Marcus' Model Railway Journey

20th September 2023


TRANSPORT FOR WALES

New Ebbw Vale services to begin in December​

Brand new rail services are set to be launched on one of South Wales’ key lines, almost doubling the number of travel options.


Thanks to a £70 million investment through the Welsh Government and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Transport for Wales and Network Rail will be delivering direct services between Ebbw Vale and Newport.

From December, the line will have two trains per hour – one to Cardiff and one to Newport.

That means the line will have more than 60 services running on it every single day.

TfW Project Sponsor Kevin Lewis said the project was an example of “true collaboration”.

He said: “These new services will be a huge boost for the local economy giving people more options for leisure, learning and business travel.

“If you want to travel towards Bristol, London or Manchester, you no longer have to double back on yourself to Cardiff, though those services are still there for those heading west.

“TfW, Network Rail and our partners in Blaenau Gwent Council, as well as Caerphilly Council have worked incredibly closely to ensure we’ve delivered genuine value for money from this Welsh Government investment. This really has been a truly collaborative effort.”

The project has also seen a fully accessible footbridge built at Llanhilleth and new platforms at Llanhilleth and Newbridge, meaning there is now step-free access to all platforms on the line.

To allow the services to run, a new 7-mile passing loop has been built between Crosskeys and Aberbeeg alongside new earthworks and drainage, constructed to accommodate the new track.

Alongside this work, The Department for Transport and Network Rail have provided a further £17m of funding to deliver the signalling upgrade at the south end of the line.

Network Rail with contractors AmcoGiffen and Siemens have been delivering the work on infrastructure for the past 18 months with the next set of work included below.

During this time work will be continuous (24/7) as buses replace trains.

• Sunday 24 September
• Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October
• Wednesday 15 November to Monday 4 December 2023

Nick Millington, Route Director at Network Rail Wales and Borders said: “I’m delighted that we are now entering the final phase of work which will transform how passengers travel on the Ebbw Vale line. “We are proud to provide low carbon journeys and support Welsh Government ambitions including its modal shift away from private cars. It will also help connect communities and boost the local economy. “I’d like to again thank passengers and our neighbours for continuing to bear with us as we complete these vital improvements.”

A return ticket from Ebbw Vale Town to Newport will cost you £8.30 or £29.10 for a seven-day season ticket (correct up to March 2024).

The Ebbw Vale line reopened in 2008 after being closed for 40 years and was instantly popular with passengers with direct services to and from Cardiff Central.

In 2014, a brand-new station at Pye Corner opened serving passengers at the southern end of the line and in 2015, approximately 1.5miles of new track was laid to extend the railway from Ebbw Vale Parkway to a brand-new station at Ebbw Vale Town.

Councillor John Morgan, Cabinet Member, Place and Regeneration and Economic Development at Blaenau Gwent Council commented: “I am pleased that the work to improve the rail service is nearing completion. Working with our partners in Welsh Government, Network Rail and Transport for Wales to enhance the Ebbw Valley rail link to improve transport links remains a high priority for the Council.

“I have no doubt that a more frequent service will improve opportunities for inward investment, access to employment both within and outside of the local area and enhance a critical transport artery that is seen as a main driver within the context of the wider Cardiff Capital Region City Deal offer and the development of the Metro.”

And Cllr Nigel George, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Property and Highways at Caerphilly Council said: “The improvements at Newbridge station and the wider works on the route between Ebbw Vale and Newport are a fantastic step forward to improving access for all to public transport.

“Not only will they improve access for disabled travellers, they should also encourage more people to travel by rail and improve the customer experience for families with pushchairs and those with luggage.

“I’d like to thank all stakeholders for all the hard work and Welsh Government for their investment that has gone into making these works a reality and I look forward to seeing the difference they make for people locally.”

As a result in the uplift in services, trains will be retimed so it is important for customers to check their journey details from 11 December onwards.

20th September 2023

Tyne and Wear Metro’s extensive tests of its new train fleet​

Nexus, the public body which owns and operates the Tyne and Wear Metro, has been explaining the volume and complexity of tests it is carrying out on its new fleet of trains.

Ninety thousand individual tests will check all aspects of the fleet, including seats, windscreen wipers, brakes, CCTV, doors, wheels and power supply.

The testing process will establish that the new trains can work safely and smoothly along the Metro's seventy-seven kilometres of track and through its sixty stations.

