Marcus' Model Railway Journey

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Preservation​

12 members of the class have been preserved
  • 09001 Ex DB Schenker at Peak Rail (Heritage Shunters Trust)
  • D3668 (09004) at Swindon & Cricklade Railway
  • D3721 (09010) at South Devon Railway
  • D4100 (09012) Dick Hardy at Severn Valley Railway
  • 09015 at Avon Valley Railway
  • 09017 at National Railway Museum
  • 09018 at Bluebell Railway
  • 09019 at West Somerset Railway
  • 09024 at East Lancashire Railway
  • D4113 (09025) at Lavender Line
  • 09026 Cedric Wares at Spa Valley Railway
  • 09107 at Severn Valley Railway
09001 Ex DB Schenker on January 1, 2022
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5th February 2023

North Yorkshire Moors Railway launches volunteer recruitment campaign​

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NYMR Volunteers​

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has launched this year’s recruitment campaign for volunteers, ‘Put Yourself In The Picture’, to fill hundreds of different roles before the 2023 season opens in April, and follows a similar campaign last year.

Every day, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway requires between 300-500 hours of support from volunteers to run its operations, and is looking for anyone who wishes to start a new hobby or enjoys a challenge by joining the existing band of volunteers.
 
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Volunteering as on-board staff on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway​

As a volunteer on the railway a wide range of opportunities are available, from working on a locomotive footplate, signalling and telecommunications, lineside conservation, customer service, retail, catering, fundraising, and education.

Last October it ran campaign to recruit volunteers to work in conserving the lineside.
 
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Staff and Volunteers prepare for a days running on the NYMR​

Volunteers play an important part in running the railway, so in 2020 it created a new role, Head of Volunteer Development which was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

It is intended that this will be a long-term role as it is part of the railway’s £10 million “Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey” project, which is designed to help the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to look at new ways in which it can engage with potential volunteers and how it can create new roles for them.
 
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Volunteering in the North Yorkshire Moors Railway carriage workshops​

Marcus Aldrich, Head of Volunteer Development for the NYMR, commented:

“It’s not just about what you give to us – we want to give back to you and make sure you have a meaningful and rewarding time in our unique environment. If you’re a young person and you are looking for work experience, it’s perfect – relevant work experience can enhance CVs and support university applications.

“Volunteering is a fun and enjoyable experience where you can learn new things and meet new people. You can make a real difference volunteering on the NYMR, preserving the railway and educating our visitors by bringing this visitor attraction alive.

“There are about 30 different roles involved with running our heritage railway – we’re an education, preservation and conservation charity and it’s our people that bring it to life. From volunteering in the shed at the Motive Power Depot (MPD) maintaining the locomotives or conserving 18 miles of lineside – you‘re delivering a fulfilling experience for all those who engage with us”.
 
5th February 2023

Steam locomotive 4144 set for 2023 season at Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway​

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The Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway have announced that they will be welcoming GWR Large Prairie No. 4144 for the 2023 Season.

4144 is currently at its home of the Didcot Railway Centre, where it has undergone a repaint, meaning the loco will look ‘as new’ when it arrives at the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway.

Services at the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway start on Mothering Sunday, 19th March 2023, and 4144 is expected to run the first trains of the season.

As a special trip, you can treat your mum to a boxed cream tea. More details over on the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway website at www.chinnorrailway.co.uk
 
5th February 2023

Welsh Highland Heritage Railway becomes permanent owner of steam locomotive No. 794​

Locomotive WDLR 794 was on a long-term loan from Imperial War Museums who have now permanently transferred ownership to the heritage railway​

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590 at Harbour Station Porthmadog​

The Imperial War Museum has revealed that it has permanently transferred ownership of Baldwin Locomotive WDLR 794 to the West Highland Railway Ltd in Porthmadog.

The locomotive is currently on long-term loan from the museums as part of a continuing review of its collections alongside further consultation from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as it is felt the heritage railway makes the most appropriate long-term home for 794.

The Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, USA built the locomotive in January 1917 and was numbered 44699 and renumbered on arriving in Europe and renumbered as WDLR 794 by the Railway Operating Division.

