HPMRS RAILDATE 08 May 09

News

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

NETWATCH

As part of the festivities surrounding the centenary of Eastleigh Works, Andrew Martin, author of the Jim Stringer railway novels, will talk about railways and writing at Chandlers Ford Library at 7.30pm on Wednesday 27th May.

Downing Street petition calling for an end to the harassment of railway enthusiasts on "security grounds": http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/railenthusiasts/

An incredible amount of information on the Midland & South Western Jn Railway: http://www.swindonsotherrailway.co.uk/ (Spotter: Chris Osment)

2nd May 2009 was the 150th birthday of Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash. It was celebrated at Saltash with a weekend of events - also to be featured on BBC Country File next Sunday... http://www.brucehunt.co.uk/May%20Fair%20Brunel.html

First Red Wheel Plaque unveiled by the Transport Trust at Barrow Hill Roundhouse. See news section, here: http://www.transporttrust.com/

"Signal Watch" is a Yahoo Group for anyone interested in signal boxes, open or closed, and signalling, old and new: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SignalWatch/ (Spotter: Ralph Rawlinson)

All about Woodlesford station: http://www.woodlesfordstation.co.uk

Space Station assembly flash Presentation - one of the most complicated construction projects of all time: http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm (Spotter: Larry Schwartz)

Some interesting modelling supplies here: http://www.spinneyworld.com/

Ralph Rawlinson's Railway Roundup

Southampton Maersk Line, the world's largest container shipping firm is to switch the majority of its operations from Southampton to Felixstowe. This is likely to have serious implications for Freightliner and jobs on the south coast.

Hitchen Following consultation with local residents Network Rail intends to apply for permission later this year to build the long awaited Hitchen Flyover. This £55m project will remove a key bottleneck by allowing trains heading north to switch to the Cambridge line without crossing three ECML tracks on the flat.

Okehampton This summer Dartmoor Railway will be running a Sunday Yeoford-Okehampton- Meldon service, connecting at Yeoford with Exeter-Barnstaple trains. It is hoped that the service will start on 24th May but is dependent upon the completion of work at Yeoford.

Leeds To combat the stations lack of capacity Network Rail is planning to add further platforms at Leeds City station. This involves providing a 6-car bay opposite platform 1, and either joining platforms 13 and 14 to create another through platform, or extending platform 17.

Manchester Metrolink Track in the city centre is being renewed. Until further notice trams to and from Bury will start and terminate at Victoria station whilst those to and from Altrincham and Eccles will start and terminate at St Peter's Square. There are no trams serving Piccadilly station or Gardens! http://www.gmpte.com/content.cfm?subcategory_id=6075649 Details of work on the extensions to Droylsden, Rochdale and Chorlton, updated to 20th April can be found at: http://www.lrta.org/Manchester/index.html A Transport & Works order allowing construction of a short spur to serve the MediaCity development at Salford Quays has been granted by the Transport Secretary. This 350 metre extension will leave the Eccles line south of the Broadway stop and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2010.

Edinburgh trams Plans for stage 1B of the Edinburgh tram network from Haymarket to Granton have been abandoned. Edinburgh City Council admits that he does not have the funds to take the plan forward.

Iraq/Syria According to a media source in the Ninewa province administration, the chief of the Mosul Railways Company said he was prepared to start train trips between Mosul and the Syrian city of Aleppo on 1st June 2009.

Russia The tests of a new high-speed train built in Germany by Siemens were due to take place on 9th May on the St Petersburg-Moscow line. The train was expected to set a Russian speed record by reaching 170mph (10% more than the maximum operating speed). From the end end of 2009 the journey between St Petersburg and Moscow will be reduced to 3hrs 45mins. http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=13899200&PageNum=0

India Work on the relatively short but important new line between Bidar and Gulbargain in the state of Karnataka (originally Mysore) in Southern India started in 2003 but has been progressing at a snail's pace due to paucity of funds: http://tinyurl.com/ce5wl3

Indian Railways are planning to connect India with Ladakh (a mountainous region in the NW) through a railway line via Himachal Pradesh: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/03/content_11304308.htm

Nepal The Ministry of Physical Planning and Works Kathmandu has shortlisted six consulting firms out of the 19 global firms which had submitted Expression of Interest for the feasibility study on East-West and Kathmandu-Pokhara Railway Lines: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=4627

Mongolia Construction of a 162-mile railway to carry coal from Energy Resources LLC's mine at Ukhaa Khudag to the Chinese border at Gashuun Sukhait is set to begin by the end of the year, with the first trains running in 2011: http://tinyurl.com/dlx7dp

Brazil Estrada de Ferro Paraná Oeste SA, is a public-private railway partially owned by the state government of the southern Brazilian state of Paraná. The current line runs for 154 miles from Cascavel to Guarapuava, from where existing railways take the traffic to the ports of Paranaguá and Antonina, in Paraná, and São Francisco do Sul, in Santa Catarina. New lines are being planned that will connect the states of Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul and Santa Catarina, as well as Paraguay, with the Atlantic Ocean and increase the system to 745 route miles. http://tinyurl.com/de9ne6

USA

Public consultation hearings are taking place in California and Nevada into the the privately-promoted high speed line linking Las Vegas with Southern California. DesertXpress Enterprises hopes to start construction next year on the 183-mile electrified route, which would parallel Interstate 15 across the Mojave desert between Las Vegas and Victorville, which lies north of the San Bernardino mountains on the edge of the Los Angeles conurbation. Operating at up to 150mph, the target journey time is put at 1 hr 24 min: http://tinyurl.com/dmuq8c

IN THE NEWS

Worries about misuse of Rover tickets: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6222688.ece

Streamlined casing and painting of "Duchess of Hamilton" completed: http://www.nrm.org.uk/collections/loco/duchessstream.asp

Through steam-hauled railtour to Swanage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/8030465.stm/

Protest over freight depot at Bearstead: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8032656.stm

Service changes across Kent: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8036851.stm

Controversial Virgin Trains advert in Scotland: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8035524.stm

New bridge spanning Stirling station: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8029524.stm

Park and Ride on Cardiff Valleys lines: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/wales_politics/8035595.stm

Exhibition on Abermule accident: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/8029491.stm

Bulgaria to close down unprofitable lines and freeze salaries: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=103243

Strasbourg Tramway: http://www.strasbourg-tramway.fr/

BBC Container in Japan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8027126.stm

Fleet Air Arm centenary fly-past: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8036437.stm

Coventry Airport for sale: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/8038260.stm

Spotters: 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.