Marcus' Model Railway Journey

Out and About with Marcus.

'FLYING SCOTSMAN' visits Cardiff 7th June 2023

Had a great time, a couple of days ago, to finally meet the world famous steam locomotive 'Flying Scotsman' in full steam in their 100th anniversary year.

I had seen this locomotive at York Railway Museum years back, but this was the first time I had seen her in steam.

I made my way to platform 2, the train was to arrive on platform 3, so as to get some great shots across the tracks hoping not to get photobombed by other trains.

Here's the first photo of the day.

A TfW Class 170, halted at platform 3, Cardiff Central 7/6/23

The 'Cardiff Express' from Paddington, is hauled in by a WCR Class 47.

The train was due to arrive at 1424 but arrived 5 minutes early!

After taking the photo of the lead locomotive I then rushed down the platform to reach the end of the train.

This was not easy as there were a lot of people who were waiting to see the famous loco and passengers waiting for their trains.

But I got there and found a pretty good viewpoint.

The 'Flying Scotsman' halted at platform 3, Cardiff Central 7/6/23

The loco had lead the train from Paddington as far as Newport.

A 'couple' of things happened there.

Scotsman was decoupled from the front of the train and then used the 'Maindee Triangle', a triangular section of interconnected railway lines, to 'turn' the loco 180 degrees.

The trailing class 47 diesel was moved to the lead position of the train.

And the Flying Scotsman was coupled at the rear of the train.

This was done so that the train could depart from Cardiff with the Scotsman leading all the way back to Paddington on it's return journey.

Close-up of the nameplate, Cardiff Central 7/6/23

Close-up of the loco number..............

Steam Locomotive: '60103'​

I managed to get a relatively good close-up of the builders plate.

The British Railways logo on Scotsman's tender.

This logo used by British Railways from 1956 - 1964.

a “demi-lion rampant (the British lion) holding between the paws a silver locomotive wheel. The lion is issuant from a heraldic crown of gold on which are arranged the rose (for England), the thistle (for Scotland), the leek (for Wales) and the oak leaf (for all Great Britain)”.

We have given this logo, jokingly, the nickname of 'ferret holding dartboard'.

Close-up of smoke box door.

The 'Flying Scotsman' preparing to depart to Pengam Sidings, Cardiff Central 7/6/23

The Cardiff Express's passengers have disembarked and will spend a few hours in Cardiff.

The locomotives and their train will depart Cardiff for Pengam Sidings, on the east of Cardiff, to be stored there until required for the return journey from Cardiff to Paddington.

The driving wheels, rods and 'motion'

So the Scotsman train has departed to storage and will be due back at about 1640hrs.

Cleo and I decided to grab something to eat and I fancied a couple of pints, well it was a hot day!

Town was really busy with many people arriving early for the 2nd night 'Coldplay' concert.

We were going to meet up with Neonlake outside Cardiff Central just after 1600.

So we had a bit of free time to look around our city.

Here's Cardiff Castle.

Cardiff Castle again.

If you look closely at the walls you can see the remaining stonework of the Roman fort that the castle was built on.

We're back at Cardiff Central platform 2 waiting for the return of the Cardiff Express from Pengam Sidings.

Neonlake is with us now.

While I wait, I'll take some photos of some of the trains.

Here is a GWR Class 800 Intercity Express Train (IET) (also known as Azuma's on the LNER) on platform 3 Cardiff Central 7/6/23

GWR Class 43 HST Power Car 43016 'Powderham Castle', Cardiff Central 7/6/23

GWR Class 43 HST Power Car 43186 'Taunton Castle', Cardiff Central 7/6/23

I heard a helicopter above us, initially I thought it was a Police helicopter.

It was actually a NetworkRail one.

AS355 F2, G-NLSE

The 'Flying Scotsman' returns to platform 3 from Pengam sidings, Cardiff Central 7/6/23

Close-up of the Speedometer cable

Well that about wraps up our day in town to see the 'Flying Scotsman'.

It was well worth the time to see this famous locomotive.

We all had a great time seeing, hearing and even smelling this loco.

Made us jump a couple of times with the whistle!

Met some great people on the platform, they were kind enough to make sure we had a good view.
'Flying Scotsmsman'! Here's to another 100 years!



