London Paddington
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Final HST working was emotional
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HAVING been given your June edition by a friend who recognised me in the Paddington hosts HST farewell feature, I was the driver of 1L7, the 14.29 Swansea-Paddington. The coverage was excellent, but very emotional, and I was told Sir Kenneth Grange was aboard for some of the journey. I was even more proud to have…
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Paddington hosts HST farewell
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After almost 44 years of sterling service, the InterCity 125 – which transformed long-distance travel for British Rail – has ended its association with London Paddington.
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First Heathrow Express Class 387 emerges
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TWO of 12 GWR Class 387 110mph EMUs to be branded in a new Heathrow Express livery were released from Ilford Works on May 22. Set Nos. 387130 and 387140 were hauled to Reading by ROG Class 57 No. 57305 Northern Princess. Currently, the sets have not been refitted internally, but this will happen over the next…
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Blatant trespass incidents mar ‘Great Britain XI’ finale
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Some of the worst trespass incidents seen since ‘A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman returned to the main line in 2016 occurred on May 5 as the Pacific was returning from York to London Paddington on the final day of the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Great Britain XI’ nine-day tour. Trespass was most evident between Burton-on-Trent and Tamworth,…
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Wrong IET set at Castle Cary for Glastonbury event founder naming
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Words: Peter Nicholson Castle Cary station, Somerset, on the GWR’s West of England Main Line, has new station signs reading ‘Castle Cary Station of the Glastonbury Festival‘. The signs were officially dedicated on the morning of April 9 by 83-year old Michael Eavis, the festival’s founder, who was included in a list of 100 Great…
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Practice & Performance: Diversionary Tactics
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The recent closure of Whiteball Tunnel for three weeks has given John Heaton FCILT an opportunity to compare performances of HSTs and IETs over less familiar routes from Exeter. THE former London & South Western Route to the west came into its own again for three weeks in February/March 2019. What do you do on…
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Class 50s unveiled in GB Railfreight livery
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THE close and growing relationship between the Class 50 Alliance and GB Railfreight has been underlined with the repainting of two of the former’s locomotives in GB colours as part of an on-going hire agreement. No. 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance were unveiled on March 20 at Eastleigh Works after the repaint by Arlington Fleet Services.…
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Coming home to the Cotswold Line
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Running east to west through the heart of the country through rolling landscape is the Oxford to Hereford line. Stephen Roberts takes a trip over a route which operates with a mix of single- and double-track, manual and electric signalling, and now a mix of old and new trains. It was like coming home. My…
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Practice & Performance: Thames-Valley transformation
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In the third and final instalment, Keith Farr concludes his analysis of the steam-to-electric transformation the Great Western Main Line has undergone in the Thames Valley. Part two of this series ended with a brief eulogy of Class 387s, the electric trains that have transformed stopping services between Paddington and Didcot. The new EMUs are…
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Pathfinder returning English Electric classics to old haunts
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FANS of English Electric traction will have the opportunity to relive past glories over the coming months with Pathfinder Tours. March 23 sees Class 50s return to the West of England to mark 25 years since their final run under British Rail. The ’50 Terminator-Phoenixed’ is an epic day out, starting from London Paddington at…
