HPMRS RAILDATE 15 Mar 07

News

RAILDATE: the weekly newsletter of the Hursley Park Model Railway Society: http://www.ibmhursleyclub.org.uk/ss/hpmrs/

NETWATCH

From Richard Buckby, press release with pictures of the clear-up operation at Grayrigg: http://tinyurl.com/2eagdy

And this from the uk.railway news group:

The logic that was used from about 12:00 on the Saturday following the crash was as follows:

Can the coaches go out by rail? No (too damaged). What else can we do? It's either by air or road. Chinook's can only lift around 25 tonnes and each coach is around 50 tonnes. Therefore move onto road transport. We therefore need a number of low-loaders to be able to access the site. This will need an access able to take vehicles with an overall length of 31m or so - the roads that lead to the site are too narrow and windy to get these low-loaders along, but we'll come back to that later. We also need to be able to get them onto the low-loaders. Some of them have no bogies, so they can't be winched - therefore a crane is needed. Can any of the rail mounted cranes in the UK be used for this? No - the load at that radius is simply too much. So it's a road-transportable crane that's needed. We need a road - let's find the nearest existing one that the crane and low-loaders can use and then build our own from there to the site. And so on...

There is no "In emergency break glass to get to the ready-made plan". There is no plan. We made it up as we went along with the best people available making the decisions that had to be made at the time.

In 16 days we recovered 9 coaches by road, repaired the embankment (about 20,000 tonnes of rock compacted onto it, plus topsoil geo-jute and rabbit netting), carried out a renewal to both the up and the down line for 430 yards on each road. Signalling have replaced all 4 location boxes hit by the train and reinstated all the severed cables. OLE have replaced the 9 destroyed stanchions with 5 new cantilevers including new piled bases, along with about 1,000 yards of new contact wire. Telecoms have replaced the copper and the fibre cables that were cut. And the fences have been put back, or temporary fencing put in place, at the site. Not bad really when none of it had been planned in advance. Plus of course the 9 days that RAIB and BTP were on site looking for evidence.

How to get the best price for a train ticket: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6442947.stm

Last week I mentioned the sale on eBay of a seat on the opening train of the extended Welsh Highland Railway (11.00am, 23rd March). The winning bid was £103: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170088106318

For just a little more, you can own your own unbuilt rebuilt Bulleid Pacific... no really... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130089388022

South Devon Railway news...

Unveiling of the GNER Award plaque during the Totnes Group AGM: http://www.southdevonrailway.org/News-and-Press-Releases/Totnes-Award2.html

Details of the 1/2 Price day when the line reopens http://www.southdevonrailway.org/News-and-Press-Releases/2007_Spring_Half_Price_Weekend.html

Restoration of the railway's Routemaster Bus: http://www.southdevonrailway.org/RouteMaster/Restoration.html#Current_Position

A new ITV drama series starting next week included filming at Wirksworth station on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway (see item in "TV and Radio"). Trailer: http://mobiledrama.itv.com/

Also, note BBC4's "Tube Night" on Sunday 18th March.

Downloadable version of the BTF "Let's Go To Birmingham": http://creative.bfi.org.uk/titles/409874.html

An entertaining diversion about the Midland Railway and a lost hat: http://roy25booth.blogspot.com/2006/10/lost-hat-midland-railway-1909.html

One man's interest in signals (amongst other things): http://www.roscalen.com/signals/index.htm

The Hampton Pier Railway, Herne Bay: http://www.hbay.co.uk/html/hampton.htm

30 years ago, Neil Dimmer visited the Vale of Rheidol Railway, Talyllyn Railway (in 1978) and the Isle of Man railways (in 1977). He has now put five collections to my Fotopic site.

Vale of Rheidol railway when all 3 locos were in BR blue livery: http://steam-diesel-photos.fotopic.net/c1228170.html

Talyllyn Railway: http://steam-diesel-photos.fotopic.net/c1228165.html

Isle of Man Steam Railway: http://steam-diesel-photos.fotopic.net/c1227469.html

Manx Electric Railway: http://steam-diesel-photos.fotopic.net/c1227461.html

Snaefell Mountain Railway: http://steam-diesel-photos.fotopic.net/c1227463.html

Neil has also uploaded a collection of photos of the Deltics in BR days dating back to 1979/80.

Photos of 55002/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/13/14/15/17 & 18 at: http://eastcoastrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/c1229146.html

Photo of 55022 Royal Scots Grey at Doncaster: http://eastcoastrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/p39334126.html

Also a few slides transferred to disc (poor quality) of 9007 Pinza at Leeds hauling the Yorkshire Pullman in 1971: http://eastcoastrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/p38582659.html

Plus a few more unidentified Deltics: http://eastcoastrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/c1208184.html

55006 The Fife & Forfar Yeomanry http://eastcoastrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/p39417860.html

55014 Duke of Wellingtons Regiment http://eastcoastrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/p39417826.html

Name plates of 55002/008/016/017 & 018 http://eastcoastrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/c1229146.html

Also photos taken in June 1977 of the York Centenary display in York Station. Locos involved were Edward Fletcher NER 910, NER 1621, 4468 Mallard, LNWR 790 Hardwick: http://eastcoastrailwayphotos.fotopic.net/c1231392.html

The Surrey Area Group of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust has added two new features to its website. First, there are 6 quizzes to test your knowledge of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. Each quiz comprises 10 questions, and the quizzes are rated from "easy" through to "hard". One Quiz is dedicated to the years between 1923 and 1935 when the line was operated and finally closed by the Southern Railway. Secondly, there are 6 L&B railway related bedtime stories intended primarily for young children. http://lynbarnrail.atspace.com/

Our Vice-Chairman advises that the Shieldhall 2007 timetable brochure is now online. Prices start at £10 this year: http://www.ss-shieldhall.co.uk

Twenty historical photographs of the collieries of North-east Wales: http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/old_photos/pages/coal.shtml

IN THE NEWS

Government approval for leasing of another 1000 coaches: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6448327.stm

What is the answer to overcrowding? http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/magazine/6296387.stm

GNER franchise loss defended: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6446877.stm

RMT/NWR dispite in Scotland: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6443027.stm

Spain-Morocco tunnel proposal: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6442697.stm

All Nippon Airways wheels up landing in Japan: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6444819.stm

(Spotters: Neil Kearns, Reg Nerps)

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