HPMRS RAILDATE 12 Dec 08

News

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

NETWATCH

Wessex Electrics re-enter service. On 9th December, the refurbished (for the second time) Wessies re-entered passenger service on a "shake down", off-peak Gatwick Airport-Victoria diagram: http://www.southernelectric.org.uk/tocnews/snn442a.html http://trevor-stone.fotopic.net/p55314039.html

Ron Strutt recently visited Bisley Camp where he took the opportunity to look around the remains of the disused line there: http://ronstruttsrailwaypics.fotopic.net/

Also on the same site are some lost lines pictures from the Isle of Wight and, in my New Additions 2008 collection, are a number of pictures of Southern and S&DJR interest.

There are also some interesting photos of the Bisley Camp line in its earlier days and of the bridge across the Basingstoke Canal at: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~engsurry/bisley/photos/bullet.htm and http://www.basingstoke-canal.org.uk/brbis.htm

Bridge Cam - Royal Albert Bridge: http://www.royalalbertbridge.co.uk/html/bridgecam.html (Spotter: Neil Kearns)

Nigel Bird's latest catalogue (64) is now available: http://www.nigelbirdbooks.co.uk/html/catalogue.html

A further instalment in the series of articles from "The Sentinel" about the Potteries Loop Line: http://tinyurl.com/6hokb9 (Spotter: David Moore)

Excellent video of steam working hard in the peak District on 30th November. It was so cold the carriage water tanks were frozen...! http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fGnodmFmIKw

As Nick Wheat says... this is just soooo wrong...! http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tf9dkfIj0ug

Ralph Railway Roundup

Lost Railways of West Yorkshire... http://www.lostrailwayswestyorkshire.co.uk/ And a BBC feature on the website's owner, David Webdale: http://tinyurl.com/5n5gcz

London Underground plans... Victoria line due 2012: new trains from 2009, an additional six trains an hour, new signal control centre and other enhancements. Northern line due 2012: new signalling system will result in reduced journey times and increased capacity. From 2020 a recast timetable will further increase capacity by 20%. Piccadilly line due 2014: New trains, signalling and control centre will increase capacity and reduce journey times. Bakerloo line due 2020: new trains followed by signalling upgrade will increase capacity and reduce journey times. Sub-surface lines due 2018: new S-stock train will be introduced to the Metropolitan line from 2010 and the District Line, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines by 2011. Most trains will be increased to seven cars and new signalling will allow more trains to run.

London Overground... There is concern for the future of the South London rail link - the project to extend the East London line from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction to form the orbital London Overground. There is a £30m shortfall in financing and London Mayor Boris Johnson is calling on the Government to provide half that to enable this key section of line to be ready for the 2012 Olympics.

Thameslink... Scaffolding has been erected on the New Bridge Street frontage of Blackfriars station in readiness for the tracks from City Thameslink station to be slewed across to where the existing bay platforms terminate. The existing through lines will become bays as part of the move to substantially reduce conflicting movements. Scaffolding is also due to be erected on Blackfriars rail bridge, and barges etc will be working in the river as the process to widen the bridge begins allowing new platforms for 12-car trains to be built across the Thames. Some of the pillars of the original LC&DR bridge - which formerly ran alongside the present ex-SER bridge, will be re-used.

Crossrail... The £16bn Crossrail scheme took a further step forward in November thanks to the agreement of a £230m funding package from the British Airports Authority. In return, Crossrail will guarantee a fast train service, for the majority of the day, providing direct services from Heathrow airport through central London. In a separate development a proposal has emerged to extend the route into North Kent. Gravesham Council confirmed it had been asked by the Government and TfL to safeguard land to take the route to Denton, Gravesend. Crossrail received the Parliamentary go-ahead in July and the target is for opening in 2017. Meanwhile the man who supervised construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is to be appointed chief executive of Crossrail: http://tinyurl.com/6yqmez

London Trams... Boris Johnson has scrapped proposals to reintroduce trams to central London, and axed the Oxford Street and Cross River tramway schemes. Another victim is Croydon Tramlink's proposed £170m Crystal Palace extension.

