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  • Staff charter takes GBRf ‘50s’ back to Scotland

    Staff charter takes GBRf ‘50s’ back to Scotland

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    July 6 saw Class 50s Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance work a GB Railfreight staff charter from Motherwell to Scarborough via the East Coast Main Line.  The train worked the empty stock north from Burton to Motherwell via Lancaster and Carlisle on July 5, and then ran via Edinburgh and York to the North…

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  • ‘Royal Windsor Steam Express’ to return in 2020

    ‘Royal Windsor Steam Express’ to return in 2020

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    Regular steam operation will return to London Waterloo in 2020 after Steam Dreams confirmed its ‘Royal Windsor Steam Express’ will run again next summer.  Operating every Tuesday until September 3, the trains consist of three one-way, steam-hauled trips from Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside and an evening dining circuit known as the ‘Sunset Steam…

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  • Authentic 1970s makeover for Blackpool ‘Balloon’ No. 715

    Authentic 1970s makeover for Blackpool ‘Balloon’ No. 715

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    BLACKPOOL ‘Balloon’ car No. 715 has undergone a partial repaint at Rigby Road depot into authentic 1970s livery with full green cab surrounds, complete with period advertising.  On one side it carries an advert for CIS Insurance (pictured), while on the other is a classic advert for Blackpool Zoo.  The Fylde Transport Trust-owned car has also…

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  • First Class 66 worked passenger train in Sweden

    First Class 66 worked passenger train in Sweden

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    HECTOR Rail Class 66 loco T66402 hauled the first Class 66 worked passenger train in Sweden on July 7.  The type has been in use in the country for many years, but there had not been any passenger workings before.  The train was an enthusiasts’ charter that visited several freight-only lines, organised by a Swedish…

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  • New railways open in Buenos Aires

    New railways open in Buenos Aires

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    ARGENTINA president Mauricio Macri officially opened the second new elevated commuter railway in Buenos Aires on July 10. It has replaced ground-level railways with new routes on viaducts, eliminating 11 level crossings, and releasing some land for redevelopment.  The 5km section of the Linea San Martin line between and Palermo and La Paternal in the…

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  • Chinese-built steam back on USA main line

    Chinese-built steam back on USA main line

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    One of two Chinese-built ‘QJ’ 2-10-2 steam locos – based on the Iowa Interstate freight railroad – has been in action this summer operating short-distance day trips to raise funds and awareness for local fire departments in towns along the railroad’s route.  Two ‘QJs’ (Nos. 6988 and 7081, built in 1985 and 1986, respectively) were imported…

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  • Time running out for Italy’s ‘Tartarughe’

    Time running out for Italy’s ‘Tartarughe’

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    THE last few remaining Italian Railways Class 444 ‘Tartarughe’ (Tortoise) electric locos are expected to be withdrawn by December. They are being replaced by more modern locos, and most recently by second-hand, Italian-built ‘Fyra’ high-speed trains from The Netherlands. Italian State Railways introduced the first Class 444 locos in 1967 when they were the most…

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  • Rare ex-BR shunter still working at Worth Valley

    Rare ex-BR shunter still working at Worth Valley

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    FORMER BR 0-6-0DM No. D2511 (Hudswell, Clarke No. D1202 of 1961)  – the only survivor of a class of 10 – serves as the yard pilot at Oxenhope, where it is seen on June 16. It was withdrawn from Barrow-in-Furness (12C) in December 1967 and passed to the National Coal Board’s Brodsworth Colliery, Doncaster the following…

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  • EARM Drewry restoration completed

    EARM Drewry restoration completed

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    THE East Anglian Railway Museum’s Class 04 No. D2279 has been repainted in BR green with wasp stripes each end, and now sees regular use at Chappel & Wakes Colne.  It was away for some time while receiving attention by Peter Briddon at Darley Dale, returning in July 2018. The Drewry shunter will soon be joined…

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  • Great Western railcar progresses at KESR

    Great Western railcar progresses at KESR

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    GWR diesel railcar No. W20W is receiving a thorough overhaul at Tenterden on the Kent & East Sussex Railway (KESR). No. 20 was built at Swindon in 1940, withdrawn in 1962, and after four years of storage was bought by the KESR.  It arrived by rail as an ‘out-of-gauge load’ in April 1966. Years of restoration followed,…

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