Marcus' Model Railway Journey

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Added 3 pin & USB socket. The seating had to removed and then reinstalled

The company’s engineers are also carrying out the same package of improvements for the 62 slightly-older Class 377/1 trains in service on Southern routes.

The upgrade will be extended to include all 214 of Southern’s 377s and 56 Class 387s currently working on Great Northern and Gatwick Express routes.

By bringing every train up to the same modern standards, with common features across the whole fleet, GTR’s engineers can streamline their routine maintenance and repairs.

To accelerate maintenance and improve reliability further, a new “smart” On-Train Data Recorder helps to predict and diagnose faults, allowing some problems to be fixed without returning to the depot.

To help analyse incidents that delay services, new forward-facing CCTV cameras are being fitted to film tracks in front of the trains.
 
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Electrostar Upgrade – new media screens​

GTR’s Engineering Director Steve Lammin said:

“These Electrostars are great trains. Taking on board our passengers’ feedback, this comprehensive upgrade will provide an even better on-board experience and more reliability. With collaboration from Alstom and Porterbrook, our team at Selhurst Depot has developed and streamlined a process of stripping out a train’s seats, interior panels and old wiring, installing all the new features, refitting seats and panels, testing and returning to service, at a rate of just one week per train.

“Well over a quarter of the fleet has now been through the programme, and more and more passengers will notice the benefits over the coming years.

“I’m really pleased that GTR is working with Porterbrook and Alstom to build a better railway for our customers.”

Ben Ackroyd, Chief Operating Officer at Porterbrook said:

“Porterbrook’s £100m investment programme to upgrade the Electrostar fleet, operated by GTR, highlights our commitment to providing an improved passenger experience with better information displays, more access to plug sockets and efficient LED lighting. The installation of Automated Passenger Counting now provides insight into real-time demand on service.

“From an infrastructure perspective, Forward-Facing CCTV and enhanced GPS feeds enable remote monitoring of track conditions. This can help deliver improved network performance and reliability by reducing the need for dedicated track inspection vehicles and allows rail staff to assess conditions flexibly.”

Peter Broadley, Managing Director of Services at Alstom UK & Ireland said:

“It is great to see the Electrostars get a new lease of life, fit for purpose for the next phase of their operations. Working closely with our partners at GTR and Porterbrook we have created a great product which significantly enhances the customer experience across the GTR network. I’m looking forward to successfully completing the project in a little over two years from now.”
 

December 6th, 2022​

Major warehouse fire in Wolverhampton continues to cause railway disruption​

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Drone picture of warehouse fire beside railway in Wolverhampton​

Rail passengers are being urged to check before travelling due to delays while firefighters deal with a major fire next to the railway line in Wolverhampton.

Network Rail has been forced to close the railway and stop running trains when the fire started at 9pm yesterday, Monday 5th December.

Trains are still suspended on the Stour Valley Line between Wolverhampton, Sandwell & Dudley and Birmingham.

This is because the main wall of the warehouse is now at risk of collapsing onto the tracks.
 
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Unstable wall beside railway lines at scene of warehouse fire in Wolverhampton​

Train operators are diverting trains between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street but means the following stations are closed:
  • Coseley
  • Tipton
  • Dudley Port
  • Sandwell and Dudley
  • Smethwick Galton Bridge
  • Smethwick Rolfe Street
Rail replacement buses are also running between Crewe and Liverpool South Parkway as well as Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury.

Martin Colmey, Network Rail’s Central route operations director, said:

“We’re sorry to passengers impacted by the fire next to the railway and we’re working hard to help the fire service establish the extent of the damage locally so trains can run again.

“I’d please ask people planning on travelling on the West Coast main line through Wolverhampton to check National Rail Enquiries before they set off on their journey.”
 

December 6th, 2022​

Steam locomotive 60009 Union of South Africa set to leave Bury in January​

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60009 Union of South Africa at Bury Transport Museum

John Cameron, owner of LNER A4 No. 60009 Union of South Africa, has announced plans for the locomotive in 2023.

At one of the recent An Evening With John Cameron, which has been held at the Bury Transport Museum, where 60009 Union of South Africa has been on display since May 2022, Mr Cameron announced that his application for a museum on his farm in Fife had been approved.

With permission granted by Fife Council Planning Committee, John Cameron will now move the A4 to Fife in the middle of January 2023, with haulage arrangements now in place.

Expected to join 60009 Union of South Africa at the new museum is 61994 The Great Marquess.

