RailwayThe Herald www.railwayherald.co.uk Issue 106 - 26 October 07 ISSN 1751-8091 Contents Newsdesk First of new batch of Class 66 locos shipped for Euro Cargo Rail Page 3 New mobile ticketing trial from Chiltern Railways Page 4 Rolling Stock News: DRS moves Class 47/7 No. 47790 to Kingmoor Page 5 Full details on Railway Herald's 2007 Railway Census project. Page 14 Railtour Listings Page 6 Preservation View Page 12 Events Diary Page 16 Front Cover The 11.55 London Victoria- Gillingham Queen of Scots charter passes Shortlands on 23rd October, headed by p Working its first trains in preservation and still retaining its EWS colour scheme, Class 31/4 No. 31466 awaits Nos. 73202 Dave Berry and departure time, before pilotting Class 27 No. 27066 on the 16.00 Parkend to Lydney Junction service on the Dean 73136 Perseverance with No. 73109 Battle of Britain 50th Forest Railway on 24th October. Jeff Booth Anniversary on the rear. The train ran to celebrate Dave q With No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland deemed out of gauge, PMR Tours utilised LMS Class 8F 2-8-0 No. 48151 on Berry's 65th birthday. its Cumbrian Coast tour, seen here catching the last rays of a glorious day at Plumpton Junction. John Whitehouse Brian Morrison Rear Cover East Lancashire Railway-based BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76079 and LMS 'Black 5' 4-6-0 No. 45407 storm up the grade towards Chinley station on 20th October with the Dalesman tour from Blackpool North. Tom McAtee Submissions We welcome submissions from all readers, especially digital photographs. Pictures should be sent to the editor at [email protected] Good quality scans of colour slides and prints are also acceptable. Currently there is no financial payment made for photographs published in Railway Herald. Where possible we always try to use news photographs taken within the production week of the publication date. We need YOUR help with Website Our website contains all the back The 2007 written and pictorial submissions issues of the magazine together with to the 2007 Railway Census a host of new features which will be Railway online soon! www.railwayherald.co.uk Census Click here for details! National Rail Timetable The entire UK National Rail Timetable is now available as a PDF download Editorial Team: from the Network Rail website. Richard Tuplin Editor [email protected] Produced in the same fashion Brian Morrison Contributing Editor [email protected] as the printed version and John Whitehouse Railtour Editor [email protected] ordered by table number, the current timetable is available by Editorial Address: clicking here. The Railway Herald, PO Box 252, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. United Kingdom. DN17 2WY The railway by-laws and Telephone: 0844 870 0735 - please note the new number! E-mail: [email protected] information for enthusiasts are also available online from the Network Rail website, by Railway Herald is produced by Railway Herald Ltd (Registered as company number 05837609 in England) clicking here. Registered office: Hobarn House, 12 Brompton Road, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 1DY © Copyright Railway Herald Ltd 2006-2007 2 RailwayThe Herald NewsDesk u Following completion of the New European fares launch from across the UK track upgrade on the Wigan to Eurostar and ATOC have Connect, GNER, London Midland Eurostar and the train operators Manchester line, Network Rail announced through fares to Paris, and Virgin Trains to sell round-trips is stated to be important to is now starting a similar process Brussels, Lille and Disneyland to the European destinations allow integrate UK and Continental rail between Wigan and Southport. Resort Paris from 68 UK towns for return fares from between travel. Through fares are available A total of over 3,335 meters and cities with more to be added £67 to £92 going on sale from the up to 90 days in advance, in line of track at the four different in 2008. start of services from St Pancras with UK train operators’ booking worksites of Wyke Cop, Hoscar, Deals with Chiltern Railways, International on 14th November. horizons. Chapel Lane and Parboldare East Midlands Trains, First Capital Such a collaboration between being completely renewed and there should be plenty of opportunity for recording New training First new Class 66s for Euro engineering trains on the section as 19 are being used to bring facilities open new material in and take the Cargo Rail shipped from Canada old away. To enable the work A new £325,000 staff learning Euro Cargo Rail has confirmed throughout France and adjoining to be carried out on the line, and development centre is that the company has purchased countries. Euro Cargo Rail now all stations from Southport to opening