HPMRS RAILDATE 15 Feb 08


News

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

NETWATCH


Derek Gillkerson has sent further details of the Stobart Pullman tours for 2008. No Stobart fan club membership is required, and a large range of interesting tours is planned throughout the year: http://www.stobartpullman.co.uk/

Paul Biggs has put a picture of 47712 with 47802 at Barrow Upon Trent with the 1Z44 0950 Finsbury Park - Bournville "A chocolate paradise on St Valentines Day" special: http://modernrailways.fotopic.net/p48425471.html


1946 RAF aerial photographs of Norfolk have been put online by Norfolk County Council. You can only get down to about 250ft, but still it shows a great deal. The whole of Norfolk is covered: http://www.historic-maps.norfolk.gov.uk/Emap/EmapExplorer.asp


The Royal Deeside Railway: http://www.deeside-railway.co.uk/


A photographic archive of Leeds (includes railway-related photographs) http://www.leodis.net


Long abandoned tunnel in Harrogate: http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/content/articles/2008/02/07/harrogate_tunnel_feature.shtml

(Spotter: Tim Moon)


Robert Carroll has posted most of his small collection to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/sets/72157603648747922/


Andy and Ernie Sollis inform me that one of the finest railway photographers of his age, Henry Benjamin Priestley, has died aged 97. Railway photography was his passion, and he was a founder member of the Tramway Museum Society, but he is also well remembered as Headmaster of Brunts Grammar School, Mansfield. Ernie Sollis was a pupil and remembers "Ben" (as he was known) arranging a trip for the school from Sutton-in-Ashfield Town (GNR) station to Oxford with what he believes was a B1 in charge both ways. The negative collection was split up some years ago but his photographs continue to be published in books. The local paper carried just a brief notice: http://announce.jpress.co.uk/453408 More here: http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART53783.html


On 26/27th April, there will an open weekend at Fencote and Rowden Mill stations. As they are not normally open to the public, this will be a rare opportunity to visit these privately-owned and restored stations on the ex-GWR Leominster-Worcester line The event celebrates the 50th anniversary of the SLS Special that was the last passenger train on the Bromyard branch to Leominster on 26th April 1958. The stations will be open between midday and 6.00pm on both days.


The Patent Office: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/patent.htm


Last week's link to The Office of Public Sector Information site for chronological tables of Local Acts of Parliament was to a specific year, from which it was not easy to navigate to other yesrs. This is a better starting point: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/chron-tables/local/index.htm


The Penlee Quarry Narrow Gauge at Newlyn, near Penzance was a 2ft gauge line that was replaced by a conveyor belt in 1972. The quarry is now subject to a locally-contested plan to open the lake area out to seaward and build a yachting marina. In doing so, it would destroy part of the line of the railway which is now a permissive cycleway and forms part of the Cornwall Coast Path - it has even been surfaced in the past 5 years. http://www.stopthemarina.co.uk/


If you fancy a property with a difference, Wheal Langford engine houses near Callington, Cornwall are offered for sale by auction with a guide price of £150,000. The property is currently very open plan: http://www.lillicrapchilcott.com/PropertyDetail.asp?id=2478


The Black Sheep Index is one way of finding names of people involved in railway accidents. You can also order the full accident report from this site but it is not cheap - better to read the original printed version in the various public collections: http://www.blacksheepindex.co.uk/


The Derby Canal: http://www.derbycanal.org.uk/

The Melton Mowbray Navigation: http://beehive.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=6595


John Woolley's gallery - some nice modern traction stuff in there: http://pics-by-john.photoblog.org.uk

North East Rails photographic site - 15,000 images of the North East (of the USA): http://www.northeast.railfan.net/home.html

(Spotter: Mike Morant)


A new model railway discussion group on Yahoo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BritishModelRailways


More on the Belfast & Moosehead line in Maine. Some interesting stuff for sale, but how to get it here...! http://bangornews.com/news/t/midcoast.aspx?articleid=159930&zoneid=179 http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4740532.html (Spotter: Richard Buckby)


The Delhi Train Museum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzBprvV868k


European news from Ralph Rawlinson...

High Speed Lines in Spain:

Completion of the final part of the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line has been delayed by tunnelling problems, and an opening is not now likely before the end of February at the earliest. However, the opening of the Madrid-Valladolid and Antequera Santa Ana-Malaga HSLs took place as planned on 23rd and 24th December respectively. When the first AVE train arrived in Malaga, there was understandable and perhaps justified euphoria and celebration. Certainly a few months ago it seemed almost impossible that the civil engineering work, including a 2km-long underground section on the last few kilometres into Malaga, could be completed on time.

On the 55km or so through the mountainous territory between Antequera and Malaga there are 19 viaducts totaling over 11km in length (the longest being 1,209 metres long and 93.4metres high) and 8 tunnels, with a total length of 25km (the Abdalajis tunnel is 7,300 metres long).

