1265

Issue Number 1265 (Items 1795 - 1910 & MR 175 - MR 188) (E-BLN 52 PAGES) 24 Sep 2016

BRANCH LINE NEWS

Published twice monthly by the Branch Line Society (founded 1955)
Website: www.branchline.org.uk

Membership Enquiries: [email protected]
22 Treemount Court, Grove Ave., Epsom, Surrey, KT17 4DU. 01372 728677

British Isles news from members, an international section is also available.
Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Compilers or the Society.

BLN 1266 is dated 8 October all contribSouctiieotny.s must be received by 28 September.

Date Event Details BLN Lead Status

Sun 25/9/16 10.30/11.00 - 14.45/16.45 Wensleydale event (with PLEG) 1264 JE Enquire

Fri 30/9/16 13.00 Eastleigh Lakeside & Netley Royal Victoria Railways 1261 JE OPEN

Sun 2/10/16 Apedale Valley Railway 10.30 & 13.00 all line railtours 1261 JC OPEN

Thur 6/10/16 Signalbox visits Derby to Stoke-on-Trent Line 1264 NJ FULL

Fri 7/10/16 The Cliffe Hopper loco-hauled tour, Crewe (08.35-16.34) 1262 KA OPEN

Fri 14/10/16 09.18/10.22 West Midlands service train tracker 1265 KA *OPEN*

Sun 23/10/16 Crich Tramway Village 10.15 second rare track visit  1264 JC OPEN

Sun 23/10/16 Goodluck Mine Tram 15.00 tramway trips - 11" gauge 1265 JC *OPEN*

Fri 4/11/16 Epping Ongar Railway 08.30 Very comprehensive tour 1257 DG OPEN

Sat 5/11/16 East Kent Railway/AGM 08.30 Very comprehensive tour 1257 DG OPEN

Sat 5/11/16 Evening presentation by Ian Mortimer with interval buffet 1257 DG OPEN

Sun 6/11/16 Kent & East Sussex Rly 08.30 Extensive railtour 1257 DG OPEN

10-17/11/16 Jordan Hejaz Railway Postponed to 2017 SEE BELOW 1250 IS OPEN

Sat 19/11/16 Fisherman's Friend Explorer 10.30 Blackpool Heritage Trams 1265 KA *OPEN*

Sun 11/12/16 The Rylstone Cowboy 11.50 & 14.50 branch line tours 1265 KA *OPEN*

Mon 26/12/16 Boxing Day 10.00 private 10¼" railway in Worcestershire 1261 PS OPEN

Sat 7/1/2017 Scunthorpe Steel Works (09.30 - dark) Extensive railtour 1265 PS *OPEN*

Sat 14/1/2017 Mainline railtour in the Southeast - save the date TBA TBA Claimed

19-21/5/2017 Annual long weekend - Republic of Ireland 'mixed' gauges 1265 KA *Notify*

DG-Darren Garnon, IS-Iain Scotchman, JC-John Cameron, JE-Jill Everitt, KA-Kev Adlam, NJ-Nick Jones, PS-Paul Stewart.

1795] BRANCH LINE SOCIETY, 2016 (61st) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

12.00, Saturday 5 November 2016, Shepherdswell Village Hall, Shepherdswell:

Notice is hereby given that the 2016 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) of the Society will be held
next to the East Kent Railway (EKR) at the Village Hall, Cox Hill, Shepherdswell, Dover, CT15 7NN.
Members are invited to attend, celebrate our increasing provision of unique services to railway
enthusiasts, in so many different ways, and look forward to further such opportunities in the
future.For those who pre-register, complimentary refreshments will be served either during a limited
break or at the end of the AGM if business is concluded promptly and efficiently. Members will no
doubt anticipate details from Kev Adlam of the Society's extensive future programme of varied events.

It is planned that the meeting will conclude by 15.00 but can continue later should business require it.
Members wishing to attend the AGM are requested to individually confirm their intention to the
General Secretary, preferably via e-mail to [email protected] or in writing to the address
below. To ensure that the EKR can accommodate all those likely to attend, and comply with the
venue's fire certificate, notification of intent must be received by or on Monday 31 October 2016.
Special souvenir tickets will be issued on the day when booked members register. Without this ticket,
(available only to those notifying in advance) you will ONLY be able to access the meeting venue and
will not be entitled to the complimentary catering. In the unlikely event that the capacity of the large
meeting room is reached, members who do not advance register will regrettably be unable to attend.

The closing date for receipt of items for the AGM agenda, including nominations for all the Officers
listed in the Constitution plus four Committee Members per Standing Orders, and any motions for
debate, each duly proposed and seconded, is Saturday 8 October 2016. Dave Cromarty is standing
down this year, after providing immense support, time and skills in helping to progressively modernise
the Society, so there is one vacancy for a Committee Member this year. The Committee is aware of
one potential applicant but other nominations are welcome.

Any correspondence about these should be posted to Tim Wallis, General Secretary, 10 Sandringham
Road, STOKE GIFFORD, South Gloucestershire, BS34 8NP to arrive by Saturday 8 October 2016 or via
e-mail as above. Please enclose an SAE if a written acknowledgement is required.

Officers' Reports are due to be circulated in advance with BLN 1266 (publication date 8 October 2016),
together with the draft 2015/16 Accounts, allowing members to appreciate these ahead of the AGM.
Officers will not read out these reports at the Meeting but most anticipate being present and available
to answer questions during the relevant agenda items. Please bring these along to the AGM. No copies
will be available on the day to avoid wastage and unnecessary expense to your Society.

Apologies for Absence will only be acknowledged where notified to the General Secretary before the
Meeting date. A Final AGM Notice, with detailed agenda, will be issued to members with BLN 1267
(22 October 2016), which will also set out proposed subscription rates for 2016/17. Copies of the
draft 2015 AGM Minutes were supplied with BLN 1246 (5 December 2015).

Mark Gomm, your Sales Officer, plans to provide a sales stand in the meeting room, open for business
for a short period before the AGM and during designated breaks. Please contact Mark directly (see
back page) as soon as possible, and by Friday 28 October at the latest, if you wish him to bring (or
order) any particular items. The EKR's public areas will be available to members not taking part in our
fixture there from 10.00 onwards. Fuller access details will be provided in the Final Notice.

Members are reminded of the FOUR AGM fixtures of which three provide unique, comprehensive
coverage of all available track at the Epping Ongar Railway (Fri 4 Nov); EKR (Sat 5 Nov) and the Kent &
East Sussex Railway (Sun 6 Nov). Some places remain on each; full details in BLN 1257 (21 May 2016).
Please contact Darren Garnon if you are now interested at 3 Reader Drive, Marden, Tonbridge, Kent,
TN12 9FD, with a cheque or completed CPA and an email address or SAE (second one for an optional
acknowledgement). Queries [email protected] (for all the fixtures). The EKR fixture will be
in two parts, with major stock shunting carried out while the AGM takes place there between 12.00
and 15.00, to make those areas occupied in the morning available. The very considerable amount of
work being undertaken especially for our benefit is very unlikely to be repeatable on any future
occasion at each of the three railways. After the AGM, our Treasurer and long-standing member Ian
Mortimer will present a selection of his railway photos NB at the EKR (not the Village Hall). This talk is
supplemented by a generous buffet with soft-drinks provided. Places remain on all four events,
individually or otherwise; PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL NEED TO BE BOOKED AND PAID FOR IN ADVANCE.

1796] RailStaff Awards 2016: (BLN 1264.1677) It is pleasing to report that following the public vote,
our Fixtures Secretary, Kev Adlam has made it through to the final in the 'Charitable person or team
of the year' award. The judges' decision is announced on the evening of 8 Oct at the Ricoh Arena.

[BLN 1265]

ABOVE: Steam-hauled passenger trains cross at North Weald on the Ongar branch in 1957
not long before electric services began on 19 Nov that year. (Angus McDougall)

1797] Apedale Valley Light Railway, Sun 2 Oct: (MR p23) Loomer Rd, Apedale Country Park,
Staffordshire ST5 7LB (SJ823484). A few places remain on our two comprehensive railtours of this
2ft gauge line which has undergone many changes and additions since our Oct 2011 trips, including
the very interesting and quite lengthy new field railway (not used by public services). All running
lines, sidings and loops are included, as possible. A single coach train to maximise coverage with two
identical trips (it is possible to do both as one person did last time). Apedale Heritage Centre
http://goo.gl/G1Iruo is open for viewing and refreshments. £13 members, £20 non-members,
cheques/CPAs; mention preference (if any) for 10.30/13.00 trip, with e-mail/SAE to John Cameron,
10 Friar Gate Court, Friar Gate, Derby, DE1 1HE [email protected] 07581178759. A
video https://youtu.be/T5iZoyEX4s8?t=5 made at the Railway's 2014 Tracks to the Trenches event.
1798] West Midlands Service Train Tracker, Fri 14 Oct: After very successful and enjoyable days out in
Wales (two), Scotland and Northern Ireland, attention now turns to central England. Huge thanks to
Ian Delgado of Unusual Tracks http://goo.gl/wwSbYv for his diligent work on the itinerary. Starting at
Hednesford 09.18 or Birmingham New Street 10.22, the carefully planned day includes Alvechurch to
Weights Lane Jn dynamic loop, Dorridge Up Passenger Loop, Hatton North curve, the new Bearley Jn
and crossover, Stratford-upon-Avon facing crossover and P3, Whitlocks End trailing crossover, the rare
Hatton P3 to Down Dorridge line link, crossovers from Snow Hill P1, P2 into P3 and out of Stourbridge
Junction P3. To finish, the one train over the facing crossover into Hednesford P1 arr 00.12 Saturday
morning (optional!). The Stourbridge Town branch Parry People Mover and Chiltern Class 68 haulage
are diagrammed. There will be a BLS guide for the group of like-minded participants; a good sociable
occasion too. A West Midlands Day Ranger or Network Day Tripper Adult Plus with add-ons (below)
can be used. Refreshment breaks are booked. Participants need to purchase tickets but notification is
required for liaison with London Midland. Email or write (with SAE) to Kev Adlam per back page.

BLN 1265.1799] West Midlands Day Ranger: A day of unlimited train travel centred on Birmingham
within/radiating to: Crewe, Alsager, Stoke-on-Trent, the Hixon route, Rugeley TV, Lichfield TV,
Tamworth, Nuneaton, Northampton, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon, Redditch, Bromsgrove,
Worcester Shrub Hill, Hereford, Hartlebury, Stourbridge Town, Shrewsbury, Gobowen, Penkridge,
Stafford, Stone or direct to Crewe. Not valid Crewe to Gobowen or Shrewsbury to Hereford directly.
Any train weekends/Bank Holidays, otherwise after 09.00. Very good value: Adult £25.10, railcard
£16.55 (buy on the day) at any staffed station, even outside the area or from train conductors.

1800] West Midlands Network Day Tripper Adult Plus (!): Regional bus, tram travel and train travel
(Wolverhampton, Rugeley Trent Valley, Blake Street, Coventry, Coventry Arena, Dorridge, Earlswood,
Longbridge, Stourbridge Junction/Town). Also (the 'Adult Plus' extension) to Stratford-upon-Avon,
Leamington Spa, Kidderminster and Lichfield TV. Not valid via Coventry to Leamington. After 09.30
(unlimited weekends and Bank Holidays) only £9, no railcard discounts. This can be used for our 14 Oct
West Midlands Service Train Tracker (above), with, due to the time restriction, a single from
Hednesford to Bloxwich, £3.30 (railcard £2.20) and an off peak day return Longbridge to Redditch
(£4.80 or £2.85 with railcard). Note that the Day Tripper can only be purchased at West Midland
stations, not at extension line stations (unfortunately!). Child and family versions are also available.

1801] Goodluck Mine Tramway, Sun 23 Oct, 15.00: https://goo.gl/DHJfwM 'Via Gellia' Rd (A5012)
east of its junction with the B5023 north of Middleton and west of Cromford, Derbyshire, DE4 4NA.
(SK269565). The spoil heap is obvious! To follow our extensive morning Crich tour (BLN 1264.1686),
a very unusual visit to this 19th century former lead mine. Truck rides (people powered) on part of
the inside/outside of the mine's 11" gauge tramway and a guided mine tour (typically 90 minutes).
Strong footwear and old clothes essential. Limited numbers £11; MEMBERS ONLY cheques/CPAs
with e-mail address or SAE to John Cameron, 10 Friar Gate Court, Friar Gate, Derby, DE1 1HE.
[email protected] 07581178759. Please indicate if you can provide or require a lift.

1802] Jordan Hejaz Railway, 10-17 Nov: With apologies, disappointingly, bookings were only 50% of
the number required for the tour to be viable; despite enough previous expressions of interest. With
no more recent bookings, it was clear that the required number would not be reached in time for the
tour to go ahead. Therefore, an early decision has been made to postpone the tour until spring 2017.
This is very much regretted but the Society is unable to support the scale of loss which would have
otherwise resulted. Having canvassed potential participants, factors such as lack of leave at the end of
the year, other commitments and a supporting hotel and internal transport package not being offered
with the booking form have influenced the low take up of places despite considerable initial interest.
Negotiation of new dates for the tour with JHR, provisional target 12-17 May, is planned. It will be re-
advertised complete with a full, optional supporting hotel, internal bus transport and packed lunch
options, which ironically, had been arranged (too late) with a local Amman travel agent for November!

1803] The Fisherman's Friend Explorer, Sat 19 Nov 10.30-17.30: (Track plan BLN 1260.1312) A very
comprehensive Blackpool Tramway tour with a balloon double tram (max 90). 10.30 at Rigby Road
Depot; a suitable lunch break is included with the finish expected by 17.30. It is booked (subject to
circumstances on the day) to cover Rigby Road and Starr Gate depots, Foxhall X/O, Pleasure Beach
inner and outer loop, Tower X/O, North Pier X/O, Starr Gate headshunt and X/O onto East track,
Starr Gate terminus X/O, Cleveleys X/O, Bispham Centre line both ways, Cabin X/O, Little Bispham
loop, Fisherman's Walk X/O, Thornton Gate centre line (all moves), Fleetwood Ferry inner and
outer loop and both North Pier X/Os. Definitely not to be missed; any rare moves not included are
either OOU or not wired! We are very grateful for the support of Bryan Lindop and Gary Conn at
Blackpool Heritage Trams. All proceeds from the tour will go to Heritage tram operations, as well as
supporting their exciting restoration projects. £40 members, £50 non-members. Includes a stocklist,
map and souvenir ticket. Bookings to Kev Adlam (back page) with an email address or an SAE.

BLN 1265.1804] Rylstone Cowboy, Sun 11 Dec: A booking form (please print it) is included with this
.e-BLN for our Christmas branch tour, two slightly different return trips from Skipton to Rylstone. .

1805] Scunthorpe Steel Tracker, Sat 7 Jan: Make an early New Year resolution (to go on more BLS
fixtures) now and book our first one of the New Year. This is a good time to visit, as internal traffic is
quieter after Christmas. An interesting and unique experience in the year 2017, enjoy it while you still
can, and strike while the iron is still hot, at one of the UK's final 24 hour operational integrated steel
works ('200 acres totally unspoilt by tourism'). Over 100 miles of standard gauge track and a great
way to see an operating steel works at close quarters. Starting 09.30 prompt at the AFRPS platform
and continuing until dark (about 16.30). An extensive full day railtour with a comfort break at the
AFRPS shed (view and photo the locos). Subject to engineering work, Birmingham, Liverpool and
London (etc) rail connections are available. Interesting motive power is anticipated. Maximum 47,
first come, first served, £39 members, £44 non-members, includes food and drink in the break, a
detailed track map, stock list and souvenir ticket. Our tour supports the good work of the AFRPS.

Bookings and queries to Paul Stewart (back page) with any specific line requests .in advance only. .

Please supply an email address or an SAE (two if an initial acknowledgment is required). Important
Note: subject to demand, and circumstances at the plant, this may be our only 2017 Scunthorpe tour.

1806] Island of Ireland Tracker - Part 2; Fri 19 to Sun 21 May 2017: Save the date, our annual long
weekend (to the Republic of Ireland) starts in Dublin. An eclectic combination of miniature, narrow
and Irish standard gauge lines over three days. Early expressions of interest welcome to Kev Adlam.

