HPMRS RAILDATE 23 Oct 09

News

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

NETWATCH

The Great Western Railway Paddington Band: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_drYv7IyEs

Politeness on the Underground (not!) http://www.jonathanmacdonald.com/?p=4024

(Spotter: Richard Buckby)

We've seen several claimants to the "World's Largest Model Railway" title, but perhaps this one has the strongest case: http://www.northlandz.com/ (Spotter: Terry Bye)

Fascinating report on the condition of the Cromford Canal's Butterley Tunnel: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/tina.cordon/Butterley%20Tunnel%20Survey.pdf

And another historic canal tunnel: http://www.standedge.co.uk/index.htm

Ralph Rawlinson's Railway Roundup

Birmingham Birmingham's New Street's £600m Gateway project to convert the 1960s station has begun. Platform 10 is no longer available for passengers and a tender has been advertised for the removal of the multi-storey car park. Thirty new escalators and 15 new public lifts are to be installed whilst the concourse will be three times bigger. When completed it will have double the present passenger capacity whilst eight entrances will provide better links through the station.

Wingerworth Part of the £172m reclamation and redevelopment of the former Avenue coking works between Chesterfield and Clay Cross includes plans for a new park-and-ride station at Wingerworth.

Leeds There is no access to Leeds station from the Granary Wharf area of the city and to rectify this, a futuristic southern entrance is to be built with completion expected in 2012. New stations are also planned at Kirkstall Forge, Apperley Bridge and Low Moor.

Eurotunnel Services Liberalisation of rail lines within the European Union from January 2010 means that Eurostar is likely to face a stiff challenge from other European operators. Deutsche Bahn is planning links from Frankfurt and Cologne whilst Air France is keen to introduce a high speed service to London.

Poland Poland's future rail network: http://polishrail.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/polands-future-railway-network/

Austria Austrian Federal Railways (OBB) claim that the double track 20 mile-long Koralm railway tunnel between Graz and Klagenfurt will be in operation by the end of 2020. It will form an important part of Trans-European transportation corridor VI stretching from the Poland's main industrial area to northern Italy. Construction of the tunnel's first stage on its Styrian side has already begun whilst the 12-mile long second stage, "the heart of the tunnel", would begin in the third or fourth quarter of 2010 with tendering for its third stage on the Carinthian side occurring next year. http://tinyurl.com/yjwcoxw

Albania Albania studying railway link to Kosovo: http://www.eciks.org/english/lajme.php?action=total_news&main_id=950

Cambodia A senior railway official has confirmed that work to repair the country's decrepit rail network is on track but construction of the vital Cambodian segment of a planned trans-Asia network is "years away" from beginning. http://khmernewstoday.blogspot.com/2009/10/rail-network-repairs-on-track.html

China/Nepal Nepal would like China to extend the Qinghai-Tibet Railway (connecting Beijing and Lhasa) to Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. An extension from Lhasa to Shigatse in Tibet is scheduled to be completed in 2010 and there are plans for a further extension from Shigatse to Gaze, a border town of Nepal, 20 kilometres north of Kathmandu but construction will be difficult because the Himalayan Mountains lie between the two countries. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6784371.html

India Indian Railways has chalked out a comprehensive plan to build rail links with Nepal and Bhutan in an apparent bid to counter the recent Chinese move to build rail links in South Asia (see above). http://tinyurl.com/yk2vtkh

Standard gauge (4ft 8½ins) track is to be used for the first time in India on the second stage of the Delhi Metro. The new system is being expanded rapidly and will open in stages, starting this year with the 14-mile line to Delhi's international airport.

Indian Railways travel guide: http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/india-railway-reader-tips.jsp

Virginia Virginia Railway Express (VRE) has chosen Keolis Rail Services America, an offshoot of the French company, to operate its trains from Fredericksburg and Manassas into downtown Washington. It gives the foreign-owned company a high-profile launching pad for its first US rail operations while abandoning Amtrak, which has run and maintained the trains since VRE began. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/64645922.html

And finally - Neil Kearns provides some background to the stranded tube cars shown last week: http://tinyurl.com/yg3krsh

The ex Jubilee line cars have been on the top of the NLL bridge abutments in Great Eastern Street for about 7 or 8 years. The new line in the background is the extended East London Line where it joins the former North London Railway Broad Street to Dalston Jn formation. The location is about 100 metres from the new bridge crossing Shoreditch High Street.

IN THE NEWS

Rail closure plans unveiled for Christmas in Southampton: http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/4690261.Rail_closure_plans_unveiled/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8314298.stm http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/SWTrains/News/_southampton+tunnel200910.htm http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=4156

Explosives alert closes line through Stockport: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8319319.stm

New "S" class stock delivered http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8317749.stm

Tour trains being 'damaged' by Scottish trees: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1445186?UserKey=

Millionth passenger on reopened Ebbw Vale line: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8315327.stm

Spending the day with Swanage Railway volunteers: http://tinyurl.com/ykrta8p

Beyer Peacock photos online: http://emu.msim.org.uk/htmlmn/collections/online/search.php?type=images

Tram dispute in Nottingham: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/8313038.stm

Traffic reduction after Malahide bridge collapse: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8315508.stm

Possible investment in the Port Elizabeth-Avontuur narrow gauge line: http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/2006/11/24/news/n12_24112006.htm

Apple Express tourist trains: http://tinyurl.com/ykngsck

Further financial trouble for Vulcan XH558: http://www.vulcantothesky.org/

Spotters: Richard Buckby, Neil Kearns, John McCrickard, Reg Nerps

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