Darlington is off right. BELOW: In the other direction (A Member, 25 Jan 2024.)
BELOW: Newsham looking south; the new footbridge with lifts and, to replace t
he crossing, a £30.6M road bridge behind. (Both Rodger Wilkinson, 1 Feb 2024.)
BELOW: A zoom shot south of the section being redoubled towards Hartle
ey. There the line turns 90o right (straight on used to go to Monkseaton).
BELOW & NEXT TWO: (Item 449) New track! North of Darlington station (in It is believed the line (left) next to the East Coast Main Lines will be the nfacility for container trains to/from Teesport to reverse to/from the sout
the distance), here new light grey electrification masts have been erected. ew Up Goods Loop. The other two lines far left will be a new run-round th. The zoom exaggerates the kink! (All Rodger Wilkinson, 5 Feb 2024.)
448] Hartlepool: (BLN 1439.50) There has been little activity on the Docks branch since the 18 Dec train to Willesden. It is unclear if that train returned empty on the night of 20 Dec but on 22 Dec a light engine ran from the docks to Leeds Balm Road. A light engine left there at 04.35 on 17 Jan and the 19.32 to Willesden Euroterminal ran that evening. It has run only twice since then, on 24 and 29 Jan; the 29 Jan train had no load, it was completely empty! As at 13 Feb, there had been no trains since. 449] Darlington: (Track plan BLN 1424.1236) Over the 3-4 Feb weekend, a mile of track and various switches and crossings were renewed. Some LNER Edinburgh trains ran via the Durham Coast from Northallerton and Lumo EMUs only ran south of Northallerton, with a Newcastle bus link. Otherwise, buses ran between York and Newcastle. No trains ran between Eaglescliffe and Bishop Auckland. At the south end of the station, Up side, site cabins have appeared and there were piles of ballast near South Jn. Work on the Up side car park and the new station building is progressing. There has been some work on the existing Down side railway buildings but not much since the former hotel was demolished, other than hoardings. North of the station, new OHLE masts have gone up. Our member thinks a recently relaid siding will be the new Up Goods Loop and, from the masts, may be electrified. 450] Tees Valley Teasers: (BLN 1441.308) The money from the wreckage of HS2 will be available from 2027 to 2040, so any expenditure before has to come from existing funds. The planned list of projects was signed off by the Combined Authority on 26 Jan. (The Mayor's trains every 5-7 mins fantasy was in general terms - presumably through Middlesbrough. Even he didn't claim that for the Nunthorpe line.) 451] Haxby: (BLN 1432.2101) NR was to submit the planning application for the new station in Jan but this will now be on 23 Feb. Completion will now not be until Dec 2025 due to the usual delays at the DfT - as predicted in BLN 1432! Pre-Pandemic Northern was planning an hourly York to Scarborough service. Paths were in the system and driver training was about to start until Covid struck - no chance now. The present hourly TPE service might not be very attractive, with possible random cancellations. 452] Leeds: ①Neville Hill Depot is thought to be the last in the country whose diesel supply comes in by rail. An 08.35 Colas operated train, generally WO, usually just two (large) tank wagons, runs from Lindsey refinery, booked to leave Neville Hill Fuelling Point with the discharged wagons at 14.25. ②The first 'tram tracks found during roadworks' story of 2024 is in Leeds. They are on Sovereign St, close to where the Swinegate Tram Depot was. It remained in use until the final trams ran in service on 7 Nov 1959, so it is likely that these tracks were used right up to the end. As with many places when trams were abandoned, rather than incurring the expense of removing the rails, they were simply buried under tarmac, waiting for future generations to discover them during works. 1442 NORTH WEST (John Cameron) north-west-news@branchline.uk 453] A visit to Allerton Depot: On 2 Feb 777028, on the 10.51 Hunts Cross to Southport, came to a halt across Hunts Cross West Jn, stopping all trains between Liverpool (both routes) and Hunts Cross. It seems that the unit could not draw power from the third rail due to a defect. Northern, TPE and EMR services were cancelled or severely delayed. Some were held at Warrington Central, some returned to Lime Street and others turned back from the east at Manchester. Merseyrail services turned back in Liverpool South Parkway P5 (the Liverpool end trailing crossover was in passenger use on departure). The passengers on the failed unit were evacuated along a walking route through Allerton Depot and an access gate, before an assisting Class 777 unit moved the dead unit into Hunts Cross P3. As it could not be made moveable then, it was left in the platform and only 3 or 4-car trains were used on the Hunts Cross to Southport diagrams next day, so that they could fit on the platform along with 777028. 454] Hidden Southport: (BLN 1440.188) P1 remained fenced off and hidden on 22 Jan; a lorry with a concrete pump on the far side of the Wall Siding was in use for concrete pouring behind the high fence. It is good to see the lengths NR will go to just to give our members a few extra yards of track. 455] Manchester Piccadilly: On Fri 26 Jan a serious OHLE fault meant that fewer electric trains than usual could run between P13 & 14 and Oxford Road; numerous lines were blocked to electric traction in the area. Overnight, efforts to identify and 'rectify' the mystery fault failed; specialised drones were used to assist in the diagnosis. Some perishing cabling and insulator pots were the culprits. Shocking!