STATION SIGNS Number Approx Starting TPE MEMORABILIA Number Starting
available Size ft Bid available Bid

Middlesbrough 3 7 £50 TPE Business card holders 12 £10
£5
Thornaby 3 5 £50 TPE+ leather pass holders 6 £5
£15
Yarm 3 3 £35 TPE pass holder 1 £5
£5
Northallerton 2 7 £50 10th Anniversary pens 6 £10
£2
Thirsk 4 * 7 £50 Class 185 key ring 1 £10
£100
Scarborough 3 5 £50 Class 185 pin badges 5

Seamer 2 ** 7 £50 Glasgow 2014 badges 3

Malton 3 7 £50 2004 Day one TPE Medals 75+

Hull 3 7 £50 TPE Mug 2

Brough 3 7 £50 Commemorative box 8

Selby 2 7 £50 X.139] Own a piece of FTPE history: With the
Cleethorpes
Grimsby Town 3*** 7 £75 rebranding of First TransPennine Express stations,
Scunthorpe
3 3 square £50 TPE are offering you the chance to have your own
Barnetby
Dewsbury 3 7 £50 little piece of FTPE history. We are holiday an
Stalybridge 2 7 £50 Auction on behalf of the Railway Children Charity.
TPE 'blank' 3 7 £50 Subject to availability, various station name signs
1 4 £75 are available to purchase at a minimum price of
2 7 £35 £50 each.

We are also able to offer other items of memorabilia from the previous TPE franchise. These include
Day One launch commemorative tins to more recent Class 185 items; numbers are strictly limited so
don't miss out (see list above for more details on these). The winning bidders will be notified and, once
payment is received, delivery and collection will be arranged. Please note as some of the signs are 7ft
long it will only be possible to collect these in person either from Sandbach or Manchester. It may be
possible to arrange courier delivery but this is not guaranteed. TPE are also hoping to offer various
other items of memorabilia in the near future. All bids to the Editor please by 15 Oct.

* One is etched. ** Both are double-sided. *** Two are double-sided.

1265 HEAD LINES
1807] London Underground, Holland Park station (Central Line): (BLN 1244.1998) ROP 31 Jul 2016
(original expected date 17 Aug) after TCP since 2 Jan 2016 to replace the two nearly 30 year old lifts.

1808] Dalmeny Jn - Winchburgh Jn: (BLN 1254.634) ROP Mon 8 Aug after TCP 21 Mar 2016 during the
Glasgow Queen Street closure. PSUL 07.13 (SSuX) Kirkcaldy to Glasgow Queen Street and 17.33 return.

1809] Wensleydale Railway, Leeming Bar (excl) - Northallerton West (incl) & Northallerton West
station*: ROP 22 Nov 2014 for 'excursions' (previously NRU). ROP (timetabled trains) 14 Feb 2015
usually WSO due to the number of volunteers needed to staff certain level crossings. TCP 29 Nov 2015
due to flood damage to the River Swale Viaduct. ROP 3 Aug 2016 with 09.30 ex-Leeming Bar & 10.30
from Northallerton West; TCP at 14.00 on 3 Aug 2016. 26007 with a passenger train collided with a car
on Yafforth ungated crossing (the car reportedly failed to stop at the red lights; no blame has been
attributed to the level crossing equipment or the railway). *(SE358938) 188m before NR boundary.

1810] Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway, Thame Branch Siding (NR Boundary 0m 50ch) - Princes
Risborough (site of future P4): (BLN 1264.MR163) ROP 7 Aug 2016, public services extended (non-
alighting) generally at weekends, worked 'top & tail', the front coach generally just passes the NR
footbridge on P3. Toilets are locked OOU on the NR section. The railway intends to build a new P4 with
a run round loop. Weekday services and some special events (Santa specials) run to Thame Jn only.

1811] Metrolink, Broadway - Harbour City stops (both excl), direct; third side of triangle avoiding
MediaCityUK: Amending (BLN 1264.1697 & 1739) ROP Mon 8 Aug 2016 after TCP since 28 Jun 2015.
The information on the Metrolink website and the maps displayed at some (at least) tram stops are
incorrect. Eccles (to Ashton-under-Lyne) and MediaCityUK (to Piccadilly) services are separate except
early morning and late evening (SuX) and all days Sundays. These are normally the only time that there
is now a direct service between MediaCityUK and Broadway/Eccles. Posters at stops show the revision.

1812] Blackfriars Jn - Southwark Jn - Reversible Blackfriars Spur - Metropolitan Reversible - 'in/out'
Cannon Street Line - Cannon Street ('South Jn'): (BLN 1249.123) NRU from 27 Aug (new Southeastern
timetable). The Grove Park ECS moves to/from Cannon Street now run directly via London Bridge.

1813] Folkestone Central (excl) - Dover Priory (excl): (BLN 1264.1701) One weekday late evening ECS
train started running 31 Aug. The possession was given up at 22.43 Fri 2 Sep, with signalling restored at
23.01. Rail and conductor rail cleaning/route refreshing trains then began. ROP Mon 5 Sep 2016.

1814] Marchwood (86m 10ch) - Esso Fawley Oil Refinery: (BLN 1264.1699) NRU. The last movements
(amends paper BLN 1264) were on Mon 5 Sep. A light engine from Eastleigh arrived Fawley at 07.39,
departing with the discharged tanks at 08.24 for Holybourne, where they are stored. The redundant
TTA tanks that carried loco fuel to the West Country (BLN 1195.1454) do remain in store at Fawley.

1815] Neath & Brecon Jn - Onllwyn 'Washery'/Open Cast Disposal Point: TCG from 14 Sep 2016 (last
train 13 Sep) due to a landslip following very wet weather; actually away from the line rather than on
it, at 7m 54ch between Nant-y-Cefn and Brynteg User Worked Crossings. Initial predictions were for a
closure of 'weeks' rather than 'days'. Coal from Onllwyn to Aberthaw power station (which is going on
'standby' from April) had already ceased after last running on 9 Sep.The branch was due to be quiet
with two outward coal trains weekly to the end of October when Celtic Energy's Nant Helen opencast
site (Onllwyn) is being mothballed for two years with the loss of 75 jobs. Onllwyn dispatches coal from
their Selar site (Glyn Neath) on the east side of the Neath Valley. Containerised coal also runs to
Mossend, typically a few wagons every couple of weeks and there are MGR coal trains to Scunthorpe
Steel Works. Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen East Pit coal is sent to Onllwyn mainly by rail for processing and
blending. There is no intermediate traffic on this 10-mile (to NR boundary) branch, last railtoured 14
Apr 2007 by Pathfinder Tours 'Principality Freighter'. The Cwmgwrach branch to the east is still NRU.

1816] Pantyffynon Jn - Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen: From 13 Sep MGR trains of crushed coal began running
to Aberthaw Power Station operated by Freightliner. This is expected to increase after the Nant Helen
opencast site is mothballed (above) but longer term (with Aberthaw on standby) traffic may cease.

1817] Fareham (incl) - Swanwick (excl): TCP/TCA 22 to 30 Oct 2016 (incl) for remodelling/resignalling
during half term. There is a (SuX) half- hourly Southampton Central to Swanwick shuttle service all day.

1818] Eastleigh West Jn - Fareham - Cosham Jn - Portcreek Jn and Cosham Jn - Farlington Jn and five
intermediate stations: TCP/partly TCA 22 to 30 Oct 2016 (incl) for remodelling and resignalling.

1819] Manchester, Heaton Park Tramway: (MR p32) TCP is expected after running on 30 Oct 2016 to
12 Feb 2017 so that the volunteers can focus on maintenance and restoration of the heritage trams.

X.140] Derby, Markeaton Park Light Railway: (MR p14) (SK334372) 'Officially closed' by the owners 20
Sep 2016; https://youtu.be/l9TKU-xmBcA?t=246 15" gauge 1,400yd long. (Announcement on
Facebook 20 Sep.) The last running day was 19 Sep 2016, the lease expires in January and there were
'funding issues'. Track lifting was due to start on 21 Sep. The Society enjoyed very friendly and
comprehensive visits here on 4 Aug 2012 and 4 May 2013 (BLN 1185 p199).

X.141] Keeping Track, (extra to Head Lines) significant passenger service suspensions: *= New/altered
BLN Start (incl) End (incl) Location (exclusive where bracketed) [bold = closed now]

1255.783 Mon 12 Sep Fri 21 Oct *(Filton Abbey Wood/Bristol Parkway) - (Severn Tunnel Jn)
1261.1388 Sun 11 Sep Sun 23 Oct *(Kettering North Jn) - (Manton Jn)
1264.1706 Tue 25 Oct Sun 6 Nov *(Barnt Green) - (Droitwich Spa) - Abbotswood Jn
1255.784 Thu 3 Nov? Tue 22 Nov? (Antrim) - Londonderry and Coleraine - Portrush branch
1264.1703 Mon 12 Sep End Nov '16 *Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway, Manuel station - High Bridge
1198.1659 15 Feb 2013 12 Dec 2016 (Oxford Parkway) - (Oxford) with new timetable
1261.1389 Sat 24 Dec Thur 29 Dec London Paddington - (Slough)
1261.1390 Sat 24 Dec Mon 2 Jan (Liverpool Street) - (Ingatestone) & Shenfield - (Billericay)
1257.979 Sat 7 May Feb 2017 Tottenham: South Jn - East Jn & West Jn - Seven Sisters Jn
1253.554/5 Sat 4 June Feb 2017 *(Barking) - South Tottenham - (Gospel Oak from 24 Sep)
1237.1360 28 June 2015 Early 2017? Third side of the triangle avoiding MediaCityUK
1251.334 9 Feb 2016 March 2017 (Carlisle) - (Armathwaite); to end March 2017 (provisional)
1222.1799 20 Dec 2014 Jan 2018 (London Blackfriars) - (London Bridge) Thameslink work
1222.1799 20 Dec 2014 Jan 2018 (London Bridge), Spa Road - Bricklayers Arms Jn

[BLN 1265]
ABOVE: (BLN 1264.1708) The keenest of the keen, Portadown Fri 30 May (Day 1 of our long weekend);
the five surviving members catch the 22.35 to Belfast from P1 (the final departure of the day), via the
Portadown Belfast end trailing crossover for their troubles. Great Victoria Street was reached at 23.19.
Far right is John Cameron from Derby who has recently been co-opted onto the Committee and
become Regional Editor for BLN East Midlands area. Next to him is Darren Garnon who is organising
the AGM in Kent and the three days of associated fixtures. (Picture by Kev Adlam - the fifth member.)
1820] FIXTURES REPORTS, Northern Ireland Long Weekend Part 2 - Day 2, Sat 21 May: Meeting in
Belfast and travelling in three minibuses, the first visit of the day was to the Ulster Transport Museum
at Cultra. It was noted that (contrary to TRACKmaps Feb 2004) the museum 'standard' gauge (5' 3")
siding is still connected to the Down Bangor line just east of Cultra station, which has a direct footpath
to the museum. Half the party looked around the extensive well-laid out museum; a comprehensive
collection of Irish railway items, vehicles, trams and transport artefacts - well worth a visit. BELOW:
Our 'Ulster Enterprise II' tour, 27 May 1990, on the short Cultra branch at the turntable. (Ian Mortimer)

The other group headed for the Cultra Light Railway. On the 7¼" gauge ground level line, steam loco
'Dylan' with three riding trucks covered all tracks including the new outer loop line near the loco shed
(in a cutting which had required considerable excavation). Extra track included the through platform
line, the carriage and loco shed roads and (with 'people power') every turntable road. The mixed
5/3½" gauge inner elevated track (no public running) was also traversed using locomotive No1 with
two green riding trucks and No76 'Maid of Scrap', also with two Green riding trucks. This was a simple
circuit folded in on itself to extend the run and make it more interesting. Like most elevated railways, a
good speed was achieved safely. A Cultra member had brought along his SR 'Terrier' loco No32678
which was duly steamed and made a fine sight running round the track. Various BLS members drove
locos 1 and 76. Tea and coffee with generous refreshments were served at this friendly railway.



[BLN 1265] ABOVE: After our visit to The Cultra Light Railway, home of The Model Engineers' Society
(NI) Ltd, their June 2016 Journal had a full-page feature about it (reproduced above). They also kindly
had an illustrated full page explaining to their members about the BLS and how they could join!

Next was Drumawhey Junction; the very extensive and complicated 1,300yd, Belfast & County Down
7¼" Miniature Railway. Three trains were provided: 'Elektra' a 4w Petrol Hydraulic, 66581 'Maggie' a
Freightliner Class 66 model (with three sit astride MGR coal hoppers, but fortunately no coal or bottom
unloading facility!) and 47706. All lines were eventually covered in a comprehensive and efficient
manner, with refreshment stops. Trains followed one another to start with and while some went for
tea/coffee, others traversed the many loco shed and carriage shed roads. As each group came in for a
break, others visited this area. Torrential rain closed play at a most opportune moment, as it was time
to leave. The Class 66 driver said that 'Maggie' was his wife's name; Freightliner heard about this and
he wrote an article with photographs which was published in their house magazine!

After passing a Public House called 'The Pub' at Newtownards, the Delamont 10¼" Miniature Railway,
Killyleagh near Strangford Loch followed. 'Jack' a 2-4-0 outside cylinder steam loco built by the Exmoor
Steam Railway in 2015 provided service, with six sit inside coaches; a 4-car and a 2-car articulated set.
The railway has been fully re-laid recently on a concrete base with plastic sleepers bolted into position.
The full circuit was traversed and, when BLS members had replaced all members of the public, another
circuit was made with a stop at the extended loco shed. Here the 2-car set was detached and the
points unbolted to allow hand propulsion into the longer of the two shed roads. Once complete the
train was reassembled. The railway owned shop was open for the sale of ice creams and refreshments.

Damhead 7¼" Miniature Railway, Coleraine, was the final miniature visit this day. Unfortunately, it
took place in an extended downpour that even the Irish may have regarded as more than 'soft'; the
volunteers had operated in sunny weather until we arrived! Two trains ran with a battery Class 08 'Red
Arrow' and steam loco 'Linda'. All lines were covered with 'people power' for one carriage shed road.
Then another battery Class 08 No4 'Hydraulic' was used with some open bogie freight wagons to cover
a second storage shed. Track maps were amended to show two sheds and a head shunt off the main
line in the junction after the line splits into its two loops. This is the start of a future extension to a new
return cut off loop. Members appreciated tea and cake in a covered area to dry out!

[BLN 1265]
ABOVE: The sun comes out at Portrush in the evening… Isn't Barry the lucky one? (Darren Garnon)
Next a quick drive to Coleraine where most took a service train, in lovely sunshine (!) on the six-mile
Portrush branch (not covered the day before) to see the now rare somersault semaphore signals (oh
yes, and do the track). The semaphores will be retained when Coleraine to Derry is resignalled later in
the year. Portrush signal cabin is normally switched out with only P1 in use. P3 has a run round loop
and is used by the Portrush Flyer with RPSI stock and steam locos. At Coleraine the single line token
pick up for both Derry and Portrush is rather quaint. The unit draws forward to the signal cabin
immediately after the road level crossing and waits with most of the train across the road while the
token is exchanged (this will finish on 2 Nov with resignalling). Some returned on the 20.19 Coleraine
to Belfast service, most taking the minibuses via a 'spotting' stop at York Road Depot and Works to
conclude another excellent full action packed day with great coverage at all locations visited. Particular
thanks to Kev Adlam, Lee Nash and Darren Garnon for their chauffeuring services.
1821] The Middleton Modeller, Thur 16 Jun: The day, or
rather evening, started at 17:30 with snacks and drinks
provided by the helpful and friendly Middleton Railway
staff. Duly refuelled and with the railway all to themselves
(the public and non-participants excluded), 17 members
headed for Moor Road platform and an empty and
isolated brake van. Presently it was 'joined' by a Peckett
0-4-0 DM Works No5003 'Austins No1' built 1958. Getaway
was at 18.26 towards the M621 tunnel to reverse back to
the 'Engine House' museum, waiting briefly for the points
to be clipped. Then the tour ran into the left hand (from station end) road up to the sectioned boiler
exhibit; well up to the end of line (BELOW: Kev Adlam). This was extremely rare choice track, only
possible this one day as the museum tracks had been cleared of exhibits (as far as possible) for a
model railway event. A double reversal followed to ride over the other (right hand) museum road, also
specially cleared, before exiting then re-reversing into Moor Road platform for a loco change.

