The Railway Magazine - March 2019
Headline News
TfN confirms £39bn Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme, HS2 Old Oak Common designs revealed, Rail industry task force backs electrification, NR unveils Dawlish sea wall plans, HNRC expands with new Worksop depot, electrification complete on Manchester-Preston and Shotts routes.
On the cover
MAIN IMAGE: After many years out of action, Tyseley’s record- breaking ‘Castle’ 4-6-0
No. 7029 Clun Castle finally returned to the main line in February and was due to haul its first railtours as The RM went to press. It is seen passing Stratford Parkway on test on February 21. JACK BOSKETT
INSET 1: Old and new on the Cotswold Line.
INSET 2: Rail revival plans in Connemara.
INSET 3: All change on the Great Northern.
Track Record
70 Steam & Heritage
WSR sells ‘Large Prairie’ to Dartmouth, ‘Sir Nigel’ joins Hosking main line fleet, Severn Valley ‘4MT’ 4-6-0 returns after overhaul, Calbourne to join BR black Adams ‘Radial’ at Bluebell gala, Southall GWR group disbands, £40k target for ‘County’ 4-4-0 wheel appeal.
76 Industrial
78 Steam Portfolio
80 Irish
82 Narrow Gauge
84 Miniature
86 Network
90 Classic Traction
94 World
98 Railtours
102 Metro
104 Traction & Stock
Vivarail reveals hydrogen ‘D-Train’ concept, daylight testing underway with new TransPennine fleets, 50% of ScotRail Class 385 fleet now in service, Hull Trains gets ready for HST operation, May start for ex-Goblin ‘172s’ in West Midlands.
107 Stock Update
108 Traction Portfolio
110 Freight
111 Operations
54 Subscription Offer
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56 Railways in Parliament
56 Readers' Letters
60 Meetings
62 From The RM Archives
64 Panorama
Our regular gallery of the best railway photography from around the world
116 Heritage Diary
Details of when Britain’s unique collection of heritage railways and railway museums are open.
129 Reader Services
130 Crossword and Where Is It?
Features
16 Thames Valley Transformation
Keith Farr concludes his study of the transition from steam to electric traction on the Great Western Main Line from London Paddington over the last few decades.
23 A Phoenix from the Ashes
Nicola Fox tells the fascinating story of Sierra Leone’s National Railway Museum, whose collection was saved from scrap in 2004 by a last minute intervention led by British army officer and former NRM chief Steve Davies.
28 All Change on the Great Northern
Peter Brown takes a trip on the new Great Northern Class 717s, which will shortly replace the 43-year-old Class 313s – the oldest passenger trains still earning a living on the UK network.
35 Maam Cross: Ireland's Quiet Railway Revival
Deep in the heart of Connemara, a project to bring 5ft 3in-gauge steam back to County Galway is gathering pace. Gary Boyd-Hope meets Jim Deegan, the man behind this ambitious scheme.
40 Industrial Memories
A pictorial tribute to the atmospheric, but often little-known, steam-worked railways that served British industries long after main line steam had been consigned to history.
48 The Cotswold Line
Running east to west across some of England’s most attractive landscapes, this important route features an interesting mix of old and new, as Stephen Roberts discovers.