Close-up of cab side showing locomotive number, builders plate and Route Availability rating (RA9)

9th June 2023


TRANSPORT FOR WALES

TfW and Visit Shropshire shine sustainable light on exploring the Midlands county by train​

Transport for Wales (TfW) and Visit Shropshire and have signed a new partnership to highlight and promote the ease of exploring the county by train.

Collaboration will include a series of campaigns throughout the year across multiple channels including website, in-station and social media that will raise awareness of the routes and experiences available across the county and underline both partners commitment to sustainable travel.

Stretching from Cardiff to Manchester, Birmingham to Holyhead, the extensive TfW rail network criss-crosses large swathes of Shropshire, linking many towns and villages including Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Whitchurch, Wellington and Gobowen.

Encouraging more sustainable travel, services also call at Church Stretton, the gateway to the Shropshire Hills, and the perfect stop-off to explore the area’s famous walking trails either straight from the train door or connecting with the new ‘Round the Mynd’ shuttle bus loop which stops beside Church Stretton station.

As well as encouraging Shropshire locals to hop onboard and experience their own county car-free, the new partnership aims to entice neighbours in nearby Cheshire, other Midlands counties and the Welsh borders to explore by train too.

TfW’s extensive, fast and regular service also means that even those living further away, near the city hubs of Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham, can enjoy a Shropshire day trip or short break options with ease.

As an added lure and to keep prices competitive, the operator has several cost-saving offers in place including advance ticketing specials and a kids go free incentive across the network.

While those looking for a touch of luxury, new for the summer, TfW will be operating First Class services into Shrewsbury, with catering options available.

Victoria Leyshon, partnership marketing manager at Transport for Wales said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Visit Shropshire to raise awareness of the West Midlands county, and of course, promote sustainable travel. We’re looking forward to working together on some new initiatives to encourage more people to jump aboard and explore the delights of Shropshire by train”.

Mark Hooper, project lead at Visit Shropshire, said: “It’s great to be working with TfW whose network really does have most of the county covered. Many of our towns aren’t designed to accommodate lots of cars, which is why travelling and exploring by train makes so much sense. And with sustainability key to our future plans, it’s great to work with a partner whose services can connect with other car-free experience we offer, such as walking trails, cycle routes and our new shuttle bus loop to key beauty spots, pubs and cafés”.

For more information on Visit Shropshire, please visit here.

9th June 2023

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway joins ‘Love Your Railway’ campaign​

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) is joining many other heritage railways nationwide in the third annual ‘Love Your Railway' campaign.

The ‘Love Your Railway' campaign is designed to raise awareness of heritage railways' importance as a tourism destination.

The campaign aims to tell the story of Britain's railways, while at the same time providing local jobs, volunteer opportunities, and community engagement.

Organisations from destinations as diverse as Scotland, Snowdonia, Leighton Buzzard and the Lake District hope that the campaign will help to focus the public on heritage railway organisations and encourage visitors to support them this summer.

This is the campaign's third year, and runs for six weeks from Last Monday, 5th June to Sunday, 16th July, and is being led by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Each week has a particular theme including Volunteers, Fundraising, Community, Education, History, and Restoration.

Visitors to the participating railways are encouraged to become involved and share photos and memories of their visits on social media using #LoveYourRailway

Each year, over 13 million passengers travel on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway and its fellow heritage railways.

Between them, they have over 560 miles of railway line and contribute £400 million to the economy.

Keeping these railways running and highlighting the significant role railways played through the industrial revolution are 22,000 volunteers and over 4,000 paid employees.

Catherine Johnson, Marketing Manager at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, said: “Uniquely run by over 850 volunteers, and with just a handful of paid staff, we operate a round trip of 28 miles through the stunning Cotswolds Countryside.

“It is fantastic to be involved with the #loveyourrailway campaign again, to showcase 6 key areas of the railway, to our ever-growing social media following. We really hope they continue enjoying visiting our railway over the Summer months.”

Stephen Oates, Chief Executive at The Heritage Railway Association, said: “In 2021 ‘Love Your Railway' secured collaborations from as far afield as Cornwall, Suffolk, North Wales, North East Scotland and Northern Ireland, with over 55 heritage railway organisations taking part and last year the campaign was even more successful with over 85 participating heritage railways organisations.

