HPMRS RAILDATE 16 Oct 09

News

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

BOOK NEWS

Reprint of "Blue Pullman" by Kevin Robertson

The history of the Metropolitan-Cammell Blue Pullman units can be compared to a ride on a roller-coaster - indeed, that very comparison was made about the ride of these trains at the time, and their entry into service, and success on the line, followed a similar pattern.

Often referred to (rather incorrectly) as the forerunners of the HSTs, the Blue Pullmans had the similar advantage of a fixed formation and the quick turnaround times made possible as a result. However, where they did point towards the future was in the standard of service provided, and while this was only available to a select (some might say a privileged) few, in later years, the speed and passenger facilities demonstrated by the sets would become the norm.

How and why the sets came about, their construction, testing and introduction, are all covered in this detailed work, most of the information and many of the photographs appearing in print for the first time. Full of facts, figures and anecdotes, "Blue Pullman" is of interest to enthusiasts of the BR Modernisation Plan, the London Midland and Western Regions in the 1960s, and the Blue Pullmans themselves.

First published in 2005, and unavailable for some, the title has just been reprinted due to popular demand.

Hardback: 168 pages with 180 illustrations, including colour and black and white photographs and 4mm scale plans for the modeller 304mm x 214mm over covers (A4 page size) ISBN: 0954485963 £19.95 http://www.kestrelrailwaybooks.co.uk/index.htm

NETWATCH

British Rail documentary - focus on Network South East: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CCCKoo42pM

Mystery Scottish scrap yard containing some interesting stuff: http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=34422

Serving up steam for GWR ("Laira Fireman" - Irwell): http://tinyurl.com/yl4ohzj

Cambridge busway promotional video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPkeLR5wnhA

A train ride in Maine - passenger trains in Maine are very rare: http://knox.villagesoup.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=179545

(Spotter: Richard Buckby)

Excellent footage from the Great Central Autumn Gala on 10th October: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YSjdCcjkTE (Spotter: Ted Millward)

Mike Morant has uploaded a collection of shed and works images to his Fotopic gallery. A third of them feature locomotives in pre-grouping or pre-nationalisation liveries. Amongst the selection are an ex-works Q6, a B12 in the first BR livery, an ex-paintshop class 37, an LNWR "Prince of Wales, a royal train "Schools", a Taff Vale H class 0-6-2T and a London Transport Peckett 0-6-0ST: http://gallery62603.fotopic.net/c1758017.html

Dave Rowland has recorded the trackbed/cycleway of the Stokes Bay branch, and taken lots of photos of locations between Crescent Road and Stoke Rd: http://daverowland.fotopic.net/c1668655_217.html http://daverowland.fotopic.net/c1668655_289.html

Great Northern (Ireland) No 85 "Merlin" to return to the main line. http://www.steamtrainsireland.com/locomotives/loco85.htm

Flanders and Swann - "The Slow Train": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6OHD2uCpfU

Very sad news that Morwellham Quay tourist attraction on the border of Devon, four miles west of Tavistock, is to close at end of this month. This stems from the fact that the new administrations at the local Councils (Devon County Council and West Devon Borough Council) were not prepared to continue the project's grant-aid. You have until the end of October to visit, and if you can, it's very worthwhile.

Although specific asset sales may be considered by the administrator, the administrators will seek a way to preserve as much of the site as possible in order to fulfil the original goals of the Morwellham and Tamar Valley Trust, which was founded in 1970 to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the site.

http://www.morwellham-quay.co.uk/

More model railway videos, including a "cab ride" in a Deltic (last one of the set): http://thesouthcoastrailway.weebly.com/videos.html

Super O gauge layout by Dave Harris and John Witts of Basingstoke MRC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q8AIrnV4Tw

A Z-gauge GWR layout in Oregon: http://www.southernoregonz.com/UKZ.html

Stalin's lost railway: http://englishrussia.com/?p=1305

The Railway Canal Yahoo group - a forum for the Railway & Canal Historical Society that is open to anyone with an interest in transport history. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/railwaycanal/

"British Canal History in Colour" - A new DVD featuring archive colour and black and white film from the 1950s and '60s. Costs £14.95: http://www.laurencehoggproductions.co.uk View a preview trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bcjwNZluos

Ralph Rawlinson's Railway Roundup

Lords Cricket Ground >From The TimesOnline, 8th October: "...the £400 million redevelopment, organised by MCC and Rifkind Levy Partnership, which owns the disused railway tunnels at the Nursery End..." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/cricket/article6865245.ece Also see: http://tinyurl.com/yhjbshb http://therailwaystationgallery.fotopic.net/p6990292.html

London Bridge A new viaduct to relieve the bottleneck at the western end of London Bridge station is to be built together with three new through platforms as part of the £5.5bn Thameslink project. A number of listed buildings and part of the 250-year old Borough Market trading area are being demolished to be replaced by a glass-fronted market area.