495 of the Baldwin class 10-12-D class were shipped to Europe, 9 of which were lost in transit, on arrival the locomotives supported WW1 trench lines.

After the war, 50 of the class were moved to India where they were used in defending the Afghan border after the 3rd Afghan War.

Later, the locomotives were sold for industrial use in India and this is where WDLR 794 ended its career working for the Upper India Sugar Mills in Khatauli.

1985 Saw the Imperial War Museum repatriate WDLR 794 to the UK where it was displayed at the IWM Duxford.

The locomotive did see some initial refurbishment work begin however a more substantial restoration did not get underway until 2003 after the locomotive was placed on long-term loan with the Welsh Highland Railway Ltd owner of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway in Porthmadog.

An extensive fundraising campaign was put in place in order to see WDLR 794’s refurbishment which has now reached its final stages over a 14-year programme of work by specialist engineers and contractors:
  • Graham Morris Engineering Ltd
  • Israel Newton & Sons Ltd
  • Alan Keef Ltd
  • The Vale of Rheidol Trading Ltd
It is anticipated that the locomotive will be unveiled to donors and supporters of the West Highland Heritage Railway this spring!
 
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Russell stands at Dinas

The original Welsh Highland Railway opened in 1923 and saw the purchase of WDLR 794 sister locomotive WDLR 590 from the Government Property Disposals Board as War Department surplus.

WDLR 590 worked on the railway with locomotive ‘Russell’ No 901 where both of the locomotives operated goods and passenger services on the railway until it was closed during the Summer of 1936.

‘Russell’ is still operating in preservation to this day with the West Highland Heritage Railway, however, WDLR 590 was sadly scrapped as part of the Government’s WW2 scrap drive.

As 590 was a large part of the Welsh Highland scene during the 1930s it has been an ongoing ambition of the West Highland Railway Ltd to re-create the locomotive so that visitors can enjoy the pair of locomotives hard at work together again.

The incredible opportunity for WDLR 795’s long-term loan will allow this to become a reality as permission has been received from the Imperial War Museum to refurbish 794 as 590 and once this work is complete will see 590 back on the tracks at the railway once again!
 
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590 in VRR works, 25 June 2022

Baldwin 794 is a 4-6-0T locomotive of the Baldwin class 10-12-D (Builder's number 44699 of 1917).

It was built for the Great War, one of a large number of similar machines.

After the War, it was sold and exported to India, where it worked on a sugar plantation, carrying the name 'Tiger'.

It was brought back to the UK from India in 1985 and passed to The Imperial War Museum, who remain its owners.

It was displayed for a time in unrestored condition at the IWM's Duxford site, where it was intended to run it on a short line.

The chassis was part-restored to rolling chassis condition for this purpose by a firm in Suffolk, but the plans for the Duxford line folded before attention was paid to the boiler, other than establishing that it was life-expired.

The loco was transferred to Welsh Highland Heritage Railway in 2004, where the IWM has agreed that the loco will operate under the pseudonym 590, being almost identical to the original WHR locomotive of that number.

The expensive new boiler is funded under a generous bequest, and a public appeal is open for the remaining costs of restoration.

Baldwin 590 will be finished in a dark-maroon (red-brown mixture) colour and fitted with a Baldwin pattern type whistle

It is now at the Vale of Rheidol Railway's Aberystwyth works for restoration.
 
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6th February 2023

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Reports say Great British Railways is to be revived​

Reports say transport secretary Mark Harper is set to announce that plans to create a ‘guiding mind’ for the railway industry are back on track, although the timetable for setting up Great British Railways has slipped.

There had been fears that GBR, which had been recommended by former British Airways chief executive Keith Williams, had been set aside.

His report into the railway industry’s structure was commissioned after the May 2018 timetable changes had proved chaotic.

When he had investigated, he concluded that the major changes planned for that month on Northern and Thameslink had resulted in confusion because ‘nobody took charge’.

His report, which was published in conjunction with transport secretary Grant Shapps in 2021, had explained:

‘Services across the north and south east of England were disrupted for many weeks after the late delivery of infrastructure improvements by Network Rail, miscalculations by both it and operators in preparing timetable changes, and a failure of accountability and oversight throughout the process, led to a collapse in the national timetable.’

