RAILDATE: the weekly newsletter of the Hursley Park Model Railway Society:
http://www.ibmhursleyclub.org.uk/ss/hpmrs/
NETWATCH
============
RonLines is the only model railway shop in Southampton since the closure
of Footplate at the end of 2009. The shop has recently moved from
Millbrook to Shirley, and can be found at 332 Shirley Road, Shirley,
Southampton, SO15 3HJ (Tel: 02380 369997).
I have taken the opportunity to update our list of local retailers. Please
let me know if there are any further corrections to be made:
http://213.232.93.59/ss/hpmrs/modshop.html
This week sees the end of slam door stock on the Lymington branch, as the
RSAB safety case for passenger use has not been extended beyond the end of
May. The last day will be Saturday, when both units should be on the
line. They will then be sold to the highest bidder with sealed bids being
put in, although both are in "poor" condition and will need extensive
bodywork repairs. There is also a steam tour through Brockenhurst on
Saturday evening at 20.09.
(Information from Neil Kearns)
Open-top bus tours in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Three routes are
available:
New Forest (Bluestar) 19th June until 12th September
Stonehenge (Wilts & Dorset) Dates not known - enquire for details
Island Breezers (Southern Vectis) Dates not known - enquire for details
http://www.bluestarbus.co.uk/ottours.shtml
The Old Station Bed & Breakfast - stay in an original North Cornwall
Railway station:
http://www.egloskerryoldstation.co.uk
============
There was an interesting programme on Channel Four this week about the
Royal Hospital Haslar. George Moffat points out that there was a bit of
railway history at the end of which was shown a section of dual-gauge
track with standard gauge and narrow gauge. More information about the
tramway is available here:
http://tinyurl.com/375ke7g
It says "The two trams were built by the London and Midland Railway" - I
wonder who they mean by that.
George also mentions that the programme will be available on 4oD:
http://tinyurl.com/3xfvh5y
============
Videos
Bluebell Railway celebrates 50 years:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8688368.stm
Great Central Railway - Collecting the Goods 15th May:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU0zTqmaqkM
(Spotter: Ted Millward)
============
Ralph Rawlinson's Railway Roundup
Coventry
The City Council has submitted a case for Phase 1 of Nuneaton-Coventry-
Kenilworth-Leamington (NUCKLE) upgrade. The project provides more frequent
services, new stations at Coventry Arena and Bermuda Park and a new bay at
Coventry station.
Wolverhampton-Walsall
The West Midlands Campaign for Better Transport and Railfuture are backing
Centro's efforts to reinstate the passenger service withdrawn in December
2008. Railfuture is also calling for the station at Willenhall to be
reopened as a priority once the service is restored.
Llangollen
The final two objections to the Corwen extension have been overcome but
the Llangollen Railway is concerned that the Welsh Office's decision to
delay approval could jeopardise the whole project as it will overrun the
31st August deadline for a 2.5m grant.
http://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk/breakingnews.html
Spean Bridge
In February (Raildate issue No 93) Network Rail applied to demolish Spean
Bridge signalbox on the West Highland line between Craigendoran and Fort
William and the former junction for the line to Fort Augustus. Historic
Scotland has now issued a formal notice preventing its removal pending a
review.
Switzerland
According to the International Union of Railways on average 93 trains run
on each Swiss Railways line every day making them the busiest in the
World; the nearest rival is Japan which averages 65. The Swiss are also
top with 1,901km of rail travel per citizen annually.
Macedonia
The director of Macedonian Railways (Transport), has resigned following a
series of accidents.
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n219597
Russia
Russian Railways plans to expand its Sapsan high speed network to connect
Moscow with the Russian cities of Sochi, Samara, and Kursk and the
Ukrainian capital of Kiev and the Crimea. At present trains take 27-36
hours reach the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, 18-21 hours to the
south-western city of Kursk, and 16-21 hours to reach Samara in the Volga
Region. The launch of the Sapsan train between Moscow and the country's
fourth largest city of Nizhny Novgorod is scheduled in August.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100513/159001561.html
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZh), Kazakhstan?s national railway company, will
complete construction of two new lines by the end of 2011. The Ozen-to-
Turkmen-border line is part of the "North-South" railway that will go from
Kazakhstan through Turkmenistan to Iran. The total length of the line is
426 miles, including 91 miles in Kazakhstan. The second line, Zhetigen?
