ote the sunken WWII pill box in the foreground. nothing had as at 20 Oct. (Iain Scotchman, 14 Oct 2023.)
BELOW: At the nearby Tilbury2 Intermodal Terminal, 66434 is on a loade(Iain Scotchman, who has remarkably good eyesight a
ed train of containers the other side of the level crossing on 14 Oct 2023. nd can read an engine number off Realtime Trains…)
X.103] BELOW: (Compare with e-BLN 1433.2217) Progress at Beaulieu Park stat
tion, Chelmsford, looking towards Ipswich. (Iain Scotchman, Sun 15 Oct 2023.)
BELOW: In the other direction, towards Chelmsford and L
London, from the other side of that new road overbridge.
2342] Bognor Regis: BLN 1421.896 reports listed building consent for removal of the semaphores - has this happened? There are still working semaphores at Littlehampton (PREVIOUS, Julian James). 2343] Ash: (BLN 1410.2390) When seen on 9 Oct, earthworks south of the line had just begun to form a visible ramp up towards the planned overbridge on the curved alignment, expected for the new road to replace the A323 level crossing here. On the north side of the line, only site clearance was visible. 1434 SOUTH WEST :NEW EDITOR Samuel Taunton, PLEASE USE:: [email protected] 2344] Yeovil Pen Mill - Dorchester Jn: The line was closed from Mon 16 until Fri 20 Oct to replace 758m of 1950s vintage track between Chetnole and Maiden Newton at Cattistock. Brickwork was also repointed/repaired in Evershot Tunnel (149m 49ch to 63ch) on the same section requiring scaffolding. During the previous closures (Mon 27 Feb- Fri 3 Mar & Mon 6 - Fri 10 Mar 2023) 800m of track through Thornford was renewed, the station canopies at Maiden Newton were repaired and the station repainted, tactile paving was installed at Yeovil Pen Mill and there was vegetation clearance work. 2345] Salisbury - Axminster: Mon 6 - Fri 10 Nov, Yeovil Junction to Axminster (both excl) is closed for work at four sites including further stabilisation work near Crewkerne Tunnel after the 2021 landslip. Wilton Jn (Salisbury) to Yeovil Jn is closed Sat 25 Nov to Sun 10 Dec (incl); a 2-hourly service runs via Westbury, to renew 1,280m of track near Tisbury/Sherborne and 457m at Gillingham P1, along with level crossing maintenance at Wyley and Castleton plus earthworks stabilisation at Gillingham Tunnel. 2346] Meldon: No sign of renewal here! A member visited in early Sep and reports that southwest on from Okehampton, there are now trees growing through, and fallen on, the track at various points. 2347] Tytherington: (BLN 1432.2134) The branch reopened on Sun 24 Sep after the 16-day closure for engineering works but the 5mph restriction is still in force as the track was worse than expected (wait a bit longer for that railtour then). A senior member advises that the quarry headshunt (which dates from the 1972 reinstatement of the branch) is actually at a much higher level than the trackbed on to Thornbury. Facing the end of line, it is on the left (southwest) side of the original branch and ends at 6m 20ch (Sectional Appendix and TRACKmaps) at the A38 road, just before the tunnel mouth. It has previously been relaid on its original alignment but not extended. Those who have 'only' been to Thornbury do need a significant amount of new track. The branch dropped into a steep cutting after Grovesend bridge to pass under the A38 but the 1972 headshunt was built on newly levelled ground alongside the cutting, to end just before the A38 tunnel, almost level with the roof of the tunnel. 2348] HS2 cash windfall or hot air? The first Government announcement or redistribution of cash over the next 17 years up to 2040 after cancellation of HS2 to Manchester promised £100M in funding for a Mass Transit system; to revolutionise travel in and around Bristol. In the second announcement the reference to Bristol had become £100M in funding for the West of England Combined Authority. The Authority's area includes Bristol but it now appears to be able to decide how to spend the £100M. 1434 WEST MIDLANDS (Brian Schindler) [email protected] 2349] New Street: (BLN 1430.1910) From 8 Oct until 5 Nov, it is the turn of P9 & 10 to be out of use along with No 3 Siding, for de-spalling work on the concrete roof which is approaching 60 years old. 2350] Great Malvern: Sadly, Lady Foley's Tea Room closes from 1 Nov the owners (a mother and daughter) have run it for 39 years and now want to retire. No one has been found to take over. 2351] West Midlands Metro: ①Following BLN 1433.2242, a member reports that, some days, he has seen Edgbaston Village platforms in use alternately. The right hand (preferred) platform on arrival is better for bus interchange. Regarding the large dent in the wooden stop block (E-BLN 1432.2141), there have been no reports of a tram hitting it. When our member looked, he concluded that it was probably a road vehicle due to bits of plastic littering the scene, the breakage appears off the track centre and there were tyre tracks in the grass that looked like a recovery vehicle. From observation, there was no damage on 9 Mar and it had happened by 16th . Recently he noticed that the red 'STOP' signs in the four-foot had disappeared again but the post stumps were still there, so presumably somebody didn't stop in the correct place (or they were stolen). Our member has also noticed that something has passed the 'STOP' signs here occasionally, possibly an overhead maintenance vehicle?