Manchester Airport... The third platform at Manchester Airport station is due to open with the 14th December timetable change.

Bristol... Bristol Parkway is set to receive a fourth platform to ease congestion. It will be used by westbound trains and will see the existing down loop converted to passenger standards.

NE & Northern Scotland... The new 14th December timetable will see services between Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee become hourly whilst Edinburgh-Aberdeen trains will be increased from six to ten. On the the Aberdeen-Inverness line an extra return service will be provided in the mornings. A fourth northbound service will be introduced between Inverness and Thurso/Wick providing a connection for the evening ferry to Scrabster. There are also improvements to the Kyle of Lochalsh service.

Luxembourg... The Principality is to build two new lines to ease congestion; one to Bettembourg and the other to Esch-sur-Alzette, both in the south of the country. A 6km diversion off the Luxembourg-Bettembourg line will cost 180m euros and the 25km Luxembourg to Esch-sur-Alzette line will cost 418m euros. A number of disused station buildings will be renovated and a new station will be constructed at Cessange. The new line to Bettembourg will bypass Berchem as the capacity of this station has been reached (partly by an increase in international traffic by 60 per cent over the past two years). The Bettembourg line is expected to come into service in 2017 whilst the Esch line is due for opening in 2021.

Iceland... Visitors to Reykjavik have been surprised to see 900mm gauge Jung 0-4-OT Mit)0r on display on the old harbour this year having previously noted a similar loco there called Pioneer. The truth is that there are two such 0-4-OTs, both of which remained in Iceland after construction of the city's harbour. They were both built in 1892 and last worked in 1928. One is displayed at the harbour during the summer, the other remaining in the museum at Arbaer. Currently they are both under cover for the winter.

Nigeria... Nigeria has suspended a US$8.3bn contract with the China Railway Construction Corporation to modernise a north-south railway across the country. CRCC said Nigeria's transport ministry had taken over control of work on the 817 mile line between Lagos and Kano. The scope of the contract is to be redefined.

India/Nepal... Indian Railways is to undertake final location surveys for two new broad- gauge railways into neighbouring Nepal, augmenting the existing crossing from Raxaul to Birganj. One project would see the regauged Northeast Frontier Railway line to Jogbani extended to Biratnagar in Nepal's Eastern province. The other would see the 760 mm gauge line between Jaynagar and Janakpur rebuilt and extended to Vijulpura and Bardibas. Minister of State for Railways R Velu told the Indian parliament on 24th October that the studies would be completed within six months.

IN THE NEWS

FGW service improvements: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7770692.stm

EWS to cut 530 jobs: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7767523.stm

Maiden Newton signalbox refurbished: http://www.dorsetforyou.com/index.jsp?articleid=390744

Train spotters on rampage: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1092595/

Scottish transport plan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7775936.stm

Glasgow Cross Rail dropped: http://tinyurl.com/55d3un

RAIB initial report into fatal level crossing accident at Wraysholme: http://tinyurl.com/5mhy9p

RAIB initial report into derailment at Witham Friary: http://tinyurl.com/5onwgb

Parry People Mover delayed: http://tinyurl.com/5uvxtg

Tornado gets a coat of paint: http://tinyurl.com/6s9t96

Money for cycle route on S&D in Bath: http://tinyurl.com/5hp6qw

Channel Tunnel repair progress http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7776356.stm

World's longest high-speed rail line nearing completion: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/07/content_10469025.htm

Funds approved for new Mont Cenis tunnel: http://www.europeanvoice.com/Article/63328.aspx

China to build six more lines into Tibet by 2020: http://tinyurl.com/6cn3bw

Plan to invest $22 billion in the coal-rich northern province of Shanxi: http://tinyurl.com/6gltc3

Refurbishment work on Bristol Docks: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7776803.stm

New ferry for Orkneys: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7771518.stm

Spotters: Richard Buckby, Neil Kearns, Reg Nerps, Ralph Rawlinson

TV and Radio

Events

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

Santa Specials