Marcus' Model Railway Journey

Bluebell is asking for donations to fund the overhaul, declaring that THE Q NEEDS YOU!

The Maunsell Locomotive Society has agreed to try to raise forty thousand pounds towards the cost of overhauling the tender and providing a new tender tank.

The Bluebell Railway sees the Q Class, which was Richard Maunsell's last locomotive design, as an ideal sized and economical loco for its operations.

It suits the Railway's ‘Southern' image, and actually operated in the vicinity.

You can donate towards the appeal online, by clicking the DONATE button on the Bluebell website and following payment instructions: select Q Class 541 Overhaul in the drop-down box'

The appeal has already raised over £26,000 in place towards the £40,000 target, and the Bluebell Railway has offered a very warm ‘thank you' to all who have contributed so far.

14th November 2023

New Items for ETHNON RAIL

A package has arrived...........
Due to a stocktake at Hattons, my trunk items, which were held in storage, have now been sent to me.

So, what's inside?

Wonderful things!

I love these two vehicles.......

I used to drive these types when I served in the RAF

I remember driving this particular Land Rover type on the airfield, no power steering, driving it was a good workout for arm muscles.

15th November 2023

USA’s largest freight railroad upgrades Memphis terminal operations​

BNSF Railway, the largest freight railroad in the USA, has deployed a Tideworks Technology® Inc. (Tideworks) Intermodal Pro® intermodal TOS and Traffic Control™ equipment at its Memphis facility in Tennessee to centralise its terminal operations to optimise real-time planning, improve terminal and equipment productivity, and boost performance.

Memphis is the BNSF's second deployment of Tideworks' intermodal TOS, previously implemented it at the Logistics Park Chicago facility in February last year.

The Tideworks' solutions provide a platform that can enhance both business processes and modernise and integrate with the new technologies

As part of the installation, Tideworks supported BNSF's yard configuration model which had a need to adapt quickly to ever-evolving volume surges.

It also helped BNSF's efforts to boost its systems stability, optimise workflows, allow for semi-automated wide-span crane operations and the increased use of zero-emissions electric cranes to reduce emissions.

In both Memphis and Chicago, Tideworks carried out the all associated implementation services, including project management, software customisation, configuration and installation, integration services, user training and go-live assistance.

Tideworks will also provide ongoing maintenance and support including 24/7 technical support and software upgrades.

Scott Hernandez, Assistant Vice President of Intermodal Strategy and Innovation at BNSF Railway, said “BNSF Railway plays a crucial role in North America's supply chain, and it's essential for us to stay ahead of evolving demands by choosing technology providers and partners that elevate our rail operations.

“Our ongoing collaboration with Tideworks establishes a solid foundation for optimizing our intermodal operations at our wide-span facilities, enabling increased efficiency, an improved experience for our trucking partners and continuing to provide industry-leading service for our customers.”

Thomas Rucker, president of Tideworks Technology, said “We're proud to provide BNSF with intermodal terminal operating solutions that will strengthen its position as a leading railroad.

“The implementation at LPC and now Memphis furthers BNSF's modernization objectives and reinforces Tideworks as a trusted provider to Class I railroads. We look forward to continuing to support BNSF and its customers.”

BNSF Railway operates freight trains across approximately 32,500 route miles in 28 USA states and three Canadian provinces.

Its trains carry a wide range of consumer goods, grain and agricultural products, low-sulphur coal, and industrial goods such as petroleum, chemicals, housing materials, food and beverages.

Every day these shipments help feed, clothe, supply, and power American homes and businesses.

As a railroad, BNSF is one of the industry's most technologically advanced and efficient, and works continuously to improve the value of the safety, service, energy, and environmental benefits that it provides to the customers and communities it serves.

Further information about BNSF can be found at www.BNSF.com.

As well as its partnership with BNSF, Tideworks Technology provides comprehensive terminal operating system solutions for marine and intermodal terminal operations at over 120 facilities worldwide.

