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101 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT RAILWAYS PART 3

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Clun Castle returns to the main line

BUMPER ISSUE

132 PAGES

■ Bahamas is back ■ £39bn rail plan for the north

COTSWOLD LINE IN FOCUS

CONNEMARA STEAM REVIVAL

CLASS 717s ON GREAT NORTHERN

■ CLASS 185s FOR IRELAND? ■ £80m FOR DAWLISH SEA WALL PROJECT

The

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 March 6, 2019.

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Can this rail fare mess ever be resolved?

P

ROPOSALS by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) to embark on a ‘once-in-a-generation reform’ to an archaic and over complex ticketing system are welcome and very much overdue. (See p6).

The plans from RDG are part of its contribution to the Williams Rail Review.

More than 20 years after the first franchise was awarded, and despite many previous promises by successive Governments to revise a structure with 55 million fare combinations covering 2,560 stations, nothing has been done. It is still a confused - and confusing - mess.

A cursory check of fares between Edinburgh and Newcastle revealed 19 differently priced options, which is utterly ridiculous.

Readers may recall a proposal three years ago for a trial of single-leg pricing on selected routes, partly to combat split ticketing, but also to offer a realistic price for a journey.

You won't be surprised to hear it was quietly dropped, because it would have involved some level of fare abstraction for the train operators involved, plus, I suspect, there was a lack of financial assistance from Department for Transport (DfT).

Under the present structure, one franchise needs approval from other franchises which may have an interest in the ‘passenger flow' - no matter how small that interest is - before they can make

changes. Above all, the DfT still has the controlling hand.

With the latest proposal, train operators insist fare changes must be ‘revenue neutral', so some ticket prices will fall, others will rise in order to maintain the balance, with the end result aimed at not undermining the financial predictions on which the current franchises were won.

In short, there will be some winners, some losers, but I can't help thinking it will end up being another fudged opportunity where passengers still don't get a good deal.

Part of the RDG's proposals is the ‘unbundling' of fares to create a single fare as the basic unit of all pricing under the new system.

However, the RDG says train companies will be able to create ‘discounted, premium, train-specific and personalised variations' of these fares.

Isn't that how we got into this mess in the first place?

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Editor’s Comment

There’s never been a better time to give a helping hand VOLUNTEERS are the lifeblood of heritage railway movement.

However, the future of this key part of the tourism and leisure sector is at increasing risk.

The challenge facing heritage railways is not one of money (though that is vital) – it is a shortage of regular volunteers.

The heritage business model very much hinges around volunteer labour, who often supplement paid staff.

Quite rightly, visitors expect staff to greet and assist them, sell tickets, souvenirs or refreshments, answer questions, crew the trains or work in some of the unsung roles learning locomotive, carriage or wagon restoration and conservation.

Many volunteers have been working at a railway or attraction for a long time – such as the Talyllyn's John Bate who, after 68 years volunteering, still passes on his knowledge and expertise to younger volunteers.

One of the problems is the age profile of many volunteers is upwards of 40 – and that's not meant in a derogatory way.

Speaking at the Heritage Railway Association (HRA) dinner and awards, Peter Waterman OBE, called the future for the heritage industry ‘worrying',

adding young people have a far greater range of distractions than volunteers did 20, 30 or 40 years ago.

With online gaming, social media pressures, long working hours, lengthy commutes, a pressure to keep fit, other hobbies and interests, or the lure of travel, it's no surprise heritage organisations are finding it tough to attract new recruits.

Each railway appears to have its own volunteer programme, fine-tuned for specific age ranges, but are they sharing best practice with other railways? Should there be courses which lead to NVQs, which would open the door to a rewarding career with one of the train operating companies?

While the HRA is now recognising the important work of young volunteers with an annual award – and indeed The RM is highlighting the work of young apprentices at the Severn Valley Railway – if you have a family member who you think would benefit from working at a heritage railway, contact them and speak to their volunteer liaison officer as a first step.

Maybe you've recently retired, have time on your hands and are looking to fill a few hours.

Make that call to a railway which interests you – it could be one of most rewarding calls you ever CHRIS MILNER, Editor make.

March 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 3

Contents

March 2019. No. 1,416. Vol 165. A journal of record since 1897.

Headline News

A computer-generated image of how the planned HS2/ Crossrail interchange at Old Oak Common will look when it opens in 2026. HS2

TfN confirms £39bn Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme, HS2 Old Oak Common designs revealed, Rail industry task force backs electrification, NR unveils Dawlish sea wall plans, HNRC expands with new Worksop depot, electrification complete on Manchester-Preston and Shotts routes.

On the cover

MAIN IMAGE: After many years out of action, Tyseley’s record-breaking ‘Castle’ 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle finally returned to the main line in February and was due to haul its first railtours as The RM went to press.

It is seen passing Stratford Parkway on test on February 21.

JACK BOSKETT

INSET 1: Old and new on the Cotswold Line.

INSET 2: Rail revival plans in Connemara.

INSET 3: All change on the Great Northern.

Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest 70 Steam & Heritage

WSR sells‘Large Prairie’to Dartmouth,‘Sir Nigel’joins Hosking main line fleet, Severn Valley‘4MT’4-6-0 returns after overhaul, Calbourne to join BR black Adams ‘Radial’at Bluebell gala, Southall GWR group disbands, £40k target for‘County’4-4-0 wheel appeal.

76 Industrial 78 Steam Portfolio 80 Irish 82 Narrow Gauge 84 Miniature 86 Network 90 Classic Traction

94 World 98 Railtours 102 Metro 104 Traction & Stock

Vivarail reveals hydrogen ‘D-Train’ concept, daylight testing underway with new TransPennine fleets, 50% of ScotRail Class 385 fleet now in service, Hull Trains gets ready for HST operation, May start for ex-Goblin ‘172s’ in West Midlands.

107 Stock Update 108 Traction Portfolio 110 Freight 111 Operations

CAF‘Nova 2’ EMU No. 397003 crossing Docker Viaduct on the West Coast Main Line on February 15 with the 09.38 Carlisle-Crewe test run.

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54 Subscription Offer

46 Reviews

56 Railways in Parliament 56 Readers' Letters 60 Meetings 62 From The RM Archives 64 Panorama

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Our regular gallery of the best railway photography from around the world.

116 Heritage Diary

Panorama: A Northern Class 158 speeds over Nethergate level crossing in Nafferton, near Driffield, while working a service from Bridlington to Hull on February 4.

BRADLEY LANGTON

Details of when Britain’s unique collection of heritage railways and railway museums are open.

129 Reader Services 130 Crossword and Where Is It?

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One of two significant main line returns in February, Stanier ‘Jubilee’ No. 45596 Bahamas passes Howgill Laithe, near Gargrave, with the northbound leg of its second comeback train from Oxenhope to Carlisle on February 16. CHRIS GEE

Features

16 Thames Valley Transformation

28 All Change on the Great Northern

Keith Farr concludes his study of the transition from steam to electric traction on the Great Western Main Line from London Paddington over the last few decades.

Peter Brown takes a trip on the new Great Northern Class 717s, which will shortly replace the 43-year-old Class 313s – the oldest passenger trains still earning a living on the UK network.

