HPMRS RAILDATE 27 Mar 09

News

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

This will be the last RAILDATE for two, possibly three, weeks. I might get an issue out on 17th April, but it might have to wait until the 24th.

NETWATCH

East Tisted station is available for just £975,000: http://www.savills.co.uk/residentialsearch/propertydetail.aspx?pID=181575 (Spotter: Dave Clark)

Those who followed the recent link to the BBC's collection of old film taken in the North will no doubt have clicked on the map to the right and found similar collections for other regions. The complete list of locations is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/location/

Sadly, there is no film at all for some regions - including the South and South East, but there is an invitation on the appropriate page for anyone to submit their own footage.

Another view of the collection can be got from the main page, which lists the available films under categories, and currently has a special feature on British Transport Films: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/

The building of a new steam engine, "Tornado" has understandably grabbed the headlines recently, but there are a number of other "new build" or resurrection schemes under way. Here's a selection:

The LMS Patriot Project: http://www.lms-patriot.org.uk/

Betton Grange: http://www.6880.co.uk/

Bluebell Railway Atlantic Group: http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/locos/atlantic/

The GW County Project: http://www.gwcountyproject.org.uk/

The G5 Project: http://www.wrlpg.com/page14.htm

The 82045 Locomotive Fund: http://www.82045.org.uk/

72010 "Hengist" (Clan Class): http://72010-hengist.org/

(Spotter: Ted Millward)

"Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways - 2009" - an eBook: http://vcat.star-digital.co.uk/?userpath=00000013/00001135/00039115/ (Spotter: Lawrence Hannay)

Modern Locomotives Illustrated magazine: http://www.modern-locoillustrated.com/

A source of locomotive drawings: http://www.pdhdrawings.co.uk

Ralph Rawlinson's Railway Roundup

Southend - The group that purchased Southend Airport is planning to build a new station on the Liverpool Street - Southend Victoria line to serve the airport. Planning permission has been obtained and ground clearance work has already begun.

Shropshire - The Cambrian Railways Trust and the Cambrian Railways Society have announced that an agreement for the lease has been signed with Shropshire County Council for the eight miles of line between Gobowen and Blodwel. The county council also plans to construct a cycleway and footpath alongside parts of the railway track: http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/03/21/deal-could-see-heritage-railway-on-line-for-2012/

Isle of Man - Steam and Manx Electric Railway timetables for the coming season still haven't been released, with the scheduled start of services only weeks away. http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=34095

Albania - After years of vandalism and near dereliction Albanian Railways is gradually back on its feet. Principal power is provided by reliable, if technically obsolescent, Czech Co-Co diesels hauling clean, well presented carriages.

China - The Heifei-Wuhan high-speed railway is a 217 mile-long passenger railway and will link Central China and Yangtze River Delta region of East China. The bullet train will travel at 155 mph from Wuhan, Hubei Province, to Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, according to the report. The travel time will be shortened to less than three hours. The country's first high-speed railway, the 217 mph Beijing-Tianjin route, started operation in 2008. http://www.chinaknowledge.com/Newswires/News_Detail.aspx?type=1&NewsID=22215

CNR Corp, the nation's leading locomotive maker, has won contracts worth 39.2 billion yuan (US$5.7 billion) to supply 100 new-generation bullet trains for the planned high-speed railway between Shanghai and Beijing. http://www.chinatradeinformation.net/

A 108 miles line linking the Gannan Tibetan Prefecture in northwestern China's Gansu province to its capital Lanzhou is to be built. http://english.cri.cn/6909/2009/03/18/195s465811.htmWorld

The World's Best High Speed Rail Lines: http://www.complex.com/blogs/2009/03/19/the-worlds-best-high-speed-rail-lines/

Anybody considering the Railway Magazine trip to Ecuador, mentioned last week, should look at this report on conditions on Ecuador's G&Q line: http://tinyurl.com/d927qd

Botswana's Minister of Works, Transport and Communications, Mr Johnny Swartz has instructed Botswana Railways (BR) to withdraw all of its passenger services from 1st April in an effort to reduce the railway's Pula 600 million ($US 75 million) debt. BR made a Pula 78 million loss last year, compared to a deficit of Pula 10 million in 2007. Swartz says BR's passenger services cost Pula 38.8 million to run in 2005-06, but provided revenues of just Pula 9.1 million. He added that investment of Pula 586.5 million is required to tackle BR's shortage of locomotives and wagons to meet the demand for freight services, and said that the passenger coaches would be sold to help finance this. BR has a fleet of 46 air-conditioned coaches supplied between 1991 and 1993, and although these were due to be overhauled after five years they have yet to receive works attention.

A new State-owned rail and bus public transport utility, dubbed the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), was officially unveiled on 20th March with a promise of a R25-billion investment programme over the next three years. The utility would combine the already merged assets and employees of the South African Rail Commuter Corporation and Metrorail, with those of Shosoloza Meyl and Autopax, the long-distance rail and intercity bus companies respectively, which fell under the aegis of freight logistic group Transnet.

(Spotter Richard Maund)

Buckland Coaches of East Suffolk is celebrating the 80th birthday of "Ermintrude", a 29-seat Dennis single deck bus, by running a number of day trips over Easter. These include two tours visiting locations on closed railway lines including the Framlingham, Snape, Aldeburgh & Eye branches, as well as the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway and the Southwold Railway. Details here: http://www.bucklandbuses.co.uk/

The British Steam Car Challenge: http://www.steamcar.co.uk/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7961280.stm

IN THE NEWS

Moorgate branch closure: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7955510.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7957976.stm

Fatality at Lockerbie: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7954325.stm

Jarvis Fastline withdraw from Isle of Grain service: http://tinyurl.com/dc4jff http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7954631.stm

Revised fares introduced by Wrexham and Shrewsbury: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7958968.stm

Thameslink project: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/1326.aspx

Primrose Line (Kingsbridge) unearthed: http://tinyurl.com/dyrtpr

Purley Crash driver dies: http://tinyurl.com/d3ukpr

End of line for Folkestone Cliff Lift: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kol08/article/default.asp?article_id=59252

Royal Scot transporter catches fire on the M5: http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2009/lorry-train-fire-22-03-09.php

First loco in steam through Porthmadog Link on the WHR: http://whr.bangor.ac.uk/whlatest.htm

Fairy Queen Steam Engine stays on the rails: http://tinyurl.com/c2vawf

Restoration of another Quarry Hunslet: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/7965440.stm

Steam dream comes true as Annie arrives: http://tinyurl.com/dze9ss

Victoria (Australia) Railways and Tramways site: http://www.vicsig.net/index.php

United Arab Emirates - Federal railway system to link all emirates approved: http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Traffic_and_Transport/10297521.html

World's largest model railway - they must read RAILDATE (9th Jan edition)! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7962573.stm

Woman injured by tram in Sheffield: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/7954422.stm

Stalemate over Edinburgh tram works: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7953621.stm

Swing bridge priorities at Inverness: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7955443.stm

New buses for Isle of Wight: http://www.islandbuses.info/news/news009.shtml

80th Anniversary of Southern Vectis: http://www.islandbuses.info/news/news031.shtml

Bus accident at Rogerstone: http://tinyurl.com/d54zs2

Spotters: Richard Buckby, Brian Carter, 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.