HPMRS RAILDATE 18 Jul 08

News

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

NETWATCH

HPMRS member, Derek Gillkerson, sends news of his Zwiesboden layout. He recently had an article about the layout published in "European Railways & Modelling", and took copies with him to Bodenmais to show to the locals. The Burgermeister of Bodenmais asked for a copy, which Derek duly mailed to him after his return. He has now received a really wonderful letter the Burgermeister, Herr Michael Adam.

At the age 23, Herr Adam is the youngest Burgermeister in Bavaria (and possibly in the whole of Germany). He speaks and writes excellent English and spoke very highly of the Zwiesboden layout. It turns out that he is into Model Railways himself, and has a layout of his own. Herr Adam writes:

"We are very proud that Bodenmais & Zwiesel inspired you to build such a railway model, maybe it will be possible to add an article about your railway layout in our guests magazine 'Unterm Silberberg'". This magazine is given out free (weekly) to all visitors and residents of the town of Bodenmais.

Derek has now created the Zwiesboden Preservation Society, which enables him to operating older rolling stock than the usual "Waldbahn" DMUs. The Society was established in February 2008 in the town of Hedge End, in the county of Hampshire within the UK.

The rolling stock on the "Preservation List" is as follows: One: Piko Class 218 Diesel Locomotive One: Roco Silver Fish Driving Trailer.

The above units can be seen on the Zwiesboden HO Layout which is based on the WALDBAHN Railway located in Eastern Bavaria. This Railway has no freight stock and uses only Regioline RS1 DMUs built by Stadler/Adtranz. (I gather that the Waldbahn Company is now part of the Arriva conglomeration. Pity the Waldbahn Company!)

These two "Preserved" units are in no way typical of previous rolling stock used by Waldbahn (to my knowledge) but give an additional interest to the layout.

After all, it is MY layout!

The HPMRS webpage featuring Derek's layout is here: http://213.232.93.59/ss/hpmrs/dg2.html

Great Western Railway Journal index: http://www.gwr.org.uk/nogwrj.html

Mike Morant has added 72 images of electric locos and units from the Southern (mostly pre-war), the Eastern and Midland, plus LT and Waterloo & City 1940 stock (both above and below ground). A bonus is a single shot of a Glasgow subway vehicle which is pretty unusual: http://gallery62603.fotopic.net/c1539086.html

"The Diesel Story", a Shell film from 1952: http://www.archive.org/details/diesel_story

Some railway gossip: http://railwayeye.blogspot.com/

RAIB report on child falling off a Nene Valley train: http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources/080717_R152008_Orton.pdf

(Spotter: Richard Buckby)

BITECARD. Food discounts on stations. For anyone who would like one free of charge, visit www.bitecard.co.uk and fill in details for up to 20% discount off food retail outlets at stations across the country. (Spotter: Neil Kearns)

Tim Kirsch's Opacity - a very atmospheric online museum of abandoned buildings: http://www.opacity.us

A new production of The Railway Children is being produced at the NRM in York starting on 17th July for four weeks. Unusually, it will feature a "live" steam engine coming straight into the stage. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7510721.stm

(Spotter: Nick Wheat)

A 7.25-inch gauge Blue Pullman: http://www.bluepullman.org/

Ralph Rawlinson's European round-up

Waterloo International South West Trains ran a trial into Waterloo International on 4th June. This was in preparation for using platform 20 from the December timetable.

Fastest average speed in UK The Railway Performance Society has recorded a fastest ever start-to-stop average speed between two UK railway stations. Recorded on board the 15.13

Paris - London Eurostar, it covered the 56.04 miles between Ashford and St

Pancras International in 27min 15sec, an average of 123.4mph.

Russia/Finland - Pendolinos Alstom has won its first contract in the Russian main-line sector with a ?120M deal for four high-speed Pendolinos for the Helsinki to St Petersburg cross-border service. The customer is Karelian Trains, a joint venture between Russian Railways (RZD) and Finnish Railways (VR). The new trains will cover the 280 miles between the two cities in three hours, compared with today's 5½hrs and they will operate at speeds of up to 137mph. Their seven vehicles will offer 352 seats, with customs and passport checks carried out in a dedicated carriage during the journey. Deliveries will start in early 2009 and the service will begin in 2010. The design of the trains is based on that of the 18 Pendolinos that already operate in Finland, featuring the same front-end and interior fittings and adapted to extreme winter conditions, but completely updated to take advantage of Alstom's latest tilting-train technology. The trains will be fully equipped to work on both countries' networks. Coincidentally I see that Cross Country's 221 Super Voyager's are having their tilt mechanism decommissioned. Apparently they only use the tilt between Oxford and Banbury but since their introduction in November 2007 there have been 21 services delayed by faulty tilt.

