1363

ry2 port extension rail infrastructure (track plan BLN 1357.2173) at Tilbury
own Point Depot and 13.09 return. (All Iain Scotchman, Wed 14 Oct 2020.)

BELOW: Looking northeast (towards Pitsea) from Fort Rd overbridge - the form

mer Tilbury Power Stations exchange sidings site with room for a second track.

BELOW: Looking east, London Gateway is in the centre middle and cen
This side of the Class 37 is the site for Tarmac's new rail s

ntre right. The taller chimney left is at the closed Coryton Oil Refinery.
served Construction Materials and Aggregates Terminal.



PREVIOUS: Looking southwest towards Tilbury Town station from Fort Rd overbridge - the start of the
loop on the Tilbury2 branch. The cruise ship top right is laid up in Tilbury Docks due to the pandemic.

1363 SOUTH EAST - SOUTH (Julian James) [email protected]
3024] Haywards Heath: A newly opened Electric Vehicle (EV) charging hub here intends to encourage
people back to rail with a greener way to travel to the station. With 12 charging points, it is part of
station improvements by Govia Thameslink Railway for more than 230 stations - over 1,000 individual
projects. Much of the work was suggested by local passenger and community groups. A heat-mapping
exercise 'conducted' by the rail operator, revealed that Haywards Heath is an EV 'hot spot' in the UK.

3025] Ventnor: There have been many schemes over a 60 year period to connect Ventnor IOW
(original) Railway terminus of the Ryde line, 276ft above sea level, with the town centre about
400yds away horizontally, but nearly 200ft away vertically. Ventnor & Bonchurch Tramways, the
first proposal, was a 2.69 mile zig-zag standard gauge line, to be worked by steam from the station
to the short lived harbour, taking in Bonchurch to the east on the way. The IOW Railway opened to
Ventnor in 1866, but unsurprisingly the Bill meanwhile was thrown out by the Lords on 9 May 1865.

The next scheme was the Ventnor Tramway Co Ltd, registered at Companies House on 17 Jun 1880
with a nominal capital of £25,000 … for the purchase … of lands at Ventnor … and construction
thereon a tramway … with all necessary and proper hydraulic or other engines or lifts. Nothing
further was heard of the matter and the Company was dissolved on 13 Jan 1888.

Apart from these serious proposals, an amusing novelty was reported in the IOW County Press of
9 Mar 1889. This was the Suspension Gravity Railway who advised Ventnor Board they wished to
place their new patent system on the Pier. Safety rails would be fixed on the pier stanchions and
from these rails would be suspended at intervals, ornamental cars accommodating six persons.

The cars would start at one end of the pier to be carried by their own gravitation round the end of
the pier and back along the opposite side to land their passengers on the sands, and the cars would
be returned to their starting positions by means of a pulley and a rope. The Local Board, realising
the gravity of the situation, rejected the idea, plainly with some degree of amusement, being of the
opinion that the passengers would probably find themselves precipitated into the water instead!

A couple of months later, in May the same year, another proposal surfaced. Known simply as
Ventnor Lift, it envisaged a cable-operated line, partly in tunnel, powered by an oil fired steam
engine, connecting the town with the Esplanade only. Nothing further was heard of it.

Yet another scheme was proposed by Mr JH Blakesley, a local resident, in 1891 described as a lift or
a light railway from the Esplanade to the station, but the scheme foundered due to the very heavy
compensation payments requested by various landowners.

Next in line was Ventnor Inclined (Light) Railway Co registered at Companies House on 7 Jun 1898.
This was an ambitious scheme comprising three separate lifts:
 No1 from the Esplanade to the town centre.
 No2 from the town centre to the railway station (journey time 2½ minutes).
 No3 from the railway station to the top of the Downs. [Would the Downs line be the Up line?]

The principal promoter was Ernest Wetherick, a local businessman; the Company received its Act on
10 Mar 1899. The lines were to be built to a gauge of 5' 9" on the water balance principle or 'other
mechanical means', but the use of electricity was initially specifically prohibited. This was rescinded
when it was discovered that insufficient water was available. It was admitted in Nov 1900 that not
enough capital had been subscribed, and by May 1902 Ernest Wetherick said that there was no
possibility of the scheme being carried out. The Company was formally dissolved on 22 Dec 1903.

In Nov 1905 'several influential gentlemen' were reported to have 'expressed an interest' in the
construction of a lift from the Esplanade to the town centre, but details remain obscure.

[BLN 1363]

The Ventnor Funicular Railway, similar to the abortive 1898 scheme, but electric worked, was first
placed before a Committee Meeting of Ventnor Urban District Council on 12 Oct 1908. Fritz Behr
(1842-1927) was the promoter who had lived in Ventnor since about 1903. He was German, but
claimed to be Swiss! He had wide experience of the Lartigue System, being best known in the British
Isles for constructing the Listowel & Ballybunion Railway. Behr had recently built a cliff railway at
Le Treport which was proving most profitable and proposed a similar system for Ventnor. Detailed
plans were drawn up but he was thoroughly disillusioned by the unhelpful Local Authority attitude
and the strenuous opposition from some townspeople who did not wish any liability to fall on the
Council, along with the uncertainty of the amount of income which might accrue. Two weeks after
first mooted, a town poll was conducted and the scheme rejected. It undermined Behr's health and
he moved to London [clearly a much healthier place to live than Ventnor‽] where he died in 1927.