“We've really proud to back this campaign and look forward to seeing many more rail organisations get involved.”

9th June 2023

Steam locomotive 60019 Bittern set for overhaul in North Yorkshire​

60019 'Bittern' passes Moorgates on the 3rd May 2010

The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust has announced that it will be working with Locomotive Services Group to overhaul and help return LNER A4 No. 60019 ‘Bittern' back to service.

This news builds on the agreement signed in 2019 to operate 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley on the mainline with LSG.

To facilitate the overhaul, a new entity will be formed – SNG Engineering Ltd.

The overhaul will be completed in North Yorkshire at a new engineering location that has been secured.

The site is expected to be up and running in 2024 and 60019 will then move from storage in Margate to North Yorkshire. The boiler will be overhauled at LSG's boiler shop in Crewe.

The chassis will be overhauled by the Sir Nigel Gresley team in parallel with the work on the boiler, which is thought to be in good condition.

A timescale for the overhaul is thought to be a few years, certainly enough time to see the two A4's on the mainline together.

The SNGLT engineering team was based in York between 2015 and 2022 and have been keen to find a new home in Yorkshire since the locomotive became operational.

Overhauling Bittern has been part of the plan since the early days of discussions with LSL, with background work going on for some time.

SNG Engineering Ltd will be chaired by Bob Shearman, a Trustee of SNGLT.

Engineering activities will be run by Loco Engineer Darrin Crone and CME Richard Swales.

However, SNGLT has made it clear that neither SNGLT or SNGE will be entering the market for contact work on overhauls.

The reason behind the move to Yorkshire is that LSL have acknowledged that that have more steam locos than they can overhaul.

Chairman's comment: I am pleased we are able to announce this to members, it is something we have been working on for a long time and I see it as central to the long-term future of SNGLT and the continued operation of Sir Nigel Gresley. Maintaining and passing on the skills needed to keep an A4 operational is something we must do to ensure a successful future and this arrangement gives us that opportunity.

9th June 2023

Ukrainian Railways loaned €200 million by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development​

Following €150m of emergency liquidity finance that Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsya or UZ) received last year to help keep Ukraine's trains running, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is to lend Ukrainian Railways a further €200 million to upgrade the country's railway links with the European Union.

Most of Ukraine's imports and exports – including exports of grain vital for global food security – have traditionally gone by sea. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February prompted improvements to be made with the country's rail, road and river links with other countries.

€100 million of this latest loan will go towards emergency finance with the other €100 million providing working capital support.

Together, they will mitigate the impact of the war by allowing the expansion of cross-border capacity and improving Ukraine's railway connections with the EU.

The loan will allow Ukraine's railways to continue providing vital services to the country's people and businesses, repair key rail corridors on the country's border with the EU, and purchase rolling stock.

The EBRD shares its risks on its loans to Ukraine with donors and shareholders and will be supported by guarantees of up to 50 per cent.

The United States of America is providing €60 million with another €40 million coming from The Netherlands.

France and the European Fund for Sustainable Development, which also provided guarantees for the EBRD's earlier finance for Ukrainian Railways.

The project is also expected to be financed by an investment grant of up to €10 million provided by bilateral or multilateral donors.

That is intended to cover investment in communications equipment, energy-efficient lighting, and step-free access at several major railway stations, which together will fulfil the project's resilience and inclusivity objectives.

Although the war is having some effect, Ukrainian Railways has continued with cargo and passenger transportation operations, even if it is at reduced capacity.

The EBRD has been working with UZ since before the war started and has continued to support the company since invaded the country.

The EBRD's loans to Ukrainian Railways are part of the EBRD's five-pronged approach to supporting Ukraine's economy, with the focus being on its vital infrastructure, energy, food security, trade finance and support for the private sector.

With €3 billion of investments pledged to Ukraine in 2022-23, the EBRD is Ukraine's largest institutional investor.

Last year, it deployed €1.7 billion with a further €200 million coming from partner financial institutions.

9th June 2023


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

Back in the garden

The Laburnum tree has lost most of its flowers now.

Due to the Laburnum flower fall, the ground is covered in 'gold'.

Well, Cleo's pigs seem to be enjoying the 'flower fall'!

The Bottlebrush is flowering