HPMRS RAILDATE 26 Jan 07

News

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

NETWATCH

Most people like to try their hand at identifying mystery pictures, and for these you'll need to know your way around the Stoke/Stafford area. I've put them on the Web - any ideas... please get in touch...! http://www.kestrelrailwaybooks.co.uk/mystery.htm

More for those following the demise of the class 442s: http://www.class442.co.uk

Also, the Southern Electric Group's class 442 website feature "Whither Wessies?" is available: http://www.southernelectric.org.uk/features/swt442f01.html

Evidently five units have been retained until 10th February due to a shortage of class 444. It has also come to that the Wessex Electrics were to have their buffets, snug/lounge and guards area removed and converted for more standard seating, but this plan was cancelled, even though they would then have had more seats than a class 444.

I saw one at Twyford this lunchtime!

Steve McNally has posted photos of the Gunnislake line and a few other bits and pieces: http://steve-mcnally.fotopic.net/c1189247.html

The Amman Valley Railway society was formed in 1992 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Amman Valley line. The objective is to preserve the railway from further demolition and to preserve and promote it as a heritage railway, a fitting tribute to a bygone era, and a valuable asset to tourism in the Amman Valley. The railway is a branch line of the spectacular and scenic Heart of Wales main line. Starting at Pantyffynnon and twisting its way through the Carmarthenshire valley to its end at Abernant colliery. The society meets monthly at the Signal box at Glanamman on the 3rd Tuesday every month. For more information on the line, its past present and future, visit: http://ammanvalleyrail.netfirms.com/

John Turner recently acquired a significant number of 1920s and 1930s monochrome negatives originating from the camera of the late Alan Whitehead, and needed somewhere his work. He has therefore created a gallery exclusively to promote Alan's images and so far it contains three collections covering: - The LMS(NCC) scene in Northern Ireland in 1936. - The Midland & Great Northern Railway in Augsut 1933 - London Euston in the 1930s. The site is at a very early stage of development and there is a large amount of further material to be added as and when time permits. You can view the fledging site at: http://johnsgallery.fotoblog.org.uk

This is the place to go for railway codes - Engineer's Line References, Signal Box prefixes, depot codes, etc. Very useful! http://deaves47.users.btopenworld.com/rail_index.htm

The Carriage Exchange: http://www.lmsca.org.uk/carex

The Moseley Railway Trust: http://www.mrt.org.uk/

Pendragon Publishing - publishers of "Backtrack" now have a website: http://www.pendragonpublishing.co.uk/

Nick Wheat has found the ultimate road vehicle for railway enthusiasts (second picture): http://englishrussia.com/?p=571

Mike Morant has recently scanned part of a post card collection that will eventually be put on the market. Just over a third of the collection comprises railway postcards with the accent on locomotives. They, and the cards containing tram images have been uploaded to a new photo gallery: http://just-postcards.picturebook.org.uk/

The South Devon Railway has posted a page all about the reconnection of the Staverton Dock Siding that is now operated from Bishops Bridge box: http://www.southdevonrailway.org/News-and-Press-Releases/Staverton-Dock-Siding.html

Swanage Railway 2006 Statistics - a very successful year has yielded the following statistics which are still subject to audit: - 201,452 passengers carried, which represents approximately 1.8 million passenger miles travelled and £1.1 million in fares - Over 40,000 cars used the Norden Park & Ride which reduced traffic between Corfe Castle and Swanage by around half a million car miles. - 2852 public train services operated on 254 days representing approximately 31,000 train miles - The local authority estimates that the railway benefited the local economy by in excess of £2 million. - The Swanage Railway is operated by around 400 volunteers and 33 paid staff plus three full-time trainees (formal and on the job training).

