Marcus' Model Railway Journey

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18th September 2023

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TRANSPORT FOR WALES

Catch the bus with 50% off selected TrawsCymru tickets this September​

To celebrate Catch the Bus Month this September, Transport for Wales (TfW) is making sustainable bus travel easier by offering 50% off first-time TrawsCymru app purchases on selected TrawsCymru routes.

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Traws Cymru Nant y Ci Depot​

New users of the TrawsCymru app can receive half-price fares for selected tickets on the T1, T1C, T2, T3, T8 and T10 services.

Customers will need to enter the code CBM23 when purchasing their tickets to receive the offer.

The half-price tickets can be activated at any time within 12 months of purchase and used to travel to some great locations including Aberystwyth, Barmouth, Bangor, Betws-y-Coed, Cardiff, Chester and Wrexham.

Tickets will need to be purchased by 30 September but can be used at any time within 12 months of purchase.

We’re proud to be supporting Catch the Bus Month – a UK wide campaign led by Bus Users UK that helps promote the bus as a healthy, inclusive, and sustainable way to travel.

Contracts and Performance Manager for TrawsCymru, Mark Jacobs, said: “I’m pleased that we are able to offer a half-price discount on tickets for new customers using the TrawsCymru app, in support of Catch the Bus Month this September.

“TrawsCymru bus services play a vital role in connecting communities across Wales, while also being a cost-effective, sustainable, and accessible way to get about.

“Passenger numbers continue to rise across the TrawsCymru network, particularly on the T1 route, where we recently passed 100,000 passengers since we introduced a new fleet of electric buses in March.

“I hope that this offer will encourage more people in Wales to consider building bus into their future travel choices.”

Keep an eye on our social media channels to see what else we’re getting up to for Catch the Bus Month.

A full list of terms and conditions can be found below:
  • This code will be valid from 00:01 12th Sep to 23:59 30th Sep 2023.
  • Valid on first time app purchases only.
  • This code is one-time use per customer only.
  • The code CBM23 is valid only on the following ticket purchases:
  • T1: Adult, child and under 21 - 10 trip, day and week tickets
  • T1C: Adult, child and under 21 - day tickets
  • T2: Adult, child and under 21 – 10 trip and day tickets
  • T3: Adult, child and under 21 - 10 trip, single and day tickets
  • T8: Adult and child - day and week tickets
  • T10: Adult, child and under 21 - 10 trip, day and week tickets
  • Your ticket can be activated anytime within 12 months of purchase.
  • Please note, when activated, tickets will have a limited validity.
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18th September 2023

A ‘paws’ for thought as West Yorkshire station cat gives birthday gifts to charity​

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Birthday boy Bolt with his cards and gifts​

More a Bolt from the black than from the blue, ‘Bolty boy' generously donated his fifth birthday presents to local charities.

Bolt, who is Junior Pest Controller at Huddersfield, became an apprentice to Senior Pest Controller Felix, when he joined the TransPennine Express (TPE) team at the station.

Felix was already an internet sensation and, together, the two felines have 186,000 followers on Facebook, they have an annual fund-raising calendar and they have published two top-selling books.

Bolt received thousands of online birthday wishes and cards which arrived through the post from as far afield as Canada.

As a result of Bolt's generosity, TPE will be making £100 donations to the following charities:
  • The Motor Neurone Disease Association, which focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by motor neurone disease in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • The Welcome Centre, a Huddersfield food bank.
  • Men's Shed, a community group based next to Huddersfield Railway Station, which supports men of all ages who may have experienced life changing events such as redundancy, retirement or bereavement, or be in recovery from addictions or mental or physical health problems.
  • Huddersfield Women's Aid, a Kirklees charity supporting women and children fleeing domestic abuse, honour-based violence and forced marriage, into safe accommodation
  • Forget Me Not, a children's hospice that supports children with life-shortening conditions, their families and families living with the loss of their child across West Yorkshire.
Angela Hunte, Huddersfield Station Manager, said: “Felix and Bolt are well loved and the pair often attract visitors from around the world. We try to deter their fans from sending any money to the station and request that if people wish to send a gift, they instead make a charity donation on the furry duo's behalf.
 
