HPMRS RAILDATE 22 Feb 08

News

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

A BUMPER ISSUE AS THERE WILL BE NO RAILDATE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS

NEXT ISSUE: 14TH MARCH 2008

NETWATCH

Various Links relating to the LEV2 Railbus: http://www.traintesting.com/LEVs.htm http://k666blog.blogspot.com/2007/09/weird-to-look-at-part-2.html http://tinyurl.com/2pl353 http://www.sinfin.net/railways/world/usa/touristus/wvc/railbus.html http://nepa.railfan.net/rail/pnertl.htm http://www.old-dalby.com/LEV.htm

Latest news on the development of the Welsh Highland Railway: http://www.isengard.co.uk

Includes details about "Lyd", the Lynton & Barnstaple replica, which is hoped to be completed this year to enter service at Easter 2009. More details of this project here: http://whr.bangor.ac.uk/lyd.htm

A wonderful period piece fimed by Encyclopaedia Britannica in the late 1940s. It follows the daily life of a family in York (father an engine driver) and their holiday trip to Whitby: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v2150028gJpmFZe9 (Spotter: Nick Wheat)

A 1-minute sequence of Green Arrow at Cheddleton has appeared on the Railway Channel: http://www.therailwaychannel.com/churnet%20valley%20steam%20weekend.html

Loads of images from the "Mystery Singer": http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/

Steve Roffey has uploaded 14 scans of box brownie snaps taken around Ashford works by his uncle, probably in the late 1950s: http://steveroffey.fotopic.net/c1461413.html

Railways of Huddersfield: http://www.huddersfieldsrailways.photos.gb.com/

Pictures of Bardney, Lincs, by the late Pat Loftis: http://johnmusselwhite3881.fotopic.net/c1460038.html

The North Lindsey Light Railway: http://www.winteringham.info/Local_History/Railways/railways.html

The Guildford-Cranleigh-Horsham line: http://www.waverley.gov.uk/education/factsheets/factsheet2.asp http://www.cranleighrailway.info/history.htm http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/prow/pdfs/DownsLinkRouteGuide.pdf

The Railway Children: http://pete-coleman.com/trc/

All about Whyte notation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whyte_notation

The Railway Studies Association: http://www.railwaystudyassociation.org/

A new discussion group for anyone interested in timetables: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Transport_Timetables/

Chris Dumpman's most recent releases are: Sheffield Park to Lewes 3xDVD (4 hours + 45 mins) Uckfield to Lewes 3xDVD (4 hours + 50 mins) (For anyone who bought the Sheffield Park to Lewes film, please note that the footage south of Culver Junction is identical in this film as the two lines shared the trackbed.)

Projects being planned: Disused Railway Stations of Sussex Littlehampton/Ford/Arundel junctions + Arun river crossing

Also in the pipeline is a short film about the little known disused line near Lyminster or Littlehampton.

http://www.dumpman.co.uk

Rail magazine reports that plans to electrify the Bidston-Wrexham line have gained the financial support of the Welsh Assembly. It is thought that this will help justify an engineering survey currently underway. New stations might be built at Woodchurch and Beechwood.

A heavy rail link between Manchester's two main stations, Piccadilly and Victoria, is back under discussion following comments by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly. And while a long-proposed and favoured solution, the Ordsall curve, could be the natural frontrunner, there is speculation that the 1970s scheme for a tunnel across the city centre could be revived. In the Commons, Kelly said: "I think that in the future a sensibly costed plan for Manchester, perhaps including linking Victoria and Piccadilly, could lead to far more commuters being able to travel in greater comfort in and out of Manchester every day." Asked afterwards if that could include a tunnel, an official in her department reportedly said: "All options will be considered." A recent report for the Northern Way notes provisional costs for the Ordsall Curve at £44m, and the whole 'Ordsall package' at some £250m, while there are suggestions that a Picc-Vic tunnel could cost at least £500m.