This was to Hudswell-Clarke Diesel Hydraulic 0-4-0 Works NoD631 built 1946. This loco took the party
past the trailing branch on the right to the former Dartmouth yard (one day!) and to Park Halt under
the M621. The amount of greenery lineside was surprising considering it is only two miles from Leeds
city centre, although in the 1970s it was quite different here.

[BLN 1265]
Park Halt was soon reached, much to the surprise and interest of the tame local teens making out
there. Members alighted for photos and a leg stretch. A cab ride was kindly provided for all those who
needed the end of line and run round loop. Loop traversed, the cab emptied and the brake van re-
filled for the run back to Moor Road, thus ending a short but very sweet evening out in Leeds. Thanks
to Kev Adlam for the arrangements and the Middleton staff who worked hard moving stock and
fittings etc and provided the refreshments.

1822] .☆ The Docklands Night Railway ☾ - 24/25 Jun: : (BLN 1259.1237 - track plan) Around

100 members assembled by 22.00 for our 6-car special 'Docklands Explorer', an overnight railtour of
this intricate network at a time of year with maximum daylight. Running overnight with the lines to
ourselves, allowed unusual moves not possible during the daytime intensive service (even Sundays).

The Stratford International P2 departure (and trailing crossover) was a highlight and one of the rarest
'passenger' sections of Docklands Light Railway (DLR) track and was soon followed by the middle line
('Stratford siding') between Stratford and Stratford High Street stops. The Beckton branch was taken
and Royal Victoria siding (north side of the stop) to the conductor rail limit. Track continued ahead,
presumably an emergency overrun. After the passing of a couple of services, the tour returned wrong
line to Canning Town P1, reversed and headed for Woolwich Arsenal P3. Then via the facing crossover
after London City Airport, and the trailing one before King George V to head under the River Thames.

BELOW: The DLR staff with our tour at Stratford International before setting off. (Alan Sheppard)

After waiting for services, we ran back to Canning Town, this time into the higher level P4, then (after
crossing onto the line from Stratford P4A & 4B) to Poplar P3, West India Quay P2 to P1&2 at Canary
Wharf, where each of the three (through) lines - all done on the tour - have bilateral platforms. Next to
Mudchute bay P3 opened Jan 2009 but engineering works prevented further travel toward Lewisham.
Returning through Canary Wharf (P5&6) and West India Quay P3, the tour took a left turn for the City
termini. First Bank (a DLR zero datum except for Stratford International, the '0' for that branch), to run
through to the single-track turnback siding tunnel extension past the station (another highlight), then
return to the departure platform (P9). A train arriving from the wrong direction with people on board,
and not in passenger service caused some confusion for late-night travellers waiting on the platform!

ABOVE LEFT: The end of Bank turnback siding from the front of the train. ABOVE RIGHT: Tower Gateway
(the stop is behind on the left) siding. (Both Kev Adlam) BELOW: Tower Gateway at 2am 'no entry' signs

(left) can be ignored, as this day can the sign on P2 (right) 'SYSTEM NOW CLOSED'. (Glen Wells)

[BLN 1265] (LEFT: Another ticket masterpiece from member Jim Sellens.)

From Bank, it was back to Canary Wharf P3/4 and beyond Crossharbour into
the middle turnback siding (once the southbound track, which was diverted
east). Turning back (what else do you do in a turnback siding?), it was
through Canary Wharf middle line (P3/4) and West India
Quay P3 to Tower Gateway siding, north of the running
line. Then off to Shadwell P1 to reverse and reach Tower
Gateway P1/2 (another 'zero' point an another 'two
faced' line with separate platforms to exit (P1) and join
(P2) trains) for a 'middle of the night' comfort break. By
the time Poplar had been reached again, the various
shenanigans had resulted in four out of five of the crossovers (four trailing
and one facing) between Tower Gateway and Shadwell being covered. The
one not done was the first, normally used by departures. From Poplar, the
tour ran wrong line to All Saints P2 to reverse over the trailing crossover and run through Poplar
Depot carriage wash to exit and cross to Poplar P4 and past Delta Jn (reverse). After Poplar (a popular
place on this tour) this time P1, it was wrong line to Bow Church south facing crossover, used to join
the line to Bow Church P1 (reverse). Running wrong line (what else?) south and reversing in Poplar P2,
Beckton beckoned.

Various manœuvres allowed the train to cover four more trailing crossovers (1): before Blackwall, (2):
after East India Dock, (3): after Royal Victoria and (4): after Custom House. Then a wrong line run all
the way from Canning Town to Beckton P2. A longer than expected break was taken there, due to
arriving early, allowing passengers to stretch their legs, or more likely, catch a few minutes sleep, as
units for the day's first services (starting 05.23 ex-Beckton) left the depot. Leaving Beckton, the facing
crossover before, and the trailing crossover after, the tunnel were taken before turning left into
Beckton Depot itself.A clockwise loop was taken via the carriage wash and Siding 'AB', allowing
participants to see some of the DLR's non-passenger vehicles. After a short run to Gallions Reach and
back to the depot's 'AB' Siding, the tour returned to Stratford, taking the crossover to the middle line
north at Stratford High Street for a set down at Stratford P1. Then the facing crossover was used for
final wrong line running to Stratford International (again rare P2) and the end of a highly unusual tour.

[BLN 1265]
ABOVE: 'The morning after the night before' - awaiting announcements at Beckton P2… (Glen Wells)

A member calculated that, in approaching 8½ hours, the tour had travelled 61 miles (to the nearest ¼)!
Thanks to Dave Dawson, Ben Grellier, the train crews and controllers at the DLR for enabling our tour
to run. Three charities benefited from £550 each as a result, two nominated by the DLR (Whizz Kids
and St Josephs Hospice) and Marie Curie, nominated by our tour organiser member Glen Wells.

BELOW: The Harrogate (i.e. west) end of Cattal station where the line singles (Angus McDougall).

[BLN 1265]
1823] Harrogate to York Signal Box Visits, Sat 20 Aug: Twelve enthusiasts met at Cattal station where
we were joined by our NR host, Allen Goodall. We caught the 09.27 train to Harrogate, having noted
with interest the Down starting signal with the motor operated Whixley distant below it. Our first call
was to the LNER type 15 box, dating from 1947, at Harrogate, once Harrogate North and still so named
on the outside. The original frame has been reduced in size; only levers 21-65 now remain and 13 of
these are spare. There is a small switch panel, installed 29 October 2012 to control the line to Armley
Junction at Leeds, which replaced mechanical boxes at Rigton and Horsforth. Harrogate station has
two platforms and a middle reversible through line, now normally used only for stock stabling. There
were previously two more platforms on the south side on land now covered by a multistorey car park.
Oddly the lines towards Leeds and towards York are both designated 'Up' ('Up Main' and 'Up York').

We next caught a train to Starbeck, passing the sites of the junctions at Dragon and Starbeck North;
the Leeds Northern line closed to passengers in 1967, but remained in use for freight from Starbeck to
Ripon until 1969. The present box at Starbeck was formerly Starbeck South and, until 1951, a line ran
south from here to Pannal on the Harrogate to Leeds line. The former divergence of this line is clearly
visible and for a while part of the route still served Stonefall sidings and later a preservation site, both
now disappeared. The signalbox is a NER type S1a of unknown date; it now has 22 levers (17 are spare)
and controls a level crossing. Only one signal is a semaphore, the Up home north of the platform.

We then boarded a Knaresborough train, passing en route the gate box at Belmont, where until about
1908 a curve came in from Stonefall. The box at Knaresborough is small and of a very unusual shape; it
is of NER origin dating from about 1873, making it one of the oldest still in use on NR. It has 10 levers
(and two for the wicket gates) with, unusually, no spares. Because of restricted space, we split into
four groups for the visit, giving the rest of us time for coffee in the rather pleasant 'Old Ticket Office'
on the Up platform. [Not a Starbucks at Starbeck then - Ed?] Two trains were observed reversing over
the crossover to return to Harrogate via the Down platform. The points from the Up line have a facing
point lock, enabling passenger trains to return from P2 in service if necessary.

BELOW: Harrogate box which controls from Leeds, Armley Jn to Starbeck (Angus McDougall).

ABOVE: The unique Grade II listed Knaresborough signal box. (Both Nick Garnham)
BELOW: A Leeds train that terminated at Knaresborough shunts ECS from P2 to P1 on the viaduct.

[BLN1265] ABOVE: Inside Knaresborough signal box. (Nick Garnham)

Our next train took us back to Cattal over the single line controlled by electric token. This was reduced
from double track on 16 December 1973 by BR. Cattal signalbox, by the crossing there, is a NER type
'S5', about 1892 vintage. It has an odd frame split into two: levers 1-4 on the one side and 10-15 on the
other. There are two spares. We said goodbye to and thanked our host here, since he was due to take
over as signaller at 13.30. From here we continued eastwards in cars to Hammerton. This has a most
unusual arrangement in that the frame (of 10 levers with one spare), once open on the platform, has
been enclosed in a 'wooden cupboard' since 1972. Instruments are in the adjacent station building.

[BLN 1265] RIGHT: Single line tokens. (Nick Garnham)

We next visited the gate box at Marston Moor where Ivy,
the signaller, told us tales of incidents over the thirty years
she has worked there. The frame, like that at Cattal, is split
into two (with an armchair in between), four levers (with a
spare) on one side and three on the other. Information
about trains approaching is indicated to her by the bell
signals between the neighbouring boxes. We learnt that it
would be possible to pull off the home signals in both
directions on the single line at the same time, but, not
surprisingly, this is not permitted! The cabin dates from
1910 (an NER type 'S5') and until 4 June 1972 when the line
was singled it was also a block post. [The 'Northern
Powerhouse' project includes redoubling of both single-
track sections - Ed.] We inspected the remains of the
station (closed in 1958) and then split up to return home,
although some of us went by way of the crossing frame at
Hessay and the signalbox at Poppleton, which we
otherwise could not visit on this day. Our thanks are due to
Allen for making the visits possible and for Nick Garnham
for the arrangements. (Report byAngus McDougall)

BELOW: The grade II listed Marston Moor gate box, on the station platform (CP 15 Sep 1958), the level
crossing is off to the right. Contrast this with https://goo.gl/LRQh7Y 'Ivy' appears in one picture.

1265 BLN GENERAL
1824] That's a bit steep - I'd be inclined to agree!
(BLN 1264.1692) The Thameslink 'Canal Tunnels'
new route was commissioned with live overhead
wires and signalling as previously described
(initially gauge-cleared for Class 700 ECS EMU
workings only) on 11 Sep. Part has a 1:28 gradient.
(RIGHT: Inside the tunnel from a NR source.)
However, the Mersey Rail Tunnel has a section of
1:27 (as did the Werneth Incline at Oldham and
the Holywell Town branch). Off the main network,
there is a 1:19 gradient up the bank out of the
colliery on the Foxfield Railway, not currently
used by passenger trains (but specials at least did
previously). The DLR is on a 1:17 gradient
descending from the original London & Blackwall Railway viaduct into Bank tunnel at Royal Mint Street
Jn, a zig-zag stripe is welded to the rail to improve grip and prevent slipping. It is well known that the
former Cromford & High Peak Railway Hopton Incline was adhesion worked at 1:14; the gradient was
actually eased when it was converted from rope-working! Enthusiasts were the only passengers
(occasionally) carried, in brakevans and open wagons. Fortunately, visitors to Sir WIlliam McAlpine's
private Fawley Hill Railway (Henley-on-Thames, not Fawley!) with occasional charity public days, can
still appreciate steam haulage up 1:14 in open wagon or brake van! All this is put to shame by the
adhesion worked 1:6.9 section on Lisbon Tramways at Calçada de São Francisco.

X.142] Wilmslow May 1975: Further to
the picture (LEFT) in BLN 1264.X124; all
117 of the BR Class 17 (Clayton Type 1)
built 1962-65 were withdrawn between
Jul 1986 and Dec 1971, with most
scrapped by the end of 1975. This one
was used by Derby Research Centre on
test trains, as here, withdrawn in 1978
then scrapped. The train is heading
north on the Styal line which had been
fitted with an experimental 'wiggly wire'
train control system; this can just be
seen between the rails. The picture was
taken purely by good fortune with no
prior knowledge of the working running.
(Ian Mortimer)

1825] Points & Slips: BLN 1264.1689] Peak Rail services actually ran to Matlock Riverside TuWO in
September, the weekdays when trains operate. There were reportedly no services in Jan or Feb 2016
too, attributed to poor weather and few passengers at that time in 2015. 1700] At Eggborough Power
Station (now on 'standby' reserve) the intention is that 50,000 tonnes of coal will be in stock there all
winter. 1708] In Northern Ireland, Bleach Green Jn is 'flying' rather than 'burrowing'; 'grade separated'
would cover both types of junction! 1708] With apologies, the video clip of our tour at Whitehead
RPSI worked in the 'Word' format but not as a PDF. 1709] On the former Mountsorrel branch from the
Midland Railway (closed and converted to conveyor working in 1979, rather than 1977), the last
known organised riding trip was by the RCTS East Midlands branch in 1972 (unless anyone knows
otherwise). Item 1720] Regarding the discovery of old buried tram track in Nottingham, much tram rail

[BLN 1265]
(generally) was lifted during WWII for scrap, However a lot of Manchester track has been
discovered/recovered during recent Metrolink work. On this subject, by mid-Sep all rails had been laid
for the Second City Crossing (our correspondent comments that this sounds a bit biblical). 1742] The
proposed Moorside Nuclear Power Station is immediately north of Sellafield reprocessing plant. The
new River 'Eden' viaduct (per power station press release) should be 'Ehen' which runs through
Egremont. Let us hope the power station doesn't make any serious mistakes! 1761] There is one
booked CrossCountry service at Bath Spa, the 06.09 (SSux) to Glasgow Central via Bristol TM (reverse),
Birmingham and Newcastle. Item 1786] On the double track 'Barrow avoiding line', the signal box at
Park South has to be open whenever trains are running because it controls a double to single track
(single to north of Barrow-in-Furness station) junction and also a level crossing. Dalton Junction box
can be switched out, then all trains have to run via Barrow station. 1791] Galton Bridge Jn should have
been 'Galton Jn'.
1826] GWR Hall Nameplates: (BLN 1264.1716) Some years ago a Member was invited for a round of
golf at Brocket Hall near Welwyn [yes, that Brocket] and considering he had, and still has, a handicap
of 24, the numerous holes alongside and over the River Lea didn't bode well! The 18th green was on
the opposite side of the river from the fairway and the quickest route to it was to use a chain ferry that
was provided. Attached to it were nameplates from Hall Class locomotive 5987 'Brocket Hall'! It is not
known if they were originals or replicas, although it was before nameplates became ridiculously
priced. The golf course website advises that the ferry remains, but are the nameplates still attached?
Take a drive there, putt on your walking boots, watch out for birdies and have a look, maybe!

ABOVE: For those who like to do chain ferries, the one at Brocket Hall. (Publicity press release).

[BLN 1265]
1827] BLN PERIODIC QUIZ (1): The stations/features below may be open, closed or abandoned…
1: What significant feature was common to the branches to Lyme Regis, Staines West and Looe?
2: Why was a GWR booking clerk sacked from Weston-super-Mare Station between the wars?
3: Why were these junctions so called: Bo Peep Durham Ox Royal Oak and North Pole?
4: What is the significance of these figures 811, 880, 950, 1313, 1370, 2034?
5: Why would Denham, Aynho and Lapworth be described as consecutive?
6: What was Glynn Bridge? And what is it now?
7: What moved from Upperby to Kingmoor on 1 Feb 1958?
8: What was notable about B1 4-6-0 No61018?
9: What single word links these:-

A passenger station in Sussex;
A passenger station on the Shenfield Line;
Two passenger stations in the suburbs of Newcastle-on-Tyne;
A passenger station in Britain's smallest County;
A passenger station now operated by London Overground?
10: Where is this location (PICTURE RIGHT)?

