RAILDATE: the weekly newsletter of the Hursley Park Model Railway Society: http://www.ibmhursleyclub.org.uk/ss/hpmrs/
* * * A Happy Easter to all our readers! * * *
Some years ago, the Historical Model Railway Society produced a list of online resources for researchers. It was a hardcopy list, so I scanned it and reproduced it here, mainly for the benfit of our HMRS readers, but also, of course, for any other readers of RAILDATE. It is not exhaustive, but will give anyone a good start. There have been one or two updates since the list was originally issue, and no doubt more will be added in due course, so I would welcome additions and corrections.
With acknowledgements to Graham Boyes, Chairman of TRAP (Tracking Railway Archives Project) and Geof Sheppard of the HMRS.
National and International Resources:
1881 census: http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/default.asp 1901 census: http://www.1901census.nationalarchives.gov.uk Access to Archives http://www.a2a.org.uk Archives Network Wales http://www.archivesnetworkwales.info Black Sheep Index: http://www.blacksheepindex.co.uk/ Digital & Multimedia Center of the Michigan State University Libraries: http://digital.lib.msu.edu/collections Patent Office: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/patent.htm Public Record Office of Northern Ireland http://www.pronu.gov.uk Museum of English Life: http://www.ruralhistory.org/index.html National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie Office of Public Sector Information for chronological tables of Local Acts of Parliament: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/chron-tables/local/index.htm Scottish Archives Network http://www.scan.org.uk Tracking Railway Archives Project http://www.trap.org.uk
Local Resources:
Bedfordshire http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/archive Bristol http://archives.bristol-city.gov.uk Ceredigion http://archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk Cheshire http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/recoff/catalogue.htm Durham http://www.durham.gov.uk/recordoffice/register.nsf/search East Riding of Yorkshire http://www.eastriding.gov.uk Essex http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/ Gloucestershire http://archives.gloucestershire.gov.uk Gwynedd http://hen.gwynedd.gov.uk Hampshire http://www.hants.gov.uk/record-office/catalog/ Liverpool http://archive.liverpool.gov.uk/home.html Norfolk http://nrocat.norfolk.gov.uk The Rhondda http://www.therhondda.co.uk Somerset http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives Staffordshire http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk Surrey http://www1.surreycc.gov.uk West Yorkshire http://www.dswebhosting.info/WYAS/
Pictures:
Cheshire http://www.picturecheshire.co.uk/ Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/ The Glasgow Story http://www.theglasgowstory.com Gwynedd http://hen.gwynedd.gov.uk Illustrated London News http://www.ilnpictures.co.uk Mitchell Collection http://www.mitchelllibrary.org/vm/ Nation on Film http://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/ North Lincolnshire http://www.nprthlincs.gov.uk Railway Archive http://www.railwayarchive.org.uk/ Sheffield www.picturesheffield.com/ Viewfinder http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/home.asp Walsall www.walsall.gov.uk/historyimages/ Warwickshire http://www.search.windowsonwarwickshire.org.uk/engine/search/default.asp West Sussex www.westsussexpast.org.uk
Maps:
Charles Booth Collection http://booth.lse.ac.uk/ Genealogy Maps http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~genmaps/ Your Maps On-line http://www.yourmapsonline.org.uk/index.htm
The Rail Chronology website - a great resource if you want to know when something happened: http://www.railchronology.free-online.co.uk/
Wealdenline is a lobby group campaigning for the reopening of the Lewes- Uckfield line: http://home.clara.net/wealdenline/st_set.html
They have now started a new "Wealdenlink" site, which links to a presentation outlining the merits of a renewed link and some other peripheral proposals to relieve the Brighton Line: http://www.wealdenlink.org.uk/
Transport for London (TfL) has announced that it is to take direct control of Croydon Tramlink light rail network after its £98 million offer to acquire Tramtrack Croydon, the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) concessionaire was accepted. Under the existing contract, TfL must compensate Tramtrack Croydon for any changes to the fares and ticketing policy. This payment has been increasing on an annual basis and last year totaled £4 million. By acquiring Tramtrack Croydon, which still has 88 years remaining on its concession agreement to operate the 28km network, TfL will no longer be obliged to make these payments. TfL says there will be no change to the existing fares structure, although it is planning a number of improvements to the network, including doubling the off-peak frequency on the Elmers End - Beckenham Junction line from two trams per hour to four. It is also planning to run additional services on the Wimbledon - New Addington line, and refresh tram interiors. (Spotter: Neil Kearns)
European New from Ralph Rawlinson...
Spain: My item in Raildate of 15 February indicated that the opening of Europe's newest high-speed line from Madrid to Barcelona had been delayed. It did in fact open on 20 February and the 186mph AVEs now take just 2½ hours to cover the 410 mile route. Spain is building ten further high-speed lines and aims to have more such mileage than any other country in the world by 2011.
Switzerland - Gotthard Base Tunnel: Two years ago I gave details of the 35 mile-long Gotthard base tunnel which, when completed in 2015, will be the longest railway tunnel in the world (as was the present Gotthard tunnel of 9.3 miles at the time of its completion in 1882). Plans for a 'Porta Alpina' station in the middle of the tunnel, served by a long lift shaft, have been scrapped even though SFR 15million has already been spent excavating waiting areas. It has been estimated that providing a service of six trains a day in each direction would have lost SFR 9million a year.