A pictorial tribute to the atmospheric, but often little-known, steam-worked railways that served British industries long after main line steam had been consigned to history.

23 A Phoenix from the Ashes

35 Maam Cross: Ireland's Quiet Railway Revival

48 The Cotswold Line

Nicola Fox tells the fascinating story of Sierra Leone’s National Railway Museum, whose collection was saved from scrap in 2004 by a last minute intervention led by British army officer and former NRM chief Steve Davies.

ELECTRIC AVENUE: GWR electric and bi-mode performance in the Thames Valley - p16

Deep in the heart of Connemara, a project to bring 5ft 3in-gauge steam back to County Galway is gathering pace. Gary Boyd-Hope meets Jim Deegan, the man behind this ambitious scheme.

WHERE THERE'S MUCK: Industrial steam memories - p40

40 Industrial Memories

Running east to west across some of England’s most attractive landscapes, this important route features an interesting mix of old and new, as Stephen Roberts discovers.

ROUTE PROFILE: Old and new in the Cotswolds - p48

March 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 5

HeadlineNews

Rail Delivery Group outlines ticket reform plans

OUTLINE plans which could than 60 umbrella organisations, change how rail fares are representing more than calculated will form part of a 300,000 other organisations, rail industry contribution to the individuals, including businesses, Williams Review. accessibility groups and local The proposals have been authorities. submitted by the Rail Delivery The consultation was delivered Group (RDG), which represents in partnership with passenger all train operators. watchdog Transport Focus, the Following the biggest fares majority view being passengers consultation in rail history, eight want the current system passengers out of 10 want the changed, with respondents system overhauled; nine out calling for a fairer, more of 10 want consideration of transparent and easier to use smart or electronic tickets, with experience. the potential for price capping; The consultation identified five and, eight out of 10 want key principles passengers want consideration of fares based to see: on encouraging travel to fill up Value for money – fares empty seats. should make rational sense with Fifty-five million fare greater transparency over what combinations are in a system passengers pay for and what that dates from BR and they get pre-Privatisation, with Fair pricing – a desire not to passengers having become have to find workarounds to get overwhelmed at the plethora the best price and a guarantee of of fare and route options, often no overcharging buying the wrong ticket.

Simplicity – making buying The complexity has not been simple, while retaining helped by train operator-specific customers’choice, plus making it tickets on shared routes, and the easy to find the right fare fact peak and off-peak periods Flexibility – the ability to vary from operator to operator. accommodate different needs Passengers are often forced with tailored fares to buy peak tickets regardless Assurance –clear, effective, of the fact as little as 20 minutes transparent regulation to protect of their whole journey was in passenger rights. ‘peak time'. Even the elimination The RDG says its proposals of off-peak fares on Fridays by have a simple proposition at their Virgin, for example, has added core: that customers only pay for further complexity to a muddled what they need and are always situation. charged the best value fare.

When the industry launched This would be enabled by the consultation, from the outset, the fares’system moving to a it was stated any changes which ‘single-leg’structure, as currently take place would have to be operates within London, so ‘revenue neutral’, meaning some customers are able to choose the fares might rise, others could fall, most appropriate ticket for each but there would be no change to leg of their journey. taxpayer subsidies.

Other possible improvements Nearly 20,000 people from include: across Britain responded, with ■ Commuters travelling from additional input from more outside London to the capital

or elsewhere could benefit from the kind of weekly capping system currently available for journeys within London.

■ Pay-as-you-go pricing and a ‘tap-in tap-out’system.

Commuters that currently buy weekly season tickets could save money when they travel fewer than five days a week or are able to travel off peak. Such an option would be welcomed by parttime or self-employed workers.

■ Long-distance and leisure travellers could see demand spread more evenly across the day, potentially reducing overcrowding by up to a third on the busiest services. Updating regulations around peak and off-peak travel would mean ticket prices could be set more flexibly, spreading demand.

Customers are likely to have more options and no longer need to commit at the time of buying their outward journey to the time of day when they will return, instead mixingand-matching different types of single tickets, and making changing travel plans more flexible.

If the proposals are developed and adopted, the RDG says they could allow the industry to offer a‘best fare guarantee’.

Furthermore, a reformed fares system would make use of technology, including online accounts, smartcards and smartphones to make ticket buying simpler.

Customers would be shown fares to match their needs while screening out irrelevant choices that cause confusion.

In its proposals, the RDG proposes‘unbundling’of fares through the move to a single fare as the basic unit of all pricing in the new system, with algorithmic rules underpinned by regulation

Network Rail begins consultation on Valley Lines sale to Welsh Government

By Lenny Barker

NETWORK Rail Property (Wales and Western Route) has issued a consultative document over the proposed land disposal by way of freehold sale of 85 route miles covering the Valley Lines.

The deadline for responses is March 22, and once these have been analysed, Network Rail will decide whether to go ahead with the disposal.

It could then make a formal application to the ORR for consent to dispose under the terms of their network licence.

Given there is a target date for the sale and transfer by September this year, with

completion by March 2020, it Government’s wholly owned seems to be a done deal. company, which in October The lines included in the last year, awarded the Wales proposed sale are north & Border franchise to Keolis of Cardiff Bay to Rhymney/ Amey, with the commitment to Coryton, and Cardiff Queen ‘transform the Core Valley Lines’, Street North Jct to Merthyr including electrification.

Tydfil, Aberdare and Treherbert, The award also includes as well as the freight lines to resignalling to be controlled Hirwaun and Cwmbargoed. from a new signalling centre at Taffs Well in two or three Assets years’time.

The proposed freehold sale This is the first major sale of will include all NR-owned Network Rail infrastructure, adjoining land and buildings, and with increasing demand and importantly, the for devolved powers, if the sale infrastructure and operational is successful, there could be assets. calls to sell either Devon and The potential buyer is Cornwall or even Scotland’s Transport for Wales, the Welsh infrastructure.

6 • The Railway Magazine • March 2019

Cash, contactless or smart card are popular ways to pay for rail travel. Mobile phone tickets have also grown in popularity.

to allow and encourage the best If the changes were applied combinations of return, through properly, it could act as and multi-journey tickets. encouragement for further rail However, train companies will growth. be able to create discounted, The plans have been welcomed premium, train-specific and with a note of caution by Lilian personalised variations of these Greenwood, chairman of the fares, for example, charging Commons transport committee, less at quieter periods, more for who said:“It’s no surprise to us First Class or less for reduced that passengers want real reform flexibility. of rail fares. In a 2016 Report, the There will also be protection Transport Committee labelled from excessive fares through parts of the rail ticketing system regulation of key price levels ‘overly complex, opaque and rather than of specific fare types. unfair’, and nothing has changed.

To ensure the proposals go in “The call for fairer fares has the right direction, the RDG plans only become louder after a a fares trial, which will include year in which many passengers the single leg pricing, pay as you experienced appalling levels go and leg-based pricing. of disruption, and promised No further details of where the improvements to services have trial will be carried out has been been delayed or cancelled. But released. the devil will be in the detail.”