Felix's online fame is ever increasing and she has more visitors to greet every day, but there is only so much attention that one cat can handle and isn't long before Felix's colleagues recruit Bolt: a fluffy, springy kitten-apprentice to help shoulder the burden.

But will the two of them get on?

And will the diva of Huddersfield station make room for the new kid on the block?

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18th September 2023

Steam locomotive 5619 returns to steam after 13 months out of service​

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5619​

The Telford Steam Railway has announced that the ex-Great Western Railway near-100-year-old 0-6-2T steam locomotive No. 5619 returned to steam on Thursday, 31 August.

The return to steam came after passing a hydraulic test and steam test following recent repairs to its boiler backhead washout plugs.

Before then it had been out of traffic since August 2022 when it was on hire to the Llangollen Railway.

5619 has now returned to traffic in time to finish Telford Steam Railway's 2023 season.

The timing of 5619's return to traffic is very timely, as it will now be available to work the railway's 2023 Polar Express trains, avoiding the need to hire a replacement locomotive.
 
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5619 on a passenger train​

Before 5619 returned to Telford from the Llangollen Railway, an unsubstantiated report was received that the tyres on 5619 had worn excessively and were in scrap condition.

The Telford Steam Railway arranged for 5619 to be inspected by an external assessor, who reported that the tyres are serviceable.

The Great Western Railway built 200 5600 Class locomotives between 1924 and 1928, and were introduced to replace the host of 0-6-2 tank locomotives that the Great Western Railway inherited from nine other Welsh railway companies at the Grouping in 1923.
 
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A sunny day out for 5619​

Numbered 5600-5699 and 6600-6699, most of the 5600 series were allocated to depots in South Wales, where they proved ideal for hauling coal trains from the South Wales valleys to the ports on the Bristol Channel coast.

Like many of its classmates, 5619 spent all its working life in South Wales, and from 1950 to its withdrawal in June 1964 it was allocated to Barry.

The next scheduled operating days for 5619 are Sunday, 24 September and Sunday, 1 October.
 
18th September 2023

Inside The Train Shed

I ordered some more small track sections, a small point and a tracksetta to help keep the track straight.

ProductModelQuantity
SL-91 Peco OO Gauge Code 100 Streamline Short Radius Right Hand Insulfrog Point or Turnout (SL91 SL 91)SL-911
ST-203 Peco OO gauge SETRACK special short straight (ST203)ST-2032
OOT10 Metal Tracksetta 10 inch straightOOT101
 
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So the track roads are not parallel...........:umm:

The standard tool to achieve this is the good old Peco SL-36 6ft Way Gauge.

I used this for the mainlines and even though it's just a flimsy piece of plastic the results were pretty good for keeping the tracks parallel at a scale 6ft.

Unfortunately the loop is further than 6ft from the mainline, which is prototypical of the GWR design that I am basing the station on.

There are tools available but I think they are a bit pricey.

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I have an idea................

Peco SL-36 6ft Way Gauge
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The mainlines are secured straight and rigid, so that's a solid datum to use.

Placing the square against the outside of the lower rail of the loop track and using the Tracksetta to keep the track straight.

The loop track can be manoeuvred into it's parallel position then held and secured. :)

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So with the square against the outside of the lower rail of the loop track and the blade of the square touched, flush, the lower rail of the Mainline.

The square is locked into position, using the thumb screw, this maintains the constant gap between the rail and can then be used as the other datum for keeping the track parallel.

The result is fantastic, just as good as using the Peco gauge. :yaay:

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19th September 2023

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TRANSPORT FOR WALES

Fijians in Wales for Rugby and Recruitment Event​

With Rugby World Cup fever taking hold of the globe, Transport for Wales is pleased to welcome some of the Fijian community to Cardiff this Thursday for a rugby and recruitment event.