The answer was seen to be a new ‘guiding mind’, but progress towards creating GBR, which will need new legislation, had apparently stalled during the high-level confusion in government itself last year, which involved the departure of Boris Johnson as prime minister, followed by the brief appointment of Liz Truss before she was also forced to resign, in favour of Rishi Sunak.

Grant Shapps was dislodged as transport secretary during the period of uncertainty in Downing Street, and it is his successor Mark Harper who is expected to say tomorrow that GBR is starting to move forward again.

A competition for towns that wish to host the headquarters of GBR had also been delayed.

If the plans have remained essentially unchanged, GBR will absorb Network Rail and take responsibility for awarding passenger operating contracts in England, which have replaced the former franchises.

The part played by the Department for Transport will be greatly reduced.

Mark Harper is also expected to reveal major changes to ticketing, which are thought to include the abolition of return tickets in favour of ‘single leg’ alternatives, following trials on LNER.
 
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6th February 2023

New ScotRail advertising campaign to promote travel by train​

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ScotRail has launched a new advertising campaign to promote rail travel and encourage more people to travel by train by showing how a train ticket can take people further than some may think.

Featuring ScotRail employees who customers might meet during the course of their journeys, such as train drivers, ticket examiners, and station staff, the message focusses on everyday moments that customers and staff might share.
 
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Enjoying Scotland’s scenery by train​

The campaign aims to remind people that when they travel with ScotRail, besides the actual journey, it comes with a friendly face, a helping hand, and an extra pair of eyes and ears.

Behind the message ScotRail aims to show the many ways that ScotRail supports communities, including working with charities to provide free travel, creating community spaces, within stations, and reducing carbon emissions.
 
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ScotRail Class 385

The advertising campaign will run for six weeks and will help to support ScotRail’s efforts to attract people back to rail travel following the impact of the pandemic by working to increase the number of people travelling train.

At the moment, passenger numbers are nearly 70 per cent of what they were in 2019.
 
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Wherever you’re going, whatever the journey, we’ve got your back.
ScotRail, your ticket goes further than you think.​

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com

Joanne Maguire, ScotRail Chief Operating Officer, said:

’Your ticket goes further than you think’ is the strapline of this new campaign and we want to remind people across the country of the advantages of making a journey by train.

“With thousands of services operating every day, the opportunities are endless to travel throughout Scotland.

“And more than that, buying a ticket brings with it the support of everyone in the ScotRail team to help you on your journey.

“When you travel with ScotRail, you are investing in your community, and we hope to see more customers on our services in the weeks and months ahead as we continue to recover from the pandemic.”
 
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6th February 2023

Táilte Tours of Ireland to run its first rail tour from Cork​

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2800 class in Kent Station, Cork​

On Saturday, 15th April, Táilte Tours of Ireland will run a rail tour from Cork to Waterford via Limerick Junction and the Tipperary line using a 2600 railcar set.

The “Suir Lee Knot” rail tour will be the first time the company has operated a tour based in the city, and the first one to use a 2600 railcar set.

Nowadays, 22000 class Intercity Railcars are normally used for services on the Waterford-Limerick Junction route.

In the past, the 2700 and 2800 classes were used on this route, but the classic 1990s-built 2600 class have always been relative strangers to the line, so this is a rare treat.

2600s were once common in the Dublin suburban area, but for over a decade, they have been mainly restricted to the Cork commuter network.
 
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Only a few Iarnród Éireann passenger routes still use mechanical signalling and ETS operation, one of which is the line from Limerick Junction to Waterford line.

The tour will therefore stop at Clonmel, which is home to one of Ireland’s few remaining mechanical signal boxes and provide a chance to view the now-rare semaphore signalling installations.

A further stop will be made at Carrick-on-Suir where passengers can view the Irish Traction Group’s base and its Metrovick C Class locomotive No.226 which is nearing the end of a long period of restoration to bring it back to running order.

