Marcus' Model Railway Journey

Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain.

Network Rail is an "arm's length" public body of the Department for Transport with no shareholders, which reinvests its income in the railways.

Network Rail's main customers are the private train operating companies (TOCs), responsible for passenger transport, and freight operating companies (FOCs), who provide train services on the infrastructure that the company owns and maintains.

Since 1 September 2014, Network Rail has been classified as a "public sector body".

To cope with rapidly increasing passenger numbers, (as of 2021) Network Rail has been undertaking a £38 billion programme of upgrades to the network, including Crossrail, electrification of lines and upgrading Thameslink.

In May 2021, the Government announced its intent to replace Network Rail in 2023 with a new public body called Great British Railways.

In 2022 it was announced that Great British Railways would not replace Network Rail until 2024.

25th August 2023

Additional stops announced for steam locomotive 7029 Clun Castle’s trip from London Kings Cross​

Vintage Trains has announced additional stops for its special train on Saturday 30th September from King's Cross to Lincoln hauled by Castle Class No. 7029 Clun Castle to celebrate the introduction of the class by the Great Western Railway.

It is believed this will only be the fourth time that a Castle Class will have departed from King's Cross, and the first one with a public charter from King's Cross since 1967.

The first appearance of a Castle at King's Cross was No. 4079 Pendennis Castle during the locomotive exchanges in 1925.

The tour to Lincoln is steam hauled throughout, but to get Clun Castle in the right place there will be a number of positioning moves.

These will be diesel assisted with the diesel on the front and 7029 coupled behind, except that 7029 will be on the front from Wembley to Finsbury Park.

Here, passengers will need to alight from the train whilst Clun Castle is serviced, and it will be at the front of the train on the East Coast Main Line.

The tour will leave plenty of time to discover Lincoln while Clun Castle and the train are serviced.

Among the city's attractions are the castle, cathedral with one of the few remaining copies of the original, and the revised, Magna Carta.

The additional stops have been added to help anyone who wishes to travel on the train but does not wish to make their own way to London.

Times for the tour including departure and arrival times for the additional stops are now:

• Coleshill Parkway 05:25 22:25
• Nuneaton 05:50 22:00
• Northampton 06:40 21:10
• Watford Junction 07:40 20:10
• London Kings Cross 10:00 18:05
• Lincoln 12:25 15:25

Further details about the tour can be found on Vintage Trains' website at:

Express Train from Kings Cross to Lincoln | Vintage Trains

https://vintagetrains.co.uk/express-train-from-kings-cross-to-lincoln/

26th August 2023

Inside The Train Shed

Testing and Results!


This time I cleaned the old track and points with a Track Rubber and used jump leads to provide power on the opposite end of the point.

No power!

Now we have power!

Results and Conclusions:

After cleaning and supplying power to the opposite side of the points (past the insulating fish plates), the locomotives ran a lot better.

The running was by no means smooth and the motors did stall on occasion, the points are of the old style and will require a fair amount of cleaning and modification


To weigh things up:

The Peco points are of a higher quality than Hornby.

Hornby points are only available as insul-frogs, Peco Setrack and Streamline ranges also come in insul-frog and electro-frog.

Electro-frogs look more realistic and are more reliable due to their connectivity.

I have already invested in new insul-frog points and single slips and it seems daft to replace these new items with new electro-frog items.

For enhanced reliability I would need to modify the electro-frog points which will require a time and further cost investment.

I have therefore decided to remain with insul-frog points for the time being.

Continuing with my book.........

Something has suddenly appeared on the platform..................

Bob: Where the bloody 'ell did this come from Phil?

Phil: I have no idea, just suddenly appeared. I saw a bloke come out of it wearing a big floppy hat and a long scarf. Oh look there's a jelly baby on the floor!

26th August 2023

London North Eastern Railway names locomotive after Leeds maintenance depot​

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) named one of its Class 91 locomotives.

No. 91127. Neville Hill after its maintenance and servicing depot of the same name on the Leeds to Selby line at Osmondthorpe, 2 miles east of Leeds city centre.

The Class 91s were introduced exclusively for use on the East Coast Main Line. 91127 was built in December 1990 and originally numbered 91027.

It was the first locomotive to be painted in LNER InterCity livery.

As well as now being named Neville Hill, it has previously been named Edinburgh Castle and Great North Run.

Its current name recognises both Neville Hill depot and the teams who maintain London North Eastern Railway's InterCity 225 fleet in Leeds, which operates services between Leeds and London King's Cross and York and London King's Cross.

Neville Hill depot was built by the North Eastern Railway in 1899, but with the introduction of diesel locomotives, the depot was completely rebuilt in 1969 to service diesel multiple units and carriages as well as diesel locomotives.