KESR ‘Terrier’ bows out for overhaul

THE Terrier Trust’s ex-LBSCR ‘A1X’ 0-6-0T No. 32678 had its last day in normal public service on February 24 prior to being withdrawn for a 10-yearly overhaul. The 1880-built veteran leaves Rolvenden for Tenterden with the 15.28 from Bodiam, formed of a pair of Maunsell coaches. ALAN CROTTY

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Major improvements at Dawlish to reduce sea wall disruption NR is now submitting the plans for ‘prior approval’ under NETWORK Rail has spent its permitted development months compiling a detailed rights. Teignbridge District report on the options for the Council will then be able to future of the famous sea wall formally consult the local railway at Dawlish, and has community on the proposed now submitted a planning designs. application for a package of Further disruption occurred works to improve the resilience at Dawlish in early-February of the line. after high seas prevented NR’s proposal has been CrossCountry Class 220/221 developed in partnership with ‘Voyagers’ from negotiating the global engineering consultancy sea wall section.

Arup, and calls for a new, higher GWR also had problems when sea wall at Dawlish, designed two Hitachi Class 800 bi-mode to protect the railway and the sets failed after being doused in town from high waves and sea water while running along stormy seas for generations to the sea wall. Reports suggest come.

GWR’s modified Class 802s, The Department for Transport designed to cope with waves at has said up to £80million Dawlish, were not affected. funding will be made available An NR spokeman told The RM for the project.

Defence while the new sea wall will “help The new design increases Work also started in November to reduce the amount of water the height of the wall by 2.5 to repair the breakwaters which coming over the top of trains, metres – to 7.5m – and adds a provide a vital defence for the and in theory mean fewer trains curved ‘wave return’ to the top, coast against the elements. are affected, it won’t be a total intended to send water back The new concrete wall will solution to that issue and it is towards the sea rather than be shaped to provide far down to the train operators and onto the railway as at present. more protection from waves their fleet”.

This should prevent stormy and extreme weather, and is NR and its consultants conditions from washing away ‘future-proofed’ to protect the continue to examine options for the railway – an increasingly railway and the town, taking the future of the route, and one frequent occurrence, and into account predicted rising possibility is the realignment something which could increase sea levels. of the route by constructing a with climate change.

A wider, safer 4m promenade causeway between Holcombe Work will begin in the spring (currently 3.1m) will be built to and Teignmouth, crossing the and be completed by 2021. ensure views of the coast – a beach past Spray Point before The West of England line feature the area is famous for curving back inland. currently provides the only rail – are maintained. However, a Local reports suggest this connection between Cornwall, barrier is planned to prevent option could cost as much as Plymouth, Newton Abbot and pedestrians from falling off the £500m, although no timescale the rest of the country, but new structure. or funding has been agreed.

By Ben Jones

closures in bad weather cause severe economic and travel disruption in the two counties.

Local campaigners have long called for the reinstatement of the former London & South Western Railway (LSWR) route between Exeter and Plymouth via Okehampton and Tavistock, but NR’s most recent studies have established that maintaining the current route is the most feasible and cost effective solution.

Based on these studies, the Government invested £15m to appoint leading coastal, tunnel, cliff and railway engineers to undertake detailed marine and geological studies to develop long-term resilience plans further.

An artist's impression showing the proposed higher wall between Dawlish station and Kennaway Tunnel.

The Branch Line Society operated its ‘Looe Brush’ railtour from Bristol Temple Meads to Looe and Moorswater in Cornwall on February 3. West Coast Railways Nos. 47772 and 47826 powered a set of eight WCR Mk1s. Passing Dawlish, the ensemble runs ‘wrong line' towards Kennaway Tunnel on the section of line Network Rail plans to rebuild to reduce disruption from heavy seas. SAM SMITH

Could Class 185s be heading for Ireland?

ByTony Miles THE sight of Class 185 DMUs working in the Irish Republic has become a strong possibility.

This follows the start of a procurement process led by the Irish NationalTransport Authority (NTA), which is seeking additional ‘pre-owned diesel multiple unit vehicles for passenger operation on the Irish Rail network’.

Irish Rail has an urgent need for additional capacity, and with 22 of the sets currently working for TransPennine Express due to be released by the start of 2020, as the three new‘Nova' fleets enter service, owner Eversholt Leasing has been seeking a new home for its assets.

The invitation to tender document specifies a minimum

lease term of seven years or purchase.

There is no specific mention of the‘185s' in the procurement document, but the NTA is looking for between 60 and 80 vehicles“which must be capable of operation in units of three or four vehicles with a driver's cab at each end”, and they must be available for delivery prior to February 28, 2020.

Options

The 22 three-car sets equal 66 vehicles, and with the 185s having only entered service in 2006, and with an estimated operational life of 35 years, they fit the NTA's requirements.

The Irish network is configured for similar-sized vehicles to the UK, and options are fairly

Class 86 tests Shotts line TESTING of the electrification of the Shotts line – the fourth line connecting Glasgow and Edinburgh to be energised – took place on February 24, when Freightliner Class 86 No. 86638 was used by Network Rail.

The loco, the first electric

type over the line, worked from Mossend Yard to Mossend Yard via Holytown and Midcalder Jcts, running twice in each direction.

The loco is seen restarting from Breich and heading towards Fauldhouse and Shotts. IAN LOTHIAN

limited, with units constructed for operators in mainland Europe being too large. Re-gauging the bogies from 4ft 81/2in to the Irish Rail 5ft 3in gauge would be required, and this could take some time to complete.

Industry sources suggest the cost of the conversion – with three bogies, or six axles, featuring hydraulic final drives – will be a key factor in whether the project will go ahead, although the NTA has indicated the estimated total value (excluding VAT) of the contract would be in the region of €100million.

The fact Class 185s could leave the UK might surprise passengers who are regularly complaining about the lack of capacity on their services, but the fact is there is little scope for the sets to be

Refurbished TPE Class 185 No. 185101 leaving Manchester Piccadilly on August 1, 2017 with the 12.41 to Hull. TONY MILES

redeployed in the UK. Most of the franchises which could have made use of the fleet have been let recently with rolling stock programmes already agreed.The end date for expressions of interest was February 26, with the NTA indicating it expected to dispatch invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates towards the end of March.

In a parallel process, recommended by the NTA in December 2018 as part of its six-year plan for 2019-2024, Irish Rail has entered discussions with Hyundai and Mitsui over the supply of a significant number of additional intermediate vehicles to enable it to lengthen its Class 22000 InterCity Railcars (ICRs), which entered service between March 2007 and April 2012.

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March 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 7

HeadlineNews

Scottish Government demands much better performance from ScotRail

SCOTRAIL has been told by the Scottish Government to improve its performance or face further action.

This follows the company having fallen well below its agreed targets in the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS).

The Abellio-operated franchise has improved on its 2017 results, but scored only 79% for passenger satisfaction in the latest survey, well short of the contracted 88.5% average it is required to maintain.

There were widespread reports of cancellations during December, together with delays, trains being short-formed or terminated short of their destination, despite an earlier remedial notice calling for ScotRail to improve its performance.

