News

TRANSPORT for London launched the first of the new Class 345 Crossrail EMUs into service on June 22, running between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield. Set No. 345005 worked what is normally a driver training run for the launch – the 10.35 to Shenfield as a passenger train – giving east London passengers their first experience…

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BOMBARDIER’S Derby plant has won the £895million contract to build 90 new ‘Aventra’ EMUs for First/MTR’s new South Western franchise. The 750 metro-style EMU vehicles will be formed into 60 ten-car and 30 five-car trains and will replace the current fleet of ex-BR Class 455s and 456s, the recently rebuilt Alstom Class 458s and the…

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VIVARAIL’S prototype Class 230 DMU No. 230001 carried its first passengers on June 21-22 at the Rail Live! event at Long Marston. The unit was used to shuttle passengers between the show site on the former MoD base and Honeybourne station, where a temporary platform had been built. In the week prior to the show, the…

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By Cliff Thomas THE Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service has been awarded to Leighton Buzzard Railway (LBR), South Tynedale Railway (STR) and Metropolitan Water Board Railway Society (MWBRS) volunteers. The award is the highest for volunteer groups in Britain and the equivalent of an individual MBE. These 2017 awards were announced on June 2, the…

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By Hassard Stacpoole AFTER the passage of ICR No. 22134 working the 18.25 Heuston-Limerick at 20.34 on June 4, mechanical signalling came to an end in Limerick with the closure of Limerick Check and Limerick Station cabins for conversion to centralised traffic control (CTC). Limerick Check, at milepost ½, was the last survivor of six mechanical…

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THE Princess Royal toured the Postal Museum and Mail Rail for its ceremonial opening on June 13. Mail Rail, the former Post Office railway, opens to the public on July 28. The museum is located in Phoenix Place, near the Mount Pleasant mail centre in Clerkenwell, where the main attraction will be the railway. When…

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TRANSPORT for London launched the first of the new Class 345 Crossrail EMUs into service on June 22, running between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield. Set No. 345005 worked what is normally a driver training run for the launch – the 10.35 to Shenfield as a passenger train – giving east London passengers their first experience…

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June 13 was a very significant day in the history of the Swanage Railway when it ran the first timetabled service to the main line at Wareham. It was the first such service since January 1, 1972. Hauling the train was the railway’s Class 33 No. 33012, which is ready to return to the coastal…

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By Ben Jones HM THE Queen followed in the footsteps of Queen Victoria on June 13, making the short journey from Slough to London Paddington on one of GWR’s new Hitachi Class 800 units. The trip marked the 175th anniversary of the first train journey by a British monarch, on June 13, 1842, when Queen…

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