Marcus' Model Railway Journey

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24th January 2023

Škoda Group adds 10 more trains to order from Elron of Estonia​

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Škoda Group EMU​

Škoda has won a 3.5 billion crowns (almost €147 million) contract to supply the Estonian railway operator Eesti Liinirongid (Elron) with ten electric trains to supplement the six vehicles that it is already constructing for the company.

The trains will be built at Škoda Group’s production site at Ostrava in the Czech Republic, and are for use on a newly electrified section of line between Tallinn and Tartu that is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, which will coincide with when the initial order for the first six trains are expected to be delivered.

They will be similar to RegioPanter trains that Škoda has supplied to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Latvia, but will be tailored to Elron’s specific requirements.
 
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RegioPanter train delivered to Slovakia​

Production of the first unit started last December and should be ready for assembly in a few weeks.

It is planned that the first unit will be completed later this year, after which it will undergo initial testing.

Škoda Group plans to deliver a second unit directly to Tallinn for a parallel commissioning process.

Delivery to Tallinn will be by road to Riga in Latvia, and then by rail to Estonia.

Although Estonian railways have a wider gauge than the European Standard Gauge, Škoda Group will have no problems meeting Estonia’s specific requirements.

These include a dual-voltage design for operating on 3kV and 25kV systems on both newly electrified and older railway lines.

In addition, as Estonia has a colder climate than elsewhere in Europe, the trains will be built to withstand the country’s more-challenging temperature extremes.

Zdeněk Sváta, President Region Central East at Škoda Group, said

“Our single-deck electric units are proving very well in regional transport in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where they are very popular and achieve the highest standards for modern and safe transport. The first units have already been delivered to Latvia, which has similar characteristics to Estonia.

“This experience has enabled us to offer Elron a unique tailor-made solution. The client’s trust in our products is the greatest reward for us, so we are glad that the customer decided to use the entire order and modern Škoda trains will be running in Estonia for decades to come.”

Lauri Betlem, chairman of the board of Elron, said

“In 2022, Elron served 7.1 million passengers. The need for new trains is great, and last summer, the Government of Estonia approved the order for an additional ten trains. With this decision, Elron’s train fleet will get a significant addition over the next few years, growing by over 40%, which will significantly expand our opportunities to better serve passengers and intensify the timetables.”

Ivo Gurňák, Sales Area Director Mainline at Škoda Group, described the train features as

“The new trains place great emphasis on passenger comfort. They have a low-floor entrance, space for two wheelchairs, and four prams. Some of the seats are removable so that the train can be adapted to the current situation – in summer there will be more space for bicycles, in winter more space for passengers. Of course, there is air conditioning, a modern information system, Wi-Fi, 230V, and USB sockets.”
 
24th January 2023

Steam locomotive 52322 to visit the Bluebell Railway in 2023​

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52322 on the East Lancashire Railway​

The Bluebell Railway has announced that L&Y A Class No. 52322 will be visiting them for their upcoming Branch Line Gala.

Set to take place on the 21st – 23rd April, the Branch Line Gala will see Bluebell residents operate alongside already announced L&Y ‘Pug’ No. 19.

A third and final guest is yet to be announced, and the timetable for the event is expected to be released soon.

52322 visits the Bluebell Railway thanks to Andy Booth and the East Lancashire Railway.

52322 is an L&Y Railway Class 27 and is a 0-6-0 type of steam locomotive.

They were built for freight work over the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway.

52322 was built-in 1896 at Horwich Works as Lancashire & Yorkshire No. 1300, later being renumbered LMS 12322 and BR 52322 in its working life, the locomotive is now preserved and appears in BR Black with the number 52322.

52322 is the only survivor of the 484 strong class of steam locomotive.
 
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24th January 2023

Kent and East Sussex Railway season preview sees restored Family Saloon return​

Restoration of the 123-year-old Victorian carriage is now complete and will take centre stage at the Heritage Railway this February.​

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Family Saloon No. 177​

The Kent & East Sussex Railway’s Carriage No. 177 the Family Saloon, will be in action during the Half Term holiday from Saturday the 11th to Sunday the 19th of February – excluding Monday the 13th and Friday the 17th of February.

Saturday the 11th of February will see the Family Saloon carry its first paying passengers in more than 10 years after a meticulous restoration was completed by the volunteer Carriage and Wagon team at the heritage railway.

The restoration has been possible thanks to a generous donation of a large amount of paint by Craftmaster Paints Ltd who are one of the Kent & East Sussex Railway’s oldest supply partners.

The railway has a keen focus on restoration and recently launched an appeal to restore and conserve a Great Western Railway diesel railcar W20 in a bid to see it back in action.