Further information about Tideworks Technology, can be found at www.tideworks.com.

15th November 2023

Hitachi Rail wins €861m order from Italy for 30 high speed trains​

Hitachi Rail has secured a contract with Trenitalia to the supply 30 new ETR1000 high-speed trains, with the option for an additional ten trains.

The initial order value is €861 million with a further €287 million for the follow-on option.

The new fleet will be built at Hitachi's factories in Italy, in Naples and Pistoia, near Florence.

The first trains are scheduled to delivered in spring 2026 with successive deliveries following at eight to ten trains per year.

Trenitalia plans to use the new trains mainly in Italy, but they are suitable for use elsewhere in Europe, including high-speed lines in France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands.

ETR1000s have been operating in Spain for over a year, and on cross-border services between Paris and Milan since 2021.

Onboard technology makes the trains suitable for use on different types of national railway infrastructure and can be used for pan-Europe journeys as they can switch seamlessly between different power supplies and signalling systems and can operate on both on both AC and DC supplies.

They have been designed to meet each country's safety and operating requirements, and have in-cab signalling equipment that provides an interface with national railway systems.

Since 2010 Trenitalia, Ferrovie dello Stato Group has taken delivery of 58 ETR1000s with a further six on order, and with the latest order of 30 more the final total will be 94.

The trains will bear the iconic red Frecciarossa 1000 livery and in passenger service have a top speed of 350 km/h in operation.

With the use of light alloys for the vehicle's bodyshell the trains have an excellent weight/power ratio and impressive acceleration that allows line speed to be reached quickly, reducing journey times.

The ETR1000 trains are approximately 200 metres long, can accommodate 460 seated passengers, and have an onboard bistro area.

Whilst the new trains retain the main features of those already in operation, they will have an updated interior with excellent sound proofing, adjustable LED lighting, air conditioning, and easy access for people with reduced mobility.

Additional features include digital information systems, wi-fi ,and USB and power sockets.

Luca D'Aquila, COO Hitachi Rail Group and CEO Hitachi Rail Italy, said “The ETR1000s represent a real turning point in the travel habits of Italian passengers, and they are doing so also in Europe.”

“This new contract confirms our commitment, as a partner of Trenitalia and Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group, in offering safe, innovative, comfortable and green mobility solutions, further improving connections across Italy and from Italy to Europe. The new trains will have cutting-edge features and a renewed and even more functional design that we are sure will be appreciated by passengers and our customers.”

The trains, like the previous ETR1000s, will have the iconic red Frecciarossa 1000 livery and are planned to be used primarily for the Italian high speed network.

However, the trains are also able to run across Europe, including on high speed lines in France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Thanks to the onboard technology, the fleet is capable of travelling on different types of national railway infrastructure – switching seamlessly between the different power supplies and signalling system – in order to complete pan-Europe journeys.

15th November 2023

November 2023 update on progress with restoration of 46428​

The Bury Standard 4 Group has given an update on the restoration of ex-London Midland and Scottish Railway Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0 No. 46428 that began over four years ago.

Construction of a new cab is almost complete; most of it has been riveted together, and installation has been completed of the whistle lever mechanism, handrails, and new seat brackets.

The next tasks to be done are machining the new brake hanger brackets followed by the brake hanger bars.

New running boards have been delivered and are in position. Machining of a cab lever control is taking place and expansion link trunnions have been installed.

Fillets have been used to reinforce the two plates for the drag box, and that is now ready for further assembly.

The housing for the boiler feed water clacks has been cleaned and its fixing screw locations have been tapped out.

A preliminary boiler inspection is scheduled for the end of this month to provide the Group a more realistic state of the condition of the boiler.

In preparation for that inspection, certain specified areas of the both the inside and outside of the boiler are being sanded down to reveal there is any wear, damage, or cracks in the boiler structure.

As well as the refurbishment of 46428, work to refurbish the 24-ton mineral wagon is continuing, with recent work being to cut out the lower part of the door support bars replace them with new sections.