Michael Matheson, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, said: “These latest results are unsurprising and clearly linked to the recent poor performance.

“Too often passengers have been left disappointed and this must change swiftly.

He added: “Having already issued one remedial plan notice, it is frustrating that another follows. I require quick action to ensure the on-going investment in infrastructure, fleets and staff translates to better satisfaction levels and a more attractive service.”

The latest remedial plan requires ScotRail to set out how it plans to put measures in place to improve passenger satisfaction by May. ScotRail is not yet meeting its contractual targets, but the last three periods have shown a slight improvement in overall performance as major infrastructure projects come to a conclusion, and the effects of the RMT's now-resolved industrial action, which saw a ban on rest day working, diminish. However, reports from Scotland suggest Abellio is still being affected by staff shortages.

A 'classic' ScotRail HST set, powered by Nos. 43144 and 43177, passes Plean, between Larbert and Stirling, with the 14.38 Glasgow Queen Street-Elgin on February 10. IAN LOTHIAN

Harry Needle Railroad Co expands with £6m Worksop depot takeover HARRY Needle Railroad Co (HNRC) has taken over the former DB Schenker wagon repair depot in Worksop, marking a major expansion in its maintenance operations.

The 12-acre site, vacant since closure by DBS in 2015, will create up to 45 new jobs, with a focus on locomotive and rolling stock maintenance, for both the HNRC fleet and other operators.

HNRC plans to invest up to £6million in the new facility, including setting up an apprenticeship scheme catering for up to 60 people.

Once it is fully operational, HNRC Worksop will be able to handle up to 20 locomotives per week for regular maintenance,

repairs and overhauls. It also offers extensive storage space for the company’s collection of locomotives and rolling stock awaiting repair, which is currently split across several storage sites, including Barrow Hill and the Wensleydale Railway.

Managing director Harry Needle said:“Acquiring the Worksop Wagon Repair Depot means that we have fulfilled our aspiration in owning our own large scale depot.

“We now have a 12-acre site that is perfect for our needs and will allow us to significantly expand our operations. We are looking to create new rail jobs in Worksop, and will be working with the council and other partners to look

Class 58 No. 58047 stands on No. 2 reception road at Worksop in August 2002 with empty MGR wagons from Cottam power station. The yard and the workshop (on the right) is being taken over by HNRC. CHRIS BOOTH

at creating an apprenticeship programme in the future.”

HNRC's main base is currently at Barrow Hill, just 12 miles

Electrification a 'key tool' to decarbonise rail

By Ben Jones

AN INITIAL report by the Rail Industry Decarbonisation Task Force and rail body RSSB has concluded diesel-only passenger trains can be eliminated from the UK network by 2040, but more investment is required in alternative fuel sources.

The task force was led by former Angel Trains CEO Malcolm Brown. It was set up in 2018 after then-rail minister Jo Johnson challenged the railway to reduce its carbon emissions.

The report admits there is no single‘silver bullet' option to achieve that ambition, but experts agree additional electrification will continue to offer key benefits on intensively

used routes, where it is cost-effective and appropriate.

However, that must be balanced against the disruption and delays it can cause to passengers.

A separate Railway Industry Association (RIA) report on reducing the costs of electrification was due to be published on February 28, learning from schemes in the UK, including Scotland, and internationally.

The task force says emerging traction options such as hybrid trains, batteries and hydrogen, also have a role to play, and should be encouraged, but the industry must reach a consensus on the local, targeted roles to which they will be best suited.

It should prove possible to

8 • The Railway Magazine • March 2019

eliminate diesel-only passenger trains by 2040, but no alternative yet exists for freight, where new research is currently looking at better options.

According to the Task Force, only diesel currently offers the power and‘go anywhere' flexibility for freight to operate on one of the world's busiest rail networks.

The research confirms the railways can continue to offer one of the lowest-carbon transport options for passengers and freight.

A final report in late-spring will outline the strategy with an economic appraisal and a road map of options towards challenging carbon reduction targets.

from Worksop. Major overhauls on ex-BR diesel locomotives are expected to continue at the site in Chesterfield, but

Worksop will allow HNRC to expand its business and move into other areas such as regular maintenance and rolling stock.

Channel Tunnel to remain open in ‘No Deal' Brexit

By Keith Fender

THE European Union published draft legislation in mid-February that will allow all services through the Channel Tunnel to continue to operate in the event of the UK leaving the EU without an agreement - the‘No Deal' scenario.

The dispensation, involving mutual recognition of pre-existing licenses for drivers and operators, will only apply for three months while new longer-term arrangements are agreed, and

only if the UK does nothing in that time to change the rules concerning international rail operations.

The proposed EU legislation will also enable the continued operation of the Belfast to Dublin‘Enterprise' service.

The UK Government has already said it would seek urgent new agreements with France, Ireland and other countries to maintain international rail services, and it will accept all EU-issued licenses for at least two years in the event of a‘No Deal' Brexit.

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Double HRA awards for NER Autocar and Gloucs-Warks THE stunning restoration of North Eastern autocar No. 3170 and the extension of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway have both won two major awards at the annual Heritage Railway Association dinner.

There were awards in a record 15 categories, which included a completely new award recognising the contribution of a young volunteer.

The NER 1903 Electric Autocar Trust won the Rail Express Modern Traction Award for its restoration of the pioneering 1903 NER Autocar, the first railway vehicle to combine an internal combustion engine with a generator and traction motors, and at the end of the evening took the prestigious Manisty Award, which acknowledges an outstanding contribution to railway preservation.

Also taking two awards was the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for the completion of its extension to Broadway, which opened at Easter 2018, and has seen an

upsurge in passenger numbers.

The G-WR won the Steam Railway award, which was decided by reader nominations, and also landed the Annual Award for Large Groups for its Broadway Station project.

Winning The Railway Magazine award for services to railway preservation was John Bate, from the Talyllyn Railway, for his 68 years unstinting service as both a volunteer and employee.

John, 89, joined the railway as a fledgling preservation project in 1951, giving up some of his summer holiday to help with track-laying. It began an involvement with the line which has continued ever since.

John became the Talyllyn's chief engineer in 1963, retiring in 1994, but continued providing his expertise and experience as a volunteer.

He is believed to be the world's longest-serving heritage railway volunteer.

Sister title Heritage Railway gave its award for interpretation to the Statfold Barn Railway for its international narrow gauge

railways, information repository and artefacts relating to Hunslet locos.

The HRA award to small groups was won by the Helston Railway for the reinstatement of Truthall Halt. Runners-up awards went to the Churnet Valley Railway, for Leek Brook Station, and the Steeple Grange Light Railway for its First World War armistice commemoration.

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway won the outstanding visitor attraction, in the large groups section. The Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway and the Talyllyn Railway were runners-up.

A similar award for small groups was won by the Isle of Man Horse Trams. Runnersup were the Great Laxey Mine Railway and the South Tynedale Railway.

There was a new award, the Lord Faulkner Award for the young volunteer of the year.

