Network
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West Midlands Class 196 DMU construction underway
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CONSTRUCTION of the first of a fleet of 26 new diesel multiple units for West Midlands Trains (WMT) has begun at Beasain, Spain. They are being built by CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles). The units are from the ‘Civity’ family and comprise 80 vehicles. They are part of a £1billion investment promised by the…
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Luxury dining trains’ brief encounter in Kent
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THERE was brief chance to see two of Britain’s luxury dining trains together on May 11, writes David Staines. ‘Black Five’ No. 44871 was recessed at Lenham Loop with the 12.50 Maidstone East-Folkestone West ‘Heart of Kent Hospice Circular’ to allow LSL’s Nos. 47810 and 47853 to overtake with a ‘Statesman’ special to Canterbury. No. 44871 and the…
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Mayflower in the Highlands
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‘B1’ No. 61306 Mayflower crosses the Beauly Firth at Invershin while working a day tour from Inverness to Dunrobin Castle during Steam Dreams’ mammoth ‘Highlands and Islands’ tour of Scotland on May 9-17. The previous day, the Thompson 4-6-0 worked with No. 60103 Flying Scotsman over the Highland Main Line from Edinburgh. ‘Scotsman’ worked north from King’s…
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UK Railtours ventures through Butterley
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GB RAILFREIGHT No. 66753 EMD Roberts Road edges into Butterley loop with UK Railtours’ ‘Amber Valley Venturer’ tour from Euston on May 4, making for an unusual sight among the preserved DMUs and coaching stock at the Midland Railway-Butterley (MRB). No. 66719 METRO-LAND is out of view at the other end of the train. Resident ‘Generator’ No. 47401…
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Bahamas becomes part of Vintage Trains roster
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‘JUBILEE’ No. 45596 Bahamas will return to Tyseley for the works open days on June 22-23. This comes only a few months after the completion of its overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works and two very successful comeback runs over the Settle to Carlisle Line. The Stanier ‘5XP’ is also booked to haul six Vintage Trains tours…
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Type 4s deputise after Torbay steam failures
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Steam Dreams’ ‘Cathedral Express’ trip from Slough to Kingswear was powered by two West Coast Railways Class 47s on May 4 after the booked steam locomotives suffered failures. The original plan was for a WCRC ‘47’ to work the train as far as Taunton, where David Buck’s ‘B1’ No. 61306 Mayflower would take over for the…
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‘Lizzie’ back on main line after repairs at Carnforth
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STANIER Pacific No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth made its main line charter comeback on April 30 with a West Coast Railways ‘Dalesman’ outing over the Settle to Carlisle (S&C) line . Out of action since November 2016, the LMS 4-6-2 made two test runs from Carnforth to Hellifield on March 14 and 28, the latter being…
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300 passengers stranded on HST after landslide causes ‘major incident’
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AROUND 300 passengers became stranded on an East Midlands Trains HST for hours after a diverted train was engulfed in a landslide, and a rescue train sent to assist was stopped by rising flood waters. What turned into a major rescue, involving the emergency services and Network Rail, occurred on June 13 when the Midland…
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Revised plans unveiled to protect sea wall route
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FURTHER proposals to rebuild and re-route the Exeter to Newton Abbot route between Dawlish and Teignmouth have been unveiled by Network Rail. The ambitious plans include extensive works to protect the line from cliff falls and landslips, as well as high seas, around Parsons Tunnel and Holcombe Beach. A 1.8km section of the railway could…
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Power station decline continues as Cottam faces closure
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EDF Energy has announced it will stop electricity generation at Cottam Power Station, in Nottinghamshire, on September 30, writes Chris Booth. The coal-fired 2,000MW facility is one of two EDF power stations in North Nottinghamshire, and although West Burton ‘A’ will remain open, the company says Cottam will not be ‘economically viable’ beyond the end…