Once refurbishment is complete, it is planned that the wagon will take its place in the goods wagon trains run on the East Lancashire Railway.

To commemorate Remembrance day, the Bury Standard 4 Group mounted a tribute outside its workshop that included a suitable adornment for the 24-ton mineral wagon.

The Group is always pleased to see new members and will welcome anyone who visits its workshop in Bury on any Saturday or Sunday.

15th November 2023

Northern Ireland: flood damage causes cancellation of Downpatrick gala​

Northern Ireland's Downpatrick and County Down Railway (DCDR) has cancelled its diesel gala event planned for 6 January 2024.

Downpatrick town and the surrounding countryside has experienced unprecedented levels of flooding, causing significant damage to rolling stock, track and buildings.

The Railway has around three miles (4.8 km) of track, connecting Downpatrick town with the historical sites of Inch Abbey to the north and King Magnus' Grave to the south.

It also has a museum of railway artefacts and rolling stock from both sides of the Irish border, dating from the 1860s to the 1980s.

The floods, which attracted television and online news coverage, have left all DCDR's diesel locomotives and railcars submerged in water for some time.

Water may have entered axle boxes, traction motors and other crucial parts of the locomotives.

The Railway expects that it will take several months to restore the locos, and fears that some damage may be beyond repair.

It will not be able to assess the full extent of the damage until the floods have completely subsided. It will then carry out full inspections.

Diesel locos 146, G617, A39R, 80 class power car 90, and the Wickham railcar have been in deep water, and the Railway will not be able to restore them before the date of the planned gala.

Power car 69, which is in the workshop undergoing restoration, has also been submerged.

The Railway expects that its steam locomotives, which are also partly submerged, will be more straightforward to recover than the more modern diesel traction.

Fortunately, the water levels did not rise about the axle boxes of 450 class railcar 458 except at the driving trailer cab end.

However, DCDR still needs to inspect it and fully dry it out in order to prevent major damage.

As well as the rolling stock, all the track outside the station area is still deeply submerged, so the Railway has not yet been able to inspect it and establish the extent of damage and the repair work required.

The locomotive sheds, workshop and carriage gallery have been under water, 4-5 feet deep at times.

Equipment, spare parts and tools have been damaged or destroyed.

The Railway expects that the cost of repairing the damage will reach tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.

It regrets having to cancel the gala, but believes that it has no choice. It expects that the process of refunding tickets but expects that this will take some time, especially given the clean-up and administration work it is carrying out.

The Railway reports that, “Our volunteers are heartbroken at what can only be described as a disaster for the railway, and while we are determined to build back and open again, we have a massive task ahead of us and need all the support and understanding the wider community can offer.

“We have faced major hurdles before and have overcome these. With the hard work of our volunteers, hopefully we can do the same once again and in due course we will see a return to better times.

“Thank you for your understanding and support at this time.”

15th November 2023


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

The very first King Charles III coin I've seen

I now have in my possession this 50p coin.

The reverse of the 50 pence features a design that originally appeared on the 1953 Coronation Crown.

It was struck to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation at Westminster Abbey, and includes the four quarters of the Royal Arms depicted within a shield.

In between each shield is an emblem of the home nations; a rose, a thistle, a shamrock and a leek.

The King’s effigy has been created by renowned British sculptor Martin Jennings, and has been personally approved by His Majesty.

In keeping with tradition, The King’s portrait faces to the left, the opposite direction to Queen Elizabeth II.

16th November 2023


TRANSPORT FOR WALES

Carew Castle Express unveiled in Carmarthen​

The ‘Carew Castle Express’ has been unveiled to mark the introduction of brand-new Transport for Wales (TfW) trains between Swansea and Carmarthen.


The ‘Carew Castle Express’ has been unveiled to mark the introduction of brand-new Transport for Wales (TfW) trains between Swansea and Carmarthen.