It recognises the importance of successive generations in securing the future of heritage railways, and acknowledges a distinguished contribution

The RM editor Chris Milner hands The Railway Magazine award to 89-year old Talyllyn Railway John Bate outside Pendre works, Tywyn. It recognises an outstanding contribution to railway preservation. The loco is No. 2 Dolgoch. BARBARA FULLER

made by a person under the age of 26. The winner was Matthew Wilson, of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland.

The Morgan Award for Outstanding Achievement was won by the Seaton Tramway for its New Seaton tram station, with the International Rail Heritage Consultancy Ltd runner-up for its work on the

Channel 4 programme Great Rail Restorations.

The Coiley Award, presented to an HRA member who has completed an outstanding locomotive engineering project, went to the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway for the Train from Spain project, to repatriate and restore Whillan Beck.

Above: Opening day at Broadway station, with GWR 4-6-0 No. 7903 Foremarke Hall working the VIP special. CHRIS MILNER Left: NER Autocar No. 3170 on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway on launch day, October 19, 2018. CHRIS MILNER

RMT union suspends SWR and Northern strike action THE long-running series of strikes involving RMT staff working for South Western Railway were suspended on February 18 after the union announced a breakthrough in talks.

The RMT said SWR has offered a guarantee of a guard on all trains, which has been the major issue at the centre of the dispute.

The company offer states: ■ SWR confirms that on the introduction of any new or other modified rolling stock, each passenger train will operate with a guard with safety critical competencies.

Specific competencies will be agreed between SWR and RMT. ■Train dispatch will be subject to completing a safety risk assessment on a station-bystation basis.This assessment will be completed with the

involvement of company and trade union representatives using an agreed PTI (platform train interface) assessment method, in addition to the utilisation of new technology within new or modified rolling stock Less than two weeks earlier, on February 6, another series of strikes spanning around two years was suspended after talks between Northern and the RMT, brokered by ACAS chairman, Sir Brendan Barber.

David Brown, managing director Northern, said:“We warmly welcome RMT's decision to suspend its strike action and recommence talks about what the future role of the conductor looks like.

“We have been very clear in these discussions that there will be a conductor on all our trains now and into the future."

Government criticised by select committee

THE decision by the Government to withhold its response into last year's timetabling chaos until after the publication of Keith Williams' Rail Review has been criticised by the Transport Select Committee.

Chairman of the committee Lilian Greenwood MP said: “I welcome the fact the Government has accepted the need for change to the process for rail timetable changes. I'm pleased the department and

the ORR have taken on board our recommendations about support for disabled passengers.

“However, despite our pleas on behalf of passengers for swift reform and clear lines of accountability, the Department for Transport fails to clarify where responsibility for National Rail timetabling will lie, whether it will be independent, or if rail franchisees will have to sign up to best practice.

“Unsurprisingly, there is no comment on the lack of

leadership from the Department or the Secretary of State."

Ms Greenwood added:“Most disappointing of all, is the decision to defer any substantive response to our recommendations until after the outcome of the Williams Review, some two years after the 2018 May disruption.

“The review is important, but I think the department has missed an opportunity to show passengers truly are at the top of its priorities."

Eurotunnel sues Government over ferry contracts

EUROTUNNEL is suing the Government over its award of three cross-channel ferry contracts, worth more than £100million, in the event of a ‘no deal' Brexit.

One company was revealed to have no ships, and the contract was cancelled after funding fell through.

Eurotunnel is claiming the procurement was ‘flawed and secretive', however, the DfT claims its process was ‘competitive'.

Remarkable

Daniel Beard, QC barrister for Eurotunnel, said the company, which has spare rail capacity,

only found out “when contract notices were published three days after Christmas”.

He added it was 'quite remarkable” his client had not been informed, given its recent history in running cross-Channel services.

The trial was due to begin on March 1.

March 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 9

HeadlineNews SIDELINES Bishop Treacy’s cameras go on display

CAMERAS used by Eric Treacy, formerly Bishop of Wakefield, will go on display at the Bahamas Locomotive Society’s museum at Ingrow, Keighley.

Bishop Treacy was a prolific railway photographer and author, and has connections with the area, having been a canon at Keighley parish church and a former president of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (K&WVR).

The society was gifted the camera collection by Bishop Treacy, and has asked the current Bishop of Wakefield, Tony Robinson, to formally unveil the camera collection at 13.30 on March 9 during the K&WVR.

Far North Line upgrade completed

A PROJECT spanning more than two years to renew and replace sections of track at 59 sites along the Highlands’Far North Line has been completed by Network Rail.

More than 36 miles of rail and 11,000 sleepers were replaced, as well as resolving numerous track faults.

In an“innovative first”, the 1,100 rails used were delivered by sea to Scrabster, near Thurso, saving 110 journeys by road.

New chief executive officer for Hitachi Rail

HITACHI Rail Group chief executive officer (CEO) Alistair Dormer has been promoted to a new senior role within the Hitachi organisation.

He will be replaced from April 1 by Andrew Barr, who has been CEO of Ansaldo STS since May 2016. Mr Barr will continue as a director of the signalling specialist until July 2019.

Prior to joining Ansaldo STS, Andrew Barr was deputy managing director and chief operating officer of Hitachi Rail Europe in the UK, and from 2005 he held a variety of senior positions with London Underground, GNER, Bombardier Transportation, and even Strategic Rail Authority.

Man receives £2,000 fine for rail staff assault

A MAN who grabbed a staff member’s hand and broke his thumb after being challenged over an invalid ticket at Cambridge train station has been sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years.

Mark Hypolite, 40, was found guilty of assault at Cambridge Crown Court. He was ordered to pay £2,050 in costs, serve 200 hours unpaid work, and was given a five-month curfew.

Borders Railway passenger boost

PASSENGER numbers on the Border Railway continue to rise.

The 2017/8 figures show 1.96 million people used the line compared to 1.78m the previous year.

Use of Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank is marginally up, but Newtongrange is up by 11%, Gorebridge by 17%, Eskbank 23%, and the line’s least-used station Shawfair is up 42%.

£39billion plan to transform northern England's rail network

By Ben Jones

THE region’s ‘single biggest transport intervention since the Industrial Revolution’ is the bold ambition unveiled in Transport for the North’s (TfN) plans to develop the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) network over the next 20 years.

TfN’s board, which includes representatives of the various city regions, local and regional authorities, business leaders and transport bodies from across the north of England, agreed on February 7 to submit the plan to central Government for approval.

The Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) is costed at up to £39billion over 30 years, and will call on the Government to back TfN’s vision for an expanded and upgraded rail network linking all the major cities and conurbations of northern England.

Corridors

The full details of the proposals remain confidential while they are being considered

by Government, but the seven priority‘corridors’include a new high-speed line between Leeds and Manchester via Bradford, including a possible city centre station in the latter; a new double-track link from Liverpool to HS2 Phase 2a via Warrington and Manchester Airport;‘significant upgrades’ between Sheffield and Leeds, including integration with HS2 Phase 2b; route upgrades between Sheffield, Leeds and Hull, between Newcastle and Leeds, and of the Hope Valley route between Sheffield and Manchester.

A new‘hub’concept for stations on the NPR network is also planned.

If TfN gains backing from Westminster as it hopes, construction of the new NPR lines could begin in 2024, with the whole network complete by 2039.

