MAKEORBREAK REVIEW FOR HS2 ■ FIRST GROUP WINS WEST COAST PARTNERSHIP
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■ FIRST ‘PACERS’ RETIRED ■ FOCUS ON ‘CLAN’ RECREATION
MORPETH: CURVE OF PETER RAMPTON: UNINTENDED OUTCOME STEAM’S‘MYSTERY’ MAN
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Visiting Bulleid ‘West Country’ Pacific No. 34046 Braunton passes Irwell Vale during the East Lancashire Railway’s West County Weekend on August 24.
EDITORIAL
Editor: Chris Milner Deputy editor: Gary Boyd-Hope Consultant editor: Nick Pigott Senior correspondent: Ben Jones Designer: Tim Pipes Picture desk: Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schofield Publisher: Tim Hartley Production editor: Sarah Wilkinson Sub-editor: Nigel Devereux Editorial assistant: Jane Skayman Classic Traction News: Peter Nicholson Operations News: Ashley Butlin Narrow Gauge News: Cliff Thomas Metro News: Paul Bickerdyke World News: Keith Fender By post: The Railway Magazine, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 529589 Fax: 01507 371066 Email: railway@mortons.co.uk © 2019 Mortons Media ISSN 0033-8923
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This issue was published on September 4, 2019. The next will be on sale on October 2, 2019 .
ANDREW DENNISON
HS2 has the power to unite – and divide
C
ONTROVERSIAL as it is, the plans to build HS2 are now subject to a review relating to its benefits and costs. As a key infrastructure project, HS2 has certainly polarised public opinion, but as a project it is still surrounded by outright lies, coupled with misinformation, which has been picked up and presented as ‘fact’ by the mainstream media. It’s a situation which has not been helped by the relatively silent HS2 PR teams, although they are improving with their messages. The latest thinking to be aired from the so-called ‘railway experts’ is the re-use of the abandoned Great Central (GC) main line to create the additional capacity, instead of building HS2. Most readers will be aware that in the 50 years since the last section of the line was closed, large chunks of the original GC infrastructure has disappeared completely or been built upon. The fact it goes nowhere near Birmingham, Britain’s second city and the whole raison d’être for HS2, seems to have been overlooked, too. Such crazy suggestions merely dilute public opinion even further. There’s a couple of rather important heritage railways operating on the old alignment, too! Many don’t want HS2, for a whole variety of reasons, including its excessive cost, visual intrusion, lack of immediate benefit, and environmental reasons, but surely, if we are serious about reducing carbon emissions and pollution, then getting people out of cars and onto trains powered by electricity is the way forward, rather than widening motorways and building new bypasses, which only seem to encourage road use. Campaigners against HS2 say they want improvements to existing lines, but have they taken a close look to see how such a demand can be realistically achieved without the visual intrusion, lack of benefit, environmental reasons, and vast displacement of businesses and people they claim will blight HS2? I recall similar controversies during the planning of HS1 through Kent, but now the line forms a major rail artery to the ‘Garden of England’ and Europe. By the end of the year, a decision on whether to continue or cancel HS2 should be known. Because railways have such heavy political overtones, the effect of short-term decisions by politicians
TRAIN OF THOUGHT
Editor’s Comment
are always felt for a long time afterwards – the cancellation of electrification schemes being a perfect example. If the review recommends a cancellation of HS2, what happens then? You could argue 10 years of work and £6billion will have been wasted, and we’d be no nearer to finding a solution to solving the growing capacity issues, particularly at the south end of the West Coast Main Line. It would be a case of back to the drawing board, doubtless followed by further controversy, protests and rows over costs covering new proposals. Let’s not forget one of the aims of HS2 was to open up more capacity for passenger services by relieving pressure on the three main lines – the West Coast, East Coast and Midland routes – by removing many long-distance services and creating capacity for additional commuter traffic and freight. On the West Coast alone, passenger numbers are predicted to rise by one third by 2026, from 45 to 60million, so cancelling HS2 will simply consign passengers to many more years of overcrowding misery. HS2 would, as a completed project, also provide vastly improved connectivity, linked to the planned HS3, but also have the potential to substantially reduce the number of flights from Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh to London, which create a massive and often overlooked carbon footprint. The line also has the provision for much-needed regeneration and growth away from the South East. So, HS2 is left in a cleft stick situation – do you plough on regardless of cost, knowing the ultimate benefits to the economies in the Midlands and the North are far more important, or instead bite the bullet and kiss goodbye to the £6bn already spent? It’s going to be a tough call. CHRIS MILNER, Editor
September 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 3
Contents
September 2019. No. 1,422. Vol 165. A journal of record since 1897.