1828] A Message (LEFT): Spotted by
our Fixtures Secretary, on the 100th
anniversary of the author's birth; it
could well have been written specially
for BLS members?

X.143] More Live Train Monitoring: (BLN 1264.132) Further websites that monitor train running live:
(1): Covering some of the Liverpool area http://www.charlwoodhouse.co.uk/ free.
(2): Http://www.hall-royd-junction.co.uk/Signal_Box_Watcher/index.html covering a lot of NorthWest

.England and also free. A great comment is 'The home signal off the Deepdale branch at Preston
.is featured but don't expect a movement anytime soon.'
(3): Http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/maps/areas/swml/1 Realtime Trains has diagrams covering a lot
of the SWT routes. That is the Weymouth area but can be changed to other areas by altering the
last digit of the address or from the headings at top of the page. They have clickable links to the
train running pages. Our member has yet to find out how to reach the maps from the normal site!

Of those mentioned (and in BLN 1264), our member with a special interest in this feels that the best
two are probably Open Train Times for signal aspects and routing and Railcam which has many links
from clicking on trains (for train running) or stations etc for other useful information. Most of the UK
mainland is now covered by diagrams.

1265 EAST MIDLANDS
. NEW REGIONAL EDITOR: Please now send submissions to John Cameron in Derby per back page. .

1829] Poacherline: This is a Community Rail Partnership between local authorities, NR, EMT, DfT and
the local community established in 2005. The name came from a local paper competition and applied

to the Grantham to Skegness line, which the partnership https://goo.gl/EdssxZ aims to improve, and
promote. In 2007 it was extended to include Nottingham to Grantham when Nottinghamshire County

Council joined. Since its inception, there have been improvements to services, (more stops at local
stations) and better station environments through investment by NR and a programme of station

adoption. 'Poacherline' promotes railway walks between stations. Each has a leaflet including a map/
description, downloadable or obtainable on paper from the Community Rail Officer 01522 782 070…

(1): Radcliffe to Nottingham (6½ miles) (5): Heckington to Sleaford (6¾ miles)

(2): Bottesford to Aslockton (6 miles) (6): Skegness to Wainfleet (7½ miles)
(3): Grantham to Bottesford (9½ miles) (7): Skegness to Wainfleet via Burgh Le Marsh

(4): Ancaster to Sleaford (6½ miles) .;.(9½ miles) Guides/maps https://goo.gl/Aji2Tb

Poacherline also run Music Trains between Sleaford and Wainfleet; a variety of live acts perform on

the train (including the ultimate, the Sleaford Ukulele Orchestra!). In Wainfleet an optional visit to
Batemans Brewery allows passengers to obtain refreshments at the Windmill Bar. Only a normal train
ticket is required for the train journey and10 or more passengers can take advantage of the Group

Save ticket. Provisional dates: Thu 29 Sep, Thu 27 Oct (optional fancy dress event) and Thur 24 Nov.

1830] RIDC - Tuxford: Created in 2009 (as the Rail
Vehicle Development Centre); the Rail Innovation
and Development Centre (RIDC) at Tuxford is run
by NR, linked with Derby Railway Technical
Centre. It is a 10-mile single-track section of the
former Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast
Railway (LDECR) 'Dukeries Line' between
Thoresby Colliery Jn in the west, and the site of
the demolished High Marnham Power Station at
the eastern end. The LDECR opened between
Chesterfield and Lincoln in 1897. CP regular
timetabled services 17 Sep 1955, dated summer
Saturday holiday trains ran until 5 Sep 1964.

The RIDC section CG after the final freight train
(coal from High Marnham to Ratcliffe Power
Station) on 28 Oct 2003; east of Thoresby Colliery
Jn CA 3 Mar 2007 lying dormant for two years.

The 4¼ mile Bevercotes Colliery Branch (OG Jan
1961; CG Jan 1962; ROG Aug 1965; CG 9 Jun 1998)
from Boughton Jn northwards was to have been
part of RIDC. From 15 Feb 2012 RIDC took over
the first 2m 10ch including the 350yd Boughton
Brake Tunnel. However, the line had been built
cheaply by BR in the late 1950s for coal traffic
only and the cost of bringing it up to the required
standard was too great. RIDC took over the Old
Dalby test track on 30 Sep 2013 with three
tunnels. ABOVE: An original track plan of RIDC Tuxford with thanks to Martyn Brailsford. The two
points shown at the Fledborough end (bottom diagram) are both clipped OOU.

[BLN 1265]
Regarding this takeover, when BR Board Residuary (BRBR), who
owned Old Dalby, was abolished, it was found that its property but
not its functions could be transferred to Network Rail
Infrastructure Limited (NRIL). This is because NRIL was not an
'eligible person' as defined in Section 1(3) of the Public Bodies Act
2011. A company limited by guarantee, Network Rail (Assets)
Limited (NRAL), had to be set up to accept BRBR's functions, insofar
as they related to the property to transfer to NRIL. An example is
running the Old Dalby test track - now known as 'Melton RIDC'.

From 1 Apr 2012 the Bevercotes branch was abandoned beyond 1m
00ch, the residual section is used for train storage. It is thought that
no trains ran, certainly beyond 2m 10ch in the branch's RIDC era.

Trains can be tested up to 75mph (an extra document with e-BLN shows line speeds). There are short
sections of non-live 25kV Type Catenary, third and fourth rail. The facility is suited to developing rail
vehicles and equipment as it includes many characteristics found on the national network. Rail access
is at Thoresby Colliery Jn. This is protected by an Annett's key under the supervision of an Engineering
Technical Officer. There is no signalling on the line due to repeated theft and vandalism, including
previous destruction of Ollerton Colliery signal box. Road access (for loading/unloading rail vehicles) is
at the east end (27m 60ch) via the Fledborough extension (re-opened 6 Nov 2013), beyond the site of
High Marnham Jn towards the former Fledborough passenger station. A run round (partly installed) is
planned to be completed here. This section CA (High Marnham Jn to Lincoln, Pyewipe Jn) 22 Feb 1980
after a freight train derailment at Clifton-on-Trent. No regular freight between Thoresby Colliery Jn
and Shirebrook has run since the final coal train from Thoresby Colliery on 15 Sep 2015 but that
section is proposed for passenger reopening (to Ollerton). If this happens, the test track may be
extended further east. BELOW: The end of the line, 27m 60ch, the east end of the RIDC Tuxford test
track. (Alan Sheppard, taken from a public footpath with a telephoto lens on 21 Aug 2016.)

1265 GREATER LONDON
1831] Bow East Yard: (BLN 1263.1614) A DB Cargo UK press release indicates that it proposes to run
three trains daily to serve the facilities for which planning permission is being sought. Much of this will
be secondary aggregates, recycled to make products such as concrete, asphalt and building blocks.
1832] Charing Cross LUL: The Northern Line ticket hall closes for refurbishment from 26 September
until July 2017. Work will include new tiling and finishes, a new straightened gate line with more space
at the top of the escalators and improvements to CCTV and lighting. When this ticket hall reopens, the
Bakerloo Line hall will then close until December 2017 for a similar update.
1833] Crossrail: (BLN 1264.1723) A train was recently seen leaving Ilford depot, in the Up direction
through Down P4 to cross to the Up Electric Line at the foot of the flyover, a move our member had
never seen before. A new signal has been installed at P4 London-end; no doubt this flexibility is useful
while the country-end depot access is OOU. The Gidea Park Country End Jn crossovers are barred to
electric traction between 26 Sep (04.00) and 31 Oct (04.00), with OLE connections currently removed.
1834] Edgware Road: The signal box at the Sub Surface Lines station, which dates from 1926 (now the
oldest in operation on LU) with its original Westinghouse 'K'-type lever frame, has been designated an
item of national historic interest. Visited by a BLS party (BLN 1229.523), public access will be allowed
after it closes with resignalling. Https://goo.gl/c7DVC9 has current and historic photos.

ABOVE: The cabin at Edgware Road - P4 is bottom left. (Angus McDougall 16 Oct 1999)
1835] Paddington - Hayes & Harlington: (BLN 1264.1725/6) The EMU service started as planned on
5 Sep, although Class 387s are currently prohibited in Paddington P1, 2, 6, 7 & 13, on lines 1-3 between
Paddington and Ladbroke Grove and between Ladbroke Grove and Heathrow Airport Jn on the Down
Main Line. Selective Door Opening has to be used as most intermediate platforms are not yet long
enough for 8-car trains. Services generally seem to use P12 at Paddington, although RTT often shows
P10. The last two Up workings are shown into P5; the platform that test and driver training runs use.
This may be to facilitate the ECS returning to North Pole. These two trains do not serve Southall and
none stop at Hanwell. The 17.15 Paddington to Maidenhead and 18.44 to Reading no longer serve
Southall and call at West Ealing instead to connect with branch trains from bay P5. At Paddington,
work has started on demolishing the lift at the end of P12 so that P12/13 can be combined.

[BLN 1265] ABOVE: The well used Edgware Road frame shows its age. (Angus McDougall 16 Mar 2011).

1836] London Bridge: (BLN 1264.1731) There were failures of the signalling (commissioned Christmas/
New Year 2015/16) between Charing Cross and London Bridge on Wed 7 and Sat 10 Sep. On the
Wednesday it occurred during the evening peak, which was severely disrupted. On the Saturday, the
failure occurred around 13.30 and affected train services for the rest of the day. After around two
hours, when services resumed, only the Down Slow and Up Fast were in use between Belvedere Road
and Ewer Street. Initially, the full service was attempted but this did not last long and many trains were
cancelled, turned back short or diverted to Victoria/Cannon Street. The latter included Tunbridge
Wells to Charing Cross services which, in the Up direction, called at the 'closed' London Bridge P6.

1837] Returning to the Darkness: More Unusual
London Underground Manœuvres: (BLN 1262.1513)
(1) Arnos Grove, West End Slip to P4: This is only
timetabled in passenger service for trains 301 (SO)
and 303 (SSuX). These depart Heathrow T5 at 23.04
and Heathrow T4 at 23.16, terminating in Arnos
Grove P4 at 00.27 and 00.41 respectively. Thus, the
only day it does not happen is Monday mornings. On
Wed 7 Sep the usual suspects found themselves at
King's Cross (after some platform moves on the 'big
railway' above) awaiting train 303. The service,
running in right sequence and on time to the second,
departed 00.20 (Thur morning). Approaching Arnos
Grove it duly lurched right coasting into P4. A few
other passengers alighted; some made for P1 as
instructed to continue towards Cockfosters.
LEFT: Spot the odd one out, the Woodford station
departures board at 05.52 (well nearly) on 9 Sep.
All pictures in this item: Simon Mortimer.



[BLN 1265]
ABOVE (BOTH): The locals do not
appear to be at all concerned by the
eastbound train at the westbound
platform. One wonders if there are
any other special tricks that they save
up for the 1 April each year? LEFT: The
cleared signal at the north (sorry
'east') end of the platform.

(2) Woodford Station, East End
Trailing Crossover: This is relatively
new to the list of Unusual
Underground Undulations with few
booked passenger services and is
SSuX only. Given an appointment with
a railtour from King's Cross at 09.17
on 9 Sep, the usual suspects (plus one
from Derbyshire picked up from the roadside in Flore at 04.15) found themselves waiting at Woodford
P2 for train 34 to arrive at P2 ex-Hainault depot (into passenger service at Grange Hill) at 05.56. It was
clear that the very regular clientele at this time were not taken in by this interloper in P2 as they
awaited an early ride into town and the announcements and displays almost seemed unnecessary as
no-one made the slightest move to board... except the three! The train operator nonchalantly changed
ends exchanging a brief morning greeting, almost it seemed out of surprise anyone was on the train at
all and especially as they were photographing it!

At 06.01 the signal at the east end of P2 changed to green, the doors shut and the crossover was soon
traversed, followed a few minutes later by arrival at Buckhurst Hill as dawn began to break. With six
minutes to await a return to London, the train was watched departing and not a passenger aboard.
With trains even at 6am beginning to load heavily into town, this is effectively an advertised ECS move
to get more capacity on the return from Epping. After this highlight there remained nothing more to
do than return to Liverpool Street. Then a relatively unusual train at 07.03 to Chingford via the
connection between the Suburban and Main Lines north of Hackney Downs, return to King's Cross for
breakfast, go on the tour*, bail out at Great Yarmouth (P4 too, and some also managed P1 on a
service train before rejoining the tour!), return to Woodford at 20.30 and drive home!
[*To Whitemoor Yard Reception, the March triangle and virtually Peterborough Virtual Quarry.]

1838] Underground Travel Challenges: https://goo.gl/I9Z4lV This may interest members who would
like to undertake some time challenges, but don't want to attempt all the network. Various challenges
are set (with rules and leader boards) over different parts of the LUL network, the DLR and Croydon
Tramlink. The London Overground challenge is now suspended until Barking to Gospel Oak reopens.

1265 NORTH EAST
1839] Get a Grip! (BLNs 1245.2107 & 1251.358) Northumberland County Council's £850k GRIP 2 study
has reported that a frequent 7-day Newcastle to Ashington train service on the Blyth and Tyne line,
taking 38 minutes, is feasible. NR estimates the work will cost about £195M; the council has so far
committed £5M for detailed development. Services could start in just over four years, boosting the
local economy by up to £70M with 380,000+ people per year using it by 2034. The council reports
significant support for the project, regionally and nationally, and has pressed for the government to
include financial support in any devolution deal. The latest Campaign to Protect Rural England research
argues https://goo.gl/DPpJhw that small towns can benefit hugely if improved transport opens up
access to larger sources of jobs. The council's cabinet will discuss moving to the next stage in October.

1265 NORTH WEST
1840] 'Revised' Fares: How many times over the
years have we seen that as meaning an inevitable
increase? For once there is a true 'revision'; from 4
Sep Northern brought in Off-Peak Day Returns on
the Settle & Carlisle and Lancaster lines for trains
departing after 09.30 SSuX and anytime weekends
and Bank Holidays. They are 15% cheaper than
Anytime Day Returns, for example Settle to Leeds is
£12.50 rather than £14.80 and Carlisle to Skipton is
£25.20 (was £29.70). With the Settle and Carlisle
line closed north of Armathwaite, the £15 Settle
Carlisle Day Ranger unlimited ticket is still available (no time limits but only available from ticket
offices or train conductors); normal railcard discounts apply. Northern Duo Tickets are also available, a
25% discount for two consenting adults travelling together returning on the same day on selected
routes only (no railcard needed). Valid every day except for weekends in December; time restrictions
apply. No Railcard or child discounts. Each adult receives a ticket, one for the full amount paid and the
other for a 'zero' amount (as per the example above right)!

1841] Metrolink: This is now the largest light rail system in the UK with 93 stops on seven lines
covering almost 62 route miles. An article http://goo.gl/MBrDgn from the Manchester Evening News.

1842] Liverpool Lime Street - Money for Nothing? (BLN 1263.1623) During the two-month 2018
closure for remodelling, NR will pay £200k daily in compensation, mainly to TOCs! (Transport Briefing).

1843] Rochdale: Track, including the two trap points, remains on the NR side of the former connection
to Metrolink between 'Rochdale Railway Station' and Newbold tram stops. Then the track to Metrolink
has been removed, including the turnout into the Metrolink single line. Regrading of the Metrolink line
appears to have reduced the previous dip here so the lower level NR track would no longer connect.

1844] Manchester Piccadilly: From 16 Aug ticket gates became operational (when staffed) on P4-P7.

X.144] Ordsall Road Chord: Https://goo.gl/kbtGyy a view of the worksite and the former Manchester
Liverpool Road; Museum of Science and Industry connection (bottom right to upper centre) and site.

1845] Liverpool South Parkway: (BLN 1263.1623) Regarding Pendolinos using an extended P4 here
during the 2018 Lime Street closure; the platform is reversibly signalled but only as far as Allerton East
Jn. It will be interesting to see if a new south trailing crossover is installed for departures to Euston.
Alternatively, the reversible signalling could possibly be extended to the Speke Jn ladder (186m 72ch).

