Marcus' Model Railway Journey

30th August 2023

Inside The Train Shed

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

31st August 2023


TRANSPORT FOR WALES

New TrawsCymru contracts awarded​

Transport for Wales is pleased to announce a number of TrawsCymru long-distance bus routes have now been retendered as the service continues to provide vital public transport links for many communities in Wales.


The contracts awarded are as follows:

T1C Cardiff > Aberystwyth – contract awarded to Mid Wales Travel with no immediate changes but from November there will be a new fare structure.

T2 Bangor > Aberystwyth – contract awarded to Lloyds Coaches with no immediate changes but adjustments to fares and timetable in November. This service will be integrated with the X28 Aberystwyth > Machynlleth to provide an hourly service throughout the day and connecting into the T1& T1C service in both northerly and southerly directions.

T3 Wrexham > Barmouth – contract also awarded to Lloyds Coaches, the main change on this route will involve the introduction of a T3C service connecting villages including Llanuwchllyn near Bala to Corwen where they can connect with the T3. This will make the T3 service more efficient and sustainable, improving journey times along the route. There will be adjustments to fares and timetables in November.

T6 Brecon > Swansea – contract awarded to Adventure Travel. This service has recently been deregistered and whilst the new registration process continues, we will be running this service free of charge during the initial weeks of the new contract in early September.

T10 Bangor > Corwen – contract awarded to K&P Coaches as mentioned above there are no immediate changes, but fares and timetables will be adjusted in November. In March 2024 we will be increasing the frequency of the service on Saturdays, Sundays and in School Holidays between Betws y Coed and Bangor, providing an hourly service linking into services in Bangor and Eryri/Snowdonia including Sherpa’r Wyddfa.

James Price, Chief Executive Officer at Transport for Wales, said: “We are pleased to see progress with awarding these contracts and are looking forward to upgrading the service standards in line with our T1 route.

“New EV buses are being procured for the whole TrawsCymru network, however there is a long lead time to delivery and we will therefore be replacing some of the older fleet with new Euro 6 diesel buses for the short term as we look to decarbonise the network and confirm charging depot locations.

“The TrawsCymru network is an exceptional bus service linking up communities in Wales and providing access to public transport for thousands of people. The recently reported increased patronage on the T1 service demonstrates how providing affordable fares, quality fleet and timetables that connect can have a huge impact on passengers.”

Euro 6 represents the level of the strictness of testing and legislation that was applied to a vehicle.

Whenever the emissions standard is reviewed and changed, the number increases - starting with Euro 1 in 1993, up to the current Euro 6 in 2015.

It’s likely that the next Euro 7 emissions standard will come into force in July 2025.

31st August 2023

Restored railcar back on track at the North Norfolk Railway​

A 1958 driving coach from a railcar, which last carried passengers in 1987, is set to get back on the tracks.

Number M56182 has been painstakingly restored by Paul and Chris Moxon, a father and son from Beeston Regis in Norfolk.

They have worked on the project for nine years and, on Saturday 9 September, passengers can relive the past and take a trip on the restored coach.

Visitors to Holt Station on the North Norfolk Railway (NNR) may see a short ceremony to relaunch M56182, which takes place at 11.00am before its departure on a private service to Sheringham, via Weybourne and Ketling Heath Park.

It is expected back at Holt at 12.45.

It is expected to run on various services during the day and, in the evening, will be allowed out for a rare event.

Extra trips will run from Sheringham at 18.50, 19.25 and 21.00 with the 18.50 running as a fish and chip special.

The Class 104 driving coach was originally constructed at the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, just one year after steam locomotive 76084 which is also scheduled to be in service on 9 September.

M56182 has been restored as closely as possible to its original condition.

Passengers can ride in salvaged seats of a similar style to those which would have been in place in 1958 in both first class and standard – or second class as it would have been at the time – saloons.

Woodwork in these areas has been varnished and vehicle frames have been overhauled.

Considerable attention has been lavished on the wheels and any rusty bodywork has been removed and replaced.

The whole unit has been repainted to the original green livery with which it would left the works and the front of the coach has the distinctive ‘whiskers' painted on, something considered very modern in the late 1950s.

Instruments on the driving desk have been repaired and wiring renewed thus ensuring that the coach, when connected to a similar driving car, will form a train which can be driven from either end, a considerable step forward for railway operations during British Railways' drive for modernisation in the 1950s.

A third train will be in action on 9 September.

