NETWATCH
Last December, Terry Bye ceased publication of his monthly Pullman newsletter "Coup News", but
he has now produced the first of what is hoped to be a bi-monthly "Pullman & CIWL News". To
request a copy, please contact Terry to be added to his distribution list:
t.bye(at)ntlworld.com (replace with @)
Pete Speller, of the Great Western Society, has a long-term project to scan and retypeset as
many of the GWR Engineering Society Lectures as possible. The index, and all currently-scanned
lectures are here:
http://tinyurl.com/6kk4qgz
At present there are 70 lectures available, out of a possible 230, and Pete believes that 83
have gone missing; he hopes that they will emerge over time. A Master Index is downloadable
here:
http://tinyurl.com/68mmhy2
An excellent photographic record of the Stafford & Uttoxeter Railway:
http://picasaweb.google.com/clogandknocker/OldStaffordToUttoxeterRailwayLine
(Spotter: David Moore)
Recent explores of Morcott tunnel:
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=61447
And Mapperley Tunnel:
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=61446
Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine - a free US online magazine:
http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/
============
Videos
Various Somerset & Dorset videos...
Blanford Forum Then and Now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qUc7kmwqqw
Shillingston (sic) to Blandford Forum - Days of Steam Trains:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LcT4nUXk9o
Steam trains Bailey Gate Railway station:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ch7cBCgmno
(Spotter: Ted Millward)
Great Central Railway Golden Oldies Gala:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6IHNtSztw0
(Spotter: Ted Millward)
============
Ralph Rawlinson's Railway Roundup
Main-line Steam
Peter Prior CBE, who when MD of Bulmers Cider is credited with bringing back steam to the main
line in 1971, has died aged 91.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8546462/Peter-Prior.html
Miniature 10-in Gauge Lines
The Wells & Walsingham Railway's new Garratt No.6 "Edith Cavell 1865-1915 Norfolk Heroine" was
completed in time for operation at Easter. Also at Easter the 10-in Isle of Mull Railway
(closed December 2010) was in operation.
Railway Preservation
It had to happen! The Pacer Preservation Society aims to preserve a representative from classes
142, 143 and 44.
http://pacer-preservation.webs.com
MR Bristol - Yate
News that Bristol City Council's Barrow Road Waste terminal has closed might not immediately
appear to be of much consequence, but the line, just under m long, giving access to it is the
last remaining section of the original Midland main line that remained in use in the city. The
Council states that the amount of landfill sent to the site has fallen and, whilst they would
like to use road transport, the lease only allows transfer by rail, and that can no longer be
justified.
GWR Corris Railway
Tree felling has started in preparation for extending the track following Snowdonia National
Park Authority giving the Corris Railway final planning permissions for the deviation work from
the original route at Pont-y-Goedwig south of Maespoeth Junction. It forms part of the narrow
gauge railway's plans to extend mile to Esgairgeiliog, and eventually a further half mile to
the Forestry Commission picnic site at Tan-y-Coed.
West Midlands
Despite warning signs the low bridge carrying the Midland Metro over Great Bridge Road at
Sandwell has been struck 19 times over the past five years. It is hoped that a
recently-installed system, using an infra-red beam on the approaches either side of the bridge
which, if broken, triggers a flashing display, will end these strikes.
Staffordshire
Memesis Rail, the owner of 20 ex-BR main-line locos based mainly at Barrow Hill, is considering
establishing its own HQ. The relatively modern but empty former BR wagon works north of
Burton-on-Trent station is said to be ideal.
Merseyside
The former electric depot at Allerton, closed by DB schenker in 2009, is being reopened by
Northern Rail. It will be used initially to to stable and maintain class 156s DMUs, but could
be ideally situated to maintain EMUs that will be introduced once the line to Manchester is
electrified in 2014.
South Yorkshire
Work on a strategic rail-freight interchange on the ECML south of Doncaster could start in the
summer of 2012, now that funding from the Regional Growth Fund has been agreed.
http://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/local_transport_today/news/?ID=18378
Cumbria
Residents of Kirkby Stephen have always been faced with a long walk to and from the station on
the S&C line, made worse by the steep climb out of town when joining trains. The station
(formerly Kirkby Stephen West), located on the A685 1 miles SW of the town, is now to be
provided with an all-weather path funded by Cumbria County Council. (I suspect most would have
preferred a ski-lift!)