(Spotter Ralph Rawlinson)

Guy Gorton has updated his web site, now that another chapter in the Tesco Tunnel sag has begun: http://www.meadwaypark.co.uk/TescoTunnel/

The RAIB is carrying out an investigation into an incident when a young child fell from a train on the Nene Valley Railway (NVR) at Wansford, Cambridgeshire, on 16 February 2008: http://tinyurl.com/22mkfu

Accident report on the BA 777 Heathrow undershoot: http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/S1-2008%20G-YMMM.pdf

(Spotter: Richard Buckby)

The Garratts homepage: http://users.powernet.co.uk/hamilton/source.html

Don's depot - an amazing compendium of mainly US railroad "stuff" http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/

(Spotter: Mike Morant)

You might be aware of the successful return to the air of Vulcan XH558's return to the skies, but you might be less aware that ther is a critical funding shortfall. To help gain the maximum national media coverage possible, the Vulcan to the Sky Trust is asking supporters to take a few moments to forward the following pre-prepared email to the recipients listed below. The more that forward this message, the greater the chance of achieving the goal of getting XH558 back in the public eye and back into the sky. Feel free to forward it to any other appropriate media groups - there are only very few weeks left to cross the final hurdle. More details of the funding crisis: http://www.tvoc.co.uk/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/7252105.stm

Sky Radio News radio@bskyb.com Sky News news@sky.com ITV This Morning thismorning@itv.com Channel 4 Richard & Judy richard&judy@channel4.com BBC Breakfast breakfasttv@bbc.co.uk GMTV Talk2us@gm.tv

Dear Sky Radio News/Sky News/ITV This Morning/Channel 4 Richard & Judy/ BBC Breakfast, (delete as appropriate)

I am contacting you in the hope that your programme might be able to give even the briefest of mention to a worthy cause that is at a crucial point of near financial collapse. For over 9 years, huge efforts have been made to return an icon of British heritage to public display - an Avro Vulcan aeroplane. The whole thrust of the restoration to flight project was based around the invaluable asset it represents to the education of our children, in British science, engineering and history. On the basis of this, it remains the only project of its kind to receive funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

After a record breaking first flight in its present restored form in October 2007, vital funding and sponsorship has eluded the project team. The aircraft currently sits in a Leicestershire hangar, fully flight- ready, unable to appear at UK airshows this year due to an URGENT cash shortage. If, by the end of March this year, £150,000 cannot be found to jump this final hurdle, the whole 9 year project will close along with the extensive education programme built around this incredible machine.

As a national heritage asset, belonging to every man woman and child within our shores, the aircraft's immediate prospects are dire without the rightful media coverage so desperately sought. I would be extremely grateful if you could find even a one minute slot in your busy programme schedule to help champion this unique and worthy cause.

The project website is www.vulcantothesky.com where the entire story of this great British icon is told. The all important means of becoming part of the story and giving urgently needed help is there also.

Thank you for your consideration.

Yours

(Your Name)

And finally...

Heard on the London Underground, from Ralph Rawlinson...

"Ladies and gentlemen, we apologise for the delay, but there is a security alert at Victoria station and we are therefore stuck here for the foreseeable future, so let's take our minds off it and pass some time together. All together now... Ten green bottles, hanging on a wall..."

IN THE NEWS

Steamy Affairs train company goes bust: Video: http://tinyurl.com/2veh9z

Problems with Midlands metro extension: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7255900.stm

Virgin to run Wrexham to London service: http://www.eveningleader.co.uk/news/Virgin-to-run-Wrexham-to.3795415.jp

Laxey-Ramsey section of Manx Electric Railway to remain closed: http://www.manxradio.com/readNEwsItem.aspx?id=15865

Proposed use for slate waste and transport links: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/7245363.stm

Forth Bridge painting set to end: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7250560.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7252561.stm

Report by the Waverley Route Heritage Association at Whitrope: http://www.wrha.org.uk/news.html

Alloa line reopening difficulties: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7247507.stm

Bideford Railway Heritage Centre to close: http://tinyurl.com/ystch4

RH&DR "Hurricane" returned to work: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7250115.stm

Rail link hopes at Matlock: http://www.matlockmercury.co.uk/news/Steaming-into-town-with-rail.3773572.jp

The class 107 DMU saga: http://tinyurl.com/2opgrt

Czech police investigate railway bridge theft: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080218/tod-czech-police-crime-offbeat-879dccc_1.html

Spotters: Richard Buckby, 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.