HPMRS RAILDATE 28 Oct 05

News

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

MORE TRAVELS WITH LAWRENCE AND MELISSA

The Soller Tram and Railway in Mallorca - Part 2 of 3 - The Tram

As you leave the pontoon in the Port of Soller, you cross the Tramline that runs alongside the road at this point. Every half hour there is a service to Soller itself, consisting of a motorcoach and two "toastrack" trailers. The line continues alonside the road beside the beach, then passes inland, eventually crossing onto its own right-of-way behind gardens in Soller, before emerging onto the Square and terminating in front of the railway station. The sturdy little stock then has a climb of what looks like 1 in 9 to the depot, which it shares with the trains - of which more next week...

Pictures at: http://www.lchanney.plus.com/Photos/Mallorca/Tramontana/DSCF1431.JPG http://www.lchanney.plus.com/Photos/Mallorca/Tramontana/DSCF1429.JPG http://www.lchanney.plus.com/Photos/Mallorca/Tramontana/DSCF1430.JPG

Official tren de Soller website (in Spanish): http://trendesoller.com/

Barry Emmott's Majorcan Railways site: http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/MajorcaRailways

Map at: http://www.lchanney.plus.com/Photos/Mallorca/Tramontana/Tramontana.jpg

AND AN UPDATE FROM BARRY EMMOTT

Coincidentally, Barry Emmott, who runs the Majorcan Railways site mentioned above has read that changes are afoot at the port. The "fishermans" restaurant is to be demolished, and replaced with a modern building, possibly at another location in the port. It is also reported that the ancient barracks will also be demolished, the old lighthouse having gone not long ago.

NETWATCH

"Rail Manager" is an excellent source of rail industry news that you can download from their website:

http://www.keepingtrack.co.uk/ktpubs/railmanager/railmanager_index.htm

Aerial photos of Portsmouth, including a view of Portsmouth and Southsea High Level:

http://ww2.portsmouth-college.ac.uk/portsmouth/From-the-Guildhall

A 360-degree view of St Pancras:

http://www.vrlondon.com/vr/london/stns1.shtml

and Victoria:

http://www.vrlondon.com/vr/london/stns2.shtml

A great site if you're interested in disused stations:

http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/sites.shtml

The Underground History website has moved:

http://underground-history.co.uk/

Richard Buckby has found an unexpected place for a journey planner - the Wandsworth Borough Council website!

http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/railplan/bin/query.exe/en

"Laddie", the Wimbledon station dog:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hometruths/20050801_wimbledon_dog.shtml

There is now a discussion group for those interested in Cravens DMUs:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CravensDMU

and one for Park Royal Class 103 DMUs:

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ParkRoyal103/

"Merlin" has added pictures of the recent Bo'ness & Kinneil gala to his fotopic site:

http://merlinsphotos.fotopic.net

Nick Wheat has found some interesting 1970s photos:

http://richardarmstrong.fotopic.net/c731661.html

Interesting pictures of the Southern can be found here:

http://www.buttsjunction.co.uk

The project which began over three years ago to catalogue the National Railway Museum library's collection of books and serials, has now finished! All 15,000 books and 800 serial titles are now fully searchable on the library's catalogue.

http://libcat0.york.ac.uk/F/?func=file&file_name=find-k&local_base=nrm

The Dean Forest Railway has received written permission from HMRI to operate trains to Parkend. The following press release has been issued:

The Dean Forest Railway is pleased to announce that permission to operate public passenger trains to Parkend has been granted by Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate. Said Company Chairman, Denis Westerberg, "We are delighted at this news and we look forward to the Dean Forest Railway playing an expanding role in developing sustainable tourism in our very precious Royal Forest."

Steam train operation is planned to commence next March, with the possibility of heritage diesel trains calling at Parkend between Christmas and New Year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4361362.stm

On Sunday 16 October 2005, 56xx Class 0-6-2T no 5643 became the 92nd GWR locomotive (out of a total of 144 survivors) to return to steam in the preservation era, when it moved under its own power for the first time since 1963. It has been restored by the Furness Railway Trust at Haverthwaite for use on the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. It returns to steam 80 years to the month after it first entered service with the GWR in October 1925. It is due to be painted in BR(WR) lined green livery. It follows hard on the heels of class mate 6695 at Swanage which steamed for the first time in September.

More information may be found at: Furness Railway Trust: http://www.furnessrailwaytrust.org.uk Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway: http://www.lakesiderailway.co.uk

News from the Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog)

Rail for the WHR(P) extension has now arrived and been unloaded at the Pen-y-Mount terminus. It means tracklaying can start this weekend, once final preparations have been finished. It's a historic moment for many volunteers in Porthmadog, as it takes them beyond what has been the end boundary of the site for well over 25 years. The hope is to have the line open to a new terminus at Traeth Mawr during 2006.

Larry Schwartz has found an excellent piece of video on the net. He says, "It has been a long time since I've piloted an aircraft and this almost brought tears to my eyes. If you are a pilot, note how the DC-3 is 'greased in' - really smooth landing."

http://www.users.uswest.net/~choice220721678/Aerial_Movie.htm

(Needs Quicktime.)

And finally, Ralph Rawlinson spotted this in the November-December Bulletin of the Railway & Canal Historical Society. It is from an obscure work published in 1843 that places on record some contemporary opinions of railways. If only such candour were possible today!

The original estimates for the Brighton Railway were stated at £1,120,000, which sum was increased from time to time until the proprietors were awoke from their lethargy by the thunder of £2,639,211, and behold a summary from the engineers own admission, in his report to the committee of investigation, dated March 1842, wherein it is indisputably set forth, that: All his calculations were erroneous, All his expectations disappointed, All his conjectures disproved, All his economy frustrated, All his quantities false, All his quarries deceitful, All his weights inadequate, All his bridges multiplied, All his cuttings increased, All his tunnels enlarged, All his costs tripled, All his dimensions insufficient, All his stations too small, and Every estimate for "engines, tenders, carriages, vans, trucks, boxes, waggons, houses, sheds, offices, warehouses, wharfs, ovens, stoves, and their paraphranalia" [sic] totally omitted.

IN THE NEWS

Liverpool commuter train derailed: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4380048.stm

Thames Valley train chaos: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/4381166.stm

Station clock changes a week early again: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4373352.stm

Dover Priory station to be revamped: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4374112.stm

Weather could wask away devon rail route: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/4382200.stm

Commuters journeys 'to rocket 24%': http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4375264.stm

Rail internet access picks up speed: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4363196.stm

South Africa's Blue Train in smash: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4381582.stm

Cows make fuel for biogas train: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4373440.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.