mouth West on seven coaches; withdrawn six months later, she was preserved.
BELOW: Bournemouth West P3 to P6 (far left) with BR Standard
d Class 4 2-6-0 N o 76011 on the 6.48pm to Templecombe in P3.
BELOW: (Item 2004) Castle Cary footbridge contrast; from the London end of
the station, the line to Taunton is right and Weymouth left (Joss Mullinger).
2006] Purton: (BLN 1428.1643) A member expands on the two Purtons, hamlets on opposite sides of the River Severn. They are known locally as Purton North Bank and Purton South Bank - even though geographically West and East might be more correct! North Bank slipway is still extant and was close to the former Gatcombe station on the Lydney to Gloucester line. It was a very early closure in the GWR broad gauge era (ex-South Wales Railway). The goods siding was always named Purton Passage, (Quick) CA 1 Apr 1869 - replaced by Awre Junction station. Later, Purton North Bank was an easy walk from the Severn & Wye Joint Railway Severn Bridge station (1879-1960). In the 1970s, the Inn shown on the 1" OS map at Purton was very welcoming with a roaring fire and baked its own bread on site. 2007] Edginswell/Torquay Gateway: (BLN 1390.3143) NR has applied for planning permission for the long awaited new station at 217m 60ch, on the outskirts of Torquay between Torre and Newton Abbot. It is intended to improve access to Torbay Hospital, a business park and retail development. The project was included in the Devon & Torbay Transport Plan in 2011 and Torbay Council previously granted planning permission in 2016, which lapsed in 2019. The present scheme, which includes two platforms and a footbridge with lifts, is costed at £13.1M. However, the new station (part of the Devon Metro) is still far from certain to proceed due to a £10M funding gap - all is in not well at Edginswell. 2008] Activity at Ashchurch: (BLN 1393.223) On 12-13 Aug There was rare military railway transport activity at DE&S (Defence Equipment & Support) MoD Ashchurch, which specialises in Army vehicles and tanks. GBRf operated 4Z36 (Class 4, so 75mph restricted) arrived 16.38 with empty container flats headed by 66791. The train originated from Kineton MoD at 10.40 and ran via Didcot, Kemble and Cheltenham to Worcester Shrub Hill Yard to run round, so it could reverse again at Ashchurch and propel into the MoD depot at the historically named Ashchurch War Department Ground Frame. The loaded train departed at 14.21 the following day, again with 66791, as 6Z35 (Class 6, so 60mph restricted) bound for Marchwood arriving at 20.30. There were 20 wagons with three containers per wagon, except the first which had one and the last which had none. The route was via Kemble, Didcot, Reading, Basingstoke and Southampton. This was the first train at Ashchurch since 20 Dec 2021 (see back reference) and before that it had been 26 Mar 2019. However, a further train arrived from MoD Bicester at 22.57 on 16 Aug as 6B34, following the same route with a Worcester reversal, again hauled by 66791. This train left the following afternoon as 6Z39, also bound for Marchwood and, presumably, ultimately to Україна. The major redevelopment and modernisation of the west side of Ashchurch Depot (per back reference) continues. The empty original west end buildings are being demolished for a new housing development on the site; this will not shorten the operational length of the railway. 2009] Boscarne Junction to Bodmin North / Wenford plus the Ruthernbridge branch: The excellent Cornwall Railway Society website https://tinyurl.com/2s3axmnw has a detailed, illustrated account of these lines. There are many photos along with original research and personal anecdotes. Except for the Ruthernbridge branch, they form part of the Camel Trail, an accessible walking/cycling trail maintained by Cornwall County Council, which extends for over 17 miles between Wenfordbridge and Padstow. 2010] Cornish Hoppers: 10 Aug saw the last use of the two-axle CDA hoppers on the network. They were based on the HAA 'silver' merry-go-round design of which over 10,000 were built mainly for coal, and had been used for local china clay between Goonbarrow (or occasionally Parkandillack) and Fowey. They will be replaced by the higher capacity, more modern, bogie JIA wagons which are also used to Cliffe Vale (The Potteries), once SSuX but is now generally weekly, although a long train. As there are only 26 JIAs, five ex-Tarmac JGA wagons (from Long Marston) are being trialled too. 2011] South Cotswold Line: From Mon 21 until Thur 24 Aug a long planned daytime closure of the whole line was used to cut back lineside vegetation. The blockade had originally been intended to allow track replacement near Stroud but this was cancelled as dormice were found in the area. Dormice are a protected species and cannot be disturbed during their breeding season which unfortunately coincided with the planned work. Extensive replacement bus services had to run. 1431 WEST MIDLANDS (Brian Schindler) [email protected] 2012] Birmingham New Street: (BLN 1430.1910.1) P11 & 12 are due to be under possession and out of use from Sunday 3 Sep, to repair the concrete roof spalling, reopening for service is on Sun 1 Oct.
