Sam Hewitt

PICTURE the scene: A passenger train of chocolate & cream carriages runs into the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway’s new Broadway station, hauled by a gleaming Churchward ‘38XX’ ‘County’ 4-4-0. The tableau is almost pure 1920s Great Western, yet both the station and locomotive are in fact 21st century re-creations of the originals. It may sound…

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AN IN-DEPTH report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) rail franchise has revealed it has not delivered value for money as a result of high levels of passenger disruption. The report also concludes that between September 2014 and September 2017 passengers using the franchise have experienced the…

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GREATER Anglia has released the first pictures of its new trains being built by Stadler. The bodyshells are manufactured by Stadler in Hungary before being transported to its Bussnang factory in Switzerland, where they are fitted out. In addition to the large picture windows, the air-conditioned carriages will include wi-fi, and both plug and USB…

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By Ben Jones AN EXTRAORDINARY new railway opened in central Switzerland on December 17, combining daring engineering with cutting-edge technology. The Stoosbahn, near Schwyz, climbs at a maximum gradient of 110% from its valley station to the car-free mountain ski village of Stoos, providing an essential link for residents, tourists and freight. Remarkably, the two…

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PLANS by property developer St Modwen to demolish the historic remains of Wolverton Works could be the subject of a judicial inquiry. Developers want to build up to 375 houses in a conservation area along with units for industrial use, and despite vehement objections, Milton Keynes Borough Council has approved the plans. Part of the…

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CLASS 37 No. 37601 Perseus rests for the final time in carriage siding No. 1, Derby, on December 1 in readiness for 5Q58, the 04.40 Derby Litchurch Lane-Ramsgate EMU depot unit move of No. 375818 the following morning. The sidings officially closed less than two hours after the image was taken in preparation for the…

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THE Class 350/2 variant of the Siemens ‘Desiro’ train has been named as the country’s most reliable EMU in the recent Golden Spanner awards, promoted by Modern Railways magazine. It has been operated by London Midland since its introduction in 2008. The units are assessed under a ‘miles per technical incident moving annual average’ basis,…

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