The new museum is expected to open to the public in 2023.

Chairman of the ELR, Mike Kelly, said

“On behalf of the ELR I want to thank John for his trust and confidence in the ELR in looking after his iconic locomotive for the past several years.”
 

December 7th, 2022​

Severe disruption to services after overhead lines damaged at London Euston​

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Network Rail and emergency services helping passengers off stranded train outside Euston station​

Severe disruption is being caused to West Coast main line trains into and out of London’s Euston station after 25,000-volt overhead cables were damaged earlier this morning, Wednesday, 7th December.

According to Network Rail, the incident happened at 8.50am when the overhead wires got caught on a passing train.

When the lines came down, all trains were forced to stop, since when teams have been working to help passengers get off their trains safely.
 
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The tangle of wires after they were damaged at London Euston station​

James Dean, Network Rail’s West Coast South route director, said:

“I’m sorry to passengers impacted by the overhead lines coming down outside Euston station and the major disruption to journeys this is causing.

“Our team of engineers is working hard to fix the wires and restore power so we can get a full service back up and running as soon as possible. But when wires are damaged like this it can mean a complex and lengthy repair. For that reason I’d urge people to check www.nationalrail.co.uk before they set off on their journey as unfortunately disruption is expected all day.”
 
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Network Rail engineers walking along the track to scene of overhead line damage at Euston​

A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said:

“We would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding. Whilst we are attempting to run our full service for the remainder of the day, customers should expect some disruption. Anyone who chooses to delay their journey, can use their ticket to travel tomorrow.”
 

December 7th, 2022​

Stour Line through Wolverhampton reopens after warehouse fire​

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Wall after overnight demolition of fire damaged Wolverhampton warehouse​

Network Rail have worked throughout the night to inspect the overhead lines and aid with the demolition of an unstable wall.

The fire started around 9pm on the 5th December at Lower Horseley Fields, resulting in the Stour line between Birmingham and Wolverhampton to be closed.

Railway staff have worked closely with West Midlands Fire Service to get the service back up and running this morning (7th December).

Martin Colmey, Network Rail’s Central route operations director, said:

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we had to close the railway for their safety during this major incident. With the blaze within metres of the railway we had no choice but to close the line.

“Where possible we tried to keep as many services running through diversions but I appreciate travel for people would have been very challenging yesterday. Thankfully the route is now reopen thanks to the hard work of railway staff and West Midlands Fire Service who fought the flames and protected our key infrastructure from any serious damage.”
 
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December 8th, 2022​

Tyne Valley and Settle & Carlisle rail routes reopen for services​

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Northern train passing over repaired Petteril Bridge junction with B&Q in the background​

After services on two key rail routes in Carlisle had been disrupted for seven weeks, since 6.00am yesterday morning, Wednesday, 7th December, direct trains are running again on the Tyne Valley line between Carlisle and Newcastle and the Settle to Carlisle line between Carlisle, Appleby and Skipton.

On Wednesday, 19th October, a train carrying powdered cement was derailed at Petteril Bridge junction, just outside Carlisle. Since then, Network Rail engineers have been working around the clock to restore services.
 
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Cement being removed from the derailed freight wagons​

Drone footage shows work taking place to restore services over the bridge.

Work to get the line open again included:
  • recovering the locomotive and 11 of the 14 wagons involved in the derailment;
  • using a giant vacuum to remove 80 tonnes of powdered cement from three wagons that needed recovery by crane;
  • replacing 80 metres of damaged track;
  • installing 400 metres of new cables for signals and points;
  • replacing two points switches;
  • pouring 125 tonnes of concrete into metal reinforcement cages used to repair the damaged bridge.
 
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Aerial shot of the new bridge deck​

Mark Evans, Network Rail senior programme manager, said:

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we worked tirelessly to get the railway back up and running after it was severely damaged by the freight train derailment."

“This has been a very complex recovery and repair job. Now it’s complete this major railway junction is future-proofed and has been strengthened in the very rare event anything like this should happen again meaning more reliable journeys for passengers and freight for years to come.”

Kerry Peters, regional director at Northern, said:

“We have been working very hard with Network Rail to reopen the railway at Petteril bridge following the freight train derailment in October.

“Now that work is complete, Northern services have resumed on both the Tyne Valley and Settle to Carlisle lines – and we have allocated extra advance purchase fares to welcome people back on-board. We’d like to thank our customers for being patient during this disruption and everyone involved in getting our passengers moving again.”
 