2013] Rugby - Leamington: (BLN 1408.2183) The Lias Line Greenway Phase 1, from just east of Fosse Way to Long Itchington, was completed in 2022, mostly on the trackbed of this line. The next phase will extend it to Rugby after Warwickshire County Council approved a grant of nearly £2.5M from the Government's Active Travel Fund. It will pay for improvements to 2.17 miles of trackbed between Long Itchington Rd near Hunningham Hill and Birdingbury Rd between Marton and Birdingbury (former stations). Sustrans is progressing design work in anticipation of construction starting in early 2024. A future phase will join Lias Line Greenway with Offchurch Greenway - a gap of 120m - when HS2 completes a bridge over Fosse Way in 2024. The final section follows the Marton Jn to Southam Cement Works trackbed (once on to Daventry and Weedon) southeast as far as Stockton reservoir. Near there is the Blue Lias Inn. Blue Lias is a type of stone extracted in the area. 2014] Dec Timetable: The next timetable is starting to appear on line. The LNwR Crewe - Stoke - Birmingham service is reduced to just a Crewe to Stafford P6 shuttle, no doubt as an economy; the spin is that it will improve connections at Stafford (and 'save' a couple of trains and crew). This ends through services from the smaller stations between Crewe and Stone (incl) to Wolverhampton and Birmingham, as well as reducing off-peak services at Penkridge from twice an hour to hourly. These trains run via (and call at) Tame Bridge Parkway, ready to serve the future stations at Willenhall and Darlaston. It is currently possible to travel from Tame Bridge Parkway to Wolverhampton and back in either direction - much quicker directly than via New Street, of course. Stafford P6 is not much used at present - mainly ECS and freight except during disruption. On the positive side, Birmingham to Liverpool becomes twice an hour in the peaks (as it was all day pre-pandemic). 2015] Darlaston Jn - Pleck Jn: The PSUL SO 05.43 Wolverhampton to Rugeley Trent Valley last ran this way on Sat 10 Dec 2022. It now leaves at 05.30 and runs via New Street, so the curve is without passenger service. Fear not, route knowledge of the direct Wolverhampton to Walsall line (planned to serve Willenhall and Darlaston) is maintained by a SuX early morning West Midland Railway ECS working from Wolverhampton to Rugeley Trent Valley and a return late night return. However, it shows that passenger services can just disappear off lines completely without closure proceedings. 2016] Stoke-on-Trent: The roof gable ends at this Grade II listed station are in very poor condition and need replacing. Due to the OHLE, it is unsafe to erect scaffolding. The OHLE needs to be repositioned first, expected to take place in possession during week commencing 30 Dec 2023. Long distance trains divert via Wilmslow and Crewe; Northern services turn back at Macclesfield. LNwR (just Stafford to Crewe then) run via Madeley and EMR won't run west of Derby (why not run to Blythe Bridge?). 2017] Walsall: On Fri 18 Aug the 14.21 & 15.52 Birmingham International to Rugeley TV called at P3 instead of P1. Northbound departures from P3 are unusual; it is used for local Wolverhampton via New Street services to turn back and became a through line again on 27 Aug 2013 with resignalling. 2018] Warwick: BLN 1414.2916) Work has stopped on the station accessibility upgrades which are having to be redesigned after unexpected foundations were discovered. They are believed to be from the first station built on the site in 1852, which lasted just 42 years before being destroyed by fire in 1894. NR was midway through the work to install new lift shafts down into the subway to provide step free access to both platforms. The foundations were not on the plans of the rebuild 129 years ago and it seems the current building was constructed on the original 1852 foundations. The walls are where the lifts were due to go and the substructure cannot be disturbed as it is integral to the existing building and platform. As work inside the subway was well underway, it will have to stay closed with the diversionary walking route remaining in place for passengers. There have apparently been some incidents of people trespassing and crossing the lines between the two platforms. 2019] Wolverhampton Logistics (Steel) Terminal: (TRACKmaps 4 p21A 2022) DB Cargo has confirmed that the Stowe Heath Sidings are no longer operational. They were part of the running connection (final closure 7 May 1983) from/to the ex-GWR Birmingham Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level route. There used to be Class 8 trip workings up to four times a day from Bescot Yard via Wednesbury Town to Wednesbury Exchange Sidings. The final remnant is the easternmost single siding, nearest the bottom of the page on TRACKmaps that goes in the opposite direction to the other four sidings.
