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  • Railways report healthy visitor figures for 2016

    Railways report healthy visitor figures for 2016

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    THE nation may be suffering from ‘Brexit Blues’ in some quarters following the EU referendum last June, but our preserved railways have had a good year in 2016, some recording record visitor numbers and most seeing a year-on-year passenger increase. The trend may not be unanimous, but those railways that responded to The RM’s request…

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  • Spotting days recalled

    Spotting days recalled

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    IN MY trainspotting days, I regularly visited the sheds on a Sunday, starting at Hornsey, then Cricklewood, Neasden, Willesden and Old Oak. On one visit to Neasden in the summer of 1959 I took the enclosed photo of ‘4MT’ No. 80142. Somebody forgot to put the brake on the loco, which rolled through the rear…

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  • Edinburgh Trams hits back over criticism for ‘running empty’ services

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    EDINBURGH Trams has come under fire after it released figures showing the trams run only 25% full on average. Its services have the capacity for 21 million passengers each year, but only 5.3 million were carried in 2015, the latest year for which numbers have been released. The tram firm has hit back, however, stating…

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  • Vivarail loses trial funding after train fire

    Vivarail loses trial funding after train fire

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    FUNDING that would support the trial of the prototype Vivarail Class 230 DMU has been withdrawn following a fire on the train at Kenilworth on December 30. There were 10 staff on the train and all were evacuated safely, with the incident being reported to RAIB by West Coast Railway Company, which was crewing the…

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  • ‘Jacobite’ operation extended

    ‘Jacobite’ operation extended

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    WEST Coast Railway Company will further extend its scheduled Scottish steam operation after the success of its Christmas ‘Jacobite’ trains. In 2017, the season will start with ‘Easter Eigg’ specials on April 14-21, with the main operation running from April 24 to October 27 (weekdays) and June 17 to October 1 (weekends). A break in…

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  • Tweedbank gets passenger facilities

    Tweedbank gets passenger facilities

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    SOME 15 months after opening, the Borders Railway terminus of Tweedbank received its shop and coffee bar, and also toilet facilities. Called a ‘customer hub’, the much-needed facilities are open seven days a week and have created two full-time jobs. Funding was jointly provided by Transport Scotland, ScotRail, and the Scottish Government, through the Borders…

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  • Main line ‘King’ in May as 6023 prepares for West Somerset trials

    Main line ‘King’ in May as 6023 prepares for West Somerset trials

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    DIDCOT’S blue Collett 4-6-0 No. 6023 King Edward II could return to the network in early May. This will be the first time in five years that a Great Western ‘King’ has graced the main line, and almost 60 since the bark of a single-chimney example was heard in full cry. The Great Western Society is…

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  • National Express sells c2c franchise to Italian Railways

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    By Ben Jones TRENITALIA, the national passenger subsidiary of Italy’s Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FSI), has agreed to pay £70million to acquire the Essex Thameside franchise from National Express. The franchise, better known as c2c, operates commuter services from London Fenchurch Street to Tilbury, Southend and Shoeburyness. National Express is reducing its UK rail activities…

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  • Tornado returns scheduled steam-hauled services to the Settle-Carlisle

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    TIMETABLED steam-hauled passenger trains will return to the national network in mid-February for three days only when ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado ‘Plandampfs’ the Settle & Carlisle (S&C) between Skipton and Appleby. The new-build Peppercorn Pacific and a rake of Mk2 coaches will deputise for Northern’s usual DMU on the 10.45 from Skipton to Appleby on February…

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  • Major delays hit return of ‘Brighton Belle’ to mainline

    Major delays hit return of ‘Brighton Belle’ to mainline

    by

    Sam Hewitt

    –

    THE 5BEL Trust saw its hopes dashed of returning the ‘Brighton Belle’ to service in the same year that Flying Scotsman finally re-emerged on the main line. After a frustrating year, beset by problems with the complex re-wiring of the motor third carriages, the trust reluctantly took the decision to leave its home at Barrow…

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