Sam Hewitt

PART of the unique French metre-gauge Chemin de fer touristique de La Mure is being rebuilt ready for operation. In late June the regional government signed a concession contract to repair a section of the line at a cost of €26million and then operate it for 30 years with French group Edeis. From summer 2020…

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FORMER Victorian Railways (VR) 0-6-0 diesel electric loco F208 has returned to the main line, operating a rail tour on July 17. The tour centred around suburban Melbourne and was called ‘The Best of British’ as North British-built 4-6-4 steam loco R707 was on the other end of the train to assist where necessary. The…

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US NATIONAL passenger operator Amtrak is buying a Positive Train Control (PTC) system – RailwayNet – from aviation technology and communications company Rockwell Collins. The system will be implemented across the USA on all Amtrak routes, where it operates over other railroads’ routes. Amtrak will install it on around 310 locos in its diesel loco…

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FRENCH Railways (SNCF) has ordered 64 of the Alstom-built ‘Coradia Liner’ bi-mode units for operation of subsidised Intercités routes. The first batch contained 34, with a further 30 trains in the second batch. The first 19 trains entered service on the Paris-Troyes-Belfort route from February, completely replacing loco-operated trains hauled by CC72100 diesel locos (see…

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CLEARANCE work at the closed Kellingley Colliery in Yorkshire has created additional work for DB Cargo, writes Phil Wheldale.   Spoil trains started running to Killingholme, near Immingham, on August 21 with two return paths each day. This view shows the first train, led by No. 66001, entering the long-disused Killingholme branch at Immingham. The train is…

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THE Branch Line Society’s ‘Greendale Rocket’ tour took a pair of Europhoenix Class 37s over some very rare track on September 10. Highlight of the trip was a visit to Royal Mail’s Princess Royal Distribution Centre (PRDC) in Willesden, north London. It is thought to be the first passenger train to run into the rail-connected…

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‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado has gained approval for regular operation at 90mph following its 100mph test run in April. It will make its first public outing at the higher speed on April 14. UK Railtours’ ‘Ebor Flyer’ will take the ‘A1’ from London King’s Cross to York via the East Coast Main Line, picking up…

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THE Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway held its first public event on September 3, and was considered a great success. The railway is being established at the old Cynheidre Colliery site in South Wales. More than 250 paying visitors attended, plus many children, who were free of charge, despite it being a wet and windy…

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DIDCOT Railway Centre’s resident Class 08 No. 604 Phantom (08604) received a repaint in BR blue livery during the Great Western Society’s annual volunteers’ ‘Work Week’ in August. The project was undertaken in just over a week by a small team which carries out work on the centre’s diesel locomotives each year. In 2016, 0-6-0D No. DL26…

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THE 125 Group has bought another three Mk3 coaches, previously owned by DRS and stored at Barrow Hill. They are TSOs AC2G type, Nos. 12065, 12087 and 12134, and will be based at GCR (Nottingham). Once restored by group volunteers they will join the three coaches – Nos. 11074, 10206 and 12092 – to provide a…

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