Paul Bartlett's fotopic site update list (Part 3)

GWR wagons - a selection on BR from Nationalisation until late 1960s (C#21632): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c21632.html

Tank wagon barrels as stores (C#965002): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c965002.html

BR Exhibition trains (C#1010142): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c1010142.html

BR Sand wagons (C#20252): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c20252.html

BR (LNER) steel open merchandise (C#246338): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c246338.html

Clay open merchandise wagons, BR origin (C#163789): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c163789.html

BR open merchandise diag. 1/034, all wood body (C#100592): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c100592.html

LNER Open Merchandise wagons - steel bodied (C#1001769): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c1001769.html

BR (LNER) steel open merchandise upto 1980-1 (C#246338): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c246338.html

Cowan Sheldon 6 1/2 and 10 ton hand cranes on BR (C#88721): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c88721.html

BR medium (glass cradle) shock open merchandise (C#31438): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c31438.html

LMS wagons - a selection pre-nat and on BR (C#21868): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c21868.html

German Cargowaggon - Eva Bogie flat (C#319224): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c319224.html

Mark 1 coaches (C#693000): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c693000.html

BR Palvans for Airbrake Network (C#278045): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c278045.html

BR Lowfit wagons low open merchandise (C#20081): http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c20081.html

Brussels trams (C#1103299): http://paulbartlettsotherrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/c1103299.html

Bristol Barton Hill C&W: http://paulbartlettsotherrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/c1145371.html

Harwich rail ferry terminal: http://paulbartlettsotherrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/c1156381.html

BR Peak or Class 45 1Co-Co1 diesels: http://paulbartlettsotherrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/c1171724.html

Paul also models at the Ebor club in York, and is rather proud of the wagon lift and loading bank on Hungate - his first attempts at non-wagon modelling: http://ebormodelrail.fotopic.net/

Letter from Iberia - former HPMRS member Ken Lunn writes...

"The high-speed rail link between Madrid and Barcelona is nearing completion (but mañana is a bit too soon), and passes a few miles from where we live. A few weeks ago I saw what looked remarkably like a couple of class 37s at work on the construction site; they were in a dirty blue livery. Do you know if RENFE have bought any for this work? I don't recall seeing anything about it. It wouldn't be surprising if they had, as the new line is to standard gauge, whereas, as you know, Spanish railways are almost entirely a few inches broader."

Although I can't answer Ken's specific question about the presence of class 37s near where he lives in Tarragona, there are certainly examples of the class in Spain, along with some class 58s: http://www.c58lg.co.uk/html/spain_update__2006.html

Ralph Rawlinson's European news

Eurostar While the new flyover on the approach to Brussels Midi eliminates the need for trains on the high speed line from Lille to cross to the north side of station on the flat, there is still no easy connection from Eurostar to Thalys or ICE services. Passengers are forced to reach the underplatform walkways via just three lifts or a narrow staircase. Eurostar CE, Richard Brown is aware of this, and hopes that a solution will be found in time for the opening of "HS1" on 14th November. Meanwhile the journey from London to Paris could be reduced to just two hours if the French decide to go ahead with the building of a LGV from Calais to Paris via Amiens. Such a route would be considerably shorter that the present route via Lille but a full public debate, necessary before being given the go ahead, would mean that construction is unlikely to start before the end of the decade at the earliest.

French TGV Record Attempt Next June, SNCF hopes to create a new world speed record with a specially- prepared TGV on the new LGV Est from Paris to Metz. The present record of 320mph was set in 1990 and SNCF is aiming for a speed between 342 and 354mph. The French also have aspirations to raise the maximum speed for service trains on existing TGV lines to 200mph and even 224mph. (In this country we plan to turn the clock back by replacing 125mph Voyagers with 100mph Class 185s on the Manchester - Glasgow route!)

Thanks to Nick Wheat for alerting me to "the Caspian See Monster" - a very strange device, but of course it would have "snook" under NATO RADAR rather neatly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOtSfb-P1C8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmqrVs9oycM&NR

IN THE NEWS

Commuter protest over rail seats: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/6288115.stm http://www.no450.co.uk/

MP calls for Gatwick Express closure: http://tinyurl.com/2ajwrm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6289761.stm

Passengers in rush-hour protest: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6285629.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6290689.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6295071.stm

Transport 2000 view ... http://www.transport2000.org.uk/news/maintainNewsArticles.asp?NewsArticleID=342

Row over response to overcrowding: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/6292913.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6296387.stm

GNER train services set to rise by 20% http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/6287755.stm

Railway museum gets £1.7m revamp: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6279965.stm

Train fire at Neath. Correct stock - old livery http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6297337.stm

Thieves targeting railway memorabilia caught red-handed on CCTV Video: http://tinyurl.com/2qq3h6

A view of the Trans Siberian http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6278515.stm

(Spotters: Neil Kearns, Reg Nerps)

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