News

TYSELEY Locomotive Works has set Sunday, October 29 as the date for the official rededication of its flagship 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle. The double-chimney ‘Castle’ made its post-overhaul debut at The Railway Magazine-supported Tyseley Open Weekend in June, albeit static only, and will be formally recommissioned – in steam – during a special public open…

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AFTER 21 years running the South West Trains franchise, the end of its tenure came at 02.00 on August 20. SWT ran the first franchised train on February 4, 1996, from Twickenham to Waterloo, and held a grip on the franchise for more than two decades. Taking over is a joint venture between First Group…

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FOUR incidents in a six-day period during August, including three at London termini, brought delay and disruption to the rail network. The first incident was at 14.20 on August 14 after a Felixstowe to Doncaster container train derailed at Ely West Jct when the last 12 wagons came off the track at a set of…

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By Ben Jones DUTCH company Abellio joined the Premier League of British railway operators in August when it was announced as the winner of the new West Midlands franchise. It now holds a 70.1% stake in the West Midlands Trains (WMT) joint venture, with Japan’s JR East and Mitsui taking the remainder – a first…

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THE City of New Orleans owns a short but strategically important railway system – the New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) which has operated since 1908, giving all rail operators access to the port of New Orleans. The Public Belt Railroad Commission also manages the Huey P Long Bridge, which opened in 1935 and is used…

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NATIONAL US passenger operator Amtrak ordered 130 new sleeper, baggage and restaurant cars from CAF in 2010, in a contract worth $298.1 million. The order, funded by the US Government as part of economic stimulus following the financial crisis, will allow Amtrak to withdraw a variety of much older vehicles it inherited in 1971 from…

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COMMUTER rail services from Northern Virginia into Washington (DC) celebrated their 25th anniversary in July. Services operated by Virginia Railway Express (VRE) started between Washington and Manassas on June 22, 1992 with services to Fredericksburg starting on July 20 that year. Over the 25 years of operation the system has developed with extensions to both…

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CANADIAN Pacific has overhauled and completely rebuilt GM ‘F unit’ diesel loco No. 1401 and is using it as the lead loco on the ‘Canada 150’ train that has operated across Canada as part of the country’s 150th anniversary celebrations. No. 1401 was built in 1958 as No. 6541 for Canadian National. The overhaul by…

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SERBIAN Railways (ŽS) has four EMD JT22CW-2 Class 666 diesel locos built by EMD in the USA in 1978 and mechanically very similar to the Irish 071 Class (also model JT22CW-2 but with different body styling). The ŽS Class 666s were bought by Yugoslav Railways to operate the presidential train for former Yugoslav leader Marshall…

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