It has recently received a makeover.

Class 91 on the East Coast Main Line

The depot is currently owned by Network Rail but uses it for light and heavy maintenance, and train storage, whilst London North Eastern Railway as well as CrossCountry use the site for train storage.

The InterCity 225 sets that London North Eastern Railway maintains at the depot were originally maintained at Bounds Green in north London, but in December 2020, that responsibility was transferred to Neville Hill.

27th August 2023

Inside The Train Shed

Continuing with my book.........

28th August 2023

Inside The Train Shed

Continuing with my book.........

29th August 2023

Class 31 diesel locomotive arrives at Didcot Railway Centre​

'Athena' on the Severn Valley Railway

The Didcot Railway Centre has announced that Class 31 diesel locomotive No. 31270 Athena has arrived at Didcot to supplement the centre's own diesel fleet.

Athena will be at Didcot Railway Centre on an extended loan from Colne Valley Diesels Limited, and after the necessary commissioning and training have been carried out, it will enter service alongside the centre's own diesel locomotives hauling passenger trains.

Athena is currently in Regional Railways livery and will retain that for the rest of the 2023 operating season.

However, it may be repainted into a different livery over the winter period.

A number of Class 31s were used by Derby Technical Centre, such as 31970 seen here

Class 31 locomotives were built by Brush Traction at Loughborough, and had a power rating of 1,250 hp, with a final total of 263 locomotives eventually being built.

Athena entered service on 1 June 1961 and was originally numbered D5800.

In February 1974 it was renumbered under British Rails TOPS system as 31270, and was withdrawn on 30 May 2000.

Another classmate of 31270, this is No. 31404 at Gloucester

Its last passenger working was on 20 November 1994 when it was double-headed with classmate No. 31102 on the Shrewsbury to Newport leg of Pathfinder Tours' the “Cheshire Chaser” rail tour.

Recently, Athena has been based at Peak Rail at Matlock in Derbyshire but has also appeared as a guest locomotive at heritage railways.

Before arriving at Didcot, Athena had undergone a major overhaul at Nemesis Rail, Burton-on-Trent.

Didcot Railway Centre hopes that Athena will become a staple of its open days, and is sure to receive a warm welcome.

29th August 2023

London to Edinburgh train operator in line for prestigious awards​

A newcomer to Anglo-Scottish rail services has made it to the shortlist for two awards.

Lumo, a subsidiary of First Group, began operating services between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley in 2021.

It has been nominated for the award of Rail Operator of the Year at the National Transport Awards (NTA) in early October as well as the Passenger Transport Award at the annual Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Awards for Excellence, due to take place in later September.

The Newcastle-based company will be in competition with other operators for the NTA award, which looks at innovative ways of operation, excellence in transportation and the enhancement of transport networks across all four countries of the UK.

The CILT awards, for which Lumo is shortlisted alongside the Elizabeth Line (Transport for London) and Reading Buses, seek out excellence in logistics and transport, with an emphasis on the most pioneering organisations in the field.

These will include operators who make outstanding improvements in passenger service, equipment and information management as well as the implementation of new technology.

These go alongside a demonstration of improvements in organisation and human resources and – particularly apposite for a 100%-electric rail operator – evidence of an environmental sensitivity.

The operator is also in line to bag the award for People Development, which pinpoints organisations which demonstrate innovative approaches to staff development.

It has been shortlisted alongside two global operators – BAE Systems and transport organisation The Go-Ahead Group.

Lumo is committed to the continuous learning and personal development of its employees.

Custom-designed apprenticeships have been undertaken by 90% of the company's staff, thus ensuring career progression within the organisation.

Lumo is an ‘open access' train operating company, which means that it does not receive state funding.

It has invested £100m to manufacture and maintain five 100% electric trains, built by Hitachi.

Lumo's Managing Director Martijn Gilbert said: “I'm exceptionally proud of our team's achievements here at Lumo which have now led to us being shortlisted for three prestigious awards and alongside some very big names in the world of transport and logistics. Our Newcastle team works tirelessly to provide a friendly, efficient and innovative service onboard our sustainable rail service that's backed up by our great value fare offers. We're looking forward to the trip to London, onboard a Lumo train of course, and hopefully bringing some silverware back to the North East!”.

29th August 2023

TransPennine Express helps customers over Air Traffic Control issues​

UPDATE: This offer has now been extended until the 31st August 2023

TransPennine Express (TPE) is providing free travel home for people who were affected by this week's Air Traffic Control problems.

The company has responded to the plight of holidaymakers whose flights were delayed, with many flights back to the UK either delayed or cancelled, causing them to arrive back in the UK later than planned.

TransPennine Express is allowing affected customers to return home on Tuesday, 29 August at no charge.

