RAILDATE: the weekly newsletter of the Hursley Park Model Railway Society:
http://www.ibmhursleyclub.org.uk/ss/hpmrs/
NETWATCH
============
The Abingdon branch website has been updated:
http://www.abingdonbranch.co.uk
Several events are being held through 2010 to celebrate 100 years of
flying in South Hampshire, including a fly-past of the Battle of Britain
Memorial Flight at Southampton Airport some time in July.
http://www.centenary-of-flight.co.uk
Russell Saxton has started a flickr site for the Erewash Valley Line, and
would like to invite anyone to post any shots taken along the line. He
will add large numbers of my own, but he has nothing before 1978, and
would like to get the '50s, '60s and '70s well represented.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/erewashvalleyline/
The Renown Repulse Restoration Group:
http://www.renownrepulse.com/
A new Yahoo group looking at Essex and North East London in the 1960s to
the 1990s:
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Retro-Anglia/
============
Videos
Churnet Valley Winter Gala:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ESOOiFwys
Keighley & Worth Valley Winter Gala:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I70lYtoS_iA
Great Cental Winter Gala:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEXOYNRwmSY
(Spotter: Ted Millward)
BBC railway films:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/steamtrains/
Lost Cornwall revealed by Holmans archive footage:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8514283.stm
New videos have been added to the Southern Railway Films YouTube site:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthernRailwayFilms
A virtual journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway using video and Google
Maps - it's long...!
http://www.google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html
Accompanying article:
http://tinyurl.com/yzfmm92
(Spotters: Richard Buckby, Ralph Rawlinson)
============
Ralph Rawlinson's Railway Roundup
Blackpool Trams
Various events are taking place in 2010 to celebrate the 125th anniversary
of Blackpool trams, claimed to be the first in the UK and one of the first
in the world. The highlight will be an open day at Rigby Road Depot on
Sunday 16th September when a frequent service of vintage trams will be
operating between Bispham and the depot. Trams Magazine have set the
official event website at:
http://www.blackpooltramevents.co.uk
Tipton
Previously reported in Raildate in May and October 2009, the new tunnel,
carrying the B4157 under the main Wolverhampton-Birmingham New Street
line, was brought into use on 18th January 2010. Tipton station remains
closed being served by a replacement bus from Coseley.
http://tinyurl.com/ps4xbw
http://tinyurl.com/yzj7glj
Somerset
The Bath Chronicle of Wednesday 17th February 2010 reports that Bath & NE
Somerset Council is about to sign the paperwork for the start of the Two
Tunnels Greenway route.
http://tinyurl.com/ykxflln
Netherlands/Belgium
Thalys trains on the new HSL from Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam to
Antwerp in Belgium have halved the journey time for the 60 mile Antwerp-
Rotterdam route to 30 minutes and reduced Amsterdam-Paris by 50 minutes,
cutting the average journey times to 3hr 20min.
Belgium/Germany
The new HSL between Lige and the German border at Aachen is now used by
DB ICE and Thalys trains. Journey time from Paris to Kln are reduced by
35 minutes to 3hr 15min. Both this line and the one from Antwerp use the
ERTMS train management and signalling system.
Switzerland
Amazing! This site gives a link to another site that shows real-time
positions of specific Swiss trains.
http://www.railway20.net/99/whats-going-on-the-swiss-railways
Bulgaria
Bulgarian State Railways plan to build a 180-mile high speed line between
Sofia and Burgos:
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n210121
Turkey
Construction of Turkey's first high-speed railway, the 152-mile line
linking the capital Ankara to the western city of Eskisehir, started in
2003 and opened in March 2009. Construction of a further high-speed link
from Eskisehir to Istanbul has commenced after a Chinese consortium won
the tender.
http://www.balkans.com/open-news.php?uniquenumber=47494
India
Facts revealed on 'Bombay Railway' (BBC4 Saturday 6th February). 50% of
all rail journeys in India are to/from Mumbai, and by 2020, the city is
set to be the largest in the world. Each day 6 million commuters travel
on the city's suburban rail network and every year 3,500 of those die,
mostly crossing the track or falling from trains.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Railways to reconstruct its Northern line:
http://tinyurl.com/ya84top
Vietnam
Work on the country's first high speed railway, the 966-mile line between
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, is due to start in 2012, with services on the
first section running by 2020.
http://tinyurl.com/yfdvaro
China-Kazakhstan
A link was opened on 18th December 2009 between Xinjiang province in NW
China and Kazakhstan. The 178-mile long line forms a route avoiding
Russia although gauge differences will inhibit development of through
services.