This will comprise the company's unique set of LNER teak-bodied, articulated coaches which were built around a century ago, in the 1920s. In the late 1950s, these coaches would have ceased working the main lines and would be running services on provincial railways and hauled by a diesel locomotive, something which will also happen in September.

Co-owner and restorer, Chris Moxon, said: “We are looking forward to seeing M56182 in action and carrying passengers, having spent much of its life out of service and slowly decaying. We have taken great care to return her to original condition and although the wooden finish and comfortable seats look old-fashioned now, they were the height of modernity in the 1950s!”

Graham Hukins, the NNR's Commercial Manager, added: “That the coach is returning to service in pristine condition aged 65 – a figure normally associated with retirement – is a tribute to the dedication of Chris and the team. We are looking forward to having a Class 104 at Sheringham. The type ran Norwich-Cromer-Sheringham services in the late 1970s so it's very appropriate the M56182 has been saved for use on the NNR.”

For full details and advance booking, visit www.nnrailway.co.uk.

31st August 2023

Tyseley Locomotive Works is looking for engineering staff​

Tyseley Locomotive Works is currently recruiting staff for various engineering grades to help satisfy the demand for its skills.

The extra staff are required as the works has a full order book until 2025 and is receiving many requests for engineering work that the works currently does not have the capacity to handle.

Earlier this year, Tyseley Locomotive Works and Vintage Trains between them were able to recruit ten staff thanks to an award from a European Regional Development Grant for expanding its facilities, but more staff are still required.

As steam locomotives are not getting any younger, and are increasingly in need of more extensive repairs, and the continuing interest in building new locomotives, the works experiencing an increasing demand for its engineering services.

In addition to its existing orders, the works currently has enquiries for over £3 million of new work, Its expertise is exemplified by express steam locomotives and diesel engines operating on the main line at speeds up to 75mph.

To enable the works to grow it is looking for:

• fitter/machinists
• welder/fabricators
• boiler makers

A market salary will be offered, and potential applicants must be able to demonstrate they have previous experience in at least one of these skills and have a proven track record in delivering excellent service in an engineering workshop.

For safety reasons, applicants must be proficient in the English language and be prepared to relocate so that they are within reasonable daily travelling distance to the workshops in Tyseley, Birmingham, B11 2HL

Anyone interested in applying for these jobs should email developments@vintagetrains.co.uk with their cv.

Also based at Tyseley Locomotive Works is the Vintage Trains Charitable Trust, which was a world pioneer in establishing both heritage railways and mainline operations.

The works' heritage engineering workshop aims to preserve the skills of the steam age and train young people in manufacturing whilst delivering first-class services nationwide.

In 2017, Vintage Trains established a Community Benefit Society to establish and develop its own train operating company that is licensed to operate express steam trains nationwide.

Among its current range of tours are:

The Shakespeare Express running through Shakespeare's County between Birmingham and Stratford-on-Avon.

• The Polar Express Train Ride from Birmingham at Christmas
• Diesel Explorers to popular tourist destinations and seaside towns
• Express Steam Trains running at up to 75 mph on the main line
• Private special trains that are tailored to specific requirements.

31st August 2023

130-year-old locomotive arrives at Swanage Railway after restoration​

Adams T3 Class 4-4-0 steam locomotive No. 563 which is being restored has arrived at its new home on the Swanage Railway for commissioning and testing work before entering operational service.

Restoration started in November 2017, and so far has cost £650,000, with work has being carried out at both the Flour Mill workshop in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, and at the Swanage Railway's Herston engineering works.

It is hoped that No. 563 will haul its first passenger train in 75 years on the Swanage Railway to mark the centenary of the Southern Railway and the 185th anniversary of the formation of the London and South Western Railway in 2023, but no date has yet been confirmed.

Resplendent in lined-out 1890s Drummond passenger green livery, 563 was transported by road to Swanage Railway's Norden station.

After being attached to its restored tender, yesterday evening, Wednesday, 30 August, it was hauled by rail to Swanage so that footplate crews can be trained to drive and fire it.

To reach this point has taken six years and £650,000.

After avoiding being cut up for scrap, in 1958 No.563 took part in centenary celebrations for London's Waterloo station.

The locomotive was designed by William Adams and built in 1893.

It was one of the finest express passenger train locomotives of the Victorian era.

In 2017 the National Railway Museum it was donated to the Swanage Railway Trust.