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Tracklaying in connection with the northern extension has reached Laverton where work has started on replacing the missing bridge. At Broadway, land has been cleared for construction of station platforms but the plan re-erect the station building from Bourton-on-the-Water has been dropped in favour of a completely new structure.

Tram-trains The DfT, which last month shelved plans to introduce tram-trains between Sheffield and Huddersfield, is looking instead at Sheffield-Rotherham. The existing Supertram system would be used as far as Tinsley South, before continuing along the freight-only line to Rotherham Central, which would be electrified at 700v DC. Northern Rail would buy five new electric tram-trains and Network Rail is investigating what work will be required to safely accommodate the vehicles on the three-mile, heavy-rail section between Tinsley and Rotherham.

Real Ale on the Cambrian Local MP Mark Williams is backing a joint campaign between the Cambrian Railways Partnership (CRP) and the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) to get those in search of a pint using the railways. http://tinyurl.com/yb42p7u

Oswestry The Cambrian Railways Trust is objecting to plans for a development, which will include a Tesco store: http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/10/08/trust-fears-for-heritage/

Edinburgh Waverley Work has started on removing the redundant mail sorting depot on the NE side of the station, closing platforms 1 and 2 on Sundays until 1st November. This is the first stage of the £130M four-year scheme to redevelop the station.

Dublin: Luas Train testing on the Dublin's ?900m Red Line extension of from Connolly to the Docklands was due to start on 23rd September. Actual services are expected to start running late December/early January 2009/10.

United Arab Emirates Construction of the long-awaited rail network that will link the six members of the GCC is expected to start by 2011: http://gulfnews.com/business/gulf-rail-projects-could-exceed-60b-1.513890

Thailand The State Railway of Thailand says DB International GmbH, which is installing the operating system and training staff for Bangkok's express rail link to Suvarnabhumi Airport, will also be hired to run the service for the first few years of its operation.

Malaysia A completely new railway system costing RM28bn has been proposed. New lines would run up both coasts, linking Johor ports and the controversial Port Klang Free Zone, Penang airport and port (but avoiding Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh) and on to Thailand. http://tinyurl.com/yh3wmr2

India The Indian railway system with over 38,000 route miles, and employing over 1.5million staff, is the largest in Asia and ranks second in the world. http://swapsushias.blogspot.com/2009/10/indian-railway.html

India's largest road and rail bridge, 2.84 mile long (4.56km) over the River Ganga on the East Central Railway line connecting Patna and Sonepur, is set to open in 2012.

IN THE NEWS

New Street announcements silenced: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8273718.stm

Stranded underground passenger stock: http://tinyurl.com/yg3krsh

Train drivers issue go-slow threat over crossing fears: http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Train-drivers---.5726649.jp

More Scottish level crossing worry: http://tinyurl.com/ylx2rlw http://tinyurl.com/yjnoxne http://tinyurl.com/ykrf9bl

New Crossrail route safeguarded: http://tinyurl.com/yhjyj3c

Power line failure at St Pancras in September: http://tinyurl.com/yfj7lsd

Railtour derailment at Windsor & Eton RS: http://tinyurl.com/yhz78h4

Rochdale line overcrowding: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8306097.stm http://tinyurl.com/ylsble8

First test trains on ELL: http://tinyurl.com/ylsq7sp

TfL fare increases: http://tinyurl.com/ykjrl79

Steam special Swanage to Paddington and return in November: http://tinyurl.com/yfpf952

Bats could halt Hampshire bus expressway http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8308007.stm

Power Haul locos on their way to the UK: http://tinyurl.com/yktdznw

AAIB report on the light plane accident on the WCML: http://tinyurl.com/yjcklhm

Regenerative braking: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8300162.stm

Life of Robert Stephenson celebrated: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/8302242.stm

Leekbrook to Cauldon Lowe line purchased: http://tinyurl.com/ylkhzcf

Aylesbury gains its own yard shunter after many years: http://geoff-plumb.fotopic.net/c1766148_1.html

Rail artefact found at tramway museum: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/8309022.stm

Clan Line under repair at Ropley: http://tinyurl.com/yf6ev7u

RAIB report on SVR derailment: http://tinyurl.com/yl52ek9

Bluebell Railway Giants of Steam: http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/events/2009/giants.html

Train drags German mooner half naked along tracks: http://tinyurl.com/yfuhnf3

Baby survives being "hit" (not actually) by train: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8311289.stm

Management board of Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) sacked: http://tinyurl.com/yhexuxa

Women only trains in India: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8290377.stm

Suburban train set ablaze in Brazil: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8296091.stm

Fatal derailment in Thailand: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8289960.stm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjihnFL5mNc&feature=youtube_gdata

German Railways 175 - basic English section, timings shown for specials: http://www.dampfspektakel.info/

St Mawes Ferry summer service extended: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/8301565.stm

Spotters: Richard Buckby, Neil Kearns, Reg Nerps, Peter Nicholson, 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.