At roughly the same time it was reported that Sir George Newnes had proposed a similar scheme
for Ventnor around 1889, but there is little evidence in local records. It may be relevant to mention
that he then built Britain's longest funicular at the time, Lynton - Lynmouth (862ft), opened in 1890.

The matter surfaced again in 1912 at the instigation of Ventnor Urban District Council that
September who felt that a lift connecting the town centre with the Esplanade would be a desirable
asset to the town. Mr Wetherick, the principal promoter of the abortive 1898 scheme, was again
involved. It was to be an electrically powered funicular linking the town with the Esplanade only,
not intended to serve the railway station. The idea was quickly abandoned on grounds of cost.

The station, so inconvenient above the town had always been a source of local grievance, but by
then the matter had been ostensibly mitigated by a second railway opening. The Newport, Godshill
& St Lawrence Railway, after considerable difficulties in obtaining the necessary land, finally
reached a terminus in 1900 which it called Ventnor Town as it was at town level. At town level it
may have been, but it was remotely sited well west of the town at Steephill and on 9 Jul 1923 was
renamed Ventnor West. The lack of traffic was a bitter disappointment to its promoters. The public
continued to prefer 'that other monopolistic railway with its terminus halfway up the Downs'.

Ventnor went into marked decline after WWI and in 1924 the Southern Railway resurrected the
idea of a funicular connecting the station with the town centre and Esplanade. The proposal was
received with great enthusiasm by the local authority who perceived it in helping the town to regain
its pre-WWI prosperity. It was very similar to the 1898 scheme and Fritz Behr's proposal 10 years
later as far as connecting the railway to the town was concerned, but the upper section from the
station to the top of the Downs did not feature. The Southern Railway Act of 1925 obtained the
necessary powers, but no construction work was put in hand. In Nov 1927 it was minuted that a bus
service was by then in operation between the station and the town, and that the scheme was to be
abandoned. As late as 1933, Ventnor Council, ever hopeful, wrote to the Southern Railway to
enquire if further progress had been made, but were rebuffed with a curt reply stating the matter
had been fully considered and the Company was not prepared to discuss it any further.

With hindsight one can wonder if a funicular connecting the IOW Railway station with the town
should have been built. It would have been far greater value to Ventnor than the remote terminus
of the Newport, Godshill & St Lawrence Railway which CP 15 Sep 1952 after just 52 years of life.

SOURCES: ●National Archive: Board of Trade Company Records & Southern Railway Minute Books.

●IOW County Records Office. ●Documents held by Ventnor & District Local History Society.

●Newspapers: IOW Times, IOW County Press, IOW Mercury and IOW Observer.

●The Tramways & Light Railways of South West England (author and publisher not known).

●The Undercliff of the Isle of Wight, JL Whitehead, published at Ventnor in 1911.

●Almost Fairyland, John Morgan Richards, published in London 1914.

ABOVE: Andover Up Yard remodelling proposal; south is at the top, east is left. (Martyn Brailsford)

3026] Andover: NR is proposing redevelopment of the Up sidings previously operated under lease by
freight companies but now taken back under NR control. The intention of the scheme is to improve the
efficiency of Ludgershall MoD traffic with a new crossover facing for moves from Ludgershall to the
sidings and to increase flexibility for freight trains. It will provide at least 200m standage on each of
Sidings 1 & 2 and includes a new specific On Track Machine berthing road 80m long (currently they
stable in the sidings which can affect freight operations). Runround movements for 350 to 400m long
trains will also then be possible. The scheme will release land for adjacent residential development at
the Switch International Depot (country end of the freight site). This is separate from the remodelling
work but retains an area for freight traffic road access. The plans allow future use for commercial
freight with space for an apron north of the sidings where the words 'Up Yard' are on the diagram of
the new layout. However, creation of commercial freight operations at Andover is a separate project.

3027] Ryde - Shanklin: (BLN 1362.2890) The extensive works to upgrade the line will not involve
resignalling Ryde St John's Road where semaphores will remain. In recent weeks just one train (of the
only two in passenger service) has been available for the service on many days, and some days none.

A member visited on Mon 5 Oct probably his last chance to view and ride the soon to disappear Class
483 units. Approaching Portsmouth at 10.00 the dreaded news came through that there was to be no
service that day with no serviceable train available. Undaunted he crossed to the Island, more in hope
than expectation, to view and at least photograph what was on depot at St John's Road. After a very
late breakfast, he made his way to Esplanade footbridge to photograph hovercrafts when completely
out of the blue 483006 rumbled out of the tunnel! So by 12.00 thankfully at least one train was in
operation. He waited for it to return from Pier Head and went to St John's Road for more photos.

002, 004, 007 and 009 are permanent residents at St John's Road now and largely used for spares with
009 a quasi internal user/depot shunter. 007 it is rumoured might just be restored to traffic for a last
hurrah. By 14.00 483008 was up and running for the remainder of service but by then our member
was heading for the 15.47 ferry, after having briefly visited Sandown and Shanklin by train on 006.

NEXT PAGE: (Item 3027) 483006 approaches Ryde Esplanade with the 12.49
Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin service. The line to the right is out of use.