The new line between Liverpool and Manchester could slash journey times from 50 to 28 minutes, while the new Leeds to Manchester line is planned to reduce the journey from 49 to just 30 minutes.

However, the emphasis is on capacity as much as speed.

According to TfN Northern Powerhouse rail director Tim

Electric services started running along the Bolton corridor between Manchester, Preston and Blackpool on February 11. On the first day of electric services, set No. 319361 passes Farnworth with the 11.24 Preston-Manchester Airport. TOM MCATEE

Wood, up to“12,000 seats per hour”are envisaged between Leeds and Manchester, compared to the current 820 seats per hour on TransPennine Express services.

The proposed investment in rail accounts for more than half of the £70bn Strategic Transport Plan for the north of England, which was also approved by the TfN board on February 7.

Ticketless travel also plays a major part in the plan. After a trial between Malton and Scarborough in December last year, it is hoped to rollout a unified system across the region by 2022.

None of the proposed improvements is yet funded, but the SOBC outlines the concepts that will form the basis of further detailed development over the next 18 months, funded by an additional £37million allocated

by Government last autumn.

TfN says the biggest risk to the project is not funding, but skills. The construction and engineering sectors are already short of skilled people to deliver major projects, and NPR could exacerbate that situation.

Given TfN’s status as a sub-national statutory body, the approval of the SOBC now requires the Government to

give due consideration to allow long-term capital investment and development funding to be made available to ensure NPR develops toward detailed consent stage by the early-2020s, enabling first phase construction from 2024.

TfN was set up to co-ordinate transport in the north of England and advise the Government on transport strategy, but it does not yet have the ability to generate its own income.

Influence

TfN is also asking for greater influence in the design and implementation of HS2 Phase 2b, NR’s Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade and Network Rail renewals in the North to ensure all rail investment can be delivered cohesively.

Tim Wood said:“Our leaders had a vision to connect the North by rail like never before.

Today, we are a step closer to making that a reality.

“For too long, passengers and businesses have been held back by slower-than-average train speeds and poor connectivity between our city regions.

“If we’re going to re-balance the UK’s economy, this needs to be tackled head on.”

Over the next 30 years, TfN’s Strategic Transport Plan (STP) aims to re-balance decades of underinvestment in the north of England’s transport infrastructure. The £70bn investment by 2050 – requiring an increase in transport spending of around £50 per person in the North for 30 years – could contribute towards an extra £100bn in economic growth for the region’s economy and create 850,000 extra jobs.

TfN chief executive Barry White said:“The Strategic Transport Plan is a hugely important document for the North.

“It is our vision for a prosperous pan-Northern future and outlines how investment in transport could transform our economy.”

If the plans come to fruition, 1.3m more people will be brought within an hour’s train journey of the region’s largest international airport and at least four major cities.

Four million more people and thousands of businesses across the North will be brought within a 90-minute rail journey of Leeds.

Road improvements include a plan for a new tunnel under the Woodhead Pass, between Sheffield and Manchester.

ROSSENDALE LINK MISSES OUT IN TRANSPORT FOR NORTH PRIORITY PLAN THERE was some relief for supporters of the East Lancashire Railway when the proposal to reinstate commuter trains between Rawtenstall and Manchester was not included in TfN’s list of priority projects (RM Feb).

This follows recent concerns

10 • The Railway Magazine • March 2019

over the future of the railway’s heritage operations.

A restored rail link for Rossendale is included in the long-term plan, but is regarded as one of many possible projects after 2027.

Rossendale Council leader Alyson Barnes expressed regret

at the decision. She said:“It is tremendously disappointing Rossendale has been shunted down the list of projects and has not been seen as a priority by TfN in its 30 year strategy.

She added:“A rail link to Rossendale doesn’t just benefit the borough, but also the region,

which is why we have been able to build the support we have.

“I will also be writing to the Minister for the Northern Powerhouse Jake Berry, who has already announced his support, to help lobby for the money we need to get us to the next stage of this project.”

Have you got a story for us? Email: railway@mortons.co.uk

IMechE: Hydrogen trains ‘no replacement for electrification’ THE move to develop hydrogen‘wired’, with Government plans to powered trains is a vital part of phase-out the use of diesel-only the process to improve air quality, trains by 2040. It suggests three but must not be seen as an easy priority areas for action: replacement for electrification 1. A rethink of the cancellation schemes, according to a new of electrification programmes, report by the Institution of plus a long-term approach to a Mechanical Engineers. rolling electrification programme, The report emphasises which will create skills, careers and hydrogen trains could be seen as a develop supply chains. solution by Government to avoid 2. Encouragement of the expensive electrification schemes, development and deployment of but stresses hydrogen trains hydrogen trains and their fuelling should only be seen as an option and servicing facilities. Creating where electrification is not the and supporting demonstration most economical or technically lines and trains will help to de-risk viable, for example on rural routes. the technologies and servicing The IMechE acknowledges requirements. less than 50% of the UK network 3. Hydrogen train technology is currently electrified, and the is developed in industrial areas remaining half is unlikely to be where hydrogen production

Worcester Parkway delayed until December

Alstom’s iLint hydrogen-powered multiple unit on display at Innotrans, Berlin, in 2016. CHRIS MILNER

already occurs, and can support the wider transport system.

■ The Government is inviting small businesses to apply for a share of £5.5million from the DfT to develop‘first-of-a-kind’ demonstrators using current

technologies, and develop these further for the rail industry.

The areas the DfT is considering are within a railway station, in rolling stock, on railway infrastructure, or in the environment close to the railway.

Route with a view at Glenfinnan Open day at Long Rock depot A NEW footpath is now open linking viewing areas overlooking GlenfinnanViaduct on the FortWilliam to Mallaig West Highland Extension.

Passenger numbers at the station have doubled in the last decade, thanks to the popularity of the Harry Potter films, to more than 11,000 in 2017/18. However, the extra visitors have led to increased congestion in the small village and surrounding roads.

As a result, Network Rail has cleared and renovated a 1.4km footpath across the hillside from the station to the viaduct to provide easier access to several

Oyster for Heathrow Express

BUYING tickets for Heathrow Express is now much easier after the operator recently joined all other London operators in accepting contactless bank cards, mobile devices and Oyster cards for trains between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport.

Contactless payment or Oyster fares are the same as a Peak or Off-Peak Express Single, depending on the time of travel.

HEX andTransport for London (TfL) have also installed new multi-lingual ticket machines at Heathrow, allowing passengers to buy tickets and top up or refund an Oyster card (up to £10).

new areas, with views of the iconic structure, the monument to the Jacobite uprising, and the superb landscape around Loch Shiel.

Information panels and special signage have also been introduced to raise awareness of railway safety issues.

The project – a partnership of ScotRail, theWest Highland Community Rail Partnership (WHCRP), Glenfinnan Station Museum, Glenfinnan Estate, Network Rail andTransport Scotland – is intended to increase the proportion of visitors arriving by public transport.

GWR will celebrate nearly 170 years of Cornwall’s railway with an open day at Long Rock Depot in Penzance on April 13.

