HPMRS RAILDATE 30 Sep 05

News

RAILDATE: the weekly newsletter of the Hursley Park Model Railway Society: http://www.ibmhursleyclub.org.uk/ss/hpmrs/

Quite a bumper issue this week - thanks to all contributors!

NETWATCH

Neil Kearns has spotted an article in "Heritage Railways" about a proposed transport heritage centre at the site of Eastleigh Works. Part of the site would probably be given over to industrial developments which would be linked to the Chickenhall Link Road, running from Southampton Airport, around the south of Eastleigh Loco Depot and Works, and across the Eastleigh - Fareham line to link up with Chickenhall Industrial Estate and Fair Oak Road. Apparently, the idea has been circulating since 1978, and there is also a proposal to include aircraft (Southampton Aviation Museum) and local buses as well as railways. The Southern Electric Group has already declared an interest in the proposal. Nothing will happen until the Alstom lease expires in late 2007.

In the meantime, there is an auction of equipment at Eastleigh Works on 10th/11th October from 10.30 both days. Viewing is from 0800 to 1700 on Mon 10th October. Full details here:

http://assetsales.ipkoke.com/101205/

Paul Bartlett's fotopic site has been updated...

The summer is over - well it is here today - so time to get on with some modelling, or just looking at wagon photographs. So here is an update on the postings of the past couple of months.

Not wagons, but scanned a while ago, so why not share? Handsome in their railfreight sector liveries. "Class 37s - English Electric type 3" (C#693534) - 7 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c693534.html

Some photographs grabbed on a work-related visit, the Macedonian sunset livery on the coaches is lovely, and an interesting preserved loco in a restaurant garden by the Gevgelija station. Skopje and Gevgelija mixed" (C#618614) - 32 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c618614.html

A collection of these coaches, mostly black and white from the 1950s, and an XP64. "Mark 1 coaches" (C#693000) - 12 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c693000.html

Trying to help some modelers - some common, but rarely seen details of the underneath of a wood framed wagon. "Wagon details - PO mineral" (C#699028) - 8 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c699028.html

A selection of vans, the collection titles are self-explanatory. "BR Standard van all plywood sides" (C#694164) - 73 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c694164.html

"BR Pallet shock vans" (C#692054) - 13 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c692054.html

"BR (GWR design) shocvan" (C#691066) - 11 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c691066.html

"BR Standard Shock vans" (C#686509) - 70 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c686509.html

"BR Gunpowder vans CXV" (C#631611) - 42 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c631611.html

"Gunpowder vans - pre-nationalisation 1970s-90s" (C#634655) - 37 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c634655.html

Nice small steel carrying wagons, easily converted from models available in several scales. "BR Twin Bolsters, Lowfit & Conflat conversion" (C#626690) - 51 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c626690.html

Some details to go with a recent article in Rail Express. "ICI hydrogen cyanide tanks" (C#673501) - 12 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c673501.html

Something different. "Tiphook rail bogie box, international registered" (C#669650 - 7 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c669650.html

More to go with the articles in Model Rail. "BSSC bogie Iron ore tippler PTA JTA Immingham" (C#626124) - 28 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c626124.html

The very characteristic GWR brake vans spread to many parts of the system in later years and some quite early ones survived for many years. "GWR Brake vans" (C#624417) - 66 photographs: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c624417.html

A carfit S added. "SR Railway wagons - general" (C#77779) - 1 photograph: http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c77779.html

An incredible site that contains a huge amount of information about the world's railways is here:

http://www.rinbad.free-online.co.uk/index.htm

It is based on an earlier site that is no longer updated, and according to the blurb, should have been removed back in July. Readers are invited to download what they want while thes site is still there (it isn't clear if everything has been moved over to the new site). The original site is here:

http://www.rinbad.demon.co.uk/

One of the most fascinating links from the new site is to a list of line closures for UK and Ireland.