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Metro works Pontypridd - Porth May 23​

Transport for Wales is in the process of building the South Wales Metro and has brought together businesses from their supply chain to offer potential employment opportunities for the Armed Forces Community.

Any military veterans, soon to be service leavers, reservists, cadet force adult volunteers or valued spouses are encouraged to attend the event if they are seeking employment or to learn more about what employment opportunities may be on offer.

The event will take place at Cardiff Arms Park on Thursday 21st September 2023 starting at 13.00 hours.

With skill gaps across many sectors, 40 businesses will attend the recruitment event which will be followed by a rugby match between the Army Fijian Rugby Team and the Welsh Emergency Services Rugby Team.

Karl Gilmore, TfW Rail Infrastructure Director said: “At TfW, we’ve recently been awarded the Gold Armed Forces Covenant Award and we’re holding this event so that veterans within this region can seek out employment opportunities or learn about what roles may be available.

“There are large scale infrastructure projects taking place throughout the rail industry in Wales and there are many opportunities and skills gaps within our supply chain. We encourage all those who are part of the Armed Forces Community to attend this event as your skills may well be needed.

“As part of the event, we’re also proud to be welcoming some of the Fijian community to Wales and a rugby match will take place later in the afternoon.”

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19th September 2023

New Cardiff – Scotland train service announced as part of new CrossCountry contract​

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CrossCountry train at Manchester Piccadilly​

The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded a new contract to long-distance train operator CrossCountry, which is part of the Arriva Group, to continue operating passenger services throughout Great Britain.

Under the new contract which commences on Sunday, 15 October 2023, CrossCountry will continue operating its long-distance and inter-regional services throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

These services provide business and leisure customers connections to cities and towns across Great Britain.
 
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CrossCountry Voyager at Leeds Railway Station​

As well as providing customers with the confidence to maintain a stable and sustainable service, a range of benefits are included in the new contract to improve customers' travelling experience and benefit the communities the company's trains serve.

Having secured the new contract, CrossCountry will now be able to introduce a range of customer improvements, which will include a full refurbishment of the complete Voyager and Turbostar fleets for their first major refurbishment in 20 years.

These will include installing CCTV, new carpets and LED lighting which will tackle some customers' long-standing complaints, and equipment to automatically count the number of passengers on board the trains.
 
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CrossCountry Voyager No. 220032 at Oxford Station on a Southampton-Newcastle service​

Building on the changes made to the timetables in May this year, further enhancements will include a new direct service daily between Cardiff and Edinburgh to strengthen connections across Great Britain.
 
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CrossCountry Class 170​

Welcoming the DfT announcement, CrossCountry's Managing Director, Tom Joyner, said, “This is great news for our customers and stakeholders and recognises the importance of our continuing to deliver long-distance business and leisure services across England, Scotland and Wales.

“Our trains connect towns and cities, people and communities across Great Britain, playing an essential role in people's lives. We look forward to working closely with stakeholders to further improve the customer experience in the years to come.”
 
19th September 2023

Long term contract awarded to Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry​

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Avanti West Coast has been awarded a long term contract by the Department for Transport today after reducing their cancellations to as low as 1.1% in the past year.

The new contract will allow Avanti West Coast to prepare new timetables, introduce their new Hitachi train fleet and continue to improve services for passengers.

The long term contract comes after the DfT gave Avanti two short term six-month contracts and ordered them to develop a recovery plan aimed at addressing poor performance.

Avanti's recovery plan saw train services increase from 180 trains a day to 264 during the week, which is the highest level in two years.

Cancellations have reduced for the long distance operator, with the number being below 3% since March 2023, and as low as 1.1% in July 2023.

This has reduced from 13% in January 2023.

100 new drivers have been trained since April 2022 and improvements have been made for passenger experience through the Pendolino fleet revamp.

The new contract will start on the 15th October 2023 and will have a minimum length of three years, and a maximum term of nine years.

After three years, the Department for Transport can terminate the contract with three months notice if performance is not adequate.