②An editorial bus ride on Tue 10 Oct enabled the Eastside extension to be viewed (BLN 1433.2242 plan). Double track is complete from the delta junction down Lower Bull St to High St. There is also completed double track out of Meriden St on to Digbeth High St. Excavations extend from here, past Digbeth Coach Station, to opposite the 'Old Crown' in Deritend. There are separate short sections of double rail outside the Coach Station and just past/opposite the Old Crown,that were being concreted. ③West Midlands Metro was named UK Tram Operator of the Year at the National Transport Awards on 5 Oct, just 24 hours after recognition at the Global Light Rail Awards for various recent initiatives. 2352] Hademore: On the Trent Valley Line, roughly halfway between Tamworth and Lichfield, a new signal gantry has recently been erected near here to replace signals CH50/51. This is outside the Colwich Jn resignalling area and seems a bit far from the new HS2 link (actually under construction). 1434 IRELAND (Martin Baumann) [email protected] 2353] Service, please: The annual survey of large companies' customer service in the Irish Republic was recently published and, in general, transport does not do well. All the major food retailers were in the top 20 of the 150 companies listed but Irish Rail mainline services were rated 66th (72nd in 2022), with LUAS trams 74th (106th), DART 100th (82nd), Bus Éireann 116th (100th) and Dublin Bus 119th (121st). Aer Lingus was the transport company which made the greatest improvement at 41st (compared with 99th in 2022) while, unsurprisingly, Ryanair was 144th out of 150 (133rd last year). 2354] Trans non-link? Both bus and rail staff at Translink are being balloted over strikes, which could halt services during the first week of November if approved. 1434 ISLE OF MAN (Graeme Easton) [email protected] 2355] Heritage Railways Review: (BLN 1432.2149) The report into the future operation of heritage rail has been delayed. Systra [transport consultants, not a treatment for cystitis] were appointed earlier in the year to carry out an independent review and economic impact assessment of the Island's vintage railway network including the Steam Railway, Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway and Douglas Bay Horse Tramway. A six-week public consultation ended on August 13 and Systra was due to report back by the end of September. The Department of Infrastructure has said there will be a 'short' delay before Systra issue the report to them; the Department will then consider the findings, after which they will advise on where and when it will be published. It is understood that there were far more responses than they were expecting, which is probably a good sign but the fact they are not committing to publish the findings in full is more worrying. 2356] Festive Trains - Ho Ho Ho! https://tinyurl.com/3m9yb2rc is the brochure for the Festive and New Year services. In a change, there are no steam trains to Santa's Grotto at Santon but Santa (your Regional Editor) will appear on the Polar Express, which proved successful last year and has been expanded to eight days with up to four trains a day. MER trams from Laxey to the 'Little Shed' at Dhoon Glen return; however, despite six trams a day for seven days, they are already sold out. A new venture is the MER Festive Fyn & Filbey's Line with a tram from Derby Castle to Ramsey for dinner, drink and music at the Fynoderee Distillery alongside the terminus. There are also 23 Dining trains from 6 until 31 Dec, including the New Years Eve special (which we hope doesn't have the same issues as last year when it struck a fallen tree at Ballabeg and sustained significant damage). 2357] A load of Ballawoods: On the Steam Railway between Santon and Ballasalla, a new 'station' has appeared along with a station building and two 'Ballawoods Halt' nameboards. However, nothing will be halting there as it is entirely unofficial and too far from the railway to be useable. The Halt is the work of eccentric local inventor Dr John Taylor who lives in his bespoke Hobbit inspired home nearby. 1434 SCOTLAND (Greg Beecroft) [email protected] 2358] Levenmouth: It was originally planned that the branch would be operated by battery electric multiple units (BEMUs), with discontinuous electrification in Fife to start with. Both electrification and ordering new trains have been delayed by funding limits, so the service will be DMU worked for several years. Extra DMUs are needed, with the Barrhead electrification making just one available. The others are to be found by reducing the frequency of Dundee to Arbroath and Montrose to Aberdeen stopping services, with longer distance trains making additional stops to compensate.