There will be a range of locomotives and multiple units that have played a part in making Cornwall’s railway a success.Visitors will be able to see the depot's new facilities following its multi-million pound modernisation.

A Class 802 unit will be named Rick Rescorla and Penlee Lifeboat – Solomon Browne. Rick, originally from Hayle, was security chief for Morgan Stanley, and died at the WorldTrade Centre during the 2001 terrorist attack. He is credited with saving the lives of more than

2,500 people after helping in the evacuation from the SouthTower.

Penlee Lifeboat Solomon Browne went down on December 19, 1981, after it went to the aid of MV Union Star. All eight crew of the lifeboat and eight passengers and crew of the Union Star were lost.

All profits from the open day will go to the Penlee Lifeboat station and the RNLI. PathfinderTours is running a charter from Dorridge to Penzance (via Swindon) for the event. Entry is via ticket only, available in advance at: billetto. co.uk/e/gwr-longrock-tmd-openday-2019-tickets-331021/ The cost is £15 per adult, child £5, family (2+3) £37.Ticket sales are limited and are not refundable.

CONSTRUCTION work on the new Worcestershire Parkway station is running behind schedule and it is unlikely to open until December.

Worcestershire County Council's main contractor SLC Rail blames the delay on the need to undertake unplanned repair work on the Cotswold Line embankment, which carries the upper line of the two at this location.

It had been hoped construction would be completed in early-2019, allowing the station to open in May, but work now looks set to be finished during the summer.

Most of the passenger facilities are now in place, with the main building being fitted out, new roads and car parking being installed, and work continuing to finish the three platforms, two of which will be served by trains on the Birmingham to Bristol route and one by GWR North Cotswold Line services. (See Cotswold Line feature on p48)

Beeches Light Railway moving to new site ADRIAN Shooter has announced his Beeches Light Railway will close permanently in May after 15 years of operation.

Mr Shooter’s railway is a private line of nearly a mile in length, which operated in a figure of eight circuit around his house and grounds at Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire.

The main motive power was Sharp, Stewart 'B' class 0-4-0ST No. 778 from the famous Indian Darjeeling Himalayan Railway line, along with two DHR carriages.

A replica DHR station, named Rinkingpong Road, has been built in the centre of the line.

The Beeches operated several times per year with admission by invitation only.

The railway will be relocated to another site not too far away, with plans for it to reopen in spring 2020.The new layout will be a little different, but will be about 50% longer and still feature significant

Adrian Shooter’s DHR ‘B’ class 0-4-0ST No. 778 posed on July 1, 2018, next to Series 1 Land Rover (reg SNX891), the survivor of two vehicles which took part in the Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition from London to Singapore in 1955. CHRIS MILNER

gradients and other features of interest.

All the rolling stock – including a replica Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad ‘Model T’ inspection car and former Post Office Railway

mail carriage – will be transferred to the new location. Further details will be revealed in due course.

Mr Shooter is former chairman of Chiltern Railways and currently chairman ofVivarail.

THERE was a riveting experience for 94-year-old Leo Leeney at Tyseley on February 26 when the former Swindon Works apprentice boilermaker was reunited with a locomotive he helped build 69 years ago.

Leo, who had not set eyes on the GWR design 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle since he helped rivet its boiler and smokebox in 1950, said: “I only found out it was running again when I read it in the paper the other day. I said ‘That’s my Engine!’ I haven’t been able to sleep since.”

Vintage Trains managing director Cath Bellamy commented: “It’s wonderful to see he’s still going strong... just like the engine!” Pic: NICK PIGOTT.

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March 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 11

HeadlineNews

unveils designs for Old Oak Common interchange

HIGH Speed 2 Ltd has revealed the designs for the HS2 Phase 1 station at Old Oak Common, and appointed construction partners for its two London stations.

Old Oak Common will have platforms both below and above ground, linked by a‘light and airy' concourse, and will eventually have direct services to three major airports (Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester), eight out of 10 of the UK’s largest cities, and Crossrail, making it the UK's best-connected interchange.

The‘super hub' will be used by up to 250,000 people each day and will form the centerpiece of a major redevelopment of the area, creating up to 25,500 new homes and businesses, employing up to 65,000 people.

Sub-surface

Six 450m platforms for high-speed trains will be built in a 1km-long box, served by twin running tunnels, linking Euston with the outskirts of London.

Material excavated from the site will be removed by rail using the former Willesden Euroterminal facility, where the gantry cranes

were recently dismantled.

HS2 Ltd has also named the two construction consortia that will deliver the major new stations at Euston and Old Oak Common.

The deals are worth £2.56billion and are expected to create up to 4,000 jobs. Mace and Dragados SA will oversee the work at Euston, where the station's capacity will be doubled by HS2 to meet passenger demand and free up capacity on the West Coast Main Line for more freight and commuter services.

Balfour Beatty, Vinci Constructions, and Systra will construct the Old Oak Common interchange, where passengers will be able to transfer between Crossrail, Overground and services to Heathrow Airport.

The construction firms will work with station designers and HS2 Ltd to co-ordinate the delivery of the station, platforms, concourse, and links to other rail services and the London Underground.

HS2 Ltd said the companies have a strong track record of delivering complex and demanding infrastructure projects, including Battersea

The main concourse area at Old Oak. ALL PICTURES COURTESY HS2

A computer-generated image of the Old Oak Common interchange building, which will have platforms on two levels, serving up to 250,000 people per day.

power station and the Spanish high-speed rail network.

HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston said:“Euston and Old Oak Common are two of the most important elements of the project.

Landmark

“Two landmark stations which will help unlock tens of thousands of jobs and new homes across the capital.

“Together with our Birmingham stations, they will transform the way we travel and set new standards for design,

construction and operation.”

HS2 minister Nusrat Ghani visited the Old Oak construction site in early February to meet HS2 staff, contractors and the Park Royal Development Corporation.

She said:“HS2 will be the backbone of Britain’s rail network, unlocking regeneration and economic growth across the country, while improving journeys for passengers.

“These designs show how Old Oak Common will set world-class standards for the future of stations.

“The task for our designers and engineers now is to take these ideas from the drawing board to reality, building an iconic station that is accessible, safe and open to all.”

The announcement was welcomed by High Speed Rail Industry Leaders.

A spokesperson said:“The striking designs are a testament to HS2’s ambition, and we’re sure that in their delivery we will see the very best engineering, construction and creativity on offer in the UK.”

The concourse and access to the high-speed platforms.

An artist's impression of the HS2 station at Old Oak Common. On the right is Hitachi’s depot at North Pole, while in the centre top are the stabling sidings for Crossrail’s Class 345s.

The current buildings used by GWR and Heathrow Express will be demolished and replaced by a large grassed area, general landscaping and approach roads.

12 • The Railway Magazine • March 2019

Have you got a story for us? Email: railway@mortons.co.uk

On-going repairs rule out Former Alstom factory panniers from South Devon reduced to rubble at 50th anniversary gala Washwood Heath

DEMOLITION of the former Alstom factory at Washwood Heath began in late-February.

The site was previously used by Metro-Cammell, and was where the majority of Virgin ‘Pendolino' trains were completed.

