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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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THE final Class 31 left running on the national network has retired to the Dartmoor Railway. No. 31452 was put up for sale by Devon & Cornwall Railways, but made its last move on November 27 when it moved light engine from Derby to Okehampton, bringing the curtain down on 60 years of the class on…

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A DRS-owned Class 68 loco has returned to Spain to begin testing with the Mk5a carriages that CAF is building. It is one of a batch that will be hired to TransPennine Express for use on its loco-hauled services later this year on Liverpool to Newcastle services. The TPE-liveried loco left the UK from Portbury…

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THREE quarters of the Class 700 Thameslink fleet had been delivered by the beginning of December, with 85 of the 115 sets ordered in the UK. The mix of eight- and 12-car sets is already transforming Thameslink services, but their arrival has not been without difficulties. Initial deliveries of sets have suffered reliability problems, which…

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THREE new plain line rail grinders have been launched as part of an improvement in preventative track maintenance. They were bought by Network Rail as part of a multi-million pound investment. The three impressive machines have cost £36million, and are the culmination of a procurement process by Network Rail’s route services division that began in…

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SINGLE-chimney ‘King’ No. 6023 ‘King Edward II’ will see its operation restricted to heritage lines for the foreseeable future after the Great Western Society put its main line aspirations on hold. Since its return to steam in 2011 Didcot-based No. 6023 has yet to venture onto the main line under its own power. In 2013…

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OCTOBER saw the new Doncaster iPort freight terminal connected to the national rail network, writes Chris Booth. The 337-acre site is built on part of the former Rossington Colliery and includes new warehouses for Amazon, a 35-acre rail terminal with two sidings capable of handling 775m trains, a run-round loop and container storage. The site…

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