Headline News
The first TransPennine Express‘Nova 3’set headed by Class 68 No. 68027 Splendid enters service on the 05.55 Manchester Victoria-Liverpool Lime Street service on August 24. TONY MILES
First/Trenitalia wins West Coast Partnership contest, Government calls in rail experts to review HS2, Southeastern franchise competition cancelled, green light for £75million Levenmouth reopening, NR unveilsYorkshire trans-Pennine upgrade plans,‘Azuma’makes Scottish debut.
On the cover
MAIN IMAGE: Abellio's new East Midlands Railway franchise was launched on August 19,, with DEMU No. 222104 the first to carry the operator's new livery. On launch day, the ‘Meridian’ stands at Nottingham. TONY MILES INSET 1: The Morpeth rail disasters under the spotlight. INSET 2: A tribute to Vale of Rheidol Railway saviour Peter Rampton.
INSET 3: Network Rail’s test trains in focus.
Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest 70 Steam & Heritage
Battlefield Line secures Dinmore Manor visit, Severn Valley announces Autumn gala guests, BR green for Cheltenham, ‘Patriot’ moves to new base, Oswestry clears route for extension, £330k engineering loss for Llangollen.
76 Industrial 79 Steam Portfolio 80 Irish 82 Narrow Gauge 84 Miniature 86 Metro 87 Freight 88 Network 92 Classic Traction Sheffield City Region's rail strategy includes a proposal for a new station in Rotherham. On July 27, No. 50008 Thunderer passes the remains of Masborough station with the return leg of a Derby to Carlisle Branch Line Society charter. LES NIXON
Two generations of GWR 4-6-0 meet at Didcot Railway Centre as ‘Hall’ No. 5900 Hinderton Hall comes face-to-face with ‘Saint’ No. 2999 Lady of Legend. MARTYN TATTAM
95 Classic Traction Portfolio 96 World 100 Railtours 103 Railtours Portfolio 104 Traction & Stock
Northern withdraws first ‘Pacers’, TPE accepts ‘Nova 2’ EMU, Anglia ‘FLIRT’ diagrams increase as more arrive in UK, Gospel Oak to Barking ‘710’ fleet accepted.
107 Stock Update 108 Traction Portfolio 110 Operations
Regulars 52 Wordsearch Competition 54 Meetings 56 Reviews 56 Railways in Parliament 58 Readers’ Platform 60 Subscription Offer
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64 Panorama
Our regular gallery of the best railway photography from around the world.
68 From The RM Archives 116 Heritage Diary
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Panorama: One of the world’s most famous nameplates receives a final polish from Grahame Dryden at Didcot Railway Centre on August 28, 2017, during a visit by ‘A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman. JACK BOSKETT
129 Reader Services 130 Crossword and Where is it?
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Sunshine after heavy showers on July 30 produced some spectacular reflections at London Waterloo, as exemplified by David Buck’s Thompson ‘B1’ 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower as it waits to depart with the 19.20 Steam Dreams ‘Sunset Steam Express’ to Guildford. STEVE SEDGWICK
Features
14 Looking after rail infrastructure Andrew Royle explains the roles of the fascinating yellow test trains that tour the country checking everything from rails to overhead lines.