456] Hope Valley: From Mon 25 Mar, after a nine day blockade, the area controlled by Totley Tunnel East Signal Box, Grindleford Signal Box and Dore Remote Interlocking is due to be resignalled and recontrolled to the new York ROC Sheffield Outer Workstation. It will, at the same time, also recontrol some lines at present controlled by York ROC Rotherham Workstation and also some controlled at present by Sheffield Workstation; both of these two areas are being reduced in size. York ROC, Sheffield Outer Workstation (which is new) will then control Dronfield station (incl) - Dore Station Jn (incl), Dore South Jn (incl) & Dore Station Jn (incl) - Hope station (incl), Tapton Jn (excl) - Treeton North (incl), Beighton Jn (incl) - Woodhouse Jn (incl), the Westhorpe Branch, Kiveton Bridge station (excl) - Woodburn Jn (incl) and the Deepcar Branch. Rotherham Workstation will no longer control Tapton Jn (excl) - Treeton North (incl), Beighton Jn (incl) - Woodhouse Jn (incl), the Westhorpe Branch and Kiveton Bridge stn (excl) - Woodburn Jn (excl). The 'Westhorpe branch' is disconnected, latterly just a run round loop and a stub of the former branch. Sheffield Workstation will no longer control Dronfield station (incl) - Dore Station Jn (incl), Dore South Jn (incl) and Dore Station Jn (incl) - Dore West Jn (incl) and Nunnery Main Line Jn (excl) - Woodburn Jn (incl) and the Deepcar Branch. There will be some minor resignalling at Heeley Loop. 457] Dore & Totley: A new footbridge has been installed. Six 11.2 tonne staircase units were lifted into place using a 200 tonne mobile road crane, before the 15m long, 14.5 tonne main bridge was installed. The bridge with two lifts will lead to the new island platform (with track on the Down side) which is nearly complete, over 30 years after the original island platform was demolished in the 1980s. Ironically British Rail singled the line to save the cost of replacing the station footbridge! The new Down track is now in place and due to be connected during the 9-day blockade between 16-24 Mar. Interestingly, Northern replacement buses for this run from/to New Mills Newtown (on the Buxton branch) then serve New Mills Central and stations, except Edale, to Sheffield. Edale has a connecting minibus shuttle to/from Hope (hopefully), due to the nature of the minor roads that access Edale. 458] It's a fix! (BLN 1441.402) There is a reason for everything on the railways (usually). The fixed Home signals on the approach to Buxton from the Peak Forest and Hindlow lines mentioned in the signal box visits report do have a purpose. They are to ensure compliance with signalling principles. The signal accessing the single line to Buxton at Great Rocks Jn box is a main signal arm. By signalling principles, you cannot signal a driver from a main arm to a disc; it must go from a main arm to a main arm. The only route beyond the main arm at Buxton is into the sidings, for which a disc is provided,but the main arm (fixed) must be there too for the driver to approach. On the Hindlow branch, the signal at the Buxton end protects a passenger line. It was probably felt to be inappropriate to have trains approaching a passenger line along a running line protected by just a disc, which could be missed in poor weather. It also maintains consistency with the signalling on the adjacent Great Rocks line. There were once many examples. The British Rail London Midland Region was particularly fond of these fixed main arms with only worked ground discs or subsidiary miniature lower arms reading beyond. Holyhead still has them at the terminal ends of at least one platform. Again, all because the previous signal is a main arm / aspect which cannot read to a shunt signal. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ 459] Stockport: The 23.20 from Manchester Piccadilly turns back in Stockport P1 to form the 23.49 return on 19 & 22 Feb and from 1 until 4 Apr inclusive. As it calls at Heaton Chapel, on return it has to use the Manchester end Up Slow to Up Fast trailing crossover, the trailing crossover from the Up Fast to Down Fast and then, at Heaton Norris Jn, the facing crossover from the Down Fast to Down Slow. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ 460] Ellesmere Port - Helsby: This Cinderella Line, which once had a half-hourly service, has four consecutive stations managed by different organisations. Ellesmere Port is Merseyrail, Stanlow & Thornton, Essar Energy, Ince & Elton, Northern and Helsby Transport for Wales. Stanlow & Thornton has been closed since 19.00 on 2 Feb 2022 as the owner, Essar Energy, is unwilling to fund repair of the footbridge, the only access to the platforms. At least your NW Regional Editor visited before then!
[BLN 1BELOW: (Item 457) Dore & Totley redoubling, looking towards Dore Statio
1442] on and Sheffield. NEXT: Sheffield is off middle right. (Both NR Jan 2024.)
BELOW: (Item 458) A fixed home semaphore signal at Holyhead (below it is a calling on signal).