on the site of the former a batch of Class 66 locomotives also has operating licences in Wigan Wallgate closed from Southern Region steam shed at for its rail operations throughout France for both internal and 23.00 on 19th October until Orpington on 5th November. France. cross-border traffic, along with an the start of services on 29th The building is already partly Euro Cargo Rail spokesman operating licence for Belgium. October. During the closure, used as a drivers’ depot, but has Graham Meiklejohn said that Railway Herald also understands Northern services on the route been transformed into a state-of- the first "three new class 66 that Norfolk Line, which operates will be replaced with buses. the-art educational centre. locomotives for the company were the Italy to Trafford Park Three Class 375/376 Electrostar shipped from Canada this week intermodal service is to cease u Hackney Downs station and Class 465/466 Networker and will arrive into Holland in using SNCF for the French portion is looking much cleaner and train cab simulators have been November." The three locomotives of its service, with Euro Cargo brighter than before, having had relocated to the site from Ashford form part of a multi-million pound Rail taking over. It is believed a fresh application of paint. The to provide for driver learning order for 60 new Class 66 locos that the same is to happen with examples of Victorian ironwork opportunities, and the new centre that will be used to meet demand the Transfesa service between at the station are looking better also has four air-conditioned, for ECR services on the continent. Dagenham Dock and Valencia. than they have done in years and touch-screen and computer- These will operate alongside the The three new Euro Class 66 the intricate pattern-work can equipped classrooms for learning a British Class 66s that are presently locomotives, which all carry a now be fully appreciated. range of railway-related disciplines. used. simple light grey colour scheme, The centre will replace the The company is now operating will undergo testing as part of u Drax Power Limited has previous training facilities at over 30 trains a day in a variety routine acceptance procedures. agreed terms with First GBRf Lincoln House in London and is of sectors including aggregate, Once this process has been for another multi million expected to save Southeastern metals, intermodal and coal, and completed, the rest of the order pound contract to move coal £1 million during the present the new locomotives are to be will be dispatched in stages over to its Drax power station,. franchise. used to develop new-to-rail traffic the course of next year. As a consequence, the freight haulier is to place an order for more new purpose-built HYA Upgrade of coal wagons, which are due for Royal visit to Saunderton delivery in 2009 when the new Thameslink starts flow is scheduled to begin. Work on the £5.5 billion Thameslink upgrade programme u Virgin Trains' ticket booking commenced on 24th October website has proved a hit with with Network Rail's 12-month customers who have used it to project to extend platforms at make a million ticket transactions Luton Airport Parkway station since its launch last February. without disrupting services. Sales made through the website The Thameslink project in are currently running at around general will allow for longer trains 15% up on the same period last with more seats, less crowding year. and a direct link to St Pancras International and Eurostar services u A new plastic footbridge to Europe, and will help reduce costing £435,000 has been overcrowding on the Underground. installed at St Austell by Network Luton Airport Parkway is the first Rail and is the first bridge of its station out of 23 on the route to kind in the UK to be constructed have platform extensions, with all from a form of plastic called four platforms scheduled to be FRP (Fibre Reinforced Polymer). lengthened by 80 metres. The company is now looking When the entire Thameslink at whether FRP can be used to programme is completed, there will renew bridges in other parts be 24 trains every hour through of the rail network, replacing the heart of central London, three traditional materials such as steel, times the present number. The concrete or timber. Although project is scheduled for completion seemingly expensive, FRP is by the end of 2015, but is planned very strong, but much lighter to deliver benefits for passengers than steel and it also has the before the 2012 Olympic Games. advantage of being more cost effective to maintain as it will p His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester (left) visited Saunderton The programme will be one of the station recently for the opening of the Saunderton Railway Museum.