Korgas, 182 miles long, is a second route from Kazakhstan to China.
http://kazcham.com/?p=535
Azerbaijan
After meeting with delegates of the Hyundai-Rotem and Daewoo companies of
Southern Korea the Azerbaijani Railway Company drafted a state program
about the development Azerbaijan railways in 2010-2014.
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=122254
United Arab Emirates
Union Railway (UR) propose adding a high-speed Abu Dhabi-Dubai line to its
nationwide plan. UR was set up in 2009 to spearhead plans for a 1,500km
network across all seven emirates to be opened in phases between 2013-17.
Kenya
State-owned Kenya Railways, says it has been forced to retender for the
new standard gauge cross-country line after receiving bids too high for
the government's budget.
http://tinyurl.com/23atq55
Kenyans living next to the Rift Valley Railway routinely rip up sections
of track to protest about political injustice. See photo at:
http://tinyurl.com/2wx77ny
India
It is claimed that the Government's railway ministry is delaying
construction of Calcuta's new East-West Metro by failing to hand over land
for underground passenger interchange terminals at Howrah and Sealdah.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100511/jsp/calcutta/story_12435480.jsp
India Travel Guide: Riding the Railways.
http://tinyurl.com/35npony
Pakistan
The shortage of locomotives in the Pakistan Railways has reached such a
crisis stage that an emergency plan to procure 150 engines from reliable
international suppliers has been put together as the Chinese suppliers
have failed to deliver.
http://tinyurl.com/3ys5w3w
Vietnam: North-South Railway
The Transport Ministry?s bold plan:
http://tinyurl.com/34rwlyg
History:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/travel/2009/01/821992/
Railway will cost $60 billion:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/biz/2009/02/827850/
Australia
The Government is to spend almost a billion dollars upgrading routes of
the publicly-owned Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) from
Queensland through New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria and into South
Australia. Projects include straightening the line between Maitland and
the Queensland border, more passing loops around the NSW towns of Goulburn
and Moss Vale plus relaying the line around Broken Hill.
http://tinyurl.com/33bu83e
The Alice Springs-Darwin line, opened in 2004, has been put up for sale
after receivers were appointed in late 2008.
============
On 30th April, Raildate reported that The Country Bookshop, based at
Hassop Station in Derbyshire had closed at the beginning of January and
gone into administration. It seems there might be a little more
background to the story according to this news item:
http://www.thestar.co.uk/diary/Hassop-has-lost-the-plot.6114514.jp
(Spotter: Richard Buckby)
However, plans are apparently still afoot for it to re-open under new
management as a book shop, caf, and cycle hire place, although the new
website has not been updated for a while:
http://www.hassopstation.co.uk/
============
IN THE NEWS
West Yorkshire-London rail links restored:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/8691351.stm
Girl dies trying to rescue dog:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/8687890.stm
22m train depot opens at Derby:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/8693693.stm
Laurencekirk Station numbers exceed expectation:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8687639.stm
Sun glare delays new train system:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/8687851.stm
Volcanic ash British passengers head back to the railway.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/16/volcanic-ash-railway-travel
10,000 free tickets mark first full service on East London route:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/15514.aspx
RAIB report into LUL engineers train derailment:
http://tinyurl.com/2uc85no
Holyrood plea for HS2 to extend to Scotland:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8693786.stm
Bluebell Railway 50th anniversary:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8688368.stm
Photos of Black 5 "Eric Treacy" restoration:
http://tinyurl.com/3yddp4d
Funds needed for Great Central Railway station canopy:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/8688932.stm
Gloucester Warwickshire Railway reopens Stanway Viaduct:
http://tinyurl.com/3aancgu
Lancaster grounded by ash cloud:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8685196.stm
Repair work on Middlesbrough transporter bridge:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/8685318.stm
London's "new Routemaster" design revealed:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8685486.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8690200.stm
British Library to digitise 40 million newspaper pages:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8690919.stm
Spotters: Richard Buckby, Neil Kearns, Ted Millward, Reg Nerps, Ralph
Rawlinson, Glynn Waite
TV and RADIO
22/05/10 Five 1215-1315
"Britain's Greatest Machines" Chris Barrie 3/8
22/05/10 BBC2 1835-1855
"Coast" Norway
22/05/10 BBC2 2000-2030
"The Boats That Built Britain" 3/6 The square rigger
22/05/10 BBC2 2030-2100
"The Boats That Built Britain" 4/6 The Reaper
23/05/10 BBC2 1830-1840
"Coast" Scottish islands
23/05/10 BBC4 1900-1910
"Coast" Slapton Sands, Devon
23/05/10 BBC2 1910-2000
"Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections" 3/6
23/05/10 ITV1 2330-0030
"Robbie Coltrane: B-Road Britain" 3/3
24/05/10 Five 1930-2000
"How Do They Do It?" High-speed catamarans
24/05/10 BBC2 2100-2200
"The Story of Science - Power, Proof & Passsion" 5/6
26/05/10 BBC4 2300-0000
"Deadliest Crash: the Le Mans 1955 Disaster"
27/05/10 Five 2000-2100
"Britain's Greatest Machines" Chris Barrie 4/8
EVENTS
For up-to-date information on many of the tours mentioned in Raildate (and
others) often with timings, see the Steam Tours pages at:
http://www.uksteam.info/index.shtml and also
http://railwayherald.co.uk/railtours/
All details are correct to the best of my knowledge. No responsibility is
taken for inaccuracies or changes.
