News

INCREASING numbers of West Midland Railway multiple units are appearing in a revised branding. Class 172 ‘Turbostar’ No. 172342 has been given a substantially revised version of the launch livery applied to sister unit No. 172339 that features a high-gloss purple bodyside finish with a gold-coloured cab front, doors and carriage ends. The version on 172339 had…

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SECRETARY of State for Transport Chris Grayling has approved Network Rail’s plan to construct a new junction burrowing under the East Coast Main Line (ECML) at Werrington, just north of Peterborough. The junction is part of a package of improvements designed to increase capacity on the ECML. It will allow freight and local passenger trains…

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TYSELEY Locomotive Works (TLW) is adding a fourth ‘Castle’ to its allocation after an agreement was reached for the Birmingham workshop to complete the restoration of Jonathan Jones-Pratt’s No. 7027 Thornbury Castle. The BR(W) 4-6-0 was expected to arrive in the West Midlands at the end of August following its appearance at the August 23-27 Great…

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AUGUST 15 was a big day in the history of the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway (C&PRR) as it saw the opening and first use of the new platform 4 at Princes Risborough station. It also means the railway is publicly accessible from the national network for the first time in 61 years. Hauling the…

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A JUDICIAL review in the High Court into the decision to build 375 houses on part of the Wolverton Works site has been dismissed. Although Milton Keynes Council approved planning consent for the homes last year, the project has been controversial, with campaigners having accused the council of ignoring the historical importance of Wolverton, it…

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No. 50015 Valiant has been confirmed as part of the impressive line up for the Severn Valley Railway’s (SVR) upcoming Class 50 Golden Jubilee gala event, at which 11 Class 50s could be in operation. Volunteers are working against the clock to ensure all available locos are operable in time for the event, which takes place between…

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THE Tyne and Wear Metro’s control room in South Gosforth, Newcastle, will receive a £12million upgrade. It features new computerised signalling control that should make operations more efficient. The work is part of the Metro’s £350million ‘all change’ modernisation programme. The new Rail Traffic Management System (RTMS) is a computerised-signalling control system, supplied by Derby-based…

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TRAM services around Birmingham and Wolverhampton were rebranded as West Midlands Metro from June 24 after being taken over by Midland Metro Limited (MML), a subsidiary of the West Midlands Combined Authority. The move allows Transport for West Midlands, part of the WMCA, to put future profits back into the network. MML has also lowered…

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TWO decades as chairman of the Rail Freight Group has seen Lord Berkeley honoured with the surprise eponymous naming of GBRf Class 66 No. 66755. Retiring from his position later in the year, the sterling work of The RM columnist to “enhance and support open access, modal shift and the future growth of rail freight”…

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THE first two of 25 six-car Class 717 EMUs for Great Northern services from Moorgate arrived in the UK on July 11 and were delivered to Ferme Park depot. Construction of the units is on-going at Siemens Krefeld factory, and at the beginning of July, further sets were under test at the Wildenrath track. The…

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