461] Manchester Metrolink: (BLN 1441.317.2; photo e-BLN) The cracked crossing at Victoria has been removed and sent away for repairs at the manufacturer's premises, with no timescale yet for it to be returned. With the Victoria to Exchange Square and St Peter's Square Second City Crossing closed, there have been delays and congestion with all trams running via Market Street. To help ameliorate this, from 12 Feb East Didsbury to Shaw & Crompton services (every 12 mins) turned back at Exchange Square instead. The trailing crossover at the latter is in passenger use on departure back to St Peter's Square. Services last ran over this section on Mon 21 Jan. This means that, alternating with these, there are only trams every 12 mins between East Didsbury and Rochdale Town Centre, so double trams are being diagrammed if anyone wishes to reach nearer the ends of line at each terminus. 462] Crewe Sorting Sidings North: (BLN 1441.321) This signal box no longer has an original 1962 British Railways' Individual Function Switch (IFS) panel; it was replaced on 11 Aug 2013 by the present TEW SM48 model IFS. See The British Power Signalling Register: www.bpsr.org.uk (regularly updated). 463] Broadbottom: A new fully accessible toilet has opened at the station. Does it have a ramp and a lift? Clad in sandstone, the building has dark grey roof tiles, to match the existing station buildings. Apparently, the new toilet can even accommodate those with a broad bottom - what a cheek. Flushed with success, maybe they will be working on one suitable for Ramsbottom next, albeit sheepishly. 464] Daisyfield Jn: On Fri 12 Jan an incident resulted in some damage to the points here. Repairs were complete soon after noon next day. While the final work (welding and grinding) was being undertaken, five Blackpool North to York services travelled over the Up East Lancs line in the Down direction from Blackburn East to the normally trailing Accrington crossover at 15m 41ch. The 06.19 & 07.18 departed from Blackburn P4 while the 08.19, 09.19 & 10.19 went from P2. P1, both passenger through lines and the Up & Down Goods line are bidirectionally signalled from Blackburn West to Daisyfield Jn. 465] Burscough Bridge: (BLN 1440.184) The new arch over the footpath from P1 to the nearby Wetlands Trust has two artwork panels, one on each side of the P1 side of the gate. One shows the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, at the top is Burscough Wharf. Beneath it the former P1 station building, now a Children's Nursery and below that a Class 769 Northern bimode. The right hand panel has images of wildlife and nature at locations around Martin Mere bird reserve, produced by local schoolchildren. 466] Parbold: (BLN 1440.194) The new artwork, installed by Friends of Parbold Station, has photos of Parbold. It includes a composite of the station, made up of a photograph of one platform taken in the 2020s merged with another of the opposite platform taken in the 1950s, complete with a steam train. 467] Liverpool - Runcorn - Chester: TfW failed to restore the services from 2-hourly (3-hourly when one goes to Wrexham in the evening) to hourly in Jan, as had been hoped. Several units have been damaged by trees and debris during recent storms 'Isha' and 'Jocelyn' and some have had wheel flats. TfW now plans to increase the service to hourly daily from 12 Feb. An hourly service ran pre-pandemic. 468] Liverpool Central: A new lift is being installed between the concourse and Northern Line P1&2 to relieve congestion on the existing escalators and lifts. Contractors believe that it may be ready to open in time for the Grand National (11-13 Apr), obviously a very busy time at the station. Separately, the station toilets are to be completely renovated and upgraded, expected to take 12 weeks. Moorfields, Bank Hall and Hightown will be similarly upgraded and made fully accessible at the same time. 1442 SOUTH EAST - NORTH & EAST ANGLIA (Julian James) south-east-news@branchline.uk 469] Waterbeach: (BLN 1371.553) (TRACKmaps 2 p11C 2020) (309,000 passengers during 2022-2023) Relocation of the new £37M (and counting) station, 1½ miles north, is a condition of approval by South Cambridgeshire District Council to build 4,500 homes as part of Waterbeach New Town. £17M of this is from the developers. Proximity of the new station to the current one was accepted as operationally impracticable, so the present station is expected to close. NR is carrying out preliminary design and survey work for a business case, expected in the autumn, for 8-cars, with possible extension to 12-cars. Greater Cambridge Partnership took the project over in Jun 2022, when the developers said that it was 'impractical' for them to run it; there is also significant financial risk. The Partnership had hoped the full business case (delayed by further surveys) would be ready by the end of the 2023-24 financial year.
PREVIOUS: (Item 465) Burscough Bridge P1, a mere archway. BELOW: (Item 4
466) Parbold P1; Leeds & Liverpool Canal. (Both Tim Hall-Smith, 26 Jan 2024.)
BELOW: (Item 470) FNA-D 11 70 92229024-8 on rear of 6Z69 13.30 Sizewell C68018 'Vigilant' + 68002 'Intrepid' departing Saxmundham on the single track
CEGB Siding to Willesden Brent return six-monthly route proving trip behind south, the flask was empty in both directions! (Iain Scotchman, 2 Feb 2024.)
BELOW: Earlier at Knodishall Level Crossing (92m 49ch), on the branch, he
eading back from Sizewell; at least the locals can't say the line is disused.
470] Sizewell: On 2 Feb a six monthly route proving/knowledge retention run was made: 01.00 Crewe Coal Sidings arriving 09.45 and departing as 13.10 to Willesden Brent Sidings (17.52). 12 trains were recorded as using the branch in 2023; five in 2022 and at least nine in 2021. There is no commercial traffic, they are test trains, engineering trains, light engines for route knowledge as well as GBRf freight trials and a track machine (probably for refuelling or maintenance with the road access at Sizewell). Incidentally, a well known member who photographs these trains regularly has been stopped and questioned by the Civil Nuclear* Police several times at the rail terminal and along the Sizewell branch. Generally, they just take his name, address and car registration number. [*Are they 'active' on their 'radio'? You most certainly wouldn't want to be stopped by the rude lot of Nuclear Police.] Another member was photographing the railhead in 2010 with his wife when she (as the driver) was issued with a 'Form 1510 Stop/Stop & Search of Person/Vehicle'. Apart from basic details, it included a brief description and ethnicity code. 'Grounds for search' were given as taking photos of Sizewell railhead. She was not amused but our member thought it was very funny. No further action was taken. Your Editor was once with a group of members who were stopped by armed police at Sellafield as some (not he) were spotting locos in the sidings and photographing them. They were on public land but right next to the fence. The group leader had a special MoD pass which he needed for work and that pacified them - there was no difficulty convincing them we were genuine railway enthusiasts! They were suspicious as we had arrived in a hired minibus. On another occasion the Editor and General Secretary were walking round the outside perimeter of RAF Welford (as you do), which was rail served until 7 Aug 1972. They were walking the former branch to the base off the Lambourn Valley branch (from Newbury). Unusually it was shown on later 1'' OS maps. Although on public land, they were followed wherever they went by two US military police carrying guns in a jeep the other side of the fence (fortunately). It was quite surreal. It was only after that they discovered it is a US Air Force heavy munitions depot for RAF Fairford and one of the largest in Western Europe. LEFT: 1967 map; Lambourn is off top left and Newbury bottom right. Welford Park station is shown as closed to passengers with the Depot branch ending top right - the end of the headshunt (the internal lines, not shown, trailed in and the depot is just a big white area). After Welford Park (6m 39ch) on to Lambourn closed to passengers and all traffic from 4 Jan 1960, the rest of the branch from Lambourn Valley Jn to Welford Park had occasional traffic from 19 Jul 1965 until 7 Aug 1972. It was leased to, and worked by, the MoD from 1 Jan 1972. British Rail Western Region ran four 'farewell' 9-car DMU return trips on 3 Nov 1973, shuttles from Newbury - almost 2,000 tickets were sold at 60p! The line and the branch to the Depot closed from 5 Nov 1973, a good date for detonators, and was lifted in 1976. Your General Secretary recalls the farewell trips well as one of his first outings to travel a route before closure - reading in Railway Magazine about lines closing made him appreciate the need to do them before closure where warning was given. He reached Newbury by road coach from Bristol (as a schoolboy, finances were limited). While more affordable than rail via Reading, the frequency was limited but provided good safety margin of hours before and after his booked shuttle. The time was put to good use, revising for exams in a public park. He passed, did the branch and the rest is history … Some 45 years later, the chance to walk the 'MoD branch' from the tour limit in the exchange sidings was very much enjoyed, even with the presence of an armed escort! Don't tell anyone but there is a direct road from the M4 between Jn 14 and 13, eastbound only, to the Depot, a sharply curved spur. The 'Works unit only' signs have a red border used for military locations. 471] Tilbury2: (BLN 1441.337) The 17 Jan train was the first one from Tilbury2 Construction Materials & Aggregate Terminal to Radlett but others have run occasionally to Trowse and Kennett since 31 May 2022.