Meanwhile, another long distance operator, CrossCountry, has been given a new National Rail contract, with a term of four years, and a maximum of eight years.

The contact also starts on the 15th October and hopes to improve services, such as the replacement of the HST fleet with more modern equivalents, refurbishment of the Voyager / Turbostar fleets and the introduction of a new Cardiff – Yorkshire – North East – Edinburgh service from December 2024

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “The routes Avanti West Coast operate provide vital connections, and passengers must feel confident that they can rely on the services to get them where they need to be at the right time.

“Over the past year, short-term contracts were necessary to rebuild the timetable and reduce cancellations. Now Avanti are back on track, providing long-term certainty for both the operator and passengers will best ensure that improvements continue.”
 
19th September 2023

Berlin’s new S-Bahn fleet is now fully in service​

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Ceremonial delivery of last train of the new 483/484 series to enter service​

Today (Tuesday 19 September), all 106 trains in the new Berlin S-Bahn fleet are in service for the first time.

The trains are equipped with air conditioning, passenger information systems and security cameras, facilities which manufacturer Siemens claim “offer passengers a new level of comfort and convenience”.

The new fleet increases the capacity of parts of Berlin's S-Bahn network.

The trains have more cars than those they replaced, and between them have around eighteen thousand seats.

The longer trains operate on the Ring lines S41/S42 as well as the S8 line, and the S8 line now runs to Wildau during peak hours.
 
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The new trains have been steadily brought into service since the start of 2021..

The delivery of the final train was marked with a ceremony attended by politicians, business representatives, and officials from the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB) and the Berlin S-Bahn.

The ceremony took place at Charlottenburg S-Bahn station.

Berlin and Brandenburg states have financed the purchase of the trains, which were built by a consortium of Stadler and Siemens.

The 483/484 series trains are part of the transport contract for the Ring subnetwork.

At the same time, S-Bahn Berlin is continuing to implement its “BR 481 longevity program”.

More than three hundred of the five hundred trains in the 481 series (built between 1996 and 2004) have already been rebuilt.

The Berlin S-Bahn carries around 1.4 million every day, on sixteen lines in the capital and the state of Brandenburg.

The name ‘S-Bahn' is an abbreviation of the German word Stadtschnellbahn (‘city rapid railway') and came into use in December 1930 in Berlin.
 
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Manja Schreiner, Berlin Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection, and the Environment, said, “Completion of the new fleet of trains on the Ring line marks a significant step forward for the S-Bahn service and the entire Berlin public transport system. This progress can be directly experienced by passengers every day: the longer trains offer more seats; air conditioning and the state-of-the-art passenger information system enhance comfort and convenience. The expanded and improved service can make switching to rail an interesting option for many. We will continue to pursue this course of offering attractive services to win over more and more people.”

Guido Beermann, Minister for Infrastructure and State Planning of the State of Brandenburg, added, “The S-Bahn is a vital link between Brandenburg and Berlin, especially for the many commuters. I am therefore delighted that the new fleet of trains is now complete. By providing significantly more space on board and many technical innovations, we are making climate-friendly public transport even more attractive. This is how the transport transition works.”
 
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Jure Mikolčić, CEO Stadler Germany / S-Bahn CEO Peter Buchner / Manja Schreiner, Berlin Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection, and the Environment / Guido Beermann, Minister for Infrastructure and State Planning of the State of Brandenburg / Ute Bonde, Managing Director of Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg / Elmar Zeiler, Head of Commuter and Regional Trains, Siemens Mobility​

S-Bahn CEO Peter Buchner, said, “We have received very positive responses to the new air-conditioned, quiet and comfortable trains – from our passengers as well as our employees. The new trains have already covered around 17 million kilometers in service.”

Ute Bonde, Managing Director of Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg, said, “We are especially pleased that the new trains have been delivered on time despite the difficult conditions and are now all in service. For passengers, this means benefiting from more space and greater comfort and convenience on the Ring line and on the S46, S47, and S8 lines. Looking to the tasks ahead, we welcome the fact that S-Bahn Berlin GmbH is strongly committed to continuing its longevity program for the older 481 series trains. It is important to keep this main part of the S-Bahn fleet fully upgraded for operations until it is replaced by further new trains.”