BELOW: (Item 2020.2) On a typical bright sunny Wolverhampton summer's day,ECS crew training special. At The Royal it will become a service tram to Edgba
, West Midlands Metro Tram 56 is at the station on the £50M extension with an aston Village. If those people are waiting for a tram they will have a long wait!
BELOW: In the other direction, the single platform new terminus has a signif
ficant headshunt beyond (station left). (All Peter Humphries, 31 Aug 2023.)
2020] West Midlands Metro: ❶Due to a lack of space at Wednesbury Depot with construction work for the expansion, up to five CAF trams are expected to be transported by road for storage at … … … … Worksop! The first tram (17) was moved overnight 8-9 Aug. With two Urbos 3 trams at Dudley for cracking repairs, there were 19 Urbos 3s and 23 Urbos 100s (42 trams in a space designed for just 21). It was so bad at one point that they were stabled on the main line and in the tram stop at Wednesbury Parkway tram stop just so others could move freely in, out and around the depot for maintenance. ❷On Tue 29 Aug, ECS driver training and ghost running (a ghost tram?) finally began on the extension to Wolverhampton station. There was a price to pay though, trams ran between Edgbaston Village and The Royal (ECS to the station with a driver trainer, so crossover not in use) with Wolverhampton St George's not served at all. When the branch opens, for a short period, trams will terminate at Wolverhampton Station only as work is completed to allow a service to run to both Wolverhampton St George's and Wolverhampton Station (there had been uncertainty about the services previously). 2021] Diversions: On Sat 2 Sep due to strikes/engineering work, hourly CrossCountry long distance Derby - Birmingham services run via Kingsbury - Whitacre West Jn, there are no Nottingham to Cardiff services at all. On Sun 3, the former divert via Alrewas and the latter via Coleshill Parkway. 2022] Lichfield Trent Valley (high level) P3: This has partly reopened, sort of. With TCP from Fri 14 Jul and removal of the platform (cracking up with badly corroded concrete and metal) until Wed 27 Dec, roughly half the Cross City trains from Bromsgrove turnback in Lichfield City P2 (facing crossover on arrival). However, alternate ones (there are two per hour) run ECS to Lichfield Trent Valley where a short metal platform has been installed for the driver and guard to exit the cabs and change ends. A locked metal gate accesses the temporary public footbridge over the Trent Valley Line which allows non-level access between P1&2. The crew cannot walk down the inside of the train as they are formed of 2 x Class 323 EMUs with no passenger connection between the two units. It is thought that the run to Trent Valley station is to allow for passenger diversions, ECS and other trains towards Birmingham. 1431 IRELAND (Martin Baumann) [email protected] 2023] They are not rushing themselves on the Portrush branch: (BLN 1425.1397) The intermediate stops at University and Dhu Varren closed on 28 May for platform lengthening from three to six cars. Due for completion on 10 Sep, this has fallen behind. From 4-8 and 11-24 Sep (all incl), the branch has no trains at all; it and (after nearly four months) the two stops are due to reopen on Mon 25 Sep. 2024] Cork Commuter Rail Programme: (BLN 1403.1585) Alstom has been awarded a contract to convert Mallow to Cobh, plus the Midleton branch (62km) to Smartlock Computer Based Interlocking with European Train Control System Level 1. No timescale or cost has been given. The plan is for a 10 minute frequency on Cork suburban services to Midleton, Cobh and Mallow plus hourly Intercity services to Mallow/Dublin (half-hourly in the peaks, as well as hourly Mallow to Tralee peak services). 2025] Liverpool - Dublin: P&O is to end this ferry service later in 2023 because they have been unable to secure a berth at Liverpool. Cargill PLC, who transport agricultural products, is said to be taking the existing berth in Gladstone Craving Dock and, despite extensive work P&O say they have been unable to find a suitable alternative. The ferries Norbay and Norbank will be redeployed elsewhere. 