1846] Bolton: NR has submitted plans to reinstate Down P5 as a through platform in connection with
electrification. It would be for local trains to allow cross platform interchange to/from overtaking fast
Down trains which would call at P4. Disused since the early 1990s and trackless (the siding shown next
to the platform in TRACKmaps Vol 4 p48B (Aug 2013) has gone); P5 became part of the car park. The
latest application is for a new footbridge as a secondary escape route from P4 & 5. The £48M Bolton
transport interchange under construction just east of the line appears to include a parking deck.

1847] Blackpool Tramway: The single platform on the Fleetwood Ferry loop was booked to be closed
on 16, 19 & 20 Sep from 07.00 to 16.00 for works to improve the shelter. All northbound journeys
were to terminate at, and start back from, the stop before Victoria Street. The trailing crossover north
of that stop is OOU (BLN 1261.1393) as it is apparently 'too noisy' (laid too tightly one presumes) and is
to be lifted and relocated. Did southbound services starting at Victoria Street therefore run wrong line
back to London Street to take the next crossover before Fisherman's Walk in passenger service?
(Don't worry if you missed this, it is on our Blackpool Tramway tour on 19 Nov - see fixtures section.)

1265 SOUTH EAST – NORTH (& EAST ANGLIA)
1848] TRACKmaps Vol 5, Southern: (Green cover) Our member Ian Delgado has very kindly compiled a
list of corrections and updates to the latest (3rd) Nov 2008 edition - the numbers are page numbers. It
is not a complete list, and does not include changes to TfL, Tramlink, etc. Nor does it include any
details of track re-alignment (or slewing) where there is no other impact on the integrity of the layout.
References to removed sidings do not necessarily imply site clearance (e.g. Pevensey and Westham).

Page/Location Details
1 Richmond
1 Barnes Jn P3 to Up Richmond connection removed.
1/2 Clapham J. Correction: The Up Hounslow does not have a direct connection with the Up Windsor Fast.
1/2 Clapham Junction new P1 and changes at Ludgate GW Jn (diagram available on UT website).
Latchmere Ludgate GW Jn to Latchmere No2 Jn doubled. The Up Latchmere Curve is the line towards Clapham
Reversible Junction. The Down Latchmere Curve is the line towards Kensington Olympia. Latchmere No2 Jn is
1/2 now a double lead with the Up Latchmere Curve leading straight off the Up West London 0m 70ch.
Latchmere No2 Jn Trailing crossover at Latchmere No2 Jn (0m 68ch) removed, replaced by a new trailing crossover at
2 approx 0m 76ch. The facing crossover in the vicinity of Battersea Park Road remains.
Battersea Pier Jn The crossover from the Down Brighton Fast at 0m 73ch to the Down Brighton Slow does not cross
2 over the Up Brighton Slow; it joins it, then diverges on separate points.
Battersea Park The Atlantic lines terminate at Battersea Park station and no longer continue to meet the Brighton
2 lines at Battersea Park Jn. Junction layout changed ( diagram on UT https://goo.gl/wwSbYv )
Factory Jn 'C' The Down crossover from the Down Stewarts Lane at 1m 67ch joins the Chatham Reversible; it
3/44 Farringdon does not cross it to join the Up Chatham Main.
3 Blackfriars The Farringdon to Moorgate branch is closed.
3 City Thameslink Layout significantly revised - see diagram on UT website.
3 Charing Cross Farringdon-end trailing crossover removed.
3 London Bridge New facing crossover at about 0m 35ch from Up Fast to middle road.
3 S. Bermondsey Extensive changes in progress - see diagram on UT website and previous BLN entries.
3 New facing crossover south of South Bermondsey (Uttley Jn); the future East London Jn.
Old Kent Road Jn New double-lead junction at 2m 32ch taking the Up and the Down Silwood lines to the East
3 New Cross Gate London Line at Silwood Jn (see TRACKmaps Vol 5 page 46).
No1 Up Carriage Siding is now called the Up Sussex Loop after a long period as a siding with buffers
3/4 at north end. Permissive working is authorised.
Tanners Hill Flyover double track with a new crossover from Down Fast onto the Up Fast at Tanners Hill Jn.
3 Chislehurst New Down Tanners Hill line leaving the Up Fast and joining the Down Nunhead on the flyover.
4 Denmark Hill New trailing crossover (10m 75ch) between Up Slow/Down Fast (London-end of station).
4 Crystal Palace Correction: P2 & 3 shown the wrong way round.
7 Swanley Jn Two new bay platforms facing Sydenham; diagram on UT website
7 Gravesend Up Chatham Fast wrongly shown connecting to Down Maidstone; layout is as shown on page 6.
7 Cuxton New Up bay P0. Through lines removed; diagram on UT website.
7 Rochester Trailing crossover and associated ground frame removed.
7 Maidstone W. New three-platform station 25ch closer to London; diagram on UT website. Old station closed.
8 Rainham Maidstone West Down Bay Siding removed.
8 Faversham New Up bay P0 and a facing London-end X/0. Country-end trailing crossover removed.
New London-end facing X/O (about 51m 50ch) for Down trains to access P1&2. Country-end
9 Whitstable trailing X/O (between the station and junction) removed. New trailing X/Os between Up Branch &
9 Herne Bay Down Branch, and Up Main & Down Main the other side of the junction. Field Siding removed.
9 Birchington… London-end crossover removed.
9 Ramsgate Country-end crossover removed.
9 Minster Birchington-on-Sea: London-end crossover removed.
9 Canterbury E… Significantly revised; diagram on UT website.
14 East Croydon Correction: Platform numbers are the wrong way round.
14 South Croydon Canterbury East: Country-end crossover removed.
14 East Grinstead New London-end trailing crossover from P5 to Up Slow.
14 Smitham New London-end facing crossover from Down Slow to Slow Reversible.
Continuous double track, and points have been moved northwards.
Station renamed Coulsdon Town.

15 Redhill London-end connection from P1 to the Up Redhill briefly joins the Up Loop No2/No1 Up Siding line
but does not cross it. All of the Up Yard sidings except No.1 Up Siding are OOU.
15 New P7 ('Down Platform Loop'); accessed only off/onto Down Fast. New country-end facing
Gatwick.Airport crossover between Up Fast and Down Fast for access into P5 and P6 (not P7) from the south.
17 Pevensey & W Pevensey & Westham: Up Siding removed.
17 Bexhill Country-end crossover removed.
18 Tunbridge W New trailing X/O between Grove Hill Tunnel and Grove Jn, accesses new Down turnback siding.
18 Ore London-end trailing crossover removed.
18 Lydd New 320m passing/run round loop.
19 Dorking Correction: Up Main is P1, Down/Up Main is P2, Loop is P3.
21 Kempton Park London-end trailing crossover removed.
23 Woking Jn Correction: Arrow on the crossover from the Down Slow to the Down Fast is the wrong way round.
24 Camberley Country-end crossover removed.
25 Windsor & E… Windsor & Eton Riverside: Station crossover (25m 40ch) removed.
25 Staines West J. Staines West Jn crossover (19m 50ch) removed.
25 Earley London-end crossover removed
26 Haslemere Correction: Down Main is P1, Up Main is P2, and Up Loop is P3.
26 Petersfield Country-end crossover removed.
26 Cosham Correction: Platform numbers should be reversed.
28/29 So'ampton Southampton Airport Parkway to Eastleigh: New Up Slow line from Stoneham Jn, just north of
Airport Parkway Southampton Airport (74m 37ch) to Eastleigh West Jn (73m 48ch). Up Main renamed Up Fast.
31 Wool Country-end trailing crossover replaced by a facing crossover.
31 Wareham London-end trailing crossover removed. New facing crossover at about 120m 63ch.
33 Gillingham (Dorset) Correction: P1 is the main, P2 the Down Loop.
34 Axminster New line referred to in TRACKmaps is in place; P1 is the Down platform and P2 the Up (per W17).
34 Topsham Correction: Both platforms shown as P1! The Up platform is P2.

BLN 1265.1849] Reading: (BLN 1264.1756) A member found that all the variations at Reading
(including the awkwardly timed low level Southern route) could just be achieved in a day from North
Wales. He set off on 26 Aug using RTT as a guide. The 14.45 XC departure from P8 was taken, using the
Festival to main line flyover connection, without realising that this is not a normal routing! The only
snag was being told at Banbury booking office that the Oxfordshire Day Ranger ticket is GWR trains
only and not valid to Reading. The day returns did not cost much more, but reduced flexibility slightly.
NR Enquiries website still shows the Ranger as valid from Oxford to Reading, Banbury and Moreton-in-
Marsh by any operator, so it is not clear which is wrong, the website or Banbury booking office.

1850] Kearsney - Dover Priory: Whitfield, a village, straddling the A2 north of the railway line, could
have its own station, according to plans announced in a transport document released by Kent County
Council. The new station would provide an alternative method of transport for Whitfield and help
reduce congestion on the A2 and A20. The village is expected to have a large increase in population
with 5,750 new homes planned to be built in the area over the next 25 years. ('kentlive')

1851] Peterborough, making the grade: A member went to Werrington for a local consultation
exhibition on 7 Sep on the future grade separation of the route to Spalding from the ECML. (A line that
very nearly closed in the early 1970s; BR wanted to close it and retain Spalding to March instead!) NR's
preferred option is a dive-under. It will involve widening the existing rail boundary on its western side,
northward from approximately the position of Werrington Jn. The Up and Down Stamford lines would
be slewed west for the new pair of lines to descend to about 7m below the existing railway between
them. They will bear right, pass under the ECML and then climb in a cutting to join the Spalding line.

NR expects the legal processes to take around 18 months, after applying to the Secretary of State in
Dec 2016. The line is projected to open in Dec 2020. However, a report in September Modern Railways
suggests infrastructure upgrades on the ECML are in jeopardy through opposing positions of the ORR
and DfT on levels of 'on-rail competition'. The ex-M&GNR with its sparse service to Wisbech (etc) was
'grade separated' on an overbridge just north of Peterborough (BLN 1250.267).

[BLN 1265]

1852] March: who provide fewer services than CrossCountry but more than

East Midlands Trains at March, has completely refurbished the footbridge, with the installation of a

new, non-slip surface and repainting in heritage colours (green and cream). Platform improvements

include new edge slabs and tactiles (the contoured slabs near the edge), repairs to the surface,

drainage improvements and repairs to the exterior and interior of the buildings. This complements the

work of the Friends of March station who are restoring to use redundant rooms on the Ely bound side.

1853] Shenfield: (BLN 1264.1753) On 17 Sep P5 was to be temporarily reduced to 189m for 4-car and
8-car trains only and the London end junctions taken OOU for removal and remodelling by May 2017.

1854] Ely: In early September, a correspondent noted approximately 20 newly laid sidings at the rear
of Ely Freight Terminal (71m 60ch) beside the River Great Ouse, which curve round from the Ely North
Jn side of the site. These look to be very well laid for the long term. The site is now being used to store
withdrawn Gatwick Express Class 442 units. It has been estimated that between 30 and 50 miles of
sidings will be needed to store stock that is due to be withdrawn nationally! Also, between Ely and
Chippenham Jn, Snailwell Sidings scrap facility is believed to have been reconnected for future use.

1855] Chesterton Jn: (BLN 1264.1531) Frimstone has opened a new depot to receive aggregates from
quarries in the Midlands for the Cambridge construction sector. It will reduce aggregate transportation
by road by 50,000 miles a year. The rail operation is a 25-year investment for Frimstone, a family-run
business with a long history in Cambridge. It operates a number of sand and gravel sites, aggregates
recycling operations and railheads in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. (Agg-net)

1856] East West Rail: (BLN 1255.812) This much-delayed project was originally due to open in 2017,
then 2019, before being pushed back to the end of CP6 (2024). There are now concerns that it may be
further postponed. Although at the end of March NR did announce its preferred route for the central
section. However, Cllr Rodney Rose, deputy leader of Oxfordshire County Council and East West Rail
Consortium chair, representing the councils involved, considers the latest delay a blow to the local
authorities that have put money in. It has been described as the third most important rail project in
the country, after HS2 and Crossrail. When asked if it was still being treated as such, Cllr Rose replied
bluntly: 'No.' He said the issue will be discussed with NR at the next meeting of the East West Rail Joint
Delivery Board and a meeting will be requested with Sir Peter Hendy. (Transport Briefing). Meanwhile,
Buckinghamshire County Council has paid £900k for the 2.5 acres of land needed to build the planned
Winslow station on the line, a station building, car park and public transport hub are intended. It will
be well situated on the route with through services to Oxford, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes and Bedford!
An OS 1" 7th Series map https://goo.gl/0z5vlk (1954/61) showing the former station (in the middle of
the map) and lines - zoom in.

1857] Bourne End - High Wycombe (or 'now we know why steam engines had boilers'): A member
born and brought up in Beaconsfield and now living in Derby has provided the following observations
on his early career. He started work as a junior clerk at High Wycombe station in 1935 and was there
until 1938 when he was posted to Ruislip & Ickenham, now West Ruislip, of course. The Uxbridge to
High Wycombe bus, run by the London General Omnibus Company, was, in the 1930s, an open top
double decker. One of the duties of the conductor, on approaching the Maidenhead branch bridge
over the A40 at Loudwater, was to mount the steps and warn passengers not to stand up until after
the bridge was passed, a true story as he witnessed it happening. One wonders what 'Health and
Safety' would make of that today! The Maidenhead branch train invariably used the bay platform on
the Down side at High Wycombe where there was parallel track for the locomotive to run round its
train prior to returning. To cover the duty of coupling and uncoupling (and little else), there were a pair
of passenger shunters on the station staff. Once, one of them had a very painful boil on the back of his
neck. It was driving him crazy so he adopted a drastic method of curing it. Part of the re-coupling
procedure was to restore the vacuum brake by connecting the hose on the loco to that on the train.

[BLN 1265]
This done, the shunter would shout to the fireman, 'Blow up' and he would suck out the air to restore
the vacuum. On this occasion, the man in pain placed the loco hose on his boil and gave the usual
shout. The boil was sucked out, but this left him unconscious on the ground. He was taken to hospital,
but soon returned to duty and a severe telling off at both places for what was considered a foolhardy
act - by those not suffering the pain he had been in. [Antibiotics were still experimental then - Ed.]

1265 SOUTH EAST – SOUTH
1858] Alton Branch: On 10 Sep south of Farnham the 'temporary' (?) Wrecclesham slew of the 'Alton
Single' reversible line onto the former Down line (and back) remained with a 20mph speed restriction -
this does not greatly affect timekeeping. At the site of the April landslip (since your correspondent's
previous visit of 24 Jun and to his considerable surprise), the embankment on the Up side had largely
been removed leaving a gaping hole. Fixed laser monitoring equipment is set up but the heavy plant,
had gone suggesting that work to reinstate the track back on the Up side may have been 'paused'?
At Bentley the off peak service is hourly and all trains use P1 except P2, the Down Loop, is booked to
be used by: (SSuX) 08.53 (may not do so in practice), 12.53, 17.25 (which also unusually runs through
P3 at Aldershot), 22.23 (SuX) and 23.23 (SuX); all from London Waterloo. Regular Sunday use can
happen with engineering work (usually if the Alton service runs to/from Woking only). The oil trains
used P1 and have not affected P2 use at Bentley. The wagons formerly used on the Fawley working
were seen at Holybourne Oil Sidings (47m 28ch), in store.

At Alton it was impossible to use the fine 1896 LSWR footbridge as it is now blocked up both sides
(BLN 1262.1538; e-BLN picture). The half-hourly basic service (hourly SuO) involves alternate use of P1
and P2, a train departing from the 'other' platform fairly soon after one arrives. Similarly, at Farnham,
the next Alton train is generally ready to enter the single track on P2 when an Up train arrives.

1859] Ryde: Visiting the IoWR August Bank Holiday steam fair, (via Hovercraft to Ryde Esplanade), it
was noticed that the condemned Ryde Esplanade former tram stop canopy had been removed. Some
interesting canopy brackets (cast iron or steel with a central wheel motif painted green with four red
spokes) had been left lying on the beach. NR had applied to the IoW/Ryde Town Council for permission
to carry out the work as the pier is Grade II listed. The structure was life expired, not used and could
have fallen onto the beach next winter. The downside to this is that the adjacent part of Island Line
railway station P2 canopy has been removed too. NR said that this section was not used as it was
wholly over the sea/beach. The canopy on the 'dry land' side, over P2, attached to the station building,
is unaltered. However, it is shorter now and only covers a 2-coach train; a 4-car train would be half out
in the open. At the cut-off seaward end, a new wooden valance has been provided across the whole
roof span where the canopy was, in the same style as the canopy edge over the railway. It has a cutout
for the 'off' starting signal repeater to be seen by the train conductor travelling towards St Johns Road.