The offer includes all people who have been affected by the Air Traffic Control problems and arriving back in the UK on a different date, a different time, or at a different airport to their original booking.

Anyone affected will be able to travel in Standard Class on TransPennine Express services at no charge.

To take advantage of the offer, customers should present their airline ticket or boarding pass as proof of that they were returning during the disruption.

Darren Higgins, Commercial Director for TransPennine Express, said: “We recognise how difficult this experience has been for many people and hope this decision will provide much-needed relief to those who have been impacted by the technical problems.”

29th August 2023

Inside The Train Shed

Continuing with my book.........

30th August 2023



NetworkRail:

Successful test lift of 160-tonne metallic span marks countdown to final stage of Barmouth viaduct restoration​

Region & Route: Wales & Western: Wales & Borders


Preparation is underway for the final stage of Network Rail’s multi-million-pound refurbishment of the iconic North Wales viaduct, with work on the metallic elements taking place from Saturday 2 September, for 13-weeks.

Buses will replace trains between Machynlleth and Pwllheli between Saturday 2 September and Friday 1 December as engineers begin the final stage of Barmouth Viaduct’s restoration, which will boost resilience and reliability for passengers on the beautiful Cambrian Coast railway line for generations to come.

The work will involve replacing and restoring the metallic elements of the Grade II listed structure on a like-for-like basis, maintaining the historic aesthetic of the 154-year-old railway bridge, whilst demonstrating innovative 21st century engineering.

This includes removing the two old metallic spans, which weigh 160-tonnes, each.

Due to the complexities and challenges of this task, a mock manoeuvre was recently carried out to streamline the process ahead of the real move, this Autumn.

The practice operation took place on a purpose-built mock railway track, just outside Barmouth, and involved a team of 15 engineers testing the cantilever and jack system, which will be used to lift the span onto the viaduct.

With one newly fabricated span weighing the same as an average adult blue whale, teams had to utilise more than 16 jacks - ranging from 20 to 100 tonnes capacity - as well as six rail trailers to carry out the technical move.

Now that the trial is complete, Network Rail and Alun Griffiths have begun preparing for the final move, where two metallic spans will be lifted onto the viaduct and transported via rail, to its new home, on the northern end of the bridge.

This unique and intricate process will be done over two days with the finer details being completed during 13-week closure.

When in position, the old span will be taken apart, piece by piece, onto a pontoon in the Mawddach Estuary.

In addition to replacing the metallic span, Network Rail will replace 130-metres of new track near the old Barmouth Toll House, on the northern edge of the viaduct and carry out further track upgrade work at Dovey Junction.

In order for this work to be safely carried out, the railway over the viaduct will be closed on the following dates:

• Saturday 2 September to Friday 24 November – This 13-week closure of the line has been confirmed. During this period, engineers will be working to refurbish the metal sections of the bridge.
• Saturday 25 November to Saturday 2/Sunday 3 December – Network Rail teams are planning to renew the tracks near to Barmouth Toll House, on the northern end of the viaduct, during this period.

Transport for Wales will operate a combination of bus replacements and train services along the Cambrian Coast line.

Passengers are advised to check before they travel at tfw.wales for more information.

The footpath over the viaduct will also be closed from Thursday 31 August to Friday 24 November.

This is so teams are able to have full access while they safely carry out the essential restoration.

The restoration of the Grade II* structure began back in 2020, with the work purposely split across several years to reduce the impact on rail services, the community and local economy.

The £30m investment has already seen teams replace the timber beams, as well as additional timber strengthening work.

Nick Millington, route director for Network Rail Wales & Borders, said: “We’re delighted to begin the final, and most visually exciting, stage of our multi-million-pound restoration of Barmouth Viaduct, with our focus now on restoring the metallic elements on a like-for-like basis.

“A huge part of this phase of work has been planning the replacement of the 160-tonne metal spans, a feat of engineering that has involved months of preparation to develop a unique delivery and installation system. We have also worked closely with our partners at Natural Resources Wales to ensure we’re doing everything we can to protect the delicate ecology of the Mawddach Estuary.

“As the railway and footpath across the viaduct will need to be closed for the duration of our work to ensure everyone’s safety, I would like to thank everyone for their patience as we carry out this vital work, which will protect this important and iconic rail link for years to come.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales, said: “This investment in one of the most iconic railway bridges in the world by our partners Network Rail will secure the future of the Cambrian coast line for decades to come.

“This vital improvement work to replace the metallic spans does mean train services will need to be replaced with road transport until early December, and customers should check journey times before they travel.”

WATCH:​

VIDEO: Successful test lift of 160-tonne metallic span marks countdown to final stage of Barmouth viaduct restoration​

To watch video click here: https://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/19v9rfzoib