December 8th, 2022​

Consultation launched into improvements at Holyhead railway station​

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Cardiff-Holyhead intercity train at Holyhead​

Transport for Wales is wanting to improve Holyhead station into a local transport hub and is asking local residents, visitors or business owners to provide feedback on the proposals.

Improvements range from signage and passenger facilities to integration between different transport modes.

The scheme is currently at an early stage so there are no detailed plans for any of the proposed options and TfW has not sought or secured any funding for the scheme as yet.

The options presented are initial ideas only.

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December 8th, 2022​

Two visiting steam locomotives announced for Great Central Railway Winter Steam Gala​

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SR S15 Urie class no.506

The Great Central Railway has announced two visiting steam locomotives for next month’s Winter Steam Gala.

Taking place between the 27th and 29th January 2023, the Great Central Railway will welcome SR Urie S15 No. 506 and BR Standard Class 5 No. 73082 ‘Camelot’ for the Winter Steam Gala.

These visiting locomotives visit the Great Central Railway thanks to the Mid Hants Railway / Urie Locomotive Society and the Bluebell Railway / 73082 Camelot Locomotive Society respectively.
 

73082 Camelot​

A British Railways Standard Class 5, Built Derby 1955 and named after a withdrawn King Arthur class locomotive.

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73082 Camelot and 506 will join the homefleet of 92214 City of Leicester, 48305, 73156, 78018, 78019 and D123 to haul an intensive timetable of goods and passenger trains.
 

December 9th, 2022​

Steam locomotive 46115 Scots Guardsman to pass through West Yorkshire today

46115 Scots Guardsman will be visiting Keighley this Friday, 9th December, as it heads to York with an ECS Movement.

Departing Carnforth Steamtown at 10:10, the locomotive will pass through Carnforth (10:35 & 11:33), Hellifield (12:23), Skipton (12:37), Keighley (12:54), Shipley (13:01), Leeds (13:51), Micklefield (14:03), Church Fenton (14:09) and York at 14:54.

Note: This movement may have a diesel on the front for part or all of its journey

ABOVE CANCELLED

46115 SCOTS GUARDSMAN works through Settle Junction with 5Z15, 10.10 Carnforth to York Holgate with its POB in tow.

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I'd given up on this, intending to phot it at Ingber Hill, Gargrave, but some weather related issue meant it left Carnforth 51 minutes late.

Approaching Settle Junction I realised it wouldn't be far away and as it came round the curve from Giggleswick it was obviously just loco and support coach, so a quick change of plan....

47804 and the stock for tomorrow's trip to Edinburgh would follow later in the day, also as 5Z15, 16.10 Carnforth to York Holgate.
 

December 9th, 2022​

Doncaster site helps Ball And Woodland Group achieve 82% reduction in emissions​

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First GBRf train comes into iPart Rail Doncaster

Manufacturer Ball Beverage Packaging EMEA,has now reduced its inbound supply chain carbon emissions by 82%. This reduction comes after a partnership with the Woodland Group.

The reductions in their carbon levels took place between March 2021 and September 2022.

Part of the reductions involved the Woodland Group, initiating a new rail route for Ball at its Doncaster facility, resulting in 4.35 times fewer emissions over 1,442 FEU’s

This equates to a reduction in 886 tonnes of carbon compared to if the containers had travelled by road.

Alongside the reductions, the initiative meant that the freight trucking system ran more efficiently which helped to lower the number of demurrage penalties.

The partnership was made in February 2021, with the aim of being carbon conscious and finding solutions to help bring down emissions.

Woodland Group also reduced the cost and energy consumption by 70% by installing motion sensing and lux-level detection LED lighting at the Doncaster site.

Jack Harrison, Logistics Development Manager for Ball Beverage Packaging EMEA commented:

“We are actively finding ways to reduce our carbon footprint by moving to intermodal solutions and alternative fuels across EMEA.

“This is a great step forward to ensure our supply chain offers a competitive advantage to our customer base by offering a smarter and greener supply chain. This is credit to our partnership with Woodland Group and we look forward to future initiatives that can deliver even greater value.”

Luke Fermor, Head of Fulfilment for Woodland Group, added:

“Having the opportunity to work closely with Ball Beverage Packaging on driving carbon conscious initiatives through the supply chain has been a vital component to our partnership. Achieving 82% reduction on emissions on inland freight so far as a result is credit to our collective teams’ commitment, innovative thinking, and collaborative approach, and we’re excited to build on this further."