The carriage was built by South Eastern & Chatham Railway at the Ashford works in 1900 and was created in order to provide wealthy Victorian families with the opportunity to travel together to locations which were unable to be reached by their local railway.

The Family Saloon began its service in February 1900 and featured:
  • a separate luggage compartment with double doors at one end
  • a saloon area
  • a vestibule and a short corridor leading to a five-seat compartment
  • a WC cubicle on one side of the corridor and a further one with a wash hand basin opposite
 
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Kent & East Sussex Railway Family Saloon interior​

After several years, plus the advent of the motor car the carriage layout was changed into an invalid saloon and was later sold to Longmoor Military Railway before making its way to Tenterden in 1985.

The carriage’s current layout is that of a ‘picnic’ style open carriage with side bench seats in keeping with its design.

The Family Saloon will be used at special events and will begin with bird-spotting and story-telling sessions for children during February Half Term week.

The carriage which can carry up to 20 people, will also be available for exclusive hire for special celebrations and group bookings once the 2023 season formally gets underway in April.

Kent & East Sussex Railway General Manager Robin Coombes said:

“Prior to its withdrawal, the Family Saloon was an exceptionally popular part of the vintage set so we are delighted to finally bring it back into service in time for its birthday next month,”

“With its new open style layout and quality finish I have no doubt that it will be just as popular with today’s travellers, as well as providing the railway with an innovative new venue for special events, private hires and tour group packages.”

“The quality of the restoration is both sympathetic and authentic and I must therefore pay tribute to the dedicated team of volunteers who have delivered such a professional result. We are also extremely grateful to Craftmaster Paints for so generously providing much of the required paint so that we could complete the transformation to the highest possible standard.”

Craftmaster Paints’ General Manager Adam Brown said:

“We are delighted to lend our support to the Kent & East Sussex Railway on this project. As enthusiasts ourselves it is nice to play a small part in such things. We value the long-term custom that we have received from the K&ESR and are always willing to listen to similar proposals from all our customers.”
 
24th January 2023

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Network Rail - Freight Escape - Episode 4 (Final).​

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​
Rail freight is on a roll we are going on a journey through Freight Britain taking you to amazing places, so we can understand how rail freight operations connect in to make a difference to every

single person in Great Britain every single day.

www.youtube.com

Network Rail Freight Escape - Episode 4

Network Rail Freight Escape - Episode 4Used with kind permission from Network Rail. All rights reserved and remain with Network Rail.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com
 
25th January 2023

Road Vehicle Ordered and Stored for ETHNON RAIL Layout Project :)

On a railway layout there are more vehicles involved apart from locomotives and rolling stock.........

These have been purchased for the layout project but are held in storage with the vendor.

ManufacturerProduct codeTitleScaleDate added to trunkQty in trunk
Oxford Diecast76CC001Carlight Continental Caravan Light GreyOO Gauge (1:76 Scale)05/12/20221
Oxford Diecast76CC003Carlight Continental Dark Green/Sage GreenOO Gauge (1:76 Scale)05/12/20221
Oxford Diecast76CPR002Ford Capri Mk2 Sahara BeigeOO Gauge (1:76 Scale)05/12/20221
 
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25th January 2023

Brexit red tape blamed for fewer Eurostar passengers​

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Eurostar has warned that Brexit formalities are threatening its business, although it is holding out hopes that a new digital immigration system will simplify the procedure in due course.

Chief executive Gwendoline Cazenave said more rigorous border controls, combined with a shortage of security staff and the effects of the pandemic, meant that passenger numbers had fallen by 30 per cent.

Speaking at an event in Brussels to launch the new combined business which has been formed by the merger of Eurostar and Thalys, she said:

‘The thing is now we are not able to run the same transport offer we had before in 2019, because of bottlenecks in stations. We have a main issue in Eurostar terminals because of the new boarding conditions between the UK and EU, because of the impact of Covid, because of staff in the stations.’

She is also unwilling to say if the international trains will ever call at Ebbsfleet and Ashford again, pointing out that the big cities like London, Amsterdam, Paris and Brussels are Eurostar’s main traffic objectives.

She explained:

‘These are the main cities, these are the main markets we are working for, which is our main role, I would say.’

The Brussels event also saw the unveiling of Eurostar’s new brand, which will be carried by Eurostar and Thalys trains.

Eurostar said it had chosen ‘an iconic star as its symbol and new logo inspired by l’Etoile du Nord, the original train service linking Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam and as a tribute to the first Eurostar logo’.
 
25th January 2023

Track between Scarborough and Hull set to see essential upgrade work start this month!​

The £3.2m upgrade will see approximately three miles of track upgraded in order to bring smoother and more reliable journeys​

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Track renewal ​

Network Rail engineers will carry out the essential upgrade work over a period of four days from Tuesday the 31st of January to Saturday the 4th of February.