Unfortunately, due to logistical reasons, there will be no catering services on this rail tour, but it will make an extended stop at Waterford for passengers to get lunch.

Departure from Cork will be at approximately 10:00am with a return by 8:00pm, but passengers can also join the tour at Limerick Junction.

The tour is timed so that anyone travelling from Dublin can travel on the first service to Cork and the last one back.
 
6th February 2023

Progress Report on project to recreate Ivatt diesel-electric No. 10000​

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The Ivatt Diesel Recreation Project has issued its latest update on progress to create a replica of LMS Ivatt diesel-electric No. 10000.

A number of electrical parts recovered from Class 56 No. 56104 have been donated to the project by GBRF and delivered by ProgressRail.

Also, a large number of useful lockers that have been donated by Ruddington have received the full LMS10000 treatment.

The project has two cubicles, one each from Class 56 56104 and one from Class 58 58022, and will use parts from each, but will use the frame from 58022 as its profile is suitable for fitting within the D16/1 body envelope.

The electrical team has set up a working area at the rear of the workshop, and has stripped both cubicles. Ex-DB control cards have also been catalogued and will be refurbished for use.
 
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Partly stripped Class 56 cubicle​

56104 Cubicle

Work on 56104’s cubicle has included removing the Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs), Ammeter, Shunt, Pressure Transducer, Q-tron module, Capacitor Module, Selector Switches and wirewound resistor panels, power contactors, power cabling, busbars, door microswitches, and a diode and heatsink.
 
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Resistor bank panel, close up and in the Class 56 cubicle​

Most of the items removed appear to be serviceable and will be reconditioned during the coming next few weeks, but the power cabling will be scrapped and placed in the copper scrap box.

Before anything is disposed of the project will look to see if anything can be salvaged, which will allow it to be sold to provide revenue for the charity.

All cables have been released from the enclosure, but the team will either need to saw through them or undo the terminal rails.

A few cables that were not in the main looms have been removed, and the team has also found some extra parts hidden away including surge arrestors, a capacitor board, a door microswitch, and six interior lights on brackets.

The reverser has also been disconnected and, by removing a rear panel, it has been removed, slid out on to a pallet truck, and stored alongside the other reverser.
 
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Relays from the Class 58 cubicle​

58022 Cubicle

The Class 58 cubicle wiring diagrams have been assessed and a matrix of the wiring connections drawn up ready for checking the installed wiring to see whether it can be reused or whether it needs a total rewiring.

Progress on the class 58 cubicle includes removing all relays so they can be overhauled and removing all external wiring for scrap.

After production of a new wiring schedule, the next task will be to bell out all of the cubicle’s internal wiring and apply identification labels, as the existing labels are all missing or illegible.

The project is discussing with suppliers to to whether it can obtain a deal on the estimated 10,000 labels that will be needed for the cubicle and the rest of the locomotive wiring.

Current work includes listing every device and wire within the cubicle, which has highlighted that there are a few extra wires that are not on the official documents; these are mainly loops from one terminal to another on a device.

A number of devices have also been found that do not have an identity title or name on the official drawings, so they have been allocated a temporary name to identify undefined units that have been added to the diagrams.

In total there are 1,295 wire terminations used in the cubicle.
 
6th February 2023

East Midlands Railway sees over 7,000 customers upgrade to First Class with its Seatfrog App​

Since the launch of the train operator's Seatfrog app, thousands of customers have upgraded their tickets with prices starting from only £10​

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East Midlands Railway’s Seatfrog App has seen an impressive response from customers with more than 7,000 opting to bid for an upgrade for their Standard Class tickets to First Class with prices starting from just £10.

The app is available to download via the App Store and Google Play and lets customers bid last minute in order to upgrade their seating.

Bidding using the app can commence up to 24 hours prior to departure and right up to 30 minutes before the train is set to leave.

Instant upgrades can also be purchased onboard the train.

Seatfrog offers upgrades for selected peak and off-peak services on East Midlands Railways Intercity routes travelling between London and intercity locations such as Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield and East Midlands Parkway.