1860] Ardingly: (BLN 1262.1576) On Sun 18 Sep as part of a weekend of celebrations for the 175th
anniversary of Haywards Heath station, the preserved Hastings unit made five return trips from P1 up
the branch departing hourly from 11.00 to 15.00 (£5 return). A member reports that his train was full
and standing; it ran through Ardingly run-round loop to reach the stop board just before the hopper.

1265 SOUTH WEST
1861] From keel to wheel and back again: (BLN 1238.1478) An open day at the former Newent station
(CP 13 Jul 1959; CG 1 Jun 1964) on 10 Sep showcased plans to re-open it in an unusual way. The
proposal to restore the 34-mile long Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal has moved forward with
the acquisition of the canal bed between Oxenhall south to the Newent station site. Part of the canal
alignment (closed 1881) became that of the Ledbury & Gloucester Railway, OP 27 Jul 1885. It is
proposed that the station platforms will be restored with the reinstated canal passing between them.
The former footbridge will provide access for pedestrians across the canal.

BLN 1265.1862] Tunnel Turnarounds on Tytherington's Track: From Mon 12 Sep until Fri 21 Oct, (the
Severn Tunnel closure), GWR are terminating ECS trains beyond Yate Middle Jn on the closed
Tytherington Quarry branch. Services are routed into Yate Middle Incoming Road to reverse, passing
the Stop Board which will be temporarily taken OOU. A sleeper painted yellow (you cannot miss it!) is
positioned 100m beyond the Outbound Stop Board and drivers will bring their trains to a stand here.

1863] …and more at Bristol Parkway: The Severn Tunnel closure also results in unusual track
becoming available here. Normally the western access to P4 is used by hourly Weston-super-Mare to
Bristol Parkway trains. During the closure there will be trains to and from Portsmouth Harbour and
Taunton that normally run to Cardiff Central direct from Filton Abbey Wood. Also until 21 Oct on
weekdays the 05.18 London Paddington to Bristol Parkway (via Box and Bristol TM) terminates in P4 at
07.31 forming the 07.57 Bristol Parkway to Paddington (via Badminton) via the rarely used P4 east end
and its connection to the Up Badminton line. Two London Paddington (16.45 & 18.45) to Swansea
trains also reverse at Bristol Parkway before running via Yate towards Gloucester and Swansea. So far
these appear to reverse in P3, using the facing crossover at Stoke Gifford East Jn on arrival.

1864] Pilning now a one-way system: (BLN 1262.1529) On Sat 10 Sep the departure of the last Down
train (15.40 Taunton to Cardiff Central) from the condemned P2 was witnessed by around twenty
onlookers including the local Mayor. (Of course, if they had all actually travelled, the total number of
passengers from the station in 2016 would have nearly doubled.) The platform was decorated with
English and Welsh flags and signs including slogans such as 'The Great Way Round Returns' and 'The
Last Train to Wales'. Much plant was on site for the Severn Tunnel work which started two days later.

1865] Portway Park & Ride: (BLN 1203.282) Http://goo.gl/4JLrrS The West of England Joint Transport
Partnership has received positive feed back on the proposed station at the existing A4 Park & Ride site,
by the Severn Beach line. A bid for £2.2M of the projected £2.63M cost of the single-platform station
has been submitted to the Local Growth Fund. NR is expected to start its GRIP3 report this month.

1866] Home win at Ashton Gate: The case for a station here on the
Portishead branch moves a step closer with completion of a land-take study
from CH2M commissioned by Bristol City Council. It has identified an area to
accommodate a 'spur line', bay platform, footbridge or subway and holding
pens for crowds on match days. The proposed road access
http://goo.gl/DHTMwL is via Barons Close. It was originally envisaged that
provision for a station at Ashton Gate would be made but it would open
after services had started to Portishead. The former Ashton Gate was further
north, past the current A370 overbridge. Opened to football supporters 15
Sep 1906, with OP 1 Oct 1906, it TCP 1 Nov 1917; ROP 12 May 1926;
CP 7 Sep 1964; ROP 29 Sep 1970 for trains on match days until 1977. It TROP
12-19 May 1984 for crowds attending an appearance of evangelist preacher
Billy Graham at the stadium. RIGHT: Centre left is the site of the first station
(1953/61 map), where the Wapping Wharf line heads off northeast. It seems
that possible plans to reopen Clifton Bridge station have been suspended.

1867] Portishead: (BLN 1256.927) North Somerset Council has finally concluded land purchases and
set a summer 2018 start date for the works to realign utilities and build a new roundabout linking
Quays Avenue, Harbour Road and Phoenix Way. These enabling works need to be completed before
any railway engineering works can take place at the new station site!

1868] Court Proceedings: (BLN 1264.1716) A response to the challenge to find GWR nameplates from
the Castle, Hall and Manor classes located in their namesake property. 'Clevedon Court' is displayed at
that National Trust 14th century 'manor house' in North Somerset. Members wishing to make a
pilgrimage need to hurry as its WThSuO seasonal openings cease at the end of September. [Nice try,
but not wishing to be caught out, GWR 2937 was a 'Saint Class' locomotive like the other 'Courts' - Ed!]

1265 WEST MIDLANDS
ABOVE: 170635 in Hereford P4, Sat 10 Sep, much to the delight of BLS members

from Hull, Milton Keynes and Great Malvern. No pole or train was damaged
in the making of these pictures. (Alan Sheppard)

1869] Hereford: On Sat 10 Sep and quite by chance, three members met in the
rear coach (the seats labelled 'Must be given up to BLS members on request') of
the 20.00 (SO) London Midland service to Birmingham New Street. This is now the
only train of the week booked to use the nominally 70m long bay P4. The 3-car
class 170 DMU had to go right to the end of the line to fit in (the coupler was
actually beyond the red stop light!). This train cannot use the (currently) usual P3
for these services because it is required for a 19.55 Arriva Train Wales departure
to Manchester (ex-Milford Haven). Meanwhile a GWR HST from Paddington
arrives in P1 at 19.45 and has to promptly shunt ECS via 'Hereford Diesel Sidings'
(despite the plural name, there is only one that is serviceable for ECS reversals
now) south of the station to form the 20.20 return to London from P3. On the
other side of the station an ATW Manchester to Cardiff train is booked to use P2
from 19.49/51.

In summary, the LM train has to move out of the way and P4 is the only
practicable solution. This may well change now that trains from the north can turn
back in passenger service from P1 and P2 (BLN 1259.1240), presumably from a
timetable change. Bay P4 arrivals are all ECS with a reversal beyond its point; the

ABOVE: Hereford, looking south towards Newport. Far left to right: P1 (Down Platform Loop; out of
view) and P2 (Down Main), Down Relief, Up Relief (the two 'through lines'), P3 (Up Main) & P4.

driver will not know if he is required to do this until setting off for P3. If the signal shows a red aspect
that clears to yellow on approach it indicates a shunt to P4. Some of the Sunday services from
Hereford to Birmingham used to be booked to use P4, but rarely did. They are now all scheduled for
P3 and tend to be 4-car DMUs (therefore too long for P4) due to the passenger numbers. An unusual
Hereford departure is the 19.12 (SO) to Dorridge, an LM class 172 DMU which runs via Kidderminster,
the only through Snow Hill train of the week (either direction).

BLN 1265.1870] Staffordshire stations: (BLN 1264.1766) The consultation over reinstating rail services
could also result in some stations closing for good. The DfT has asked bidders to develop proposals
and costs to reinstate rail services at either Wedgwood or Barlaston; bus served since TCP 23 Feb
2004. Norton Bridge has been mentioned but is unlikely to re-open. There was a good response in
favour of reopening Barlaston but residents are divided due to possible increased delays at the level
crossing! Under the proposals, due to its short platform length, Stone will lose direct Euston services
as more are extended from 4 to 8-car EMUs. Alsager, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent and Stone would be
served by a proposed new hourly Crewe to Wolverhampton service (calling at Stafford and Penkridge
too). This is now possible following the Norton Bridge capacity increase. It will compensate for the
diversion of one Birmingham to Liverpool LM service per hour via Cannock with electrification of the
'Chase Line' and supplement the current LM Crewe to Euston service via Stoke, Stafford and the Trent
Valley line.

1265 YORKSHIRE & HUMBERSIDE
1871] York: (BLN 1264.1772) The former Down Departure Sidings (between York Yard North Jn and
Skelton Jn) were connected at both ends (per TRACKmaps Sep 2006) while the central sidings were
lifted. After a week away, a member recently returned to find the western-most outer siding furthest
from the avoiding line still in situ with 66095 (forming the 6T36 to Doncaster) parked while ballast was
being unloaded from its train. The central sidings have gone but it appears that a headshunt is being
laid at the north end of the yard. Our member believes this is to be the new permanent way yard.

1872] Sowerby Bridge: In Jul 2015 the Friends of Sowerby Bridge were awarded a £250 grant from
ACoRP towards the costs of two welcome boards and six information boards. Recently erected, the
latter depict persons of note from the town including Colonel Robert Stansfield, a local benefactor,
Timothy Bates of a local engineering company and more recent folk such as teacher Peter Brook.

X.145] ABOVE: Doncaster in July 1984; a Cleethorpes to Manchester Red Bank carriage sidings return
(empty) newspaper train and parcels vans working. Once an overnight Manchester to Cleethorpes
newspaper train used to have half a coach for passengers and ran (inter alia) over the then rare
Penistone to Barnsley line; now with an hourly service each way (2-hourly SuO)! (Gary Crompton)

1265 IRELAND
1873] Carrickfergus & Londonderry: (BLN 1263.1650) The station dispatch changes apply at all times.
There will be a slow reduction in staff numbers as they move on or retire but no redundancies.

1874] Phoenix Park line: (BLN 1261.1439) Following initial consultation with the National Transport
Authority (NTA), which funded a €13.7M line upgrade, IÉ has published a draft timetable between
Newbridge and Hazelhatch via Phoenix Park Tunnel to Grand Canal Dock. The proposed new services
are part of revisions proposed for Heuston Intercity and Commuter routes. Proposed changes include:

 Seven new morning peak services from Newbridge or Hazelhatch to Grand Canal Dock.
 Eight new evening peak services from Grand Canal Dock to Newbridge or Hazelhatch.
 Connections to and from the new services for 'customers' from outer commuter services e.g.

Carlow, Portlaoise, Kildare and Athlone at Hazelhatch (using the bay platform?) or Newbridge.
 Existing commuter service levels to/from Heuston line stations are maintained.
 Minor retiming of other Heuston services; 'customers' are encouraged to review and comment.

IÉ and the NTA intend to expand these services to off-peak and weekends at a future date, with the
initial focus on increasing service levels and capacity for weekday commuters and other passengers.

1875] Bridge strikes: IÉ report that the number is on the rise again after years in decline. From a low of
72 national bridge strikes in 2012, in 2015 there were 85, but this year to early September, there have
been 68 already. DART has had the largest increase; 25 collisions this year already compared with 12 at
the same time last year. In August two separate bridges in the Grand Canal area were hit by different
vehicles within the space of two hours delaying trains and causing traffic mayhem.

This is despite improved signage and a downloadable map for anyone to check bridge heights. It may
be explained by increased construction traffic, but it is still not acceptable that truck drivers in many
instances do not know the height of the vehicle they are driving! Not even the deterrent of penalty
points and hefty fines has prevented repeated strikes on bridges, particularly in the south of Dublin
City. After a hit IÉ must carry out a structural assessment of the bridge before trains can restart over it.

1876] Translink ticketing: Northern Ireland Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard has announced a
£45M investment in a new bus and train smart ticketing system. This includes contactless payment
cards on buses, e-purse payments similar to the London Oyster Card, new ticket vending machines,
gated railway stations and an online app for 'customers' to manage their accounts/top-up smartcards.
Implementation is expected to begin in 2018 with the introduction of the new bus rapid transit system
in Belfast and in 2019 Metro (Citybus's Belfast brand) and Ulsterbus are due to accept contactless
payments. Ticketing specialist Parkeon has been awarded the design and deliver contract.

1265 SCOTLAND
1877] Inverness: The 19.28 (SuX) Ardgay to Inverness arriving 20.57 and returning at 21.06 for Tain
(22.16) is booked to use the rare P7 (the shortest and most west platform there) and did so on 8 Aug.
This is because an HST is being re-fuelled then and may block the route into/out of P5/6. Therefore, if
everything is running to time, more or less, this should be a good bet. Note that the 22.21 (FSO) from
Tain is also booked to arrive P7. On 9 Aug the 09.41 to Edinburgh took the reversible Down main in the
Up direction, then Cradlehall trailing crossover (116m 52ch) as booked. This seems to be due to it
needing to clear the line for the 09.44 ECS (only 3 minutes later) from P4 to Inverness Depot via the Up
line (reversing at Milburn Jn). If the 09.41 ran on the 'Up' line it would take longer to clear the section.

1878] Larbert: From Sun 14 Aug, in conjunction with the Larbert North S&C Renewals project, the Up
Goods Loop, Down Goods Loop and Run Round Sidings were to be abandoned (with 11 associated sets
of points clamped OOU for removal) to be replaced by Up Engineering Sidings and a Down Passenger
Loop, which will come into use in Nov. The trailing crossover was taken OOU pending renewal in Nov.

1879] Polmont: With thanks to http://goo.gl/jMQKq6 from Ian Delgado; FSX until 8 Dec late night
Glasgow Queen St to Edinburgh trains have a five minute turnaround (no ECS shunts shown). Polmont
departures to Glasgow are from 21.31 until 23.55 (SuO 23.33); trailing X/O is expected on departure.

1880] Glasgow Subway or Underground? (BLN 1262.1497) The 'Glasgow District Subway' OP 14 Dec
1896, and was the third underground railway in the world after London (1863) and Budapest (1896). It
was officially known as the Subway until 1936 when Glasgow Corporation took it over and renamed it
the 'Glasgow Underground'. However, everyone else continued to call it 'Subway'. In 2003, and
without any initial announcement, Subway started to appear in official publicity; Strathclyde Passenger
Transport Executive had quietly renamed it back to what everyone had always been calling it!

1881] Law Jn: (BLN 1206.554): The 06.06 Mossend to Daventry freight failed on the Up Main on 25 Jul.
As a result, after Motherwell, the 06.50 Virgin Trains East Coast Glasgow Central to King's Cross was
diverted via Wishaw Central and Law Jn Up Passenger Loop (only accessible from Wishaw) to pass it.

1882] Ladyburn Jn: From 5 Sep the points (121m 74ch) to Ladyburn Yard (Greenock) from the Up
Gourock line were removed as was the Up to Down Gourock trailing crossover (121m 79ch). There
were associated signalling changes. The branch from Ladyburn Yard to James Watt Dock Molasses
Siding (NS304753) CG in Apr 1990 although retained unused after - does anyone have a closure date?

BELOW: One Inch to the mile 7th Series map (1956/60). James Watt Dock is centre with its various
internal railways and connections to the Gourock (Caledonian Railway) and Prince's Pier (later part of
the Glasgow & South Western Railway) lines. Left middle is the single track branch to Wemyss Bay;
bottom edge right corner is the double track G&SWR line via Kilmacolm to Elderslie. An hourly
passenger service (SuX) ran between Glasgow Central and Kilmacolm (as a branch) until 10 Jan 1983.

1883] Inverclyde Lines: At Port Glasgow your ccorrespondent recently joined the 16.24 Gourock to
Glasgow but did not get very far as it was terminated with an unbooked stop at Langbank, a person
having been struck by a train in the Bishopton area. The train returned to Gourock as an all-stations
passenger service; this involving drawing forward ECS some distance, then returning via the trailing
crossover just east of Langbank station. On arrival at Port Glasgow, road coaches had already been
provided to head east again. The first departed at 17.45 and made a spirited run, calling at Langbank
and Bishopton stations to arrive Gilmour Street 18.16. The line reopened about then. Glasgow
passengers went forward on the 17.33 from Largs, announced as calling 'all stations'. However at
Wallneuk Jn instead of going direct to the Up Gourock, it went over the Up Ayr. Following a stop
approaching Arkleston, the crossovers were used to access the Up Gourock at Arkleston East. The
Gourock and Wemyss Bay lines are being resignalled resulting in no Sunday trains 4 Sep to 16 Oct.