Ireland: When I was researching the Irish Republic section of my Railway Ramblers Gazetteer of Disused Lines I was amused by claims that lineside crosses on the Dublin & Blessington Steam Tramway (a roadside tramway of marked individuality) indicated the places where befuddled Irishmen had slept on the line with unfortunate results! Strange things happened on Irish Railways in the past but they couldn't happen today... or could they? Two men have recently been fined 300 Euros "for being a nuisance to themselves on the railway". Apparently a train had sped over two drunks who had fallen asleep on the Limerick-Ennis line - yet both had escaped without a scratch!
Everything you wanted to know about the Titanic: http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/index.php
And finally... heard on the London Underground from Ralph Rawlinson...
"Please allow the doors to close. Try not to confuse this with 'Please hold the doors open'. The two are distinct and separate instructions."
SWT drivers threaten strike: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7305316.stm http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/News/_ASLEFindustrialaction.htm
Arriva Wales safety campaign: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7299424.stm
Wi-Fi on Stagecoach Eastern Scottish buses: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7300450.stm
Extra trains to improve service - a novel idea...! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7297219.stm
Cliffside railway remains closed: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7304226.stm
New station at Alrewas? http://tinyurl.com/223z4z
Alloa rail link "to open in May": http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7300908.stm
Severn Valley Railway has £200k shortfall: http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/03/18/svr-facing-200k-blow/
Tram-trains to get first UK trial: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/7303727.stm
Burton's Bass (Coors) Museum to close: http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/burtonmail/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=299388
Spotters: Richard Buckby, Brian Hall, Neil Kearns, Reg Nerps
| Sun Mar 23 | 1500-1520 | BBC2 'Coast' Cape Wrath |
| Mon Mar 24 | 1900-1930 | BBC2 'Wainwright Walks' Borrodale |
| Mon Mar 24 | 1930-2000 | Five 'How Do They Do It?' Air bags and car shredding |
| Tue Mar 25 | 2000-2100 | Five 'Big, Bigger, Biggest' Construction of Terminal Five |
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. | ||
| Fri Mar 21 - Mon Mar 24 | ? | Swanage Railway: Easter Specials http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/ |
| Fri Mar 21 - Mon Mar 24 | ? | Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: Easter Open Days http://www.e-v-r.com/ |
| Fri Mar 21 - Tue Mar 25 | ? | Midland Railway Centre: Easter Trains http://www.midlandrailwaycentre.co.uk |
| Sat Mar 22 - Mon Mar 24 | ? | Peak Rail: Easter Extravaganza http://www.peakrail.co.uk/ |
| Sat Mar 22 - Mon Mar 24 | 1000-1700 |
York Model Railway Show
Knavesmire Stand, York Racecourse, York 1000-1700 all days http://www.yorkshow.freeserve.co.uk |
| Sun Mar 23 - Mon Mar 24 | ? |
Leawood Pumphouse Steaming Weekend
Cromford Canal, Derbyshire http://www.middleton-leawood.org.uk |
| Fri Mar 28 | ? |
The Century Theatre, Coalville, Leicestershire
'Midland Journey' - an evening of archive short films from the
Media Archive for Central England Includes Leicestershire cricket team v Australia 1921, The Royal Show (in Leics) 1924, Agriculture 1944 and Mining Review Donisthorpe Colliery 1951, Coleorton Hall Mineworkers Gala 1959, Snibston Colliery's closure Programme commences 7.30pm, admission £2.50, licensed bar and safe parking |
| Sat Mar 29 | 1000-1700 |
Wessex Narrow Gauge Modellers - Narrow Gauge South
Sparsholt College, Nr Winchester, SO21 2NF HPMRS member Ian Griffiths will be present with 'Watt Estate' 1000-1700 |
| Sat Mar 29 | ? |
Solent Railwayana Auctions
Wickham Community Centre, Mill Road, Wickham http://www.solentrailwayana.com/ |
| Sat Mar 29 - Sun Mar 30 | 1000-1730(Sat) 1000-1700(Sun) |
London Festival of Railway Modelling
Alexander Palace, London 1000-1730 (Sat), 1000-1700 (Sun) http://www.brmodelling.co.uk |
| Sat Mar 29 - Sun Mar 30 | ? | Midland Railway Centre: DMU Gala http://www.midlandrailwaycentre.co.uk |
| Sat Apr 05 | 1100-1500 |
Transport Collectors' Market
Chiswick Town Hall, Heathfield Terrace, Chiswick, W4 4JN 1100-1500 |
| Sat Apr 05 - Sun Apr 06 | ? | Swanage Railway: Railway at Work Weekend http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/ |
| Sat Apr 05 - Sun Apr 06 | 1000-1700(Sat) 1000-1630(Sun) |
Pickering Railfest: Model Railway Show
Pickering Showground, North Yorkshire 1000-1700 (Sat), 1000-1630 (Sun) http://www.modelrailshow.com |
| Sat Apr 05 - Sun Apr 06 | ? |
Pickering Railfest: LNER Festival
North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering, N Yorks Bittern, Union of South Africa, Sir Nigel Gresley and Green Arrow http://www.nymr.co.uk |
| Sun Apr 06 | 1000-1600 |
Romsey Signal Box Open Day
Admission free (donations welcome!) Featuring a special guest photographic display (TBC) 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. | ||