Redevelopment of the site – located at the centre of the HS2 network – is in excess of 110,000 sq m, and will permit

the construction of a new maintenance depot for the HS2 fleet.

Much of the rubble from the site will be reused on the construction of the new depot, which will undertake a full range of activities, including routine maintenance, cleaning, and repairs, with around 500 employed on the site.

A PLANNED nine-engine gala line-up for the South Devon Railway's (SDR) Golden Anniversary on April 6-14 has been cut short after two of the locomotives were ruled out of the event owing to on-going repairs.

It had been hoped the Kent & East Sussex Railway's‘16XX' 0-6-0PT No. 1638 would be able to return to the railway it used to call home (RM Nov 2018), but the loco has been taken out of traffic on its home line and will not be ready in time to visit Buckfastleigh.

The work has involved the removal of the Hawksworth pannier's rear axle, which has been sent away for attention.

The other confirmed‘no show' will be the railway's own ex-Weymouth and Wadebridge pannier No. 1369, the overhaul of which has not yet been completed at Buckfastleigh.

‘Very slim’

Demolition underway at the former Metro-Cammell and Alstom site at Washwood Heath, Birmingham.

Grayling: Not building HS2 Phase 2 ‘a betrayal’ TRANSPORT Secretary Chris He said failure to build Grayling has reaffirmed the the line would represent a Government's commitment ‘betrayal to the North and to building Phase 2 of HS2 Midlands'.

– from Birmingham via the Local authorities and East Midlands and on to businesses across the Leeds in the east, and from Midlands and the North Birmingham to Manchester were also concerned in the west. over HS2 plans, and had Mr Grayling was answering published an open letter critics who claimed the to political party leaders money would run out after calling on them to commit Phase 1. to completing Phase 2.

Rallying call to prioritise people in new projects

HUMANS must be at the centre of any technological transitions on our railways, says Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) General Secretary Manuel Cortes.

Mr Cortes said: "I believe the future of rail must retain a large human element to it and we need to be involved in the technological transition, whatever that may be."

His words were echoed by Michelle Nolan-McSweeney, Network Rail's Head of Training: "Skills should be at the forefront of our planning for a digital railway.

“Employers must offer opportunities for employees, but it also requires employees to be open to training.

“The railways are full of talented people but we need to retain skills and develop new ones."

Clair Mowbray, chief executive of the National College for High Speed Rail, added: “Attracting talent to deliver major projects means not only getting behind HS2, NPR and Crossrail 2, but also making a commitment to apprenticeships and upskilling the existing workforce."

There is also doubt over whether the Bodmin & Wenford Railway’s‘64XX' 0-6-0PT No. 6435 will make an appearance, the SDR saying the chances were now“very slim”and if it does make the journey from Cornwall, it will be a last-minute decision.

However, the SDR still expects to field an impressive cast of former GWR or BR(W) locomotives, including Severn Valley Railway-based‘14XX' 0-4-2T No. 1450, the Llangollen Railway’s‘64XX' No. 6430 and‘94XX' No. 9466. This loco has travelled between Totnes and Buckfastleigh before, in

September 2010, but it is thought this April's visit will be the first time any '94XX' has hauled trains on the branch.

The home fleet is expected to consist of resident ‘64XX' No. 6412 and‘Small Prairie' No. 5526, although '57XX' No. 5786 is unavailable as it will be visiting the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway.

The gala will also feature four ‘chocolate & cream' auto-coaches operating during the event.

Resident cars Nos. 233 and 163 will be joined by Bodmin-based No. 232 and No. 178, which is making the trip south from the Severn Valley with No. 1450.

Sandwich

This will be the first time an ‘auto-sandwich' like this has been seen since the early Dart Valley Railway days, and is unique to the line in the preservation era.

The first weekend will include a re-enactment of the‘Inaugural Special' of April 1969, featuring No. 6412 sandwiched between the‘auto-trailers' carrying a replica of the original headboard.

They will be followed the weekend after by a re-run of the official‘Inaugural Special' of May 1969, with No. 5526 adorned with a copy of appropriate headboard.

The weekday operation will include various themed days, including GWR, BR and ‘auto' days, with authentic train formations and even four individual auto-trains working simultaneously on one day.

For more information visit: www.southdevonrailway.co.uk

AROUND 1,000 TICKETS REMAINING FOR CREWE’S JUNE OPEN DAY TICKET sales for All Change Crewe open day on June 8 have sold quickly with slightly more than 1,000 tickets of the 5,000 available remaining as The RM closed for press.

The one-day charity fundraising event is ticket only, and there will be no on-the-gate admission for cash.

It is being held at the Locomotive Services Limited (LSL) depot, next to Crewe station, between

09.00 and 16.00, with a line-up of more than 30 steam, diesel and electric exhibits, including Class 20, 37, 50, 60, 66, 68, 73, 90, 92.

LNER says it will aim to supply InterCity Class 91 No. 91119, with a ‘Pacer' making a final open day appearance alongside a Class 121 ‘bubble car' and more modern units.

Steam exhibits will include Nos. 70000 Britannia, 46100 Royal Scot and ‘Black Five' No. 45231.

■ Tickets are available online at £12.50 adult, accompanied child £7.50, with under-5s free. (No child ticket can be bought without an accompanying adult ticket).

Book online at: www. classicmagazines.co.uk/ allchange For telephone applications call Mortons Customer Services on 01507 529529 or write to Crewe Open Day Tickets, Customer Services,

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SIDELINES HS2 dig unearths Royal Navy explorer

ARCHAEOLOGISTS working on an HS2 construction site near London Euston unearthed the remains of Royal Navy explorer Captain Matthew Flinders in late-January.

Capt Flinders led the first circumnavigation of Australia, and is credited with giving the country its name.

He was buried at the London site on July 23, 1814, and his remains were among up to 40,000 others in the St James's burial ground.

It was thought his remains had been lost after the expansion of Euston station in the 1840s.

A statue of Capt Flinders was unveiled at Euston’s station forecourt on the bicentenary of his death in 2014.

New HS2 Ltd chairman ALLAN Cook CBE is the new chairman of HS2 Ltd. Mr Cook is a chartered engineer with more than 40 years’ international experience in the infrastructure, automotive, aerospace and defence industries.

Acquisition of HS2 land costs to soar by £4billion?

AN ANTI-HS2 campaign group is claiming land acquisition for Phase 1 could be five times higher than originally estimated.

Bramley Action Group (BAG) has used Freedom of Information requests to obtain the figures. It has concluded total land costs could now reach £5billion, far in excess of HS2's £1.1bn estimate.

The figures from BAG also show less than half of the expected 1,500 payments for land and property have been made so far, with around £3bn still outstanding for acquisitions.

Criticised

HS2's land acquisition strategy was criticised by the National Audit Office in September 2018, with soaring costs and slow payments being highlighted, and only half of advance payments to claimants being completed in the required three-month period.

HS2 says the cost of land acquisition reflects the changes to scope, land value, and parliamentary amendments, and insists it is still confident the project will be delivered within budget.

March 2019 • The Railway Magazine • 13

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