2026] North Kerry Line: John Harrison's fascinating BLN 1430.1848 item prompted a member to look up the passenger services in his Bradshaw's Apr 1910 Railway Guide. There were four each way SSuX, all the full length of the line and each calling at every one of the 14 intermediate stations. The fastest took a couple of minutes under three hours for the 70½ miles between Limerick and Tralee and the slowest 4¼ hours. This mainly depended on how long they spent running round at Newcastle West - the minimum was 10 minutes but the slowest was there for 27 minutes. The Foynes branch had three passenger trains each way which ran to and from Ballingrane only. Unsurprisingly, they connected well with services to and back from Limerick but not at all with those from or to Tralee. At the southern end of the line, the Fenit branch also had three passenger trains each way from/to Tralee. However, only one connected (22 minutes) with a train to Limerick (nothing from) and it would not have been possible for a 1910 gricer to do both branches and the North Kerry Line by train alone in one day.
Three Up (to Limerick) and Down trains crossed at Newcastle West, hence the provision of 'Tralee' and 'Limerick' platforms there, although the 10.15am ex-Limerick and 11.45 ex-Tralee crossed at Listowel. Sundays there was just one train, the fastest of the week, at 3.30pm from Limerick, which reached Tralee in 2 hours 52 minutes, again all stations. No Up or branch trains ran on Sundays. 1431 ISLE OF MAN (Graeme Easton) [email protected] 2027] Manxman: (Photo e-BLN 1429.X.73) Not strictly a railway piece, although in Feb 1985 the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company did merge with the previous British Rail ferry operator Sealink, and then switched operations to Heysham from Liverpool (where services soon returned). Many members saw the new £78M flagship, Manxman, during the recent Transport Festival, which had just arrived from the South Korean shipbuilder, indeed, for a while thinking they might even travel on it. In the event, various proving runs and staff training meant that its maiden voyage only took place on Thur 17 Aug. Fortuitously, your Regional Editor had a passage booked that morning as part of a long planned trip and so he was on the first sailing! He also secured one of the balcony cabins. Departure from Douglas was 25 minutes late. This was partly due to having to move its predecessor, the Ben-my-Chree (the Gaelic means 'girl of my heart'), now 25 years old, out of the way after its arrival on the overnight sailing and partly because loading took longer than usual. Possibly this was because none of the tug drivers wanted to be the first to 'scratch' the new boat. There were large crowds to cheer her off. First impressions are that the new boat is quiet and with good acceleration, partly due to the final drive being electric. It can spin on the spot thanks to excellent bow thrusters and this was noted to good effect on arrival in Heysham Harbour. The boat has a feeling of space and quality. Although licenced for 949 passengers against 630 on the Ben-my-Chree, the deck space is roughly twice as big meaning, even if full, it won't feel cramped. The 3 x 20 person lifts are a great improvement on the Ben's 1 x 8 person lift and they can be used to move between decks when at sea. The first sailing had teething problems. The main one was that the food service was incredibly slow, causing a number of people to give up on buying breakfast. On arrival in Heysham, someone forgot to change the lifts from sea mode (passenger decks only) to port mode (car decks as well). This delayed passengers who required a lift to reach their cars. The late departure and a cautious approach to Heysham led to a 13.20 disembarkation. This would have meant passengers missing the one and only train departure of the day at 13.21. As it was cancelled (!), the bus replacement waited for the ferry passengers. Until more experience is gained, Manxman has a temporary maximum 26 knot wind speed to enter Heysham Harbour (30mph for those wondering). Unfortunately, the wind speed the following day (Fri 18 Aug) was such that the Ben substituted for Manxman and on 19 Aug the wind was too strong for either boat to sail. Since then, Manxman has provided all the day sailings with the Ben covering the night ones. This has caused some delays because boats have to be swapped over on Douglas linkspan each morning and evening. This is due to continue until mid-Sep when the boats will change over and the Ben will do the day crossings and Manxman the night ones. Manxman is due to cover all the sailings from the end of Oct; the Ben will be refurbished and kept as a back up boat. However, this may change, on 17 Aug The Isle of Man Today reported that the Steam Packet Co is now in talks with the IOM Government about selling Ben-my-Chree and make Arrow the back up boat instead. 