“Working with clients like Ball is a real pleasure and seeing shared vision and sustainability objectives create tangible change is incredibly encouraging for us and our industry’s future. Together we are already looking at new objectives for future development of carbon-conscious solutions that create opportunity and deliver sustainable supply chains.”
 

December 9th, 2022​

December 2022 update on steam locomotive 61673 Spirit of Sandringham​

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Final inspection of the wheels after this machining before being released by ADA​

The B17 Steam Locomotive Trust has sent an update on B17 No. 61673 Spirit of Sandringham.

Firstly, on the Hornblock Assembly, work has progressed and all six hornblocks and are planned for completion in January 2023.

Moving onto the Cannon Axleboxes, machining and manufacturing of the fasteners is now underway at Daniela Works Ltd in Shildon and these should also be completed in January 2023.
 
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This is one of the Cannon Axleboxes undergoing initial machining at DWL​

The six coupled driving wheels have passed their NDT tests at William Cook Cast Products and have now been accepted.

Next up is the bogies. Forgings for the tyres are at South Devon Railway Engineering, and the roller bearings from Timken are expected to be delivered by March 2023.

Design work of the bogie frame can start once the design of the cylinders have been completed.

Quotes for the wheels and their casting have been received from William Cook Cast Products and an order has been placed.
 
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The planned face of Spirit of Sandringham​

The bogie wheel pattern was loaned to the trust from the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, which consisted of 10 spokes rather than the 12.

After a generous offer from a B17 member to fund a new 12 spoke pattern, the trust compared both designs to identify differences that would mean changes to the roller bearings and bogie frame design.

Ricardo Rail has to approve the bogie frame design before manufacturing can start.

Once approval is gained, quotes for the manufacturing of the frame, axle box casting and machining, spaces and fasteners can be obtained.

Quotes for the smokebox, smokebox door and door hinges have been requested from the trust’s proposed supplier and a Smokebox Appeal has been launched.

Design work for the cylinders and motion should be completed by the end of 2022 and the designer can then move onto the bogie design.

The cylinder design has focussed on making a fabricated cylinder and saddle to replace the original castings.
 

December 9th, 2022​

Network Rail CEO Andrew Haines sets out plans for Integrated Rail Plan​

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Andrew Haines​

Yesterday, Thursday 8th, December, Andrew Haines, the Chief Executive Officer of Network Rail and Great British Railways Transition Team Lead, explained why a single coordinating, decision-making body for rail is necessary if the full benefits of the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) are to be realised.

Andrew was speaking to regional business leaders at the Sheffield office of Arup, and called on business leaders to support the fundamental reform of Britain’s rail system in the same way they do for major investment projects.

His message was that to get the railways working as they should, supporting growth and prosperity in every part of the country, investment is required to build the right things as well as updating the way in which the rail sector is structured.

“Make no mistake, the Integrated Rail Plan is a massive investment in the north. It’s brilliant. It has the potential to alter the travel habits of millions of people – making journeys greener, more reliable and faster. Cities with reduced road congestion and cleaner air. New employment opportunities and business connections.”

“The frequency of trains from Leeds to Manchester potentially more than doubling, and journey times falling from 55 minutes to 33 minutes. But I’m afraid if the IRP is all we do, we will be missing a great chance.”

“Only if we create a clear decision-making and leadership body for the railway – what has been called Great British Railways… can we join up decisions to maximise efficiency and speed up improvements. For instance, ensuring the IRP delivers all that it promises for customers.”

​

 

December 9th, 2022​

Disruption to TfW services this December and January – check before you travel

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Rail passengers are being warned to prepare for disruption across the Wales and Borders network during December and January.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) have announced strike action will take place on 13-14, 16-17 and 24-27 December and 3-4 and 6-7 January.

This will significantly disrupt the rail network across the whole of Wales, England and Scotland.

Transport for Wales is not involved in the industrial action. However, the industrial action resulting from the dispute between the unions and Network Rail means TfW will be unable to operate rail services on Network Rail infrastructure.

Industrial action

13-14 and 16-17 December and 3-4 and 6-7 January – only services in and around Cardiff will be able to operate

The majority of services across the Wales and Borders network will be suspended.

As on previous strike days, an hourly service will run between Cardiff and Newport, Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymey.

No other services across the Wales and Borders network will be able to operate on strike days.