WATCH: VIDEO

New Metro fleet: Testing update​

The new Stadler Metro train has completed its first test run along the Sunderland line.

Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, said the test had been successful and was part of the ongoing and detailed preparations to get the new fleet ready for customer service.

The first test through Sunderland took place in the early hours of Saturday, 1 July.

It was the first time that the new train has been on the track between Pelaw and South Hylton, and the first time it has crossed the iconic Monkwearmouth railway bridge in the centre of the city.

The testing was carried in conjunction with Network Rail, who own and manage the line beyond Pelaw.

This the latest phase of the £362m new Metro fleet programme is currently taking place during the early hours of the morning when the Metro network is closed.

The Stadler Class 555 Metro trains are undergoing a period of testing and driver training before entering service for customers.

Two more new trains are set to be delivered late this month.

The new Metro fleet will offer a comfortable, new, air conditioned, open plan layout, sleekly modelled interior, transforming the customer experience, while setting new standards for accessibility.

Testing and training includes:

• nineteen thousand hours of training time
• training four hundred and eighty staff
• the first few trains completing 37,000 kilometres of running
• compliance with twenty-two thousand standards and clauses
• checking all on-board customer information systems
• checking emergency settings and fail-safe systems.
• scrutinising power consumption, ride quality and performance reliability.

The rigorous testing ensures that the new trains will interface correctly with signalling systems and other infrastructure.

Nexus reckons that this is the biggest project since the system was built in the late 1970s, and one of the most important.

Swiss train building company Stadler is working with Nexus on this testing and commissioning, which is the latest phase of the £362m programme to introduce the new fleet.

Tests are carried out during night time, when trains are not running in passenger service.

Nexus says that the testing involves the same level of detail that a big car manufacturer undertakes when bringing a new model to the market.

Testing began when the first three Stadler trains arrived in North East England in March this year.

The first test were of basic functionality, and took place within the depot.

Then the first trains began testing on the network in May.

The first five new trains will each need to run for ten thousand kilometres without developing faults before they can enter passenger service.

Key functionality testing includes:

• the driver's cab
• wheels
• passenger alarms
• doors, train horn, windscreen wipers, air conditioning
• radio systems
• information screens
• emergency evacuation
• ride comfort
• passenger emergency intercom
• infrastructure interface: platforms, signals and power supply
• automatic sliding step
• power consumption
• braking, including emergency braking
• couplers
• traction performance (reliability)
• lighting (interior and exterior)
• seats, hand rails and grab poles
• CCTV
• pantographs
• battery technology

Stadler is building a total of forty-six new Metro trains for Nexus, which will enter service in phases, with the aim to have them all in service in 2025.

Stadler has delivered three new trains so far, with more due to arrive later this year.

The Class 555 Stadler train has been designed specifically for the Tyne and Wear Metro, whose drivers will be trained at the controls of the new train.

Passengers were consulted about the design of the trains, and as a result, will include modern features such as linear seating, charging points and air conditioning.

Nexus promises that they “will deliver a step-change in accessibility”, including features such as an automatic sliding step at every door.

This will make travel easier for Metro's fifty thousand wheelchair passengers as well as for people travelling with children's buggies, luggage or bicycles.

Interim Managing Director at Nexus, Cathy Massarella, said: “Testing is really detailed and it's absolutely critical to get the new Stadler trains ready for customer service.

“We are leaving no stone unturned in what is probably the biggest and most important project since the Metro system was first built.

“Everything on the train needs to be tested and checked thoroughly and this is something that we are doing in conjunction with our colleagues at Stadler.

“There is great attention to detail. It's very much like the testing that a big car company undertakes when it's preparing to unveil a new model. The trains need to be put through their paces to ensure that they are ready for daily service.

“These trains are a world away from the current fleet. They have digital technology and much of the testing can be done by plugging a laptop computer into the trains' onboard computer system.

“Our customers won't see the new trains running around the network as the testing is currently being undertaken between midnight and the early hours when the network is closed. However, there will be testing in daylight hours later this year.

“Thousands of inspection criteria need to be met, and fault free running targets achieved before Nexus officially accepts the trains and we put the first one into service.

“All of the teams involved in testing are working tirelessly. It's a historic project for Metro to bring a new fleet of trains into service and we are making sure we get everything right.

