RAILDATE: the weekly newsletter of the Hursley Park Model Railway Society: http://www.ibmhursleyclub.org.uk/ss/hpmrs/
Private Owner Wagons Volume 7 by Keith Turton This seventh volume of the series continues to add to the knowledge of Private Owner Wagon operations and of their owners and operators. Over seventy more businesses are identified and the text is profusely illustrated as usual with the wagons and their places of work. Each of the businesses is given a short history, together with all known details of their wagon fleet. A further section looks back over all of the previous volumes and adds new material, both photographic and documentary, which has come to light since the original publication. As in the earlier volumes, reference is made to where models of the wagons illustrated can be obtained and a full list of sources for the original material used to compile this book is given. It is not only railway modellers that will find this series of interest but also industrial and social historians seeking details not only of the coal trade but of many other diverse industries once the backbone of British manufacturing. 160 pages, 215 x 275, printed on gloss art paper. Printed board covers. ISBN: 9781899889358 £19.95 Black Dwarf Lightmoor Publications Ltd, 120 Farmers Close, Witney, OX28 1NR 01993 773927 info@lightmoor.co.uk http://www.lightmoor.co.uk
The Somerset & Dorset Railway 1935-1966 by Mike Arlett & David Lockett Norman Lockett began taking black & white photographs in the 1930s, using glass plate negatives, a medium he preferred until the end of steam. A modest man, the vast majority of his output has never been published, despite its superb quality. Here, in the first volume of a series which will feature the pick of his work, we present over 200 highly evocative photographs of one of the best loved and most picturesque railway lines with which this country was once blessed - the S&D. Whilst Norman had his favourite spots - such as the Midford Valley and Winsor Hill - he captured some of the lesser known parts, around Highbridge and the Bridgwater Branch, as well. He also looked for viewpoints not appreciated by others. In order to present Norman's work at its best, the publishers have returned to the original glass plates for the scanning process, rather than use his prints. This has revealed much extraneous detail which had been either lost in the printing process or simply cropped out altogether. Devotees of railway photography, S&D enthusiasts, railway historians and railway modellers will all find much to enjoy and of interest within these pages, with Norman's pictures being accompanied by a lively and knowledgeable text and captions, written by well known S&D authority Mike Arlett. There can be few railway photograph collections of this quality still largely unpublished, so this is a rare chance to appreciate the work of a largely unknown master. 192 pages, 275mm x 215mm, printed on gloss art paper, with colour laminated printed board covers. ISBN: 9781899889310 £22.50 Black Dwarf Lightmoor Publications Ltd, 120 Farmers Close, Witney, OX28 1NR 01993 773927 info@lightmoor.co.uk http://www.lightmoor.co.uk
Gordon Fairchild has written his third hardback book about tickets of the world, available in English with the title: Local Tickets of Global Lands (ISBN 978-3-935961-11-0) and in German as: Fahrkarten der Welt (ISBN 978-3-935961-12-7). 900 illustrations in color with informative captions, chiefly regarding railways, three appendixes, an index and a jacket. Illustrations include one, two or three tickets from every State of the USA, its Indian Territory and US-associated lands; a selection from each constituent of the UK; plus coverage of more than 250 past and present individual lands from Aden & Australia to Zanzibar & Zimbabwe. 208 A4 pages; 10,000 words Euros 47·00 plus postage http://www.localtickets-globallands.com
The Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) is just starting its second series of a radio programme called the Great Train Show. While much of the news is based in Australia, the articles are from around the world. All previous shows are available from their website including articles about the Keighley and Worth Valley railway and a recent interview with Lord Faulkner, who recently became chairman of the UK Railway Heritage Committee. The show is presented by former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, and self-confessed train enthusiast, Tim Fischer. You can listen to the shows directly from the site: http://www.abc.net.au/local/features/greattrainshow/
The BBC programme, "Down the Line", was shown nationally, but with content that varied depending on which region it was being broadcast in. According to the BBC, the intention was that all variants of the programme were to be on iPlayer. However, this doesn't seem to have happened yet! There's also a rumour that all programmes will be shown on BBC4 at some time. My personal view was that the South edition was a poor effort, but reports of other region's programmes have been more positive.