BELOW: 48004 in the Down platform siding (buffer stops behind it), beneath Joh

hn's Rd bridge, looking towards Pier Head, the running lines are in the distance.

BELOW: The parlous state of the line's rolling stock at Ryde St Johns Road d

depot. (All three pictures by our member Myles Munsey, Mon 5 Oct 2020.)

3028] Ebbsfleet: (BLN 1327.1029) The government has pledged up to £4.85M for a growth and
regeneration study in the Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet corridor. It will explore and build a business case
to enhance transport links so long as a substantial number of new homes are built. Lead consultants
Atkins/Jacobs will undertake the transport and growth analysis; KPMG will consider funding and
finance options. The study is expected to take 15 months, ending in autumn 2021. An alignment for an
Elizabeth Line extension from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet has already been safeguarded.

1363 SOUTH WEST (Darren Garnon) [email protected]
3029] Avoncliff: (LEFT: A train calls at the short
platform in the evening and one door is released
TfW please note! - Ken Strachan 26 Sep 2020.) OP
9 Jul 1906 as Avoncliff Halt, a proposal was made
on 4 Jan 1965 for closure under the Beeching plan
but it was reprieved along with nearby Freshford
and (south of Yeovil Pen Mill) Thornford, Yetmister
and Chetnole. Also on the Bath to Weymouth line
Bathampton, Limpley Stoke Halt (you can get
something for that), Witham, Sparkford, Marston
Magna, Cattistock Halt, Evershot, Grimstone &
Frampton and Bradford Peverell & Stratton Halt
were not so lucky, succumbing in 1966.

The 'Halt' was dropped on 5 May 1969 (hopefully
no damage resulted); in May 1973 the service was
reduced to five each way (SuX) as at Freshford,
which is only 73ch to the south. In Jul 2010
Avoncliff was promoted from a request to a
mandatory stop as nearly every train was actually
stopping. As well as that hamlet, it serves another
and two villages. The station is popular with cyclists
and walkers being next to the Kennet & Avon Canal
by Avoncliff Aqueduct. The platforms are only 30m
long so just one train door is opened. The station
now has an all day hourly service (2tph in the
peaks) and even some calls on Sundays. 24,396 passengers were documented in 2018-19. Freshford,
where the platforms are both 121m long, recorded 53,368 passengers. A member and his nephew
visited Avoncliff on Sat 26 Sep and the adjacent Cross Guns pub (established 1610!) with its huge
range of gins. Bath to Westbury train passenger loadings were indistinguishable from pre-pandemic
levels; a visit is recommended.

3030] Bristol TM: A member has highlighted what many of us have walked past many times and
perhaps failed to notice. Next time you walk up the ramp/incline to the station entrance, don't forget
to look to the left and down to see tracks still set in the cobbles - not railway but the tram terminus.

3031] Wellington (Som): The original station OP 1 May 1843, the suffix 'Som' for Somerset was added
in 1951 (Bradshaw). Listed for closure in the 1963 Beeching report, it CP 5 Oct 1964. The station, seven
miles southwest of Taunton towards what is now Tiverton Parkway, was on the B3187 at Wellington's
northern edge. Somerset West & Taunton Council has been working with Mid Devon District Council
on proposals to reopen stations in Wellington and Cullompton (four miles south of Tiverton Parkway
towards Exeter St Davids). A new Wellington station may not be on the original site; an alternative site
has been identified by Longforth Farm, nearer Taunton, zoned in the Local Plan as for 900 new homes
and employment. Work suggests that it is likely to meet track and signalling requirements; access can
also be accommodated. One day it might be possible to buy a Wellington to Wellington ticket to boot.

3032] Ticket Please? LEFT: A
member sent in this Midland &
South Western Junction Railway
ticket and asks if any of our
ticket aficionados know what
the 'C.O' means, please, after
'CHELTENHAM'? Note that it is
a proper parliamentary ticket
('Parly'). A real 'Parliamentary
Train' is a passenger service
operated in the United Kingdom
to comply with the Railway
Regulations Act 1844 (or later
equivalent/s) that required train companies to provide inexpensive and basic rail transport for less
affluent passengers. There has not been an Act of Parliament that says that train companies have to
run one train a week minimum over a line to avoid going through closure proceedings!

3033] Fast freight might give you a fright: NR is to remove an historic anomaly at Swindon station on
the Up and Down Main Lines of a lower permitted speed for freight trains. Between 76m 20ch and
77m 60ch the 40mph restriction is due to be raised to be 85mph. Removal of the differential line speed
on the Down Main is subject to an aerodynamic assessment for trains passing P4, which is in hand.

3034] Weymouth Quay: (BLN 1362.2905) A final opportunity for some to traverse the 1¼ mile branch
was stopped by red tape. Plans were submitted to Dorset Council and NR for a final chance to ride
over at least part of the 155 year old line. A CrossCountry driver proposed using a rail velocipede as a
charity event. NR and the local police were supportive but Dorset Council insisted that their normal 13
week lead time for road closure applications had to be observed. Unfortunately, work on removing the
rails began on 8 Oct. It's a shame they couldn't bring out the green tape for once and we must all feel
sorry for the residents of Dorset in the event of a burst water main. The refusal made the BBC News.