Services are generally being operated by Talgo/Bombardier Class 102 (El Patos) or Siemens-Velaro Class 103 trains. In the first few days of public service on both lines there were some highly-publicised instances of delay, including one of 40 minutes and one of 45 minutes - both of these meaning that the operator RENFE had to refund fares to all the passengers. Delays have been blamed on problems with computers affecting the signalling, but opposition parties and some of the media have been quick to accuse the government of putting political kudos before safety and security, saying that not enough trial running has been carried out.

It may be no coincidence that so many spectacular infrastructure projects in Spain are being delivered at this time, and that the date of the next general election is 9th March 2008. The prime minister again shielded his minister from blame for the Barcelona failure and admitted that it had been chaotic. Opening is promised "soon", but no date is being quoted. La Generalitat Valenciana has been complaining bitterly that Valencia was not given priority over the lesser routes just opened and that far more passengers will be carried on the AVEs to their city than on those to any of the others, including Barcelona and Seville.

European Sleeper Services:

The ongoing construction of European high speed lines mean that more and more journeys can now be completed in daylight hours but there are still a surprising number of overnight sleeper services. The City Night Line international sleeper operation is now majority owned by DB and the operation has been revamped. Named trains always add glamour to ones journey and all City Night Line's trains now have them. These are:

Amsterdam-Cologne-Copenhagen - 'Borealis' Amsterdam-Cologne-Milan - 'Apus' Amsterdam-Cologne-Munich(-Garmisch Partenkirchen) - 'Pollux' Amsterdam-Cologne-Prague - 'Kopemikus' Amsterdam-Cologne-Vienna - 'Donau Kurier' Amsterdam-Cologne-Zurich(-Brig) - 'Pegasus' Basel-Prague - 'Orion' Berlin-Bolzano - 'Venus' Berlin-Brussels-Paris - 'Perseus' Berlin-Zurich - 'Berliner' Copenhagen-Basel - 'Aurora' Dortmund-Bolzano-Selzthal-Worgl - 'Uranus' Dortmund-Villach - 'Jupiter' Dresden-Zurich - 'Semper' Hamburg-Bludenz - 'Capella' Hamburg-Bolzano-Selzthal-Worgl - 'Neptune' Hamburg-Brussels-Paris - 'Andromeda' Hamburg-Villach - 'Merkur' Hamburg-Zurich-Brig - 'Komet' Munich-Berlin - 'Pluto' Munich-Hamburg - 'Meteor' Munich-Copenhagen - 'Hans Christian Andersen' Munich-Paris - 'Cassiopeia' Munich-Rome - 'Lupus' Munich-Venice - 'Pictor'

The December timetable change also saw the introduction of through sleeper coaches to Moscow from Basel, Munich, Paris and Amsterdam using gauge- changing apparatus. The service runs twice a week (three times in summer) with a layover during the day in Berlin.

New on "Trains of Europe": new German railway pictures from Koblenz and Cologne: http://www.trainsofeurope.nl

Ralph also reports that all day every Tuesday, Sky Travel 2 (channel 263) is showing a series of Great Railway Journeys.


IN THE NEWS

Bere Alston-Tavistock reopening plans: http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2005/07/28/railway_line_feature.shtml

New turntable at Minehead: http://tinyurl.com/22vcee

Birmingham New Street rebuild go-ahead: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7240486.stm

Peppercorn A1 "Tornado" ready in April: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7238506.stm

Waverley route debate - for: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7230911.stm

Waverley route debate - against: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7233250.stm

Pakistan Railway Museum has few visitors: http://tinyurl.com/2sbblz

Bus loses roof: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7238711.stm

Spotters: Richard Buckby, Reg Nerps


TV and Radio

Sat Feb 16 1945-2045 Five 'Ice Road Truckers' Hauliers in Canada's frozen Northwest 4
Sun Feb 17 1230-1300 BBC2 'Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone'
Mon Feb 18 1900-1930 BBC2 'The Twenties in Colour: the Wonderful World of Albert Kahn'
Mon Feb 18 1930-2000 Five 'How Do They Do It?' Pencils, golf balls and virtual ships
Tue Feb 19 1930-2000 BBC2 'Wainwright Walks' Crinkle Crags and Bowfell
Tue Feb 19 2150-2200 BBC2 'Coast'
Wed Feb 20 1455-1500 BBC2 'Coast'
Thu Feb 21 1300-1320 Channel 4 'The Midland' Story of the MR's Manchester hotel
Fri Feb 22 1930-2000 Five 'Massive Speed' Armoured vehicles
Fri Feb 22 2000-2100 Five 'Ice Road Truckers' Hauliers in Canada's frozen Northwest 6