How Beeching's cuts hit the Midlands: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7691862.stm
South Hylton then and now: http://www.bbc.co.uk/wear/content/articles/2006/02/20/down_the_line_hylton_feature.shtml
The next Railway World is scheduled to appear online on 5th November when Jonathan Newton and Hailee Forde will be with you in a show packed with news and features plus a competition in which you could win five great DVD titles... http://www.therailwaychannel.com/Railway%20World/moviepage.html
Upside-down model railway: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/puffbox/hyperpuff/audiovideo/england/7693464.stm
The Model Railways Online video of the month is Part 2 of a film depicting a journey across the Isle of Wight from Ryde to Ventnor: http://www.mrol.com.au/
The Locomotive Ministry, suppliers of British built 7mm ready-to-run engines: http://www.locomotiveministry.co.uk
Richard Walker advises that "SS Shieldhall" was used for making a film about the "Leopoldville" a couple of months ago. This is the ship that the USA (and the UK for 50 years) would not acknowledge was sunk by a German sub a few miles off a French shore with hundreds of US soldiers on board. The results will be shown on Meridian next month:
Episode 1 Monday 3/11, 22:30 (Submarine Mission Impossible Part 1) Episode 2 Monday 10/11, 22:30 (Submarine Mission Impossible Part 2) Episode 3 Monday 17/11, 22:30 (Stealth Sub Part 1) Episode 4 Monday 24/11, 22:30 (Stealth Sub Part 2) Episode 5 Monday 1/12, 22:30 (The Bone Wrecks Part 1) Episode 6 Monday 8/12, 22:30 (The Bone Wrecks Part 1) Episode 7 Tuesday 16/12, 22:30 (Leopoldville Part 1) Episode 8 Thursday 18/12, 22:30 (Leopoldville Part 2)
Next week, they are filming again as a pirate radio ship a la "Radio Caroline".
On 11th November, Shieldhall will be going out at 0500 to greet the QE2 for the last time. Tickets are still available at £30, and people should be back in time for workers to get to the office (ETA 08:30). Gridlock is expected in Southampton after she leaves in the evening!
Solent Steam Packet Services Ltdhttp://www.ss-shieldhall.co.uk
Ralph's Roundup...
North Yorkshire - bid to reopen Pickering-Malton line. http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/Downing-Street-bid-to-link.4622873.jp
The Derby Evening Telegraph reports that RoSCo Porterbrook has been sold to a consortium in a deal worth 2bn. http://tinyurl.com/5lupsg
Porthmadog: Building work has started on a new railway museum at Porthmadog. http://tinyurl.com/698h32
London: Cross River Tram: In September, the Transport Committee of the London Assembly passed a motion supporting the development of the Cross River Tram (CRT) scheme and extensions to the Croydon Tramlink. The proposed CRT would run between Euston and Waterloo with branches to Kings Cross and Camden Town in the north and Brixton and Peckham in the south. Funding for the project, likely to cost around £450m, has not yet been identified!
Docklands Light Railway: The public inquiry into the DLR's Dagenham extension was due to start on 4th November but the company has agreed to the DfT's request for a delay. The 3.75 mile line from Gallions Reach will have five stations and cost £497m.
Falmouth branch: A 437yd passing loop near Penryn station, allowing double the present number of trains to operate on this 11-mile line, was installed during October. The £7.8m project is due to be completed by next May when the new timetable will see standardised departures with two trains an hour possible at peak times.
TGV Record average speed: Whilst a specially prepared French high-speed train (TGV) smashed the world record by reaching 356mph in April 2007 the Railway Performance Society has, more recently, been noting record speeds on scheduled journeys. On 27th September 2008 a TGV Est train completed the 104.05 miles between Lorraine and Champagne in 36min 10sec, an average start-to-stop speed of 172.73mph!
Germany: Deutsche Bahn has said it will take its ICE T trains out of service, amid fears that the axles are cracking. http://tinyurl.com/6oou45
Greece: A feature in Daily Travel News International claims that Hellenic Railways is in big crisis. Under threat are the completion of the current modernisation works on the core network Patras-Athens-Salonica- Grecomacedonian border (conversion of the existing MG or SG line into a 125mph high speed line), development of the Suburban Railway of Athens and the rolling improvement works in the regional rail network. According to the author this means that in the long term only 435 miles of the existing 1550 mile network will survive.