NR is retaining 17ch of the branch from Weymouth Jn (168m 35ch) to 'Melcombe Regis Open Level
Crossing' (168m 52ch) for plant stabling west of the station. 'Melcombe Regis' is a gross misnomer.
The rest of the former Weymouth Quay line to 169m 64ch is to transfer to Council ownership.

3035] Cliff hanger: Following the well-publicised failure of Dawlish seawall and cliffs near Teignmouth
in 2014, a feasibility study was undertaken to identify works required to provide resilience for the next
100 years, including the impacts of climate change. Priority sites included Parson's Tunnel North Portal
(207m 19ch) - the final tunnel of the four before Teignmouth. NR proposes to build a 209m long
rockfall shelter by the northern entrance to reduce the risk of rock fall and cliff failures (BELOW: - NR).

Signals DM207 & E276R (BELOW) need to be moved for sighting and maintenance access. The new
ones on the right hand side of the track from the driver's view will have fold down posts. This
inexpensive solution provides good access and eliminates working from height. A third signal (E276) is
to be repositioned with right hand mounting to give train drivers consistency and easier readability.

1363 WEST MIDLANDS (Brian Schindler) [email protected]
3036] Coventry: (BLN 1361.2750) (TRACKmaps 4 p18B Dec 2018) Signalled moves for each platform:
P1 Arrival from Birmingham/ Nuneaton only; departure to Rugby/Birmingham/Nuneaton.
P2 Arrival from Birmingham/Nuneaton, departure to Rugby/Leamington/Birmingham/Nuneaton.
P3 Arrival from Birmingham (three possible routes)/Nuneaton/Rugby,
…… departure to Leamington/Rugby/Birmingham/Nuneaton.
P4 As for P3 except there are four possible routes from Birmingham.
3037] Nuneaton: The original footbridge, between P1 and P5 is being renovated and waterproofed.
A temporary polythene lined structure has been erected around it including above - a bit over the top.
3038] Flexing the truth about that hydrogen train: (BLN 1362.2913) The railway and general media
followed the press release which gave the 'maiden' main line trip of the Hydrogen powered 799001
Class 799 Trimode unit as Wed 30 Sep. However, your Editor's spies recorded it out on Mon 21 Sep
between Long Marston and Evesham West Jn and subsequently. We know that the North Cotswold
line is not yet OHLE or third rail electrified so it must have been running on hydrogen! The unit had
previously given rides on the internal railway at Long Marston on 19 & 20 Jun 2019 (BLN 1331.1650).
On 4 Oct 2018 rides were available on the 10¼" gauge Birmingham University demonstration hydrogen
powered train at Derby RVE (Rail Vehicles & Enhancements) exhibition (BLN 1316.2305).
3039] Washwood Heath: (BLN 1363.2910) A massive pile of stone (virtual quarry) is accumulating on
the Down side at the east end for HS2 use - the Guinness Book of Records is interested. The GBRf
worked trains are actually from Tarmac Hindlow quarry despite being described as 'Dowlow Hindlow'
or 'Dowlow' in rail operating systems and timetables. From passing trains the stockpile of concrete
sleepers at the sleeper factory appears to have gone, the sidings have been empty and rusty - has it
closed? On the Up side, construction of the new rail served asphalt and aggregate facility is advanced.
NEXT: (Item 3037) Nuneaton footbridge with its over the top plastic sheeting. (Ken Strachan, 6 Oct 2020.)

3040] West Midlands Metro: The Walsall to Dudley line railway bridge over Victoria Rd where it
meets Coneygree Rd in Tipton is to be replaced for the Brierley Hill extension. Work began on 12 Oct.
The extension is now six months behind schedule, but there is confidence that this time will be made
up by the planned 2023 opening. There was a delay with the NR agreement being signed and social
distancing has been a factor. This autumn closures are required of the towpath and water of sections
of the Tame Valley, Walsall and Old Main Line Canal for tram work. Structural assessments and bridge
replacements are taking place on three canal structures along the extension.

3041] Bescot, the Down wires are down: (BLN 1332.1816) The Down yard now looks rather sad and
forlorn with all its OHLE wires all removed - the redundant stanchion supports remain in place.

3042] Rugeley Power Station: On 30 Sep the branch and trailing crossover at Rugeley Power Station
Jn were very rusty and the trap point on the exit from the branch was secured out of use. Four cooling
towers and the chimney remain but the rest of the Power Station is rapidly disappearing. The boiler
house, a substantial building, was blown up on 21 Aug and is now a mass of twisted metal.

3043] New Street: (TRACKmaps 4 p20) Dec 2018) Commissioning of Phase 7 of the West Midlands
resignalling project including the station is now planned for Dec 2022. Many existing signals will be
replaced, with some being repositioned and many new signals installed (OOU until commissioning).
Some platforms will be signalled to allow three trains to use them at the same time. No1, No2 & No3
(through) Sidings are all being retained. Control transfers to West Midlands Signalling Centre at Saltley
and New Street Power Signal Box will finally close. As it is Grade II Listed, it will not be demolished.