472] Peterborough: (TRACKmaps 2 p16A 2020) The £2.5M 'Eastfield Signal Box Area Life Extension Works' start soon, to renew/modernise life expired assets/signalling circuits and remove redundant equipment. The box is on the East Coast Main Line up side, north of Peterborough at 77m 02ch. The site boundaries are Eastfield Yard between 76m 50ch and 77m 40ch, which interfaces with York ROC (Railway Operating Centre). The area controlled by Eastfield is freight only with basic mechanical interlocking between points and signals connected to the 65-lever frame. Not all the points have facing point locks. The Grade II listed box was built in 1893 by the Great Northern Railway and has a Railway Signal Co tappet frame, dating from when the box was extended from 3 May 1903. The box and frame were further extended in 1940; it is staffed by NR and is not a block post. Eastfield controls various yards, sidings, washer plants, a construction line and through lines from New England Jn south to Peterborough. There is considerable abandoned, out of use and partially out of use infrastructure in this area. The box controls: Down Arrival Line (South), Up Departure Line (South), Shunt Line, Westwood Yard Sidings, Up Arrival Line (North), Down Departure Line (North), Construction Depot Arrival/Dep Line (North Sidings), EMU Washer Plant Line, West Yard Sidings (OOU), West Yard Reception No 1, West Yard Reception No 2 (OOU) & East Siding. All signals will be replaced with colour light LEDs. Apart from discs, a recent NR diagram showed four semaphores, three at the north end for Up moves and one at the south end for Down moves. Two of the former have two arms on each post. The lie of points will have their electrical detection renewed. Retention of mechanical connection to the frame is therefore implied. Of note, a bell was used to transcribe trains to/from the now closed Peterborough Power Signal Box but Eastfield box now transcribes to/from York ROC with a modern electronic system! The changes do not affect existing capacity or impose new restrictions on existing traffic. The West Yard Sidings are not in use; the signalling controlling movements into them will be treated as out of use, avoiding what NR describe as 'testing challenges' as part of the Life Extension Works. There are no plans to recover these assets, as there is a future project for rationalisation of West Yard Sidings for a terminal scheme with DBC. 473] Manea: (BLN 1431.1997) LEFT: Passenger figures at the station. The free 112-space passenger car park has been officially opened with all the pomp and circumstance of a ribbon cutting ceremony, nearly two years after it was due to open originally. On 19 Jan Dr Nik Johnson, the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, did the honours by cutting a ribbon at the car park, which includes 100 parking spaces, disabled bays, a cycle shelter, CCTV and low energy lighting. Originally due to open in Apr 2022, problems with essential equipment caused a lengthy delay. The car park is a key achievement in Fenland District Council's Railway Station Masterplans scheme for Fenland stations, funded by £9.5M from the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority. 474] Congham Road Bridge: (BLN 1439.72) National Highways has appealed against the enforcement order from King's Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Planning Department to remove the infill from the former Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Bridge No 76. This infilling of the railway bridge on St Andrews Lane, Congham, Norfolk without Planning Permission, using 'engineering fill and foam concrete with embankments formed on either side', is alleged by the Council, to be unauthorised development contrary to Policies CS06, CS08 & CS12 of the Core Strategy 2011 and Policy DM15 of the Site Allocations and Development Management Policies Plan 2016! The Planning Inspectorate has an online service at https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk for comments on this appeal. 3336603 is the reference to enter. The Secretary of State has accepted the appeal and, with the agreement of the appellant and the Borough Council, has decided to determine the matter by way of a Public Inquiry. Interested parties (that can be any of us) have until 8 Mar 2024 to submit any comments via the link. 1442 SOUTH EAST - SOUTH (Julian James) south-east-news@branchline.uk 475] Thanet Parkway: (BLN 1441.340) According to Southeastern, 34,698 journeys had been made to/ from the £39.3M station by the end of Dec, a 40% increase in monthly users since Jul. An average of 261 passengers enter/exit daily. In Dec, tickets were sold for 8,115 journeys to and from the station, almost 12 times less than nearby Ramsgate, where 96,430 journeys were made in Dec (but early days). 2018-19 18,950 2019-20 18,834 2020-21 3,910 2021-22 16,192 2022-23 21,038
BELOW: (Item 472) Eastfield signal box, Peterborough (not Glasgow!)
. (Nick Garnham, 29 Jun 2023, during our second Society visit there.)
