Sam Hewitt

ONE of New Zealand’s few rail engineering firms closed suddenly in late July. A & G Price Ltd, in Thames, south-east of Auckland, built a number of steam locomotives and small diesel shunters for New Zealand Railways (NZR) and industrial users. The company was put into liquidation with around 100 people losing their jobs. The…

Continue reading »

THE concession to operate the Kenyan section of the metre-gauge Kenya to Uganda railway was terminated in July 2017. This line is known as the Rift Valley Railway, as it traverses the Great Rift Valley. The Ugandan government has also started the cancellation process for its section, which will become effective in September. The Rift…

Continue reading »

THE Chemin de fer touristique de la Sarthe (or Transvap heritage railway), just east of Le Mans, has just completed an extensive and complex restoration of an 0-4-0T loco built in Stafford during the First World War for use in France. The loco, now named Alice, was built by W G Bagnall (2064/1917) as part…

Continue reading »

GERMAN operator PRESS has operated a series of weekend steam services on branch lines on Germany’s Baltic Coast this summer, many in conjunction with local festivals or special events. Two locos, both formerly used by East German operator DR, have been used – 2-8-2T 86 1333 and ex-DR V100 diesel hydraulic 112 708 (DB 202…

Continue reading »

THE Rhätische Bahn (RhB) metre-gauge network in south-eastern Switzerland is providing locos to help build a new 5.86km-long tunnel. The RhB is famous around the world because of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Albula Line from Chur to St Moritz. The tunnel lies between Preda and Spinas on the route between Chur and St Moritz and…

Continue reading »

THE sound of crashing levers and ringing bells in the signalboxes of the Fylde Coast line will be heard no more after November 10, writes Richard Horner. The five remaining mechanical signalboxes on the Preston to Blackpool North route, among which are the largest survivors from the pre-Grouping Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (LYR), will be…

Continue reading »

AUGUST 6 saw work begin on the next phase of redevelopment of Glasgow’s Queen Street station. Unlike earlier reconstruction work, this phase does not involve station closures and diversions to scheduled trains, but instead focuses on preparations for the new main entrance building. The station ticket office has moved to the former Vale pub on…

Continue reading »

£7.5MILLION is being invested in mid-Wales to make the Shrewsbury to Machynlleth line and local roads safer for users. The project includes the construction of two kilometres of new highway and two new road overbridges at Ystrad Fawr and Rallt, enabling the closure of eight rural railway crossings. The Welsh Government is providing £3m of…

Continue reading »

ELECTRIFICATION work is proceeding on the Walsall to Rugeley Trent Valley route, with 25kV AC catenary masts now appearing along the line, writes Simon Poole. The 15-mile line across Cannock Chase is being electrified at a cost of more than £100million, and was closed for 16 days between August 13 and 28 to allow reconstruction…

Continue reading »