[BLN 1363]
There are new Down direction signals for the Up Stour and the Up Derby outside the South Tunnels, so
it looks as if the intention is to make those lines bidirectional from Proof House Jn to the station.
There are a lot of signals to be repositioned in the station and new Up middle signals for P11 & 12.
There is also an extra middle signal for Down trains on P10 beyond the points for No3 Siding. The exit
signals at the 'b' ends of P1-4 have route indicators. The existing signals don't have them for the main
aspects because the only route is to the Down Stour. After resignalling there will also be a route to
Monument Lane (so the loop can be used for stabling) over the Up Stour which will be bidirectional.
It seems that after a platform is resignalled and reopened, the renewed signals and the renewed and
repositioned signals will be controlled by the PSB but extra signals won't be used until the PSB closes.
3044] Dudley: Up to £1M could be spent improving the Dudley end of the Kingswinford and Pensnett
Railway Walks (an 11 mile continuous walk from Aldersley, Wolverhampton via Wombourn through to
Pensnett near Dudley). The section at Compton Halt in Wolverhampton was resurfaced recently. The
former stations at Tettenhall and Wombourn have been restored. Tettenhall has a vintage café open
WThFO 09.30-14.30; SSuO 09.00-16.00. This very interesting walk has much of railway interest to see.

ABOVE: (Item 3044) Our 23 Feb 1991 Pensnett Pioneer tour approaching the gates of Pensnett trading
estate, on an ex-GWR branch over two miles long from Kingswinford Jn. We were fortunate to do it,
the track wasn't great and it had been refused before. This is thought to have been the final tour
before rail traffic ceased in Sep 1994 and the track was removed by May 2013. (Ian Mortimer.)
3045] Moseley: Planning permission has been granted for this new station on the Camp Hill line.

1363 IRELAND (Martin Baumann) [email protected]
3046] Kingscourt: (BLN 1362.2916) A good number of Society members were on the 24 Sep 1977
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland 'Boyne Valley' tour from Bangor and Dublin Pearse (fare £7).
GS&WR Class J15 0-6-0 '186' (Dublin portion) and GNRI Class S 4-4-0 '171' (Bangor portion - arriving
48 minutes late) were the locos with four coaches from each. The trains joined at Drogheda to run to
Navan and Nevinstown (Tara Mines). This included ¾ mile of the former Oldcastle branch from the
new Tara Jn to Tara Mines which had only been reinstated (commissioned) three months earlier on
20 Jun 1977. Your BLN Editor recorded that concrete sleepers had been used for the new track.

This section had previously closed in 1963 (when two single bidirectional lines diverged to Oldcastle
and Kingscourt with no physical junctions since 1911). The first ore train was on 29 Jun 1977 initially to
Foynes for shipping out until Alexandra Terminal was ready in Dublin Port. Inchicore Works built
25 wagons for the Zinc and Lead ore traffic, completed in Apr 1977. 'IRRS Journal' Jun 1977 reports
that they had been taken to 'Navan' (note) for trials but doesn't say on what date this happened.

'186' then took six of the coaches to Kingscourt and back alone. However, since the previous steam
railtour to Kingscourt in 1964 a concrete ramp had been built to load gypsum from lorries onto trains.
It was right next to the headshunt and the tender of '186' was just too wide to clear it. Secondly the
loop here was long enough for five coaches but not six! A member recalls that the train had to be split
into three with '186' running round each part using the other sidings (with passengers allowed on) and
then reforming the train. This delayed departure by about 1½ hours. It was a wet day with much
gypsum on the tracks, so participants were slipping and sliding everywhere (getting plastered?) and
treading it into the train. From Navan both locos took the train back to Drogheda (arriving in the dark)
where it split again for Bangor and Dublin. Your Editor noted that although Kingscourt was 38 miles
from Drogheda, it had seemed much further! Arrival at Connolly was 130 mins late and the last bus
connecting with the Liverpool ferry had gone - taxis were summoned and our members just made it…

Nearly all of the 19m 54ch Tara Jn to Kingscourt branch is in County Meath except the last mile to
Kingscourt which is the final 5' 3" gauge railway in County Cavan. https://bit.ly/30KihYg (5mins) is a
video of the final train on the branch, an impressive loco-hauled weedspray working on 7 Jun 2002
(not Jul 2002 as in the title, but correct in the description). In 2019 the local TD (member of the Irish
Parliament) was calling for the line to be reinstated for passenger service but this has since gone quiet.
In Feb 2020 a grant of €500k was made towards converting the branch into a greenway, Meath County
Council has also applied for further funding under the Outdoor Recreational Infrastructure Scheme.

3047] Air line? The proximity of the end of the runway to the railway (86m 10ch to 86m 56ch) at City
of Derry Airport (also known as Eglinton Airfield, airport code LDY for 'Londonderry') means that train
movements are coordinated with air traffic control (ATC). Signals CE 377 and CE 378 are provided to
protect the runway. The control tower has a switch which, when operated, will close the railway line
for a plane. This keeps '377' and '378' at danger but if they are showing proceed when it is operated,
they remain green for the approaching train. The ATC is required to operate their switch to close the
railway every time there is an aircraft movement, irrespective of whether a train is approaching.

Under normal circumstances the requests made by the ATC to close and subsequently reopen the
railway will be made independently of Northern Ireland Railway signallers as the signalling system
automatically allows or declines such requests depending on the state of the railway at the time.