Belgium - Brussels Airport A project to put Brussels Airport on a through rail route in such a way that it could be served by trains on both Belgium's north-south and east- west axes is expected to be completed in 2012. In 1998 a new underground station was built at the airport and 2005 saw the opening of a new east curve (the Nossegem Curve) allowing direct access from the Liege direction. Work about to begin involves the extension of the airport branch beyond the existing station, under the airport facilities, and on to a triangular junction with the new Brussels-Mechelen line being built under a separate ?250m project.

Netherlands The Netherland transport minister has indicated that passenger services over HSL-Zuid, the new high-speed line from the Belgium border to Amsterdam, can start on 1 October 2008.

Switzerland The Swiss Federal Railway SBB is now a 125mph railway. 125mph running was introduced on the Mattstetten-Rothrist new line at the end of 2007.

Ralph also points out an article on Droxford station dating from when it was up for sale in 2005: http://www.findaproperty.com/displaystory.aspx?edid=00&salerent=0&storyid=7201

Hard Rock, the new museum of Cornish mining, will be formally opened on 6th September, but it is hoped that it will be open to the public immediately the building and fitout work is completed in mid-August. The museum, in a converted mine building, is the centrepiece of a restoration project that has taken over a year to complete at a cost of £3.8m. On Heritage Day (September 14th) there will be a free entry day to the entire site. Pendeen Community Heritage, Geevor Tin Mine, Pendeen, TR197EW http://www.geevor.com

And finally...

Spotted by Mike Morant, and from the North Wales Train News forum, this is a phone conversation between Network Rail Control in Manchester and the narrow-gauge Ffestiniog Railway. The line mentioned is a disused standard gauge line linking Blaenau Ffestiniog with Trawsfynydd and was last used when the Trawsfynydd power station was active.

NRC: Hello, it's Network Rail Control here, we've had a report of a bridge strike on the line between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Trawsfyndd. We've looked on our map and it's not ours, so we've just realised that it's probably yours.

FRC: Nope, it's not ours, not if it goes to Trawsfyndd

NRC: You sure? It's certainly not ours.

FRC: It's standard gauge track.

NRC: Oh really - didn't know that - it's not on any of our maps!

FRC: If it was on our line it'd be narrow guage and heading towards Porthmadog.

NRC: Ah, OK, I wonder if somebody knows if we own this...!

IN THE NEWS

Why trainspotters are a dying breed (from The Times): http://tinyurl.com/6d8tse

Four A4s at York http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7493998.stm

Virgin West Coast plans: http://tinyurl.com/5lx9kr

Oyster card system failure: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7503197.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7504199.stm

New rolling stock for Scotrail: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7502281.stm

Fatal accident to Contactor on Rugby remodelling possession: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/7505258.stm

Aberystwyth to Birmingham service extended to Birmingham International: http://news.bbc..co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7505769.stm

Too many trains on ECML: http://www.thepress.co.uk/news/3209627.Too_many_trains_on_the_line_/

Stobart Pullman trains cancelled: http://www.railwayscene.co.uk/newsitem.php?news=230 http://www.stobartrailtours.co.uk/

Veteran, 91, receives railway PhD http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/7510565.stm

Railway volunteers praised after derailment: http://tinyurl.com/6d7jv6

UK SteamInfo reports that the "Post Centenary Special" due to run on 26th July with 60007 has been cancelled.

Wolsztyn on Australian TV: http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2008/s2299102.htm

Bus service cuts due to fuel cost increases: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7507042.stm

US F22 Raptor UK debut (how young is the pilot...?) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7502739.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7506601.stm

Lewis Hamilton races Lear jet: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7505652.stm

Fuel concerns at air show: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7505647.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7504742.stm

Spotters: Richard Buckby, Neil Kearns, Reg Nerps, Nick Wheat

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