Anyone wishing to find out more about 563's overhaul and its history, or make a donation, should go to 563locomotivegroup.co.uk.

563 Locomotive Group chairman Nathan Au said: “The completion of the ambitious T3 restoration project has been a culmination of hard work and determination over the last six years and we want to thank the individuals and parties that have been involved with the overhaul for their hard graft and efforts that has helped us finish this fairy tale story.

“We are immensely grateful to our generous supporters for their donations, contributions and faith in the T3 project that have made this achievement possible as well as providing a source of encouragement along what has been a challenging and ambitious journey.

“It has been wonderful to engage with so many like-minded people and build a community around the locomotive so we can't wait to show them the results.

“The next step will be for our engineering team to start the important process of commissioning and testing the T3 before we start training the footplate crews that will operate No. 563,” added Nathan who is a volunteer driver on the Swanage Railway.

Swanage Railway Trust chairman Gavin Johns said: “The Trust was honoured when the National Railway Museum donated the T3 to the Swanage Railway in 2017 and now, thanks to a lot of hard work by a dedicated group of members – supported by our generous donors – we will be able to enjoy the sight of a T3 hauling passenger trains through the Isle of Purbeck for the first time since the 1920s and 1930s.

“The triumph of the T3 restoration project is wonderful British railway enthusiasm at its very best – actively recreating history which is especially timely as we start to plan to celebrate 200 years of our nation's railway history in 2025,” added Mr Johns who is also a volunteer Swanage Railway signalman.

563 Locomotive Group treasurer Steve Doughty said: “The 563 Locomotive Group will continue to raise funds to ensure the T3 remains in tip-top condition and is looked after in the long term.

“We are already looking at ways of making the locomotive more sustainable by, for example, investigating methods of protection against corrosion on the inside of tender water tank which will reduce future maintenance costs.

“Other initiatives will also include ways to provide education and historical context to the T3 so we will keep asking for vital donations to help make this possible. No. 563 is a splendid direct link to the Swanage Railway's Victorian past – back to the early days of the London and South Western Railway in the 1880s and 1890s,” added Steve.

31st August 2023

New Items Arrive for ETHNON RAIL

Three parcels have arrived...........

31st August 2023

Inside The Train Shed

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

1st September 2023

Inside The Train Shed

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

1st September 2023

Looks like I'll be visiting a Model Railway Show that's pretty close to me!

List of Traders Attending :
- Hereford Model Centre
- Clive Reid
- Avon Valley Railway
- Dean Forest Railway
- Abm Designs and Supplies
More to Come!

List of Layouts Attending :
- Kleine Albula (HOm)
- Webley (OO)
- Quay Town (On30)
- Knotts Landing (Ho)
- Elin Bach (OO9)
- Snake Bend (N)
- Leigh Valley Light Railway (Sm32)
- Tony's Forest (7mm NG)
- Hyde Road (OO)
- Frampton (P4)
- Marshleigh (OO)
- Brimscombe (N)
- Nashs Funfair (1:76)
More to Come!

2nd September 2023

Alstom opens first train bogie centre in Kazakhstan​

Alstom has opened its first bogie centre in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan.

The eight-thousand-square-metre centre will produce and maintain bogies – the frameworks that carry wheelsets – for all types of railway vehicles throughout their lifecycle.

Alstom has spent over fifteen million euros on constructing the facility, which has created more than one hundred jobs locally.

It has the capacity to produce 200 bogies and overhaul 300 bogies per year.

Alstom boasts that it has optimised the value of its products by applying measures such as:

• extended component lifetimes
• efficient maintenance plans, and
• advanced condition-based maintenance features which will maximise availability.

The company also claims that its bogies are highly reliable, 98% recyclable, and are designed to withstand different environmental and climatic conditions.

As well as manufacturing bogies, the centre will service them, maintaining the condition of bogies and their components.

It will carry out repairs and overhauls, lifecycle and technical solutions management, including overhauling bogie sub-components.

This will include repairing wheelsets and dampers, 3D measuring, non-destructive inspection, and testing of wheelsets and motors, with all maintenance activities supported by digital manufacturing processes.

The centre can also maintain non-Alstom railway components.

Alstom's Flexx bogies range includes products suitable for all rail formats, from light rail to high-speed trains.

Its Flexx Consult services have studied the wheel-rail interface, in order to improve performance and reduce life cycle cost.