1884] Wemyss Bay: (BLN 1245.2130) The main contract for the station renovation is complete, but P1
is still OOU due to repairs to the sea wall. Further work is anticipated to replace cracked glass in the
concourse roof and platform canopies. There have been three major contracts:
(1): NR: Renovation of the station area.
(2): Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL): Renovation of the pier building.
(3): CMAL: fender replacement, link span renovation, pierhead reconstruction and dredging (etc).

The CMAL work was completed in spring 2016. For the first time in many years, the NR and CMAL parts
of the building are painted to match, both in the Caledonian Railway's colour scheme. A Caledonian
Railway seat, that was surplus to requirements at the National Railway Museum, has been presented
to the Friends of Wemyss Bay Station. As received, it was painted bright blue and in need of repairs,
but it has been professionally restored and is now in use on the station concourse.

1885] Glasgow Cook St: On 14 Aug, the 08.57 Paisley Gilmour Street (ex-Gourock) to Glasgow Central
unusually crossed to No1 branch at Cook Street Jn then took the chord to No4 line, crossing again to
No2 line (101m 76ch) to terminate in Central P5. (Rather than P12 - 15 as is normal for these services.)

1886] Dumbarton Central: The revised timetables on Sun 16 Oct for the shuttles to/from Balloch and
Helensburgh are in the system. All use the rare Dumbarton P3 west end and its facing X/O on arrival.

[BLN 1265]
ABOVE: 1926/47 'Popular' Series 1" map showing the very remote Corrour as 'Corrour Siding'; the
station is shown as 'closed to passengers' (OP 7 Aug 1894). Perhaps it appeared so on the day the OS
surveyor visited! Over 10 miles from the nearest public road, 'Station House', the new adjacent
guesthouse and restaurant https://goo.gl/6O0V29 has excellent reviews. On six days a week there is a
through train to/from London Euston taking 11¾-12 hours, (or 8 to 9 hours with two changes).

1887] Corrour: On 28 May two hill walkers, planning to catch the 21.21 train to Tulloch (£3.90 single
for exactly 10 miles or £7.50 to come back again) after a day's rambling on Rannoch Moor, were
confronted with the bleak prospect of having to walk more than 10 miles in the dark to reach the
nearest public road. The service had been cancelled due to train crew shortages; they were later
picked up by car. The press majored on the six trains cancelled for various reasons in the three months
from 10 May to 10 Jun (but over 99%, nearly 700, had run on this difficult to operate line). Considering
how remote the station is (advertised as 'no road access'), surprisingly 12,856 passengers were
recorded for 2014/15. Corrour does have a passenger information/help point. An agreement has now
been reached with the estate manager that, when there is any disruption on the West Highland route,
the access gate will be left open to allow replacement taxis to be provided.

1888] Reston & East Linton: (BLNs 1223.1929 & 1224.105) The Scottish Borders Council has promised
£2.84M for Reston station and a local rail service between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed. East
Lothian has offered £3.44M towards East Linton station. They are now seeking the green light from
the Scottish government for the project. The councils will carry out an impact assessment before (with
SEStran) applying to the Scottish Stations Fund for the rest of the funding. Total costs are estimated at
£10.63M for Reston and £11.13M for East Linton after NR carried out preliminary design work.

1889] Newtonhill: Situated (230m 60ch) two miles south of Portlethen towards Stonehaven, it is
hoped that funding may be available through the Aberdeen City Region Deal to make reopening of this
station (OP 1 Nov 1849; CP 11 Jun 1956) possible. Developers have permission for 4,045 homes at
nearby Chapelton of Elsick (sic!). The regional deal bid has Newtonhill as the possible site of a new
station, with Bucksburn, Kittybrewster, the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre and Cove.

[BLN 1265]
1890] Revising revision: A new edition of Landranger 1:50,000 Map 66 'Edinburgh' shows why maps
should not be relied on for historical data. It is 'Revised August 2014, reprinted with new legend and
cover February 2016'. The Borders Railway, OP Sep 2015, is shown as complete with stations open.
The map also shows track in place on most of the Loanhead branch, but it was lifted before 2014 for
construction of a surfaced path. Therefore, 'Revised August 2014' does not mean 'fully revised'; there
has been selected revision subsequently. [OS 'MasterMap' data is amended very regularly: each time
paper copies are printed the latest master is used to provide the most up to date information. Perhaps
the revision date needs revising! Aerial pictures are mainly used now with a small field survey team.
Due to vegetation, it can be difficult to tell if a closed railway line has been lifted; sometimes they are
shown as lifted when they are not. Of course, maps are out of date as soon as they are printed! - Ed.]

An interesting case was 1:50,000 Series Maps 64 (Glasgow) and 65 (Falkirk & Linlthgow) shown as
'Revised 2001…Revised for Selected Change 2010'. The Aidrie to Bathgate line was quite correctly
shown as a very prominent dashed black line 'Railway under construction'. Postscript: The 2009 'AZ
Glasgow and surrounding area street atlas' shows the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, with the note 'Open
Late 2010'! It looks like an accurate depiction of the (then) planned route!

1891] Glasgow Airport: Construction of a Glasgow Airport rail link should be fast-tracked to offset the
economic uncertainty of the Brexit vote, according to the leaders of Glasgow and Renfrewshire
councils. The Scottish and UK Governments have each committed £500M to the £1.13bn Glasgow City
Region City Deal, including £144M for the 'Glasgow Airport Access Project'. The favoured scheme is a
tram-train hybrid, a new light rail line between the airport terminal and Paisley Gilmour Street, where
trams would join the national rail network to Glasgow Central. Personal Rapid Transit 'pods' - similar
to those at Heathrow Terminal 5 - are also being considered, but these would terminate at Paisley.

1265 WALES
BELOW: The ex-Cardiff Bute Road station building on 24 Nov 2006, 'Cardiff Bay' station entrance is on

the left. (Dave Cromarty). NEXT PAGE: By 17 Jun 2015 it had deteriorated. (Angus McDougall).

BLN 1265.1892] Craven Arms: There
was rare passenger use of the 29ch long
Down Goods Loop on Sat 10 Sep when
the return leg of Steam Dreams 'The
Cathedrals Express' from Shrewsbury to
Slough via Bristol Parkway went in on
time at 18.04 to water. However,
departure was 24 minutes late as it was
realised that the trap point into the
short headshunt does not have a facing
point lock so a Mobile Operations
Manager kindly came to clip it. Slough
was reached only five minutes late.
Steam tours watering can be a good way
of doing some obscure loops (Droitwich
Spa Up Goods Loop is another example
of this).

1893] Cardiff Central: Adjacent demolition has severely constrained the queuing space available after
major events at the Principality (formerly Millennium) Stadium. A new system successfully tried on 13
Sep, had no admittance to P6 & 7; all Cardiff Valleys 'customers' were instead directed to Queen
Street, where road closures enabled queues to be set up. Queues for eastbound main line services
from Central were, as usual, in Central Square; westbound passengers queued in the south car park.

1894] Cardiff Bay: (ABOVE) The Victorian Society has designated the station one of the top 10 'most
vulnerable' listed buildings in England and Wales. Erected in 1842-43 as head office of the Taff Vale
Railway, it was extensively restored in the early 1980s by the Butetown Historic Railway Society, a
preservation group that at the time offered steam-hauled brake-van rides along the unused Down side
platform. The building was a gallery for the late lamented Welsh Industrial & Maritime Museum, but
since closure over 20 years ago the Grade II* listed structure has remained empty and boarded up.

1895] South Wales Main Line: A weekend possession (17-18 Sept) between Cardiff Central and
Newport and allowed the demolition of four bridges without adequate clearance for electrification and
the erection of a fifth. Buses replaced main line and Ebbw Vale services.

1896] Llandaf: The new lifts, installed over a year ago under the 'Access for All' scheme, were at last
brought into use on 12 Sep, thus finally enabling step-free access for the Down platform.

1897] Maesteg branch: The disused platforms both survive at Llangynwyd. A detailed assessment
before the line was reopened predicted poor use of a station here so it was not included. Prior to the
line closing on 22 June 1970, it had then been one of the busiest, as it was near to the comprehensive
school; school trains continued to the end of the 1970 Summer term. Garth station (Mid Glamorgan as
opposed to the one on the Central Wales line in Powys!) is north of the main B4288 (Bridgend Road)
underbridge, and was provided here for the reopening of the line (28 Sep 1992) rather than re-opening
the former Troedyrhiw Garth, whose platform can still be seen south of the bridge. There was no
previous station at Ewenny Road; timetables have always shown the name as 'Maesteg (Ewenny
Road)' but the town name has never been included on platform signs. The new 1992 Maesteg
terminus is adjacent to the ASDA car park, with the trackbed fenced off just beyond the buffer stop.
Your Editor was surprised by the large number of passengers using the train just for the 36ch journey
between the two Maesteg stations on a recent mid-morning Saturday. The concrete footbridge and
two platforms of the former Maesteg (Castle Street) station survive, a footpath crosses 100yd north.
All trace of Nantyffyllon station and trackbed has gone with residential development. A footpath can
be followed to the south end of Caerau Tunnel, closed off by a breeze block wall with a steel door.

X.146] BLN 1264 CAPTION CONFUSION: With apologies to our Minor Railways Editor, Peter Scott, who
was not in any way at fault. The correct captions to the pictures were ABOVE LEFT: (BLN 1264.167)
0-4-0ST 'James' at work on the 7¼" gauge line at Tinkers Park (Peter Scott 6 Aug 2016). ABOVE RIGHT:
(BLN 1264.172) North Bay Railway; The loco which opened the line in 1931, 'Neptune', passes Beach
station (and the remains of a cable car system) with the 14.15 ex-Scalby Mills. (Peter Scott 9 Jun 2016)

1265 MINOR RAILWAYS
MR175] Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway, Torfaen (MR p9): The railway's 'Bottom Line' newsletter for
August reports that rebuilding of platform 2 at Blaenavon High Level has started. It is needed to have
it fit and ready for the start of the Santa season in case the Whistle Inn is unavailable for the Grotto.

MR176] Cambrian Heritage Railways, Oswestry, Shropshire (MR p7) (BLN 1264.1693): The railway
opened an extension south of Middleton Road Bridge (18m 37ch) along the former main line towards
Llynclys to 18m 48ch on Saturday 27 August. Conveniently, the following day was the Society visit to
nearby Weston Wharf - so, after this, a visit was made to ride over the new extension, which was duly
achieved on the 14.00 from Oswestry station. Beyond the new passenger limit at 18m 48ch, the next
few track panels had been resleepered, but not yet aligned. Then, after a small gap, the overgrown
track resumes with numerous rotten sleepers. The track has been removed under Shrewsbury Road
overbridge (18m 61ch), which has received extra strengthening beneath. Trains were formed of
0-4-0ST (AB2261/1949) at the Gobowen end, along with Dogfish wagon DB983101 and brake van
M732435. They first run north to the end of Oswestry platform, then south to the passenger limit and
reversing back to the station, running again to
the northern end and then terminating back at
the centre of the platform. An adult ticket was
£5, which allowed unlimited riding all day. Trains
were booked to run from 11.00 to 15.30 at
approximately half-hourly intervals. The short 2ft
gauge line formerly laid on the filled in ex-
Gobowen service bay platform has been
removed (BLN 1194.1387).

X.147] HS2: The first passengers? RIGHT: Sunday
14 August was the second day of the Network
SouthEast Railway Society's open weekend
(admission by advance purchased ticket only).
Electro-diesel 73130 is at the north end of the
line which would have been in the former
Finmere station Up goods yard. The trips started
from the station Up platform. (BLN 1264.MR 169)
HS2 is planned to take over former Great Central
Railway route here. (Chris Manley)

[BLN 1265]
MR177] Epping Ongar Railway, Essex (MR p8): The railway could be reconnected with the London
Underground Central Line, by having its own platform at Epping station. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has
said he is happy to carry out a feasibility study. Leon Daniels, Managing Director for surface transport
at TfL, said they were in discussions with the Railway about creating 'an interchange' at Epping.

MR178] South Tynedale Railway, Cumbria (MR p14) (BLN 1258.MR102): The South Tynedale Railway
Preservation Society has been awarded a grant of £74,328 by the Government-led North East Rural
Growth Network. It will see the restoration of the old station building at Slaggyford as well as the
creation of a new waiting room, ticket office, shop, café and public toilets. A replica signal box will be
built controlling a traditional gated level crossing, as well as a new car and coach park. The scheme is
part of the work to extend the line from Lintley to Slaggyford, for which the Society has already
secured £5.5M from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It also has ambitious plans to rebuild the line all the
way to Haltwhistle by 2022! Slaggyford station was closed by British Rail on 3 May 1976 but had been
unstaffed since 1954. The new plans for Slaggyford are set to create three jobs and will complement
the Society's recently opened visitor centre at Alston. The South Tyne Trail, which runs alongside the
railway, is also being improved as a fully accessible footpath and cycle route. Work is expected to
begin in the next few months, and is scheduled for completion by April 2017. Extending the line to
Haltwhistle would cost around £17M, for which funding streams are still being explored. It would bring
an estimated 100,000 visitors per year, creating 50 jobs, and would see viaducts at Lambley and
Haltwhistle brought back into use. The Haltwhistle bypass is the only major breach of the branch.

MR179] Lynnsport Miniature Railway, Norfolk (MR p21) (BLN 1227.MR22): Located in the grounds of
the Lynnsport Leisure Centre on the outskirts of King's Lynn, this 3½"/5"/7¼" gauge railway was
operated by the King's Lynn Model Engineers. Due to site changes and construction of a new road, the
railway has been closed and lifted. The last public running day was Sunday 25 October 2015. However,
a new line is now being laid - still at Lynnsport - adjacent to the Skate Park. Photos seem to show this
will be 5"/7¼" gauge only. Public running, on a basic circuit, is due to start at Easter 2017.

MR180] Lightwater Express, North Yorkshire (MR p21) (BLN 1219.MR183): Running inside Lightwater
Valley Theme Park, this 15" gauge railway was visited on 11 August. In use was steam outline No278
Rio Grande 2-8-0DH (Severn Lamb 1984). The line is a circuit of 1,300 yards; passengers board at a
station just inside the entrance and disembark at an alighting station about 100 yards short of the
boarding station. Passengers are not normally carried between the two stations [It has been known in
response to a polite request when they were quiet, on condition that the BLS members concerned had
a look round the shop which is the exit to the arrivals platform - Ed]. There is one intermediate station
at Whistle Stop; the other intermediate station at Fort William Playground is no longer in use. The
above locomotive is now the only one - the other similar Rio Grande 2-8-0 was sold to MRW Miniature
Railways in Sheffield and is now running on the Cleethorpes Miniature Railway.

MR181] Mortocombe Miniature Railway, Oxfordshire (MR p22) (BLN 1235.MR85): A visit to this
7¼"/10¼" gauge railway, at the Wyevale's Chilton Garden Centre just off the A34, found it closed and
mostly lifted. The track in the station area, including the turntable and into the larger of the two sheds
and out to the junction for the return loop is intact and rusty. All the rest of the track has been lifted,
with the ballasted trackbed becoming increasingly overgrown. The smaller of the two sheds has been
dismantled and was stacked up by the station. A small number of track panels were stacked up by the
junction for the return loop. Two notices, one at the entrance to the Garden Centre, and one by the
exit, state the next running would be on '17th & 18th May'. The last time these dates were a weekend
was 2014! However, the railway was last reported in BLN1235 - when it was in operation during a visit
on Sunday 17 May 2015. A visitor to the Garden Centre in spring this year was told the operator had
'lost interest'. It is not thought to have run this year - so closure may have been around autumn 2015.
Further information would be very welcome, especially if any members visited after 17 May 2015.

