Trackside
Trackside – Your specialist feed of everything railway!
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The West Somerset Railway (WSR) held a frank and honest briefing for members and shareholders on March 2, at which it laid out the problems it faces, and discussed the ways in which the WSR hopes to overcome them. Gary Boyd-Hope reports. YOU could be forgiven for thinking the title of this article is a…
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Ben Jones looks at the thorny issue of open access in the UK and Europe, its successes and failures, and the arguments for and against. ASK someone for their views on open access passenger operations and the response will give you a pretty good idea where they stand on the much larger issues of railway…
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THE Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s two ‘Midlander’ tours from Dublin to Maynooth and back on March 18 included a ‘first’ for Irish main line steam – a steam crew with an average age of 40 years or under. After years of concerns over the increasing age profile of the certified steam crews, Irish Rail…
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THE Mid-Norfolk Railway has completed track changes and the installation of five sidings in preparation to store rolling stock for Greater Anglia. The project is known as Operation Hedgehog. A 1½-mile-long second track has been laid between Hardingham and Kimberley Park, along with five sidings just north of Kimberley Park. The work has been financed…
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NIGEL Dobbing, the founder of the Railway Touring Company, whose vision pioneered the ‘Great Britain’ steam tours, was remembered with the operation of a memorial train on March 17. Members of Nigel’s family, his friends, colleagues and people, who supported him over the years until his death last October, travelled from the RTC base in…
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TRAIN services on the 28-mile Conwy Valley line will remain suspended for several months after the line was substantially damaged by Storm Gareth on March 16. Detailed inspections of the branch line by Network Rail using a drone have revealed multiple embankment washouts, lineside equipment flooded, and track, embankments, bridges, level crossings and stations requiring…
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The first use of Vivarail Class 230 DMUs on the main line is just weeks away, according to the company’s chairman Adrian Shooter. The three production sets for West Midland Trains – Nos. 230003-005 – have been involved in driver-training duties on the Marston Vale line between Bletchley and Bedford over the past few weeks. The…
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The demolition of Immingham’s mechanical coaling plant last year has left Britain with just one example of these huge ferro-concrete monoliths.
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NORTHERN has begun a refresh and refurbishment programme on its fleet of 16 Class 333 EMUs.
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A FINANICIAL shortfall of more than £100,000 could delay the return to service of unique BR ‘8P’ Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester. This follows a series of unforeseen but necessary repairs were highlighted at Tyseley Locomotive Works (TLW). The BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust had been working to a forecast cost of £620,000 to…
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