Jure Mikolčić, CEO Stadler Germany, commented, “Our employees worked on the project in various phases for nearly ten years. The collaboration with our consortium partner Siemens and S-Bahn Berlin was very good throughout the entire project. We are especially proud that we were able to manufacture the new S-Bahn trains for Berlin at our location here in Berlin.”

Elmar Zeiler, Head of Commuter and Regional Trains, Siemens Mobility, added, “As a company with Berlin roots, we are particularly proud to be contributing to a sustainable improvement in passenger experience and comfort on the Berlin S-Bahn. The trains of the new 483/484 series not only stand out with their reliability, greater seating capacity and air conditioning, but also with their modern, energy-efficient drive technology.”
 
19th September 2023

Northern encourages people to try rail travel for World Car Free Day this Friday!​

Rail travel is the top transport option for those taking part in World Car Free Day in the UK on Friday the 22nd of September​

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Northern class 150 train​

World Car Free Day is a global event which aims to encourage people to leave their cars at home and give other transportation options a try.

The event is taking place in the UK this Friday, the 22nd of September.

Rail operator Northern is eager to encourage road users to give rail travel a go, especially for those making journeys in the North of England.

Rail travel offers an environmentally friendly swap for the car with electric trains offering a top choice.

Northern currently has a fleet of more than 100 electric trains, which were introduced back in 2019 with an investment of over £500 million to support its aims of achieving net zero in the future.

Rail services also run using Hybrid (diesel/battery) trains and Diesel trains, which have also been recognised as one of the top five forms of alternative transport to cars, so all of Northern's fleet, some 345 trains, will offer a better choice for passengers regarding climate change during World Car Free Day
 
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Northern Train​

A study which took place across the North of England reported approximately 81% of participants were interested in making changes to how they live and work in order to reduce the effects of climate change across the world.

CO2e Emissions for those travelling with Northern can be checked on the rail operators ‘Savings Calculator' by clicking here.

The special calculator uses Government conversion factors and environmental data from Northern's fleet of trains, which are corroborated annually using external auditing.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer for Northern, said:

“World Car Free Day is an important initiative to encourage all of us to re-think the way we travel.”

“We welcome around 95 million customers on-board our trains every year – the CO₂e emission saving of which is extremely significant.”

“Getting to work, whatever your work patterns are, is an area where we can make the biggest impact. Commuters already represent the biggest proportion of our customers – but there's always more we can do to help convince others to join them and choose rail to travel to their place of work.”

“We're investing in more cycle storage facilities, introducing convenience features such as InPost lockers and delivering an ongoing programme of station improvements to waiting rooms, accessible toilets and vending machines to improve the customer experience.”
 
19th September 2023

Inside The Train Shed

I've ordered some more items for the ETHNON RAIL Project

ProductModelQuantity
SL-97 Peco OO Gauge Code 100 Streamline Y Small Radius Insulfrog Point or Turnout (SL97)SL-971
SS16 Wills OO gauge Weighbridge & Hut kitSS161
AD62 (AD-62)(AD 62) Deluxe Materials Roket Plastic Kit Glue (50ml) - For Ratio, Wills, Peco and other plastic kitsAD621
FB003 Platform Footbridge Four Track Span OO Gauge Model Laser Cut KitFB0031
Base Toy Models - Scale 1:76 - Ideal for OO Gauge Layouts - Boxed DA80 - Leyland Terrier Flatbed BR c 1969-1979DA801
Base Toy Models - Scale 1:76 - Ideal for OO Gauge Layouts - Boxed DA45 - Leyland FG Flatbed BR c1974-1984DA451
Base Toy Models - Scale 1:76 - Ideal for OO Gauge Layouts - Boxed DA54 - Leyland Beaver Flatbed & Trailer BR 1963-70DA541
 
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