Balloch branch
The empty building at the unstaffed Renton station has been turned into a heritage centre
marking the village's connection with Robert the Bruce. Passenger Focus has named Renton as
the "Best Adopted Station in Scotland".
GNSR Craigellachie - Keith Jn
The Keith & Dufftown Railway has launched an appeal to raise funds move its loco shed from
Drummuir (mid-way between Dufftown and Keith Town) to Dufftown.
http://www.keith-dufftown-railway.co.uk/appeals.php
Scotland
Motherwell depot, closed by DB Schenker in 2007, is to be reopened by the freight company
Direct Rail Services. It will replace Cadder Yard, on the main line out of Queen Street, which
has no covered accommodation.
Spain - Portugal
The Spanish government has started the tendering process for the Spanish component of the 450km
Madrid-Lisbon high speed line.
http://tinyurl.com/5tafmxt
Morocco
Eliop Seinalia (CAF Group) has set up the Rabat Teleoperated Control Centre for Railway
Electrification and Remote Substation Management for the Moroccan Railway Network.
http://www.spanishrailwaysnews.com/noticias.asp?not=91
Ethiopia
India has pledged 180m towards the construction of a national rail network. The goal is
2,395km of railway routes, the total cost of which has been estimated at 3.5bn. Meanwhile
China will fund 85% of the cost of a light rail network in Addis Ababa.
India
A 176 km line is to be built linking Ratlam-Banswara-Dungurpur in the state of Rajasthan which
borders Pakistan. It is hoped that the proposed new railway will help in the movement of coal
for thermal power plants and accelerate the economic growth of the region.
http://tinyurl.com/3rgfjbj
Indonesia
Mass Rapid Transit, Jakarta, is asking for bids to construct a 1.1bn project to construct the
first section of the city's commuter rail line. Work should begin later this year and be
completed by 2014.
China
The state audit office has discovered that, in just three months last year, at least US$30m was
misappropriated from the Beijing-Shanghai high speed line project in multiple cases of
embezzlement, overcharging, flawed procurement procedures and fake receipts.
============
IN THE NEWS
South West Trains chaos: Delayed passengers break out:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13723005
Waterloo - Woking signal failures 6/6/2011:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13674059
Automatic shut down mode introduced by East Midlands Trains:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13660083:
http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/AboutUs/News/Pages/_Transportsecretary.aspx
London Midland to fit electricity meters to trains:
http://www.rail.co/2011/06/08/london-midland-fits-trains-with-electricity-meters/
RAIB report into train failure at St Pancras Low Level:
http://tinyurl.com/6bqtdvq
Level Crossing awareness day:
http://www.rail.co/2011/06/09/rail-industry-campaigns-for-level-crossing-safety/
http://www.rail.co/2011/04/05/network-rail-releases-shocking-level-crossing-footage/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-13712900
Cotswold Line railway redoubling - picture gallery:
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/pictures/oxfordshire_galleries/cotswoldline2009/
Redevelopment of Leeds station:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-13682307
Ticket barriers being installed at Glasgow stations:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-13694869
Forth Bridge on track for new access stair as painting set to end:
http://www.scotsman.com/scotland/Bridge-on-track-for-new.6781017.jp
Extra train carriages to be put on during Kessock Bridge works:
http://tinyurl.com/3f6oqkw
Level Crossing Misuse at Porthmadog:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13686924
"Cock o' the North" hopes to ride the rails again:
http://tinyurl.com/3sdoobn
North Yorkshire Moors Railway staff work-to-rule on pay:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-13705356
Mid-Norfolk Railway offers reward for lost train valve:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-13629650
Replacement bridge for Weymouth's Rodwell Trail in doubt:
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/9062062.Weymouth_s_bridge_of_sighs/
End of an era for tramcars:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-13638587
Princes Street tramway remedial work delayed:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-13646503
Cambridge Busway opening date:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-13715570
High prices put brakes on China bullet train:
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201106060203.html
Barge in collision with Railway bridge at Mission British Columbia:
http://www.pbase.com/ashewan/barge
Restored biplane:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-13639314
Vintage aircraft crash on Unst, Shetland:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-13645855
Anglesey - Isle of Man air service:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-13612346
WWI underground: Unearthing the hidden tunnel war:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13630203
Spotters: Richard Buckby, Neil Kearns, Ted Millward, Reg Nerps, Ralph Rawlinson
TV and RADIO
12/06/11 BBC2 1810-1900
"Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections" 6/6 The Bullet Train
12/06/11 BBC2 2000-2100
"James May's Toy Stories: The Great Train Race" New attempt on record
12/06/11 BBC2 2100-2200
"Coast" New series 2/6 Devon and Cornwall
13/06/11 BBC2 1900-2000
"James May's Toy Stories: The Great Train Race" New attempt on record
13/06/11 Channel 5 1930-2000
"How Do They Do It?" Sharp knives and diamonds
13/06/11 BBC2 2320-0010
"Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections" 6/6 The Bullet Train
13/06/11 BBC4 2330-0030
"Spitfire Women" The women who delivered Spitfires in WWII
14/06/11 BBC2 2100-2200
"The Country House Revisited" Marsh Court, Hampshire
14/06/11 BBC4 2200-2300
"The Great Estate: the Rise and Fall of the Council House"
14/06/11 BBC4 2300-0000
"Wellington Bomber" How one was built in a single day
14/06/11 BBC2 2320-0020
"James May's Toy Stories: The Great Train Race" New attempt on record
17/06/11 BBC2 1900-2000
"Coast" New series 2/6 Devon and Cornwall
17/06/11 Channel 5 2000-2100
"Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers" 5/8
EVENTS
All details are correct to the best of my knowledge, but no responsibility is accepted for
inaccuracies or changes.