2028] Storms: On Fri 18 & Sat 19 Aug, the winds noted above prevented the Snaefell Mountain Railway from running. Similarly, the Horse Trams were also suspended during the afternoon of 19 Aug. 2029] Douglas Bay Horse Tramway: Sadly, trammer William passed away on 21 Aug. He was a relatively young horse, who was only trained to operate the horse trams in 2015. One of his last outings was pulling the first stage of our 'Day on the IOM' on Sat 22 Jul. He also gave excellent service on our23 Sep 2016 very comprehensive tour of the tramway and shed lines. 1431 SCOTLAND (Greg Beecroft) [email protected] 2030] Edinburgh Trams: (TRACKmaps 1 p25A 2021) On Tue 5 & Wed 6 Sep trams (every 10 mins in normal running hours) from Newhaven turnback at Edinburgh Park from 19.00-07.00 the following day. The Edinburgh end trailing crossover at the stop is expected to be in passenger use on departure.
TO FOLLOW: (Item 2027) From Manxman's maiden voyage for our many boat enthusiasts - starting at the end, of course, with the approach to Heysham Port. (All but one, Graeme Easton, Thur 17 Aug 2023.)
[BLN BELOW: Manxman on the Singapore to Douglas ferry. Andrew Atkinson, CC
1431] BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=132947269
BELOW: (Item 2029) William on the first tram of the day, far busier than usualStraight Road (what else would you expect?). Jenny Totty is in pole position; Si
due to being full of our members, it went from the rare Pillar Road instead of imon Mortimer is far right next to Gary Lonsdale. (Chris Totty, Sat 22 Jul 2023.)
BELOW: William training on an empty tram with two outriders - th
his is on the previous tramway. (Jenny Williamson, 14 Aug 2015.)
PREVIOUS: William meets William (Graveson) - clue, not the one on the right - shed is in the background). BELOW: The Derby Castle extremity of Middle Road
during our 23 Sep 2016 all line tour of the horse tramway (the previous tram d; it was later extended to the temporary tram marquee. (Jenny Williamson.)
BELOW: Rare track at the Douglas Sea Terminal southern extremity, not done
e in service, since lifted and not reinstated. (Jenny Williamson, 23 Sep 2016.)
2031] Montrose: (TRACKmaps 1 p17C 2021) SuX local trains to and from Aberdeen and Inverurie start and terminate at Montrose, approximately hourly. Most terminating trains recess in N o 1 Through Siding. Shortly before departure they shunt to P2 (Down Main) via Montrose South Jn. The only exception is stock for the 15.59 SuX to Aberdeen, which returns to P1 (Up Main) and departs via the trailing crossover north of the station. This is probably because a southbound freight train, the 14.05 Aberdeen Waterloo to Irvine Caledonian Paper Mill or Port of Workington, is due through Montrose at 15.51½ /15.53½. That is unlikely to leave sufficient time for a shunt via Montrose South Jn. The train could not shunt to P2 earlier as the 13.40 Glasgow Q Street to Aberdeen calls at Montrose at 15.48. 2032] Shields Junction: Fifty years ago, at 22.12 on 30 Aug 1973 an EMU, travelling at 65mph, crashed into the rear of a DMU drawing ahead past a signal at which it had been stopped, on the Up Main line before Shields Jn, between Paisley Gilmour Street and Glasgow Central. The EMU driver and four of the five passengers in its leading coach lost their lives; 51 other passengers sustained minor injuries. The main purpose of the Inquiry was to establish why the driver of the EMU ignored in succession, a double yellow, yellow and red four-aspect colour light signals without any signs of him braking, cancelling each time the associated AWS warnings and still holding down the Driver's Safety Device. The Inquiry was begun by Chief Inspecting Officer (from 1969) Colonel J R H Robertson on behalf of the Railway Inspectorate. Sadly, he had to retire at the end of 1973 due to arthritis and died in 1977. This greatly delayed publication of the Report, completed by Lieutenant Colonel I K A McNaughton (Chief Inspecting Officer 1973-82) until 8 Sep 1977. Lt-Colonel McNaughton experienced difficulty