The work will take place between Willerby Carr and Seamer and will see the rails and wooden sleepers removed and replaced with more hardy steel sleepers alongside brand-new rails.

The essential track upgrade will provide passengers will smoother journeys which are more reliable, the new track will also require less maintenance work moving into the future.

During the track upgrade work, Network Rail will take the opportunity to carry out the renewal of vital signalling equipment for the Seamer area which will save further disruption in the future for passengers whilst making efficient use of time and resources.

Rail replacement buses will be in operation from Tuesday the 31st of January to Saturday the 4th of February between Malton and Scarborough, journey times are anticipated to take longer than usual. Industrial action planned to take place on Wednesday the 1st and Friday the 3rd of February will also affect services.

Passengers are being advised to plan their travel ahead using National Rail or their rail operator’s website before making their journey.
 
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Track renewal work​

Jason Hamilton, Works Delivery Programme Director for Network Rail said:

“This is an essential upgrade to breathe new life into these decades-old tracks and deliver better, more reliable journeys for those travelling through.

“We’re combining projects and working over four days, rather than across multiple weekends, to minimise disruption for passengers. There will be changes to services during this time so please check before you travel.”

Chris Nutton, Major Projects Director for TransPennine Express said:

“The modernisation of these tracks will make a big difference to our customers and provide more reliable journeys and ensure the long-term resilience of the route.

“I’d like to thank our customers in advance for their patience during the work and urge them to check before they travel to understand the options for their journey.”
 
25th January 2023

Steam locomotive 4079 Pendennis Castle to visit the Severn Valley Railway​

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4079 Pendennis Castle at Didcot Railway Centre

The Severn Valley Railway has announced that GWR Castle No. 4079 Pendennis Castle will be visiting for its upcoming Spring Steam Gala.

Taking place between the 14th and 16th April 2022, the Spring Steam Gala is set to feature a number of locos and an intensive service.

Pendennis Castle stole the headlines in 1989 when the locomotive operated alongside Flying Scotsman in Perth at the culmination of its Australia tour.

4079 appears at the Severn Valley Railway thanks to the Didcot Railway Centre and The Great Western Society.

“We are thrilled to be hosting a named engine with the prestige of ‘Pendennis Castle’,” said Duncan Ballard, the SVR’s head of steam engineering.

“It will prove a magnificent figurehead for our GWR-themed Gala, celebrating 100 years since the grouping of the ‘Big Four’ companies. We have an extremely strong working relationship with the Great Western Society, and are honoured they’ve chosen the SVR for ‘Pendennis’s’ debut away from Didcot.”

Another yet-to-be announced guest will appear alongside 4930 Hagley Hall, 7812 Erlestoke Manor and 7714.
 
25th January 2023

The 563 Locomotive Group reveals the achievement of a further milestone​

Progress is well underway for T3 Class No.563 as the completion of its boiler stays allows the boiler to be test fitted in the frames.​

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563 at the Flour Mill​

The 563 Locomotive Group has reported further progress after completing the boiler stays during the latter part of 2022 which in turn has enabled the boiler to be test fitted in the frames.

Further work is also underway for the lining of the engine.

The Flour Mill team has been hard at work and sees the T3 with brand new front tube plates fitted up against the new angle ring along with the new smokebox.

The tubes are on site and will be installed shortly which will see the boiler ready for its hydraulic test after which a steam test will take place.

Work on the tender chassis is also making excellent headway at Swanage Railway’s workshop in Herston and also the tenders tank which is with contractors at Badminton.

The group has also revealed that this year will be focused heavily on fundraising and has been able to reduce its £100,000 target from 2022 to £70,000 thanks to a legacy and ongoing donations.

It has become apparent that a further £15,000 is now needed due to the requirement of new tender springs which were thought would be refurbished however they will need to be replaced.

The replacement of the springs will make 563 reliable when she returns to operations.

Looking into the future, the 563 team are looking for exciting opportunities for showcasing Swanage Railways’ star locomotive after her overhaul is finished all of which are reliant on being able to get her back in steam ahead of the summer season.
 
26th January 2023

Road Vehicle Ordered and Stored for ETHNON RAIL Layout Project :)

On a railway layout there are more vehicles involved apart from locomotives and rolling stock.........

These have been purchased for the layout project but are held in storage with the vendor.

ManufacturerProduct codeTitleScaleDate added to trunkQty in trunk
Oxford Diecast76DEF007Land Rover Defender "British Rail"OO Gauge (1:76 Scale)05/12/20221
Oxford Diecast76FE002Ford Escort Mk1 Purple VelvetOO Gauge (1:76 Scale)05/12/20221
Oxford Diecast76FT006Ford Transit high top LWB van in plain whiteOO Gauge (1:76 Scale)05/12/20221
 
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