BLN 1265.MR182] Clevedon Miniature Railway, Somerset (MR p22) (BLN 1193.MR182): A member
called in at this 15" gauge railway on Tuesday 9 August. The railway was operating on demand with no
timetable. In use was 5305 a 4-6-0BE - steam outline LMSR class 5 built by A J Moss in 1999, but in
green livery. Passenger accommodation was two sit-in bogie coaches. This is the only loco and stock on
site. The fare for one circuit was £1.50 with no concessions. There is no station or platform - just a
nameboard for Clevedon. A short siding at the 'station' leads into a shed for loco and stock.

MR183] Westonzoyland Light Railway, Somerset (MR p23) (BLN 885.MR232): There has been a 2ft
gauge railway at Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum since 1985. Although passengers were
carried informally in the early years, in more recent years there was no official passenger carrying.
However, as of 2015, some of the line had been upgraded and a braked passenger coach and brake
van built - to enable passengers to be safely carried. A 'Railway Gala' was held on Bank Holiday Sunday,
29 August. Admission to the site was £6 for adults - with unlimited rides on the railway included. In use
was No24 a 4wDM (MR40S310/1968) with an open bogie coach and a 4w brake van. The line runs from
a Wood Store near to the entrance gate, to just inside the Engine House. There is a siding serving the
Marshall Boiler, which provides steam to the various engines on site. The railway brings the wood fuel
from the entrance to the boiler. Passenger trains run from a station (a simple ground level platform)
alongside the Exhibition Hall to the curve just short of the Wood Siding - a distance of 150 yards. The
loco propelled the train out from the station and hauled it back. There were two other locos on site -
Listers L34758/1949 (resident, in green livery) and L33650 in yellow livery visiting from a private site in
Gloucestershire. There is a café on site serving tea and tasty cakes. The Pumping Station is rather
remote, out on the Somerset Levels adjacent to the River Parrett - but a visit can be recommended.

BELOW: Westonzoyland Light Railway; Westonzoyland Pumping Station,
Simplex MR40S310 of 1968 awaits passengers. (Peter Scott 16 Aug 2016)

[BLN 1265]
MR184] Llanelli Model Engineers, Carmarthenshire (MR p29): This Society operates ground level
5"/7¼" gauge and elevated tracks within Pembrey Country Park. The former suffered a derailment on
Thursday 18 August. The emergency services were called to the Country Park at 12.30 following the
incident involving eight children and six adults. A spokesman from the Welsh Ambulance Service said:
We were called at about 12.30pm to reports that a small train had derailed at the Pembrey Country
Park, Carmarthenshire. Three emergency ambulances, four rapid response vehicles and members of the
Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service attended the scene. An adult and three children
were transported to Glangwili General Hospital with injuries which are not believed to be serious. Four
further adults and nine children were treated at the scene for minor injuries, but did not require
hospital treatment. The Mid and West Wales Fire Service was also in attendance. A spokeswoman said
that children and adults had been injured after a mini loco and carriages had derailed and overturned.

MR185] Brecon Mountain Railway, Merthyr Tydfil (MR p30) (BLN 1234.MR72): Despite the death last
year of founder Tony Hills, the railway continues to operate as before, under the management of his
family. A visit on Sunday 14 August found capacity stretched almost to the limit; the railway has only
four coaches (plus accessible caboose), and therefore only one train in service. Up trains run non-stop
to Torpantau, where the loco runs round; there is then a 25-minute stop at Pontsticill on the return
journey, where grounded bodies of three former Southern Region 4-wheel CCT vehicles (1418, 2504
and 2524) have been combined to form a café, which of course was doing very good business. This
does however further restrict capacity in making for a 90-minute round trip which, with 15 minutes to
run round and re-load at Pant, means lengthy 105-minute intervals between departures. An attraction
during the Pontsticill stop is a small Steam Museum, including Hunslet Sybil and de Winton 0-4-0VB
Pendyffryn from Pen-yr-Orsedd Quarry, as well as Trefor Quarry VB Redstone, all reputedly in working
order. At Pant station there is opportunity to view the railway's adjoining extensive workshops.

MR186] Blackpool & Fleetwood Tramway, Lancashire: An agreement has been reached for the
Blackpool Heritage Trust to take a 20-year lease of the illuminated Hovertram (735) from its owners,
the North Eastern Electrical Traction Trust. The tram was constructed in 1963 on the frame of a 1935
Railcoach and has a capacity of 99 seats - making it the highest capacity tram in the pre-light rail fleet.
The tram was withdrawn in 2001 and purchased for preservation in 2007 by the Beith Transport
Collection, then was acquired by the NEETT in 2014. It will return to Blackpool for restoration.

MR187] Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, North Lanarkshire (BLN 1169.MR180),
(MR p32): This Museum was visited on Sunday 7 August. A single tram was running on this occasion;
Düsseldorf 392, which has been adapted to be accessible to wheelchair users and disabled people. On
some running days there is a heritage tram running as well. In total four trams are present on site.
Entrance to the museum is free and a ticket for the tram costs £1.50, which allows unlimited trips all
day. The running track is linear and fairly short, a trip taking just a few minutes. Trams run from a stop
near the main building and exhibition hall to a stop outside the miners' cottages. Initially there were
plans for a longer, circular running track, but various issues, including subsidence, meant that this was
not possible. There is a depot with two roads into it. This is not currently accessible to normal visitors.
The museum itself is well worth a visit. It comprises an exhibition hall containing many fascinating
exhibits and a large outdoor site, which is a former iron works. There is a canal, nature walks, a coal
mine (guided tours £1) and a canal exhibition on board the Vulcan iron hulled barge. There are several
steam and diesel locomotives on site, as well as two former Glasgow EMUs, which can all be viewed
but none of which is currently operational. On certain occasions 'Steam Days' are held when traction
engines are in steam around the site. The museum is five minutes' walk from Coatbridge Central
station and 10 minutes' walk from Coatbridge Sunnyside station.

ABOVE: Fenn Bell Miniature Railway, Mardyke Deltic D9022 hauls a train past the the animal pens.
(Peter Scott 27 Aug 2016)

MR188] Fenn Bell Miniature Railway, Kent (Supp 1) (BLN 1259.MR115): The 7¼" gauge railway,
located in the grounds of the 'Fenn Bell' Inn at St Mary Hoo, near Rochester opened on 28 May as a
simple 'E' line, 180yd in length. A visit on Saturday 27 August found it had expanded to a 'C' layout of
270yd. Only around 110yd along the southern side of the balloon loop remains to be laid to complete
the full layout. Passengers now join the train at the permanent station. From here, the loco hauls the
train out to the 'head of steel' on the southern side of the balloon loop. It then propels the train
around the 'avoiding curve' (on which there is a tunnel) and along the northern side of the balloon
loop to the end of the line, which is on the curve at the far end of the site. This section, around 50yd at
the far end, had only opened that day! The loco then hauls the train back to the station, using the
other side of the triangle. However, the ride is not yet over, as the train is then turned on the triangle!
A turntable, loco/carriages sheds and extra roads in the station area remain to be provided. In use was
Mardyke Deltic D9022 (un-named) in green livery with three red liveried Mardyke sit-in coaches. Rides
were £2 for all, with no tickets issued. The Inn was very busy on this a sunny Bank Holiday Saturday –
so the food was not sampled. Instead a visit was made to the nearby delights of All Hallows-on-Sea!

Please mention the BLS when booking or enquiring.……..1265 CONNECTIONS……….Details must be checked with the organisers.
1898] Trawsfynydd & Blaenau Ffestiniog Railway Company: Aims to run trains over this delightful 5¼-
mile branch; the last nuclear flask train ran on 10 Aug 1995. The final train was Hertfordshire Railtours
'Trawsfynydd Lament' of 17 Oct 1998. The line CA 2 Nov 1998 and was taken OOU 28 Mar 1999. The
disconnected track is in situ. To support, or if you need the line, membership http://goo.gl/OAOb9C is
£20 adult, £15 child, £350 life. The Signal Box, Maentwrog Road station, Gellilydan, Gwynedd, LL41 4RB.



[BLN 1265]
ABOVE: One inch 7th Series (1952/61) map of the line before the two branch stations at Blaenau
Ffestiniog (North and Central) were connected directly by rail. Trawsfynydd Lake is at the bottom. The
Ffestinog Railway ran passenger services to Tan-y-Bwlch then and its original route beyond was intact.

1899] The Engine Shed Restaurant, Derby College: Visit the former Midland Railway Engine Shed, with
many original features, next to the famous roundhouse, near Derby station east entrance, and enjoy a
great meal at reasonable cost. The college 'training' restaurant* for chefs, waiting staff etc opens
lunchtimes (TWThFO 12.00-14.00 term times) with graduate restaurant dining evenings and weekends
(FSO 18.00-22.00; SuO 12.00-15.00) also special events. *Menus (see website) of excellent locally
sourced produce at competitive prices cooked by the students under instruction from the experienced,
highly skilled chef lecturers and Head Chef. The word is to go at the end of the academic year rather
than the beginning! Bookings: [email protected] 01332 387487. Special events
include wedding breakfasts, private dinners, birthdays, christenings and buffets (BLS AGMs?).

1900] Birmingham & West Midlands Railway Atlas: (BLN 1260.1372) First edition, by Joe Brown - now
available; 72 pages of A4 size maps with a hard cover, index with chronology and other information. A
very similar style and meticulous level of detail to the author's famous London Atlas; virtually an
historical track plan. Birmingham to Cosford, Penkridge, Colwich (and Trent Valley line) to Rugby, Stoke
Golding, Leamington, Stratford-upon-Avon, Broom Junction, Barnt Green, Bewdley and Wombourn(e).
The maze of colliery lines on Cannock Chase and in the Black Country is incredible. Evolutionary maps
explain the development of areas such as Nuneaton, central Birmingham and Stratford. There are 45
large-scale plans, a wealth of information and detail likely to be of great interest to most members
(some of whom will hopefully feedback information as requested by the author). Cover price £20; post
free £12.86 from Wordery http://goo.gl/j3b5Qd or £13.60 http://goo.gl/vDwuaU from Amazon.

1901] Dean Forest Railway, Sat 24 Sep:10.00 & 13.45 'Railtours' with visiting one-car DMU M79900
'Iris' giving excellent views. Includes Lydney Junction NR limit and Parkend headshunt. A day rover
(£11 adult, £10 senior) is required plus a £5 supplement https://goo.gl/bGvnuQ 01594 845840.

1902] West Somerset Railway, Autumn Steam Gala, Thu 6 - Sun 9 Oct: Thur & Fri Auto coach 233 is
making four return trips from Bishops Lydeard (09.55, 11.20, 13.25 (13.20 Fri) & 15.20 - back there 45
minutes later) to the end of the former Barnstaple branch at Norton Fitzwarren. Eight steam locos in
action see https://goo.gl/11dQft for timetables/bookings. 01643 704996. GWR Taunton to Bishops
Lydeard through DMU shuttle tarins Sat & Sun. From Taunton (Sat): 09.32, 10.28, 11.25, 12.30, 14.10,
14.59, 15.55 & 16.55; From Bishops Lydeard (Sat) 10.00, 10.53, 11.48, 12.49, 14.28, 15.20, 16.22 &
17.22 (13-17 minute journey). Sunday, Taunton: 09.35, 10.29, 11.23, 12.32, 14.09, 14.59, 16.00 &
16.58; Bishops Lydeard (Sun): 10.05, 11.00, 12.00, 12.51, 14.28, 15.20, 16.18 & 17.20.

1903] IOW 'Steam' Railway, Shunter Shuffle Diesel Gala, 30 Sep-2 Oct: Of interest, D2554/235 on
brakevan rides 10.00-15.00 (approx) 'Havenstreet Goosefield' (outside the workshop) to 'Griffins
Sidings' (the now lengthy headshunt branch for the large 'Train Story' shed opened in 2014) but not
covering the main line connection. (See picture in e-BLN 1260.X88.) Details https://goo.gl/APUmcl
or 01983 882204; reductions for advance booking. Island Line trains between 09.49-16.49 from
Ryde Pier Head and 09.38-16.38 ex-Shanklin will all stop at Smallbrook Junction over the three days.

1904] Railways: the Making of a Nation: BBC1 Thu 29 Sep 20.00 'Time'; then in October (BBC4) 20.00
Thur 6th 'Capitalism & Commerce'; 13th 'The Age of Leisure'; 20th 'The New Commuters' and 27th 'Food
& Shopping' and finally 3 Nov 'A Touch of Class'. Filmed around the UK including Severn Valley Railway.

X.148] Light Rail Transit Association,Thu 29 Sep, 19.00: Metrolink and Victoria; An Engineer's Tale a
talk by Steve Hyde at the Friends' Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS (close to St
Peter's Metrolink stop). Visitors are welcome, £3 per head towards the room hire fee.

BLN 1265.1905] North Yorkshire Railway Fri 30 Sep - Sun 2 Oct: http://goo.gl/abxFdR Autumn Welsh
Steam Gala, 10 steam locos scheduled to be in service; also beer festival, freight trains and crane lifting
displays. For the first time ever, 1' 11½" gauge locomotive 'Britomart', from the Ffestiniog and Welsh
Highland Railways with a 'bug box' Ffestiniog coach, will be running through George Stephenson's
historic tunnel at Grosmont! A temporary track will be laid through the famous foot tunnel; part of
the original Whitby to Pickering railway connecting Grosmont village to the Motive Power Depot that
has never had a steam locomotive pass through it in its 184-year history. CA 1 Jul 1847, they are the
first trains for 169 years! It is also hoped to run at least one steam train to Battersby on the Saturday.

X.149] The Halifax & District Rail Action Group, Thu 6 Oct 19.00: Old Post Office pub, Winding Road,
Halifax HX1 1SJ (below the bus station, six minutes walk Halifax station). Northern Railway John
O'Grady, regional stakeholder manager will give a presentation and answer questions.

X.150] Swanage Railway, Tue 25 - Thu 27 Oct: See 'Green' timetable https://goo.gl/bWeYfY the DMU
workings will be extended to/from Bridge 4 (no alighting) for staff route knowledge retention and to
provide a further opportunity for members of the public to travel on the Worgret extension.

1906] Arriva Trains Wales, Club 55: (BLN 1264.1792) Tickets available until 27 Oct incl (not just 1 Oct).

1907] TPE Club 55: TPE trains only, outward until 20 Nov, return within a month of outward travel.
Proof of age required; within England £19 return, £39 first class. To/from Scotland £29 return, £59
1st class. Senior, Disabled/Two Together railcards 20% discount. At/after 09.30 SSuX; all weekends.
Http://goo.gl/0amte on the day at ticket offices (not machines)/from conductor (unstaffed stations).

1908] Unlimited Northern Rail Travel: https://goo.gl/9JQjGU Day ranger only £10 (child £5); £17.50
weekend (child £8.50), with two tokens from local newspapers in the area which allows up to four of
each to be bought for the same dates (purchasers are not required to travel together). The tokens are
fixed to a printed form and tickets purchased from a staffed station on the day or up to three days
before (or contact Northern 'Customer Experience Centre'.) Not available on trains. Northern trains
only, after 08.45 (unlimited at weekends), available until 21 Nov (not half term 22-30 Oct). Newspaper
back editions are available. Full details https://goo.gl/DRBRY8 application forms, dates of tokens etc.

X.151] LEFT: BLN 1264.X138 Competition,
(or 'is this a load of bull?'): Three for the
price of one. (1): This is Plymouth Bull Point,
an MoD establishment with a short branch
from St Budeaux Ferry Road by Weston Mill
Lake on the west side of the city (map
below). It is our 'South Devon Railtour' of Sat
10 May 1980, from Bristol Temple Meads.
See https://goo.gl/AMm7J1 where note (2) is
particularly revealing! (Picture Ian Mortimer)
(2): Left is member No13, the one and only
Terry Velvick, and right No514 Chris Tennant.
(3): Caption suggestions (some of the polite ones!):
 'At least they were the right side of the security fence (on this occasion).'
 'If anyone comes, tell them you are doing an oil painting, Ian.'
 'Is this place used by the Ministry of De Fence?'
 'It's not that refinery over the water that we should be at is it?'
 'Things are so bad that even the Police Dogs are taking second jobs these days'
 'BLS Picket Line - For Hire at reasonable rates.'
 'TOP SHOP's latest modelling shoot was in an industrial setting.'
 'HV? - No, actually we don't want to be seen!'