Cuba
All you need to know about Cuban railways:
http://www.havana-guide.com/cuba-train.html
USA
Plans are being developed for a twice-daily passenger service between
Chicago and Iowa City 220 miles to the west. The five-hour journey would
be operated by Amtrak using Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF)
and Iowa Interstate Railway tracks.
http://www.iowadot.gov/iowapassengerrail/pdfs/globegazette.pdf
Canada
Work is to start shortly on upgrading the 335-mile line between Toronto
and Montreal. Passenger schedules will be accelerated and extra track
added at passing places to reduce conflicting rail-freight paths.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=915604
============
And finally... British Pathe Corner...
The Ffestiniog Railway in 1936...!
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=82686
============
IN THE NEWS
Planning approval for Derby station interchange:
http://www.emda.org.uk/news/newsreturn.asp?fileno=3875
Fort William traffic to go by rail (470 lorries unaccounted for!):
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1602816?UserKey=
66048 recovered from Carrbridge:
http://tinyurl.com/yeuv6g3
RAIB initial report on open hopper doors on stone train:
http://tinyurl.com/ygctl5h
Fatality near Aberystwyth:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/8514210.stm
Stena line move from Stranraer to Cairnryan; maybe end of rail link?
http://tinyurl.com/ybeu832
Northern Route Strategy published by Network Rail:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8517815.stm
End of line for Altrincham's station canopies?
http://tinyurl.com/y86rr4g
Tickle Cock Bridge returned to original name after row:
http://tinyurl.com/yjnsfsj
Idle firm builds up head of steam:
http://tinyurl.com/yfpc682
Weardale Railway reopening:
http://tinyurl.com/yg64fl6
Tourist potential of Borders Route:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/8518540.stm
Watercress Line creates workshops and apprenticeships:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8520288.stm
http://tinyurl.com/yzsflf2
Rocket replica returns to the National Railway Museum:
http://tinyurl.com/y8fg7ax
Glasgow Museum of Transport:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8521154.stm
Large amount of railway memorabilia to be auctioned on 6th March:
http://www.thosmawer.com
Belgian train crash:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8515855.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8518738.stm
Eurostar Independent Review:
http://tinyurl.com/yehcs5c
German railways to remove English signage:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8519246.stm
Turkey-Syria-Iran route reopens:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8518109.stm
Last public operation of West Midlands MetroBus:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/8514860.stm
Southampton's central Bridge closes for a year:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8515029.stm
Bid to save paddle steamer PS Ryde:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8517456.stm
Spotters: Richard Buckby, Neil Kearns, Reg Nerps, Nick Wheat
TV and RADIO
20/02/10 BBC4 2100-2200
"Indian Hill Railways" 1/3 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
21/02/10 BBC1 1100-1200
"Country Tracks" A trip through Dorset
21/02/10 ITV1 1205-1345
"Holiday on the Buses" 1973 movie
21/02/10 BBC1 1800-1900
"Countryfile" The Somerset Levels and Cheddar Gorge
21/02/10 BBC4 2100-2200
"Indian Hill Railways" 2/3 Nilgiri Mountain Railway
22/02/10 BBC2 1900-2000
"Coast" Channel Islands to Dover
23/02/10 BBC4 1930-2000
"Hidden Histories" How Denbigh was nearly Wales's capital
23/02/10 ITV1 2100-2200
"Seven Days in Traffic" London's traffic problems
26/02/10 Five 1930-2000
"Building the Ultimate" China's invention of gunpowder
26/02/10 BBC2 2030-2100
"Wainwright Walks" Scafell Pike
EVENTS
For up-to-date information on many of the tours mentioned in Raildate (and
others) often with timings, see the Steam Tours pages at:
http://www.uksteam.info/index.shtml and also
http://railwayherald.co.uk/railtours/
All details are correct to the best of my knowledge. No responsibility is
taken for inaccuracies or changes.
