    Practice & Performance: When The End Seemed Nigh

    by

    Sam Hewitt

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    This August marks the 50th anniversary of the end of steam on BR, and Keith Farr recalls some of the day-to-day performances in the North West as steam was in decline, but also chronicles the famous ‘1T57’ final special from Liverpool to Carlisle and back. One Saturday in 1969, my wife and I were by…

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