“The Stadler trains are going to be transformative, and we are really excited to get them into service. They have been shaped by customers, employees, trade unions and specialist user groups. We believe this to have been the most far-reaching consultation yet staged into a new train design. Over 23,000 customer responses have helped to shape the design.”

Claudius Oblasser, Technical Project Manager at Stadler, said: “Testing and commissioning is a critical stage in the production of new trains. It sees thousands of safety and performance tests carried out to make sure they are ready for service and compatible with the infrastructure they will operate on. We use this period to iron out faults and stress-test the trains to enable them to perform well for decades to come.”

20th September 2023

Diesel locomotive preservation group reaches historic milestone.​

Last Saturday, 16 September, the Class 50 Alliance operated its 100th mainline rail tour when two of its locomotives, 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance operated a charter from Swindon to Edinburgh Waverley for Pathfinder Railtours.

Coincidentally, this was also the 50th rail tour that the Class 50 Alliance had run for Pathfinder Railtours which is celebrating its own 50th anniversary this year.

The Class 50 Alliance is the railway diesel preservation group in the UK to have run 100 rail tours.

Suitably named ‘The Pilgrim Centurion', the tour echoed the group's very first tour in November 1997 when 50031 Hood travelled from London to Plymouth via Birmingham with ‘The Pilgrim Hoover'.

Enthusiasts have nicknamed the class “Hoovers” in reference to the distinctive sound of their cooling fan which sounds like a Hoover vacuum cleaner.

Arriving at Edinburgh Waverley just after 13:00, the tour had travelled the 380 miles from Swindon without any problems.

The locomotives' performance was monitored by the group's experienced technical riders who always travel with the locomotives.

The Class 50 Alliance is completely run by volunteers and is based at Kidderminster on the Severn Valley Railway where they operate passenger services as well as their outings on the mainline network.

In 1989 a small group of dedicated enthusiasts realised that Class 50s were nearing the end of their operational life on British Rail, so formed The Fifty Fund to raise sufficient to purchase a locomotive for preservation.

Class 50s remained in operation with British Rail until 1994, after which any remaining locomotives were destined for the scrapheap and the cutter's torch.

However, in 1991 the Fund handed over a cheque for £16,500 to British Rail and took ownership of 50035 Ark Royal.

In 2006, the Fund merged with Project Defiance, another class 50 preservation group, to form The Class 50 Alliance, which is now responsible for operating the locomotives whilst the Fifty Fund concentrates on fundraising for the organisation.

The Alliance has been based at The Severn Valley Railway since 1992 and now owns six members of the class, including:

• 50007 Hercules
• 50031 Hood
• 50033 Glorious
• 50035 Ark Royal
• 50044 Exeter
• 50049 Defiance.

A spokesman for the Fifty Fund said “We are fortunate to be able to call the Severn Valley Railway our home depot, with access to state-of-the-art maintenance facilities. This has enabled us to maintain and improve our fleet throughout the years. In fact, the locomotives are said to be in better condition than when operating for British Rail.

“With a huge following all over the UK class 50s are a popular locomotive with enthusiasts, be it at diesel galas or rail tours as hundreds of people are always at stations or line-side to capture the moment on their cameras. We are lucky to have such long-term loyal supporters.

“Seeing the pure joy the locomotives bring to so many people is always heart warming to the group's hard-working volunteers past & present, whose dedicated driving force & expertise ensures the long-term preservation of these wonderful locomotives for future generations to enjoy, which is I'm sure if you like trains of course, is the best destination”

20th September 2023

Inside The Train Shed

The track team have crossed over the mainlines and starting work on the platform 2 loop.

Heading to the NW end.

The Rail Rovers have gone on ahead with some of the team.

Bob supervises...............

In case you don't recognise him, he's the guy bottom left, with his hand in his pocket.

Phil, with his hands permanently on his hips, supervises his team.

Working on the NW end.

21st September 2023

Inside The Train Shed

Two parcels have arrived for the ETHNON RAIL Project

I love the little gift from Derails!

I can remember sitting in the cab of one of these vehicles, my Grandad was a HGV driver and he would take me out with him on some of his shorter trips.

Leyland FG Flatbed BR c1974-1984

Leyland FG Flatbed BR c1974-1984

Leyland Terrier Flatbed BR c 1969-1979

Leyland Terrier Flatbed BR c 1969-1979