RAILDATE 2024.05.31

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There are sections on:

• UK Rail News
• International Rail News
• Other Transport Modes
• The Weekly Poser (and the answer to last week's poser)

UK Rail News

East Midlands

• Milestone reached as Midland Main Line prepares to turn power on to new electric wires

London

• c2c railway closures offers a rare chance to travel over a disused railway track

Midlands

• New bridge for Metro extension set to be installed

North East

• Brand new battery technology to be trialled on TransPennine train
• Stadler reaches the halfway stage in new Metro train fleet build

North West

• More trains to run on West Coast Main Line
• Freight train derails on West Coast Main Line
• Rail passengers told not to travel after derailment
• Man buys 1970s train for £1 to save it from scrap

Scotland

• Borders Railway campaigner dies aged 95
• Two men charged over Bo'ness model railway fire
• Hopes of a rail station for Bonnybridge have been dashed
• Levenmouth Rail Link: How commuters are feeling about the new Leven to Edinburgh ScotRail service
• Network Rail begins project to clear trees from key rail routes
• 25 pictures capturing Levenmouth rail link transformation revealed by man behind popular Facebook page

South East

• The six Surrey stations where vacant spaces may get transformed under new South Western Railway plans

Wales

• All change! UK’s least connected train station added to more routes
• The train service that is mimicking London's Tube

Yorkshire

• Ex-Mallard fireman, 91, reunited with record-breaking loco
• Bradford rail line to remain closed following landslip with reduced service
• Bradford Interchange: Update on review over FOI request

International Rail News

Japan

• Right now’s the best time of year for a ride on Tokyo’s often-forgotten streetcar line

Belgium

• Train carriages with around 30 passengers on board rolled out of Mechelen station without a driver

New Zealand

• Auckland's rail network hit by "crew issues" and obstructed track

Other Transport Modes

Air

• Rolls-Royce Wins US Air Force Survivable Airborne Operations Center Contract
• World-famous RAF plane 'saved from scrap heap'
• Wreck of famed P-38 fighter flown by America’s top ace found in Papua New Guinea
• Russia's S7 Reverse-Engineers Engine Repairs For Boeing 737s & Airbus A320s

Marine

• Islanders warned of more ferry disruption as CalMac 'bows' to whisky lobby
• Salvage of historic Swiss steamboat has faile

Credits

Thank you to this week's contributors.

• Alan Rushworth
• Andrew Nummelin
• Matthew Shaw
• Mike Price
• Paul Tambini
• Richard Buckby
• Simon Moppett
• "Tetramesh"

The Weekly Poser: Where is this?

A small town but quite a significant railway junction (1930s map). Where is it?

Last week's Where is this?

Class 50 No.403 is working wrong line somewhere. Where is it?

Answer: Oxenholme, taken on 11th September 1971. Congratulations are due to the following for their correct answers: Colin Penfold, Jim Allwood, Paul Hopper, John Musselwhite, Bryn Pitcher.

Image credit: Kevin Hughes RCTS Collection

The loco was later named 'Temeraire' ('Reckless' in French) in 1978, a name carried by several British warships. It was withdrawn (as 50003) in 1991 and cut up.

Prior to electrification, Class 50s were usually deployed double-headed over the undulating WCML so this wrong-line, single-headed service is unusual.

The branch to Windermere is on the left, opened as early as 1847 despite the protestations of William Wordsworth. It was double-track throughout, as shown in the picture, but has since been singled. Its continuation to Ambleside never came to pass.

SMALL PRINT

We welcome links to publicly available online news items and videos from anywhere in the world.  Despite its name, Raildate covers all transport modes, including also bus, tram, air, and marine.  

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©  Matthew Shaw 2024