20 Curve of Unintended Outcome The sharp curve at Morpeth in Northumberland has been the site of several derailments; Fraser Pithie looks back at the events of May 1969 and June 1984.
26 A ‘Clan’ for all Seasons In the latest of our features on‘Lazarus Locos’,
DOCTOR YELLOW: Network Rail test trains and what they do - p14
Robert Ife brings readers up to date on progress with the replica BR‘6MT’Pacific.
30 West Highland Celebration - Part 2 Keith Farr concludes his study of train performance on the world-famous West Highland Line with a look at the era of Class 27s and 37s.
38 Bath Green Park - Part 2 Mike Arlett continues his debunking of the myths and stories surrounding Bath's Midland/Somerset & Dorset Joint station.
CREATING A ‘CLAN’: BR ‘6MT’ progress report - p26
42 Operation ‘Javelin’
More than £125,000 has been raised for charity by Class 395 Remembrance Day railtours over the last three years. Doug Lindsay explains how and why it was done.
48 Preservation’s Mystery Man
A tribute to Peter Rampton, who spent a lifetime rescuing narrow-gauge locomotives, but remained an enigmatic character to many in the movement.
LEST WE FORGET: Poppy Appeal ‘Javelin’ charters p42
September 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 5
LAZARUSLOCOMOTIVES
A CLAN FOR ALL
SEASONS
One of the most exciting new-build steam locomotive projects is that to recreate a BR ‘Clan’. Robert Ife, commercial director of the Standard Steam Locomotive Company, brings readers up to speed with progress, and the next stages.
P
OSSIBLY not all readers will have heard of The ‘Clan’ Project, one of the many new-build steam projects currently being worked on. We are building a new ‘Clan’ class locomotive to help complete the story of the British Railways Standard class locomotive designs, as sadly none of the original locomotives survived into preservation; the last one was withdrawn in 1966 after a working life of just under 14 years. The ‘Clans’ were the smallest of the three classes of BR Pacific locomotives, being rated at a power classification of ‘6’, whereas the
The final two original ‘Clan’ locomotives to be produced: No. 72008 Clan McLeod, with No. 72009 Clan Stewart behind. G RIXON
‘Britannia’s’ were rated Class 7, with the sole representative of Class 8 being No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester.
Progress
Rated as a Class 6 locomotive means a ‘Clan’ has excellent route availability, giving it the ability to go almost anywhere on the British Rail system, a fact that will be exploited to the full once No. 72010 Hengist is completed. It doesn’t have the major profile enjoyed by the A1/P2 consortium based at Darlington, or the ‘Patriot’, which should be completed in the coming months, but progress is steadily being made with
the construction of Hengist, the 1,000th BR Standard class locomotive to be started. When the current team took over running the project in 2011, a period of consolidation took place, including the acquisition of all the outstanding parts needed to assemble the mainframe of the locomotive. These were many and varied, and included such things as the bogie bolsters, which required machining, to major items, comprising the cast-steel stretchers located at the base of the frame – the foundation upon which the rest of the frame structure is constructed. This work is currently being undertaken within the engineering workshops of
SPECIAL TRAINS
Class 395 ‘Javelin’ charter trains have raised more than £125,000 for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal. With this year’s Remembrance Day only two months away, Doug Lindsay takes up the story.
Class 395 No. 395017 with poppy emblem working the 12.27 St Pancras InternationalSt Pancras International via Folkestone at Capel-le-Ferne on February 28, 2018. Retaining the poppy on the train past Remembrance Day acted as a solemn reminder of those who were involved in various conflicts. JAMIE SQUIBBS
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Freightliner Class 66 No. 66420 amid the buddleia at Creech St Michael on July 24 with the 4E18 Fairwater Yard (Taunton) to Doncaster Wood Yard, moving redundant railway sleepers for recycling. QUENTIN HAWKES
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