HPMRS RAILDATE 21 Sep 07

News

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

NETWATCH

Roger Kidner (1914-2007)

Sad news of the death of Roger Kidner, one of the first enthusiasts to take an interest in the more obscure corners of the railway system of the British Isles, and founder of the Oakwood Press in 1931. Oakwood was set up in his parents' house in Sidcup together with his Westminster School friend Michael Robbins, and it put many of his observations in the hands of the public at a time when much railway literature tended towards the superficial. He wrote many of the earlier books, and while his research might not have been up to present-day standards of diligence they added greatly to the knowledge available. After service in World War 2, when he became a Major, he went into advertising and set up house in Chislehurst. He later lived in South Godstone, Lingfield, Tarrant Hinton (Dorset) and Bow Street (near Aberystwyth) - hence the large number of different addresses on the Oakwood press books of his era! Oakwood Press was bought many years ago by Jane Kennedy, and continues to go from strength to strength as one of the country's leading transport publishers.

(Biographical details from Tom Burnham of Staplehurst)

All about the Fairford branch: http://www.martin.loader.btinternet.co.uk/Fairford_Branch.htm

An update on progress is on the A1 Loco Trust's website. Essentially, they still need to raise £79k in funding to complete the project. The loco is 90% complete and the tender is 81% complete, with the project on target to steam later this year and enter mainline service in summer 2008: http://www.a1steam.com/update.html

Next year's Nottingham Model Railway Exhibition is to be renamed the Nottingham East Midlands Model Railway Exhibition, and the organising club, Nottingham (Bulwell) Model Railway Society has a new website: http://www.nottingham-modelrailway.org.uk

Chris Dadson recommends the following by amateur film maker, Dumpman Films as a satisfied customer: - Ardingly Branch Line Explored - Three Bridges to East Grinstead tour DVD 2007 - East Grinstead to Groombridge tour DVD 2007 - Devil's Dyke Railway Tour 2007 - Doomed Ouse Valley Railway Explored 2006 - Hayling Island Branch Line Tour 2006 - Brighton's Kemp Town Branch Line Explored 2006 - Offham Chalkpit Tunnels and Steep Grade Railway 2006 - Selsey Tramway Tour 2006 - The Disused Railway Tunnels of Sussex Explored 2006 - Abandoned Railways of Sussex Explored 2006 (8 x DVD set) - Rye & Camber Tramway and Rye Harbour Branch Line Explored 2007 DVD - Heathfield to Polegate tour DVD 2007 - Guildford to Christ's Hospital tour DVD 2007 - Christ's Hospital to Shoreham tour DVD 2007 The amateur filmmaker has set out to film the routes of the now closed railway lines in Sussex and any remaining railway remnants found along their routes. There are one or two blunders in the sound commentary (including, for example, the extent of the Ardingly trackbed owned by the Bluebell Railway, and references to some former 'Goods' Sheds as 'Engine' Sheds) but they are recommended nevertheless. http://www.dumpman.co.uk/index.htm

The Soham explosion of 1944: http://www.soham.org.uk/history/trainexplosion.htm (Spotter: Neil Kearns)

RAIB reports on the collision at Swanage station on 16th November 2006: http://tinyurl.com/367bu5 And the collision at Epsom on 12th September 2006: http://tinyurl.com/38p86c (Spotter: Richard Buckby)

A series of superb aerial photographs covering the route of the Welsh Highland Railway has just been made available on the WHR website: http://whr.bangor.ac.uk/ The aerial photos are at: http://whr.bangor.ac.uk/aerial.htm (Spotter: Ian Griffiths)

Rail Simulator demo: http://www.railsimulator.com (Spotter: Nick Wheat)

Steve McNally has just returned from a few days in Scotland, and has posted pictures here: http://steve-mcnally.fotopic.net/c1370940.html

Paul Biggs's pictures from last weekend's GCR Diesel Gala: http://paulbiggsgcrailway.fotopic.net/c1370336.html

Mike Morant has come by some slides and negatives featuring diesels, and has uploaded them to his railway gallery. Classes included are 03, 16 (very poor shot), 22, 25, 26, 31, 33, 35, 40, 42, 47,50, 52, 55 and 56. http://gallery62603.fotopic.net/c1369464.html

More from Brian Hall the Dobwalls Adventure Park miniature railway: http://tinyurl.com/ynn6qf http://www.benjy14.org.uk/rpg/videos/videos.asp (other railways featured)

Ralph Rawlinson sends news of the West Midlands Signalling Centre Saltley gleaned from recent editions of "Modern Railways" and "Rail":

According to Rail a signalling revolution kicked into gear when Coventry became the first box to operate out of the striking new West Midlands Signalling Centre which is located alongside the existing power box at Saltley. The move is part of Network Rail's £350m-plus investment in new signalling and track in the region in a bid to raise line speeds and boost

capacity. By the end of 2015 it should house up to 75 staff at any time, including 35 signallers and covering an area of 420 route miles. It sets the standard for purpose-built signalling centres being constructed at Derby, to cover the East Midlands, and Glasgow.