Named as part of TfW’s Magnificent Train Journey competition, the name ‘Carew Castle Express’ was chosen by year 5 pupil Rhys Protheroe from Johnstown Primary School in Carmarthen.

Rhys and other children from the school were invited to Carmarthen Railway Station today (Thursday 16 November) to see the winning name on the side of one of TfW’s brand new Class 197 trains.

The Class 197s have recently been introduced between Swansea and Carmarthen, offering greater capacity and enhanced on-board comfort.

Work is progressing to introduce the trains further west to Milford Haven and Fishguard Harbour, which is expected to be completed later this year.

Soon every service west of Carmarthen will be on one of the brand-new trains.

Alexia Course, Chief Commercial Officer for TfW, said: “We’re excited to be running our brand-new trains in West Wales and we’re adding more to our network every few weeks.

“The new trains really transform the customer experience and as we add more to our network, we’re building resilience and seeing an improvement in our performance.

“We’re delighted to be able to invite one of our Magnificent Train Journey competition winners along to see their chosen name on the train and help inspire the next generation of travellers to chose public transport.”

As part of an £800 million investment into new trains, TfW first introduced the Class 197s to the Wales and borders network at the start of this year.

Over the coming months and throughout next year, TfW will continue adding new trains to their network, with 37 Class 197s already delivered and another 40 to come.

CAF UK Director Richard Garner commented: “CAF are extremely proud to play a key role in delivering TfW's commitment to transform rail travel for passengers, ensuring a high quality, reliable and comfortable journey.”

“As a local employer we are invested in providing highly skilled jobs at our Newport, South Wales factory to support local employment opportunities whilst focusing on sustainability issues and addressing the needs of the Welsh economy. Today’s unveiling of the ‘Carw Castle Express’ as named by a local schoolchild further strengthens this relationship with the Welsh communities.”

The Class 197 will run throughout the length and breadth of the network and will become the backbone of TfW mainline services.

On the South Wales Metro, 60 new trains and tram trains will be introduced from 2024 onwards to complete the transformation of our fleet.

16th November 2023

Alstom to upgrade Dallas airport’s people mover system​

Alstom has signed a contract with Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to upgrade its Skylink automated people mover (APM) system.

The contract is worth just over $72.2 million. The Airport covers over 26 square miles and is one of the world's busiest, with over six thousand employees on site daily and over 73 million passengers last year, according to the Airports Council International.

Alstom's work will include overhauling, retrofitting or replacing vehicle and wayside components.

The work is needed in order to prevent the system becoming obsolete and to allow it to provide continuous, reliable and safe operation.

Last year, Alstom signed a ten-year contract to continue maintaining the 64 Innovia APM 200 vehicles, subsystems and related components.

The company is also responsible for maintaining the eight-kilometre elevated dual-lane guideway, which includes the guide beam, third rail power, power distribution, guideway heating systems and Automatic Train Control equipment.

Alstom has a team of one hundred operations and maintenance experts serving the DFW Skylink, with a consistent operational performance of 99.7%.

Alstom has over fifty years' experience in designing, building, maintaining and operating fully-automated and energy-efficient APM systems, having so far delivered more than thirty systems with full operations and maintenance support.

In 1971, the company installed the world's first driverless APM system at Tampa International Airport.

Eight of the USA's ten busiest airports have chosen Alstom for their automated transit systems.

The driverless Innovia APM is designed to serve airports and dense urban areas, with Alstom boasting that it incorporates modern aesthetics and advanced subsystems for optimised functionality, and offers fast, comfortable and convenient service for commuters within cities, to and from airports, or between airport terminals.

Innovia APM cars run on a dedicated guideway, which can be underground, at ground level, or elevated, so that it avoids interfering with nearby road or runway traffic.

Michael Keroullé, President and CEO of Alstom Americas, said: “Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is one of the busiest in the world, and the Skylink APM is fundamental to moving passengers and the employees who keep the airport running. We are grateful for DFW's long-term partnership, which demonstrates the value our services team continues to bring to our airport customers. We are committed to this partnership. This new contract will allow us to further enhance the world-class experience people have come to expect from Skylink.”