putting together Colonel Robertson's notes and did not have the benefit of hearing first hand evidence. The four lines Up Slow, Down Slow, Up Fast, and Down Fast at Paisley Gilmour Street station subsequently merged into two lines Up and Down Main one mile further on at Arkleston Jn under the Track Circuit Block method of signalling, controlled from then modern push button panels in Glasgow Central and Paisley signal boxes. If the train describer equipment failed in the Up direction, either the Glasgow Central signalman asked his colleague at Paisley the identity of a train or he stopped it himself at his first signal to speak to the driver. The latter took place on this occasion when the 21.10 6-car DMU from Ayr was brought to a stand at signal G547. Having spoken to the driver, the signalman cleared the signal after the train had been at a stand for just under two minutes. It was gradually beginning to accelerate away and had reached a speed of 15mph when the collision took place. Earlier that evening the driver of the ill-fated EMU had arrived at Wemyss Bay at 21.26 with a train from Glasgow Central. He then met the guard and, together with the station chargeman (who in an effort to try and be incognito changed his uniform cap for a cloth cap) and a passenger on the terminating train all went to the refreshment room. The passenger, a local resident, paid for drinks which were a small whisky for the driver, a glass of beer for the chargeman and a lager for the guard. The return journey to Glasgow Central departed Wemyss Bay one minute late at 21.36. The Guard claimed he could remember very little about it until there was a bang and a bluish flash as the EMU ploughed into the DMU. The two trains ran on, locked together, for 225 yards before coming to a stop, and a severe fire broke out quickly engulfing the rear coach of the DMU and the leading coach of the EMU. The lines were cleared by 12.14 the following day but not reopened until 06.00 on 1 Sep. Inevitably, the focus was very much on establishing the driver's movements on the day (he had worked six trains) and his own personal health. Exhaustive tests concluded that the driver's action in taking drink in the refreshment room did not contribute to the accident, although clearly in breach of British Railways Board's rules. What it established was that, unknown to the driver himself and which regular health checks had not spotted, he was suffering from a very severe arterial disease and could have had a thrombosis at any time. The weight of evidence led the Inspector to conclude the driver had suffered an attack of angina pain sufficiently severe to distract him from observing and reacting correctly to signals. However, this did not totally incapacitate him as he was able to cancel the AWS warnings at three successive signals and continue to hold down the Driver's Safety Device. It was particularly unfortunate that his train was approaching a very slow moving train in front, as otherwise he might just have been able to react to the red aspect of the signal and avert or minimise the accident.
ABOVE: (Item 2033) The exterior of Milngavie station. (Angus McDougall, 21 Aug 2011.) BELOW: Milngavie with three platforms and three trains; the whole branch was still double track too. EMU 303041 (far right) is https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/820829db.htm (Trans Clyde Explorer), organised by our member Douglas Blades and was advertised in BLN. (Angus McDougall, 29 Aug 1982).
BELOW: (Item 2033) Milngavie on 1 Oct 1977; Route Code 65 was for stopping
g trains between Milngavie and Springburn. (All other photos Greg Beecroft.)
BELOW: A large sign at Milngavie station directs users to the West Highland W
Way and encourages return by train; better still is train both ways! (21 Oct 2019)
BELOW: Only another 96 miles to Fort William! The north end of
the former paper mill branch is part of the West Highland Way.
BELOW: Ellangowan Road in Milngavie is built along part of the former pa
aper mill branch and passes below Douglas Street overbridge seen here.
BELOW: The railway goods shed, somewhat altered, at the end of the BurnbraNEXT: A poster at Milngavie station illustrating the Bennie Railplane which
e Dye Works branch. (The Blue Plaque refers to the railplane on the branch.) had a stained glass window in the door! (All 4 Aug 2023 unless specified.)