http://www.closedlines.free-online.co.uk/index.htm

A comprehensive report (9 pages with 44 pictures) of the Southern Belle Railtour on 17th October is on the Southern Electric Group website:

http://www.southernelectric.org.uk/features/sbelle01.html

West Somerset Express, Issue 39 (October 2005) is now available:

http://trainsferriesbuses.co.uk/westsomersetexpress.htm

Thanks to Brian Hall who spotted this site for the Ribble Steam Railway:

http://www.ribblesteam.org.uk/

The website for departmental rolling stock:

http://www.departmentals.com/index.php

Live steam locomotives in H0 scale (1:87) including some British outline locomotives:

http://www.hielscher-dampfmodelle.de/produkte_e/echtdampf_e.html

Don Winter has put details of his various train trips on the Web at:

http://home.earthlink.net/~donwinter/id1.html

Wessex Wagons - limited edition private owner wagons:

http://www.wessexwagons.co.uk/

Ralph Rawlinson's International News

This week - Eurostar News:

Due to a number of factors, both here and on the European mainland, it now looks as though we will have to wait until December 2007 for those tantalising journey time reductions to Paris and Brussels. This is a summary of items in the October issue of Modern Railways.

With the whole of the CTRL in use, the best non-stop timings will be l hr 51 min to Brussels and 2 hr 15 min to Paris. Brussels will thus be closer in journey time to London than Leeds or Manchester, Cardiff or Exeter and much less than half the Edinburgh or Glasgow timing.

The Eurostar partners have agreed that trains will make no more than one intermediate stop on either side of the Channel, which has significant implications for UK intermediate stations. Dartford International (Eurostar's preferred name for the new Ebbsfleet station) is seen as crucial to the future success of the international train service. It will be the railhead not only for many of those who currently use Waterloo but also for many who currently drive to Ashford. A three-minute drive from the M25, it will open with parking for 5000 cars, and there is space available to provide another 4000 places. Dartford International will be 17 min from St Pancras, 95 min from Brussels, and 118 min from Paris.

The modest aspiration of Modern Railways is for a limited stop Birmingham - Paris Eurolino, occupying one of the three Virgin West Coast paths every other hour by the end of the decade. It suggests, however, that readers may have more imaginative ideas!

Nick and Jane Wheat recently took a trip to the USA to witness the last public display of the Tomcat. The US Navy's last two active F-14 Tomcat squadrons are on their final deployment headed to the Persian Gulf onboard aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. The F/A-18 Super Hornets will replace the Tomcats when they return in mid-2006 and will only require about one-fourth the maintenance time of their predecessors. Pilots will need about four months to retrain for the new Super Hornets:

http://nickwheat5306.photobook.org.uk/ps20552715.html.

Nick's photos were a few snaps of the general day. Superb quality photos of the display flying are at...

http://www.alert5.com/gallery/Oceana-Naval-Air-Station-VA?page=1

http://www.jaffapix.com/oceanasat.html http://www.jaffapix.com/oceanasun.html

http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/nasoceana/050916/archives.cfm (video clips)

For 40 years Alan Watkins has been taking photographs of the back ends of buses:

http://backendofabus.fotopic.net/

There are plans for a tram museum in Guernsey:

http://www.busstation.net/guernseytram/index.htm

IN THE NEWS

Computer fault brings train chaos: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4292564.stm

MSPs vote to reopen Waverley route: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4288258.stm

New railway station in Glasgow: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4291422.stm

Bids submitted for rail franchise: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4289086.stm

More than 85% of trains "on time": http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4282366.stm

Pupils "sitting in luggage racks": http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4290344.stm

SW lines join rural rail scheme: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4278282.stm

Bridge replaces railway crossing: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/4287364.stm

Reward offered after rail arson: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/4281860.stm

Train firm aims to improve image: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/4282686.stm

TV and Radio

Events

See Mainline Steam Tours page for up-to-date info on many of these tours, and others, often with timings.