The ATC is required to ensure that their Line Status Switch is in the 'LINE OPEN' position if the tower is
temporarily unstaffed or the airfield is closed (it used to only open in the morning with few flights).
Does that make this section of railway the most closed and reopened one in the British Isles‽

The line between these two signals is regarded as a 'tunnel' for the purposes of trains stopping and
protection of failed trains. They are not to stop between the two signals if at all possible. Holding a
train for an aircraft is very rare, but your Ireland Editor was on the 18.10 Great Victoria Street to
Londonderry on 21 Aug when it was stopped at CE 377 for Loganair flight 658 from Stansted to land.

X.196] BELOW: 'Bahamas' passing through Nuneaton, our member on P3 w
the photographers waiting on P4 & 5! In fact it's a nice picture of the station

was disappointed that he was on the wrong platform - perhaps the clue was
n and railway not just of the engine and coach. (Ken Strachan, 6 Oct 2020.)

X.197] BELOW: 40145 has taken the Long Marston branch at Honeybourne (s

station left) looking towards Worcester. (Both Dave Gommersall, 9 Oct 2020.)

BELOW: Later it returned from Long Marston with 43048 heading for Cre

ewe; to the right is the North Cotswold Line towards Moreton-in-Marsh.

X.198] BELOW: Our member receives a friendly wave from the cab of 2300
It is approaching Newland East Crossing between Worcester Foregate Stre

008 on a Long Marston to Wrexham General delivery working (the third).
eet and Malvern Link on the afternoon of Tue 20 Oct. (Dave Gommersall.)

X.199] BELOW: 37510 leading with 47815 at the rear on the 07.25 Derby R
Bromsgrove and Stoke Works Jn heading south. Right is the 1½ mile

RTC to Worcester Traffic Centre (it later went on to Leicester LIP) between
e long Down Bromsgrove Loop. (Dave Gommersall, Tue 13 Oct 2020.)

X.200] BELOW & NEXT: Adelaide station, Belfast, another of the lesser pho

otographed stations on the network. (Both Martin Baumann, 11 Sep 2020.)





BELOW: No4 'Caledonia' at Port Erin. (Graeme Easton, Sat 12 Sep 2020.) NE
THIRD PICTURE: Wickham No22 on the 'fire train' at a mystery location; our

EXT: Groudle Glen Railway - last day of the season. (Graeme Easton, 27 Sep.)
16 Sep 2013 tour ran through that goods shed. (Jenny Williamson, 13 Aug.)









1363 IRELAND- continued (Martin Baumann) [email protected]
3048] SLW: On Sat 10 Oct Dublin - Cork services ran on the Up line between the facing crossover south
of Thurles and the trailing one south of Limerick Jn (previously used by trains to Cork calling at P1).

3049] Public Non-Transport: In the Republic all public transport reverted to essential workers and
'essential purposes' only from Wed 7 Oct for at least three weeks. It remains to be seen if it will be/can
be enforced. 'Essential purposes' are defined as for education, food, medical purposes and work other
than work which can be carried out remotely. Due to social distancing, all aisle seats are out of bounds
with available capacity given on Irish Rail's website as 50% as a result. Interestingly alcohol is now
banned on all services but alcohol based hand sanitizer is provided and on sale at station vending
machine for passengers to use! A full timetable is stated to be running, using 'all available carriages'.

3050] Not stranded: Inspection Car 722 operated from Rosslare Strand to Waterford on Tue 6 Oct.

1363 ISLE OF MAN (Graeme Jolley) [email protected]
3051] Groudle: (BLN 1362.2917) A local member, unable to attend the Groudle Glen Railway steam
gala on Sun 20 Sep, visited with his wife on 27 Sep instead for the final day of their season. 'Sea Lion'
was providing the service on a wonderfully clear if slightly chilly afternoon. An 'End of 2020 Season
Special' headboard was carried. Afterwards they took a Manx Electric Railway tram north and noted
that the relaying north of Groudle is complete with two line working restored. The newly laid track is
very smooth. Past Laxey single line working north of 'The Garey' (11m 78ch) was still in place. These
works have only been possible this summer and autumn due to the reduced service in the pandemic.
However, by 12 Oct Groudle north to Ballame(a)nagh (4m 10ch) was back to single line working with
the work on the landside track between Halfway Crossing (3m 46ch) & Scarffe's Crossing (3m 68ch)!

1363 SCOTLAND (Mike McCabe) [email protected]
3052] Snodgrass: (BLN 1361.2774) This item strayed into interesting territory as like many former
industrial areas there was a complicated network of lines, mainly Glasgow & South Western Railway
but with a later Caledonian incursion on the way to Ardrossan and Irvine. Blacklands Jn controlled a
later connection to the Misk Knowes branch which was originally accessed from Stobbs Jn further east
on the Doura branch. On one edition of the OS both lines are shown, creating a large triangle joining
near Byrehill Road but a later edition shows the Stobbs side lifted. The interesting point is that part of
the Misk Knowes branch (or Longford branch as the 1937 LMS Appendix called it) still exists now as it
eventually served part of the Ardeer complex. During WWII, according to the late EM Patterson (who
worked at ICI Ardeer and wrote several Irish railway books), to create extra road access to Ardeer the
branch was concreted over from Byrehill Road into Ardeer. The rails were usable, set in the concrete,
and he reports that the branch had rail traffic then with occasional trains of tank wagons continuing
into the 1950s. The branch probably fell out of use when Blacklands Jn box closed on 20 April 1952.