BELOW: Eastfield box is upper left, looking north (East Coast Main line u
pper left corner), it's changed a bit since! (Andy Overton, 6 May 1989.)
476] Fareham: (Item 417) Emergency landslip prevention work was carried out from Mon 29 Jan until Fri 2 Feb(incl)by installation of 268 x 25m long steel soil nails, drilled into the slope and reinforced with concrete to support a cutting. Originally, night possessions had been planned for preventative work but the situation deteriorated the week before, so Eastleigh West Jn to Fareham East Jn was closed all week. £2.28M was spent on landslips in the Fareham area during 2022, with the line closed for nine days. During that closure, the steepness of part of the cutting was reduced near Fareham Tunnel, where the line is cut deeply into the hillside. 5,000 tonnes of material was excavated, before building an 80m long retaining wall. The recently detected earth movement was at a different part of the cutting. The 2022 works have been unaffected by recent storms, the earth did not move for them. There have been problems with the cuttings at Fareham from the outset. Eastleigh to Gosport via Fareham OA 29 Nov 1841, but CA 3 Dec 1841 because of problems with Fareham Tunnel and an unstable cutting. The line reopened on 7 Feb 1842. (See BLNs 1332.1792, 1333.1943 & 1354.1749.) 477] Wokingham Jn: (BLNs 1440.217 and 1442 417) The crossover between the Down Siding and the Down Main (61m 77ch) was relaid between 5 and 19 Feb and secured OOU for later commissioning. 478] Ashurst: On the Uckfield branch, on the early evening of 27 Jan, a road rail vehicle travelling from a track renewals worksite to its access point hit the station footbridge (the only access to Up P1). Two cast iron trestles were fractured on the Down side and one on the Up. The bridge had to be taken OOU, with Up trains not calling until 5 Feb after a temporary bridge had been installed. Ashurst is the passing place on this mostly single track branch, so SLW on the Down wasn't possible. 479] Leatherhead: For temporary footbridge gricers, there is one at the London end from 3 Feb until 18 Aug 2024 while a new £6.2M bridge with lift shafts is installed. It is due for Spring 2025 completion. 480] Portsmouth Harbour: During local half term (Mon 12 until Fri 16 Feb), 1,094m of track across the four platforms was to be renewed, as well as 592m of rails on the approach viaduct along with bridge timber renewal. In the Fareham area, 600m of jointed track was to be replaced. Over 12,000m of signalling cables was also to be renewed between St Denys and Swanwick for the Southampton Area Signalling Life Extension programme. This explains the extensive blockade (Item 417) that week. 1442 SOUTH WEST (Samuel Taunton) south-west-news@branchline.uk 481] Tivvy Bumper back? The 'Tivvy Bumper' ran 4¾ miles between Tiverton Junction and Tiverton stations from 1884 until 1964. The local press recently had a report about a new station in Tiverton and your SW Regional Editor had hopes of track being relaid back to Tiverton (CP 5 Oct 1964, CG/CA 5 Jun 1967). Alas, it is a new shuttle bus between Tiverton Parkway and the railway bus station. 482] An Emergency! (TRACKmaps 3 p8C 2023) On Thur 8 Feb a flood warning was received for Brent Mill Viaduct (229m 62ch to 229m 65ch) at South Brent. The water level of one of our NINE River Avons reached the closure mark on the structure by 21.10, so the Up Main was closed. Down trains could run with a 20mph Emergency Speed Restriction on the viaduct and Up trains terminated at Plymouth. Next morning, single line working was in place over the Down Main from 07.00. Up trains traversed the facing Aish Emergency Crossover (230m 37ch), returning to the Up Main via Totnes East trailing crossover at 222m 39ch. As Aish Emergency Crossovers are not signalled and the signalling on the mains is not bidirectional, three members of staff were required (a Points Operative, Handsignaller and Pilot). The water level dropped,the structure was checked,then normal working resumed at 13.47. There is no ground frame or Ground Switch Panel at Aish. The Pilot liaises with the Plymouth signaller who operates the points from there. A separate local Mobile Operations Manger (or suitably qualified person) on site confirms that the points have been reversed, then clamps and scotches them for the movement in conjunction with Plymouth. Finally,the Pilot, again after contacting Plymouth,authorises the driver to proceed. A Handsignaller is needed at Totnes East for Up trains to cross back to the Up Main. Down trains run on the Down Main with normal signalling but still need the Pilot to authorise it - the Handsignaller has no involvement in this. A Handsignaller, if provided, is always at the end of the wrong line move. If there is no Handsignaller,the Pilot has to travel on each train,which is less flexible - one Up, one Down, one Up etc (or road transport back to the other end for two in the same direction).