To avoid problems in the event of an electricity failure current is supplied by two different companies. The building, however, has its own power source, with several huge batteries hidden below the building that will provide electricity for 20 minutes until standby generators power up. With a reliance on computers, below the main signalling dome lie dozens of

processors, which mean that in the event of a fault with the system, engineers on site will be able to tackle the problem immediately. The main circular signalling centre, the dome, is in the heart of the building with no windows, so the teams of signallers will be responsible for thousands of train movements every day without seeing a train.

Coventry Resignalling: Coventry was one of the earlier power boxes provided for the original WCML electrification. Opened in 1962 it pre-dated Rugby to the east (1964) and New Street to the west (1966). For Coventry signallers, the recent move over the August Bank Holiday weekend, was not just physical. They will leave behind the NX (Entry/Exit) panel system for an evolving Westinghouse computer system, WestCad III, which uses axle counters to 'see' where a train is at any given moment. Covering an area from Hampton in Arden in the west to Brandon, near Coventry in the east, Milverton in the south and Coundon Road, which will become a CCTV-controlled level crossing, the £45m scheme has seen a move towards total four-aspect signalling, with extra signals added and others repositioned. Track improvements to raise line speeds, include double-tracking south along the Leamington corridor to Gibbet Hill and the 'provision' for extending platforms at Berkswell and Tile Hill.

North Warwick, Leamington corridor, Water Orton, Walsall, Wolverhampton and New Street: Coventry will be followed into Saltley by North Warwick, then the Leamington corridor, in a package of improvements worth £76m, by the end of next year. Water Orton will follow in 2010, Walsall in 2011 and Wolverhampton in 2012, with New Street earmarked for 2014/5. In all, Water Orton, Snow Hill, Kings Norton, Worcester, Bromsgrove, Stourbridge, Walsall, Stour Valley, Wolverhampton, Proof House, Cherwell Valley, Telford, Lichfield, Kingsbury, Saltley and Birmingham New Street will be resignalled or recontrolled from Saltley, with the boundaries between the Midland Region and the Western Region being redrawn to allow for sensible use of the new technology. New Street will be resignalled in six phases "working around the outside first, and then splitting the station in half and tackling each half."

Ralph also advises that double track is being laid on the new alignment north of the Network Rail station at Matlock. Apparently the new loop will be capable of housing an HST set which will be able to use the Matlock branch when the girder bridges near Cromford are upgraded in 2008. The Derby resignalling will also mean that the time taken to clear Ambergate will be much reduced as the token system will be abandoned. Progress on the new link to Peak Rail can be viewed north and south on Sainsbury's Matlock webcam where pictures are updated every 5 secs. Whether the cameras will remain after the new store opens next month is not known: http://www.sainsburysmatlock.co.uk/

Hamstead Miners Memorial Trust: http://www.hamsteadminers.co.uk

IN THE NEWS

Eurostar record - Brussels-St Pancras in 1h 43m: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7004050.stm

Freight train fire near Edinburgh. Train involved 6S62 2139 ThO Doncaster Belmont Yard - Mossend Up Yard: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6994394.stm

FGW chief "moved sideways" and replaced by a railwayman: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7001331.stm

Suggestion to rename Edgware Road Bakerloo line station: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6994475.stm

Rugby World Cup additional trains reinstated: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6994885.stm

Car on line near Ladybank: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7000382.stm

Item on Rotherhithe tunnel built by the Brunels: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6996161.stm

CAF trams selected for Edinburgh: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7004214.stm

Fatal crash of Hurricane at Shoreham Air show: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6997875.stm

Award for preserved Wellington bomber: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/surrey/7002146.stm

CalMac Clyde and Hebrides contract confirmed: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7003837.stm

Spotters: Neil Kearns, Reg Nerps

TV and Radio

Events

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