World

EMUs in Queensland built by Bombardier… in India!

by

Sam Hewitt

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27th March 2019

QUEENSLAND Rail is over half way through the roll out of a new EMU fleet, after first introducing the train in December 2017. Unlike all previous EMU fleets in Queensland this one is not being built in Australia, but instead is being built by Bombardier in India. The trains are being assembled in Savli, Gujarat,…
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Oil instead of coal for Puffing Billy Railway

by

Sam Hewitt

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27th March 2019

THE Puffing Billy Railway has converted one of its fleet of ‘NA’ class locos to burn oil instead of coal to reduce fire risk. The move will enable steam operation even in hot summer months. The conversion is the first of its kind outside Europe, and was developed in conjunction with Dampflokomotiv und Maschinenfabrik (DLM)…
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Appeal to save North British 4-8-2 tank engine

by

Sam Hewitt

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27th March 2019

THE UK-based North British Loco (NBL) Preservation Group has announced an urgent appeal for funds to preserve North British-built, heavy duty 4-8-2T locomotive No. 25916. The 1,067mm-gauge loco was one of 42 similar locos built for industrial use in South Africa between 1929 and 1955. Over the years, most of them have been scrapped, but the…
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EE diesels stand in for DMUs

by

Sam Hewitt

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27th March 2019

PORTUGUESE Railways (CP) recently ran the entire service at the eastern end of the Douro Valley line using loco-hauled trains for the first time in many years. These operated between Marco de Cavaneses and Pocinho via Régua in January and February as the line west of Marco de Cavaneses was closed because of an engineering…
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‘Chargers’ for Amtrak and VIA Rail

by

Sam Hewitt

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27th March 2019

BOTH major national passenger rail operators in North America placed orders for significant numbers of Siemens 4,400HP ‘Charger’ diesel-electric loco in December. Canadian national passenger company VIA Rail ordered 32 ‘Chargers’ in early-December, along with 32 new push-pull trains which the locos will operate. VIA Rail plans to use the new trains, which will cost…
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New lease of life for former TEE coaches in Cuba

by

Sam Hewitt

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27th March 2019

FRENCH and Cuban railways agreed in mid-2018 to co-operate in renovating workshops at Luyanó and Camagüey in Cuba, and to refurbish the former French Railways (SNCF) Trans-Europ-Express (TEE) ‘Inox-TEE’ stainless steel carriages, which SNCF sold to Cuba in the late-1990s. The TEE vehicles were built in the 1960s and once operated the most prestigious international…
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Steam heat returns (briefly) to main line in Spain

by

Sam Hewitt

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27th March 2019

STEAM-heated mainline trains are now almost extinct across Europe but for a few days in late-January a charter train in Spain re-created the old atmosphere. UK rail holiday operator PTG Tours celebrated the 20th anniversary of its first rail tour by running the train in Spain. It was operated by open access operator ALSA Rail,…
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No. 134 overhaul gathering pace at Inchicore works

by

Sam Hewitt

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13th March 2019

THE overhaul of the RPSI’s GM single cab Class 121 No. 134 by Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail is making rapid progress at Inchicore, as the old body platework is stripped back in readiness for replacement. The RPSI’s project manager Gerry Mooney describes the overhaul as “the biggest diesel restoration ever undertaken in Ireland”, and it is clear…
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County Donegal tank is back ahead of Foyle VR revival

by

Sam Hewitt

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13th March 2019

The return follows a £45,000 cosmetic overhaul by Heritage Engineering Ireland.
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Lazarus Lines: Maam Cross – Ireland’s ‘quiet’ railway revival

by

Sam Hewitt

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6th March 2019

Gary Boyd-Hope talks to Jim Deegan, the man behind the Connemara Railway Project, to find out more about his ambitious plans to return 5ft 3in-gauge steam to the wilds of County Galway by 2020. THE sight of a Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR)-designed ‘K’ class 2-4-0 hauling a rake of restored MGWR six-wheelers through the…
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