Events

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

For up-to-date information on many of the tours mentioned in RAILDATE (and others) often with timings, see the Steam Tours pages at: http://www.uksteam.info/index.shtml and also http://railwayherald.co.uk/railtours/
All details are correct to the best of my knowledge. No responsibility is taken for inaccuracies or changes.
Sat Feb 16 1000-1700 Warminster & District Model Railway Group Exhibition
Assembly Hall, Western Car Park, Warminster, Wilts 1000-1700
Sat Feb 16 ? Tonbridge Model Railway Exhibition
Sat Feb 16 1000-1630 Scale (0) Rail - Bolton
Bolton School Arts & Conference Centre, Chorley New Road,
Bolton, BL1 4PA 1000-1630 http://www.alsrm.org.uk http://www.notgog.org.uk
Sat Feb 16 - Sun Feb 17 ? Churnet Valley Railway: 'Green Arrow' hauling trains http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk/events.htm
Sat Feb 16 - Mon Feb 18 1000-1730 Brighton Modelworld Exhibnition
The Brighton Centre, Brighton 1000-1730 each day
Free preserved bus service from station and town centre http://www.brightonmodelworld.com
Sat Feb 16 - Thu Feb 21 ? Swanage Railway: Half Term Fun Week http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/
Mon Feb 18 - Tue Feb 19 ? Churnet Valley Railway: 'Green Arrow' Driver Experience
http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk/events.htm
Wed Feb 20 ? 'Railways Remembered' introduced by Rob Foxon
Benn Hall, Newbold Road, Rugby, Warwickshire
Commences 7.30pm
Thu Feb 21 1930 International Stationary Steam Engine Society
King Coal - Alan Hill
Quinborne Community Centre, Ridgacre Rd, Quinton, Birmingham,
B32 2TW
Starts 1930 http://www.isses.org
Sat Feb 23 ? Kenavon Railway Museum Group Exhibition
The Warehouse, 1a Cumberland Road, Cemetery Junction, Reading http://www.postmaster.co.uk/~kenavon
Fri Feb 22 - Sun Feb 24 1100-2000(Fri) 1000-1800(Sat) 1000-1700(Sun) Model Rail Scotland
Scottish Exhibition Centre, Glasgow 1100-2000 (Fri), 1000-1800 (Sat), 1000-1700 (Sun) http://www.modelrail-scotland.co.uk
Sat Feb 23 - Sun Feb 24 ? Solent Model Railway Group: Eurotrack
Fleming Park Leisure Centre, Eastleigh
HPMRS member, Derek Gillkerson will be present with his New
Stanton Lees layout
Sat Feb 23 - Sun Feb 24 1000-1700(Sat) 1000-1630(Sun) Carshalton & Sutton MRC: Leatherhead 2008
Leatherhead Leisure Centre, Surrey 1000-1700 (Sat), 1000-1630 (Sun) http://www.ukonline.co.uk/c-s-mrc
Sat Feb 23 - Sun Feb 24 ? Churnet Valley Railway: Winter Steam Gala 4771 'Green Arrow', Super D 49395, 4F 44422, S160 5197, 4MT 80098 http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk/events.htm
Sat Feb 23 - Sun Feb 24 1000-1700 New Mills & District Railway Modellers Exhibition
Chapel-en-le-Frith High School, Long Lane, Chapel, Derbyshire 1000-1700 both days http://www.nmdrm.co.uk
Sat Mar 01 1030-1700 South Hants MRC Model Railway Exhibition
Crookhorn College of Technology, Waterlooville, Portsmouth 1030-1700 http://www.shmrc.co.uk
Sat Mar 01 1000-1700 Abingdon & District Model Railway Club: 'Abrail'
White Horse Leisure & Tennis Centre, Audlett Drive, Abingdon 1000-1700 http://www.abrail.org.uk/
Sat Mar 01 1030 Stafford Railway Collectors Fair
GEC, St Leonard's Avenue, Stafford 1030
Sat Mar 01 - Sun Mar 02 1030-1700(Sat) 1000-1630(Sun) Romsey Model Railway Exhibition
Crossfield Hall, Romsey 1030-1700 (Sat), 1000-1630 (Sun) http://www.hants.gov.uk/rdmrs
Sun Mar 02 1000-1600 Romsey Signal Box Open Day
Admission free (donations welcome!) 1000-1600
Romsey Infants School, Plaza Parade, Winchester Rd, Romsey
Car park in school grounds http://www.romseysignalbox.org.uk
Cheers, Howard. editor at raildate.co.uk (spam-proofed)
Previous issues of RAILDATE are at: http://steam.to/raildate
This page includes a master catalogue of items that have appeared in previous editions of RAILDATE.
(C) Howard Sprenger and Hursley Park Model Railway Society 2008.
The external edition of RAILDATE may be freely distributed without permission as long as no changes whatsoever are made to the original document distributed by the Editor.

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