10/06/11 Friends of Dronfield Station AGM
Gosforth Lodge, Cliffe Park, Callywhite Lane, Dronfield
Speaker Paul Salveson: Railways in the North: Are we getting a raw deal?
Starts 1930
11/06/11 Peak Rail: Class 44 "Penyghent" and 31 31270 operating
http://www.peakrail.co.uk
12/06/11 Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: Rolls Royce Meet
http://www.wyvernrail.co.uk/
12/06/11 Churnet Valley Railway: Cream Tea & Steam
http://www.churnetvalleyrailway.co.uk
16/06/11 Bynea and Llwynhendy Local History Society: talk
Red Cow, Bynea, Carmarthenshire SA14 9LP
"Brunel in South Wales" by Stephen Jones
Begins 1900
18/06/11 Solent Railwayana Auctions
Community Centre, Mill Lane, Wickham, Hampshire, PO17 5AL
Viewing: 0800, Start: 1000
http://www.solentrailwayana.com/
18/06/11- GWSG Exhibition
19/06/11 Abbeywood Community School, New Road, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8SF
(approx 10 minute walk from Bristol Parkway station)
1100-1700 (Sat), 1000-1600 (Sun)
Adult: 6.00, GWSG Members: 5.00, Partners & U16: Free
Refreshments available will include hot snacks
18/06/11- Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: Triumph Car Meet
19/06/11
http://www.wyvernrail.co.uk/
18/06/11- German Railway Society, Trent Group: Small & Friendly European Show
19/06/11 Cromford Community Centre, Market Square, Cromford, Derbyshire, DE4 3RE
Layouts in various scales including Derek Gilkerson with Zwiesboden
1030-1700 both days
Adult: 3, Senior/Concession: 2.50, Child: 2, Family: 5
http://www.mount-tabor-models.co.uk/cromford_show.html
19/06/11 Peak Rail: Peak Park Preserved Bus Gathering
http://www.peakrail.co.uk
20/06/11 Friends of Cromford Canal - Talk
Ironville Church Hall, Casson St, Ironville NG16 5NN
"The Butterley Tunnel" by Tina Cordon
Starts: 1930
http://www.cromfordcanal.org.uk/
21/06/11 Peak Railway Association (Chesterfield Branch) Slideshow
New Inn, 229 Mansfield Road, Hasland, Chesterfield, S41 0JJ
John G Robinson & Other Railway Artists: Pt 1, Ken Grainger
http://www.peakrail.co.uk/ChesterfieldBranch.html
25/06/11 Manchester Victoria signalling school layout operating day
National Railway Museum, York
http://www.nrm.org.uk/
25/06/11- Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: Duffield carnival Open Days
26/06/11 Also VW Meet (both days) and Austin-Healey Meet (26th)
http://www.wyvernrail.co.uk/
Cheers, Howard.
editor(at)raildate.co.uk replace (at) with @
Raildate may be freely distributed without permission as long as no changes whatsoever are made
to the original document distributed by the Editor. You can subscribe to Raildate here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RAILDATE/
Issues of Raildate up to and including 18th December 2009 are at:
http://www.raildate.net
This page includes a master catalogue of items that have appeared in previous editions of
Raildate.
(C) Howard Sprenger 2011.