On 15 December and 5 January, a full timetable will operate but services will start later than normal – night shift signalling shifts will be affected by the strikes, so services can only start when early shift signallers arrive for duty. For more information visit Industrial action | Transport for Wales (tfw.wales)

24-27 December

Services will finish earlier than normal on 24 December and start later on 27 December due to the industrial action. There are no services on 25 and 26 December.

Jan Chaudhry-Van der Velde, Transport for Wales Chief Operations Officer, said:

“The Christmas and New Year period is traditionally a very busy time for the rail industry and this year with a number of strike days taking place throughout December and January it’s vital passengers check for the latest information before making their journeys.

“We are continuing to advise people to only travel by rail on strike days if they have checked on journey planners first. Despite not being involved in the strikes, only around 10% of our services will be running and the majority of the Wales and Borders network will have no services at all.”

Other operators - Great Western Railway

GWR will be able to operate to/from Cardiff on 13/14/16 December and 3/4/6 January, but not on either Saturday 17 December or 7 January.

Great Western Railway services will not be running on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.

Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 December

Trains between London and South Wales will run but will be diverted between Swindon and Newport – extending journey times by around 25 minutes.
  • An hourly service will operate between London Paddington and Swansea
  • These trains will stop additionally at Patchway
  • Shuttle buses are planned between Patchway and Bristol Parkway
Visit Christmas travel | Great Western Railway (gwr.com) for more information

Planned engineering work

With expected lower numbers of travellers over the Christmas period, TfW is taking the opportunity to deliver major pieces of infrastructure work.

The railway line from Cardiff Bay to Pontypridd, Merthyr Tydfil and Treherbert, including the City Line will close to trains between 24 December 2022 – 31 December 2022.

Followed closely by a closure of the railway lines between Pontypridd to Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare, this will take place from 2-24 January 2023.

During this time, bus replacement services will be in operation and passengers should check before they travel at www.tfw.wales

Network Rail will be carrying out engineering works between Swansea and Carmarthen between December 24 and 0400 on 27 December, when trains are not scheduled to run.

Further engineering works between the two locations is planned to take place between December 31 and January 2, with buses replacing trains.

Bus travel

For an overview of festive travel arrangements from public transport operators in Wales visit the Traveline Cymru ‘Christmas & New Year Travel Information’ page or call the Traveline Cymru customer service line on Freephone number 0800 464 0000.

The Traveline Cymru helpline will be available daily over the festive period apart from Christmas Day and Boxing Day, operating with reduced hours on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

If you travel regularly on the Traws Cymru services, you can view Christmas timetables here: https://traws.cymru/en/christmas-2022-0

Please remember some bus operators across Wales will be operating on reduced timetables with early finishes on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and on other days over the festive period, with some services closing on Christmas Day and Boxing Day as well as New Year’s Day.

Please plan ahead and check before you travel.

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December 9th, 2022

ETHNON RAIL

YouTube Channel News

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Gv8b2T-qbLmt2tgAmJp1g/about

The Channel now has 14 subscribers, I thank all those that have subscribed so far.

Update on videos, Neonlake has been busy with editing and putting the video together and the video is ready to be rendered. Soon people, very soon. :)
 
The first standardised railway carriage design built by British Railways, the Mark 1 coach introduced in 1951 could be found across Britain’s railway network and continued to be produced until 1963, and even later in the form of multiple units and non-passenger stock.

Along with being widely deployed, Mk1 coaches were built in various places including Derby, Doncaster, Eastleigh, Swindon, Wolverton and York.

Most Mk1 coaches had 63ft 5in long underframes with 64ft 6in long bodies, although some were built shorter to be used on tighter curves where large overhangs would otherwise have prohibited running.

In 1977 a reduction in the number of fatalities on British railways since 1955 was attributed to the introduction of the Mk1 coaches due to their steel build, strong underframe, and buckeye couplings making them far safer in the event of an accident.

Mk1 coaches started to be withdrawn from widescale service in the 1990s, although in some regions, particularly in the south, Mk1 base multiple units continued to be used well into the 2000s.

Network rail continue to use modified Mk1 coaches for various departmental duties and rail tour operators continue to use Mk1 coaches on specially organised services.

The Mk1 BCK is a Mk1 Brake Composite Corridor coach meaning seating is split into compartments connected by a corridor on one side.

The coach provided both first- and second-class compartments.

Along with passenger seating this coach also houses a compartment containing equipment used to help brake the train.

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