If a Handsignaller is provided, the Pilot can then be at Aish and send any number of Up trains towards Totnes, obtaining confirmation that they have arrived before sending the next one, of course. The Pilot travels on the last one to be at the other end and then allow Down train(s) to travel, before returning on the last one to Aish to allow more Up trains over the Single Line Working. The signalling is in place to signal Down trains normally but not Up trains; the Handsignaller is there to protect the exit from the Single Line Working onto the normal Up Main. With imminent resignalling, Aish Emergency Crossovers are to be controlled directly from the new workstation in Plymouth box but will still not be signalled. A local driver on the line for almost 13 years has yet to travel from Totnes in the Down direction on the Up line and cross back at Aish (he would like to!). It happened in 2009 when the track was relaid in the single bore Marley Down Tunnel with all trains using the Up Tunnel; otherwise, it is a rarer event. 483] Portishead: (BLN 1441.350) In 2015 reopening was costed at £58M with trains running in 2019. This is now £152M (before the overspend) and trains should be running by mid-2026 (MetroWest). 484] Strawberry Line forever: (BLNs 1428.1644 & 1433.2238) Work continues on the popular cycle/ walking route near Shepton Mallet. An approximately one mile link between Westbury-sub-Mendip and Easton opened in Sep 2023. Mostly using the trackbed of the former Cheddar Valley Line, the work is now heading west from Shepton Mallet towards Wells on this former GWR route to join the existing path, the eventual goal is Clevedon. A new bridge over the B3136 Lambert's Hill Road is the next task. 1442 WEST MIDLANDS (Brian Schindler) west-midlands-news@branchline.uk 485] Malvern Link: E-BLN 1440 had photographs of the station on 30 May 1968 and 26 Mar 1970. There are 36 photos of the station on our website Photo Collection (anyone can view the thumbnails and logged in members can download full resolution versions for personal use only). Photos and BLN reports have narrowed down demolition of the original buildings (except the Stationmaster's House) to between Jan 1971 and Sep 1972. They were on a very grand scale; the main building was on the Down (Hereford) P2, the size and appearance of a good sized church, particularly the entrance and high roof which had a decorative pattern of tiles. It was so long that three landscape photos were required in e-BLN to show it! The buildings were in Malvern rusticated crazy paving style stonework. At the Hereford end, it was joined to the surviving Stationmaster's House, now a high quality holiday rental but closed at present for renovation after severe damage in an arson attack on 6-7 Mar 2023. The photos show a mirror image dwelling at the Worcester end of the building that was occupied in 1968. There is washing on the line, a child's swing and, outside, a 'fare stage' bus stop. Midland Red bus route 112 started from here to Gloucester. Two double-deckers shuttled backwards and forwards all day. An occasional treat was a 'Bristol Lodekka', which had a side passage with quadruple seats upstairs (2+2 downstairs). The return fare was 1s 9d (= 9p, worth £2 now). Leaving Malvern at 09.00, it was possible to spend the day on Gloucester Eastgate station and return after the Deeley Dock Tank had passed through on its way to Barnwood Depot. There was also a bus service from Malvern Link station to Cheltenham using a single-decker. They were green, a novelty in Midland Red territory. In 1968 the station entrance was directly off the main Worcester Road (the A449 that went over the bridge at the Hereford end) - which had considerably less traffic then. The present station approach and car park is the site of a couple of goods sidings and there were further goods facilities and sidings at the Worcester end of the station on both the Up and Down sides. Goods facilities were withdrawn in Aug 1964 and the goods shed (Down side before the short platform) was demolished. Its footprint can be seen in one of the 1968 photos. Later on, the much shorter Down P2 was lengthened over its site at the Worcester end. There were never any public goods facilities at Great Malvern station. Malvern Link had what appeared to be an Up bay at the Worcester end, which was in fact an Up Goods Refuge Siding. The sparse local service to Worcester always worked through to Great Malvern at least (some Malvern Wells or Ledbury). There used to be five intermediate stops between Malvern Link and Worcester Foregate Street: Newland Halt, Bransford Road, Rushwick Halt, Boughton Halt and Henwick; all CP 5 Apr 1965 along with many others. All sidings, signals, pointwork and Malvern Link signal Box (127m 68ch) had gone by 1968, leaving just plain double track through the station area. A white painted square on the Worcester end overbridge showed the site of a semaphore signal.
The present footbridge is a 'link' with the past and a point of reference in the 1968 photos. On Up P1, there was a large waiting room with an extensive 10-ridge canopy, which ran from the bottom of the footbridge stairs to the still extant Malvern stonework style retaining brick wall at the Hereford end. The waiting room was extensive and lofty that side; it had a generous provision of benches and there were also a row of eight benches, all under the platform canopy (showing how long it was). The Down platform had an identical matching canopy, exactly opposite which was attached to the main building. The 1968 photos reveal that car parking at the station cost between 1s 6d (7½p) and 3s 0d (15p) a day for rail passengers or 2s 3d (11¼ p) and 4s 0d (20p) for others - there were indeed a few parked cars. Station facilities includes a 'Ladies Room', Gents toilets, two freestanding back-to-back platform cigarette vending machines, left luggage, parcels and luggage in advance. Interestingly, the sale of tobacco from vending machines in England wasn't banned until 1 Oct 2011. On the Hereford side of the Worcester Road bridge, a small metal 'aqueduct' carried a watercourse above the railway cutting here (see photos) - since diverted to run under the tracks but can cause a wet bed and even flooding at times if it blocks. Along the Down side of the line was the telegraph pole run, a normal railway feature in 1968, with much taller poles either side of the bridge and station so that the wires cleared the road traffic and station roof. Sadly, theft of the copper wires was a common cause of block failures. Another normal feature at that time was the barrow crossing at the Hereford end of the platform ramps. Malvern had many private schools at the time, including one next to the station and some children commuted by train. The photos show girls with straw boater hats and boys wearing caps - they will be in their 60s now. In 2024 there are fewer but much larger private schools following amalgamations. The photos show '6 CAR' stop markers on each platform. They were for the British Rail Cross Country Class 120 DMUs on the Birmingham Snow Hill to Cardiff General (Central after May 1973) service that used to run via Kidderminster and Hereford. Your BLN Editor recalls two trips from Birmingham to Abergavenny and return in 1964. Although he doesn't remember the old Malvern Link station, he recalls asking his Father why a small place like Malvern had three stations which were all called at (Malvern Wells closed in the 5 Apr 1965 cull) to be told: Because they are very posh in Malvern! As the photos show, other than the stonework, the buildings and canopies were rather different from those at Great Malvern but still very attractive and with considerable architectural merit - had they survived they would almost certainly have been listed now. However, at the time railways were contracting and these large, neglected buildings were gross overprovision for the traffic levels on offer. Governments wanted the railways to pay and there was little/no money for preserving historic structures. In many places, station buildings were demolished, replaced with bus shelters to save on maintenance/rates and, in 1969, a local paper ran a story that all buildings at the surviving stations between Worcester and Hereford were to go*. There was an outcry over Great Malvern, resulting in it being Grade II Listed that year. The other stations lost all their buildings. The problem with Malvern Link station was that the buildings were constructed without a damp course. By the late 1960s, they had severe dry rot, exacerbated by insufficient heating and lack of maintenance during WWII. Areas were opened up for inspection (wall laths on the Down side and floor joists in the Up waiting room) to check. The Stationmaster's House, contiguous with the rest of the Down buildings, only survived as it was sold off. E-BLN 1442 has two more photos, one in colour of a 'Warship' on a London train in 1969. *In University days, your Editor had a 6-week elective study which could be unrelated to the degree. Most students did something medical and went abroad but he chose to make a study of closed stations in the Midlands to establish if there was any relationship between the date of closure and surviving features/buildings. He was supervised by a very helpful British Rail Property Board member of staff. It was found that, on the whole, the longer ago a station closed, the more likely the buildings were to have survived or be repurposed. Needless to say, various freight lines were 'explored'! 486] Washwood Heath: On Aston Church Road, a new 84m long, 1,600 tonne road bridge is being installed. It will span the Derby Lines and create space for the HS2 main line to Birmingham Curzon (Street) and also the new HS2 Depot access lines. The bridge has been fabricated on an adjacent site and will be moved into position in one operation to minimise disruption. Sat 10 Feb until Sun 3 Mar.