17/05/10- Swanage Railway: Victorian Swanage - a Trip Through Time
23/05/10
http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk
22/05/10 Mid-Hants Railway Real Ale Train (RAT)
http://www.watercressline.co.uk/rat.htm
22/05/10 Industrial Heritage Day - Swannington Incline
Hosted by Leicestershire Industrial History Society
Full details and a booking form (both parts needed):
http://www.lihs.org.uk/EMIAC_79_Front.pdf
http://www.lihs.org.uk/EMIAC_79_inside.pdf
22/05/10- Bluebell Railway Open Day
23/05/10
http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/
29/05/10 Burnham and District Model Railway Club Exhibition
Community Centre, Berrow Road, Burnham-on-Sea, TA8 2ET
http://www.freewebs.com/bdmrc/
29/05/10- New Forest MRS Model Railway Exhibition
30/05/10 Brockenhurst Village Hall, Highwood Road, S)42 7RY
1000-1630 both days
http://www.nfmrs.co.uk
29/05/10- Didcot Railway Centre: Enhanced Steamdays
31/05/10
http://www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk
29/05/10- Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: Wirksworth Carnival Open Days
31/05/10
http://www.wyvernrail.co.uk/
29/05/10- Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway: Folk 'n' Cider Weekend
31/05/10
http://www.cleethorpescoastlightrailway.co.uk
29/05/10- Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway: Cotswold Festival
31/05/10 of Steam - 175 years of the GWR
http://www.gwsr.com
30/05/10 Aldershot & District Bus Running Day
Farnham Railway Station
http://www.adbig.co.uk/
30/05/10 Indian Queens Toy Fair, Cornwall
03/06/10 Talyllyn Railway: Children's Duncan Day
http://www.talyllyn.co.uk
05/06/10- Mid-Hants Railway: War on the Line
06/06/10
http://www.watercressline.co.uk/
05/06/10- Bluebell Railway: last opportunity to walk across the viaduct
06/06/10 and beyond up to the face of the Imberhorne waste tip
http://tinyurl.com/kvgmx
05/06/10- North Norfolk Railway: Mixed Traffic Gala
06/06/10
http://www.nnrailway.co.uk/
05/06/10- Leawood Pump Steaming Weekend, Cromford Canal
06/06/10
http://www.middleton-leawood.org.uk/
06/06/10 Romsey Signal Box Open Day
Admission free (donations welcome!)
1000-1500 followed by AGM of the Friends
ex-Romsey Infants School, Plaza Parade, Winchester Rd, Romsey
Car park in old school grounds
http://www.romseysignalbox.org.uk
06/06/10 Twyford Waterworks Communications Open Day
1100-1600
http://www.twyfordwaterworks.co.uk/
06/06/10 Churnet Valley Railway: Alf Tunstall Classic Bus Rally
http://www.churnetvalleyrailway.co.uk
Cheers, Howard.
editor(at)raildate.co.uk replace (at) with @
Previous issues of Raildate are at:
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This page includes a master catalogue of items that have appeared in
previous editions of Raildate.
(C) Howard Sprenger and Hursley Park Model Railway Society 2010.
The external edition of Raildate may be freely distributed without
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