Iran-Afghanistan: A new railway linking Iran with the western Afghan city of Herat is 60% complete. The Khawaf-Herat railway, built by the government of Iran, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. http://ccgi.ajg41.plus.com/2008/10/20/herat-line-60-complete-more-railways-planned/
China: North China's Tianjin Municipality will add three railways in 2008, transforming it into a comprehensive modern transportation centre. http://tinyurl.com/6hdb4q
Japan: Nagoya Railroad company aka Meitetsu Railways is a major network in the Chubu region of central Japan. Meitetsu is headquartered at Nagoya Station and connects Nagoya with Inuyama, Gifu, Okazaki, Toyokawa Inari and Gamagori. http://japanvisitor.blogspot.com/
New Zealand: Balfour Beatty Rail Projects, in association with Maunsell and Evans & Peck, has been awarded a £4m electrification contract by New Zealand Rail Authority ONTRACK for traction design, technical support and procurement for electrification of its Auckland suburban rail network.
Barry Emmott has uploaded the Autumn Majorca Railways newsletter: http://www.majorcarailways.com
Tribute to John Peel by Merseytravel: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7687742.stm
500 Pandrol clips stolen from Stockton rail line: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7700198.stm
Earth slip on "Hope Valley": http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7693533.stm
Calls for "Minster Line" reopening: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7689268.stm
Cardiff and valleys upgrade approved by ORR: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7700696.stm
Reading upgrade approved by ORR: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/7699703.stm
ORR says no to Kemble line redoubling: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7699202.stm
Nottingham-Leeds direct trains: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7695040.stm
False fire alarm at Birmingham NS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7699260.stm
Claim that pets on train put health at risk: http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2008/10/25/newsstory12150098t0.asp
Level crossing near miss Llanbadarn: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7695124.stm
RAIB report - Fatal accident to a track worker east of Reading: http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources/081028_R212008_Reading%20-1.pdf
RAIB report - Train overspeeding at Ty Mawr Farm Crossing: http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources/081030_R222008_Ty%20Mawr%20-1.pdf
First Group donates cash to Deeside railway: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/894121?UserKey=
Ironstone railway steam loco comes home: http://www.meltontimes.co.uk/news/Steam--loco-comes-home.4627965.jp
Preservation news from Ulster: http://tinyurl.com/5nc4hw
Chinese double header in Iowa: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qukev5nX-7Q&feature=related
Accident on Dutch railways: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LB541895.htm http://drehscheibe-online.ist-im-web.de/forum/read.php?108,3998907
Man's arm trapped in train toilet: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7693386.stm
Canal bridge collapse in Derbyshire: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/7690579.stm
Diesel -electric buses: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7693861.stm
Fatal collision between tractor and light aircraft near Norwich: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/7697998.stm
Spotters: Richard Buckby, Brian Dunn, Lawrence Hanney, Neil Kearns, Reg Nerps, Andy Sollis
| Sat Nov 01 | 1815-1915 | BBC2 'Coast' Kings Lynn to Felixtowe |
| Sat Nov 01 | 1900-1905 | BBC4 'London to Brighton in Four Minutes' |
| Sat Nov 01 | 1905-1915 | BBC4 'John Betjemen Goes by Train' Norfolk in 1962 |
| Mon Nov 03 | 1335-1525 | Channel 4 'The Thirty-Nine Steps' 1959 Kenneth More version |
| Mon Nov 03 | 1930-2000 | Five 'Top Trumps' Helicopters |
| Mon Nov 03 | 2100-2230 | Five 'The Unsinkable Titanic' Another investigation... |
| Tue Nov 04 | 0000-0100 | BBC4 'Bombay Railway' 2/2 |
| Thu Nov 06 | 1900-1930 | BBC2 'James May's 20th Century' Space |
| Thu Nov 06 | 2030-2100 | BBC4 'Railway Walks' The Highlands |
| Thu Nov 06 | 2325-2355 | BBC4 'Railway Walks' The Highlands |
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 Oct 25 - Sun Nov 02 | ? | Mid Hants Railway: Wizard Week http://www.watercressline.co.uk/ |
