August 2016
August 2016   


The Railway Magazine - August 2016

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August 2016. No. 1,385. Vol 162. A journal of record since 1897.

Headline News
First electric IEP tests on GW main line; Settle & Carlisle
line to reopen in March 2017; £28million chord used less
than twice a day; Vivarail 'D Train' for Nuneaton-Coventry
trial; 35 miles of sidings required to store redundant
stock; L&B get planning permission for Blackmoor
extension; First Chinnor line train to Princes Risborough.

 On the cover
MAIN IMAGE: Philip
Hawkins' stunning painting
of ‘Castle’ 4-6-0 No. 7027
Thornbury Castle on shed at
Wolverhampton Stafford
Road in 1959.
Signed limited edition prints
are available from
www.quicksilverpublishing
or by calling 01626 773288,
priced at £85 plus p&p.
INSET 1: 'Super Voyager'
No. 221126 at Edinburgh
Waverley - see p28.
IAN LOTHIAN
INSET 2: The face of 'P2' No. 2007 unveiled - see p71. A1SLT
INSET 3: DB Cargo Class 66 No. 66057 leaving Drax power
station - see p20. CHRIS MILNER

Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest

68 Steam & Heritage
Waterman sells Thornbury Castle; Oliver Cromwell returns
to service; 'P2' gets its face; East Coast line-up at Shildon;
news focus on the North Norfolk Railway.
74 Industrial Steam
76 Steam Portfolio
78 Traction & Stock
South West Trains new Class 707s on test; pioneer
Class 150 overhauled; Class 37 named after Cold War
bomber; second loco-hauled diagram for Greater Anglia.
83 Traction Portfolio
84 Irish News
87 Classic Traction
Unique Co-Bo breaks cover; big backers for 10000
project; more 'Deltic' dates for Nene Valley Railway.
90 Freight
92 Network
Chiltern and West Midlands upgrade plans; new
Bromsgrove station opens; the end for Banbury's 'boxes.
94 Metro
96 Narrow Gauge
Talyllyn gala spectacular; Chevallier moves to
Welshpool; three in steam for Penrhyn line.
98 Railtours
103 World
106 Operations
Our round-up of news from the train and freight
operating companies.

Regulars
12 Multiple Aspects
12 Railways in Parliament
32 Subscription Offer
Subscribe today and receive your monthly copy of
The Railway Magazine for just £3.33 an issue!
34 Reviews
The latest railway books under the spotlight.
36 Readers' Platform
Your thoughts on the topics that matter to you.
46 Years Apart
A look at Gorebridge - then and now.
59 Meetings
Details of railway society meetings near you.
60 From The RM Archives
What The RM was reporting 20, 50 and 100 years ago.
61 Panorama
Our monthly gallery of the best railway photography.
112 Heritage Diary
122 Prize Crossword and Where Is It?

Features
14 "To be or not to be..."
Fraser Pithie delves into the history of the
Great Western's Stratford to Cheltenham line
before the coming of the preserved Gloucestershire
Warwickshire Railway, exploring the line's origins
and the reasons behind its closure.

20 Inside Drax
RM editor Chris Milner gets a rare glimpse behind
the scenes at Drax power station, discovering more
about its use of biomass as a fuel source, and how its
transport has become a major freight contract.

26 Granite City to Mounts Bay
This month's Practice & Performance sees John Heaton
travel the 776 miles between Aberdeen and Penzance
on what remains Britain's longest passenger journey.

39 Two decades of Perrygrove
Cliff Thomas visits the 15in-gauge Perrygrove Railway,
a line that this year celebrates its 20th anniversary.

44 Swedish Strategic Reserve
Bob Sweet reports from Sweden as the wraps are
removed from the final two steam locomotives in the
nation's now-disbanded strategic reserve.

48 Steam's newest works
Ian Riley has been in the news of late thanks to the
overhaul of 'A3' Flying Scotsman by his engineering
company, Riley & Son. Nick Brodrick went to meet him
at Bury to get the inside story on his brand-new steam
workshop.

54 Facing up to the challenge
Virgin Trains East Coast's managing director David
Horne talks to Nick Pigott about the challenges faced in
taking on the ECML franchise, and explains how VTEC
intends to make the operation a success.





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