ABOVE: (Item 485) Malvern Link, Warship D846 'Steadfast' on a Hereford to Paddington service. The former Up London end non-bay (!) is right of the train. Bottom left corner, the old goods shed had been demolished; the Down platform was later lengthened here. (Robert Pritchard, 30 Apr 1969.) BELOW: D6837 (later 37137) on an Up freight to Gloucester at Malvern Link with its original buildings. The bus in the car park was also for Gloucester (Midland Red route 112!). (Robert Pritchard, 3 May 1966.)
BELOW: (Item 488) Moreton-in-Marsh; left, 800022 on 12.23 to Worcester SH
H; 230001 will shunt and return to Honeybourne. (Peter Tandy, 14 Feb 2024.)
487] West Midlands Metro: (TRACKmaps 4 p21A 2022) The impressive 20ft tall viaduct for the two new curves of Wednesbury delta (triangular) junction is complete; work began in Nov 2021. It appears steeply graded down towards Dudley but this will not be a problem for trams. Where the new double track curve from the Wolverhampton direction meets the new one from the Birmingham direction is known as Tipton Junction. (Are there names yet for the other two junctions in the existing tramway?) The extension will be connected to the existing line during a closure from Sat 23 Mar until Tue 9 Apr (incl), when there will be no service between Edgbaston Village and Wednesbury Great Western Street (Wednesbury Parkway on Sat 23 & Sun 24 Mar), as this section will be cut off from the Depot. Trams will continue to run between Wolverhampton Station and Wednesbury Parkway/Wednesbury Great Western Street (Single Line Working) with some crossover/s in use. Great Western Street is where tram crews normally change over; P2 has a staff only gate to the Depot. Wednesbury to Dudley Flood Street (nine stops) is due to open to passengers in 'late' 2024 - let's hope it is not 'late' in fact! Golds Hill (0.980 km), originally the 'provisional' first stop on the extension with an island platform, is not now being built. Two stops also have different names from the original plans; Sedgley Road East (4.000km) is now just Sedgley Road and Station Drive (5.500km) is now Dudley Castle. Does anyone know what the revised track layout is for Flood Street, the Phase 1 terminus in Dudley at 6.400km, as crossovers will be required for turning back? Phase 2 to Brierley Hill (11.000km) with five stops is progressing; Parkhead Viaduct is almost complete and arrangements are being made to restart work on other areas. Phase 2 was paused due to cost overruns on Phase 1. It was announced as being, at least partly, funded with HS2 scrappage money but in theory that is not available until 2027-2040. During the 23 Mar to 9 Apr line closure, contractors for Sandwell Council will demolish and reconstruct Dudley Street Bridge over the Metro near the Guns Village tram stop. Evening services will be affected for another six weeks between Wednesbury and Edgbaston Village after this closure for additional work on the Dudley Street Bridge, with a further closure on Sun 5 May to instal the bridge parapets. 488] North Cotswold Line: GWR 230001 has been out on test between Long Marston, Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh recently. It is a 3-car BMU (Battery Multiple Unit) converted from D78 London and now in GWR livery planned to run between West Ealing and Greenford and other Thames Valley branches. It has been early on most runs and, reportedly, is easily managing over 70 miles on a single charge (10+ round trips to Greenford) and making light work of the 1:100 Chipping Campden Bank. 489] Caverswall: (TRACKmaps 4 p26B 2022) NR is consulting about abandoning the Up (4m 54ch) and Down (4m 58ch) Goods Loops, along with the associated points and signalling. The track in the loops (between Blythe Bridge and Longton on the Derby to Stoke line) is in poor condition and currently deemed unsafe to run trains. Saplings are growing out of the track and they are also obstructed. Freight rarely uses this route and the loops only have 416m (Up) and 384m (Down) useable length, restricting their use. They will initially be secured OOU and detected by the signalling until the points are plain lined (costing about £100k; the estimated cost for relaying and refurbishment is £920k). Our 27 Feb 2016 'North Midlands Tracker' railtour (which has not made Six Bells Junction), 2-car DMU 156413, with East Midlands Trains, did Caverswall Up Goods Loop. On the Down Goods Loop, the route could be set but point detection could not be achieved, unfortunately, so it had to be omitted. 490] Birmingham Interchange: HS2 has confirmed the shortlist to supply an Automated People Mover (APM) at Interchange station in Solihull, a £269M contract. Doppelmayr Cable Car and Poma SAS have been invited to tender. The design, supply, integration, installation, testing and commissioning of the APM System up to its delivery into service is worth £65M at 2024 prices. The second contract (which will go to the same supplier), worth £204M, is for the operation and maintenance of the system with asset management for 25 years. The work includes construction of a viaduct, maintenance facility building and four APM stops. Formal release (invitation to bid) of the tender is expected in mid-2025. The four stops will be: HS2 Interchange station, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International station and Birmingham Airport (duplicating or replacing the existing APM between the latter two?). As the route crosses the M42 and the Birmingham to Coventry railway, the APM will be on a viaduct. Capacity will be 2,100 people per hour each way (minimum), up to 3,900 in future.