Alstom has been operating in Kazakhstan since 2010 and employs over a thousand workers at eleven sites in six cities:

• two production plants: Electric Locomotive Assembly Plant (EKZ) in Astana and JV KazElectroPrivod (KEP) in Almaty which produces point machines
• four service depots to maintain locomotives in Astana, Almaty, Arys and Shu
• two troubleshooting areas located in Tobol and Ekibastuz
• repair centre, bogie centre and corporate office in Astana.

KTZ, Kazakhstan's national railway company, is the largest employer in the country, with around one hundred and twenty thousand workers.

Kanat Alpysbayev, Alstom's Managing Director in Western and Central Asia, said, “Our bogie centre plays a crucial role in providing full maintenance for Alstom freight and passenger locomotives over a 25-year period.

“This state-of-the-art facility has been established as a result of Alstom's industrialisation development in Kazakhstan. Our bogie centre plays a crucial role in providing full maintenance for Alstom freight and passenger locomotives over a 25-year period. With full range of innovative equipment and services, we are happy to support Kazakhstan's mobility as a trusted partner.”

2nd September 2023

Austria’s ÖBB to buy up to 540 trains from Siemens Mobility​

Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has signed a framework agreement with Siemens Mobility worth more than five billion euros to deliver up to 540 single-deck electric multiple-unit trains.

ÖBB expects the new trains to enter service in 2028.

The trains are from the manufacturer's Mireo platform, a modular system whose low energy consumption and lightweight, aluminium construction makes it environmentally-friendly.

Interior of Mireo train in Germany

Mireo is designed as a successor to the ‘Mainline' variant of Siemens's Desiro EMUs and can form trainsets between two and seven cars long.

The railcars can reach a top speed of up to 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph).

Launched at the 2016 InnoTrans trade fair, the first Mireo units were ordered in February 2017 by Germany's DB Regio, which bought twenty-four three-car trainsets with a passenger capacity of 220.

More Mireo trains will enter service in Germany next year.

Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility: “Siemens Mobility and ÖBB have long enjoyed a strong and trusting partnership. We are proud to be delivering a further development of the Mireo platform to ÖBB for the company's new fleets. With numerous innovations, low energy consumption, and a high level of passenger comfort and convenience, the new Mireo trains will help make ÖBB's local and regional transport even more attractive.”

2nd September 2023


TANGENT MAN STRIKES AGAIN!
Just when you thought it was safe to be informed only on railway topics!

Back in the garden, watching the Butterflies and the Spiders!

There are a lot of spiders in the garden this year.

I don't mind them that much.

I do hate it when they take Butterflies, Bees and Hoverflies.

What I hate most of all is when I walk into the webs with my head. Aaargh!

Garden spider​

Scientific name: Araneus diadematus

I got this close up today.....

About​

Garden spiders are the most common orb web spider in the UK often found in gardens, giving them their name! They are greyish-brown with a white cross on their back and spin their famous spiral webs! They sit in the middle of the web waiting to feel the vibrations of a struggling insect in the sticky threads of its web. They then rush out and wrap their prey tightly in silk to stop them from moving – finishing the job with a venomous bite! This may sound scary – but they are completely harmless to humans!

How to identify​

The Garden spider is one of the more easily recognised spiders. It is usually grey-brown or reddish-brown in colour, with a large white cross (made up of pale spots and streaks) on its abdomen. Females are twice the size of males.

This spider was very interested in me but every time I got close it fled its web and tried to hide in the Crab-apple Tree.

Well, we had a different butterfly visit our garden today.

The silly thing actually landed next to a spider web.

So I stood by and watched it in case it needed rescuing.

It's called a Speckled Wood.

The have visited my garden a few times over the years.

Speckled wood​

Scientific name: Pararge aegeria

Statistics​

Wingspan: 4.6-5.6cm

Conservation status​

Common.

When to see​

March to October

About​

A medium-sized butterfly, the speckled wood is on the wing in two or three broods between the end of March and October. It is a common and widespread butterfly of woodland edges and rides, where it flies in the dappled sunlight, and can also be seen in hedgerows and gardens. Adults feed on honeydew, while the caterpillars feed on a variety of grasses, including false broom and cock's-foot.

How to identify​

The speckled wood is dark brown with creamy yellow spots. The best way to identify the 'brown' butterflies is by looking at the eyespots on their wings. The speckled wood is the only brown butterfly with three small, cream-ringed eyespots on each hindwing and one on each forewing.

Distribution​

Found throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and increasingly in Scotland.