13/02/10- Mid-Hants Railway: Ivor the Engine
21/02/10
http://www.watercressline.co.uk/
13/02/10- Swanage Railway: Half-term Fun Week
21/02/10
http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk
20/02/10 Severn Valley Railway: Classic Transport Day
http://www.svr.co.uk
20/02/10 Slide Show: Hull & Barnsley Railway by Mick Nicholson
The former Carnegie Library, Anlaby Road/Walton Street, Hull
Starts 1400 but doors open earlier
20/02/10- Bluebell Railway: Branch Line Weekend
21/02/10
http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/
20/02/10- East Lancashire Railway: February Steam Spectacular
21/02/10
http://www.east-lancs-rly.co.uk/
25/02/10 Greater Manchester: Transport Films from North West Film
Archive
Buses, trains and trams in Greater Manchester from 1914 to
1992
The People's History Museum, Left Bank, Spinningfields, M3 3ER
1845-2115
Admission is FREE, but by prior reservation only
Availability is limited - deadline for bookings is 16th February
To reserve a seat, email Debbie.Worsley (at) gmpte.gov.uk
Or telephone 0161 244 1818 between 0900 and 1600, Mon-Thur
26/02/10- Model Rail Scotland
28/02/10 Scottish Exhibition Centre, Glasgow
1030-1800 (Fri), 0930-1800 (Sat), 0930-1700 (Sun)
http://www.modelrail-scotland.co.uk
27/02/10 Solent Railwayana Auctions
Community Centre, Mill Lane, Wickham, Hants, PO17 5AL
http://www.solentrailwayana.com
27/02/10 Mid-Hants Railway Real Ale Train (RAT)
http://www.watercressline.co.uk/rat.htm
27/02/10- Eastleigh Model Railway Show
28/02/10 Fleming Park Leisure Centre, Passfield Ave, SO50 9NL
1000-1730 (Sat), 0930-1630 (Sun)
http://www.eurotrack.org
27/02/10- Chasewater Railway: Winter Steam Gala
28/02/10
http://www.chaserail.com
05/03/10- Mid-Hants Railway: Spring Steam Gala
07/03/10
http://www.watercressline.co.uk/
05/03/10- Severn Valley Railway: Spring Steam Reunion Gala
07/03/10
http://www.svr.co.uk
06/03/10 Abingdon Model Railway Show
White Horse Leisure Centre, Audlett Drive, OX14 3PJ
1000-1700
06/03/10 Romsey Signal Box Open Day
Extra opening in connection with Romsey Model Railway Show
Admission free (donations welcome!)
1000-1700
ex-Romsey Infants School, Plaza Parade, Winchester Rd, Romsey
Car park in old school grounds
http://www.romseysignalbox.org.uk
06/03/10 Abingdon Model Railway Show
White Horse Leisure Centre, Audlett Drive, Abingdon, OX14 3PJ
1000-1700
http://www.admrc.org.uk
06/03/10 Stafford Railway Collectors Fair
GEC, St Leonards Avenue, Stafford, ST17 4LX
06/03/10- Romsey Model Railway Show
07/03/10 Crossfield Hall, Romsey, SO51 8GL
1030-1700 (Sat), 1000-1630 (Sun)
http://rdmrs.hampshire.org.uk
06/03/10- Macclesfield Model Railway Exhibition
07/03/10 Tytherington High School, Beech Lane, Macclesfield, SK10 2EE
1000-1700 both days
http://www.macclesfieldmrc.org.uk
07/03/10 Romsey Signal Box Open Day
Admission free (donations welcome!)
1000-1600
ex-Romsey Infants School, Plaza Parade, Winchester Rd, Romsey
Car park in old school grounds
http://www.romseysignalbox.org.uk
07/03/10 Indoor Transport Fair
Cosham Community Centre, Wootton Street, Cosham, PO6 3AP
1030-1600
Photos, models, books, videos, magazines, etc
Free bus rides (subject to vehicle/crew availability)
Cheers, Howard.
editor (at) raildate.co.uk (spam-proofed)
Previous issues of Raildate are at:
http://www.raildate.net
This page includes a master catalogue of items that have appeared in
previous editions of Raildate.
(C) Howard Sprenger and Hursley Park Model Railway Society 2010.
The external edition of Raildate may be freely distributed without
permission as long as no changes whatsoever are made to the original
document distributed by the Editor. You can subscribe to the external
edition here:
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/RAILDATE/