491] Worcester Shrub Hill: Refurbishment of canopies and columns is currently taking place here. 492] Bordesley: (BLN 1441.354) Our member, previously 'Robbed' of the chance, finally managed to take photos. With Birmingham City playing at home, he checked services booked to call, catching the first from Stratford-upon-Avon. There were 7 or 8 staff in yellow hi-vis; one had a counter and clicked everyone going down the exit stairs. There were 4/5 trains each way before the match and the same after; all were well loaded. He stayed until the last train back to Stratford called before kick-off. Other members have also reported seeing the station locked and inaccessible when the weekly train calls. 1442 IRELAND (Martin Baumann) ireland-news@branchline.uk 493] A long way to go just to save 10%: Passengers flying from the City of Derry airport to Heathrow can now have 10% off Heathrow Express tickets. This may not last long as the route is threatened with closure at the end of March this year. However, the Elizabeth or Piccadilly lines would be considerably cheaper still and more likely to take people where they want to go rather than just to Paddington. 494] Strikes: (BLN 1437.2422) No train services operated in Northern Ireland on 1 Feb due to another strike. Following the restoration of devolved government, a planned strike on the 15th was cancelled but unions have said that, if they do not receive a pay offer, a three day strike will start on 27 Feb. 495] The Modern Railway Society of Ireland (MRSI): This is being wound up from 1 Apr. Activity has been limited to slide or video shows in Belfast recently but they ran some memorable tours such as 'The Shannon Crystal' https://bit.ly/3OB1MXq on 13 Jun 1998, which took NIR 113 to parts of the IR system. Their last tour (not on Six Bells Junction) was Belfast to Sligo on 9 Sep 2017, using NIR 112. 496] Cork: (Quail 6 p4D 2004 & 2019 BLS special edition) (BLN 1421.2024) From 6 Feb Cork 'Back Road Line', also known as 'Cork Loop' (the Cork Avoiding Line alongside P5), has been signed out of use in connection with the extension of P5 and the construction of new P6, which will be on the avoiding line. 497] Lisburn - Antrim: For many years, British Airways Trident G-AVFE could be seen next to the line where the track passes the end of the runway of Belfast International Airport. The aircraft was used for Firefighter training (along with an Army Wessex helicopter). The Trident finished its 17 year career on 12 Feb 1985 when it was flown to Belfast and placed in the training area. It remained there until scrapping in Apr 2019. E-BLN 1443 will have a photo of it from an MRSI special train on 22 May 2005. 498] Great Victoria Street: On 2 & 3 Mar Dublin services operate from here instead of Lanyon Place. 1442 ISLE OF MAN (Graeme Easton) iom-news@branchline.uk 499] Electric Railway: (BLN 1441.374) Rewiring has been taking place at the northern end of the line (nearer the North Pole). The old wire was removed from both lines in the Ramsey area and by 7 Feb had mostly been replaced, except in parts of Ramsey terminus. Wire wagon 52 was in use with motive power Diesel Tram N o 34 'Maria' with, unusually, road tractor 'KMN 406 U' using a makeshift coupling and the normal tractor tyres straddling the running line! Meanwhile, with the line south of Laxey still closed for the works previously reported, the level crossing across the main A2 Douglas to Laxey road near Halfway (Pole 182) is being renewed with new road lights, matrix signs and poles. The crossing controller and controller base are also being replaced. The Department of Infrastructure said that the upgrade was 'vital for traffic safety' at the crossing after the electronics had become 'obsolete'. 500] Douglas: (BLN 1441.379 & photos e-BLN) The new sleepers for relaying at the station are plastic. 501] Not a write off: On 31 Jan Car 22 was on an early 'drying out' run (explained in BLN 1420.781). This was ahead of a charter for the British Guild of Travel Writers (50 were on the Island for their AGM) on Wed 7 Feb from Laxey to Ramsey using Car 22 and Closed Trailer 57. At Ramsey, with the wire on the seaside line across Parsonage Road Level Crossing still to be replaced, running round was achieved by reversing back out of the terminus, over the level crossing and past the former temporary station. The trailing crossover there was used, with the trailer returning alone to the terminus over the level crossing by gravity. Later that day, after a bus tour of parts of the Island, the party took the Isle of Man Steam Railway from Castletown to Port Erin, with N o 4 'Loch' pulling three coaches. It is to be hoped that the writers will give the Island and its railways a good 'write up' and some helpful publicity.
BELOW: (Item 499) Unusual 'tract-ion' and, appropriately, rewiring at Walpole Dr
rive (well, Pole 884). NEXT: Diesel Car 34 at Ramsey. (George Hobbs, 6 Feb 2024.)
PREVIOUS: Something to write home about! The British Guild of Travel Wfar right is the Snaefell Mountain Railway terminus. (John Williamson,
Writers' morning MER special loading at Laxey (looking towards Douglas); 7 Feb 2024.) BELOW: Leaving Laxey for Ramsey (Jenny Williamson).
BELOW: Approaching Ramsey past the temporary terminus (from 31 Oct 20