When the A78 dual carriageway was built it breached the branch (by then partially lifted). Blacklands
Jn (where the branch crossed Byrehill Road) had gone, but a small section of the concrete road with
the track remained until relatively recently. However on the west side of the A78, the road and branch
are still in situ and accessible. Head north on the A78 from the Eglinton Interchange, pass under the
viaduct carrying the Ayr line, shortly after there is an unmarked minor road on the left. Turn in there
and you will find yourself on a concrete road with a railway running up the centre (take a trolley)!

3053] Leven: Until early 2021 NR is carrying out Phase 1 of reopening this railway in East Fife with
double track, two stations and provision for electrification. Vegetation clearance, site surveys,
geological investigations, ballast sampling & boreholes for core sampling will assess ground conditions.

3054] Stow: BLN 1361.2768 reported that it was hoped to develop the old station house here as a bar
and kitchen, cycling hub and a community room. On 24 Aug construction work was well underway.

3055] Polmont: (BLN 1362.2806) To reopen the line, as well as repairing flood damaged earthworks,
4.5km of new rail and 4,424 concrete sleepers were laid with 10,000 tonnes of ballast; 27 engineering
trains ran. Over 3km of signalling cables were relaid and two new twin track OHLE gantries installed.

[BLN 1363]
3056] Cadder: Due to S&C Renewals the Down Arrival & Departure lines are OOU from 3 Oct until 11 Dec.

3057] Kilmarnock: (BLN 1350.1168) Wabtec Works (once Andrew Barclay's) has been taken over by
Brodies, who operate the nearby Bonnyton facility. It is not yet known what work will be undertaken.

3058] ££££: A six month lifeline Emergency Measures Agreement (EMA) was introduced in Apr when
Lockdown resulted in a 95% reduction in ScotRail passenger numbers so that services could be
provided for key workers. Unlike many transport operators across the world, ScotRail has not placed a
single member of its 5,200 staff on furlough or cut any permanent roles in the pandemic. There have
been no changes to the staff wages or terms and conditions. [They have been told that there is no pay
rise this year and there is a ballot on industrial action.] With passenger numbers about 30% of normal,
the EMA has been extended from 20 Sep until 10 Jan. The timetable is said to be almost normal.

3059] Class 380s: ScotRail's 22 x 3-car & 16 x 4-car Class 380 EMUs are being refurbished at Shields Rd
Depot as they approach 10 years (!) old. Funded by Eversholt Rail leasing, it takes two weeks per unit
and includes new flooring, seat upholstery repainting with general repairs to tables, bins and handrails.

3060] Mossend: The Scottish Government chose the PD Stirling facility here (being redeveloped into
the Mossend International Railfreight Park) to launch its Green Investment Portfolio. The initiative is
intended to promote market ready projects that will help Scotland develop a net zero carbon emission
economy by 2045. The site is one of 10 projects benefiting from over £1bn. Plans include eight new
sidings, connected to the WCML, for up to 16 x 775m trains per day. (It now has about eight shorter
services daily.) The internationally trade compliant terminal, able to handle most cargos, will include
certification for dangerous goods. The storage capacity of 5,000 TEUs (Twenty foot Equivalent Units)
will use electric road vehicles. Road access with be remodelled to give direct motorway access.

3061] Carmont: By 21 Sep a 600-tonne lifting crane had removed the last of the derailed carriages.

1363 WALES & THE MARCHES (Chris Parker) [email protected]

3062] Cardiff Queen St: At 22.00 on 30 Sep NR imposed a short notice weight restriction on the Bridge
between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street…until further notice' - it is assumed to be the
'Intersection Bridge' (also known as East Jn Viaduct) over the South Wales Main Line (BLN 1323.476).

It is TfW (Core Valley Lines) property; does this mean that NR is acting as agent or contractor for TfW?
Trains of Route Availability 4 and above, including Class 769 units and anything loco-hauled, were
forbidden. An immediate effect was the suspension of traffic to/from Cwmbargoed (BLN 1359.2517 &
e-BLN 1360.X.178); the last working was 10.39 Cwmbargoed to Margam on 30 Sep. Your Regional Ed's
suggested workaround (literally) of run rounds and reversals at Queen Street and Radyr bypassing the
bridge was clearly not in line with TfW thinking - there would be pathing and/or signalling problems!

[This may not have been as farfetched an idea as you think. On 8 Oct a DB Cargo light engine ran from
Alexandra Dock Jn making several Cardiff Central - Radyr - Queen Street runs in both directions,
including sneaking over the aforementioned bridge. Could it have been a route learner and/or testing
the bridge at various speeds with strain gauges in place perhaps?] Following this it all ended happily
when at 02.25 on Fri 9 Oct the bridge reopened to RA8 traffic with a 15mph emergency speed
restriction. The first coal train that day was 10.55 Cwmbargoed to Margam with two on Sat 10th.
As a result of the temporary bridge restriction coal trains unusually ran from Immingham Humber
International Terminal to Hope Cement Works on Fri 9 & Mon 12 Oct replacing two 'Cwmbargoeds'.

