News

THE restoration of the 4150 Fund’s Large Prairie No. 4150 at Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway took a significant step forward on March 29 when the 2-6-2T’s boiler was removed ready to dispatch to Bridgnorth for overhaul. Volunteers used the opportunity of having a crane on site to trial-fit the loco’s new side tanks and…

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LOCAL MP Susan Elan Jones visited the Llangollen Railway on April 7 to formally launch the railway’s Big Push Share Brochure. The project is aimed at raising share capital towards the completion of the Corwen Central station. Volunteers have continued to make good progress with the laying of more than 2,000 of the concrete Easi-Blocs that…

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SUNDERLAND’S Monkwearmouth Station Museum closed its doors for the last time as a rail-themed attraction on March 31, paying the ultimate price for a fall in visitor numbers. The Grade II*-listed building, which opened as a museum in 1973, sits on the route of the Tyne & Wear Metro, although closed as a station in…

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IT WOULD be fair to say that many enthusiasts are familiar with the classic publicity photographs taken at King’s Cross ‘Top Shed’ in 1927 of the then Gresley ‘A1’ No. 4472 Flying Scotsman alongside its comparatively diminutive ‘cousin’ – the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway’s (RHDR) 15in-gauge No. 7 Typhoon. At the time No. 4472 was just four…

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A CALEDONIAN Railway covered footbridge has been given a new lease of life at the preserved Caledonian Railway’s Bridge of Dun station. This development brings to an end four years’ work to secure its future. The ornate lattice 1895 structure was originally erected at Dunblane and gave more than 100 years’ service. However, a 2012…

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London Underground retired the last of its D78 trains, dating from the late-1970s and early-1980s, in late-April. They have been replaced by Bombardier-built S7 units on the District Line, completing the seven-year, wholesale replacement of the LU sub-surface line’s fleet. The last D78 formation in regular service was formed of half-sets Nos. 7032 and 7007,…

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FRENCH national operator SNCF has teamed up with Virgin and Stagecoach to bid for the next West Coast franchise, which will also include the launch of High Speed 2 services. SNCF has a 30% stake in the joint venture, with Stagecoach taking 50% and Virgin Group the remaining 20%. As with the current East Coast…

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THE Settle to Carlisle line reopened as a through route on March 31, more than a year after a major landslip closed the line at Eden Brows, north of Armathwaite. The repairs cost £23million and were required after heavy rain caused the River Eden to burst its banks in February 2016, leading to the movement…

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DB Cargo No. 66136 worked the first leg of the inaugural return Intercontinental freight train from the London Gateway terminal in Thurrock to Yiwu, China on April 10. The ’66’ carries vinyl markings on the front end promoting the event, which it is hoped will herald regular freight trains linking the UK with China via…

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TRANSPORT Scotland has commissioned a study to examine the case for extending the Borders Railway beyond Tweedbank to Hawick, and possibly Carlisle. The seven-month long study by Jacobs UK will consider various options for improving links from the Scottish Borders to Edinburgh, Carlisle and Newcastle. Holyrood Transport minister Humza Yousaf said: “In the Scottish Government’s…

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