| Sat Oct 25 - Sun Nov 02 | ? | Swanage Railway: Half Term Event http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/ |
| Sat Oct 25 - Sun Nov 02 | ? | Midland Railway Centre: Wizards & Spooktacular Weekend http://www.midlandrailwaycentre.co.uk |
| Sun Oct 26 - Fri Oct 31 | ? | Isle of Wight Railway: Wizard Week http://www.iwsteamrailway.co.uk/ |
| Mon Oct 27 - Sun Nov 02 | ? | Exbury Gardens Steam Railway: Ghost Train http://www.exbury.co.uk |
| Fri Oct 31 | ? | Eastleigh Lakeside Railway: Hallowe'en Specials http://www.steamtrain.co.uk/ |
| Fri Oct 31 | ? | Midland Railway Centre: Hallowe'en Night http://www.midlandrailwaycentre.co.uk |
| Fri Oct 31 | ? | Peak Rail: Hallowe'en Ghost Train and Firework Display http://www.peakrail.co.uk/ |
| Sat Nov 01 | ? | Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway: Fireworks Special http://www.gwsr.com |
| Sat Nov 01 | ? | Midland Railway Centre: Firework Night http://www.midlandrailwaycentre.co.uk |
| Sat Nov 01 | ? |
Leawood Pumphouse World Heritage Site Discovery Day
Cromford Canal, Derbyshire http://www.middleton-leawood.org.uk |
| Sat Nov 01 - Sun Nov 02 | ? | Eastleigh Lakeside Railway: Double-headed Weekend http://www.steamtrain.co.uk/ |
| Sat Nov 01 - Sun Nov 02 | ? | South Devon Railway: Half Price Weekend http://www.southdevonrailway.org |
| Sat Nov 01 - Sun Nov 02 | 1100-1700(both days) | London Transport Museum Acton Depot: Family Open Weekend 1100-1700 (both days) http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk |
| Sun Nov 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 |
| Wed Nov 05 | 1400 |
Institute of Railway Studies & Transport History, York
The GWR Company Magazine by Gerald Crompton (Kent University) and Mike Esbester (University of Reading) Starts 1400 All welcome, light refreshments will be served All workshops held in the NRM's Search Engine research and study facility |
| Thu Nov 06 | 1930 |
North West Film Archive Show
The Lyceum Theatre Crewe, Heath Street, Crewe, CW1 2DA 'South Cheshire on Film' - a public screening of material from the past 100 years of south Cheshire's history and look at the industries of the town of Crewe and life on the Cheshire Plain Starts 1930 |
| Fri Nov 07 | ? |
Kettering and District Locomotive Society
The Cornmarket Hall, London Road, Kettering Mike Lee: Railways of Leicestershire and Northamptonshire in the 1950s & 1960s Starts 7.45pm, tickets £3.50 http://www.nwfa.mmu.ac.uk/ |
| Fri Nov 07 - Sat Nov 08 | ? | South Devon Railway: Diesel Gala http://www.southdevonrailway.org |
| Sat Nov 08 | ? | Eastleigh Lakeside Railway: Fireworks Spectacular http://www.steamtrain.co.uk/ |
| Sat Nov 08 - Sun Nov 09 | ? |
Hampton Court MRS Tolworth Showtrain
Tolworth Recreation Centre |
| Sun Nov 09 | 1030-1700 |
Poole & District Model Railway Society Exhibition
Ashdown Technology College, Ashdown Road, Canford Heath, Poole 1030-1700 |
| Tue Nov 11 | ? |
'SS Shieldhall' greets the QE2 for the last time
Departs 0500 - tickets available at £30 Solent Steam Packet Services Ltdhttp://www.ss-shieldhall.co.uk |
| Tue Nov 11 | ? |
Remembrance Day at Platform 3 Marylebone Station
'Valour' will be in attendance (to be moved into position the
previous evening
Opportunity to view the stained glass windows in the Landmark Hotel (formerly the Great Central Hotel) |
| Tue Nov 11 | ? | Lynton & Barnstaple Railway: Armistice Day http://www.lynton-rail.co.uk |
| Sat Nov 15 | 1000-1600 |
Winchester Book Fair
2nd hand, rare, antiquarian and collectable books, maps, etc
The Saxon Suite, Winchester Guildhall 1000-1600 |
| Sat Nov 15 | 1030-1700 |
White House Model Railway Group Model Show Rail 2008
The White House, 45 The Avenue, Hampton, Middlesex 1030-1700 |
| Sun Nov 15 - Mon Nov 16 | 1000-1700(Sat) 1000-1600(Sun) |
Solent Model Railway Group Exhibition
Oaklands Community School, Fairisle Road, Lordshill, SO16 8BY 1000-1700 (Sat), 1000-1600 (Sun) Adults: £2.50, OAP: £2.00, Under 16: £1.50, Under 5: Free Family (2+2): £6.00 HPMRS member Derek Gillkerson will be present with New Stanton Lees |
| Sun Nov 16 | ? |
Walk the coastal section of the West Somerset Railway
West Somerset Steam Railway Trust in conjunction with St Margaret's Somerset Hospice Walkers can give all the sponsorship to the WSSRT or to split between the Heritage Carriages Project and the Hospice http://www.wsr.org.uk/walk2008.htm |
| 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. You can subscribe to the external edition here: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/RAILDATE/ | ||