16th November 2023

HRH Princess Royal visits Nuclear Transport Solutions’ Barrow port​

HRH and Danni Wilson Senior Competence Assessor

Yesterday, Wednesday, 15 November, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited Barrow-in-Furness and among her many duties she was given a tour around Pacific Nuclear Transport ' (NTS) port and had a closer look at its world-leading operations.

Her visited was a first by a member of the royal family to the site. During her visit she had the unique chance to explore the Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited's (PNTL) specialist nuclear vessel the Pacific Heron, one of only three specialist nuclear vessels in the world..

HRH with Captain Aidan Howlett on the Pacific Heron

Her Royal Highness also viewed the inside of one of Direct Rail Services' (DRS) state-of-the-art Class 68 locomotives that are used to transport nuclear material around the UK.

Both Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited and Direct Rail Services are owned by Nuclear Transport Solutions.

The Princess's Royal visit gave her the chance to learn more about Nuclear Transport Solutions' global nuclear operations, its rigorous safety measures, cutting-edge technology, and the wide range of skills necessary to transport nuclear materials.

Wanda Goldwag Chair of NTS said: “The visit by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal is a significant event for NTS as it underscores the importance of safe and secure nuclear transportation, and the critical role it plays in energy security and low carbon electricity. It also serves as a recognition of the dedication and professionalism of the fantastic individuals we have working at NTS.”

David Peattie FREng, CEO of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which owns NTS, attended the visit and welcomed The Princess Royal to the port. He said: “It was an honour to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to Barrow Marine Terminal and showcase our internationally renowned nuclear transport solutions capability.

“NTS is critical in delivering the NDA group's collective mission to decommission the UK's earliest nuclear sites safely, securely and sustainably, leaving a positive and long-lasting legacy.

“It was also a great opportunity to recognise our highly skilled workforce and the Sea Cadets, who represent the next generation of seafarers.”

HRH with Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited's crew

Aidan Howlett, Ship Master of the Pacific Heron, said: “After 43 years at sea, 38 years of which with PNTL, I've had the pleasure of meeting a number of people all around the world but today was a real honour. Her Royal Highness was genuinely interested in what we do and I loved having the opportunity to talk about the fantastic crew we have on board Pacific Heron.”

Danielle Wilson, Senior Competence Assessor at NTS, added: “Today was a great honour and experience, and it's a reminder of how grateful I am to be in the position I'm in. We're really proud of the work we do at NTS, and not everyone can be here but are equally as deserving to be, so it's an honour to represent the hard work from all teams across the organisation.”

16th November 2023

Swindon and Cricklade Railway acquires second Class 03 diesel locomotive​

The Swindon and Cricklade Railway has announced that it has acquired a second Class 03 0-6-0 diesel shunter No, 03022 to join sister locomotive D2152 which has been there for a few years.

Although 03022 has been a resident at the railway for some time, until now it has been privately owned.

It was built at British Railways workshops at Swindon in July 1958 as D2022 and initially allocated to Immingham shed in Lincolnshire.

D2022 was one of the class that was originally intended to be numbered in the series 11187 to 11211, with the number 11209, but before being built that numbering was abandoned in favour of the ‘D' series numbers.

In May 1974 it was renumbered under British Rail's TOPS system as 03022, and carried that number until November 1982 when it was withdrawn from British Railways service from Gateshead shed and leased to Swindon scrap dealer Coopers.

It remained at Coopers until 1996 when it was transferred to the Swindon and Cricklade Railway at Blunsdon, where it has been ever since, albeit under private ownership.

Sister locomotive D2152 was also built at British Railways workshops at Swindon, but six years later in July 1960, and was initially allocated to York shed.

Like 03022, D2152 was also renumbered under British Rail's TOPS system in May 1974 as 03152.