The app was launched just six months ago and the most popular routes for upgraded tickets are:
  • Sheffield to London St Pancras
  • Nottingham to London St Pancras
  • Derby to London London St Pancras
Expected passenger volumes dictated the availability of upgrades from Standard to First Class.
 
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East Midlands Railway Seatfrog App​

Customers who would like to take part need to open their Seatfrog app and enter their booking reference or use the apps train search facility and it will reveal upgrades available for their journey.

The app requires customers to add the number of upgrades they wish to bid for and set a price for each of the upgrades, bids can be placed as many times as customers wish to do so as there is no cost for each auction.

Lucky bidders will be notified by the app and payment will be taken ahead of receiving a First Class upgrade barcode directly to their phone.

Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director at East Midlands Railway, said:

“Seatfrog is quick and simple to use and provides the chance for customers to enjoy all the perks of First Class travel at a reduced rate – starting at just £10.

“Since EMR has been using the app it has proven very popular with our customers who want the flexibility to upgrade when it suits them.”

Iain Griffin, co-founder of Seatfrog, said:

“It’s great seeing thousands of happy EMR customers grabbing first-class upgrades at the best price.

With almost a million customers in the UK, we’re making travel by rail great again and can’t wait to grow this even further with EMR.”
 
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7th February 2023

Swanage Railway Trust’s 563 Locomotive Group launches £85,000 appeal to finish restoration of steam locomotive No. 563​

The Victorian locomotives restoration process has taken six years and this final appeal could see her steam for the first time in 75 years this spring!​

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563 at the Flour Mill​

The Swanage Railway Trust’s 563 Locomotive Group have revealed an appeal to achieve £85,000 in order to complete the detailed restoration of London and South Western Railway T3 No.563 and will see the Victorian locomotive back on the tracks and steaming for the first time since 1948.

The locomotive was an exceptional example of an express passenger train back in her heyday and was luckily saved from the scrapper’s yard to take part in the celebrations for the centenary of London Waterloo station in 1948.

No. 563 is the sole surviving of her class and during her working life had seen over 1.5 million miles travelled with her final withdrawal in August of 1945 by the Southern Railway Company.

The locomotive’s return to steam is aimed to be achieved for spring this year in order to celebrate the centenary of Southern Railway and also the 185th anniversary of the London and South Western Railway’s origination.

Swanage Railway Trust’s 563 Locomotive Group impressive and diligent restoration project has already seen costs of £600,000 and got underway back in November of 2017 with specialist contractors at the Flour Mill workshops in the Forest of Dean and at Swanage Railway’s Herston engineering works.

At present, the T3 is being painted in her London and South Western Railway Drummond Green livery featuring brown borders with a lining of black and white which 563 carried from 1893 until the formation of Southern Railway in 1923.
 
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T3 No. 563 restorers Flour Mill workshop Forest of Dean Gloucestershire​

Chairman of 563 Locomotive Group, Nathan Au, said:

“It’s very exciting to see the finishing line for the challenging and meticulous restoration of a unique Victorian steam locomotive come into sight – we are on the final sprint and almost there.

“The T3’s working life was over before many of the other steam locomotives that we operate on the Swanage Railway had been built.

“The unique and iconic No. 563 will offer something new and exciting to everyone on the Swanage Railway – enabling our visitors, members, volunteers and locomotive crews to enjoy an evocative taste of Victorian train travel.

“We are very grateful to the National Railway Museum which donated the T3 to the Swanage Railway Trust in 2017,” added Nathan who is a volunteer Swanage Railway driver.

563 Locomotive Group treasurer Steve Doughty explained:

“I would like to thank everyone who has so generously supported the restoration of the T3 which is thought to have hauled a Dunkirk evacuation train in the summer of 1940.

“We understand times are challenging financially for people but we hope the last push to raise £85,000 to complete the restoration will see No. 563 back in steam for the first time since 1948.

“Seeing the T3 hauling trains through the beautiful Isle of Purbeck and past the dramatic ruins of Corfe Castle will be an amazing sight not seen in the area for almost a century.

“No. 563 is a direct link to the Swanage Railway’s past – right back to the early days of the London and South Western Railway when holidaymakers first visited Purbeck by train,”
 
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