3063] Swansea: (BLN 1354.1786) Every cloud has a silver lining; presumably with a paucity of pesky
punters during the pandemic, the P4 rebuild and slight lengthening was expedited from 4 Jan to 12 Oct
completion is scheduled 'by summer 2021'. The station is also to receive its customer facilities upgrade
as part of TfW's Station Improvement Vision (BLN 1362.2924) including full rebranding and refresh,
improved ticket buying facilities and refurbished space for local businesses and community groups.

3064] Welshpool: (BLN 1333.1975) To the south, Fron User Worked Level Crossing (36m 39ch*) and
the footpath crossing it reopened during the week of 28 Sep on completion of the work described.
Although announced in Aug 2019, NR advises that the closure actually began in 2016 to comply with
an ORR Safety Notice. (*From Whitchurch Cambrian Jn via Oswestry, to amend the back reference.)

3065] Cymmer Afan: (BLN 1362.2928) This reminded a member of a walk on 22 Feb 2002. He caught
the train to Maesteg then walked the remaining track and trackbed via Cymmer to the end of the
branch in the gorge beyond Abergwynfi. From there he went 'over the top' to catch the train home
from Treorchy. [A BLS member going 'over the top' - never!] He recalls that the branch was then intact
to Nantyfyllon with a buffer stop across at the end of the then new Maesteg platform. His photos
make interesting comparisons with those from 40 - 50 years earlier accompanying the previous items.
Member Robert Thomas has provided photos from his 27 Dec 1961 visit to the North Rhondda branch.
The loco '9634' also worked the 1960 tour (BLN 1361.2793). ABOVE: It is leaving North Rhondda
Colliery Halt with (effectively) the ECS of the PSUL to South Pit Halt where it waited for the shift to
finish (despite being timetabled to do so at Glyncorrwg) before returning to North Rhondda then to
Glyncorrwg. He walked down to South Pit to take the second shot (NEXT PAGE). The river below was
full of old wagons which had run away from a siding - the guard claimed that it was a 1:14 gradient.
An interesting aside on the 1946 accident near Cymmer was that the famous actor Richard Burton, a
native of Pontrhydyfen and then aged 20, is said to have helped at the scene as he was one of the first
on site. He was at a relative's house which was in a street that ran at 90° to the railway.
3066] Manorbier: Unstaffed since 28 Sep 1964, but not a request stop, and with 9,122 passengers in
2018-19, this station building on the Pembroke Dock branch has been fully renovated and modernised
as a dwelling. It retains some original features including the booking window. An offer of over £399.5k
could see it become yours. https://bit.ly/2F1Bjlr & https://bit.ly/3jxvlaW have pictures and details.

3067] Newport: NR plans to carry out gauge enhancement work from W10 to W12 standards in the
748yd Newport Old Tunnel (with the Up and Down Relief lines) for 9'6" high containers on standard
flat wagons. They are currently restricted to the Main lines through New (Hillfield) Tunnel and traffic
growth is anticipated. The project is currently at GRIP 3 design stage; this is expected to be completed
in Dec 2020 with submission to the DfT of an outline business case targeted for Jun 2021. Full funding
requires DfT approval of the final business case following further design work. Subject to this, the work
would be carried out during a 4 week blockade, potentially during summer 2023. However this may be
brought forward to 2022 to coincide with planned track renewals if approval is given in time.

3068] Conwy Valley line: (BLN 1362.2923) ROP duly took place on Mon 28 Sep but with just two trains
each way. The first and third round trips, shown in Realtime Trains the previous week, were removed
from the timetable without bus replacements. TfW's website attributed this to 'resource availability'.
Local press reported that staff need to be retrained as the branch had been closed for so long.
Your Regional Editor spotted that the unit was used on the Llandudno Junction to Llandudno shuttle.
Hence the first train was the 10.08 Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Early morning and late evening
bus replacements ran as scheduled. The third scheduled round trip ran from Wed 30 Sep and all four
from Thur 1 Oct. The (now all year) SuO service is also four rail round trips with a later start
(10.22 from Llandudno) and later finish (20.24 from Blaenau; Llandudno arr 21.34) and no extra buses.

Incredibly, from 3 Oct request stops at Dolgarrog were suspended yet again with road transport
available if required (most unlikely!). TfW and BBC Travel both gave the reason as 'timetable change'
(!); the former initially said it was expected to continue until 8 Oct - but that day it was extended by
two weeks. The local press said it was due to social distancing issues with the short platform. However
on Fri 9 Oct TfW and National Rail journey planners showed trains calling. A different part of the TfW
website advised using North Llanrwst (5.3 miles) or Tal-y-Cafn (4.2 miles) instead of Dolgarrog, with
no details of alternative transport being provided (or not) unlike most stations affected by this!

BELOW: (Item 3072) Is it a coach house perhaps? The coach is obviou

usly the other (seaside) of this chimera at Aberporth. (Nick Bowditch.)

BELOW: Another fine coach house at Aberporth - with a great vie

ew from the coach section out to Cardigan Bay. (Nick Bowditch.)

NEXT FIVE PICTURES: (Item 3070) Dolau is normally a quiet sleepy reques
in 2019-20, however it has recently come alive with NR engineering tra
It is interesting to see the sign for platform 1 as there is only one