BELOW: (Item 2357) The new 'Ballawoods Halt' between Santon an
nd Ballasalla on the Steam Railway. (Jenny Williamson, 2 Oct 2023.)
X.104] BELOW: Our Day on the Isle of Man (report BLN 1433.2254); Derb
by Castle, starting from Pillar Road. (All Graeme Easton, Sat 22 Jul 2023.)
BELOW: In Broadway headshunt before proceeding to end of line (
(off bottom left). The Horse Tram photos are dedicated to Martha.
BELOW: Leaving Douglas station (far right in smoke) for Port Soderick,
passing N o 4 'Caledonia' being loaded up for road transfer to Knockaloe.
BELOW: Some hardy perennial members walking back to Douglas along Marine
e Drive; middle left is an abutment of the former tramway viaduct across here.
BELOW: An obscure view; Douglas Bay with the new MV 'Manxman' in harbou
ur; from the Great Union Camera Obscura in far from ideal lighting conditions.
BELOW: This is where passengers would have once boarded at the botto
om of the Douglas Head Incline Railway (we had to use the steps, right).
BELOW: Looking back at Douglas Head, the 450ft long, 1:4½, Incline Railway r
ran from left of centre up to near the Great Union Camera Obscura, top right.
BELOW: Back at Broadway, an anonymous 'trainee' horse (actually 'Ginger' -
- that takes the biscuit) pulls out of the headshunt towards the pickup point.
BELOW: Our members observe the gravity shunt to reposition the trailer a
at the recently reopened Ramsey (Plaza) Manx Electric Railway terminus.
BELOW: At Ramsey the trailer ends up at the buffers stops for departure so, y
ou can guess where our members sat. Some 'Normals' have joined the crowd.
BELOW: Alighting at Queen's Drive West request stop after travelling all othe statistics as much as if we had all gone through to Douglas. As this phEditor (bottom right, bag in hand) has extreme difficulty finding suitable
of 22ch from Ramsey (off right) - but it still counts as one journey each in hotos shows our members come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, your BLN e shoes that fit for example. Anyone would think it was a Hall of Mirrors.
BELOW: People Power is applied to the baggage cart on Ramsey Pier at the enbe restored is right. Our Sales Officer, Darren Garnon (green bag), is looking ve
d of restored Bay 3 showing the high standard of the work. The next section to ry pensive, Member Claire Wapples (far left) is thinking: They are not with me!
BELOW & NEXT: (Item 2360 and e-BLN 1433.X.100) At the Fort William end othe Beluga Caviar, Champagne, Flora etc. The disused signal box is listed (and
of Arisaig station 'bubble car' 55022 is in the Down Refuge Siding, as they load d may even be listing too). (All Nick Jones, who gets about a bit, 30 Sep 2023.)
PREVIOUS: Well it worked when we came in! BELOW: Crossing a train fro